Chapter 426: Mystic Soul Refining Demon

Han Li swiftly pulled a blue talisman from his storage pouch and lightly slapped it onto the wound.

A flash of white light instantly stopped the bleeding.

Han Li glanced sideways and, seeing the wound temporarily contained, relaxed slightly.

But when he turned back and fixed his gaze on "Qu Hun," his eyes turned icy cold; he said nothing, yet suddenly dozens of feet of azure light erupted from his body, with nine emerald streaks swirling and rising within it—strikingly conspicuous.

Han Li had made up his mind: if he didn't walk out alive from this place, he would never recall his "Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords," lest the ancient monster, who had lived for countless years, ambush him again.

To be honest, since he began cultivating, he had never been more heart-pounding than in this encounter.

One moment's hesitation, and a hole would instantly appear in his heart.

Had his spiritual sense and agility not far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators, he would have been dead the moment Qu Hun's sneak attack struck.

The Blood Drill is truly insidious—impossible to guard against!

But now Han Li no longer needed to worry about the Blood Drill's poison, for the one just used was Qu Hun's final one.

Yet Han Li was still seething with frustration!

According to the cultivation method of the "External Manifestation," he had clearly fused his split spiritual sense with Qu Hun's physical body to the point of perfect unity—so how could the old devil have secretly taken control without him noticing?

He hadn't even had time to send a single warning thought.

Had he not acted swiftly and retracted that portion of his spiritual sense, he might have been devoured by the opponent through it.

Then his troubles would have been truly dire.

But since the opponent could possess a body, this confirmed that the green shadow was indeed not human, but a spirit-like entity akin to a ghost or primordial spirit.

Possessing Qu Hun's body might not be a bad thing—it might even give him an opportunity to destroy the foe.

Thinking this, Han Li flipped his palm, and a delicate brass bell appeared in his hand—the long-neglected Soul-Guiding Bell.

This bell contained Qu Hun's blood essence; though he didn't expect it alone to subdue the opponent, it might at least create an opening.

At that moment, the "Qu Hun" before him was idly moving his limbs, as if adjusting to this new body.

Seeing Han Li's actions, he let out a cold chuckle, appearing utterly unconcerned.

Seeing this, Han Li's expression darkened; he no longer hesitated and struck the small bell in his hand.

As a series of clear chimes rang out, the Qu Hun before him flickered red in his eyes, yet his body remained utterly still—showing no sign of distress.

Han Li's heart sank.

"No matter what tricks you played on this Corpse-Dan manifestation, now that I am its master, do you really think your petty seals still work?" Qu Hun's hoarse voice drifted slowly, his face filled with mockery.

"You know about the Corpse-Dan manifestation?" Han Li's expression changed, surprised.

"Heh! This Corpse-Dan and manifestation technique was originally taught by me to my two rebellious disciples—do you think I wouldn't recognize it? How bold of you to use manifestation before me! Don't you know that any manifestation forged by this secret art can be controlled by me with ease? Didn't your master warn you?" Qu Hun twisted his neck side to side, then crossed his arms and spoke calmly.

Han Li was inwardly startled, yet his expression appeared strangely calm.

"Master? This manifestation technique I obtained from a jade slip. What connection could it possibly have with you?" Han Li had no intention of taking the blame for the Extreme Yin Patriarch; whether the opponent's words were true or false, he gave a cool explanation.

"Jade slip? Boy, do you think denying you're one of those two rebels' disciples will make me spare you? Once I capture you, I'll extract your soul and refine your spirit—I'll still get what I want." Qu Hun spoke without expression, clearly not believing Han Li's words.

And as he finished, without hesitation, he gestured toward the pile of white bones nearby; the scattered bones floated up, instantly reassembling into a complete skeleton, then shot toward Qu Hun in a flash of white light.

Though Han Li didn't know what the opponent intended, he wouldn't let him complete it unimpeded.

Without hesitation, he flicked his fingers lightly; three emerald-tinged sword beams shot from his hand, striking straight at the skeleton.

They were the Green Yuan Sword Beams!

"Dare you flaunt your speck of light?" Qu Hun said coldly.

He opened his mouth and spat out a column of blood.

With a thunderous explosion, the blood column collided with the green light, spraying sparks everywhere.

Han Li furrowed his brows, his expression turning grave.

The Qu Hun, after being possessed, seemed no longer limited to Foundation Establishment's early stage.

This was strange.

But what happened next to "Qu Hun" made Han Li even more horrified!

The white bones flew to Qu Hun's front and melted into his body without resistance.

Qu Hun then threw back his head and roared; multicolored auras erupted from his body—emerald ghost fire, pitch-black spectral mist, and his own blood-refined divine light.

Three different-colored lights entangled and swirled endlessly over his body, completely engulfing him.

As he roared, a series of popping sounds like bursting beans echoed from within him; he bent over in agony, his body and limbs slowly shrinking.

When the sounds ceased, he straightened again—his once towering frame had shrunk drastically, now standing at ordinary human height.

Most horrifying of all, his face had transformed into that of a clean-cut, handsome youth—even his eyes, once red, now held only pale red irises.

In that brief instant, Qu Hun had become an entirely different person.

Han Li stood frozen for a moment, then finally let out a bitter smile.

He had originally planned to strike while the opponent was openly performing his art—but he hadn't expected the speed of the transformation, leaving him no opening at all.

"Possession… or soul usurpation?" Han Li fell silent for a moment, then asked the youth in a flat, strange tone.

The handsome youth smiled faintly in response.

"You vastly underestimate my 'Mystic Soul Refining Demon'—this is a secret art only Nascent Soul cultivators may practice. Once mastered, I am no longer bound by soul usurpation limits; I can freely inhabit any body with my Mystic Soul. Now that my Mystic Soul Bone Formation is complete, I shall use your blood to celebrate the rebirth of this Holy Ancestor!" The youth gazed at Han Li, eyes half-lidded and calm.

He raised his hand; his ten fingers suddenly sharpened into claws, sprouting emerald-green nails several inches long.

Han Li's expression turned grim; he spoke no more words.

He lightly tossed the spirit beast pouch he had been holding; thousands of Metal-Eating Larvae surged out, forming a dazzling golden-silver cloud that hovered above his head.

Then he waved both hands; white light flashed repeatedly, and thirty to forty giant ape golems appeared around Han Li, each staring coldly at the youth.

But Han Li wasn't done—he formed a hand seal, and nine small swords flew from the green light, converging into a single emerald-green giant sword, over a zhang long, its blade flickering with unstable light, occasional pale golden lightning arcs leaping across its surface.

Seeing this, the handsome youth's expression changed drastically, revealing surprise and seriousness.

"Swords forged from Thunder Bamboo, insect-controlling art, golems! You truly aren't a disciple of Extreme Yin or Extreme Xuan. If so, perhaps we can talk properly!" The youth's eyes flickered, then he spoke these words.

Han Li, who had been preparing to attack, paused in surprise; after a moment of silence, he replied coldly:

"But I wish to test whether you can withstand my flying sword!"

With that, Han Li instantly pointed at the giant sword; a thick, serpent-like emerald beam shot toward the youth, accompanied by continuous thunderous roars.

Seeing this, the youth's face darkened slightly; before the sword reached him, he flicked one clawed hand lightly in front of himself.

Five crescent-shaped black beams appeared out of thin air, rapidly expanding, then flashed and slashed toward the green beam.

With a single strike, the crescent beams were instantly obliterated by the pale golden lightning arcs rebounding from the green beam—utterly powerless.

Seeing this, the youth's expression remained calm, but he was deeply startled—this Jin Jin Leizhu's power far exceeded his expectations!

In an instant, the green beam reached the youth's face.

Yet he remained unruffled, watching the giant sword approach with cold eyes, as if utterly confident.

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