Chapter 64: Striking Simultaneously

"I see. Han Li's physical body is formidable, indeed not easy to deal with by ordinary means. Using these Yellow Turban Dao soldiers as the first move to exhaust his strength considerably—an excellent strategy!" He Shan nodded in praise.

"It's merely a makeshift plan in coordination with Fellow Daoist He Shan's cave-heaven treasure. Though the first step has succeeded, to truly make this man submit, the three of us will have to act together," Tong Ren'e said thoughtfully.

"It's about time. Fellow Daoist He Shan, could you let us see the situation below?" Duan Renli ceased his incantation and turned to look.

He Shan nodded and raised his hand, from which a silver light flew out, faintly revealing an egg-sized silver orb within.

The orb spun swiftly, hovered briefly, and then appeared in the void before the three.

With a "puff," the orb burst open, and a cloud of silver mist spread, condensing into a silver mirror seven or eight zhang in size. After a moment of blurring, it clearly conjured an image.

But when the three saw the scene in the image, their expressions changed instantly.

In the image, Yellow Turban warriors descended from the sky, surging like a tide from all directions toward the tall young man in the center.

The tall young man shifted his stance without much movement, yet fist shadows shot out in all directions.

The surrounding Yellow Turban warriors, like scarecrows, were sent flying through the air upon contact with the fist shadows, exploding with a burst of yellow light, unable to approach within ten zhang of him.

In just a few breaths, seventy or eighty Yellow Turban Dao soldiers had been shattered and sent flying.

The young man's expression was calm, his movements never slowing, as if breaking these Dao soldiers cost him little effort.

Just then, with a "pfft," the silver mirror twisted and dissipated, turning back into a large cloud of smoke that vanished.

"This... how is this possible!" Duan Renli's face turned somewhat ugly.

"These Yellow Turban Dao soldiers, though ignorant of any secret arts or techniques, each possess a formidable physical body comparable to high-level force cultivators. Even if we were surrounded by a hundred, we would find it quite troublesome. But Han Li handles them so effortlessly—it seems we have underestimated him," Tong Ren'e frowned.

"Could his injuries have healed?" He Shan said in a deep voice, his heart beginning to waver.

"If he could recover so easily, why would he leave the Immortal Realm and come to this Linghuan Realm? Since things have come to this, we have no choice but to proceed as planned. It's better for the three of us to act personally, lest delays breed trouble," Tong Ren'e said coldly.

...

Within the cave-heaven space.

Han Li dodged the pincer attack of several Yellow Turban warriors with a swift move, and his right arm blurred slightly as seven or eight fist shadows emerged, each accurately striking a warrior's head.

Bang bang bang!

The heads of seven or eight warriors burst open, their bodies flying sideways, and with a "puff," they turned into a cloud of yellow mist.

The entire process was as smooth and clean as flowing water; in an instant, nearly twenty warriors were defeated.

After a period of skirmishing, these Yellow Turban warriors were no longer a concern in his eyes; the rate at which warriors emerged from all directions was slower than the speed at which he killed them.

With the number of surrounding warriors drastically reduced by more than half, Han Li's eyes flashed with blue light as he looked up at the gray clouds above, preparing to find some clue and seize the opportunity to break through the clouds and explore the cosmos.

Suddenly, the yellow light falling from the sky stopped. Then, a patch of gray clouds trembled violently, splitting open to reveal a gap over ten zhang wide. Three streaks of light descended from the sky, dispersing and hovering in the air.

The light faded, revealing three figures.

Han Li swept his gaze over them and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Besides the obese, mountain-like He Shan and Duan Renli holding the yellow gourd, there was also a short, bald old man in a black robe.

"Fellow Daoist He Shan, it seems you've joined forces with the Heavenly Ghost Sect. How regrettable," Han Li said calmly.

"Fellow Daoist Han, this cannot be blamed on me. The truth is, you have offended someone you should not have. I had no choice but to act," He Shan said indifferently.

"Oh? It seems Fellow Daoist Duan's influence is considerable." Han Li vaguely guessed something but maintained his expression as he looked at Duan Renli and said sarcastically.

"With such strength, Fellow Daoist Han can have whatever he wants in this Linghuan Realm. If it were merely a hundred jin of Yin Chen Stone, how would my Heavenly Ghost Sect go to such lengths?" The bald old man in black gave a dry laugh.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Fellow Daoist Tong, the foremost cultivator of the Heavenly Ghost Sect. I wonder whom I have offended to warrant the simultaneous action of three?" Han Li turned his gaze to the old man and said.

"Ahem! If Fellow Daoist Han is trying to buy time, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Attack!"

Before his words faded, Tong Ren'e flicked his sleeve and offered up a grayish ancient book, then raised a hand and pointed at it.

The ancient book immediately began to flip rapidly with a rustling sound, and streams of grayish-white light shot out from the pages, transforming into strange birds with ghost heads, eagle bodies, and scorpion tails, each six or seven zhang in size. In the blink of an eye, dozens of such birds materialized, spreading their wings and circling high in the air.

"Fellow Daoist Han, forgive me!"

He Shan said, raising his hand to send a pale blue disc-shaped treasure flying out, which vanished in a flash into the gray clouds above.

Then he extended a finger and pointed solemnly at the air.

Rumble!

The thick clouds immediately churned, emitting thunderous roars. Thick gray-black lightning bolts appeared, slithering through the clouds in a terrifying manner.

Duan Renli, meanwhile, chanted incantations. The yellow gourd in his hand glowed with golden runes, emitting a sharp roar as hundreds of yellow beans shot out from the gourd's mouth, landing and transforming into Yellow Turban warriors.

It seemed the three had coordinated, all beginning to施展 their techniques simultaneously.

Han Li's hands moved without pause, his gaze falling on the yellow gourd, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes.

So this is how these Yellow Turban warriors are produced!

The thought flashed through his mind, and the next moment, he shook his arm, sending out a dense array of fist shadows that swept in all directions, blasting away all Yellow Turban warriors within a dozen zhang. Then he leaped up, ready to shoot toward Duan Renli.

These three had gone to such trouble to trap him in this cave-heaven space; they must have ulterior motives and would not rely solely on these surface-level methods. He had to strike first.

At that moment, the strange birds in the air circled briefly, and a dozen or so spread their wings and dove toward Han Li.

Before they reached him, the scorpion tails behind the birds trembled in his direction.

A loud hissing sound erupted!

Countless fine black threads shot down like a storm, instantly enveloping Han Li below.

Seeing this, Han Li lightly shook his shoulders, and his entire body shot diagonally with a series of afterimages, causing the birds' attacks to all miss.

But as soon as he steadied himself nearby and punched away two warriors, the sound of piercing air came again from above—several more birds were diving toward him.

Almost simultaneously, a thunderclap sounded in the sky, and a thick gray-black electric snake descended from the heavens, striking down with ferocity.

Han Li frowned slightly. Golden light flashed on his body, and pale golden scales emerged, covering his body in an instant. Then he punched upward.

A thunderous roar!

The gray-black electric snake shattered, and a dazzling ball of gray-black electric light exploded.

Though Han Li's fist was unscathed, his body swayed and he took a step back.

A clanging sound rang out!

The attacks from the birds' scorpion tails landed on the scales on his body, producing faint black sparks, but not even a white mark was left.

With a "bang!"

After one bird attacked, it failed to take off in time and was struck by a Yellow Turban warrior casually thrown by Han Li. An irresistible force surged into it, and with a mournful cry, it shattered and dissipated along with the warrior.

Then, the sky roared loudly!

Thick gray-black lightning struck down densely, like a rain of lightning, each dazzling bolt tearing through the surrounding gray space with earth-shattering might.

The birds circling in the air also seized opportunities to attack from below.

Han Li moved nimbly, punching out casually to shatter the lightning he couldn't dodge, and occasionally knocking down birds, managing to cope for now.

However, this meant he couldn't immediately attack Duan Renli.

As yellow beans continuously flew out of the gourd, and his killing speed decreased significantly, the number of Yellow Turban warriors around him grew.

In just a few breaths, three to four thousand Yellow Turban warriors had gathered around him.

What troubled him was that most of the outer warriors no longer rushed to attack him; instead, after a burst of running, they suddenly stood still and stopped moving.

"A formation!"

Han Li's pupils contracted, and the word instantly surfaced in his mind.