A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu Transmigrates into a Book, the Dao Ancestor of Rein

Chapter 72 Revenge does not last overnight

His five senses were constantly being extended outwards, and he would occasionally use his Heavenly Eye Technique to scan his surroundings, but he never discovered anything.

But Feng Xiaoying just sensed something unusual in a flower bush in the distance!

In that sea of ​​flowers, even though there was no wind around, a few petals moved. Then, clusters of flowers began to sway slightly, as if being brushed against by someone's trouser leg.

This situation is unavoidable.

After all, to catch up with him flying on his sword, the speed couldn't be too slow, nor could the distance be too great.

Such a subtle movement, occurring at a distance of over two hundred feet, was beyond Han Li's five senses, which were still at the Qi Refining stage. The other party was aware of this as well.

But the howling eagle in the distance spotted it!
A long warning horn sounded from afar!
Within the Crimson Forbidden Land, such beast cries were not unusual, so they did not attract any special attention from the other party.

Han Li understood the warning and decisively released the Jade Mantis to flank from a blind spot. He cast an invisibility talisman and a concealment talisman on the Jade Mantis, making it difficult to see with the naked eye and detect with spiritual energy, thus enhancing its stealth. He also activated a wind-controlling talisman and a lightness talisman on the Jade Mantis, increasing its speed.

That's right.

Spirit beasts can also use talismans.

This is a summary of his own shortcomings after the incident with Senior Brother Lu.

At that time, he didn't use those talismans on the Jade Mantis, which gave Senior Brother Lu more opportunities to sense the danger. Otherwise, even if Lu Chengfeng was extremely sensitive to changes in the surrounding wind, with the Jade Mantis's increased speed, that guy wouldn't have had time to react.

In other words, he should have used the useful auxiliary talismans on spirit beasts with higher combat power to achieve greater effects.

He hid himself well, but he never charged into battle.

No matter how high a spirit beast's attack power is, it's not good if it's discovered early on. It's even worse if its speed is a bit lacking, causing some plans to fall apart.

Sometimes, it's time to change your mindset.

In other words, the follower was facing an upgraded version of Han Li, whose combat experience had improved.

Thus, the Jade Mantis was now approaching within ten zhang of the target, and the one hiding in the shadows failed to give any advance warning.

Han Li continued his rounds around the city without making a sound.

However, just as they took off and flew a hundred feet, the other side made another move.

Prepare to follow.

But at that moment, the Jade Mantis suddenly sprang into action!
It's only ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) away, less than a second!
A little over half a second!

It's almost the speed of sword flight at the Foundation Establishment stage.

This surprise attack sent chills down the spines of those hiding in the shadows.

When he turned to use his Heavenly Eye Technique to find the source of the crisis, he only saw two streaks of golden-blue cold light:
"No…!"

The blade sliced ​​through what appeared to be an empty space, and the next moment, two streaks of blood appeared. Following closely behind was a splatter of bright red blood.

Its colors are exactly the same as the surrounding sea of ​​flowers.

It is even more vibrant and beautiful than many other flowers.

"The people of Tianque Fortress? They are good at hiding their strength, but they lack real power."

Han Li flew back and saw the dead Tianque Fortress disciple. After taking the disciple's storage bag, he offered him a fireball.

He then used an invisibility talisman to leave.

This place is not far from the entrance to the west gate, so it's inevitable that some people will be lurking around. He didn't want to attract any more attention.

"Three high-grade beginner talismans, eight mid-grade beginner talismans, and over twenty low-grade talismans; three high-grade magic artifacts, three mid-to-low-grade magic artifacts; one mid-grade spirit stone, and twenty-two low-grade spirit stones..." Other miscellaneous pills and other items were not worth many spirit stones.
All the items together amounted to only about six hundred spirit stones.

Bah, you poor wretch!

This is only the first day since entering the forbidden area, and everyone is still recovering from the recent exertions. At this time, while each cultivator may not be carrying the most abundant items, they are certainly well-prepared and unlikely to be lacking in resources.

Even so, the man following him still only had this pitiful amount of money at the moment. This man's poverty and audacity truly made him both laugh and cry.

"Is that all the confidence you have to come and try to ambush Han?"

They really don't value their own lives.

"Only this high-level concealment talisman is decent; no wonder it hid so well..."

...

For the rest of the time, Han Li maintained his invisibility as much as possible.

One of these talismans is consumed every hour. He had prepared six in his bag, enough for him to circle the inner city wall in the remaining time.

Therefore, he explored every resource point that was described in the first draft.

The results were quite good.

After a journey of more than two hours, upon arriving at the northeastern corner of the region, he had already found the three main ingredients for refining the Youth-Preserving Pill. A quick check of the herbs revealed that none of them were of insufficient age or medicinal potency.

This is thanks to the unique environment inside the forbidden area.

Although the Crimson Forbidden Land has never received replenishment from the outside world, it has always been in an awkward situation of only losing resources and not receiving any, with the production of spiritual herbs decreasing year by year. However, the environment here has always been very similar to that of ancient times, even exactly the same. This has enabled the cultivators of the seven sects to discover new spiritual herb seedlings during their explorations every five years.

Given enough time, these seedlings will eventually mature.

The flower area has never withered in the 60,000 to 70,000 years since ancient times, and the ornamental flowers have always been vying for beauty, thanks to the ancient environment preserved within the forbidden area.

The forbidden inner city, where the flower sea is located in the northeast district.

Within a large flowerbed, Han Li, using an invisibility talisman, began searching.

He has been very careful.

However, some things are still unavoidable.

Just as he was searching for herbs, less than eighty feet away from the flower bushes, two cultivators had used a ground-sinking technique to lower a small area of ​​soil and dug a hole underneath for hiding.

At most, the spiritual sense of someone in the Qi Refining stage can only slip through cracks; it cannot penetrate walls.

Naturally, they were unaware of the two people lurking underground.

“Brother Xu, it seems this trip to the forbidden area was worthwhile. Putting aside everything else, as long as we capture the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators who are picking those strange ornamental flowers outside, even if we don’t pick any spiritual herbs later, the harvest will still be quite substantial.”

The middle-aged man in the Huadaowu attire looked at the young man in the Giant Sword Sect attire beside him and laughed.

He risked a lot of money to come here, not only to pick the forbidden herbs, but also to openly kill and plunder, and make a fortune.

The key is that with just a little treatment, there will be no aftereffects.

The current situation with Han Li is clearly a matter of fate for the two of them.

“Brother Wang is right. This person is sneaking around gathering herbs here, he must have discovered something. Perhaps, the flower garden area, which has never been valued by the Seven Sects, holds great benefits that we are unaware of.”

The young man from the Giant Sword Sect nodded.

Both of them were at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, and their magical power was not weak. Not to mention that the two of them were working together and had the advantage of launching a sneak attack.

"How exactly should we divide the benefits?"

"We'll split what they have on them fifty-fifty, as usual. As for the secret of the flower area? Once we get out of here alive, we'll inform our respective sect elders and receive our rewards. What do you think, brother?"

"Okay, it's settled."

Judging from their conversation and behavior, they had clearly known each other for a long time. It was as if they had been friends for many years.

"Heh, what a coincidence. Your Xu family of Panqiu Mountain and my Wang family of Dingyang Mountain have been intermarried for generations. Although our two families are thousands of miles apart and have different surnames, after more than ten generations, we are actually one family in which you are intertwined with me."

For example, one of them was the great-grandmother of the other.

"That's right. Although many members of the Xu family have joined the Giant Sword Sect and many members of the Wang family have joined the Blade Transformation Pavilion, the relationship between the seven sects is not like that of other countries, where sects scheme against each other and the situation is delicate and tense. The seven sects are not only on the surface harmonious, but also have many intricate connections due to the numerous cultivation families that serve as the link."

Even though Panqiu Mountain and Dingyang Mountain are tens of thousands of miles apart and located in different states in the Yue Kingdom, they cannot prevent the interests of cultivators from being intertwined.

The two families are a successful example of marriage alliance.

In the original storyline, the Chen family of Huangfeng Valley almost took in a son-in-law from another powerful cultivation clan. If the two families continued to intermarry, many of their younger generations would inevitably become related.

Should we make our move now?

"No rush, wait until he gets a few more feet closer, just a little closer..."

The two then launched their attacks with lightning speed.

One activated a low-level high-grade Flame Talisman, instantly unleashing over thirty high-temperature fireballs the size of washbasins:
"go with!"

Another one activated a low-level high-grade earth spike talisman. The next moment, ten-foot-long stone spears burst from the ground, rapidly spreading out like a stone forest:

"prick!"

Because the two had been chanting their incantations underground, their magical power wasn't initially apparent, so Han Li's senses didn't detect it before they emerged from the soil. By the time he did, they had already gained the upper hand.

Not only that, the two of them also activated a set of two flying swords and a small knife magic weapon.

The magical artifact, the Mandarin Duck Sword, resembles two mandarin ducks playing in the water, gentle and agile yet sharp.

The Black Light Blade is a top-tier magical artifact. Forged from the core materials of a level 2 dark-attribute demon beast, it emits a black light upon activation, possessing the Dark Light Technique, a high-level spell. This technique not only affects the opponent's five senses but also imbues the Black Light Blade with a corrosive spiritual energy property, allowing it to gradually corrode the spiritual essence of other elemental magical artifacts upon contact. It is truly insidious. Furthermore, it can use a collision of spiritual energy to counteract five parts of the power of the five elements with three parts of its own strength, making it truly bizarre.

Following the talismans came the magical artifacts. This wave was both a not-so-weak probing attack and a deadly sneak attack.

Being locked onto with such a display of force, Han Li immediately felt a jolt of fear.

Looking up and scanning with his divine sense, he was slightly surprised:

"Two people... wait? Disciples from the Giant Sword Sect and disciples from the Blade Transformation Dwelling? How did these two families end up together?"

He was on edge the whole way, constantly alert to his surroundings.

They wouldn't relax for a second when gathering herbs.

Although the two had the initial advantage, it was only a slight one. Trying to ambush him was not so easy.
"You two are going all out on me with high-level talismans and magical artifacts right off the bat. Hmph... You're really going all out against me."

"Hey, how many waves of people are targeting me now, all in my quest to collect the key ingredients for the Youth Preservation Pill?"

He used invisibility talismans and concealment techniques, but very few people were willing to give him peace.

"Since you don't want me to have any peace, then I can only turn you into my ladder to advancement." Seeing the approaching force, Han Li's gaze instantly turned cold.

Attacking him from dozens of feet away? That would be underestimating his vigilance.

The next moment, a small, colorful shield appeared in front of him.

【Rainbow Cloud Shield】: A rare, top-tier magical artifact.

Very spiritual.

As long as magic power is injected, the Rainbow Cloud Shield will automatically protect its owner, without requiring the user to expend too much mental energy to control it.

This colorful cloud shield was something he had rented from Dong Xuan'er a month or so in advance after the incident with Senior Brother Lu.

It was a small reward that the little rich woman received from the big rich woman a long time ago when she broke through her cultivation level.

In order to rent the Rainbow Cloud Shield, Senior Brother Lu even gave Dong Xuan'er his Azure Dragon Flag as collateral.

Besides the Rainbow Cloud Shield, two Azure Dragon Chains emerged from his storage bag beside him, beginning to construct another defense.

The primary and advanced runes on his body surface have also been activated, forming the third line of defense.

In his hand, he held a defensive intermediate-level talisman.

Once the Azure Dragon Chains can no longer stop the opponent's attack, he will activate this Intermediate Renewal Talisman.

at the same time.

He swiftly retreated, his movements as fluid as a leaping antelope, dodging left and right, seemingly avoiding a direct confrontation. He secretly manipulated the jade mantises that had been hidden nearby, remaining motionless.

The little creature's colors blended perfectly with the surrounding greenery, and after acquiring invisibility and concealment talismans, it left no trace or warning. Now, receiving its orders, it began to slowly stealthily move towards the direction from which the two attacks had originated.

"Boom boom boom..."

Of the thirty-odd fireballs, each the size of a washbasin, unleashed by the Flame Talisman, half missed their target, exploding on the ground and creating craters several feet in size. The rest landed on the multicolored shield and light barrier that had expanded several times in size in front of them, without causing a ripple.

The sharp, thorny spikes, having lost their element of surprise, were all dodged, yet they caused devastating damage to what was once a vibrant flower garden.

The same was true of the sword wind that tore through the air; it "buzzed" and cut the surrounding air and the beautiful sea of ​​flowers into pieces that were hard to look at, with less than half of it still striking the Rainbow Cloud Shield.

However, how can the power of a low-level or high-level talisman or the sword energy of a flying sword, which is not concentrated, break through the protective barrier formed by the fixed circle of a precious magic weapon?

Furthermore, Han Li was not stubborn enough to stand still and take all the attacks head-on.

Although he did not fully reveal Luo Yan's Wind-Riding Steps, he was seriously dodging.

"What a quick movement!"

On the opposite side, the young man from the Xu family of the Giant Sword Sect and the middle-aged man from the Blade Transformation Pavilion both narrowed their eyes.

After witnessing Han Li's swift reaction and rapid actions, his heart sank.

Seeing the Rainbow Cloud Shield easily deflect two high-level talismans and the attacks of the Mandarin Duck Swords, he felt a chill run down his spine.

That guy from Yellow Maple Valley is definitely a tough nut to crack.

"It's a bit tricky."

"Then we absolutely cannot hold back."

kill!

The two rushed forward.

The black blade transformed into black light, immediately following the Flame Talisman and the Earth Spike Talisman to strike.

The closer the magical artifact is to their Qi Refining stage, the easier it is to control and the more adept they become at wielding it. As the two drew closer, the blade and sword light indeed became sharper.

However, Han Li was prepared. Two azure dragon chains, each about ten feet long, had already formed a spiral tornado outside the golden light of the Rainbow Cloud Shield, protecting Han Li and the double light shield at the very center of the eye of the storm.

The black blade met the Azure Dragon Chains head-on, one cunning, the other powerful and heavy.

One approach breaks through the surface by focusing on a single point, while the other achieves miracles through sheer force.

Furthermore, since both are top-tier, high-quality magical artifacts, the difference in material quality is minimal. (The Azure Dragon Chain is made of slightly better materials.)
As a result, a stalemate was reached again in a short period of time.

It wasn't until the Mandarin Duck Swords arrived that the combined power of the two top-tier magical artifacts broke through the seemingly weak Azure Dragon Chains' defenses, creating an opportunity for the Black Light Blade to strike.

"Chance."

The middle-aged man from Huadaowu's eyes lit up.

"As expected of the Mandarin Duck Swords that were so hard to obtain."

The young man from the Giant Sword Sect also wore a smug expression.

His twin swords were also top-tier magical artifacts. While each sword alone was no match for the black blade, when drawn together, they could rival it.

"Brother Wang, hurry!"

"clear."

The middle-aged man from Huadaowu pointed a small black knife at the blade, and the black light on the blade immediately intensified. Then, it broke through the two temporarily entangled Azure Dragon chains without any hindrance and headed straight for the light barrier erected by the Rainbow Cloud Shield.

"It's done..."

Both of them smiled.

However, Han Li, who was dodging and maneuvering while controlling the two treasures, also smiled: They've taken the bait!

The next instant, he braced himself with both arms, and the light shield of the Rainbow Cloud Shield expanded by about a foot!
The Azure Dragon Chains suddenly exerted their force, briefly shaking off the Mandarin Duck Swords before abruptly contracting without warning, rapidly constricting the space inward and, in the blink of an eye, tightly adhering to the light shield of the Rainbow Cloud Shield.

Then, the colorful light shield of the Rainbow Cloud Shield and the Azure Dragon Chain shrank simultaneously.

Continue to compress their own defenses.

Between the Azure Dragon Chains and the Rainbow Cloud Shield, the Black Light Blade, which had been leaping and bounding about, was now firmly sandwiched between the two, like a sandwich filling, completely unable to move.

"You think this will be enough to restrain my Black Light Blade?"

joke.

Even middle-aged people grin.

The black light on the knife he was wielding grew increasingly intense, and a corrosive stench filled the air.

This is the Black Light Blade's ability to corrode the spiritual essence of magical artifacts.

When refined iron comes into contact with corrosive black light, it will corrode and rust instantly.

Even top-tier magical artifacts were not entirely unaffected by this black light. After a major battle, it was common for the spiritual essence of top-tier magical artifacts to be damaged.

"This is... a dark attribute spell? Heh, I didn't expect to see something so good at defiling other people's magical artifacts." Han Li narrowed his eyes.

He could clearly feel the magical power he had applied to the Azure Dragon Chains being consumed at an accelerated rate.

Realizing this, he understood the general situation.

He reached into his storage bag and took out a mid-level talisman.

As the talisman appeared and activated, a soft, colorful light began to fill the protective barrier surrounding Han Li. When the light overflowed and met the black light, the black light strangely began to dissipate. Seeing this, the middle-aged man from Huadaowu was first stunned, then his eyes widened in disbelief.

"That's... a Purification Talisman? A mid-to-low-level Purification Talisman that can dispel many kinds of impurities?"

How could Huang Feng Valley possess such an extremely rare talisman?

To create a Purification Talisman, one first needs a talisman-making master who has cultivated the Purification Technique. The prerequisite for cultivating the Purification Technique is possessing the Light Spiritual Root, one of the most unique spiritual roots.

Only when multiple conditions such as the Purification Technique, the Master of Talisman Making, and the Light Spirit Root are met simultaneously can the Purification Talisman, a special talisman, be created.

The Purification Talisman is precisely the nemesis of those strange treasures that specifically taint people's magical artifacts and even magical weapons.

But here's the problem:
How did such a rare and precious talisman end up in the hands of the cultivators from Yellow Maple Valley on the other side?

Does the other party have a powerful background?

As for where Han Li got the Purifying Light Talisman?

It was not a gift from Fairy Hongfu, but provided by Dong Xuan'er.

This was a contingency plan Han Li had prepared in advance, taking into account the character Duobao Nu among the Twin Heroes of the Hidden Moon. The Purifying Light Talisman is an extremely rare and precious item for Qi Refining cultivators and most Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, for the Hong Fu lineage, there might be ways to obtain it. Furthermore, they had a compelling reason to acquire some and keep some on hand.

The reason is simple: among Hong Fu Fairy's rivals in the Core Formation stage was the grandmother of Duobao Nu of the Yanyue Sect. Duobao Nu was at the peak of the mid-Core Formation stage in the Yanyue Sect and wielded a powerful ancient treasure that was specifically designed to defile other people's magical artifacts.

When it came to Dong Xuan'er, the original benchmark was naturally Duobao Nu.

In short, descendants should be careful about the grudges and feuds between previous generations.

Therefore, long ago, Fairy Hongfu had paved the way for her grandniece. Just as her grandmother, Duobao, had paved the way for her, such as the top-grade magic artifact "Azure Condensation Mirror" and the rare top-grade magic artifact "Red Rust Pearl." These were all replicas of top-grade ancient treasures…

There's no need to elaborate on what the Azure Condensation Mirror is; the Crimson Rust Pearl, a magical artifact capable of destroying people, is equally priceless.

Since Han Li knew that Duobao Nu of the Hidden Moon Sect was going to participate in this trial and would be carrying a powerful top-tier magic weapon like the Crimson Rust Pearl, how could he not take precautions in advance?
The Purification Talisman is prepared for this purpose.

However, before it could be used on Duobao Nu, it first fell on the middle-aged man of Huadaowu.

Like low- to mid-level Vajra Talismans and ordinary talismans, these talismans can be used continuously until their spiritual energy is exhausted, at which point they become worthless. Using some of them to counter the Black Blade at this time is perfectly appropriate.

As a result, the black light quickly dissipated and faded.

After that, no matter how the middle-aged man from Huadaowu urged the little black knife, this exquisite top-grade magic weapon could only tremble in the crack, unable to break free from its restraints even slightly.

"Hmph. You want to defile my magical artifact? This black blade alone is not enough." Han Li sneered inwardly.

At the same time, it accelerated the process of eroding the alien magic power on the small black knife.

"My knife..."

The middle-aged man of Huadaowu was in great distress.

He considered rushing forward to forcibly take it back, because the closer he was, the more force he could control. However, he was held back by the young man from the Greatsword Sect who was wielding the Mandarin Duck Swords and continuing his offensive.

"Brother Wang, hold on."

But Han Li was already preparing to collect the black blade, whose struggling power had been halved.

Once the alien magic power residing in the Black Light Blade is exhausted and it stops struggling, this top-tier magic weapon will be his for the taking.

"Thank you for the treasure, fellow Daoist."

He is a polite person, so I must express my gratitude verbally.

Deliberately exposing a flaw that doesn't even exist is a common tactic used by predators.

This is common in mid-to-high-level battles, but rarely seen in fights between low-level cultivators. This is because low-level cultivators may not have enough experience in using weaknesses as traps, and often small weaknesses can turn into real, major blunders.

But he's different.

He has a mid-level talisman as a backup, and he's even memorized the incantation down to the last note, ready to activate it at any moment. Besides, he also has a protective shield formed by a low-level high-grade defensive talisman, just in case. He has room for trial and error.

Besides, he and Dong Xuan'er had practiced this many times before, and they were already quite skilled at it.

This time, the timing was even better.

"Damn it."

The middle-aged man, in a fit of anger, took out another exquisite high-grade magic artifact and was about to step forward.

As expected, he was stopped by the young man again:
"Brother Wang, calm down. This is clearly an attempt to provoke you into going up."

However, on the other side, Xiao Hei Dao's struggles were getting weaker and weaker, and Han Li had already begun to sheathe his sword.

"Fellow Daoist of Huangfeng Valley, how about we shake hands and make peace? It was certainly wrong of me and Brother Xu to ambush you. We'll compensate you with whatever spirit stones you need. I also have a spirit herb here, which can definitely be exchanged for a lot of rewards from the sect. Moreover, I will remember this favor, and my Wang family of Huadaowu will certainly remember your kindness." The middle-aged man pleaded.

"Go dream."

There is everything in the dream.

A handshake and reconciliation? Turning swords into plowshares? Are you kidding me?
In a matter of assassination, between life and death, are you playing house?

Just kidding.

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth: "Then what are you going to do?"

Han Li did not answer.

He was not a magnanimous person.

He had made up his mind: to steal the treasure and kill someone to vent his hatred.

The Azure Dragon Chains shrank and tightened again, trapping the Black Light Blade inside so that it could no longer even vibrate.

Following closely were several low-level spirit-sealing talismans. Any magical artifact affixed with this talisman would have its residing magical power quickly dispersed. It is one of the commonly used low-level talismans for retrieving lost treasures.

How could a middle-aged person remain calm upon seeing this?

"Give me back my Black Blade..."

"Brother Wang... calm down..."

"Get out of my way. Calm down, calm down, where's my grandmother?" The middle-aged man shoved the young man away and said angrily, "What you lost isn't your treasure, it's my treasure, Wang Mazi's treasure! Of course you can calm down!"

Having lost his most reliable and dependable treasure within the forbidden area, all his subsequent plans had to be overturned.

The price is too high.

Don't talk to him about calming down right now. Just help him get his treasure back, or you won't even be able to be relatives with him anymore.

"You from Yellow Maple Valley, you deserve to die."

The middle-aged man from Huadaowu was extremely angry at this moment, wishing he could tear Han Li to pieces.

He also has another treasure, which should be able to break through the entanglement of the two chain artifacts at close range and free the black knife.

But we have to be quick.

But just as he sped through a grove of flowers, about to reach the optimal range of twenty feet for unleashing his attack...

"Brother Wang, be careful."

Behind them, a startled exclamation came from the young man of the Xu family.

The Mandarin Duck Swords abandoned their entanglement with the Azure Dragon Chains and flew straight towards this place like chasing stars and the moon.

At that moment, his five senses were screaming, and goosebumps spontaneously rose all over his body.

But it happened so suddenly that he had no time to react: a cold glint flashed, so fast that he only had time to turn his head and see a golden-jade afterimage darting out from the side. The afterimage approached with incredible speed, and a pair of bladed feet, gleaming with a cold light, magnified, magnified, magnified to the extreme in his pupils…

Then, his vision began to spin.

"Clap."

The head fell to the ground.

He was actually beheaded in one strike by a top-tier Jade Mantis?
"Brother Wang..."

The young man secretly regretted that he had hesitated for a second and failed to keep up in time.

If he catches up, the top-tier magical shield surrounding him will surely protect the two of them, thus safeguarding this relative who has taken good care of him in the past.

pity.

"You little thief, your life is forfeit."

The young man from the Giant Sword Sect was also furious. In a fit of anger and hatred, he didn't think about retreating. Instead, he planned to continue sparring with Han Li.

Of course, young people do have reason to be proud.

After all, they were among the top twenty in the Great Sword Sect's competition.

With a top-tier flying sword and a top-tier magic shield at his disposal, he didn't think he would be easily killed. Moreover, he had several low- to mid-tier talismans, a mid-tier defensive talisman, and a mid-tier support talisman, enough to allow him to escape quickly if things went wrong.

The previous setbacks were simply due to our underestimation of the enemy and our carelessness.

Okay, his real purpose in taking the initiative to fight back was actually to retrieve Brother Wang's storage bag as soon as possible!

He was heartbroken to see his older brother's body.

Looking at his elder brother's lost storage bag, his heart ached even more.

"Brother Wang, I will avenge you."

May your spirit in heaven quickly lend me a hand.

"Ah."

Han Li gave a soft snort and didn't say anything more.

Before him, whether the young man tried to escape or not, he was already a dead man.

Not only did they ambush him, but they also threatened to kill him. This kind of grudge can't be resolved even if they leave; it has to be a fight to the death. Otherwise, their minds won't be at peace.

So, as he retrieved the small black knife, he patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist, releasing a colossal beast over ten feet tall—the spiky boar. As soon as the boar appeared, he leaped onto its back and unleashed a ferocious charge. To his side, accompanied by the Azure Jade Mantis's melodies, and in front of him, the Rainbow Cloud Shield remained operational, while two Azure Dragon Chains, one on the left and one on the right, like twin dragons reaching out, coiled around the flying Mandarin Duck Swords.

The overall momentum was quite impressive.

As he passed by the middle-aged man's corpse in Huadaowu, he waved his hand and obtained a storage bag.

With another wave of his hand, a fireball struck the corpse, destroying all evidence.

Upon seeing this, the young man from the Giant Sword Sect felt a chill run down his spine and turned away without looking back.

So hasty that he didn't even have time to retrieve the Mandarin Duck Swords before activating a mid-level Wood Escape Talisman and fleeing for his life.

He knew very well that his top-tier shield could not withstand the impact of a power-type top-tier spirit beast like the spiky boar.

If you hit hard, you will die.

The kind of death that's particularly unpleasant.

"This guy from Huangfeng Valley was actually hiding his strength? Damn it, damn it..."

Therefore, he decisively used the Wood Release Talisman, which allowed him to move swiftly among the grass and trees.

Wherever there is vegetation, the Wood Escape Talisman can carry the person who activated the talisman away quickly for thirty miles, hidden among the spiritual trees.

Of course, only the kind that just appeared could travel dozens of miles in one breath using the Wood Escape Technique.

He had used this talisman twice, and the remaining spiritual power could only help him escape for ten miles at most.

Fortunately, ten miles is enough.

The tracking methods used during the Qi Refining stage are not that far-reaching.

"Want to escape?"

Han Li retrieved the Mandarin Duck Swords, which were now powerless to resist as they had lost their master's magical power and divine control. He extracted a portion of the alien magical power from them and immediately transferred it into a mid-level tracking talisman.

Then, he quickly summoned his spirit beast and used a mid-level wood escape talisman to follow after them.

He's the kind of person who doesn't let revenge linger overnight.

If the other party manages to escape today, he'll write his name backwards.

"I demand an explanation from Han today!"

...

A quarter of an hour later.

On a large tree about twenty miles away from here.

A corpse was hung high up.

It was the young man from the Giant Sword Sect.

Before he died, his face was filled with disbelief:

"Why can't a mid-level Wood Release Talisman be used to escape to heaven?"

"The other party isn't a Core Formation cultivator, how could they have tracked us down so quickly?"

Although Han Li was not a master at the Core Formation stage, he possessed a mid-to-late Core Formation stage tracking talisman personally drawn by someone at that stage.

After receiving the storage bag, they also obtained a pile of various items worth at least a thousand spirit stones.

Adding in the storage bag of the middle-aged man from Huadaowu, the top-grade magic weapon dagger, and the pair of mandarin duck swords, the total value of the two is very close to three thousand spirit stones.

"Truly impressive. No wonder the Crimson Trial is so attractive to the most elite Qi Refining disciples from various sects, such as Feng Yue of Tianque Fortress, Zhong Wu of Spirit Beast Mountain, the old man surnamed Li of Huadaowu, and the Zhang family Taoists of Qingxu Sect, who act as deadbeats. No wonder these guys are scrambling for the so-called forbidden herbs in the Crimson Forbidden Land. Actually, their main purpose is probably to kill and rob without much trouble to enrich themselves..."

Killing one of their elites can yield hundreds or even thousands of spirit stones worth of various supplies.

Even if the profit is reduced after reselling, it can still ensure 70-80% of the profit.

Putting aside other factors, killing two or three so-called elites with top-tier magic weapons, and then casually taking out a few slackers and bystanders, might seem like an exaggeration to say that a single trip could yield supplies worth several thousand spirit stones, but obtaining items worth three or four thousand spirit stones is not impossible.

Such profits…

Okay, let's not even talk about the profit of three or four thousand every five years. Even a profit of two thousand every five years would be enough to tempt and motivate most Foundation Establishment cultivators. How much more so for Qi Refining cultivators who are smart and capable but don't have much of a background and can only fight, struggle and risk their lives.

If they do this several times, and as long as they don't fail each time, the merit points accumulated from harvesting forbidden herbs from various places will be enough to exchange for two or three Foundation Establishment Pills. In terms of hidden wealth, they could also accumulate tens of thousands of riches.

Once they reach the Foundation Establishment stage, they will immediately become hidden millionaires during that period.

As for the issue of spiritual roots?

For an ordinary person with three spiritual roots, one Foundation Establishment Pill is certainly not enough to establish a foundation. So what if they take two or three pills in a row?

"Tsk, he's got a knives up his sleeve when it comes to making money. No wonder Feng Yue, who doesn't have any powerful connections, was able to get his hands on a small dagger talisman."

Feng Yue of Tianque Fortress, despite his very ordinary background, possesses a talisman treasure. The value of this talisman treasure is comparable to, or even slightly higher than, the Foundation Establishment Pill in the Yue Kingdom.

This is obviously not normal.

The real reason was the substantial profits that "Madman" Feng Yue brought to him by brutally killing his disciples in the Blood Forbidden Land.

The other party has already come in twice.

This time is the third time.

The wealth he accumulated from his first two or even first visits might have given him the financial means to buy an ordinary talisman worth several thousand spirit stones.

"Interesting, very interesting..."

"Was that guy a deliberate act by the Seven Factions, or a strange product of a series of coincidences?"

Han Li smiled.

Then I started thinking about more things.

"Each faction always reaps the greatest and best profits from the spiritual herbs brought out by those troublemakers. It seems that what Core Formation experts find most troublesome are these reckless troublemakers, right? But equally, they also love these exceptionally strong individuals who can create profit and value in the forbidden area trials..."

In other words, as long as the troublemakers are still around, the various sects will have a basic guarantee for each trial.

Considering the significant benefits brought by these troublemakers, the trouble they cause is insignificant to those at the Core Formation stage. The key issue is that their actions affect the interests of the Core Formation experts themselves. Therefore, in past Blood Trials, Core Formation cultivators from various sects not only refrained from suppressing their own troublemakers, but also encouraged more of them to actively participate in the Blood Trials, bringing more spiritual herbs to their sects and the elders leading the teams.

They're just cannon fodder in the Qi Refining stage, nothing to brag about.
Even if you die, it's because you were less skilled than others.

This is how the "debt defaulter economy" has taken root in this blood-stained forbidden land.

...

Han Li had just left not long ago.

A barefoot, burly man dressed in the attire of the Giant Sword Sect appeared under the tree.

This person had found their way here by following the commotion caused by the intense clash of spiritual energy a quarter of an hour earlier.

Seeing the miserable state of his fellow disciples, the barefoot giant's eyes showed not anger or pity, but rather a hint of eagerness:
"Impressive skills. Even the Xu family's son was killed. This person's methods must be extraordinary. I should catch up with him and have a match with him."

Without paying any attention to the young man's corpse hanging in the tree, he chased after the path Han Li had taken.

(End of this chapter)