Chapter 778: Distant News

The disappearance of the Muran Sacred Bird was soon noticed by both the cultivators and spellcasters on the battlefield.

Instantly, the spellcasters' expressions turned grim, while the cultivators perked up, their morale soaring.

The gaunt old man and Tian Zhong, who were locked in combat with their opponents, also stared in disbelief.

The Sacred Bird's disappearance now could not be due to depleted oil—it could only mean the Tiannan cultivators had extinguished the Yuanming Ancient Lamp.

These two Divine Masters did not even know that their Muran clan's ancestral treasure had once again fallen into Han Li's hands.

In their view, all the Tiannan cultivators at the Core Formation stage had been tied down; the rest, even with the Sacred Bird's support, could never have breached the defense of the woman surnamed Le.

This turn of events was utterly beyond their expectations.

At this moment, Han Li had quietly flown to the vicinity of the Ti Hun Beast and reappeared.

The giant ape formed by the Ti Hun Beast had already reduced most of the corpse-armors to ash; the few remaining ones were hastily retrieved by the black-robed cultivators of the Yin Luo Sect.

Otherwise, the entire cohort of bronze-armored corpses would have been annihilated sooner or later.

Having absorbed so much corpse qi, the Ti Hun Beast's giant ape form had grown even larger, its fur now glossy and jet-black, as if it had just feasted.

During this time, several waves of black-robed cultivators and spellcasters had tried to eliminate the giant ape first.

But Long Han knew well that this strange giant ape was key to countering the bronze-armored corpses—he could not let the enemy succeed so easily. He immediately dispatched some men to intercept them.

Occasionally, a few slipped through, but before they could approach the giant ape, Yin Yue, hidden nearby, unleashed a series of illusionary mind-confusing techniques, causing them to die in confusion.

When Han Li returned and saw from afar that the Ti Hun Beast had just destroyed the last outer bronze-armored corpse, he gestured without hesitation.

Instantly, black light flared across the Ti Hun Beast's body, shrinking it rapidly into a streak of dark rainbow that shot into Han Li's spirit beast pouch at his waist.

Seeing this, Yin Yue flew over spontaneously to Han Li's rear.

Having retrieved the Ti Hun Beast, Han Li turned to speak to Yin Yue.

But suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from above—a vast cloud of dark mist descended from the sky, hundreds of zhang wide, with countless green lightning flames churning within it. The heavens themselves darkened.

Han Li's expression turned grim as he looked upward.

"Who killed my wife, the Lady of this Sect? I will extract her soul and refine her spirit to avenge this hatred!" A thunderous voice boomed from the cloud—the voice of the Yin Luo Sect's Sect Master.

At these words, Han Li's heart lurched, his gaze turning icy.

"You haven't yet decided the outcome—why rush off so hastily? Yi Mou wishes to further test your demonic arts!" The faint, distant voice of the Hehuan Old Devil echoed right after the black-robed man's words.

Then another mass of gray-white mist shot down from the sky, directly blocking the path of the dark cloud.

"Get out of my way. I have no time to spar with you. If you don't move, don't blame me for being uncivilized!" The Yin Luo Sect Master's voice was glacial.

"Uncivilized? I've lived this long—I've never been treated uncivilized before. Show me your tricks!" The Hehuan Old Devil sneered, showing no sign of retreat.

The black-robed man in the cloud fell silent for a long while, then spoke coldly:

"Very well. Since you are so obstinate, I have no patience to waste more time. Let me show you the power of our Sect's ultimate treasure—the Ghost Luo Banner."

The Yin Luo Sect Master seemed to laugh bitterly with rage.

"Ghost Luo Banner?" The Hehuan Old Devil's voice held a hint of surprise—and a touch of excitement.

But these brief exchanges between the two caused shock among all the cultivators below.

Some cultivators had only just learned that the Yin Luo Sect Master's consort had been slain by the Tiannan cultivators—they were stunned, secretly guessing who had killed her.

Han Li's expression remained calm, showing no emotion, but seeing the Hehuan Old Devil block the Yin Luo Sect Master, he felt a deep sense of relief.

He had no desire to be relentlessly hunted by a Core Formation cultivator.

Just as everyone—including Han Li—expected the Hehuan Old Devil and the Jin Kingdom demon cultivator to engage in a fierce battle low in the sky, something else happened.

From the sky behind the spellcasters, a piercing shriek echoed from afar, followed by flashes of light—over a dozen beams of colored light sped toward them.

Before they even drew near, someone shouted loudly:

"My Lords, stop! The Grasslands are in turmoil—the situation has changed!"

This man clearly intended for everyone to hear—he had used a secret technique to project his voice.

Then the colored lights accelerated by a third, plunging straight into the battlefield.

Both sides clearly heard the words; most paused their fighting, staring in astonishment.

The gaunt old man's heart sank. Long Han and the others also slowed their attacks in surprise.

The old man swiftly broke off, shooting backward dozens of zhang, coldly glancing at the opposing cultivators before turning into a streak of brilliant light to meet the dozen spellcasters.

Long Han hesitated, then chose not to pursue with the other cultivators.

The old man had not been defeated—he'd even held the upper hand. Pursuing now would gain nothing.

And the messenger had clearly intended for them to hear—there must be something suspicious. Better to wait and see what happened.

But since they mentioned the Muran Grasslands—could it be related to the Tutan?

Long Han's mind stirred—he sensed something.

Han Li also stared intently at the old man as he flew toward the dozen beams of light.

The colored lights dimmed, revealing over a dozen spellcasters dressed in varied robes.

The leader, a yellow-robed spellcaster, was at the Mid-Stage Core Formation—Han Li was secretly startled.

A spellcaster of such high cultivation had not appeared in the earlier battle—this was strange. Was he a key figure held back in reserve?

But this also meant the possibility of bluffing was extremely low.

Above, the Hehuan Old Devil and the Yin Luo Sect Master had both fallen silent, hiding within their clouds.

Seeing the yellow-robed cultivator, the gaunt old man was also stunned, his face filled with disbelief—but before he could speak,

The yellow-robed spellcaster flew beside him, lips moving slightly as he whispered a message.

The old man's face darkened. Then the yellow-robed cultivator pulled out a jade slip and handed it to him with both hands.

The old man took the jade slip and immersed his spiritual sense into it. Moments later, his face turned ashen.

He exchanged a few whispered words with the yellow-robed cultivator.

Then he suddenly turned and flew back toward Long Han, his expression gloomy.

"There's no need to continue fighting. Cease hostilities immediately—otherwise, the quarrel between the sandpiper and the clam will benefit the fisherman." The Muran Divine Master, upon reaching Long Han, spoke with unusual calmness.

"What do you mean? If you want to stop, give me a reason!" Long Han's eyes flickered, remaining noncommittal.

Because of Han Li's unexpected display, the bronze-armored corpses and the green demonic bird had both been destroyed—but on the surface, the battle still stood at a stalemate.

Long Han did not believe the enemy had retreated out of fear.

"Didn't you send a team of cultivators to raid our Qiantian City's storage depots?" The old man did not answer directly but asked coldly instead.

Long Han was startled, but kept his face expressionless. After a moment's hesitation, he replied calmly:

"Indeed, we did. So you've found out!"

"Found out? Hmph. Had it not been for a third party interfering, you might have succeeded." The old man's face flashed with anger, then cooled again.

"Third party?" Long Han frowned.

The gaunt old man said no more. He leaned close and whispered to Long Han.

"What? This is possible!" Long Han gasped, losing all composure.

"At this point, do you think I have any reason to lie to you?" The old man snapped.

Long Han's brows knitted together. After a brief pause, he decisively raised his hand and released a talisman.

The talisman shot skyward, instantly transforming into several golden orbs that exploded in midair, blindingly radiant.

Instantly, all cultivators still fighting halted and rapidly retreated toward their own ranks.

Those who had already stopped also hurriedly withdrew in a rush.

The spellcasters, too, had used some other method to signal retreat—they silently fell back without a word.

Especially noticeable were the Blood Ghost and the Stone Giant, forcibly separated by magic, their battle suspended.

In an instant, the space between the two sides became empty.

Both sides stood apart as if before the battle had begun.

Yet each side had suffered heavy losses—significant damage to their strength. But fortunately, few high-level cultivators or spellcasters had been killed.

The spellcasters, though uneasy, remained quiet. But the cultivators, though obeying orders to retreat, now erupted into restless murmurs.

Some high-level cultivators surrounded Long Han, demanding to know what had happened.

But Long Han only smiled helplessly, saying nothing—leaving the surrounding cultivators deeply dissatisfied.

At this moment, the dark clouds and gray mist above both dispersed, revealing the Hehuan Old Devil and the black-robed man, staring coldly at each other.

The sounds of combat and strange phenomena high in the sky ceased instantly, and Wei Wei Wuyan and Brother Zhiyang Cangkun Shiren descended safely from the air.

The cultivators' side immediately breathed a sigh of relief, their faces relaxing.

Moments later, the scholar surnamed Zhong and the short man also returned unharmed, prompting an involuntary cheer from the Muran side.

Seeing all three cultivators had returned, Long Han finally spoke.

But to avoid panic, this news could only be shared within a small circle.

Thus, only those at Mid-Stage Core Formation and a few special cultivators were gathered together, surrounded by simple barriers, to discuss the grim news just received from the Muran side.

Han Li, given his performance in today's battle, was unquestionably included in this meeting.

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