Chapter 693: Ice Crystals and a Black Mountain doubledd's Thoughts

First, I want to thank everyone for their opinions and thoughts on how we should overhaul completed novels. We've reviewed nearly 2000 comments across multiple platforms and forum, and while we haven't responded to everything I can promise I HAVE read it all. First, I'm going to briefly go into some of the things which were discussed which may or may not work, because I don't want people to think I ignored anything. I'm putting those in 'spoiler' tags so people who don't care can skip it. Then, we'll talk...

The following scene was somewhat against Han Li’s expectations. The huge blue net sparkled with light and held firm against the huge sword’s descent. The translucent, sparkling lines of the net appeared incredibly durable.

The huge sword fiercely chopped the net several times, but the net held firm. Under control of the old man, the net wrapped layers and layers of thread around the sword, trapping the sword in just a short moment. Although it was only loosely restrained, it would still be difficult to escape from in a short amount of time.

Han Li frowned. Just as he thought about what to do next, the old man seized the initiative.

With an icy expression, the old man held his hands in a strange wheel-shaped incantation gesture. Immediately after, streaks of various-colored spell seals began to shoot out from his hand towards the sphere of light above him.

The blue light sphere began to shrink and ruptured after the old man uttered a cryptic incantation. Countless slivers of palm-wide ice crystals began to appear around the old man. Twinkling with blue light, they occupied an area of thirty meters around him.

With a fierce glare, the old man boldly spread out his hands to Han Li and uttered a harsh command, “Go!” In that instant, the ice crystals launched themselves in a barrage and filled the skies with their wails. The dense wave converging onto Han Li’s position made for a breathtaking sight.

‘This is a spirit technique?’

Han Li wore an astonished expression, but his hands didn’t stay still. He activated the flower basket and slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist. A cloud of black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles wildly rushed forth and began to surround Han Li’s body.

This time, the beetles didn’t transform into an object. They merely revolved in place, creating an impenetrable barrier around Han Li and hiding him from view.

Once the flower basket left his hand, it transformed into a cloud of white mist and directly charged towards the barrage of ice crystals. It had managed to absorb a majority of the ice crystals into its folds upon contact.

As soon as this happened, the remaining ice crystals flew around the flower basket as if they were intelligent and converged towards Han Li once more.

In unbroken succession, the ice crystals were stopped by the beetle swarm for just a moment before piercing through inside. The insect barrier was restored to its original shape, but there was no sound coming from behind it as if it were completely dead.

Old Man Mu couldn’t help but cry out in alarm after seeing this.

His ‘Ice Crystal Technique’ was similar to the cultivators’ elemental Daoist technique, the Icerain Technique. However, it was greater in quantity and the ice blades were completely created from a profound ice Qi that he cultivated from within his body. Not only was it amazingly sharp, but it was also incredibly cold. Cultivators who were unaware of this would be incapable of dealing with the icy Qi it left behind after being shattered, given that they were able to protect themselves. However, his ice crystals completely disappeared with no sign of the icy Qi.

After a moment of hesitation, he thought to use his spiritual sense to peer inside the beetle barrier, but suddenly, he heard a loud noise from above him. He simply heard a ring from both his ears before he felt his consciousness dim. He had nearly fallen from the sky from being caught off guard.

In the old man’s furious alarm, he hurriedly slapped his hands together and fiercely patted his body several times before a white light barrier appeared around his body. He regained steady footing and turned his head to look above.

The huge silver bell had flown above him at an unknown time. He had suffered a direct attack from it just a moment ago. At that moment, the bell sparkled with silver light and launched another sound attack. This time, the attack wasn’t aimed at the old man. Instead, the sound waves were aimed at the huge blue net that was tangling with the huge azure sword.

“Not good!” The old man immediately recollected himself and hastily attempted to cast a technique to block the attack, but he was too late. The blue net was struck by the silver soundwaves and were shredded apart inch by inch, allowing the huge sword to break free of its bindings. The huge sword then cleaved towards the old man without any reservations.

But before the sword met its mark, it faced an immense pressure against it.

Although the old man was already covered in a layer of protection, he didn’t dare to directly receive a strike from such an immense blade. With a pale face and swaying body, he summoned a blue light barrier that spanned a hundred meters around him.

Soon after, he beckoned to the blue orb in the air and the magic treasure immediately flew above him. After spitting a mist of pure Qi on it, another layer of light protected him. He then turned his glance to Han Li with a grave expression.

His complexion paled even further.

Han Li’s beetle barrier had already scattered and it become a cloud that floated above him. He extended his hand and several inch-large azure ice flowers appeared in his hand. He was indifferently looking at the old man.

When the their gazes met, Han Li’s icy gaze made the old man inwardly tremble. However, his sights were soon focused on the small exquisite ice flowers in Han Li’s grasp and he revealed great bewilderment.

Under the sunlight, the ice flowers brilliantly sparkled in a display of vast beauty, but that was far from the old man’s mind. Having cultivated ice attribute spirit techniques for hundreds of years, he was able to feel an astonishingly cold spiritual power from the flowers despite their distance. Although it felt somewhat unfamiliar, the old man was filled with an unspeakable dread nonetheless.

In that instant, the old man curled his lips and wore an unsightly expression, “Did you use that to break through my spirit technique? Could you tell me about that treasure of yours?”

When Han Li heard this, he smiled and calmly said, “The treasure? Let’s leave it for now. If you agree to tell me about that spirit technique of yours, I might say something about it.”

“What? A cultivator like you is interested in the spell warrior spirit techniques? Isn’t that strange?” The old man’s astonishment was replaced with his originally gloomy expression.

But from the old man’s wandering gaze, Han Li could faintly make out a trace of dread that he held towards the ice flowers. Han Li couldn’t help but sneer.

When the old man saw Han Li’s expression, he grew furious. With a cold snort, he slapped his storage pouch and he summoned an item in a flash of black light. It was pitch black and seemed to resemble a small mountain.

Han Li glanced with surprise. Before he could examine the object, the old man had already begun chanting an incantation. He shortly tossed the small mountain in the air and it shined with black light. In a mere instant, it’s size grew to a hundred meters in width and it only continued to expand.

When Han Li saw this, he felt his breath turn cold.

Han Li instinctively pointed to the huge azure sword. With a clear ring, it transformed into a streak and fiercely chopped down at the top of the small mountain.

With a huge rumble, the azure streak and the black light collided, releasing tumbling stones and magnificent light.

Han Li narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the scene. His sword had dug a thirty meter deep hole into the top of the black mountain. However, it was clear that it was still far from cleaving the mountain into two. Additionally, he was able to see the mountain closing the hole at a speed visible to the naked eye. Before he could muster a second strike, it had already restored most of the damage that was done.

The mountain had risen over three hundred meters tall within its black radiance. It appeared no different from a true mountain. Even as unwavering and composed as Han Li was, his expression grew unsightly at the sight of the black mountain that stood before him. There was without a doubt that if the mountain were to strike him, any beetle barrier or armor would not be able to save him. He would be flattened.

At that moment, Han Li’s huge sword had already struck the huge mountain several times but to no effect.

The old man sinisterly chuckled and pointed at the mountain. With a rustle of wind, it appeared above Han Li and began to ruthlessly fall down.

In Han Li’s alarm, he was unable to think any further. Rolls of thunder had already appeared from his back. In a flash of silver light, he disappeared without a trace. He appeared a hundred meters away with a pair of silver white wings on his back.

“Yi!” In the instance Han Li disappeared, the old man felt his heart drop.

The old man saw Han Li reappear at a different location. He gazed at Han Li with great caution; his expression filled with astonishment.

Having realized that Han Li was capable of instant movement, the old man knew that he would be unable to restrain Han Li and that his efforts were wasted.

After all, at his current cultivation he was only capable of moving the huge black mountain several times. Each use would greatly drain his magic power. He didn’t dare to use it recklessly.

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