Chapter 1510: Han Li's Power
The white-haired beauty's brows furrowed upon hearing the crimson-robed figure's condition.
"If we go to the devilish tomb, we'll most likely be delayed quite significantly there. If the Mayfly Race reinforcements arrive during that time, none of us will be able to get away." Liu Zu's voice wasn't quite as resolute as it had been before.
"Hehe, if the Mayfly Race really can access this space so quickly, then why would that puppet have confronted us? It could've just waited for reinforcements to arrive. No one from the Mayfly Race should be able to enter this place in a short time. Of course, there will be some risk involved, but surely you should take some risks for us, seeing as you're taking all of the Divine Infernal River Elixir, Brother Liu Zu," the crimson-robed figure chuckled.
Liu Zu remained completely expressionless, but the contemplative look in his eyes indicated that he was weighing up his options. Only after a long while did he finally reply, "Alright, I can accompany you to the devilish tomb, but I'll only assist you in securing two of the treasures in there. If you want to secure additional treasures, then you'll have to do so with your own power."
"Haha, you have yourself a deal! As for the Tempered Crystal Brick, I trust that you're telling the truth, so I won't try to damage it," the crimson-robed figure chortled with glee before drifting back several tens of feet.
The Purpleblood Puppet beside him also retreated a few steps in a wooden manner.
"What do you want to do, Fellow Daoist Lan?" Seeing as Di Xue had struck up a deal with him, Liu Zu was feeling a lot more assured, and a cold light flashed through his eyes as he turned to the white-haired beauty.
The white-haired beauty's pupils contracted, and only after a brief hesitation did she reply in a cold voice, "I have the same condition as Fellow Daoist Di Xue, but before that, I want to test if this brick truly as indestructible as you claim."
"Sure, go ahead, then." Liu Zu immediately raised his hand, and the Tempered Crystal Brick hovered into the air 70 to 80 feet above his head.
The white-haired beauty stared at the brick with a hint of scorching desire in her eyes before sweeping a sleeve through the air, upon which the eight ghost monarchs behind her instantly sprang into action.
Black light flashed, and the white-haired beauty donned that suit of black armor again as the massive war hammer appeared in her hand.
Eight ghostly howls erupted from the war hammer, and Liu Zu glanced at the weapon as he warned, "Your treasure is indeed quite powerful, but it won't be able to break the Tempered Crystal Brick. I'm warning you in advance; don't try any sneaky tricks while you attack the brick. Otherwise, don't blame me for turning on you."
"Hmph, let me see if this thing really is indestructible or not!" The white-haired beauty completely ignored Liu Zu's threat as she hurled her war hammer through the air.
Ghostly Qi and Yin winds instantly erupted as the war hammer swelled drastically in size. The eight skulls embedded on its surface also squirmed incessantly as they let loose a string of ghostly howls.
Immediately thereafter, balls of green flames appeared out of thin air around the hammer, transforming it into a massive fireball.
These green flames appeared to possess immense power, and as they burned with ferocious might, even the surrounding space was being warped and twisted.
Liu Zu stood off to the side in a completely expressionless manner with his arms crossed, patiently awaiting the white-haired beauty's attack.
However, the crimson-robed figure suddenly narrowed his eyes as a peculiar look appeared on his face at the sight of the ghostly war hammer.
The white-haired beauty let loose a loud cry, and the war hammer came crashing down toward the comparatively tiny brick.
However, during its descent, the green flames around the hammer flared up significantly before manifesting over a hundred hammer projections that hurtled toward the crystalline brick from all directions.
As such, this one attack was almost the equivalent of over 100 attacks.
Liu Zu faltered slightly upon seeing this, but a cold smile quickly appeared on his face.
Loud rumbling booms rang out in rapid succession in the air above as if hundreds of thunderclaps were exploding at once, causing the nearby air to ring incessantly.
The crimson-robed figure's expression changed slightly upon seeing this.
Back when this war hammer was combating the black light formation within the underground palace, it hadn't appeared to be all that powerful, and only now was the crimson-robed figure realizing the true extent of its power.
As for the Tempered Crystal Brick, it had already been inundated by piercing green light, making it impossible to glean its current condition.
Moments later, the white-haired beauty made a grabbing motion, and all of the hammer projections instantly disappeared with only the real hammer flying back as a ball of green light.
She then cast her gaze toward the crystalline brick, and her expression darkened significantly.
The Tempered Crystal Brick had remained completely unscathed following that ferocious barrage. Its surface was completely smooth with not a single scratch to be seen.
"So? You believe my claims now, right, Fellow Daoist Lan? Even I won't be able to extract the Divine Infernal River Elixir from the brick to split it among all of us," Liu Zu said in a calm voice.
"Seeing as that's the case, I have no choice but to give up on the divine elixir, but you have to accompany the two of us to the devilish tomb." The white-haired beauty heaved a long sigh as if she wanted to exhale all of the frustration in her heart.
After that, she made a hand seal, and her suit of armor dissipated along with her war hammer, splitting up to form the eight ghost monarchs again.
"I have no objections there. The devilish tomb is quite far away from here, so even if we try to get there as soon as possible, it would still take us around half a month. Before that, shouldn't we track down a certain someone first?" Liu Zu said as he waved a hand through the air, and the Tempered Crystal Brick instantly disappeared on the spot.
Even the other two demon monarchs couldn't identify how Liu Zu had stowed the brick away. The white-haired beauty and the crimson-robed figure exchanged a glance with one another, and both of them were feeling even warier toward Liu Zu.
"That Han brat has our tracking marks planted in his body, so he won't be able to escape our detection even if he escapes to the other side of the Spirit Realm. To think that insolent brat would dare to steal my disciples away from me; once I hunt him down using my tracking mark, I'll make him regret everything he's done!" A sinister look appeared on the white-haired woman's face at the mention of Han Li.
"Hehe, you were always aware that your two disciples were acquainted with that Han brat somehow, yet you still planned to suck away their Yin Qi, so it's no wonder that Han brat came back to save them. In all honesty, I really do admire the kid. Not only did he manage to escape from the Infernal Lightning Beasts, he stole your two disciples right under our noses! Tsk tsk, even the blood puppet avatar that I refined for so many years was unable to stop him; he's got guts and powers in equal measure," the crimson-robed figure chuckled.
"Hmph! If you admire him so much, then why don't you take him as your disciple? Perhaps he'll outstrip you someday!" the white-haired beauty harrumphed coldly with a dark expression.
"I'm cultivating in the Dao of blood, so unless Han brat is willing to let me suck out his essence and exchange his blood, there's no way that he'll be able to use my cultivation arts. Besides, I've always been alone, and I've never thought about passing my abilities onto others, so what use would I have for a disciple?" Di Xue chuckled coldly.
"That Han brat's cultivation base isn't very high, but he has a staggering number of tricks up his sleeve. On top of that, he's managed to progress so far on the path of simultaneous cultivation, and his powers far exceed that of beings of the same cultivation base. If he managed to progress to the Body Integration Stage one day, then even all of us combined most likely won't be able to match him. Of course, it's yet to be seen whether he'll even be able to get to that point. After all, progression for those engaged in simultaneous cultivation is far more difficult than for normal cultivators," Liu Zu mused.
"Simultaneous cultivation? Are you certain that's the path he's taking? How do you know about this?" the white-haired beauty exclaimed in surprise.
The crimson-robed figure also faltered upon hearing this.
"I have an ability that allows me to assess the power of one's physical body. That kid is most likely a human cultivator from an obscure corner of the Tian Yuan Continent, rather than some Flying Spirit Race being. I don't know how he managed to sneak into the trial for the holy disciples of the Flying Spirit Race, but what I do know is that humans are physically one of the most feeble races on the Tian Yuan Continent, yet that Han brat's body is no less than powerful than ours. Even normal treasures won't be able to harm his body, and in terms of combat prowess, he should be able to match late-Great Spirit Generals. If he possesses some other abilities that I'm unaware of, then perhaps even a normal late-Great Spirit General wouldn't be a match for him," Liu Zu analyzed.
The white-haired beauty and the crimson-robed figure were both stunned by Liu Zu's glowing assessment of Han Li, and as they glanced at one another, both of them could see their own astonishment mirrors in each other's eyes.
They knew that Han Li was no ordinary being, but they merely assumed that his powers would be comparable to that of an early-Great Spirit General or mid-Great Spirit General.
"You're saying that he can stand up against late-Great Spirit Generals as a mere late-Spirit General? There are indeed some abilities in this world that truly defy the natural order, but surely he can't compare to a being with such a significantly superior cultivation base!" The white-haired beauty was quite skeptical toward Liu Zu's claims.
"Hehe, I actually believe in what Brother Liu Zu is saying here. Many years ago, I encountered a Spatial Tempering Stage human cultivator, yet that man was able to slay early-Body Integration Stage beings through the use of a sword formation. Humans may be naturally very fragile from birth, but they are certainly not to be underestimated," the crimson-robed being suddenly interjected.
The white-haired beauty harrumphed coldly as if she were unconvinced, but the indecisive look in her eyes indicated that she didn't really know what to believe.
"That's enough talk on this matter. That Han brat does indeed have many secrets and possesses brilliant potential, but he has to realize that potential first to make it count. Our priority now is to find him and make him do our bidding. I don't know how he's been able to escape our detection for so long, but if we activate our tracking marks together, he won't be able to keep this up for much longer. If we want to get to the devilish tomb as quickly as possible, then we have to make haste," Liu Zu said in a calm voice.
"Indeed, Brother Liu Zu. Fellow Daoist Lan, let's... What! My tracking mark has been eradicated!" the crimson-robed figure chuckled and nodded in agreement, yet just as he was about to say something to the white-haired beauty, an expression of incredulity and rage suddenly appeared on his face.
"Is that so? Let me try!" The white-haired beauty's heart jolted with shock and she hurriedly closed her eyes before attempting to activate her tracking mark.
Moments later, she opened her eyes again, and a sinister look appeared on her face as she said, "My tracking mark is still there, but it's been completely sealed off. Brother Liu Zu, activate your tracking mark as well; we'll wear him down together."
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to do that. My tracking mark already disappeared before Fellow Daoist Di Xue's tracking mark," Liu Zu replied calmly.
"What!" The crimson-robed figure and the white-haired beauty were stunned to hear this.