Chapter 979: The Crab Daoist's Master

Han Li's expression changed at the sight, and his mind raced.

Could it be that Shi Zhanfeng wasn't dead, but had merely feigned death with some secret technique, lying nearby to steal the heart?

With this thought, he grew anxious and sped up by nearly half, instantly pouncing on Shi Zhanfeng's corpse and grabbing down.

A fierce, unmatched force clawed at Shi Zhanfeng's head, about to crush it.

But at that moment, with a loud bang!

A dazzling blood light burst from within Shi Zhanfeng's body, and an invisible potential erupted from the blood light, instantly sweeping over a dozen zhang in all directions, not only dispersing Han Li's claw force but also sending Han Li and the following Shi Chuankong flying.

Han Li's figure flickered, landing over a dozen zhang away, his expression turning somewhat grim.

Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!

The blood light pulsed like a heartbeat, but Shi Zhanfeng did not revive as Han Li had guessed; instead, his corpse visibly withered, turning into a mummy in the blink of an eye.

Han Li was taken aback at this sight.

Then, the heart slowly flew out from Shi Zhanfeng's corpse, hovering silently a foot above it, emitting a bright blood light.

But the invisible potential had now vanished without a trace.

Han Li's eyes lit up, and he immediately leaped forward again.

Shi Chuankong also lunged out, grabbing for the heart.

The nearby 'Little Zi' still stood there motionless, taking no action.

'Little Zi, what are you doing? Why don't you act now!' Sha Xin shouted angrily from a distance.

Little Zi shuddered, coming to her senses. She looked at the heart, raised both hands, and was about to drive the two puppets.

At that moment, pain suddenly flickered in her eyes. She clutched her head and fell to the ground.

Han Li was a step faster than Shi Chuankong, grabbing the heart firmly. Then his figure flickered, and he landed beside Little Zi.

Seeing this, Sha Xin grew anxious. He formed a hand seal with one hand, and golden runes flickered at his fingertips.

A golden light flashed on Little Zi's brow, and her expression turned cold again. She grabbed the golden spear beside her with one hand and swung it, while the fingers of her other hand flexed and pointed.

Layers of golden spear shadows, carrying a golden air wave, slashed horizontally at Han Li.

At the same time, the two humanoid puppets that had been standing idly also pounced over.

Han Li frowned, dodging the spear shadows, and was about to meet the two puppets.

'Alright, you two stop killing each other.' At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded in Han Li's mind—it was the Crab Daoist.

Hearing the Crab Daoist's voice, Han Li's mind stirred. He stopped engaging the two puppets and floated backward.

The two puppets also halted, not pursuing further.

Han Li pondered the Crab Daoist's words, his gaze shifting to Little Zi and Sha Xin.

Little Zi's expression was cold and unchanging, while Sha Xin looked surprised, also turning to look.

Their eyes met, and both saw the strangeness in each other's gaze.

'Fellow Daoist Crab, you've finally appeared. Where are you?' Han Li flew back several dozen zhang and contacted the Crab Daoist through his spiritual sense.

'I am inside the crystal coffin. My puppet heart just absorbed a surge of bloodline power, allowing me to awaken. But my time is short. Listen carefully to what I say next,' the Crab Daoist transmitted urgently.

Hearing this, countless doubts arose in Han Li's mind, but he did not interrupt.

'Earlier, I asked you to help me accomplish a great task for my master. In fact... my master is none other than myself. My identity is the former master of the Scale Abyss. In the past, due to some events and being ambushed by enemies, I was gravely wounded and near death. So I refined an immortal puppet and sealed part of my memories into it. Later, after some changes, I descended to the lower realm, where I met you,' the Crab Daoist continued rapidly.

Han Li recalled his encounters with the Golden Crab in the Demon Source Sea and suddenly understood.

'Thanks to your protection along the way, my avatar could safely reach this place, and my resurrection is now possible. Hurry and merge the puppet heart and the natal crystal core with my remains. Using the vast blood and qi accumulated here over countless years, I can reforge a new body. After a period of integration, I will be fully reborn. During this time, I must not be disturbed. The help I asked you to promise earlier was to guard me...' The Crab Daoist continued rapidly, his voice growing fainter until it finally faded away.

Han Li was stunned for a moment, but quickly shook his head, his eyes clearing. He shot forward, flying toward the crystal coffin at the center of the lake.

Shi Chuankong looked at the heart in Han Li's hand, seemed about to speak, but then sighed softly.

Ekuai, who had long noticed the exchange between Han Li and Sha Xin, grew anxious at this sight and called out, 'Fellow Daoist Liuhua, stop that Li Feiyu!'

Madam Liuhua glanced at Ekuai noncommittally but did not move.

Ekuai was furious. His eyes suddenly glowed with blood light, and blood light also appeared on his body. His aura surged as he activated some secret technique.

The black light on his Man Dragon Sword suddenly multiplied several times, emitting a sword hum like a dragon's roar.

Ekuai moved his arm, about to swing the giant sword.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle sounded behind him, and two golden figures pounced—Little Zi's two humanoid puppets, their great swords slashing at Ekuai.

Ekuai frowned, immediately sidestepping, while swinging the Man Dragon Sword in a reverse arc, turning it into a black sword shadow that slashed horizontally at the two puppets.

The two humanoid puppets reacted swiftly, shifting their steps, their great swords continuing to thrust at Ekuai while their shields crossed in front to block the Man Dragon Sword.

Two cracking sounds came!

The Man Dragon Sword directly shattered the shields of the two puppets, then cut into their bodies, embedding deeply, but the sword's power was exhausted.

The two puppets were not incapacitated. They simultaneously dropped their great swords and shields, their arms closing in to tightly grip the Man Dragon Sword, while golden light flared intensely on their surfaces, emitting explosive fluctuations.

Ekuai's expression changed. He shook twice but couldn't shake off the puppets. He quickly released the sword hilt and shot backward like lightning.

Two earth-shattering explosions erupted, and two golden suns emerged. The surrounding void hummed, and cracks appeared!

The entire underground space rumbled, countless rocks fell, and the blood lake surged with towering waves.

A figure flickered hundreds of zhang away, and Ekuai appeared, his expression extremely grim.

But he merely looked expressionlessly at the crystal coffin in the lake's center and at Han Li, who had landed beside it, his eyes flickering as if deep in thought.

At that moment, the Four Symbols War Puppets flew over, surrounding him, with Little Zi seated on the Xuanwu puppet.

'Ekuai, as they say, the virtuous have many helpers, the unvirtuous few. You have done every evil deed; today is your death day,' Sha Xin sneered, then raised his hand.

The four war puppets immediately pounced, raining attacks down on Ekuai.

Han Li quickly walked to the crystal coffin, bent down, and carefully placed the heart into the skeleton's chest cavity.

The heart's blood light brightened, and the holy remains suddenly emitted a dazzling light, as if resonating with each other.

Han Li then took out the golden orb, a hint of hesitation on his face.

The heart was naturally placed in the chest cavity, but where should the orb go? The Crab Daoist hadn't said—should it be placed in the remains' dantian or head?

'Fellow Daoist Li, that orb should be the holy remains' natal crystal core. It needs to be fused with the heart,' a voice sounded in Han Li's mind—it was Madam Liuhua's.

Han Li looked up at Madam Liuhua, hesitated for a moment, then placed the orb on top of the heart.

The orb shone with golden light and instantly merged into the heart.

The originally blood-red heart was suddenly enveloped in dazzling golden light, its color rapidly changing. In a few breaths, it turned pure gold, simultaneously expanding dozens of times to perfectly fit the giant skeleton.

Thump-thump!

Thump-thump!

The golden heart beat powerfully, brimming with new vitality.

Then, a huge golden light pillar burst from the remains, shooting upward with a loud roar, like a wild cry of joy after countless years of rebirth.

A vast aura, like the starry sky, erupted from the light pillar, violently shaking the nearby void.

Han Li was also pushed back by this immense aura, stumbling back a few steps before steadying himself, a look of shock in his eyes.

The entire blood lake immediately churned, all flowing toward the crystal coffin, merging into the remains within, and pouring into the golden heart.

Blood light surged from the heart, spreading to every part of the remains.

Countless granulations appeared on the surface of the remains, rapidly intertwining to form a layer of flesh.

As the surrounding blood water converged, the flesh on the holy remains grew rapidly...

By now, the edge of the blood lake was already a chaotic battlefield. Most of the dome had collapsed, letting in the sky above. Night had fallen, with only starlight spilling down, no trace of moonlight.

'Li Feiyu, you're asking for death...' A sharp cry tore through the deep night.

The next moment, the entire blood lake shook violently. Han Li frowned and turned to look, seeing Ekuai staring at him with wide, furious eyes, his face still marked with shock and anger.

Sha Xin's mood was the opposite; he was overjoyed and shouted loudly, 'Don't let him break the formation! Don't let him hinder the master in the slightest!'

'Yes!' Kun Yu and Little Zi responded simultaneously.

The two formed hand seals, their chanting growing more urgent, their faces pale and bloodless.

Beneath the open dome, within the Heavenly Four Symbols War Puppets, the dragon-shaped puppet coiled in the east, baring its fangs and brandishing claws. Its mouth exhaled loudly, rolling clouds and mist billowing.

The mist carried a distinct scorching smell, mixed with rolling heat waves, containing a powerful corrosive aura.

The tiger-shaped puppet crouched in the west, its mouth wide open, from which gusts of wind howled, seeming to carry sharp blades that cut like a thousand blades when swept over.

The Xuanwu puppet held the north, its mouth spewing green light, covering the area with an invisible water pressure, making one feel as if carrying a huge mountain or trapped in quicksand, movements sluggish.

The Vermilion Bird puppet hovered in the south, its body ablaze with red flames. When it opened its mouth and cried, a line of blazing fire spewed forth, burning everything it touched to ashes.

What Ekuai had never expected was that after Sha Xin handed the Four Symbols War Puppet Lethal Formation to his two subordinates, the power they could unleash together was so strong that it suppressed him, keeping him trapped for a long time.