Chapter 714

Crimson and azure light veils drifted around the hall, rolling like waves toward the cold woman at the center.

The silver bell's sonic assault struck before her in an instant.

The woman facing them showed no change in expression; she pointed at the two flying swords before her. Black and white light flickered, then the swords spun gently in midair, unleashing a sudden explosion of freezing cold and searing heat that formed a bizarre dual-layered light shield.

White on the outside, black within, heat and cold echoing each other.

When the silver waves struck the shield, they vanished like oxen sinking into the sea—the barrier remained utterly unmoved, as if unaffected at all.

But then the crimson and azure restriction veils from all directions surged forward, submerging the woman and her shield entirely.

At that moment, Nangong Wan also acted.

The "Zhu Que Ring" before her flashed with light, and with a "zi-la" sound, it transformed into a massive fireball, roaring as it shot toward the center of the hall. Simultaneously, her previously motionless hand subtly moved.

A dim crimson dart flashed and vanished instantly from her palm.

Had Han Li's spiritual sense not been exceptionally strong, he would not have detected Nangong Wan's hidden strike.

A muffled cry from a woman emerged from the veils at the very moment the dart was launched.

"Zhu Xie Ci—you dare wound me with this? Sister, your tactics are impressive. I always thought you'd used up all of these, yet you still had one left." The cold woman spoke in shock and fury, as if she had suffered a grave blow without realizing it.

Yet though her voice betrayed slight pain, her vital energy remained strong.

Han Li knew she had only sustained minor injury—most likely, Nangong Wan had used this tactic to interrupt her activation of the token.

Thus, after activating the hall's restrictions, Han Li flipped his palm, and the black "Thousand Peaks" appeared in his grasp.

He hurled it into the air and swiftly cast several spell seals onto the mountain peak.

Meanwhile, the cold woman, now engulfed by the veils, seemed temporarily trapped and took no evasive action—she was struck squarely by the fireball transformed from the Zhu Que Ring, instantly entangled and torn by seven or eight monstrous fire serpents, each as thick as an arm.

The hall was engulfed in a raging sea of fire!

As the mountain peak swelled to five or six zhang in height, Han Li was about to activate the treasure—when, far off, a soft "pu-chi" echoed. A five-colored pillar, as wide as a bowl, erupted from the fire, sweeping clean everything in its path—the veils, the roaring flames—all obliterated as if cut through bamboo.

A clear, ringing chime sounded from the air. The once fluid pillar suddenly froze in place.

A crystalline crimson circular ring spun endlessly within the pillar, trapped and unable to escape.

"Ning Guang Bao Jing"

Han Li's eyes narrowed, and he murmured solemnly.

Before this woman's arrival, Nangong Wan had naturally explained her sister's techniques and treasures in detail, to give Han Li a slight edge in battle.

This "Ning Guang Bao Jing" was the ancient treasure she mentioned most often—one of her sister's famed artifacts, with immense power.

In fact, the artifact Han Li had obtained during the Blood Trial, the "Qing Ning Jing," was a simplified imitation of this ancient treasure. Even its power fell far short of one percent of the Ning Guang Jing's. Yet even so, the Qing Ning Jing was renowned among low-level cultivators and easily ranked among top-tier artifacts.

This alone revealed the immense power of the Ning Guang Bao Jing.

Now, the crimson and azure restriction veils and the flames had all been scattered by the pillar, no longer able to contain the enemy. The cold woman's figure reappeared.

Within the black-and-white shield, she held one hand in a seal and the mirror in the other.

Han Li's gaze shifted to the mirror—famous even among Nascent Soul cultivators.

The mirror was small, similar in size to the Qing Ning Jing, but entirely glossy black. Its front surface was a deep, dark void, radiating a profound, sinister aura. Yet from it shot a misty, five-colored light pillar—a stark contrast that felt strangely unnatural.

The restriction token she had held was gone from her hand; instead, her sealing hand was stained with blood, as if the shield had failed to protect her—truly unbelievable.

Clearly, this was the work of the so-called "Zhu Xie Ci!"

Seeing Nangong Wan's life treasure trapped by the mirror's power, Han Li would not stand idle.

Without a word, he pointed at the black mountain. The treasure trembled slightly, vanished from its spot, and reappeared directly above the cold woman, descending with overwhelming force.

The beautiful woman below sneered, tilted the "Ning Guang Jing" slightly upward, and cast a spell seal onto its surface.

Instantly, the pillar within the mirror quivered, then split into another, slightly thinner beam—faster than lightning—it shot straight toward the descending black mountain, aiming to trap it as well.

Han Li, already prepared, would not let this succeed so easily. Without hesitation, he formed two spell seals—suddenly, the black mountain's descent halted, then spun rapidly, spewing forth a vast wave of black light from its base, colliding directly with the oncoming beam.

At first, the black light swallowed the slender beam, and its residual glow also enveloped the cold woman below.

The black-and-white shield on the woman's body trembled within the black veils; she suddenly felt her spiritual energy swirl chaotically, nearly causing the beam from the mirror to scatter.

Her figure dimmed within the black light.

Her expression changed slightly; without hesitation, she spat a wisp of essence onto the mirror's surface. The beam aimed at the black mountain instantly thickened by a third, then transformed into a gentle swirl of five-colored veils, lightly lifting the black light and the mountain to prevent their descent.

Between them, friction produced faint, muffled explosions.

They were locked in stalemate.

Seeing this, Nangong Wan's spirit surged. She forcefully urged the trapped Zhu Que Ring, which swelled and contracted amid phoenix cries, desperately struggling to break free.

For a moment, a united front against the sister emerged.

Naturally, their techniques were not exhausted—seeing this stalemate, all three acted simultaneously.

Han Li suddenly grabbed a pouch at his waist and hurled it out.

A loud hum rose as countless golden insects swarmed forth, forming a terrifying, monstrous golden cloud.

Nangong Wan chanted a melody like celestial music; above her head, a vast crimson halo suddenly appeared, swirling like Buddha's light, growing increasingly brilliant.

"Lun Hui Shen Guang! Sister Nangong, are you truly willing to fight to the death? You dare use this technique!"

The cold woman tossed the mirror above her head, rubbed her hands together, and produced a small, emerald-green banner shaped like a horn. But upon seeing the halo above Nangong Wan's head, her face darkened.

Though she was slightly surprised by Han Li's golden insect cloud, she did not seem overly concerned—clearly, she did not recognize these near-mature Golden-Devouring Spirit Insects.

"If you don't wish to fight to the death, hand over the restriction token for the Heart-Imprisoning Technique and let us go," Nangong Wan said calmly, her expression unchanged.

"Hmph! Bold words. The Lun Hui Shen Guang may be powerful, but do you think it can defeat me?" The cold woman sneered, a deadly aura flashing across her face. She opened her mouth and spat out a small, blood-red sword.

The sword was only a few inches long, entirely crimson and crystalline, radiating blinding crimson light. Within its body, a faint black mist drifted slowly—strangely eerie.

No sooner had the small sword appeared than it began trembling and humming on its own, filling the entire hall with a bloody stench.

"Xue Mo Brother Jian! When did you acquire this demonic artifact? Sister, using this—aren't you afraid of demonic backlash?" Nangong Wan's face lost all amusement; she stared coldly at the woman.

"Backlash? Sister, don't worry. Since I've used this treasure, defeating you won't take long—I won't give the demonic energy a chance to turn. Let me ask you one last time: for the prosperity of our sect, will you truly refuse to marry Wei Wei Lichen? If you still refuse, when the Xue Mo Brother Jian goes berserk, I can't guarantee I'll control its power. If you're injured, don't blame me for not warning you." The cold woman spoke harshly, clearly confident in the Xue Mo Brother Jian.

"You needn't ask again. Even if Wan'er were willing to sacrifice herself for the Moon Veil Sect, I would never agree. Give up this idea." Han Li glanced at the Xue Mo Brother Jian and spoke calmly, as if he didn't regard the sword at all.

"Who exactly are you? Your cultivation and abilities are not low—you're no ordinary person. Yet I don't recall any Nascent Soul cultivator like you. Did you recently ascend to the Nascent Soul realm? 'Wan'er'? You call her so affectionately—I suspect my sister has refused to marry all these years because of you." The cold woman's eyes flashed with icy light, and murderous intent surged toward Han Li.

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