Chapter 982: Borrowing You for a Moment

As soon as E Kuai finished speaking, his figure flickered abruptly, like a black lightning bolt, and with a "crackle," he appeared in front of Han Li, reaching out a hand to grab his neck.

Han Li seemed to have anticipated this; the moment the hand reached out, he halted his advance, dodged the attack, and suddenly turned back, his speed doubling as he flew toward the blood lake.

As the lightning descended, all the silver light suddenly withdrew upon nearing the lake's surface, and Han Li's figure reappeared, with E Kuai following closely behind.

"Boy, you sure have a lot of tricks!" E Kuai sneered and attacked again.

Seeing this, Han Li advanced instead of retreating, charging straight at him.

He silently activated the Heavenly Fiend Prison Suppression Art, and the true spirit bloodlines within him stirred restlessly. The Mountain Ape and Xuanwu bloodlines were both activated; one arm suddenly swelled, covered with steel-like golden fur, while green armor plates appeared on the back of his hand.

He threw a punch, the giant fist shimmering with starlight, yet suppressed beneath the Xuanwu tortoise shell, colliding with E Kuai's fist.

A loud "boom" echoed.

Han Li felt his arm ache as if splitting, but he only stepped back once, not sent flying. Conversely, E Kuai also retreated a step.

Under the impetus of the Heavenly Fiend Prison Suppression Art, the true spirit bloodline could unleash such immense power—even he had not anticipated it.

E Kuai's expression hardened, a hint of solemnity appearing in his eyes.

Then, he took a step forward, appearing instantly before Han Li, his pitch-black arm coated with a layer of crystalline light, and swung a fist down at Han Li.

This punch, when thrown, had neither the sound of wind and thunder nor the force of a thousand jun; it seemed light and airy, yet its speed was extreme.

Caught off guard, Han Li could only activate the Xuanwu bloodline power and cross his arms to block.

Before the tortoise shell patterns on his arm could fully form, E Kuai's punch shattered them, sending Han Li flying backward.

His figure skimmed across the blood lake's surface toward the opposite shore, stirring up a thousand waves, and crashed beside Zi Ling.

Seeing this, E Kuai did not continue his pursuit but walked on the waves, quickly reaching the center of the blood lake.

He gazed at the holy remains lying on the blood-colored crystal slab, a complex expression of reminiscence, resentment, and unwillingness in his eyes. He formed a hand blade with his fingers and suddenly stabbed toward the heart.

At that moment, the intricate patterns engraved on the blood-colored crystal slab all lit up, emitting a layer of substantial blood-red light that firmly held back his hand, preventing the strike.

Simultaneously, a loud crash came from the shore of the blood lake, and Han Li's figure shot out again, charging toward him.

By now, he had pushed the Heavenly Fiend Prison Suppression Art to its limit; over four hundred acupoints on his body lit up, and almost all the true spirit power within him was activated.

Behind him, phantoms of true spirits—Mountain Ape, Silver-winged Thunder Peng, True Dragon, Heavenly Phoenix, Xuanwu—appeared one after another, each merging into his body. Though his form did not change, his aura transformed entirely.

Madam Liuhua watched this strange scene, her expression revealing nothing, but a hint of admiration flickered deep in her eyes.

Gu Qianxun and the others were also startled.

E Kuai also noticed Han Li's change. He suddenly withdrew his hand and, without a word, abandoned the holy remains, retreating a thousand zhang.

But then, his figure surged forward again, charging straight at Han Li.

At the same time, he seemed to activate some demonic bloodline power within him; a series of crackling sounds came from his body, two white bone spurs grew from his forehead, and his spine arched upward, each vertebra protruding through the skin.

As his appearance changed, E Kuai's aura grew more ferocious. The blood mist seeping from his body became turbid, and a thick stench of blood emanated from it.

As he charged, his figure was slightly hunched, his posture different from a human's, but his speed was extreme.

Everyone saw only a blurry afterimage as it collided with Han Li's body.

A beastly roar, like a dragon's cry or a tiger's howl, erupted!

At the tip of Han Li's fist, the stellar power gathered from the true spirit bloodlines exploded in a concentrated burst, turning into a blinding white light that met the overwhelming bloody aura head-on.

A thunderous "boom"!

A patch of white stars and a blood-red sun exploded simultaneously.

The漫天 starlight and rolling blood energy clashed and annihilated each other, the two violent forces rising together, venting their power into the void above.

"Boom, rumble..."

High in the sky, wind and clouds suddenly changed, roaring incessantly, as spatial fissures crisscrossed and lingered for a long time.

Then, a furious shout rang out from the edge of the blood lake.

E Kuai, locked in a stalemate with Han Li, suddenly narrowed his eyes, pressed his forward-thrusting fist downward, and unleashed an even stronger force.

Han Li, already struggling to hold on, had pushed his true spirit bloodlines and the Heavenly Fiend Prison Suppression Art to their peak, with no room for further increase. Now, he finally spat out a mouthful of blood, and his fist's momentum completely dissipated.

A bloody aura condensed with a whirring sound, transforming into a giant fist shadow that slammed heavily onto Han Li.

"Bang!"

Han Li's body immediately flew backward like a kite with a broken string, carving a trail of blood through the blood lake before plunging beneath its surface.

Equine leaped up, then descended from the sky, crashing into the blood lake. He swung his fists wildly, pounding down into the blood water one punch after another.

The blood lake shook violently, its surface rapidly receding, yet Han Li's figure was nowhere to be seen.

"Brother Li..." Shi Chuankong murmured, his face pale.

Gu Qianxun averted her gaze, unable to bear watching further, and Madame Liuhua let out a long sigh.

Even Zi Ling, lost in slumber, unconsciously furrowed her delicate brows, appearing unusually pained.

...

At that moment, deep beneath the blood lake, Han Li felt as if massive mountains were relentlessly pounding his body. His bones seemed completely shattered, and he couldn't even struggle or dodge.

Worse still, he felt that each heavy blow not only struck his body but also shook his sea of consciousness. His divine sense was already dissipating, and his awareness began to blur.

The True Extreme Membrane on his body had long been shattered, and the star power he had mustered with his last bit of strength was rapidly dispersing and fading.

Only now did he realize that the gap between himself and Equine was ultimately too vast.

The final moment was finally approaching...

"Fellow Daoist Li..." Just then, a soft call echoed in his mind.

The voice sounded somewhat like the Crab Immortal, yet also unfamiliar. Han Li wanted to respond but couldn't even muster his divine sense.

"Fellow Daoist Li, I will lend you some of my origin spiritual power. Do not resist." Another soft call came.

Immediately after, the holy remains lying on the blood-colored crystal slab suddenly opened their eyes, awakening.

Its hands swiftly formed a strange hand seal, then it pointed at its own heart. With a flick of its wrist, a stream of golden light flowed out, condensing at its fingertip into a golden pill.

It casually flicked its finger, and the golden pill transformed into a golden arc of light, flashing suddenly as it shot into the blood lake.

"Not good!"

Seeing this, Equine hurriedly tried to block it, but the golden pill, as if guided, slipped through his fingers and directly struck Han Li's glabella.

"That is..." Madame Liuhua was astonished at the sight.

"It's immortal spiritual power, immortal spiritual power..." Shi Chuankong sensed its aura, his expression drastically changing as he cried out in shock.

Gu Qianxun, however, looked puzzled, seemingly unfamiliar with the object.

At that moment, deep within the blood lake, the blood water suddenly churned, as if a blazing sun had risen, and a brilliant golden light burst forth.

Equine's expression shifted.

He found that his fists had become incredibly slow, and the surrounding void seemed to be entangled by invisible threads, like a net binding him, slowing his movements.

What shocked him even more was that his thoughts also seemed to be slowing down, for by the time he realized this, it was already too late.

A huge hollow golden wheel had suddenly appeared behind him, its strands of time law force flowing like water ripples, firmly imprisoning him in place.

Equine's strength was undeniable; even under such close confinement by the Truth Dharma Wheel, his movements were not completely sealed. When he sensed something amiss behind him, he even tried to turn around and shatter the wheel.

However, Han Li would not give him such a chance.

With a "crackle" of thunder.

A golden electric light flashed abruptly, and a Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, long suppressed within Han Li, finally broke free, darting forward with a joyous cry as if reborn, straight toward Equine.

Given the extremely close distance, the tip of the Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword almost instantly pierced into Equine's lower abdomen.

But Equine's physique was astonishingly strong, and the power of a single Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword was limited; it only managed to penetrate the outer wall of his dantian before it could go no further.

At that moment, a roar erupted from beneath the water. Han Li's palm glowed with golden light, and he channeled the last remnants of his immortal spiritual power and physical strength, slamming them heavily onto the sword's pommel.

With a soft "chi" sound.

The Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword finally pierced through Equine's entire lower abdomen, embedding itself directly into his dantian.

"Zzzt..." A golden electric arc flashed suddenly, and a thunderclap exploded.

Equine let out a long, miserable cry. A bloody hole burst open in his dantian, from which a wisp of black smoke rose.

Immediately after, the blood light in his eyes began to recede, returning to their natural color. The dark light on his body also faded bit by bit, though the protruding bones did not retract. He staggered back three steps and fell backward, crashing to the ground.