Chapter 319: The Four Great Blood Guards
"Not necessarily!" Han Li sneered coldly.
Then Han Li made hand seals with both hands and suddenly withdrew them. The numerous magic tools that had been fiercely assaulting the green light shield let out a collective cry and flew skyward, converging together in midair.
This scene caught Qingwen off guard, not understanding Han Li's intentions. However, he was a cunning old fox who would never allow Han Li to cast his spells undisturbed. He immediately revealed both hands, and two golden rings appeared in his grasp, emanating an aura of cold qi—clearly no ordinary artifacts.
"Go!"
Daoist Qingwen said in a low voice, and without the slightest hesitation, he hurled the rings outward. They transformed into two streaks of golden light, shooting straight toward Han Li.
Han Li's eyebrows shot upward instantly, and with a murderous expression on his face, he reached out with one hand to grasp the White Phosphorus Shield.
But before he could throw this artifact, three green rays of light, each about a foot long, suddenly flew in from the side, intercepting the two golden lights midway. The three green rays and the two golden rings immediately became entangled in fierce combat.
"Old Daoist, don't tell me you've forgotten about me?" Senior Brother Wang directed the green rays while offering Han Li a friendly smile.
Seeing this, Han Li felt a wave of relief wash over him and returned the smile.
But Qingwen was far from as composed as the two of them. His expression darkened, and his gaze began to flicker uncertainly.
For the moment, however, he could do nothing.
After all, simultaneously controlling the True Wooden Shield and the Gold-Locking Rings already consumed nearly all of his spiritual sense. He had never learned the Grand Revelation Art like Han Li, and it was simply impossible for him to manipulate so many artifacts with ease.
Therefore, despite possessing several other formidable artifacts, he dared not use them lightly. Devoting one's entire spiritual sense to controlling magic tools was a grave taboo for cultivators. In such a state, the owner would be unable to notice approaching dangers.
Moreover, the rare spectacle of Han Li simultaneously controlling over a dozen artifacts to attack an enemy all at once was only possible because these artifacts were used as a matched set. The actual spiritual power required was equivalent to that of just three artifacts.
If they were truly ten or more different top-grade magic tools, given Han Li's current cultivation level, no matter how powerful his spiritual sense or how many clones he could produce, insufficient spiritual power would make it utterly impossible to activate them.
Five artifacts was roughly Han Li's limit. This was precisely why he favored using matched sets of artifacts—they allowed him to fully unleash the power of the Grand Revelation Art.
As for Han Li's ability to control the "Gold-Blade" during the Qi Condensation stage, that could hardly be called true artifact control. It was merely using the mother blade in his hand to direct the child blades, and both its power and flexibility were incomparably inferior to the present.
While Qingwen hesitated, uncertain whether to devise another plan, Han Li had already completed his spell.
"Giant Sword Art!"
The cold, frigid words left Han Li's lips.
Immediately, all the magic tools hovering above Qingwen's head erupted with blinding radiance.
When the multicolored lights merged together, they transformed into an enormous tricolored light sword of gold, black, and red, suspended in the air. It was over ten zhang in size—truly astonishing in its enormity.
This "Giant Sword Art" technique was something Han Li had found on the golden page that recorded the complete set of Azure Essence Sword Rays. It was the only sword art he could currently use at the Foundation Establishment stage, and its power was naturally extraordinary.
Though Qingwen and Senior Brother Wang's artifacts were still locked in combat, both faces showed expressions of horror. Even the most obtuse observer could perceive the tremendous power of Han Li's technique.
Qingwen secretly cursed in his heart. He immediately abandoned concern for the two golden rings and, with a quick flip of his hands, produced a gleaming brass mirror.
But at this moment, Han Li pointed at the colossal light sword with a face full of frost.
The giant sword immediately descended from the sky in a soundless, devastating slash, carrying an overwhelming momentum as if it intended to cleave both the shield and its master in a single strike.
Seeing this, Senior Brother Wang momentarily forgot to seize the opportunity to destroy Qingwen's artifacts while his opponent was distracted. He too gazed at the earth-shaking momentum of the descending giant sword, momentarily transfixed.
In that moment, his mind was consumed by a single thought: if this sword were directed at him, could he possibly withstand it?
Qingwen, who bore the brunt of the attack, wore an expression of utmost gravity. He hurriedly tossed the brass mirror upward.
The mirror swiftly rose above the light shield and, after a flash of yellow light, spewed forth a cloud of yellow mist several zhang in size, covering the area above Qingwen's head. In the blink of an eye, the yellow mist solidified into an enormous copper shield that spun ceaselessly above him.
Han Li's expression darkened. He made a fierce hand seal, and the giant light sword emitted a thunderous roar as its descending momentum became even more terrifying. In the span of a heartbeat, it slashed down upon the copper shield.
A tremendous explosion erupted. Though the copper shield blazed with intense yellow light, under the fierce blow of the giant sword, it let out a mournful wail and shattered into pieces in mere moments.
With no further obstruction, the light sword continued downward without pause, striking the green prismatic column with a piercing, crushing sound.
Witnessing the terrifying power of this mysterious giant sword, Qingwen's composure finally cracked.
His hands flickered with green light as he quickly spread them apart and pressed them against the sides of the shield wall, desperately channeling spiritual energy inward in an attempt to bolster the defensive power of the True Wooden Shield.
The tricolored radiance of the giant sword and the green light of the shield below reflected off each other, and cracking and popping sounds began to echo through the air. Under Qingwen's desperate assistance, the True Wooden Shield actually managed to withstand the sword's downward force.
And so began a contest of wills: Han Li drove his technique forward, seeking to use the giant sword to forcefully breach the shield and kill his opponent—a long-overdue revenge for the ambush of years past. Meanwhile, Qingwen desperately poured spiritual energy into the shield, hoping to hold on until his enemy's technique exhausted itself, so that he might preserve his life.
At this point, Senior Brother Wang on the side finally snapped back to reality. With swift and decisive blows, he shattered the two golden rings, then directed the three green rays of light to surge menacingly toward Daoist Qingwen.
He understood the situation perfectly—Han Li and their opponent were deadlocked, and with just a little assistance, he could become the final straw that broke the camel's back, easily slaying this Blood Guard of no small cultivation. At that point, he could legitimately claim a generous share of the Blood Guard's treasures.
The thought set his heart ablaze with anticipation.
But just as Senior Brother Wang indulged in his pleasant fantasy and Qingwen's face contorted with alarm, a streak of yellow light flashed past at lightning speed beside Qingwen. The next instant, the Daoist vanished from the spot. Han Li's tricolored light sword came down where he had been, slicing into the ground and leaving a pit a zhang deep.
Senior Brother Wang's three green rays naturally missed as well, and he stared in fury and shock toward the direction where the yellow light had fled.
Sure enough, Daoist Qingwen appeared over twenty zhang away, still under his light shield, with a yellow-robed youth standing beside him. The youth wore a lazy expression, and upon seeing Senior Brother Wang's gaze, said without the slightest alarm:
"This man once saved my life. I cannot allow you to kill him so easily." After speaking, he turned to Han Li with a cheerful grin and said:
"Brother Han, who would have thought we would meet again? Wu Jiuzhi pays his respects."
This seemingly nonchalant youth was none other than Wu Jiuzhi—the same young cultivator who had once performed his thieving techniques before Han Li, only to have his abilities seen through. But now, a strange yellow glow emanated faintly from his body, and his cultivation had reached the early Foundation Establishment stage.
"Jiuzhi, this man's path is entirely different from ours. Why waste words? Now that you've arrived, the four of us can finally fight without restraint." Daoist Qingwen had finally recovered from the harrowing moment. He cast a venomous glare at Han Li and spoke through gritted teeth.
Wu Jiuzhi sighed at these words and said nothing further to Han Li.
Upon seeing this, Qingwen suddenly let out two long and one short whistle.
Iron Net and Ice Demon, who had been besieged by Liu Jing and the others, heard the signal and showed expressions of joy. They immediately broke free from the fray and flew over to Qingwen and Wu Jiuzhi's side.
"What's going on? Another one has appeared! This is getting troublesome."
Liu Jing frowned upon seeing the suddenly appeared Wu Jiuzhi, immediately grasping the shift in the situation.
Just moments ago, the five of them had been fighting the two Blood Guards and had only managed a slight advantage without dealing any real damage. They already understood that these Four Great Blood Guards were far from ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Now with all four of the enemy gathered together, the situation had become considerably more dangerous.
With this thought, Liu Jing solemnly called out, and the others gathered around Han Li.
Han Li gazed at Wu Jiuzhi who had just appeared across from him, and his heart was filled with a complicated mix of emotions. Back in the day, he had held considerable fondness for that clever, spirited youth. But fate was a fickle thing—now the two of them had no choice but to face each other as deadly enemies.
"Demonic Transformation!"
The Blood Guards, including Qingwen, understood well that contending with Han Li's group using only ordinary artifacts and techniques offered little chance of victory. After all, the Yellow Maple Valley side had the numerical advantage—even two against one would be more than sufficient for them.
Therefore, as soon as the four had gathered together, under Qingwen's cold command, crimson-red light erupted from all of their bodies simultaneously. They transformed into four blood-red cocoons of varying sizes, beginning their demonic transformation. It seemed they intended to annihilate Han Li and his companions in one decisive strike.