Chapter 287: Two Against Three

Just as the burly man's mind raced, the Heavy Water True Wheel had already approached the giant axe.

A scene beyond the man's expectations appeared!

The water-attribute dao patterns on the surface of the Heavy Water True Wheel flashed blue, and a water law force emanated from within. The wheel's body emitted a burst of black light, carrying an indescribable immense power, and slammed heavily onto the giant axe.

With a loud bang!

The spirit patterns inscribed on the black giant axe suddenly brightened, then rapidly fractured, and soon the entire axe body shattered into countless black fragments.

A flicker of horror passed through the burly man's eyes. A light immediately lit up within the black robe on his chest, manifesting as a phantom of a earthen-yellow array pattern in the void, blocking the true wheel.

Not far away, Han Li frowned slightly.

Through his mental connection, he felt that the Heavy Water True Wheel was as if stuck in mud, torn by a strange force that gradually consumed its original momentum. He immediately poured in immortal spiritual power recklessly.

With a loud bang!

The burly man felt a mountain-like pressure crashing into his chest. Although the talisman on his body blocked most of the force, he still couldn't withstand it. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward.

Meanwhile, in another battle group, Lin Jiu was locked in fierce combat with the other two.

The plump woman held a slender, light purple whip covered with purple barbs that reflected metallic light. Her wrist kept flicking in the void, and the long whip transformed into countless whip shadows, raining down on Lin Jiu.

Lin Jiu wielded an ancient-looking golden greatsword, swinging it in the air with a whooshing sound. The sky was filled with sharp golden sword lights that sliced the whip shadows into pieces.

The nine-star pattern on the sword blazed brightly, forming a dazzling starlight-like region around him, firmly protecting him within.

Just then, a black light flashed behind him. A thin figure silently emerged from the void behind him, wearing a pair of silvery sharp claws on his hands. He thrust them forward, directly piercing the starlight.

The runes on the claws lit up, and the thin old man suddenly pulled his hands apart, tearing a gap in the light.

A hint of malice flashed in the old man's eyes. His mouth, hidden under a black cloth, suddenly opened. A ball of black light appeared in his mouth, and a green flying needle treasure shot out, piercing through the cloth and heading straight for Lin Jiu's back.

In fact, Lin Jiu had been on guard against the thin old man while fighting the plump woman, but he still failed to notice how the man had instantly appeared behind him. Now it was too late to turn and defend.

Heh heh, time to die!" A cold smile curled at the old man's lips.

But as soon as he spoke, a golden light suddenly flashed in the void behind Lin Jiu. A square golden ancient mirror with hollowed edges emerged from it.

With a soft ding.

The flying needle treasure struck the mirror's surface and was immediately rebounded.

Then, a sound like a tiger's roar and a dragon's chant came from within the mirror.

Not good!

Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the thin old man opened his mouth to suck the flying needle back in, then leaped backward, retreating.

But a blurry halo lit up on the square ancient mirror. A golden tiger with fiery red stripes pounced out, its bloody mouth wide open, two large fangs like spikes, biting toward the thin old man.

The old man threw his hand forward. A green string tied around his wrist flashed, fell off, and transformed into a dark green python that lunged at the tiger, immediately coiling around it.

He retreated hundreds of zhang to the plump woman's side and complained, "I knew we should have chosen that ox-head kid. This guy is really hard to deal with."

As soon as he spoke, he heard a cry of pain. He quickly turned his head and saw the burly man being stepped on the chest by Han Li, falling toward the sea like a torn sack.

Immediately after, Han Li's figure also turned into a streak of light, diving downward toward the sea.

"They're all freaks... If we don't go all out this time, we might not even get any benefits, and we'll lose our lives here." The thin old man spat lightly, his expression growing more serious.

"Indeed, we can't hold back. Please hold them off for a moment, let me... hehe, change my attire..." The plump woman withdrew her whip and smiled seductively.

Seeing her smile, the thin old man couldn't help but shiver. He summoned his hands, and a large apricot-yellow banner appeared before him. He grabbed it with both hands and leaped toward Lin Jiu.

A fierce glint flashed in the plump woman's eyes. She slapped her shoulder with one hand, and a section of her robe slipped off, revealing a snow-white arm. On it was tattooed a slender woman in red, holding a pipa half-covering her face, with a strange smile on her lips.

This tattoo was no ordinary decoration but a powerful treasure made of human skin, nourished by the woman's own flesh and blood. Today, in desperation, she had resorted to using it.

A strange incantation sounded from her mouth. The tattoo of the woman on her shoulder became increasingly blurred, as if all the colors had bled together.

At the same time, the skin on her arm began to redden, and rashes seemed to spread rapidly, soon covering her entire body.

Accompanied by a low, pained whimper, the woman's black cloak gradually faded away. She was completely transformed, becoming the red-clad woman from the tattoo. Correspondingly, her cultivation level directly rose by one tier, from mid-stage True Immortal to late-stage True Immortal.

A smile curled at the corner of her mouth, exuding a girlish charm entirely different from before.

She turned her wrist, and a red light lit up in her palm. A blood-red oil-paper umbrella flew out, opened in midair, spun gracefully, and flew toward the top of Lin Jiu's head.

The woman's figure then floated up and flew over, saying softly, "Finish him quickly..."

At that moment, a violent roar suddenly sounded from the sea surface below. A huge wave burst open, and a figure flew out backward, shooting hundreds of zhang into the sky before stopping. Behind him, a treasure wheel emitting dark, strange light spun rapidly.

It was Han Li.

Then, the sea water churned, and a golden figure shot straight up out of the sea, hovering in midair. It was the burly man who had been knocked down earlier. Now his whole body was golden, as if coated with a layer of gold paint.

After emerging from the sea, he did not continue chasing Han Li. He looked at the tall figure not far away, squinting slightly.

Now, light golden blood flowed from the corners of his eyes, nose, and mouth, and he was filled with chagrin.

He regretted even more than the thin old man, regretting that he had been overconfident in his late-stage True Immortal cultivation and had taken on this ox-head-masked guy alone. Now he had even consumed his treasured Golden Rot Pill, which he had hoarded for years, just to withstand the guy's series of heavy blows.

He wondered what that black wheel was. Clearly a water-attribute treasure, yet it was as heavy as if it contained an entire ocean.

He turned his wrist, and a white bone fragment appeared in his palm, engraved with some bizarre blood-red patterns, from which emanated faint, strange fluctuations.

The burly man stared at the bone fragment in his hand, a look of hesitation in his eyes.

Han Li hovered in the air, the Heavy Water True Wheel spinning behind him with a constant sound.

He looked up and glanced at Lin Jiu, who was gradually being forced into a disadvantage by the red-clad woman and the thin old man. His gaze narrowed, then turned back to the burly man.

Seeing this, the latter's heart tightened. The hesitation in his eyes vanished. He pressed his hands together, sandwiching the bone fragment between his palms, and began to chant silently.

As the chanting sounded, wisps of green smoke emerged from his palms. The bone fragment spontaneously combusted, transforming into a green ghostly fire lotus that flew out.

This fire, called Ghost Phosphorus Bone Fire, was a rare exotic flame that could only be born under extremely harsh and special conditions. It could only be stored in specially made bone fragments from high-level demon beasts. Once used, its power was astonishing, but it was also difficult to recover, making it a one-time consumable. Hence the man's earlier hesitation.

He suddenly pushed his hands forward, and the fire lotus shot out, seemingly slow but actually fast, drifting toward Han Li. In the blink of an eye, it was less than a hundred zhang away.

Instantly, the fire lotus blazed with green light. Clusters of green ghostly flames surged out, shooting toward Han Li.

Han Li naturally would not let it get close. As soon as the opponent released the fire lotus, he urged the Heavy Water True Wheel, which was suspended behind him, to fly in front of him.

With obscure incantations from his mouth, a patch of black light suddenly bloomed from the true wheel, like a black shield blocking the flames.

However, the Ghost Phosphorus Bone Fire struck the Heavy Water True Wheel and did not disperse. Instead, it quickly enveloped the entire wheel. A scorching heat instantly surrounded the whole wheel.

Han Li felt a very strange force coming from the true wheel, as if it were slowly devouring the heavy water inside, causing it to evaporate and disappear. The weight of the wheel began to decrease.

Although it was only a negligible reduction, it still made his heart tighten. If he didn't quickly remove these green flames, he didn't know what effect they might have on the Heavy Water True Wheel.

As he pondered, he reached out his hand. A wisp of silver flame slowly emerged from his arm, forming a small silver flame figure. It turned back to grin at him, then hopped along his arm, leaped, and turned into a sheet of silver flame that pounced onto the Heavy Water True Wheel, intertwining with the green ghostly flames.

It was the Essence Flame!

On the surface of the true wheel, silver and green flames intertwined and rolled. The Ghost Phosphorus Bone Fire was not to be outdone, and for a moment, it stalemated with the Essence Flame bird, neither able to engulf the other.