The black-robed man was enveloped by a ball of golden light as he appeared on the spot, and at first glance, he didn't seem to have sustained any injuries, but upon closer inspection, one would discover that some faint traces of blood had appeared on one of his sleeves. These traces of blood were quite small, and they were barely noticeable on his black robes, but all of the cultivators present were at least at the Nascent Soul Stage, so they naturally wouldn't fail to notice such a detail.
A burst of chatter immediately rang out, and surprised expressions appeared on many people's faces.
The two Body Integration cultivators from the Feng Family exchanged a glance, only to discover their own dismay mirrored in one another's eyes. In contrast, Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao were ecstatic.
Han Li didn't unleash any further attacks as he hovered in the air above. He merely stood atop his small azure mountain and looked down at his opponent in a calm and collected manner.
However, the faint azure light that was flashing from the small mountain could transform into countless streaks of sword Qi again at any moment.
"This isn't Divine Essencefused Light; it's High Zenith Azure Light! It's colorless and formless, yet peerlessly sharp; it really is just as fearsome as the legends proclaim!" The black-robed man raised an arm as he spoke, extending a bloody azure hand from his sleeve to reveal several small laceration wounds, undoubtedly inflicted by Han Li's sword Qi.
"Your abilities are just as remarkable, Fellow Daoist Hui. To think that you're able to withstand High Zenith Azure Light with nothing more than your physical body; that hand of yours is definitely no less resolute than the average defensive spirit treasure," Han Li said with a smile.
"Hehe, looks like I'll really have to pull out some trump cards to match you, Fellow Daoist Han," the black-robed man chuckled coldly, and the laceration wounds on his hand instantly healed amid a flash of spiritual light.
At the same time, he took a deep breath, and a layer of black light flashed over his body, following which countless black patterns appeared over his skin.
These black patterns roamed over his entire body as if they were living beings, and from a distance, it looked as if he had transformed into a devilish creature. On top of that, his aura had also become very peculiar.
An intrigued look appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this, and he made a grabbing motion, upon which a short shimmering silver ruler appeared in his grasp.
However, right at this moment, the Long Family patriarch suddenly intervened.
"Elder Hui, I didn't assist you in cultivating this ability just so you could use it in a sparring match. You won't be able to defeat Fellow Daoist Han easily, so let me face him in person."
As soon as his voice trailed off, a loud thunderclap suddenly rang out from beneath his feet, and his body shot forth as a bolt of silver lightning, passing through the light barrier and appearing beside the black-robed man in a flash.
The sinister look on the black-robed man's face stiffened slightly, and his heart jolted at the sight of the Long Family patriarch's emotionless eyes. He nodded reluctantly, and said, "Rest assured, Brother Long, the situation is under control. However, seeing as you're interested in facing Fellow Daoist Han in my stead, I'll leave him to you."
After that, he made a hand seal, and the black patterns all over his body gradually faded away. He then cast one final meaningful glance at Han Li before flying out of the light barrier as a streak of black light.
Han Li turned toward the Long Family patriarch, and there was no hint of fear on his face whatsoever as he chuckled, "Are you going to take Brother Hui's place, brother Long? This truly is an honor."
"I'm already at the late-Body Integration Stage, yet you've only recently progressed to the Body Integration Stage, so it wouldn't be right for me to engage you in battle. Instead, here's what I propose: if you can take three attacks from me, then I'll forfeit the match!" the Long Family patriarch said in a cold voice as he clasped his hands behind his back.
Han Li initially faltered slightly upon hearing this before a smile appeared on his face. "Three attacks? Alright, I have no objections to that."
A stir immediately ran through all of the surrounding cultivators upon hearing this.
Han Li had just displayed powers that weren't inferior to those of mid-Body Integration cultivators, and that had already drawn astonishment from many of the onlookers. Now that the Long Family patriarch was proposing this three-attack clause, everyone was getting very excited.
To the cultivators of the true spirit families below the Body Integration Stage, this was going to be an extremely eye-opening experience that would surely benefit them immensely.
After all, the true spirit families who were pitted against the Long Family during the past editions of the true spirit ceremony had all forfeited their matches, so it had been a very long time since everyone had seen the Long Family patriarch in action.
"First attack."
The Long Family patriarch clearly had no intention of wasting time with words, and after letting loose a low cry, he suddenly reached out with one of his hands.
The entire sky immediately dimmed while the nearby world's origin Qi surged violently, and a huge golden claw that was several tens of feet in size appeared above Han Li's head. Five-colored runes surged over the surface of the massive claw, and it grabbed directly toward Han Li.
Before the claw had even reached Han Li, the air around him tightened, and he felt as if he had been trapped in a cage of iron and steel.
All of a sudden, spatial fluctuations erupted above him, and a small black mountain appeared without any warning.
Grey light swept forth from the mountain, and Han Li was immediately freed. He then thrust his pristine white palm upward, and five-colored flames instantly surged forth from his fingers, forming a massive five-colored hand that rose up to clash with the giant golden claw amid a resounding boom.
The two seemed to be evenly matched for a brief moment before the giant golden claw destroyed the five-colored hand amid a flash of golden light. Despite this, Han Li remained completely unflustered as he pointed a finger up into the air.
The destroyed remnants of the massive five-colored hand transformed into five-colored glacial flames in a flash, and these flames immediately swept up the huge golden claw.
As a result, the golden claw faltered in mid-air before being sealed within a huge chunk of five-colored glacial ice, reduced to a levitating ice statue.
The Long Family patriarch's eyelids twitched upon seeing this, but he then immediately yelled, "Second attack!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, he laid a hand onto his own head, and a thunderous dragon's roar rang out.
Immediately thereafter, spiritual light flashed, and a golden wyrm projection flew up from the top of his head. The projection circled around in mid-air before abruptly plunging back down onto his body.
In the next instant, bright golden light was released from his body, and golden scales appeared all over his face and limbs, while a pair of golden horns that were several inches in length emerged on his head.
He had adopted a half-dragon form, and a thunderclap rang out from beneath his feet, following which he vanished on the spot in a flash.
Almost at the exact same moment, Han Li heard a thunderclap erupt overhead, and the Long Family patriarch appeared, then raised an arm before reaching down with his scaled golden hand.
A dull thump rang out, and an enormous burst of power descended from the heavens.
Han Li's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this, and in his eyes, the oncoming hand seemed to have encompassed the entire Myriad Spirit Platform, affording him no avenues for escape or evasion.
If he were to be struck by this devastating force, he definitely wouldn't be able to withstand the attack, despite his powerful physical body.
With that in mind, Han Li immediately directed the black mountain above his head toward the oncoming golden hand, sending it hurtling through the air with devastating might. At the same time, golden light flashed, and a golden figure emerged behind him before transforming into a golden projection with three heads and six arms.
Right at this moment, a resounding boom rang out, and the black mountain was repelled by the golden hand, while the latter continued to descend toward Han Li, seemingly having not been slowed down in the slightest.
Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this, and the Provenance True Devil Projection behind him raised all six of its arms before unleashing a torrential barrage of punches up into the air.
Meanwhile, Han Li waved his silver ruler, and a silver ruler projection that was several tens of feet in length also erupted into the heavens amid a flash of silver light.
In the next instant, an incessant string of explosions rang out as the golden fist projections and silver ruler projection clashed with the descending golden hand.
Immediately thereafter, more ruler projections were unleashed by the silver ruler, numbering in the tens, hundreds, thousands…
In the blink of an eye, countless projections had been conjured up by the silver ruler in Han Li's hand, and all of these projections were surging upward in a frenzy as a silver stream.
The people outside the light barrier were stunned by the fearsome powers Han Li was unleashing, but the Long Family patriarch seemed to be unimpressed as he let loose a cold harrumph, which was immediately followed by an earth-shattering boom.
In the next instant, the countless golden fist projections and silver ruler projections were all destroyed by a burst of extremely terrifying power.
The golden hand flashed before appearing in the air no more than 10 feet above Han Li, then grabbed downward without any hesitation.
Right at this moment, spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted nearby, and an green fist reached out before striking the golden hand like lightning.
The seemingly completely unstoppable golden hand was diverted away upon being struck by the green fist, and taking advantage of this opportunity, Han Li vanished on the spot, then appeared just over 100 feet away from the Long Family patriarch. As soon as he reappeared, he raised his head to appraise his opponent with a calm and collected look on his face.
