Chapter 1206: Volume 7 Across the Human World Chapter 1201: Battle of the Star Palace (Part 2)

“Senior, you may not know, but Alliance Leader Wan personally crafted one hundred and eight Wind Fire Copper Pillars. Then, he somehow brought in several masters of formations to set up the Wind Fire Extinction Array around the massive island where Heavenly Star City is located, harnessing the limitless power of wind and fire to assault the Star Palace. As long as our alliance cultivators concentrate their efforts on defending these one hundred and eight Wind Fire Pillars, it will suffice to trap Heavenly Star City.”

The large man knew full well that revealing this would bring no good outcome for him upon his return to the coalition, but faced with Han Li’s cold, piercing gaze, a chill ran through his heart, and he divulged everything almost involuntarily under the pressure.

Naturally, as soon as the words left his mouth, the large man immediately regretted it. However, upon further thought, he reassured himself that this information wasn’t particularly classified; by now, it seemed like any Core Formation cultivator in the coalition knew about it.

“The Wind Fire Extinction Array!” A slight change in expression appeared on Han Li’s face.

Though he hadn’t studied this ancient array personally, it was mentioned repeatedly in various formation texts. It was said to be one of the most notorious forbidden arrays of ancient times. Beyond just harnessing the power of wind and fire within heaven and earth, the array’s monumental scale and power were equally renowned. If someone truly understood how to set it up, it might indeed be possible to trap Heavenly Star City within it.

After all, with Wan Tianming personally guarding the formation and the formation core intact, even if Star Palace cultivators occasionally struck out to destroy some Wind Fire Pillars, the Starfall Coalition could easily repair the damage, leaving the array practically unbreakable.

As Han Li mulled this over, a pensive expression appeared on his face. Meanwhile, the nearby Starfall Coalition cultivators watched him, their expressions shifting unpredictably between hope and dread.

At this moment, even the dullest observer could discern that Han Li had come to aid the Star Palace. Their chances of survival had suddenly plummeted.

On the other hand, the three Bai Shui Sword Sect cultivators previously trapped within the azure net were overjoyed. The elderly man among them immediately shouted in Han Li’s direction:

“Senior! We juniors were sent here to aid the Star Palace. These individuals are all Enforcers of the Starfall Coalition, and every one of them has killed countless allies of the Star Palace. They richly deserve death–please, senior, do not spare these scoundrels!”

Hearing these words, the faces of the Starfall Coalition cultivators turned ghostly pale.

The two cultivators positioned farthest away exchanged a glance, and as if by mutual agreement, each suddenly flipped their palms, summoning two yellow triangular banners. Without hesitation, they tossed the banners into the air. Instantly, two clouds of yellow mist enveloped them completely!

With a flicker, the yellow mist vanished without a trace in an instant.

A moment later, the yellow mist reappeared twenty-some yards away, only to flash again and vanish into thin air once more.

“Shifting Smoke Steps!” Han Li’s pupils constricted, a hint of surprise flickering across his face.

But then, he gave a cold chuckle. Suddenly raising his hand, he casually clenched toward the azure net trapping the three Bai Shui Sword Sect cultivators.

The two Starfall Coalition cultivators controlling the net suddenly felt a loud “buzz” in their minds, as if their souls were struck. Their vision swam as dizziness overtook them.

The Qiankun Net slipped from their control, transforming once more into a haze of azure light. After spiraling around briefly, it flew into Han Li’s hand.

Han Li paid no attention to the ecstatic thanks from the elder and his companions. With a flash of azure and white light behind him, a pair of ethereal wings appeared. With a single flap, his figure vanished into the wind, clearly in pursuit of the two cultivators who had employed shifting techniques to escape.

This turn of events left the remaining Starfall Coalition cultivators in shocked silence. Without hesitation, they exchanged glances and scattered in all directions, transforming into streaks of light to flee.

Now that Han Li had proven to be such a terrifying foe, they dared not gamble their lives on his mercy.

The three Bai Shui Sword Sect cultivators, unwilling to let their enemies escape, also let out angry shouts and promptly split up to chase after the fleeing foes.

From the distance, two resounding rumbles echoed as white light flickered in the void. Two yellow clouds abruptly flew backward, as though struck by some immense force, and reappeared in midair, battered and unstable.

A gust of wind stirred, and Han Li’s figure reappeared, emerging from the air like a phantom. His icy gaze locked onto the yellow clouds not far away, and a hint of mockery curled at the corner of his lips.

Between his brows, a jet-black vertical eye silently closed, its black light vanishing mysteriously.

Within the yellow clouds, the two Starfall Coalition cultivators were riddled with bloodstains, their faces deathly pale, their bodies trembling from their severe injuries.

They were gripped by overwhelming fear and despair.

After all, ever since they obtained the two Yellow Sand Sumeru Banners, the shifting abilities of these ancient treasures had allowed them to escape from Nascent Soul cultivators multiple times. They had long trusted the banners implicitly. That was why, even after witnessing Han Li’s fearsome abilities earlier, they had dared to use the banners to flee.

But now, with merely two strikes from Han Li while still at a distance, their confidence had been utterly shattered. They realized, with mounting horror, that this youth was far more terrifying than they had anticipated.

Yet, even under such dire circumstances, the two cultivators did not resign themselves to capture.

Grinding their teeth in unison, they shouted incantations and spat out sprays of blood essence into the yellow clouds.

Instantly, the mist roiled and churned, transforming into a deep crimson hue. As they began chanting a desperate spell, they prepared to make a last-ditch effort to fight for their lives.

But Han Li’s eyes gleamed cold, and he suddenly opened his mouth. Two dazzling golden beams shot out, streaking straight toward the blood mist and piercing through it in an instant before vanishing from sight.

From within the blood-red clouds came two anguished screams as the cultivators plummeted downward.

At that moment, Han Li emotionlessly pointed at their falling figures.

Two golden swords materialized from the void nearby and, with a single encircling motion, released waves of glowing golden light. Within moments, the two cultivators were engulfed, their bodies shredded into countless pieces amidst sprays of blood that rained down from the sky.

Han Li had granted them no opportunity to use their secret techniques, eliminating them with ruthless precision before they could even react.

Then, he beckoned toward the remnants of the two blood clouds.

The blood-red light rapidly receded, returning to its original yellow coloration. The two yellow clouds shot toward him like lightning.

Han Li cast two azure spell incantations, which disappeared into the clouds.

With a whistling sound, the yellow clouds reappeared beside him and reverted to their original forms: two yellow triangular banners. With a sweep of his long sleeve, Han Li stowed them away.

These ancient treasures, unparalleled for escape, were certainly top-tier items. While they might hold little value for him, they would make invaluable life-saving tools if granted to his junior disciples.

After retrieving his golden swords, Han Li swept his gaze in the directions the remaining cultivators had fled.

In that moment alone, most of the enemy cultivators had already fled beyond a hundred yards, with the fastest among them reducing themselves to little more than a black speck on the horizon.

Han Li let out a soft sigh, reached for his spirit beast pouch at his waist, and released it into the air.

With a deafening hum, a swarm of shimmering gold bugs surged out, rapidly splitting into five smaller clouds under Han Li’s command and speeding off in five different directions.

Meanwhile, Han Li casually twirled the yellow triangular banners in his hand, showing no signs of concern.

The golden insect clouds and the fleeing cultivators vanished into the distant horizon in the blink of an eye.

It didn’t take long before golden flashes lit up the distant sky as the insect clouds returned one after another. Behind them trailed the three Bai Shui Sword Sect cultivators, their faces pale and strained. Seeing the golden insect swarm, their eyes brimmed with terror as if they had seen demons incarnate.

Evidently, they had witnessed the Gold Devouring Bugs devour their enemies in a gruesome spectacle, leaving them deeply shaken.

“Thank you, Senior, for saving our lives. If not for your intervention, we surely wouldn’t have survived,” said the elder, bowing respectfully the moment Han Li stowed the insect swarm away.

“Saving you was merely incidental,” Han Li replied impassively. “There’s no need to thank me excessively. Heavenly Star City is thoroughly surrounded now. With your meager cultivation levels, you wouldn’t be able to force your way through to the island. You’d best turn back while you still can. I have no interest in dragging along excess baggage while attempting to breach the Wind Fire Extinction Array.”

Hearing Han Li’s blunt words, the three cultivators forced bitter smiles, acknowledging the truth in his statement. Without further argument, they thanked him once again and turned to leave.

Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, watching their retreating figures until their streaking lights disappeared in the distance. Only then did he turn and shoot off toward Heavenly Star City.

Covering tens of thousands of miles was no great challenge for him.

Along the way, however, he keenly observed his surroundings and discovered several hidden groups of Starfall Coalition cultivators concealed amidst reefs and beneath the waves.

Although these groups lacked the numbers and strength of the first he encountered–led as they were by just two or three high-level cultivators–they were clearly stationed to eliminate any stragglers who might escape in this direction.

Han Li spared them no attention, his streak of light transforming into a faint azure blur that silently glided past overhead.

None of the Starfall Coalition cultivators noticed that a reaper capable of easily annihilating them had just brushed past.

By the time Han Li reached a point less than a hundred miles from Heavenly Star City, he finally caught sight of faint flashes of red light on the ocean’s surface. Flying closer, he realized that the massive island was entirely enveloped in a film of translucent azure and crimson radiance resembling a gauzy veil.

From the direction of the island, faint rumblings like muffled thunder reached his ears.

Han Li’s brows furrowed slightly as his hands formed quick seals. The faint glow around him disappeared entirely.

However, his flight speed diminished considerably as he continued to approach the massive island unhurriedly.

Within several more miles, the closer view of Heavenly Star City’s surroundings came into focus for Han Li.

Far ahead on the ocean, an expanse of densely packed black dots came into view, forming an array. Looking closer, Han Li realized they were all Spirit Boats of various shapes and sizes.

Some were tall as pavilions, adorned with intricate carvings of dragons and phoenixes. Others were modest, only a few feet in size, resembling the Divine Wind Boat. The materials used to craft the boats varied widely, ranging from lustrous green spiritual wood to pristine white jade, and even entirely black, glossy “iron boats.”

… (To be continued. For more chapters, visit www.wuxiaworld.site. Support the author and read official releases!)