Chapter 55: Explanation

Although the four Body Integration cultivators had sacrificed various defensive measures at the first moment, cold sweat still broke out on their backs.

These four black fire pythons, seemingly no more than three or four zhang in length, were clearly condensed and formed from the vast amount of Heavenly Devil Flame that had previously filled the entire valley. As high-ranking cultivators of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, no one knew better than them the terror of this flame.

Even for Body Integration cultivators, a slight carelessness could lead to dire consequences.

They had never imagined that one day they would face the edge of this demonic flame directly.

At that moment, a sudden sound of tearing air rang out!

A white light flashed above the canyon, split into four, and shot down with such speed that it appeared before the four of them as if by teleportation.

It turned out to be four glittering sword beams!

As the sword light flickered, the beams spun and transformed into four sword wheels, each about a zhang in diameter.

Almost in the next instant, the four black fire pythons collided with them.

A series of explosive sounds like rumbling thunder!

Countless black fireballs burst and roared on the surface of the four sword wheels, which instantly blazed up, sending out ripples of invisible waves in all directions.

The four ferocious black fire pythons were extinguished in an instant, turning into streams of black smoke that dissipated and vanished.

Then, as ripples stirred in the midair of the valley, a black-robed man in his forties appeared. He had regular features and a refined appearance, but his thick eyebrows were as sharp as swords, giving him a murderous aura.

The four crystalline sword beams once again turned into four white lights, flashed back from the four corners, and disappeared into his body.

Uncle Duan!

The purple-bearded man and the others, feeling relieved at the sight of the figure in midair, were overjoyed.

Han Li stood still, his pupils slightly contracted as he stared at the other party.

The newcomer was, needless to say, Duan Renli, one of the two Great Ascension ancestors of the Heavenly Ghost Sect.

Duan Renli glanced around and saw the Demon Flame Valley, a sect forbidden area, in a mess, with the four Body Integration cultivators looking disheveled. His expression remained unchanged, but the corner of his eye twitched almost imperceptibly.

He lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on Han Li. Without any hand seals, he simply extended a hand, spread five fingers, and pointed downward slowly.

The five fingers suddenly became extremely crystalline, with spiritual light flickering at their tips.

A series of whooshing sounds followed!

Streams of white light shot out from his five fingertips, growing larger as they faced the wind, transforming into hundreds of foot-long white bone flying swords that rained down toward Han Li with a shrill sword cry.

Seeing this, Han Li simply formed a hand seal, and a series of crackling sounds like firecrackers came from within his body. His figure swelled by a circle, and as golden light radiated from his body, light golden scales emerged from his skin, instantly covering his entire body.

The countless white bone swords arrived in an instant, striking his body surface, erupting in clusters of golden and white light that submerged his form, accompanied by a burst of noise like rain hitting a bamboo fence!

Rings of air waves exploded nearby, sweeping outward like a hurricane, causing countless thin white streaks to flicker and vanish erratically in the void within dozens of zhang.

At the same time, ripples stirred a hundred zhang above the center of the explosion, and a small black seal appeared out of thin air. It spun rapidly, grew to the size of a pavilion, and descended from the sky, emitting ten thousand beams of black light.

Before it even landed, a suffocating spiritual pressure distorted the surrounding void, its power terrifying.

A deafening earth-shattering sound!

The giant seal, at a position about a zhang from the ground, suddenly stopped its descent and could not fall any further.

Seeing this, Duan Renli finally showed a hint of surprise on his face.

Although he had just unleashed two great divine abilities in quick succession, it had actually taken no more than a single breath. At this moment, the golden and white light below faded, revealing the scene within.

Han Li stood firmly in place, motionless, with his right arm covered in golden scales raised, holding up the black giant seal, while his feet had sunk into the pitch-black ground, with cracks spreading around.

He grinned at Duan Renli in midair, revealing a set of white teeth. Then he bent his right arm and suddenly straightened it.

Instantly, a thunderous roar erupted. The seemingly heavy black giant seal was thrown away like a piece of wood, flying out of the valley mouth at an inconceivable speed and disappearing from sight.

Then, with a sudden push of his feet, he leaped into the air. After a flicker, he appeared eerily not far from Duan Renli. His arm blurred slightly as he prepared to punch the opponent.

Seeing this, the latter's expression remained unchanged, his eyes merely narrowing slightly.

At that moment, behind Han Li, the void flickered, and a silver ring shot out silently.

As if expecting this, Han Li swiftly turned and delivered a light hand chop, cutting the ring in two.

A bizarre scene appeared!

The two halves of the silver ring, with runes swirling on their surface, suddenly turned into a series of afterimages and vanished into thin air.

The next moment, the two halves eerily appeared on either side of Han Li.

With a soft clang!

Han Li felt his body tighten as the two halves of the silver ring suddenly snapped together, once again forming a complete ring that locked tightly around him.

The ring blazed with spiritual light, contracting sharply. Where the inner edge met his golden scales, sparks flew and a grinding, cracking explosion sounded, as if he would be crushed by the immense force at any moment.

“Brother!” Liu Le’er, who had already retreated to a corner of the valley, cried out in alarm at the sight.

The purple-bearded man and the others, however, felt a surge of joy.

Han Li showed no sign of panic. Gritting his teeth, he let out a low shout.

A thunderous crackling sound erupted from within his body. Five blue light spots suddenly appeared on his chest and abdomen. His muscles bulged, and his entire body swelled by a full size.

He thrust his arms outward. The silver ring flashed wildly as it was forced open, countless silver runes appearing and dancing frantically. Then, with a crack, it burst apart.

Duan Renli’s expression finally turned grave. He shot backward, his sleeves billowing as if to activate another treasure or technique.

How could Han Li allow him to strike again so easily? With a flicker of his shoulders, his figure blurred and vanished from the spot.

The next moment, as Duan Renli retreated a hundred zhang, a figure flickered behind him. Han Li appeared like a ghost, and without a word, he clenched his fist and punched.

His fist gleamed golden, as if cast from pure gold. Where the fist wind passed, a white scar was carved into the air.

Duan Renli whirled around, opening his mouth to spew a cloud of blood. It condensed into a blood-colored light shield in front of him.

With a boom!

Han Li’s fist slammed into the blood shield. The shield’s surface sank deeply, then collapsed into a vast cloud of blood mist. The punch did not stop, piercing straight through Duan Renli’s chest.

But Han Li showed no joy; instead, he snorted coldly.

With a poof, Duan Renli’s flesh and blood dissolved like foam. Amidst a drifting cloud of blood qi, his entire body turned into a white skeleton, hanging from Han Li’s arm.

A ripple of void energy stirred a hundred zhang away, and Duan Renli’s figure silently appeared. He seemed unharmed, but his face was faintly pale.

The series of events happened like lightning and sparks. The purple-bearded man and the others exchanged glances, seeing shock and astonishment in each other’s eyes.

“I never thought that in the few centuries I’ve been in seclusion, a cultivator of your caliber, comparable to a Mahayana existence, would emerge in this realm. May I ask your esteemed name?” Duan Renli looked Han Li up and down as if confirming something, speaking slowly.

“You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Duan. I am Han Li.”

Han Li smiled faintly, casually tossing the white skeleton aside. The pale golden scales on his body receded, and he made no further move.

“So it’s Fellow Daoist Han. Since you possess such strength, you should maintain your dignity. Why would you come to my Heavenly Ghost Sect to cause trouble without reason, and bully my disciples as a superior? Shouldn’t you give me an explanation?” Duan Renli’s voice suddenly turned cold.

“Heh, the Heavenly Ghost Sect is quick to blame others. You captured my companion first, then forcibly teleported me here with secret arts. I should be the one asking you for an explanation.” Han Li’s mouth twitched, and he sneered.

Duan Renli was taken aback. He glanced at the purple-bearded man and the others below and asked, “What’s going on?”

“What’s going on?”

The men exchanged looks; the other three all turned to the purple-bearded man.

“Reporting to Uncle-Master Duan. Earlier, I received a message from the sect that someone had trespassed, so I went out to investigate. Seeing that this… this Fellow Daoist Han’s divine abilities were formidable, I activated the restriction to teleport him here. As for why he came to our Heavenly Ghost Sect, I’m not entirely clear.” The purple-bearded man hesitated before saying.

“Investigate this immediately!” Duan Renli ordered without room for debate.

“Yes.” The purple-bearded man quickly acknowledged and flew out of the valley.

Duan Renli’s gaze returned to Han Li’s face, and he said nothing more.

Han Li glanced at a certain spot below, signaling Liu Le’er not to worry with his eyes, then met Duan Renli’s gaze with a faint smile.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the purple-bearded man returned to the valley and respectfully whispered a report to Duan Renli via voice transmission.

Duan Renli frowned slightly, but then his expression returned to normal, and he waved his hand.

The purple-bearded man quickly stepped aside.

“So Fellow Daoist Han is from the Cold Flame Sect?” Duan Renli looked up at Han Li, speaking slowly, as if weighing his words.

“That’s right.” Han Li replied frankly.

“I never expected your sect to be so low-key. Having produced a physical cultivator of your caliber without ever revealing a hint—truly worthy of congratulations.” Duan Renli’s eyes flickered, and he spoke with a half-smile.

“Fellow Daoist Duan, it’s best not to change the subject.” Han Li said with a faint smile.

“I’ve basically figured out the matter. You have some grievances with an outer sect elder of our sect. The rest was all a misunderstanding. Since that man is dead and the matter is clear, continuing to fight would be pointless. How about we stop here, and I’ll have someone see you and your companion out?” Duan Renli was silent for a moment before saying.

In his view, although Han Li appeared to have low cultivation, he was clearly hiding his true strength. With the other Mahayana cultivator in the sect absent at the moment, continuing the fight would likely bring more loss than gain.

“If it were you, Fellow Daoist Duan, being inexplicably detained in another sect, attacked by nearly the entire sect without any distinction between right and wrong, and then being told it was all a misunderstanding as if nothing happened—would you agree?” Han Li stared straight at him, speaking with a sardonic smile.