At first glance, the green sword shadow seemed quite ordinary, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the entire shadow was formed by a series of green glyphs, each about an inch in size. These glyphs differed significantly from ordinary ones—each shimmered with a vibrant emerald hue, and subtle silver and gold filaments were visible on their surfaces. As they gently pulsed, the surrounding void seemed to warp and blur. Even the vast expanse of primordial qi centered on Han Li surged in a funnel-like manner, rapidly pouring into the glyphs. The once slightly hazy sword shadow gradually sharpened and solidified, becoming clearly visible and tangible. "Impossible—it's a Heavenly Treasure!" It wasn't the flower who spoke, but the young man in black robes who suddenly gasped, his face filled with disbelief. "By the aura alone, it clearly appears to be a Heavenly Treasure, possibly even surpassing the power of your Black Demon Dagger. During my time of awakening in the Spirit Realm, I've heard that a new Heavenly Sword of the Third Rank—capable of severing spirits—has recently emerged. Yet, despite these reports, no single clan in the Spirit Realm has been able to locate it."
It seems this is the item after all! It appears we have both underestimated the Human race. The jade-faced elder's eyes flashed several times, and for the first time, her expression grew serious. "No. If the Human race truly possesses the Xuan Tian treasures, why would they hand them over to a cultivator at the Consolidated Stage? Without a Supreme Stage or higher cultivation, the Xuan Tian treasures themselves could not even be activated." Yet Yuan Yan, the Saint Ancestor, shook his head repeatedly. "Unable to activate? Then what is the unusual phenomenon he holds, and how does it block my Lianhua Finger?" After a brief pause, the Flower Saint Ancestor chuckled coldly. "He may merely be drawing upon a faint trace of Xuan Tian energy, creating a show of strength." Yuan Yan narrowed his eyes, speaking with some hesitation. "That does seem plausible—I myself am beginning to doubt it. Elder Flower, would you be interested in testing this out yourself?" Suddenly, the Flower Saint Ancestor smiled. "Heh. Now that Elder Flower is seeking trouble with this person, what does it matter to me, Yuan?"
If you wish to discern truth from illusion, go ahead and act—already, I have no interest in engaging further." The young man in black robes chuckled and replied without hesitation. "By your words, it seems you've already abandoned any intention of intervening in this matter. Yuan Yan, won't you have any new thoughts once I take action?" Po Hua lightly scoffed and asked back. "Rest assured. Since Po Hua is specifically here for this person, I will absolutely not interfere in any way once you begin." Yuan Yan's sage ancestor smiled with a peculiar tone, firmly responding. "Very well. I trust you won't change your mind. Then it shall be my turn to test whether this person truly possesses the power to activate their Xuan Tian treasure!" Po Hua's sage ancestor's eyes sparkled gently as she slowly nodded. At once, she rubbed her hands together—her pink blossom flower vanished in a flash—but between her palms, pink radiance surged again, coalescing into a slender, delicate pink stem.
The branches were no more than two feet long, yet they were entirely translucent, their surfaces densely covered with fine pink glyphs.
Bao Hua grasped them with one hand, and the branches instantly flashed into her fingers, then gently swept out toward the distant Han Li.
In an instant, the winds and clouds over a radius of several miles shifted dramatically, and countless pink petals surged forth from the void, flashing wildly before vanishing without a trace.
Han Li at a distance frowned, and as a shimmer of pink light passed through the air nearby, countless petals unexpectedly appeared, transforming into delicate, crystal-clear swords that shot toward him.
A roar of rushing air filled the air, with countless streaks of pink light flashing continuously.
At the center, Han Li, witnessing this terrifying scene, his gaze grew steady—no sign of fear appeared. Instead, after taking a deep breath, he suddenly uttered several obscure incantations.
The jade-like sword image in his hand emitted a resonant hum, then flashed and swiftly condensed back into his palm.
Then, an immense, unspoken sword essence surged forth from Han Li, flashing with deep green light. A towering, ethereal sword, stretching over a hundred zhang in length, erupted skyward from his arms. Han Li's figure was instantly enveloped beneath a dense, emerald-green sword veil. Countless pink sword points struck against the veil, producing deep, resonant sounds, yet swiftly melted into the shimmering green light as if dissolved by spring rain—completely unable to penetrate or affect the delicate, misty sword veil at all.
The white-clad woman observed this scene without a single expression of surprise, merely gently shaking the translucent branch in her hands twice. Instantly, the pink sword points above the pond surged in a deluge, multiplying in number and forming a storm of countless small blades that surged toward the green veil with relentless force. Though the green veil radiated an incomprehensible power, each of these crystalline, petal-formed blades was far beyond the ordinary flying swords.
A continuous roar and a brilliant flash of light caused the jade-blue sword veil—though forged from the very essence of the Heavenly Realm and powered by the combined strength of heaven and earth—to tremble slightly. At this moment, a faint smile began to play on the blossom's lips. This young woman was deeply confident; if the opponent could only rely on the surface strength of the Heavenly Realm artifacts, she was certain they would be unable to withstand her current wave of fierce attacks. After all, this assault had drawn upon her own fundamental power, making its might no less than that of ordinary Heavenly Realm treasures. Han Li, within the jade-blue sword veil, watched the scene unfold and glanced again at his arm glowing with a deep green hue, only to find himself chuckling slightly. But then, his expression darkened. With a single hand pressing against his forehead, a golden, translucent infant spirit burst forth. The spirit's face was serious, identical in appearance to Han Li's own, and around it, dozens of small, jade-green swords, each a few inches long, spiraled and danced in the air. The infant spirit then raised one hand and performed a series of gestures.
At once, sounds of clear resonance and roaring erupted from within Han Li's body. Five orbs of golden light shot out simultaneously, flickered slightly, and instantly transformed into five ethereal figures—each about one zhang in height—depicting a giant ape, a colorful phoenix, a silver pheasant, a peacock, and a golden dragon—spinning continuously around the surroundings. Without hesitation, the Yuan'ing gently waved his small hand toward the four directions.
The five true spirit forms flashed once and then seamlessly vanished into the Yuan'ing's body.
A thunderous boom!
A brilliant golden glow erupted from the Yuan'ing's form, which then subsided, and as the light faded, Han Li and the Yuan'ing disappeared entirely, replaced by a towering humanoid figure with three heads and six arms. This figure shone with radiant golden light, his skin and face covered by a delicate layer of pale golden scales. A single jade-colored horn emerged from his forehead, and an eerie black, supernatural eye appeared mysteriously on his brows.
The human figure lifted his gaze, meeting the cold stare of the Blossom Saint. Behind the golden scales, the face revealed was clearly that of Han Li, yet it now exuded a strangely eerie aura—his pupils remained utterly still, with a faint shimmer of golden-blue spikes pulsing subtly within. The young black-robed figure only exchanged a brief glance, yet instantly felt a sharp, needle-like warmth radiating from the other's eyes. Startled, he focused his attention more intently and was suddenly struck by astonishment: "A Nirvana Bodily Essence—truly a Nirvana Bodily Essence! What relation does he have to the Nirvana Saint Patriarch? Isn't this supreme magical body only perfected by the Nirvana Saint himself?" "Indeed, it is a Nirvana Bodily Essence—but not yet fully refined. It's only just beginning to take shape. One wonders whether he will be able to proceed with the next phase of transformation." The Blossom Saint Patriarch, gazing intently at the golden figure within the shimmering glow of the light screen, also displayed a touch of bewilderment on her face.
The astonishment of the two Magi-ancestors of the demonic race at the great magical transformation of Han Li went completely unnoticed. Instead, Han Li roared softly and suddenly raised his arm. A shimmering emerald light flashed across the golden arm, and gradually, a small emerald sword several inches long floated out, pulsing in size and accompanied by countless fluttering gold and silver seals swirling around it.
"Indeed, this is a treasure of the Heavenly Realm—something truly from the Heavenly Realm! Now it's a serious matter. With the body of a Nirvana-being, this treasure may very well be awakened and activated by him." The treasure blossom, witnessing the scene, felt her heart sink, furrowed her brows, and murmured softly.
Han Li, having glanced at the emerald sword that had emerged from his arm, saw a subtle expression pass briefly through his eyes before lifting his head and speaking to the white-clad woman with an expressionless demeanor:
"Shall we fight? Outside this island, even though I possess this Heavenly treasure, I would surely be no match for you. But here, our battle will only end in mutual exhaustion."
Indeed, does the elder truly intend to proceed this way? Moreover, I have never seen your face before—surely, there is no pressing reason for you to perish alongside Han Li, is there?
The young man in black robes glanced at the scene, his expression slightly stirred, but after a cold laugh, he simply crossed his arms without intervening.
"Previously, no matter what identity or ability I possessed, there were always rare medicinal herbs that I couldn't secure. Now, why should it be you, Han?" Han Li was surprised, yet his face remained utterly composed, and he replied in kind.
"Why it should be you—I need not explain the reasons. However, the medicinal herbs I seek—I am certain that at least seven or eight out of ten are already in your hands. That is my confidence. Otherwise, I wouldn't have risked the journey with you all the way back to the Sacred Realm and returned here." The beauty replied calmly.
"Even so, since you've been watching me all along, why didn't you act earlier? In your eyes, surely the others must have been utterly insignificant, no match for your attention?" Han Li quickly pondered, still puzzled.
"That is because, until now, we couldn't be certain whether the herb truly resided within you."
"Now, with everyone else fallen, it's undoubtedly you," the Buddha-Flower Sage smiled lightly, speaking frankly without hesitation.