Chapter 942: Breaking Free

Han Li seemed to have anticipated the giant ape puppet's attack. Light flickered from the acupoints on his legs as he instantly shifted sideways half a zhang, dodging the swift and forceful strike of the staff.

At the same time, a white light flashed, and a blade of light as bright as snow, swift as thunder, swept across the giant ape's neck.

With a "chi" sound,

a massive monkey head shot into the air, and the giant ape puppet's body plummeted downward.

Although Han Li had swiftly slain the giant ape puppet, he had no time to dodge and was struck by several long arrows and a massive boulder.

With a series of loud crashes, the arrows and boulder shattered. The True Extremity Membrane on Han Li's body hummed and trembled, starlight flickering wildly.

The arrows were manageable, but the boulder carried immense force that penetrated the True Extremity Membrane and surged into Han Li's body, churning his qi and blood and causing considerable discomfort.

But this was not the time to dwell on it. He took a deep breath and used the momentum to shoot forward.

Looking at the endless ruins below and the ceaseless waves of puppets, Han Li couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.

Although his physical strength was considerable, after such a prolonged battle, he was nearing the end of his tether. Surrounded by an inexhaustible horde of puppets, if he couldn't break free, he might fall here today.

Fellow Daoist Li, put me down and go on your own. You should be able to leave this place alone,” Shi Chuankong suddenly said.

Han Li said nothing, swinging his curved blade with all his might to parry the arrows around him.

The rain of arrows had just passed. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—puppet figures shot up from the ground like lightning, continuing to charge at the two.

Han Li showed no trace of fear on his face, plunging straight into the puppet swarm and fighting fiercely.

Though the starlight on his body was not as bright as before, his movements were still extremely agile, like a fish weaving through the puppet crowd. With each flash of a snowy blade, puppets fell from the air.

After half a day of fighting, he had become increasingly adept at countering the puppets' attacks.

Han Li moved, dodging the attack of a tiger puppet. He swung his arm, and the snowy curved blade swept across the puppet's neck, severing its head.

But at that moment, a blue shadow flashed ahead. Two thick wolf-tooth clubs shot out from the gaps between the puppets in front, reaching Han Li in an instant, then swiftly swept toward his waist from left and right.

At the same time, two giant ape puppets leaped out from the puppet swarm behind him, their massive clubs whistling as they struck at the back of his head.

The four giant ape puppets coordinated perfectly, their four clubs surrounding Han Li from all directions, instantly sealing off every escape route.

Han Li's expression turned cold. His arm moved, turning into a blur, and countless white blade rays burst forth from his hand, slashing toward the four clubs.

Loud "bang" and "boom" sounds rang out incessantly. The four clubs were sent flying backward, along with the four puppets, which were knocked away.

Han Li's body also shook violently. His face suddenly turned as pale as paper, devoid of any color. The starlight on his body flickered chaotically, and he seemed on the verge of falling from the air.

But just then, the blood-colored key in his bosom flashed with red light, and a surge of blood-colored crystalline light emerged from it, flowing into his body.

Once the blood light entered his body, it immediately transformed into a stream of scorching qi, swiftly traveling throughout his body and merging into his limbs and bones.

This stream of heat was somewhat different from the warmth previously emitted by the key. It seemed to be both qi and blood energy and star power, and it was exceptionally vast.

Where the heat passed, the fatigue from the previous battle instantly vanished, his vitality was restored in an instant, the acupoints on his body shone brightly, and the True Extremity Membrane on his surface returned to its previous state.

He was startled, then overjoyed. With a movement of his arm, snowy blade rays twice as large as before emerged, sweeping toward all puppets within a dozen zhang radius.

With a series of "chi chi" sounds, almost all the charging puppets were effortlessly slain by the blade rays, including the four giant ape puppets.

Fellow Daoist Li, how did you...?” Shi Chuankong was astonished to see that Han Li, who had shown signs of fatigue, had suddenly recovered his divine abilities.

Let's not talk about that now. Let's leave this place first,” Han Li said, darting forward.

With his vitality fully restored, his forward speed increased greatly.

In the blink of an eye, the two had flown forward for another two or three hours.

A fiery red sandy terrain appeared ahead, and the ruins abruptly ended at the edge of the red sand.

Finally, an end!” Han Li's eyes lit up.

But at that moment, the puppets below all let out furious roars and launched a frenzied attack.

The snake-headed puppets ceaselessly shot arrows, blanketing the sky and covering Han Li and the other, while the other puppets, unafraid of being hit by the arrow rain, all leaped up to attack them.

Han Li let out a long cry. Starlight blazed from his body, and he turned into a white blur, charging and fighting through the puppet army. No matter how fiercely the puppet army attacked or blocked, they could not stop him.

Soon, with a "whoosh," Han Li and his companion burst out from the countless puppets and entered the fiery red sandy area.

For some reason, the puppets seemed afraid to step into the red sand. They stopped at the edge and roared at the two until their figures disappeared into the distant horizon, then slowly dispersed.

Han Li and the other flew into the red sandy area and continued forward for about the time it takes to eat a meal. Seeing that the puppet army had not pursued, they breathed a sigh of relief. After flying a bit further, they stopped and landed on the ground.

A scorching heat emanated from underground, causing the nearby air to ripple slightly.

Although the temperature of the sandy ground was quite high, it had no effect on Han Li and his companion.

It seems those puppets dare not pursue. Although this place is extremely hot, the temperature isn't too high, so it shouldn't cause much harm to those puppets. I wonder why they suddenly stopped,” Shi Chuankong said, looking toward the ruins with some confusion.

My guess is that those puppets probably cannot, or rather dare not, come here,” Han Li said after a moment's thought.

Hmm, that's likely the case,” Shi Chuankong nodded, recalling the situation with the puppets just now.

Enough of that. Earlier in the ruins, Fellow Daoist Shi advised me not to touch the yellow clouds in the sky. May I ask why?” Han Li looked up at the sky.

The sky here was also covered with a thick layer of yellow clouds, within which streaks of white light could be faintly seen flashing.

There is a powerful restriction in the clouds. Anyone who touches it will be attacked,” Shi Chuankong said, flipping his hand to produce a short blade.

The short blade was pure white, inscribed with countless star runes, and flickered gently. It was evidently a half-star artifact no less inferior to the curved blade in Han Li's hand.

He swung his arm and threw the short blade, which turned into a beam of white light shooting into the sky. It soon touched the yellow clouds and disappeared into them.

As if stimulated, the yellow clouds churned violently. The white light within gathered toward one point, quickly forming a thick white lightning bolt that struck the short blade.

A thunderous boom!

The short blade instantly exploded and vanished.

The white lightning then quickly dissipated, reverting to countless white lights that faded into the yellow clouds.

Han Li was startled by this sight.

The yellow clouds in the sky contained such terrifying power. He had been curious about the yellow clouds earlier and had considered investigating them, but due to the circumstances, he hadn't had the chance.

Fortunately, he hadn't rashly probed them, or being struck by that white lightning would have left him dead or severely injured.

How did Fellow Daoist Shi know about this power in the clouds?” Han Li quickly composed himself and asked.

It was mentioned in the materials given by Third Brother,” Shi Chuankong said, his expression dimming slightly.

The Third Prince seems exceptionally familiar with the situation within the Great Ruins. Has he been here before?” Han Li raised an eyebrow.

I wouldn't know about that,” Shi Chuankong was taken aback, then shook his head.

Han Li fell into thought and did not ask further.

This place seems quite safe. Let's rest here for a while before continuing,” Shi Chuankong suggested.

His face was still very pale, showing signs of fatigue.

Han Li glanced at Shi Chuankong and nodded.

After that chaotic battle, he was indeed somewhat tired.

The two surveyed the surroundings and found no danger. They each took out some pills, swallowed them, and sat down cross-legged to rest.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

How is your injury, Fellow Daoist Shi?” Han Li asked.

It's no longer a problem. It won't affect movement. It will just take some more time to fully recover,” Shi Chuankong said with a smile, his complexion much improved.

That's good. If we encounter enemies later, Fellow Daoist Shi need not fight; just focus on healing,” Han Li nodded.

The two then discussed their next course of action. Neither knew much about this fiery red sandy area, unsure whether the depths would bring fortune or misfortune.

But returning to the ruins was clearly not an option. They quickly decided to continue deeper into the red sandy area.

The red sandy area was astonishingly vast, far beyond their expectations. They traveled forward for a full two months and still hadn't reached the end.

Along the way, they encountered neither danger nor treasures. Apart from red sand everywhere, they met nothing at all.

I never imagined the Great Ruins could contain such a vast expanse,” Han Li said as he dashed forward, leaving a trail of red dust behind him.

Could it be that we've taken the wrong direction and are heading toward the edge of the Great Ruins?” Shi Chuankong, following closely beside Han Li, frowned.

The Great Ruins were filled with dense star power, which was very beneficial for healing injuries.

Over the past two months, his internal injuries had fully healed.

That shouldn't be the case. I can sense that the star power in the void here is slightly denser than before, so we should be heading deeper into the Great Ruins. Besides, changing direction now might not be right. Let's just keep going straight; I refuse to believe we won't get out of here,” Han Li said, looking into the distance.

That makes sense,” Shi Chuankong nodded.

Eh!

Han Li let out a soft exclamation, stopped, and looked ahead, a look of surprise and delight on his face.