Chapter 1266: Heavenly Demons Confound the Spirit

Han Li let out a light breath, sat down cross-legged, calmed his mind, and silently began to circulate his cultivation technique.

Although the void beyond the heavens was extremely dangerous, the various natural energies were very rich, making it quite suitable for cultivation.

Meanwhile, Xiao Bai continued to urge the white cloth bag, tirelessly collecting nearby ore materials.

The cyan giant bird carried Han Li and Xiao Bai forward, and in the blink of an eye, over half an hour had passed.

At that moment, the sky ahead suddenly darkened, as if night had fallen abruptly.

Han Li, who had been cultivating, sensed something and opened his eyes, gazing forward with a raised eyebrow.

The sudden darkening ahead was not due to day-night changes in this void beyond the heavens, but because a massive black cloud had appeared ahead, surging like a tide.

The black cloud churned violently, with various shadows flickering faintly inside, appearing extremely eerie.

"What is this?" Xiao Bai also noticed the anomaly ahead, stopped collecting ores, and stared forward with a face full of surprise.

"This is Heavenly Demon Cloud, formed by the凝聚 of outer-space heavenly demons. It seems to have form but is actually without substance, and cannot be destroyed. It is one of the greatest dangers in the void beyond the heavens. Both of you be careful, especially you, Fellow Daoist Han," the cyan giant bird's voice came.

Han Li's heart tightened, but before he could say anything, the cyan giant bird had already plunged headlong into the black cloud.

He felt a chill around him, as if immersed in cold water. Everything around was pitch black, and he could barely see the cyan giant bird beneath him or Xiao Bai beside him.

Without time to think, Han Li quickly activated the laws of time to protect his entire body.

At that moment, an invisible fluctuation surged from the darkness nearby, enveloping him.

Before Han Li could react, the surrounding scenery changed drastically. He found himself in a gray space, with the cyan giant bird and Xiao Bai vanishing instantly.

"Heart Demon Space?" Han Li frowned and murmured, having already activated the Art of Refining the Spirit, a cool sensation rising in his sea of consciousness.

Suddenly, a black shadow flickered in the space ahead, and a black-clad girl stumbled over, none other than Nangong Wan.

Her hair was disheveled, and she fled in panic, as if something terrifying was chasing her.

"Husband, save me quickly! I have regained my memory. Those people from the Reincarnation Palace are chasing me. They want to capture me and send me to the Heavenly Court. Save me quickly!" Nangong Wan cried out sharply, her face covered with tears, evoking immediate sympathy.

"There is no one chasing you behind," Han Li said calmly, looking at Nangong Wan.

"Husband, I'm so scared!" In the blink of an eye, Nangong Wan reached Han Li, looking extremely frightened and delicate, throwing herself into his arms.

A strange expression appeared in Han Li's eyes.

Just as Nangong Wan was about to fall into his embrace, a cold glint flashed in Han Li's eyes, and he raised his hand.

A thick golden lightning bolt shot silently from his hand, piercing through Nangong Wan's chest in a flash, leaving a bloody hole.

"Husband, you..." Blood gushed from Nangong Wan's mouth as she looked at Han Li in disbelief.

"Indeed, a very realistic illusion, but unfortunately, it has no effect on me," Han Li said calmly, his five fingers suddenly spreading apart.

The golden lightning also split into five, shooting out in all directions, tearing Nangong Wan's delicate body into several pieces.

Nangong Wan let out a scream, then turned into black smoke and disappeared.

The surrounding gray space also vanished in a flash, and Han Li returned to the back of the cyan giant bird.

He breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately furrowed his brow.

Although he had slain the heart demon just now, the evil avatar he had suppressed suddenly became restless, and a strong urge for bloodlust and killing surged from the depths of his heart.

Han Li quickly activated the Art of Refining the Spirit and the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art, trying to suppress the evil thoughts in his heart.

"So the heavenly demon can affect the evil avatar. This must be why Yue Mian told me to be careful," Han Li mused.

Before he could suppress the evil thoughts, another invisible fluctuation emerged, coming from nowhere.

The scenery before Han Li changed, and he appeared in a purple space.

A graceful figure in purple stood there, her back to him.

Although he couldn't see her face clearly, Han Li recognized her at a glance—it was Zi Ling.

He frowned, shot forward, and raised his hand to strike.

A thick bolt of lightning shot from Han Li's palm, slashing down at Zi Ling's head with the force of splitting a mountain.

But Zi Ling's figure flickered and instantly disappeared from her spot, reappearing dozens of feet away, causing Han Li's attack to miss.

"Brother Han, why do you want to kill me?" Zi Ling turned around, her pretty face full of shock and anger, demanding.

Han Li frowned slightly and waved his hands repeatedly.

Golden lightning bolts shot out, and with crackling electric arcs, they instantly formed a huge golden lightning net covering tens of miles.

The golden lightning net flashed with electric light, swiftly descending toward Zi Ling, leaving behind hazy afterimages at a speed that even a Da Luo stage cultivator might not react to.

But Zi Ling's figure flickered again, teleporting out of the range of the golden lightning net.

However, this time Zi Ling couldn't completely evade Han Li's attack. His right arm was grazed by the lightning net, the sleeve of his right hand burst, and blood gushed from his arm.

"It seems you really want to kill me. I have cultivated hard for so many years, with only one goal: to ascend to the immortal realm, to be with you, to cultivate the Great Way together. I never expected that not only would I get nothing, but I would also be hunted by the one I love!" Tears filled Zi Ling's eyes, and her face showed extreme pain.

Although Han Li knew that the Zi Ling before him was a transformation of a heavenly demon, her words still stirred ripples in his heart. However, he did not let it affect his mind, and golden light blazed from his body.

The True Word Wheel appeared behind him, and countless golden ripples emerged, instantly enveloping Zi Ling's body.

Zi Ling's body immediately froze.

Han Li suddenly clenched his five fingers, and the golden lightning net instantly shrank, trapping Zi Ling inside, forming a golden lightning ball.

With a "bang," the golden lightning ball burst open, and Zi Ling inside vanished without a trace.

The purple space disappeared along with it, and Han Li returned to the back of the cyan giant bird.

His face was somewhat pale, a trace of bloodshot appeared in his eyes, and the evil thoughts in his heart intensified again.

But before Han Li could catch his breath, another wave of heavenly demon fluctuations came.

Moreover, this fluctuation was much stronger than the previous two.

Han Li's vision blurred again, and what met his eyes was a golden world.

Everywhere was filled with an intense fluctuation of the metal law, and there was no sense of falsehood.

A huge golden figure stood ahead, none other than the Nine Elements Dao Ancestor Li Yuanjiu, emitting a terrifying pressure like an abyss or sea, pressing down on Han Li's bones until they creaked, almost immobilizing him.

"Han Li, you sneaked into the forbidden area of my Nine Elements Temple, wounded the two great envoys Gui Lingzi and Miaofa Xianzun, and helped those from the Reincarnation Palace steal a precious treasure. I originally wanted to let you go for the sake of past karma, but most people in the Nine Elements Temple strongly oppose it, so you will die here," Li Yuanjiu said with a stern face, forming a hand seal.

The golden light around flashed wildly, and a thousand-zhang-long golden divine blade materialized, slashing fiercely at Han Li.

With a "rip," wherever the golden divine blade passed, a huge spatial rift was torn in the nearby golden space.

Han Li's pupils contracted. He fully activated the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art and the Art of Refining the Spirit, and the golden light on his body suddenly brightened.

With a "crack," he broke free from the pressure binding him.

His expression unchanged, Han Li ignored the sharpness of the golden divine blade and punched out.

With a loud bang, the golden divine blade trembled violently, shot back, and then exploded with a roar, scattering into golden rain.

Han Li's fist was also torn open, revealing white bones, and blood gushed out, but he paid no attention.

Seeing this, Li Yuanjiu sneered, waved his hands, and dazzling golden light appeared in his palms, then exploded in the air.

Golden light flashed repeatedly in the void above Han Li's head, and one golden sword shadow after another appeared, densely packed, countless in number.

Swish, swish, swish...

Countless golden swords shot down, forming a "rain of swords" slashing at Han Li.

The fierce fluctuations of the metal law descended overwhelmingly, as if to pierce him into a sieve. The surrounding space was riddled with holes, golden light surged, and everywhere presented a scene of great destruction.

But Han Li ignored the surroundings, shot out like lightning, and charged at the Nine Elements Dao Ancestor, letting his body be struck by sword lights, instantly becoming riddled with holes.

However, he also flew in front of Li Yuanjiu.

Li Yuanjiu sneered, raised his hand, and slapped down at Han Li.

The entire golden space immediately pressed down on Han Li with this strike.

But at that moment, dazzling golden light burst from Han Li's body, and a vast power of time law instantly enveloped the golden space, freezing everything.

Han Li's speed increased dozens of times, and his entire body turned into a golden arrow barely visible to the naked eye, piercing through Li Yuanjiu's body in a flash.

Li Yuanjiu's body exploded with a "bang," and the surrounding golden space also vanished in a flash.

Han Li's vision blurred, and he appeared again on the cyan giant bird.

All the injuries on his body had disappeared, but his eyes were half-white and half-red, and his whole body trembled slightly.

"Not good..." Han Li tried desperately to suppress the evil thoughts in his heart, but without success; the murderous intent grew stronger and stronger.

But at that moment, his vision brightened. The cyan giant bird had flown out of the range of the Heavenly Demon Cloud.

Without the influence of the heavenly demon power within the cloud, the evil thoughts in Han Li's heart stopped increasing, and he could barely control them.

He let out a light breath, a trace of relief in his eyes.

Fortunately, the cyan giant bird had flown out in time. If he had stayed inside any longer, he would have been controlled by the evil thoughts and gone mad.

Xiao Bai, who had also been trembling all over, slowly opened his eyes, his expression slightly relaxed.