Chapter 189

Although Han Li was deeply puzzled by Feng Yue's astonishingly swift movement, his mind brimmed with doubt.

But now was not the time to investigate further; reluctantly, he retracted the "Golden Light Brick" talisman treasure and swung the mother blade of his "Golden Fu Mother-Child Blades," releasing all the child blades at once—eight streaks of blazing golden light surged toward Feng Yue in a furious barrage, hoping to win through sheer numbers amid the chaos.

If the opponent chose to recall the yellow light to defend himself, that would be even better—at least maintaining a stalemate—but Han Li had little faith in this; given Feng Yue's formidable reputation, his strength surely extended far beyond this, and this attack was likely merely a probe.

Indeed, when Feng Yue saw Han Li's golden blades hurtling toward him, he showed not the slightest sign of panic.

He let out a few cold chuckles and revealed a newly drawn object: a yellow, umbrella-shaped magic artifact.

Feng Yue did not release the umbrella from his grip; instead, calmly, as the eight golden blades neared his body, he unfurled it—immediately, a perfectly spherical yellow light shield enveloped him entirely; when the golden blades struck the shield, a series of sharp crackling sounds erupted, effortlessly rebounding all the blades away.

This too was a top-tier defensive artifact, and judging by its power, it far surpassed Han Li's Flying Shield.

Han Li's face turned pale with shock, while Feng Yue burst into loud, triumphant laughter.

This was hardly surprising: since acquiring the "Yellow Silk Umbrella," he had never been harmed by a low-tier cultivator; seeing Han Li's stunned expression, he felt immense satisfaction.

Feng Yue valued this umbrella far more than the dagger talisman treasure; after all, talisman treasures had limited uses and became worthless paper once their power was spent, but this "Yellow Silk Umbrella" could save his life countless times!

Han Li sighed, formed a hand seal, pointed his finger, and recalled all the golden blades back into his hands, where they reverted to their original forms.

Feng Yue did not know Han Li's intentions, but confident in his unbreakable defense, he focused entirely on directing the yellow light, launching a ferocious assault—manipulating the dagger like a streak of lightning, circling Han Li in rapid up-and-down motions, seeking any opening to slip past the shield and strike him directly.

But Feng Yue did not know that while the "Flying Shield" might be vastly inferior in defensive power and coverage compared to his "Yellow Silk Umbrella," in terms of agility, this small shield far surpassed ordinary defensive artifacts!

No matter how frantically Feng Yue drove the yellow light or how skillfully he spun it, the shield held firm, blocking every strike. Only then did he realize: unless he shattered this shield completely, he could never get close to Han Li.

With a look of frustration, he reverted to the old tactic of slowly wearing down the iron shield with the yellow dagger's light; even though most of the black glow on the shield's surface had been eroded, what remained was still sufficient to block him for a while.

At this moment, seeing he could not prevail, Han Li gritted his teeth and made a decision he deeply regretted.

He stored the golden blades in his storage bag and withdrew another small, black-green gourd, raising it high—out poured seven or eight black spherical orbs, floating gently toward Feng Yue.

Feng Yue naturally noticed Han Li's action and paused in surprise; this gourd artifact was far too ordinary—nearly every low-tier cultivator knew this cheap, mass-produced item and had used something similar.

Whether the container was a gourd, bottle, or pot, the spheres it expelled were famously called "Hunyuan Pearls," but their power was minuscule compared to top-tier artifacts, barely qualifying as mid-grade magic treasures.

Yet precisely because of this, Feng Yue grew suspicious.

Before the pearls reached him, he reached out, drew a "Ice Spear Spell" talisman, and flicked it—immediately, the talisman transformed into a crystalline white ice spear, lashing out fiercely to meet them.

With a sharp crash, the ice spear shattered after smashing through three or four pearls; white ice shards scattered like a celestial rain, forming a delicate, beautiful hailstorm in midair.

Seeing this, Feng Yue relaxed, refocusing his attention on Han Li—now holding a large green flag, its surface depicting a coiling green dragon, fangs bared and claws outstretched, as if about to leap free from the fabric.

With his vast experience, Feng Yue instantly recognized this as a top-tier artifact of exceptional quality—its power could not be underestimated!

Han Li was now waving the flag, slowly gathering brilliant green spiritual light upon its surface, radiating dazzling brilliance and immense momentum.

Though confident in his Yellow Silk Umbrella, Feng Yue—by nature cunning and cautious—stared unblinkingly at the green flag, fearing it might possess some unexpected ability capable of piercing his defense.

As for the few Hunyuan Pearls, he had already dismissed them as mere distractions—worthless distractions—and given their pitiful power, even if they circled the Yellow Silk Umbrella all day, they could not so much as shake its defense.

Yet Feng Yue could not help but feel wary and perplexed at Han Li's continuous deployment of top-tier artifacts.

He suspected Han Li, like the Treasure Woman, was a scion of some powerful elder—and his desire to kill Han Li intensified.

He feared that if Han Li escaped alive, the consequences would be endless; moreover, Han Li had witnessed firsthand his murder and theft of treasures—if the Treasure Woman's elders came seeking vengeance, he would face grave trouble.

Just as Feng Yue's attention was fully fixed on Han Li's green dragon flag and his killing intent surged, the few Hunyuan Pearls finally reached him, striking the defense of the Yellow Silk Umbrella—after a few crisp impacts, the first few were easily bounced away.

Hearing the sounds, Feng Yue instinctively glanced downward.

"These Hunyuan Pearls dare to attack me? How presumptuous! Not even they, let alone..."

"Huh? Why is this one so small—and blue...?"

Feng Yue had barely finished mocking when he noticed that after one pearl was deflected, a hidden blue pearl emerged behind it—no larger than a marble, far smaller than ordinary Hunyuan Pearls.

Feng Yue froze for a moment, before he could form any other thought—the blue pearl had already touched the spherical shield.

"White light—a brilliant, blinding white light!"

This was the last color Feng Yue saw in this world; then his body warmed, and he knew nothing more.

In Han Li's eyes, he saw only that the blue pearl, upon touching the yellow light, instantly exploded into a silver-white glow nearly a zhang wide, silently engulfing most of Feng Yue's body; moments later, the white light vanished without a trace—revealing Feng Yue's stunned face, seemingly unharmed.

Han Li's heart sank; before he could act, a gentle breeze swept past—and Feng Yue's body crumbled like sand, turning instantly to ash.

Only two half-legs and a pair of boots remained, standing alone on the ground, eerily intact.

Seeing this, Han Li did not feel fear—he collapsed onto the ground, exhaling deeply, finally letting the tension lodged in his throat ease away.

After deploying his ultimate weapon—the "Thunderbolt Pearl"—and executing a series of elaborate deceptions, he had finally erased Feng Yue from this world.

Yet Han Li's face showed no great joy; instead, it wore self-mockery and a bitter smile.

This was hardly surprising: only the second day of this forbidden zone expedition, and he had already exhausted all his artifacts, even his final trump card—how could he possibly feel cheerful?

Thinking of the next three days, and the unknown number of warriors as formidable as Feng Yue he would still face, his heart, just now lightened, sank again under crushing weight.

But without the Thunderbolt Pearl, he would surely have died—his Flying Shield was on the verge of collapse; and now that he had slain this man, he gained not only his top-tier artifact but also the Treasure Woman's—far from losing, he had gained immensely!

Han Li reconsidered, his spirits lifted; he turned again to look across—but as his gaze fell, his mouth dropped open wide, and he could not speak a word.

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