Chapter 1225: Invitation of the Crimson Dream

Sikong Jian, however, dared not let his guard down. He muttered incantations under his breath and raised the Wood King Ruler in his hand.

"Whoosh—"

The green trees within the spirit domain converged, instantly forming two more tree cocoons that shot forth.

As spiritual light flickered on the Wood King Ruler, two fiery green sparks flew out and merged into the tree cocoons.

The green tree cocoons burst into blazing flames once more, transforming into two Wood God Thunder Pearls that shot into the black hole like meteors.

A thunderous boom echoed from within the black hole. It twisted and trembled violently, instantly expanding twofold, nearly engulfing half the arena.

The restrictions around the arena crackled, showing signs of instability once again, drawing gasps of surprise from the onlookers below.

Sikong Jian's face paled slightly, and the green light around his body dimmed considerably. Clearly, unleashing such powerful attacks as the Wood God Thunder Pearls in succession had taken a heavy toll on him.

Just as he was about to retrieve a pill from his storage ring to catch his breath, a piercing screech rang out from within the black hole.

Then, with a rumble, a crimson light shot out from the black hole like lightning. It was none other than the Wood God Thunder Pearl that Sikong Jian had just launched, now hurtling back toward him like a meteor.

Startled, Sikong Jian could not understand how his own attack had been turned against him. He hastily urged the green trees within his spirit domain to block it while retreating rapidly.

But at that moment, a cold snort echoed in his ears. A sudden, sharp pain stabbed through his mind as if pierced by a steel needle. He could not help but cry out in agony, and his backward momentum faltered.

In that instant, the Wood God Thunder Pearl shattered the green trees in the spirit domain with irresistible force, reaching Sikong Jian in the blink of an eye and slamming violently into him.

With a deafening roar!

The Wood God Thunder Pearl exploded, unleashing a blinding halo of red and green light that swept in all directions, shattering the space it touched into fragments.

Sikong Jian's heart tightened.

Knowing full well the power of the Wood God Thunder Pearl, he endured the searing pain in his mind as the Wood King Ruler in his hand blazed with green light, forming a green light barrier that enveloped his body.

No sooner had the green light barrier formed than the red-green halo surged toward it.

With a bang!

Sikong Jian was blasted away by the explosion, but the green light barrier around him was incredibly resilient. It flickered violently but did not shatter.

Though the green light barrier was sturdy enough to block most of the Wood God Thunder Pearl's explosive force, a small portion still penetrated it and struck Sikong Jian.

A series of crisp cracking sounds came from half of Sikong Jian's body, clearly indicating that all his bones had shattered, and blood gushed from his mouth.

At that moment, a phantom shot out from the first spatial black hole, instantly catching up to Sikong Jian who was being flung back, and slammed heavily into him.

Both of them flew out together and crashed heavily into the restrictions around the arena.

The phantom also revealed its form—it was Han Li.

His body was now covered by a layer of crystalline light membrane, the True Extremity Membrane, but beneath it, his clothes were tattered, his body covered in scorch marks and blood, looking quite battered.

Sikong Jian, struck heavily again, spat out another mouthful of blood.

Han Li extended his left hand, pressing Sikong Jian against the restriction light screen around the arena, while his right fist blazed with golden light, almost too dazzling to look at, radiating a terrifying fluctuation of power.

His right arm moved, and his right fist instantly turned into a golden phantom, smashing into Sikong Jian's chest.

The restriction light screen around the arena, already on the verge of collapse, trembled violently and shattered with a loud bang.

Sikong Jian himself, like a torn sack, flew backward and crashed onto the ground outside the arena.

The referee elder, who had been hiding in the distance, flew over and, looking at Sikong Jian who had fallen outside the arena, declared Han Li the victor.

The situation took a sudden turn; Sikong Jian, who had been dominating, was instantly defeated and knocked off the arena, causing an uproar among the onlookers.

"Good!"

Zhou Xianyang stared blankly at the scene before him; only after hearing the referee's announcement did he snap out of it, abruptly standing up, clenching his fist, and letting out a loud shout.

Zhao Yuanlai's face alternated between red and white; he snorted heavily but said nothing.

On the high stone platform, Pure Void True Man and the others also showed expressions of surprise.

It was not surprising that Han Li, with his physical strength, could shatter the restriction light screen around the arena and knock Sikong Jian off the stage, but how Han Li had managed to counter the Wood God Thunderclap back at Sikong Jian was something none of them had seen clearly.

"It seems we have all underestimated this Chang Qi! Besides his physical strength, he has other hidden tricks—truly a dark horse... Hehe, for a small sect like Xianshan Sect to produce such a figure, it's no small feat, no small feat." Lu Chuanfeng chuckled, speaking with a hint of meaning.

Pure Void True Man and the others looked at Han Li, their eyes flickering slightly.

Han Li took out a recovery pill and swallowed it, but dared not circulate his energy to refine it; instead, he fully activated the black mask to conceal his own aura.

Pure Void True Man and the others glanced at Han Li a few times but quickly averted their gaze to watch the matches on other arenas.

Chi Meng also turned her head to look at other matches, but for some reason, her peripheral vision swept toward Han Li again, a trace of confusion flickering in her eyes.

Han Li felt the gaze of Pure Truth Immortal shift away and secretly breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped down from the arena.

Sikong Jian had already been helped to his feet by the people of Solitary Yang Peak; after emergency treatment, he had recovered his ability to move.

"How did you seize my Wooden God Thunderclap Bead?" Sikong Jian blocked Han Li's path, his eyes fixed on Han Li as he ground his teeth and asked.

"Sorry, no comment," Han Li said indifferently, then walked past him.

In the Great Luo realm, the strength gap between each minor stage was immense. Sikong Jian's mid-stage Great Luo cultivation was truly formidable; even if Han Li exerted all his acupoint power, he could not win. So when Sikong Jian had just struck him into the spatial black hole, he risked summoning the Profound Heaven Gourd, using its ability to counter-seize the Wooden God Thunderclap Bead and win through a cunning move.

Sikong Jian stared at Han Li's retreating back, a venomous glint flickering in his eyes.

"Let's go!" he suddenly roared, then turned and walked toward the exit of the Nine Element Temple's mountain gate.

The others from Solitary Yang Peak quickly followed.

Han Li returned to where Manifest Mountain Sect was stationed, and everyone from the sect immediately came forward to greet him.

"Junior Martial Brother Chang, thank you," Zhou Xianyang said, tightly gripping Han Li's hand, his eyes filled with excitement.

"No need to be polite; it was only what I should do," Han Li said with a light laugh.

He exchanged a few more pleasantries with the others, then sat down, regulating his breathing to recover from his injuries.

Speaking of which, although the duel between Han Li and Sikong Jian seemed complicated, it was actually the fastest to conclude; at this moment, battles on other platforms were still ongoing.

However, the fights on the other platforms did not last much longer, and within the next half hour or so, winners and losers were decided one after another.

Before long, Han Li and eleven others stood on a platform, facing the tens of thousands of observing cultivators below.

Luo Yuanshan of Qinghui Forest, Wen Changtian of Songtian Gate, and Fairy Ziluo of Tianyou Lake had all achieved victory and stood on the platform.

"After three days of competition, the twelve final victors have finally been selected, and these twelve Bodhi Tokens naturally belong to the sects represented by the twelve winners," said Pure Truth True Man in a loud voice, his face beaming with a smile.

The leaders of the twelve sects, including Xianshan Sect, stood up and saluted the surrounding cultivators from afar with cupped hands.

"The Bodhi Token is a treasured artifact of the Heavenly Court and cannot be lightly bestowed. Seven days later, the token-awarding ceremony will be held at Jiuyuan Pavilion. I invite all fellow cultivators to attend and observe," Pure Truth True Man added.

The crowd below responded in unison.

Pure Truth True Man soon announced the end of today's competition, and the crowd did not linger there, heading toward the mountain gate.

Han Li and the group from Xianshan Sect made their way down the mountain.

But halfway there, the group halted. Han Li narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

On the road ahead, a red figure stood gracefully—it was Chi Meng.

“Zhou Xianyang of Xianshan Sect pays respects to Fairy Chi Meng.” Zhou Xianyang hastily bowed to Chi Meng.

The others from Xianshan Sect also bowed, and Han Li clasped his hands in greeting to Chi Meng.

“Sect Leader Zhou need not be so polite,” Chi Meng said coolly, but her beautiful eyes ignored Zhou Xianyang and fixed on Han Li.

“May I ask what brings Fairy Chi Meng here?” Zhou Xianyang, noticing her gaze on Han Li, felt a twinge of unease but spoke with a smile.

“Nothing much. I just witnessed Fellow Daoist Chang’s astonishing strength in the recent match, and I wished to make his acquaintance. I wonder if I might have that honor?” Chi Meng looked at Han Li and smiled.

“Fairy Chi Meng is an important figure in the Celestial Court and such a beauty. If you deign to befriend me, I am naturally most willing,” Han Li replied with an impassive smile.

“Fellow Daoist Chang has a delightful wit—truly a refined man.” Chi Meng’s lips curled into a smile.

“Senior Martial Brother, take the others back to Xianshan Villa first. I’ll join you shortly,” Han Li said to Zhou Xianyang.

“Very well, Junior Martial Brother. I’ll head back first.” Zhou Xianyang hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

He then nodded to Chi Meng and quickly left with the others.

Only Han Li and Chi Meng remained on the path.

“Not far ahead is the famous Golden Maple Forest of the Nine Elements Temple. Would Fellow Daoist Chang care to accompany me to admire it?” Chi Meng said with a radiant smile.

Han Li was taken aback. Long ago, when he was still in the mortal world, a woman had once invited him to enjoy a scenic spot.

A graceful figure suddenly surfaced in his mind—Chen Qiaoqian, his fellow disciple from the Yellow Maple Valley days.

Alas, their paths had diverged. He had cultivated successfully, ascended to the True Immortal Realm, and attained the Da Luo stage, with the prospect of immortality for eons, barring unforeseen events.

But Chen Qiaoqian had long turned to dust. He wondered if she had been reincarnated, and if so, where.

“With beautiful scenery and a beautiful lady, how could I refuse such a pleasure? Please, lead the way, Miss Chi Meng.” Han Li quickly composed himself and said with a faint smile.

Given his cautious nature, he would never have idly chatted with Chi Meng, but he was now impersonating Chang Qi, whose personality was lively and particularly fond of beautiful women.

Thus, Han Li had no choice but to pretend.

Hearing this, Chi Meng’s eyes sparkled, and with a charming smile, she walked ahead.

Seeing this, Han Li could only follow.