Chapter 1127: Self-Entrapment

Seeing the Fire-Year Fireflies diving down in overwhelming numbers, Han Li dared not be careless. Golden light flashed behind him, and the Truthful Word Wheel emerged, spinning unceasingly.

As soon as the Fire-Year Fireflies flew close, they seemed to crash into an invisible wall of air, their speed immediately slowing as they were trapped midair.

Seeing this, Han Li felt slightly relieved. He was about to take out the Profound Heavenly Gourd to collect them when he witnessed a shocking sight.

Tens of thousands of Fire-Year Fireflies suddenly erupted in a patch of golden flame. As the light flickered, they continuously consumed the golden rays released from his wheel.

As the golden rays were steadily consumed, the Fire-Year Fireflies' movement speed surged, and they kept pressing closer toward him.

These Fire-Year Fireflies were clearly on a different level from any he had encountered before.

While Han Li faced unexpected变故, Jiao San and Hu San were in even more trouble.

Jiao San was now completely surrounded by Fire-Year Fireflies. Though the azure light on her robe still lingered, it had been gnawed into fragments, and it seemed she could barely hold on.

As for Hu San, he was even worse off. His silver armor could not withstand many Fire-Year Fireflies, so he had to dodge hastily, but in the process, he accidentally bumped into a divine lamp clone.

Flames burst forth from the clone lamp, and a crimson fire dragon suddenly emerged, coiling toward Hu San.

Startled, Hu San's Heaven Fox Blood-Transforming Blade let out a trembling hum as he slashed at the fire dragon.

A vast blood-colored blade shadow swept out, engulfing hundreds of Fire-Year Fireflies and striking the crimson flame dragon.

The fire dragon's body was instantly cleaved apart, scattering into scattered sparks that dissipated.

Hu San breathed a slight sigh of relief, but as he moved, two other clone divine lamps flared with intense firelight, and two fire dragons shot out, biting into his shoulders from left and right.

His movements immediately slowed, and he was frozen in place.

Then, the surrounding Fire-Year Fireflies swarmed over him, engulfing him entirely.

"Not good..." Han Li's heart tightened at the sight.

Under the gnawing of the Fire-Year Fireflies, Hu San's life force began to drain at an eerie speed. His entire demeanor grew listless, and the aura around him gradually weakened.

If he didn't act now to save him, Hu San would truly be in danger.

Han Li gritted his teeth and, raising his hand, thirty-six Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords filed out.

All the swords trembled, transforming into countless azure sword shadows that interwove in midair, forming a vast net of sword light that swept toward the Fire-Year Fireflies.

At the same time, he suddenly withdrew the Truth Dharma Wheel into his body, reversed its rotation to greatly increase his speed, and shifted sideways from his original position, heading straight for Hu San.

Without the restraint of the Truth Dharma Wheel, the Fire-Year Fireflies' speed instantly surged. Although the sword net woven by the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords could block many, some still slipped through and pursued him.

Han Li had no time to worry about that. Once beside Hu San, he activated the Heavenly Fiend Prison Suppression Art within his body, poured star power into his arms, and simultaneously executed the Vajra Force Technique, striking at the two clone divine lamps.

Two explosive booms, "Bang! Bang!" rang out almost simultaneously.

The two clone divine lamps burst upon impact, and the two crimson fire dragons extending from them shattered as well.

At that moment, however, the Fire-Year Fireflies on Hu San suddenly flew off with a whoosh, swarming toward Han Li, forming a pincer attack with the insects chasing from behind.

Han Li had no way to dodge, and instantly hundreds landed on him.

He had no time to brush them off, only thinking to leave the spot first and then think of another plan. But before he could lift his foot, the flames that had shattered beneath him suddenly bloomed like lotuses, covering the ground.

A powerful fluctuation of time law emanated from them. Even reversing the True Wheel within his body, Han Li could not break free and was trapped in place.

The next moment, ripples of void spread before him, and Qimozi's figure suddenly emerged. He raised a long arm and grabbed Han Li by the front of his robe.

"Finally caught you..." Qimozi raised an eyebrow and sneered coldly.

"Brother Han..." Hu San, who had just regained his freedom, saw this and his expression changed drastically as he shouted.

On the other side, Jiao San, who was almost wrapped into a cocoon-like shape, suddenly emitted a strong fluctuation of reincarnation law, shining on the Fire-Year Fireflies.

Then, a surprising scene occurred: the flames on the Fire-Year Fireflies immediately converged, their light rapidly dimmed, and they fell to the ground with a rustling sound, all entering a dormant state.

"Daoist Han..."

Jiao San also frowned, and with a flash of her figure, she rushed over.

However, she had only just dashed out less than a hundred zhang when all the divine lamp avatars around her suddenly blazed with light, and fiery dragons sprang out from within, crisscrossing like weaving a cage, almost completely blocking her path.

Qimozi glanced toward Jiao San, then cast a look at Hu San as he withdrew his gaze, before fixing his eyes on Han Li and sneered:

"No one can save you this time. Die!"

As he spoke, a flash of firelight flickered in the hand gripping Han Li, and a patch of golden flames burst forth, almost instantly engulfing Han Li entirely.

"Brother Han..."

Hu San's eyes nearly split with rage. He leaped up, about to swing his Tianhu Huaxue Blade, but Qimozi casually waved a hand, and a ball of golden flame struck his chest, sending him crashing back down.

Jiao San's eyes also blazed with fury, but she could only watch helplessly as Han Li was devoured by the flames.

Qimozi maintained his grip on Han Li, holding him up like a torch, watching as Han Li slowly turned to ashes in his hand.

The ashes, still flickering with crimson specks, drifted apart, revealing black bone powder pattering down, but no nascent soul fled out.

Seeing this, Qimozi curled his lips into a cold smile and suddenly beckoned behind him with his hand.

Flames flickered around him, and one after another, fiery golden lotuses bloomed, forming a massive cage-like restriction that completely sealed off that stretch of void.

Within the golden lotus light, a tall figure materialized—it was Han Li.

"A substitute puppet works once, but how dare you show it off before me again?" Qimozi turned to face Han Li, trapped in the fiery golden lotus, his face full of mocking laughter.

Trapped in the flames, Han Li could not move and was constantly scorched by the golden fire of the lotus. The intense pain twisted his features, leaving him unable to answer.

Qimozi had no intention of wasting words. He flickered into the fiery golden lotus, grabbed Han Li's head with a palm as large as a palm-leaf fan, and with a slight squeeze, the knuckles bulged and turned white.

Han Li felt his head swell as if about to burst, and he couldn't help but let out a miserable cry.

Qimozi seemed to relish this cry, and he steadily increased the pressure in his hand.

Han Li's face had turned deathly pale, his eyes bloodshot and bulging outward, as if they might explode at any moment.

Seeing this, Jiao San's expression changed drastically. A dark red light surged like a tide from her body. She raised her hand and waved it before her, and the dark red token shot out, expanding continuously in midair.

Her figure followed closely behind the token, constantly pouring her law power into it.

The token grew to the size of a door panel, shielding Jiao San, and from within it emitted wisps of dark red light. As the light shone around, the divine lamp avatars began to disappear one by one.

Hu San, who had finally broken free, also rushed over, following behind Jiao San as they closed in on Qimozi.

The blood light on his Tianhu Huaxue Blade blazed brightly; though the blade had not moved, its momentum had already reached its peak.

Qimozi glanced back at them, curled his lips, and revealed a mocking smile.

"Damn it, too late..." Jiao San said in despair.

As her words fell, Qimozi's hand suddenly tightened. A golden light flashed, and Han Li's head burst like a ripe watermelon with a "bang."

"Brother Han!" Hu San's eyes widened as he roared.

Jiao San's expression also changed drastically, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Ignoring the two, Qimozi yanked from Han Li's remains and pulled out a golden figure about four or five inches tall, with features identical to Han Li—it was his nascent soul.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you see... now isn't the 'Great Five Elements Illusory World Art' still mine?" Qimozi said, his face full of gleeful delight, looking at the nascent soul trapped in his hand.

The tiny nascent soul did not answer, only flailing its limbs and struggling, but unable to break free.

Seeing this, Qimozi was not angered. Instead, a dark light flickered in his eyes, and two slender threads like black mist extended from his pupils, wrapping around Han Li's nascent soul.

With such a secret soul-searching technique, even if the nascent soul had restrictions, as long as the target's cultivation level was lower, it could be easily broken, and most of the power within the nascent soul would be absorbed by the caster without waste.

However, the moment he began the soul search, Qimozi's expression suddenly changed. The black threads缠绕 the nascent soul immediately retracted back into his pupils.

But by then, it was too late!

Han Li's corpse, whose head had just been crushed, suddenly twisted, and along with the tiny nascent soul in his hand, dissipated in a fluctuation of formation power, turning into nothingness.

Beside Jiao San, a green figure materialized, a faint smile on his face—it was the Great Luo cultivator Liu Zizai.

His illusion laws, combined with Jiao San's reincarnation laws, and at the cost of consuming a substitute puppet, had actually fooled Qimozi, who was within his own domain.