Chapter 127: Surprise
"Everyone, get back!" Han Qiu yelled.
"That's Astral Yin Blood Lightning!" Mistress Gu Gu exclaimed at the sight of the dark red ball, then hurriedly backed away with everyone else.
At the same time, all of the other Ancestral Gods conjured up protective barriers of different colors over their bodies to shield themselves.
The red ball flew out of Han Qiu's grasp, transforming into a red shadow that crashed violently into the water barrier.
An earth-shattering boom rang out, and a ball of scintillating crimson light that was thousands of feet in size appeared.
The enormous ball of light lingered in the air for several seconds before finally fading away.
At this point, several more of the blue water barriers around Han Li had already been destroyed, leaving only one final one left. Despite the wave projections surging incessantly over the surface of the water barrier, Han Li and the avatar seated across from him could already be clearly seen.
The explosion of crimson light had also blown a massive crater into the ground, and large volumes of red-hot magma were pouring out from down below before erupting in all directions, causing the nearby seawater to instantly bubble and boil.
This had no impact on Han Qiu and the others, and they were able to ward off the magma and the scorching temperatures with ease.
"As expected of Astral Yin Blood Lightning! Fellow Daoist Han, if you have one more of those, we'll be able to destroy the rest of this array in an instant!" the black-armored man said in an ecstatic voice.
"I only have one ball of this lightning, and I purchased it for a massive price several centuries ago during the Black Wind Island auction," Han Qiu harrumphed coldly with a pained look in his eyes.
"We still have plenty of time left. As long as we combine all of our efforts, we'll be able to break through this final barrier in no time!" Mistress Gu Gu said.
However, as soon as her voice trailed off, a long cry rang out from within the blue water barrier.
Blue light erupted from Han Li and his Earthly Deity Avatar in unison, forming an enormous pillar of radiance.
All of the water-attribute world's origin qi in a radius of hundred of kilometers converged toward the scene in a frenzy, forming an enormous vortex of spiritual qi that gushed into the Earthly Deity Avatar's body, causing the blue light that it was releasing to become brighter and brighter.
Within the blue light, the Earthly Deity Avatar stretched its limbs as if it had just awoken from a long slumber, and its face was just as expressive and full of life as a normal person.
"It's already done?"
"That's impossible!"
Han Qiu and the others were astonished by what they were seeing.
Han Li turned toward Han Qiu and the others through the water barrier with an indifferent expression, then flashed them a faint smile as he pointed a finger at the water barrier around him.
The final water barrier instantly faded away into countless translucent blue threads, which shot forth toward Han Qiu and the other Ancestral Gods like lightning.
Han Qiu and the others were still in a state of astonishment, and they hurriedly shot back in retreat, no daring to face the oncoming blue threads head-on.
Right at this moment, blue light flashed within the eyes of Han Li's Earthly Deity Avatar, and it raised its arms up into the air as it let loose a loud roar.
The blue light around it instantly brightened before churning violently like a ferocious wave, and a burst of laws of water surged through the blue radiance in a flash.
All of the seawater in a radius of several hundred kilometers instantly rose up to form an enormous wave that converged toward the Earthly Deity Avatar in a frenzy.
Han Qiu and the others were still rushing back in retreat, and they were caught completely off guard as the waves of seawater crashed into their bodies, exerting a burst of tremendous force upon them that slowed them down in their tracks.
However, as Earthly Immortals, they were never going to be impeded by the waves for any extended period of time, and they quickly broke free before continuing to fly back in retreat.
Mistress Gu Gu was the slowest out of everyone to react, and her body was instantly bound by the thin blue threads.
Right as she was about to unleash an ability to struggle free from the threads, they rapidly spread over her body as if they were living creatures, binding her up in layers to form a huge blue cocoon.
In the next instant, Han Li appeared beside the cocoon in a wraith-like manner before throwing a punch with a cold expression.
Even before his fist arrived, a devastating aura swept directly toward the ensnared Mistress Gu Gu.
Despite the predicament that she was in, Mistress Gu Gu didn't panic at all as she began to chant an incantation.
A black longsword instantly appeared outside the blue cocoon, then hurtled directly toward Han Li as a massive streak of black swordlight that was giving off indescribably fearsome sword intent.
Even before the streak of black swordlight reached Han Li, the terrifying sword intent that it carried had already infiltrated his mind, threatening to tear his soul apart.
Seeing as Han Li had just finished refining his Earthly Deity Avatar, Mistress Gu Gu was confident that his soul had to be in a very feeble state, and she was targeting that perceived weakness.
However, to her surprise, Han Li made no effort to evade the attack. His semi-transparent True Extreme Membrane appeared over his body in a flash, and his fist didn't slow down in the slightest as it crashed heavily into the blue cocoon as a golden shadow.
A blood-curdling howl rang out from within the cocoon, followed by a dull thump, and the cocoon bulged violently as the howl abruptly cut off.
Almost at the exact same moment, the streak of black swordlight also struck Han Li's shoulder with a loud clang.
The True Extreme Membrane on his body shuddered slightly before instantly returning to normal, warding off the fearsome attack. As for the burst of sword intent that the swordlight carried, it vanished into Han Li's mind without producing any effect, not even triggering the slightest change in his expression.
All of this had taken place in the blink of an eye, and by the time Han Qiu and the others returned to their senses and rushed forward to save Mistress Gu Gu, the aura of her Earthly Deity Avatar had already completely disappeared.
Han Li slowly withdrew his arm before releasing an incantation seal with a sweep of his hand, and the thin blue threads parted to reveal a broken Earthly Deity Avatar inside. The avatar was already completely shattered, and the spiritual light on its surface had also faded, making it resemble a cluster of broken rocks.
Han Qiu and the others exchanged a glance upon seeing this, and each of them could see their own shock and wariness mirrored in one another's eyes.
At the same time, the other four Ancestral Gods were all glowering at Han Qiu with furious expressions.
If they had known that they were going to be dealing with a Profound Immortal who was capable of destroying an Earthly Deity Avatar with just a single punch, then they would've never come here.
With a casual wave of his hand, Han Li stowed Mistress Gu Gu's storage treasure and that black longsword away. At the same time, his Earthly Deity Avatar vanished into his body in a flash as a blue shadow.
Only after doing all of that did he slowly sweep his gaze over the remaining Ancestral Gods, ultimately settling his gaze on Han Qiu.
His eyes didn't seem to bear any malice, but Han Qiu's heart instantly jolted at the sight of Han Li's scrutiny, and an intense sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.
All of a sudden, Han Li's body blurred, and he vanished on the spot.
"Look out!" Han Qiu yelled with a grim expression.
Immediately thereafter, he began to chant an incantation while sweeping his sleeves through the air, releasing a large plume of white smoke that formed a sea of white mist around him that was several hundred feet in size.
The other four Ancestral Gods were already considering retreat, and they hurriedly summoned their treasures or unleashed secret techniques to protect themselves.
All of a sudden, Han Li appeared above Han Qiu in a wraith-like manner, and one of his arms had already swelled significantly in size. A layer of golden ape fur had also appeared on the arm, and it was glowing with dazzling golden light.
He let loose a low roar as he thrust his fist through the air, and spatial fluctuations instantly erupted above Han Qiu, following which a rapidly revolving golden vortex appeared.
An enormous golden fist projection flew out of the vortex with devastating power, and as it came crashing down, the white smoke around Han Qiu churned and tumbled violently, looking as if it could crumble away at any moment.
Han Qiu was horrified by this turn of events. This punch was far more powerful than any attack that Han Li had unleashed during their previous clash!
In a fit of desperation, he let loose a wild roar as he hurriedly made a hand seal.
A glacial aura instantly erupted out of the white mist, freezing the surrounding seawater into ice. A white mountain of ice that was giving off faint law fluctuations instantly took shape above Han Qiu's head.
The tip of the mountain was extremely sharp, and it rose up toward the golden fist projection like a giant sword of ice.
The two clashed with an earth-shattering boom, and the white mountain of ice shuddered violently before exploding, sending countless chunks of ice flying in all directions.
In contrast, the golden fist projection wasn't even slowed down in the slightest as it continued to crash down with incredible force.
In this dire situation, a metal shield flew out of Han Qiu's body, and it was giving off a burst of law fluctuations as it transformed into a black light barrier to stop the golden fist projection in its tracks for a brief moment.
The black light barrier was then instantly shattered, following the same fate as the white ice mountain.
However, Han Qiu was able to take advantage of that brief instant of respite to fly away into the distance as a blue shadow. Unfortunately for him, his left arm was grazed slightly by the fist projection, and it had been destroyed in an instant.
At this moment, Han Qiu's heart was filled with shock and horror, and he didn't even dare to take a single backward glance.
Right at this moment, a cold harrumph sounded beside his ears, and he was instantly struck by a burst of excruciating pain in his head, as if someone had driven a red-hot dagger straight into his brain.
He immediately stopped cold in his tracks as he threw his hands over his head and let loose a blood-curdling howl.
In the next instant, Han Li appeared directly in front of him before throwing a vicious punch, and Han Qiu's Earthly Deity Avatar also followed the same fate as Mistress Gu Gu, shattering into a pile of powder.
The other four Ancestral Gods were horrified to see this. They were already considering retreat, and they didn't hesitate any longer as they sped away into the distance as four streaks of light.
Han Li watched as the four Ancestral Gods fled the scene, making no effort to pursue them. Instead, he took Han Qiu's storage tools and treasures in an unhurried manner before inspecting the contents of the former with his spiritual sense.
After fleeing for tens of thousands of kilometers without rest, the four Ancestral Gods finally realized that they weren't being pursued, and they gradually drew to a halt as they stopped to catch their breath.
"Han Qiu has completely screwed us over! What was he thinking, inviting us to take on such a powerful enemy?" the yellow-bearded elderly man snapped in a furious voice.
The other three Ancestral Gods were also enraged.
"Judging from that man's abilities, he seems to be a Profound Immortal. No wonder he was so powerful," the black-armored man said with a hint of fear in his voice.
The two azure-robed daoist priests' expressions changed drastically upon hearing this.
They had only become Ancestral Gods a few dozen millennia ago, and they were among the weakest Ancestral Gods in the entire Black Wind Sea, so they were even more horrified to hear this.
"I couldn't care less about what happens to Han Qiu, but he's dragged up into this mess with him! I don't think that man is just going to let things slide and forgive what we did!" the yellow-bearded elderly man said with a concerned expression.
As Ancestral Gods, they were tied to their respective territories, so they couldn't just run away without suffering a severe loss in power.
This was exactly why all Ancestral Gods and Earthly Immortals were extremely cautious with everything that they did, taking the utmost care not to make enemies that they couldn't afford to make. On this occasion, they were lured in by the benefits promised to them, and they were of the opinion that this was virtually a done deal, which was why they had accepted Han Qiu's invitation, but never did they think that this would be the outcome.
The four of them exchanged a series of uneasy glances with one another.
They were only mere Ancestral Gods with no backers, so if Han Li were to come after them in vengeance, they were as good as dead.
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