Chapter 680: The Strange Man

"Go!"

Han Li, seeing the silver flame figure like this, revealed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth and said.

As soon as his words fell, the silver flame figure jumped down from his shoulder, spread its arms, and instantly transformed into a giant silver firebird, pouncing toward the cluster of fist-sized green fireballs.

The Reclusive Flame Immortal, with his back to Han Li, was startled by the sudden blazing heat and powerful fluctuations behind him. Turning his head, he caught sight of the silver flame figure transforming into a firebird and couldn't help exclaiming, "This is... Essence Flame Fire!"

After his words fell, when he looked at Han Li again, an expression of envy involuntarily appeared on his face.

Han Li paid no attention to his reaction. From what Ma Liang had said back then, he already knew the extraordinariness of the Essence Flame Firebird—it was extremely rare even in the True Immortal Realm. Over the years, using it solely to help him refine pills had been somewhat unfair to it.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Accompanied by a series of continuous explosions, the dense cluster of green fireballs, swept by the silver wings of the Essence Flame Firebird, burst apart one after another, collapsing and disappearing under the scorching flames.

Watching this scene, Han Li couldn't help but frown, showing a hint of tension. Just now, he had clearly sensed a trace of aversion from the Essence Flame Firebird.

In the past, whenever it devoured other flames, it was always excited beyond measure, but this time it clearly showed resistance to this green fire, which was obviously abnormal.

To be safe, Han Li quickly sent a mental command to summon the Essence Flame Firebird back to his side. Unexpectedly, the latter did not return immediately but darted back and forth within the bamboo grove, not only burning up all the strange green fire but also dispersing much of the surrounding thick fog.

Han Li swept his gaze around and then noticed that deep within the mist, there were many strange shadows faintly scattered about.

Most of them were stooped, like a group of octogenarians hunched over, standing there with shoulders raised. Behind them were seven or eight giant figures over a hundred feet tall, with sharp spikes visible on their bodies.

In the center of these strange shadows, there was a special figure that looked no different from an ordinary person, seemingly wearing a long robe, with the hem of the garment fluttering slightly in the mountain wind.

All these shadows stood motionless in the mist, as if merged with the gray fog. Had the Essence Flame Firebird not dispersed much of the fog, Han Li would not have detected them at all.

At this moment, the silver flame firebird swooped back with a spread of its wings, transformed back into the silver flame figure, and landed on Han Li's shoulder, panting heavily.

After a brief check, Han Li found that it had only overconsumed spiritual power and was otherwise fine, so he felt somewhat relieved.

"What are these things?" The Reclusive Flame Immortal, seeing this, moved and retreated in front of Han Li, asking in confusion.

Han Li's gaze sharpened slightly, and he shook his head without speaking.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the shadows opposite: "Cough, cough. I originally wanted to test your strength with Twilight Oil Fire and then silently eliminate you, but I didn't expect to be discovered..."

Han Li frowned slightly, noting that the speaker was precisely the figure in the middle.

"Who are you?" The Reclusive Flame Immortal shouted loudly.

The man did not respond, only making a series of gurgling sounds from his throat, uttering a string of alien words.

Immediately after, the figures over there all began to move.

The shadows resembling old men were extremely agile. With a sudden scatter, they all leaped into the air, running back and forth atop the bamboo grove like monkeys, surrounding them in a fan-shaped formation.

The giant figures over a hundred feet tall were even more direct: they charged forward with heaving bodies, causing large swaths of bamboo grove to collapse along the way, yet the only sounds were a series of muffled thuds, which was very eerie.

Only the figure in the center did not move, gradually obscured by the surging fog and disappearing from sight.

"Here they come."

A purple light flickered in Han Li's eyes, and he suddenly let out a low shout, looking up into the sky.

The Reclusive Flame Immortal, startled by this, also looked up.

They saw that the stooped figures atop the bamboo grove had already flown over, revealing their true forms.

They turned out to be over a dozen strange creatures that looked like monkeys but had no fur, instead sporting bluish-gray skin. Moreover, under their armpits seemed to be a layer of gray membranous wings, which would spread when they leaped above the bamboo grove, allowing them to glide on air currents.

When they neared Han Li and the other man, these things resembling blue-skinned apes forcefully kicked off the Spirit Void Bamboo, using the momentum to rebound and launch attacks at Han Li and the Reclusive Flame Immortal.

Han Li's gaze flickered, and he swiftly turned sideways to dodge.

With a thunderous roar!

The first azure-skinned ape that had swooped down at him slammed heavily into the ground, causing the earth to tremble violently and a web of cracks to spread across its surface.

Han Li raised an eyebrow, finding this somewhat unexpected.

These strange creatures were not large in build, but they were extremely fast and seemed to possess great strength. What troubled him more was that their eyes were a dull grayish-green, like those of dead fish.

He had barely dodged one attack and had no time to think further when several figures shot down from above, each clutching a grayish-white wolf-tooth club, and charged at him in an encirclement.

Han Li raised his hand, and two thunderballs, one gold and one silver, coalesced and flew above his head, colliding with each other and exploding with a boom.

Golden and silver arcs of lightning spread out in midair, stirring up a huge golden arc that radiated an immensely powerful shockwave.

"Wululu..."

The air was filled with a burnt smell. A dozen or so azure-skinned apes, their bodies emitting green smoke and uttering strange low growls, were knocked back and fell to the ground.

On the other side, the Flame Immortal's crimson palm-leaf fan flashed with fire, continuously shooting out fireballs that struck the azure-skinned apes, sending sparks flying, but only kept them at a distance of several zhang, unable to inflict serious damage.

Han Li's mind stirred. With a flash of sword light from his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, his figure blurred and instantly vanished from its spot, reappearing before a fallen azure-skinned ape. He thrust his longsword downward heavily.

The azure-skinned ape was visibly startled, but reacted quickly, raising its grayish-white wolf-tooth club to block.

With a clang,

Han Li's sword tip struck the grayish-white club, causing a violent tremor.

The next moment, a light crack sounded, and a fissure opened on the club, from which a thick jet-black baleful aura burst forth, shooting straight at Han Li.

Han Li frowned, raised his foot, and kicked the azure-skinned ape flying backward, where it slammed with a boom into a huge figure approaching from the front.

That figure stood over ten zhang tall, its body covered in silver-gray scales like crocodile skin. Its head resembled that of a giant lizard, but it had no pupils, and its gaping maw was filled with serrated, sharp teeth.

Its short, thick legs moved slowly, but its strong upper limbs swung aside the azure-skinned ape that had crashed into it. It opened its mouth wide, green light churning within, and spat out a massive green fireball at Han Li.

Han Li's pupils contracted. He raised his hand and patted the small silver flame figure on his shoulder. The latter immediately burst apart with a "pop," flowing like liquid all over Han Li's body, wrapping him entirely like a suit of silver flame armor.

Han Li gripped the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords with both hands and took a step forward. The Truth Dharma Wheel within him reversed, and his figure instantly closed in. With one sword stroke, he cleaved the green fireball in two, passing directly through its center under the protection of the Essence Fire.

A streak of golden light flashed through the gap between the two halves of the fireball and struck the scaled beast in an instant.

"Lock."

Han Li let out a thunderous shout!

A golden light suddenly flashed around the beast's neck, and a large golden lock materialized out of thin air. With a crisp "clang," it locked around its neck, and countless golden rays burst forth from it.

A huge golden ancient character for "lock" flickered into view and imprinted itself on the center of the scaled beast's face.

The scaled beast's body instantly stiffened, as if frozen solid, and it ceased to move.

A smile curled at the corner of Han Li's mouth. He pressed forward, gripping the hilt of the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword. Wispy strands of golden electric threads emerged, and at the sword tip, a droplet of thick golden liquid condensed. He thrust it straight toward the beast's head.

Just as the sword tip was about to pierce the beast's skull, a bizarre scene unfolded.

The scaled beast, which had clearly been restrained by the golden lock, suddenly spewed green light from its massive maw. With a "whoosh," it shot out a ball of green flame.

Han Li was far too close to dodge. With a "boom," the flame struck him square in the chest. His body recoiled as if hit by a heavy blow, hurtling backward and crashing heavily to the ground.

The green flames clinging to him flared up, attempting to spread elsewhere, but the silver flames enveloping Han Li had already surged back, instantly engulfing them.

Han Li rose from the ground and glanced at the Rehua Immortal, who was besieged by over a dozen green-skinned apes and a scaled beast. He noticed that although the Immortal was being pressed hard by repeated attacks, he showed no sign of panic.

Turning his head back to look at the scaled beast restrained by the golden lock immortal artifact, he saw a young man in a moon-white robe standing on its shoulder. The man, human in appearance, held a strange hand seal and smiled at him.

Seeing this, Han Li's heart stirred slightly.

This person was the very figure who had stood at the center of those bizarre creatures earlier.

At first glance, his face seemed quite handsome, but it exuded an oddness. It felt as if his eyebrows, nose, and lips had been assembled from different sources, giving a jarring sense of patchwork. Even more eerie, his eyes were both silver-gray—he was unmistakably a Gray Immortal.