Since he had already been exposed, hiding behind the rock no longer served any purpose.
Han Li took a deep breath, bracing himself against the dazzling blue light barrier, with a magical artifact in each hand, and stepped out from behind the rock.
"You!"
After seeing Han Li's face clearly, "Senior Brother Lu" cried out in surprise. He actually recognized Han Li.
Han Li's heart sank slightly at the other's exclamation. This "Senior Brother Lu" had only seen him once on that small hill, and that was in the midst of chaotic combat. Yet now, after several months had passed, he could still recognize him at a glance. This meant that either this person possessed an extraordinary memory—an eidetic recollection—or he was exceptionally meticulous and calculating.
Either way, it was not good news for Han Li.
In truth, he had already vaguely felt that the "Senior Brother Lu" before him was, in a sense, the same kind of person as himself—both skilled in stratagem, both ruthless in action. Especially that arrogant demeanor in front of others—it was absolutely the same kind of smokescreen as Han Li's own low profile. Han Li simply didn't want to attract attention, while "Senior Brother Lu" deliberately made others underestimate him to conceal his true nature.
However, Han Li considered himself incapable of being as shameless as the other, nor as merciless and vicious. He merely followed the middle path of maintaining his own integrity.
Just as Han Li's mind grew solemn, "Senior Brother Lu" also adopted a grave expression, as if some thought had struck him. His gaze toward Han Li revealed a murderous glint without the slightest concealment.
Han Li sighed. He had originally intended to exchange a few words, to see if he could bluster his way through. But now, seeing the other's expression and knowing his cunning nature, there was absolutely no room for maneuvering. Only one of them could remain alive in this world. It was better not to waste words and strike first.
With this thought, Han Li wasted no words. He flicked his left hand, and a tempered steel ring let out a strange whistling sound as it shot straight toward "Senior Brother Lu." Immediately after, he revealed his right hand, and the dark cyan gourd appeared in his palm. From its mouth spewed five or six dark, round balls, following closely behind the ring.
Having done all this, Han Li did not stop. His freed left hand traced a pattern in the air, and in an instant, several red fireballs materialized. With a slight movement of his sleeve, he swept the fireballs into it, then flung them forcefully toward "Senior Brother Lu," murmuring a low "Go."
Immediately, accompanied by a wave of searing heat, the fireballs scattered in all directions, hurtling toward Lu from different angles.
In this series of attacks, Han Li had employed nearly all his offensive techniques before acquiring the new magical artifacts—excluding the use of talisman treasures. Especially the final technique of simultaneously launching multiple fireballs in a rapid burst, which was something Han Li had painstakingly learned from Wu Feng, all in order to catch the opponent off guard and strike him down in a single lightning-fast assault.
In truth, had it not been for the fact that he wasn't yet familiar with the new magical artifacts and couldn't be certain of wielding them swiftly, Han Li would have unleashed everything without hesitation. After all, the new artifacts were far more powerful than the old ones.
Yet almost at the very moment Han Li launched his attack, "Senior Brother Lu" was not idle. With a flip of both hands, a green banner roughly ten feet long materialized in his grasp. Its surface shimmered with a hazy green glow, embroidered with a ferocious Azure Dragon, fangs bared and claws extended.
Only then did "Senior Brother Lu" see the full sequence of Han Li's attacks. Caught by surprise, he flew into a rage.
He had revealed his most powerful magical artifact—the Azure Floodgate Banner—first precisely because, like Han Li, he intended to unleash his killing blow and silence any witnesses.
But never had he imagined that after revealing himself, Han Left would not utter a single word before launching a fierce attack, and that the strikes would be so vicious, leaving no room for survival.
Left with no choice, "Senior Brother Lu" abandoned his own offensive plan. He switched the green banner to his right hand, while his left hand reached to his waist and withdrew a yellow talisman from his storage pouch.
He glanced reluctantly at this high-grade talisman, gritted his teeth, and tossed it lightly before himself. He immediately began chanting rapid incantations.
In that instant, Han Li's tempered steel ring, emitting a faint yellow glow, had already charged to within striking distance of "Senior Brother Lu," about to crash down upon him.
"Senior Brother Lu" pointed a single finger at the yellow talisman and bellowed:
"Wind Wall technique, arise!"
The yellow talisman responded to his shout, suddenly erupting with brilliant white light. It transformed into a towering white hurricane, over a dozen yards high, lying horizontally before "Senior Brother Lu," blocking the ring's path.
*Thunk!* The tempered steel ring plunged unceremoniously into the hurricane, but was immediately sent tumbling in all directions. After several flips, it was flung back.
The dark balls that arrived next fared even worse—they could only spin uselessly outside the hurricane, unable to penetrate the raging wind at all.
Seeing this, Han Li's expression shifted slightly. He hurriedly extended his fingers and guided the last few fireballs, which immediately veered in wide arcs, nimbly flying to either side in an attempt to bypass the wind wall and strike "Senior Brother Lu" once more.
"Heh heh! Wishingful thinking!"
"Senior Brother Lu" sneered. With practiced ease, he formed a seal with one hand, then pointed toward the center of the wind wall. The hurricane instantly split into two segments, darting out swiftly to intercept the fireballs once again.
*Boom! Boom!*
Several explosive sounds rang out as the fireballs could no longer dodge and crashed headlong into the wind walls. The hurricanes shuddered only a few times before swallowing the fireballs whole, which vanished without a trace inside. Han Li felt a chill of horror.
At that moment, under "Senior Brother Lu"'s control, the two halves of the wind wall rejoined, restoring themselves to their original form.
"Such trivial tricks, and you dare show your face! This junior brother—though I don't know your name or your origin—tonight, you are dead!" Senior Brother Lu laughed arrogantly.
Then, watching him bring both hands together to grip the Azure Floodgate Banner once more, he began to wave it wildly.
Han Li grew tense. The opponent was far more formidable than he had anticipated. Such a fierce series of attacks had been neutralized so effortlessly. Although the banner the other waved had yet to show any peculiar effects, the gravity on his expression made it clear that Senior Brother Lu's counterattack was no idle threat.
It seemed there was no choice but to use the talisman treasure. Han Li thought coldly.
But in his current state, having no ability to refine the talisman treasure, he needed to secure a certain amount of casting time each time he wished to use it, so that he could activate the talisman treasure to overcome his enemy. For that, his own defense had to be absolutely airtight.
With this in mind, Han Li glanced across once more. He saw that the green banner Senior Brother Lu waved was growing increasingly brilliant, its surface emitting a blinding green light that made the Azure Dragon appear even more grotesque and terrifying. It was clear the opponent's attack was about to be unleashed.
Han Li hesitated no more. With a wave of his hand, the tempered steel ring came whistling back, hovering several feet above his head, where it began to circle ceaselessly.
"Enlarge!" With a soft command, the tempered steel ring blazed with yellow light and rapidly expanded. When it had grown to the size of a tabletop, it stopped.
"Descend!" The ring obediently dropped straight down, encircling Han Li and rotating slowly to form a protective layer of a giant ring.
Han Li did not stop there. After putting away the gourd, the newly acquired shield was also summoned forth. It expanded several times its size outside the blue light barrier, floating gently before him, emanating a dark glow.
In this way, Han Li was now enveloped in three layers of defense. The outermost was the massive tempered steel ring; the middle, the Dark-Iron Flying Shield; and the innermost, the blue light barrier he had employed from the very start.