Chapter 1144: The Only Chance

Han Li paid no heed to what the Wonderful Dharma Sage said. He merely circulated his cultivation technique to endure the increasingly frigid aura around him while examining the six ice mirrors surrounding him.

After a moment, he suddenly had an idea. He raised his hand, and with a flash of light, a small silver flame figure with a seven-colored flame crown appeared in his palm.

Han Li then looked at the ice mirrors around him. Indeed, only his own reflection appeared on them, not the image of the Essence Fire Bird.

"It seems this illusion mirror formed by ice-attribute law power cannot replicate fire-attribute images. That makes things easier..." Han Li thought to himself as he raised a finger and pointed at one of the ice mirrors.

The small silver flame figure, connected to his mind, had already transformed into a sheet of flame that coiled up his arm and burst forth from his fingertip, drilling deep into the mirror's surface like a fire drill.

As expected, the seemingly indestructible ice mirror began to melt, its surface rippling like a lake stirred by a breeze.

"Hmph! Having an Essence Fire Bird is indeed impressive, but unfortunately, you won't have a chance to come out again," the Wonderful Dharma Sage said with a frown. Her graceful figure descended, about to land on the Ice Sealing Illusion Mirror.

Just then, the surrounding void trembled violently, and a warm breeze suddenly blew in from the southeast.

The Wonderful Dharma Sage's descending motion halted abruptly. She flew back up and landed on the ice crystal city wall, gazing into the distance.

At the southeastern horizon, a fiery red figure was speeding toward them, standing on a blazing cloud.

As she moved, half the sky behind her changed dramatically. A vast expanse of fiery clouds rolled in like surging flames, making the entire void feel scorching hot.

Sensing the newcomer's aura, the Wonderful Dharma Sage on the high wall frowned, a clear look of disgust flashing in her eyes.

A thousand zhang away, the fiery red figure stopped, standing on the fire cloud and looking over.

"Ha, I was wondering who it was. So it's the Wonderful Dharma Sage! There's a fugitive from the Immortal Slaying List that I'm pursuing. Have you seen him?" the fiery figure asked, feigning surprise and covering her mouth.

"There is only one prisoner of the Nine Yuan Temple here, and he has already been captured. If Fairy Red Dream is looking for someone, you'd better go elsewhere," the Wonderful Dharma Sage replied coldly.

It turned out that the fiery figure was none other than Red Dream, who had also come to capture Han Li.

"What a coincidence. That person is also a wanted criminal on the Heavenly Court's Immortal Slaying List. Since you've caught him, you might as well hand him over to me. I'll report to the Heavenly Court and secure a reward for you and your Nine Yuan Temple," Red Dream said, glancing at the Ice Sealing Illusion Mirror and chuckling.

"Everything has its order. Since I caught him first, I'll take him back to the Nine Yuan Temple for interrogation. After we've clarified the charges, we'll hand him over to you. Doesn't the Heavenly Court value rules above all?" the Wonderful Dharma Sage retorted coldly, showing no sign of backing down.

"First come, first served, that's true. But this person... are you sure you've caught him?" Red Dream asked with a sneer.

The Wonderful Dharma Sage frowned, her expression shifting slightly.

On the ground behind the ice crystal city wall, a dense swarm of red fire ants had inexplicably emerged from underground. They were surrounding the Ice Sealing Illusion Mirror that trapped Han Li, attacking it relentlessly.

A layer of viscous flame clung to the ants' bodies. As they crawled, the ground they passed was instantly scorched by the blazing fire, leaving deep grooves.

However, the Ice Sealing Illusion Mirror was imbued with extreme cold law power. When the fire ants climbed onto it, a deadly clash between ice and fire ensued.

The flames on the fire ants were rapidly consumed. Often, they couldn't crawl even an inch before their heat was exhausted and they froze into ice crystals.

But the number of fire ants was overwhelming. Even if each individual contributed little, together they formed a formidable force not to be underestimated.

Trapped inside the Ice Sealing Illusion Mirror, Han Li was unaware of the external changes. He continued to use the Essence Fire Bird's power to try to breach the ice mirror's seal.

Just as the cold had nearly invaded his entire body and his limbs were growing stiff, a soft "pop" sounded from his fingertip wrapped in silver flames.

This side of the Ice Sealing Illusion Mirror had been pierced!

Han Li's heart stirred. He mobilized all his strength and punched fiercely at the breach in the mirror.

"Clang..."

A crisp sound rang out. All six sides of the Ice Sealing Illusion Mirror shattered simultaneously, and Han Li's figure burst out from within.

Seeing the shards of ice mirror not yet melted, and countless fire ants scrambling toward him, Han Li's heart tightened. Without time to assess the situation, he leaped up, intending to flee.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Wonderful Dharma Sage's figure, wrapped in a swirl of wind and snow, descending from the city wall and chasing after him.

Startled, Han Li quickly reversed the True Word Wheel within him and dodged away at top speed.

At that moment, behind the Wonderful Dharma Sage, a fiery red figure caught up, shouting with a smile:

"Since the Sage couldn't capture him, let's each rely on our own skills and see who comes first and who comes later..."

As she spoke, golden light flashed from the fire cloud beneath her. The entire cloud seemed to ignite, spewing golden tail flames that propelled her forward. She instantly overtook the Wonderful Dharma Sage and drew level with Han Li.

Han Li lamented his misfortune. He hadn't expected that dealing with one Great Luo mid-stage cultivator would already be a headache, and now another Great Luo mid-stage cultivator had also declared her intent to kill him.

As Red Dream closed in, she raised her hand. Her five pale fingers clenched, and a fiery dragon emerged from her palm, opening its massive maw to bite at Han Li.

Though the dragon hadn't yet approached, its scorching heat had already invaded, distorting the void around them.

Han Li felt his breath catch. The forward momentum of his flight was hindered by an invisible force in the void ahead, slowing him down.

Just as he was about to be engulfed by the flames from the dragon's mouth, a silver flame rose from his shoulder and surged down his arm.

Han Li waved his hand, and a huge fire bird's head emerged from his arm, opening its beak to bite down on the fiery dragon.

With that single bite, the Essence Fire Bird bit off a small part of the dragon's head, and the dragon's extended body retracted.

However, even after entering the bird's mouth, the flames on the dragon's head were not immediately absorbed. They still struggled violently, as if alive, with sporadic sparks flying off.

Han Li felt as if his entire arm were being deep-fried, burning with pain, but he could only grit his teeth and endure.

Seeing the Essence Fire Bird's action, Red Dream was not angered but delighted. She laughed, "Oh, an Essence Fire Bird, and it has devoured Seven-Colored Fire Cinnabar. This little one belongs to me now..."

With that, her beautiful eyes focused. Flames surged around her, and her figure instantly closed in on Han Li.

As soon as she approached, Han Li felt his skin seared as if by boiling oil, and the blood in his veins seemed to boil, surging restlessly.

Han Li's face flushed crimson, countless blood vessels appearing in his eyes. His immortal spiritual power, which had been flowing sluggishly, now became uncontrollable and increasingly狂暴.

"A young man should have boiling blood. Come... let me add more fuel to your fire," Red Dream said with a charming smile, casually forming hand seals.

As she spoke, the temperature around Han Li suddenly increased tenfold. A white, dazzling light rose from beneath him, spanning a thousand zhang. Within it, the silhouette of a three-legged golden crow spread its wings, and blazing flames continuously surged upward.

Han Li's figure was instantly engulfed by the flames, as if thrown into an alchemist's furnace. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't escape.

Fortunately, the Essence Fire Bird had already transformed into a silver flame coat covering his entire body; otherwise, his flesh would have been burned to grease by the flames.

Even so, Han Li still felt unbearably hot, as if his soul were about to split.

Just then, a clear cry suddenly rang out!

A massive ice phoenix materialized out of thin air, spreading its wings and flying toward them. As its wings flapped, gusts of wind carrying extreme cold and snow swept over.

The fiery light disk sensed the approaching ice phoenix and immediately began to spin rapidly. The flames surging from it rose like a fire tornado, colliding head-on with the ice phoenix.

In an instant, white steam billowed violently for ten thousand li, obscuring vision, while the surrounding temperature dropped significantly.

"Wonderful Dharma Sage, it seems your Nine Yuan Temple is determined to oppose me and the Heavenly Court?" Red Dream raised an eyebrow, looking at the approaching Wonderful Dharma Sage with a cold smile.

"I had already captured him. You broke the rules first, so don't blame me for retaliating in kind," the Wonderful Dharma Sage replied, her exquisite face expressionless, her tone cold.

"Fine, fine, fine. Since neither of us will yield, let's settle this between us. The winner takes him, and the loser goes back where they came from. How about that?" Red Dream laughed.

"That suits me," the Wonderful Dharma Sage said, glancing at her.

As the two spoke, the various disturbances within Han Li's body began to ease. The oppressive force of the surrounding flames was also reduced due to the ice phoenix's attack.

Han Li felt his body relax, but he dared not let his guard down.

This was his only chance!