Having figured out the causes of death for the two, Han Li could only wish his senior fellow disciple, who had already gone down the Yellow Springs Road, a smooth journey and an early reincarnation. He then unceremoniously began to search their bodies.
Since they were already dead, Han Li naturally decided to make off with their storage pouches.
After a first sweep, he found nothing!
His expression turned grave as he conducted a more thorough search, but still found nothing!
A sudden chill ran down Han Li’s spine, and his heart began to pound at an accelerating rate.
There was actually a fourth person here! This person had taken the storage pouches! Although this person had most likely already left the scene, Han Li couldn't rule out the possibility that they were nearby, using the two corpses as bait to find an opening in his defense.
Across the cliff was a vast expanse of tall, reed-like grass, an ideal place to conceal oneself. Han Li was currently half-squatting, facing the corpses with his back to the grass. This made him even more uneasy! Perhaps the person was hiding right behind him.
Han Li remained motionless, maintaining his squatting posture. From behind, he seemed entirely focused on the corpses before him.
In reality, he was on high alert. He had quietly retrieved his magical artifact and talismans, and his spiritual sense was silently spreading out, attempting to locate any hidden assassins.
The results of his spiritual sense search didn't surprise Han Li; everything nearby was normal, with no unusual fluctuations in spiritual power.
This was to be expected. If someone was indeed hiding nearby, they would surely have used the Breath Concealment Art to suppress their magical power, making them undetectable. Han Li's intention in searching with his spiritual sense was merely to alert the snake by beating the grass!
At the very least, it would deter any imaginary opponent from making a rash move.
The results unfolded exactly as he had predicted. Either he was being paranoid and scaring himself, with no one there at all, or the observer, seeing no opportunity, remained hidden and chose not to make a move.
After a moment, Han Li stood up, turned around, and coldly scanned the expansive reed field several times. Then, without a word, he suddenly sprang into the air, and after a few leaps, he dwindled to a black dot, gradually fading into the distance.
When Han Li’s figure had completely vanished without a trace, the previously silent reed field suddenly rustled! Then, a slender figure emerged—a maiden dressed in fluttering white robes.
She looked quite young, only fifteen or sixteen years of age, with pure features and a face full of innocent charm. To encounter such an ethereal beauty in this place of slaughter was truly unbelievable!
Judging by her attire, she was a disciple of the Crescent Moon Sect!
The maiden looked in the direction Han Li had disappeared, pursed her lips into a smile, and remarked to herself with a surprisingly mature tone:
"Decent courage and intellect, but his magical power is lacking. Moreover, his aptitude seems even more problematic, with little potential to tap into. Otherwise, he could have been a talent worth cultivating once he made it out alive!"
"However, judging by his escape technique at the end, it seemed to be a lightness skill from the secular world, and a rather formidable one at that. How interesting!" The maiden propped up her chin with her delicate fingers, a look of keen interest in her large eyes.
Had Han Li heard these words, he would have been utterly dumbfounded.
Her assessment was far too accurate. In just a few words, she had piercingly pointed out all his strengths and weaknesses, seemingly understanding him better than he understood himself.
"I'll let you off the hook for now. I should get back to my own business. But the next time we meet, little guy, you won't get off so easily." The maiden wrinkled her nose, forming a playful little crease, and spoke with a hint of reluctance.
It seemed Han Li had become a new toy in her possession, one that held great appeal, making her reluctant to leave just yet.
In the end, the maiden pouted her lips but still raised her hand and took out a talisman. With a wave of her hand, she vanished in a brilliant flash of green light.
If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would likely have cursed her in heartache for her extravagance, squandering a rare Wood Escape Technique talisman so casually.
This was a mid-level elementary talisman!
After all, if an ordinary person had this Wood Escape talisman, they would treat it like a family heirloom, only using it when their life was on the line. It was the ultimate tool for escaping death.
Han Li knew none of this, of course, so he felt no heartache. He certainly wouldn't know that a woman of significant background had taken an interest in him. He was merely congratulating himself on having easily slipped out of danger.
Regardless of whether someone was truly lurking in the shadows, Han Li had no intention of pursuing the matter. After all, the closer one got to the central area, the more enemies there would be. Ambushes and attacks like this would gradually become common occurrences.
Preserving his own life and avoiding all unnecessary conflicts was Han Li’s guiding principle at this moment.
Moreover, Han Li hadn't exactly come away empty-handed from those two corpses.
Thinking of this, Han Li extended his hand, and a nearly transparent ball of threads appeared in his palm. This was what he had casually snatched on his way out—the line-type magical artifact that had killed the Giant Sword Sect disciple!
Han Li infused a small amount of magical power into it, and the threads gradually straightened, eventually becoming a taut line nearly ten zhang long. Han Li waved the threads around for a moment and immediately realized their remarkable utility!
If used correctly, this was the ultimate weapon for ambushing enemies.
With its nearly invisible nature and its elastic, razor-sharp cutting ability, Han Li was confident he could take off an enemy's head before they even knew what had happened.
He truly had no idea what material this thread was made of. If only it were longer, its potential uses would be limitless!
Growing interested, Han Li controlled the threads to slice through a dozen nearby large trees, severing each one in two with ease. This filled him with delight; it was even more effective than he had imagined.
What Han Li didn't know was that at that very moment, on a grassland not far from the center of the Forbidden Area, two groups of disciples from the Blade Transformation Dock and the Clear Void Sect had run into each other and were locked in a fierce battle.
Since both sides had about five or six members, they were evenly matched, a contest between equals.
This was the first group skirmish of this Blood Trial. The objective was to be the first to enter the central area and harvest the spirit herbs. If they could eliminate their opponents right there, all the better!
Ultimately, the Clear Void Sect's Daoists proved superior. After slaying most of their adversaries, they were the first to charge into the central area.
Inside, not only were there various exotic flowers and fruits—heavenly spiritual treasures—but also powerful first-level demonic beasts guarding them, beasts capable of putting up a fight against disciples at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.
Every time a demonic beast was slain and its herb harvested, once new spirit herbs sprouted in the area, a new demonic beast would mysteriously appear, though not necessarily of the same species. This baffled the experts of all the sects.
Furthermore, over the years, the disciples of the various sects could only gather spirit herbs from the periphery of the central area. Venturing deeper would result in being trapped or killed by active restrictions and traps. The beasts within were also more formidable, beyond the capacity of these low-level disciples to handle. Thus, they were forced to remain at the outskirts.
Regardless of whether the Clear Void Sect disciples had managed to strike first and harvest the spirit herbs,
Han Li was currently facing the greatest crisis of his trip to the Forbidden Area. At a crossroads, he had been blocked from both the front and the rear by a disciple of the Giant Sword Sect and a disciple of Heaven's Bastion Fort.
Han Li was very familiar with this burly Giant Sword Sect disciple—it was the bearded man who had glared at him before. Now, the man was leering at Han Li with a grim smile, looking every bit like someone out for revenge.