Chapter 815: Luring into an Ambush

Through the split soul within the puppet, as soon as it entered the cave entrance, Han Li sensed everything clearly.

Appearing in front of the white wolf was a natural passage seven or eight zhang high, with cave walls on both sides that were black and red, and wisps of flames darting out from the cracks from time to time, causing the nearby air to distort and deform due to the high temperature.

Han Li believed that a cultivator with a slightly lower cultivation base entering this passage would very likely be knocked unconscious by the hot wind and high temperature here if they were caught off guard.

As a mechanical puppet, this white wolf naturally did not have this problem.

It flew forward along the passage, and not long after, the view brightened, and a fiery red underground world appeared before it.

This place was fully several hundred zhang wide, but the most eye-catching thing was a lava lake that occupied more than half of the area, inside which fiery red magma bubbles rolled continuously, then burst open with "pop" sounds. It gave one a terrifying feeling that if they walked a little closer, they would be roasted into dried meat.

Around the lake was reddish rock ground, on which there were actually a few specks of green flickering; they were some spiritual herbs growing on it, which could not help but make one surprised. But it also showed that these spiritual herbs were extraordinary.

But Han Li's split soul within the white wolf had no interest in caring about any spiritual herbs, his gaze having long since landed on a protruding giant rock in the center of the lava lake.

On it, a fiery red monster was flipping its belly, sleeping soundly with loud snores.

This monster was not large, three zhang wide and five or six zhang long, resembling a giant toad. But its flame-like gleaming skin made it look extraordinary. And as the monster breathed in and out, a layer of red clouds would appear on its body from time to time, setting off a bit of mysterious color.

It seemed this was the Fire Toad Beast!

Han Li saw this beast clearly and carefully observed it for a long time. Only then did his gaze shift, landing on a stone platform on the opposite side of the lava lake.

This stone platform looked like an object from a long time ago.

Although many patterns and runes were carved around the platform, the four corners of the platform had long since rotted and become dilapidated.

But in the center of the stone platform, a cultivator's remains wrapped in a green robe were lying there quietly.

The style of the robe was simple, ancient, and peculiar; one look and it was clear it was not something worn by current cultivators. And after so many years, this robe was still as new as ever, emitting a faint green light, so one knew it was definitely not an ordinary object.

The remains wrapped in the robe had long since become a pile of bones. It was just that these bones were crystal clear and transparent, as clear as crystal, which was truly somewhat eerie.

After carefully scanning the bones once, and then taking another look at that Fire Toad Beast, Han Li split off a wisp of his soul and quietly wrapped it toward the bones.

He prepared to first see if there were really any treasures on the cultivator's remains.

After all, on the surface, he had not discovered any existence like treasures or storage bags on the remains. This made him suspicious in his heart.

However, perhaps the treasures were placed inside the green robe or somewhere near the stone platform, so he planned to search first before saying anything else.

As this wisp of spiritual sense flew above the remains and fell lightly to probe, a strange change occurred.

The green robe suddenly shone with great spiritual light, and a layer of cyan mist appeared on it, immediately bouncing this wisp of spiritual sense away.

The spiritual energy nearby fluctuated strangely.

The Fire Toad, which had been sleeping soundly, seemed to have sensed something. Its tightly closed eyes suddenly opened. A pair of emerald green eyeballs turned rapidly a few times, immediately locking onto the white wolf puppet at the cave entrance.

"Not good!" Han Li secretly cried out.

The white wolf puppet he controlled hurriedly turned around, spiritual light flickering as it transformed into a white rainbow, shooting away toward the path it came from.

At the same time, the seemingly bloated Fire Toad suddenly flipped over, jumped high, and landed back on the giant rock, changing into a prone posture.

It glanced at the back of the white rainbow as it disappeared, let out a low, furious cry, and then its pair of thick hind legs suddenly kicked, instantly being wrapped in a ball of red mist as it chased out.

"That Fire Toad has already come over. Two fellow Daoists, be careful," Han Li, who was concealing himself near the magic array, moved his lips silently. He transmitted his voice to Marquis Lord Nanlong and the other.

Hearing this, the two's expressions tightened, and they looked toward the giant peak in the distance at the same time.

A white rainbow was shooting out from inside, flying straight toward them. A moment later, another fiery red object flew out from the cave entrance, chasing the white rainbow closely.

Its escape speed was not slow at all, not inferior to an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Seeing this scene, Han Li's expression shifted slightly.

This time, it was fortunate that the white wolf puppet sent out was a speed-type puppet beast. Otherwise, whether it could lure it over was really another matter.

Thinking of this, he urged the split soul within the white wolf puppet again, letting it fly at full speed without fearing damage to the puppet's body. Then he flipped his palm, and a ball of blue ice flame appeared silently in his palm.

Marquis Lord Nanlong and the other, with gloomy expressions, also prepared their magic treasures, waiting quietly on both sides of the magic array.

The giant peak and the location of Han Li and the others seemed very far away, but the white rainbow and that ball of fiery red light arrived nearby one after another in the blink of an eye.

A fierce look flashed across Han Li's face, and the ice flame in his hand grew by another three points silently.

But just as the white rainbow was about to fly nearby and plunge into the great array they had set up, the Fire Toad, which was still thirty or forty zhang behind, seemed to have lost its patience.

After a loud "croak," a ball of crimson fire was spat out from the beast's mouth.

When it first left its mouth, the fireball was only the size of a human head, but after shooting several zhang away, with a "pfft" sound, it instantly transformed into a behemoth several zhang in size, immediately catching up to the white wolf puppet at the edge of the great array, and a flame hurricane more than ten zhang high instantly engulfed the puppet beast.

Then, muffled bursting sounds came continuously from the flames, and then it became silent. Han Li's expression changed slightly!

The flames retreated rapidly, and the puppet beast at the original spot had disappeared without a trace, not even a speck of evidence remaining.

Seeing this, Han Li was naturally shocked in his heart.

The demonic fire within this Fire Toad was indeed not an ordinary flame, at the very least surpassing the Nascent Soul fire of a Nascent Soul cultivator by a notch. He didn't know if his ice flame could restrain it. However, he was not overly worried. After all, he had more than one or two methods to exterminate this beast.

Whether it was the Purple Luo Heaven Fire or the Great Geng Sword Array, both were more powerful trump cards.

Moreover, even if he released all his Core Formation-level puppets in one breath, he could still live to exterminate this beast. It was just that Han Li naturally wouldn't be willing to suffer such a great loss.

Puppets were very useful in certain situations.

At this time, the Fire Toad, seeing that it had exterminated the enemy that had rashly broken into its nest, let out a long, satisfied cry. It flashed with red mist and was about to turn around and fly back.

At this, the three of Han Li looked at each other in dismay. Among them, Han Li felt a tightness in his heart.

This Fire Toad concerned the life and death of Nangong Wan; how could Han Li let it leave easily? After frowning, he suddenly moved his figure, transforming into a cyan rainbow and shooting out.

On the other side of the magic array, Han Li's lonely figure appeared across from the array.

Marquis Lord Nanlong and Lu Lu Weiying were startled at first, then understood Han Li's intention.

Han Li's action successfully startled the Fire Toad, which had already turned halfway around. It agilely turned its head, staring dead at the newly appeared enemy not far away, motionless, a hint of suspicion seeming to flash in its single eye.

Han Li did not answer, one hand holding the small ball of blue ice flame. With the other hand, he tapped his waist, and six balls of blue light shot out from his storage bag, falling behind him. After the light faded, six giant blue turtles, three zhang tall and flashing with spiritual light, appeared behind Han Li. They were exactly the giant turtle puppet beasts Han Li had newly refined.

Han Li gave an order in his spiritual sense.

The shells of the six giant turtles flashed with light, and suddenly, ice cones a foot high and of the same size condensed, each one crystal clear and pointing straight diagonally upward, emitting wisps of cold air.

Instantly, the giant turtles, which previously looked harmless, became ferocious and vicious, their momentum astonishing.

The Fire Toad opposite seemed to sense Han Li's hostility, a fierce light flashing in its green eyes. Between breaths, a fireball was spat out from its mouth.

Seeing that fireball also become huge and shoot toward him with great momentum.

Han Li did not speak, his heart harboring the thought of testing the power of the Fire Toad Beast's demonic fire, and immediately raised the palm holding the ice flame.

The blue ice flame in his hand immediately transformed and condensed into a blue mist-covered ice flower, flying lightly toward the opposite side, just meeting the giant fireball opposite.

The Fire Toad Beast's fireball was fully five or six zhang in diameter. And that ice flower condensed from the Dry Blue Ice Flame was only a few inches in size. In terms of size, there was really no comparison. But the moment the two made contact in the air, a shocking scene appeared.

Only a "hiss" sound was heard, the fireball flashed with blue light, and a layer of thick blue ice appeared on the surface of the fireball. A giant ice ball appeared in the air, but in the center of the ice ball, crimson flames were still jumping incessantly.

Seeing this scene, Han Li was also slightly startled.

But the Fire Toad Beast opposite, seeing its fireball imprisoned, became furious.

Opening its mouth, hundreds and thousands of fist-sized fireballs surged out from its mouth, shooting over.

Han Li pursed his lips and waved one hand.

The six giant turtle puppets behind, which had long been ready to go, shook their shells at the same time. Then countless ice cones shot out from the shells, meeting the crowd of fireballs densely.

After a burst of "rumbling" explosions, the white mist-covered cold air transformed from the shattered ice cones and the large waves of fire transformed from the bursting fireballs intertwined in mid-air.

Rolling white gas suddenly filled the entire sky.

Han Li stared forward, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Clearly, the power of the opponent's fireballs was far greater than these giant turtle ice cones; in a moment, the waves of fire forced the cold air back step by step.

Seeing this, Han Li muttered something in a low voice. Suddenly, his figure shot backward.

The six giant turtle puppets also immediately followed and retreated.

At this time, the sea of fire completely overwhelmed the cold air transformed from the batch of ice cones, following and chasing them without any politeness.

But after the six giant turtles immediately spat out another large batch of ice cones, the cold air transformed from them once again blocked the waves of fire, and Han Li and the few giant turtles had already flown more than twenty zhang away.

Han Li stared tightly at the Fire Toad Beast, which was still motionless in place, his lips tightly closed.

According to the information he checked before coming to the Falling Demon Valley. Besides being able to use the power of lava to recover from injuries, the Fire Toad Beast was also proficient in fire escape techniques. It could use the power of flames to travel a thousand zhang in an instant.

And here, under the mountain ridge, lava seas were everywhere. If this beast were allowed to dive underground, it could easily escape. Regarding this, perhaps Marquis Lord Nanlong and the other didn't care at all. After all, they came for the treasures of the remains; even if they couldn't exterminate this beast, as long as they could drive it away, it didn't matter.

But he was different. He was determined to obtain the beast's demonic core.

Therefore, he must lure this beast into the magic array and block its retreat before he would feel at ease to deal with this beast. Therefore, at this moment, whether the Fire Toad Beast would chase was naturally the key.

Seeing Han Li retreat after only one exchange, the Fire Toad Beast couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. But this beast seemed not to have high intelligence, and without thinking, red light flashed on its body, transforming into a ball of red light as it chased after him desperately.

Seeing this, Han Li was overjoyed in his heart.

After chasing only a little distance, blue and white light suddenly appeared around the flying Fire Toad, and a layer of pale blue water curtain appeared around it.

Then, several streaks of white light flashed on the water curtain, and several white water dragons appeared and disappeared, ready to jump out. The entire light curtain became damp and cold.

The Fire Toad Beast was startled, couldn't help but stop its escape light, and its eyes turned wildly. Its mouth let out a low roar as if threatening.

At the same time, spiritual light flashed on the left and right sides of the light curtain, and Marquis Lord Nanlong and the old man surnamed Lu appeared at the same time.

Seeing the Fire Toad Beast trapped by the magic array, the two immediately and unceremoniously sacrificed their respective magic treasures.

The one Marquis Lord Nanlong threw out was still the jade ring in his hand, while the old man did not use his original magic flag treasure, but instead raised both hands, and two blue flying daggers intertwined and shot out.

The light curtain of the magic array naturally would not have any effect on the two's magic treasures, immediately flashing and passing through the water curtain to attack the Fire Toad inside.

And those white water dragons on the light curtain also flew out from the water curtain at just the right time, attacking with bared fangs and brandished claws. This was exactly Han Li, who was far away, taking the opportunity to urge the magic flag in his hand, activating the restrictions in the magic array to coordinate with the two's attacks.

Seeing this scene, although the Fire Toad's intelligence was not high, it had a bad feeling.

It immediately let out a heaven-shaking roar, then its body shrank, then suddenly expanded, displaying its life-saving ability. Seeing this beast roar, a shield of crimson light of the same size immediately appeared on its body.

These small shields were densely packed, emerging from the Fire Toad one after another, then merging into one, forming three layers of airtight fiery red light shields in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, the jade ring, the water dragons, and the two blue daggers almost simultaneously struck these light shields.

Instantly, rumbling sounds continued in the water curtain, and various colors of light from the crimson flames and water vapor intertwined, blinding and dazzling for a time, making it impossible to look directly inside.

But after another wild roar from the Fire Toad Beast, a crimson pillar of light as thick as a water vat shot out from the light, striking one side of the water curtain.

As a result, the water curtain only hindered it for a moment with a "pfft" sound before being easily pierced, creating a huge hole.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 816 =====