Several cultivators, already furious at their companion for fleeing without a word, swallowed the curses on their lips and exchanged glances. In each other's eyes, they could see a trace of fear.
Moments ago, despite being in a dire situation, they had felt little more than annoyance. None of them had truly worried. They all believed that even if they couldn't defeat these puppet constructs, escaping through the air would be child's play!
But now, the fate of that fleeing cultivator had shattered their pipe dreams! He had been wrapped in multiple protective magic spells, and even held a defensive magical treasure in hand—yet none of it had managed to withstand that beam of light in the slightest. The mere thought of it sent chills down their spines!
Moreover, cultivators who had reached Foundation Establishment were, paradoxically, the most terrified of death. Having finally gained the chance to live far longer than ordinary mortals—perhaps even longer still—how could they bear to die so easily!
That said, that terrifyingly thick beam of light was simply too overwhelming!
Had it been fired at their shields instead of at the fleeing cultivator, none of them were confident they could have survived it.
The more these cultivators thought about it, the more panicked they became. A strong urge to retreat took hold in their hearts.
But now, even if they wanted to withdraw, their opponent would not let up so easily while holding the upper hand! They were caught between advance and retreat, unable to do either.
High above their heads, hidden within a cloud mass, Han Li watched the scene unfold and felt a cold sweat of terror break out across his body. He became even more reluctant to reveal himself.
Yet leaving now was something he was unwilling to do as well.
Relying on the exceptional speed of his newly acquired Divine Wind Boat, confident that even if discovered he could still escape in time, Han Li remained hovering in the air, observing everything below.
However, the Azure Fire Miasma transformed from his flying sword—a cloud of greenish-red mist—hovering directly above the cultivators and the puppets was quite conspicuous! Fortunately, while flying, Han Li had raised the small boat to an extreme altitude, well over a hundred zhang above the ground.
Because of this, none of the surrounded cultivators or the puppet controller hidden in the forest had detected him yet.
Still, Han Li knew this couldn't go on forever. But if he retracted the cloud, he would be completely exposed in the open sky.
Besides, the "Azure Fire Miasma," a top-grade magical treasure refined from two flood dragon eyes, not only concealed his form and made it impossible to pinpoint his location, but the greenish-red mist also contained residual spirit liquid from the ink flood dragon within it. Anyone who inadvertently came into contact with the mist would feel dizzy and groggy, slowly succumbing to poison without even realizing it!
Such a peculiar magical treasure that served both as defense and a means to covertly harm others—how could Han Li possibly abandon its use?
In his urgency, Han Li suddenly spotted a low-lying gray cloud drifting not far above him. His heart surged with joy, and he slowly moved toward it. In the end, he plunged himself and his protective miasma directly into the cloud.
Now, Han Li's presence was thoroughly concealed!
With no worries about being exposed, he could finally continue watching the battle on the ground with peace of mind.
Clearly, that devastating beam of light had instantly crushed the confidence of those Foundation Establishment cultivators. Though they still unleashed all manner of magical treasures in what appeared to be a fierce exchange, in Han Li's eyes, their attacks were far less powerful than before.
This was obviously the sign that each of them harbored their own agenda, no longer willing to fight as one.
Just as Han Li was silently shaking his head, an older-looking cultivator inside the shield suddenly seemed to realize the danger. He suddenly shouted toward the forest:
"Do you truly intend to kill us all? We are disciples of several sects in the Kingdom of Yuanwu! Killing us would be tantamount to offending the entire cultivation world of Yuanwu at once. Are you not afraid of bringing destruction upon yourself?"
"Heh heh! Destruction upon myself?"
"If you had said that before I killed the one who tried to fly away, I might have given it a second thought. But now that one is already dead, offending one more makes no difference. I might as well kill you all—perhaps no one will ever know about this!"
"We bear no ill will! As long as you agree to a truce, we swear on our lives to keep this matter absolutely secret!" Another cultivator, clearly much younger, hurriedly pledged.
"Hmph! Swearing? I don't buy a word of it! You crept along behind me for so long, following me like shadows, and you dare say you had no ill intentions? Were you planning to invite me to dinner? Besides, I am not even from your Kingdom of Yuanwu. Even if I truly offend your entire cultivation world, so what? Would you follow me back to the Thousand Bamboo Sect headquarters to demand justice? If so, I would genuinely admire the courage of you and your sect!"
A stiff, grating voice rang out from the forest—sounding incredibly familiar to Han Li!
"Him?" Han Li thought in surprise.
The voice was unmistakable—it was the burly man from the auction, the one who had purchased the puppet mechanical beast! Judging from their conversation, these cultivators had secretly tailed the man right after the auction ended, hoping to use some unsavory means to uncover the secrets of the puppet beast. What they hadn't realized was that this Thousand Bamboo Sect cultivator had detected them long ago and set an elaborate trap, pinning them down right here.
"Everyone, fight him to the death! This man clearly intends to silence us!" The cultivator who had spoken first was no fool and immediately tried to rally the others' fighting spirit for a last stand.
"Fight me to the death? Do you even have that qualification? You can't even defeat my puppet subordinates, let alone talk about fighting me! I've played with you lot long enough—it's time I sent you on your way!" The burly man's voice remained just as stiff, but the killing intent within his words was unmistakable.
As soon as the voice fell, a tremendous sound echoed from the forest—the ground trembled slightly. Then came heavy, thudding footsteps, *thump, thump*, advancing step by step from within the trees toward the clearing. The cultivators inside the shield, and Han Li in the air above, all stared at each other in bewilderment, wondering what was happening.
The footsteps were heavy, but fast. In the blink of an eye, they had reached the edge of the forest, and everyone could see it clearly—a colossal puppet tiger, towering five or six zhang tall, forced its way out of the treeline. And sitting atop the massive tiger's head was the same cloaked burly man.
Seeing this enormous puppet tiger, the cultivators felt their hearts sink. They couldn't help but recall the massive beam of light they had just witnessed—it must have been fired by this very beast!
After revealing himself, the burly man wasted no words. He simply slapped the tiger's head.
The puppet tiger slowly opened its lower jaw, and points of white light began to gather within its gaping maw. Meanwhile, the other puppets that had been attacking the shield all ceased their assault simultaneously and retreated several steps in perfect formation.
The cultivators knew all too well that things had gone from bad to worse. Almost in unison, they pressed both hands against the shield—it was the only barrier keeping them alive! As for fleeing by abandoning the shield and flying away, everyone had thought of it, but the lesson of their first fallen comrade was right before their eyes. Not a single one dared to make a move.
The massive white beam appeared once more! This time, under the combined efforts of the remaining cultivators, the shield managed to hold against the beam's impact, creating a tense stalemate!
Although Han Li was positioned very high in the air, his exceptional eyesight allowed him to see clearly: none of the cultivators showed any sign of relief at their successful defense. Instead, as vast quantities of spiritual energy drained into the shield, their faces grew increasingly pale!
Still, Han Li believed that such a devastating attack could not possibly last long—it should be over soon. The cultivators inside the shield evidently understood this as well, which was why they were gritting their teeth and holding on with all their might!
Sure enough, the beam lasted only a brief moment before gradually thinning and vanishing from the tiger's maw.
The cultivators, having survived the ordeal, finally showed expressions of relief. They withdrew their hands from the shield and let out deep sighs of relief.
But the burly man let out a cold laugh at the sight. He suddenly flipped open a hidden panel on the tiger's forehead, raised his hand, and tossed a mid-grade fire-attribute spirit stone into the opening. The white light that had been extinguished in the tiger's mouth blazed to life once more—leaving the cultivators across from him completely dumbstruck!
And Han Li could only click his tongue in astonishment. He was utterly speechless at this extravagant display of spending one mid-grade spirit stone per full-power blast from the puppet tiger. This wasn't a battle of magic—it was literally throwing stacks of spirit stones at these cultivators! It seemed the Thousand Bamboo Sect in this distant foreign land was truly overflowing with wealth, with spirit stones to burn!
While Han Li was lost in these wandering thoughts, the cultivators who had finally managed to work together could hold on no longer under the enormous threat. They scattered in all directions.
Their remaining spiritual power was nearly spent. Holding on any longer would only delay the inevitable by a few breaths! Better to trust fate and flee in separate directions—that was the most reliable option.
Sure enough, the burly man commanded the giant tiger to turn its head back and forth, firing two massive beams of light that swept down two of the fleeing cultivators. Their fates were much the same as the first—equally horrific and charred beyond recognition.