Chapter 850: Initial Battle with the Demon Soul

**Volume Six: Heavenly Spirit Treasures**

Han Li nodded to Old Ancestor Linghu, then suddenly turned his head and calmly spoke to Zi Ling:

"Your cultivation is too low. You can't help here and might even lose your life. Leave this place first! Don't worry, with us keeping this villain occupied, he won't attack you."

He and Zi Ling had some acquaintance, so he immediately told her to leave. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to look out for her once the fight began!

Zi Ling was initially startled by his words. After a moment of hesitation, she obediently nodded.

"Since Daoist Han has said so, then this junior will take her leave first. Brother Han, please take care of yourself!" Zi Ling said softly. After glancing at Marquis Nanlong below and then deeply at Old Ancestor Linghu, she transformed into a startling rainbow and flew away.

Marquis Nanlong below, perhaps thinking Zi Ling's cultivation was too shallow to be worth his effort, or truly struggling against Han Li and the other two, indifferently watched Zi Ling depart before turning his gaze back to Han Li.

Seeing the malevolent look in the opponent's eyes, Han Li's expression darkened as he raised a hand. Several thick golden arcs appeared on his arm, followed by continuous rumbling thunder.

His entire arm instantly flashed with dazzling electric light!

Facing such a terrifying ancient devil, Han Li had no intention of probing. He immediately unleashed the Evil-Dispelling Divine Thunder, which specifically countered demonic arts. Since he had acquired it, this divine thunder had never disappointed him when used against demonic techniques or evil sorcery.

Even with the ancient devil's ferocity, Han Li still had some confidence in the Evil-Dispelling Divine Thunder.

Upon seeing the golden electrical arcs dancing on Han Li's arm, Marquis Nanlong's eyelids twitched rapidly, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"I recognize you. Your impression is very deep in the residual memories of this fellow I've possessed. Although I don't recall anything specific, the original owner of this body was extremely wary of you. Now it seems that feeling was indeed correct. Not only can you see through my sneak attack, but you can also wield the Evil-Dispelling Divine Thunder that once caused us trouble. It appears dealing with you will indeed require some effort," Marquis Nanlong finally spoke coldly after staring at Han Li for a moment.

Hearing these words, Han Li's lips curled into a cold smirk. His expression remained unchanged, but the golden arcs on his arm grew three parts larger. At the same time, he flicked his sleeve, and a small blue shield shot out. After a single rotation, it transformed into a blue light barrier, enveloping Han Li.

Seeing Han Li actively standing at the forefront, ready to confront Marquis Nanlong head-on, Old Ancestor Linghu and the white-clad woman exchanged glances, their hearts filled with delight.

Han Li's reputation was indeed formidable now, almost second only to cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage. This couldn't help but instill some confidence in the two of them.

Immediately, the two transmitted a brief message with subtly moving lips. They then slowly moved forward, separating to the left and right, preparing to assist Han Li from both sides.

Marquis Nanlong saw that Han Li was completely unaffected by his words, his resolve extremely firm. His brow unconsciously furrowed, but then his mouth twisted into a ferocious grin. Without a word, he stomped his foot. With a tremor of his body, a phantom afterimage was left behind, and he suddenly vanished from his original spot.

Han Li's expression remained calm, but his heart tensed, raising his vigilance to the highest degree. However, a sweep of his spiritual sense revealed no trace of the opponent. As expected of an ancient devil, this mere ability to conceal oneself was enough to completely restrain ordinary cultivators.

As he thought this, Han Li unhurriedly narrowed his eyes. Blue light flickered within them as he skillfully activated his Brightsight Spirit Eyes.

Suddenly, he raised a hand. The golden arcs on his arm immediately shot out, forming a golden net that flew towards a seemingly empty spot and descended.

Instantly, arcs of electricity and thunderous roars interwove.

A bizarre scene unfolded. Where there had appeared to be no one, a black light flashed, and Marquis Nanlong suddenly materialized.

As soon as he appeared, he saw countless golden arcs of various sizes falling directly towards him from above, which surprised him slightly.

But immediately, his expression darkened, and his shoulders swayed, causing a large number of afterimages to appear. When the electrical arcs descended, all the afterimages vanished, but his true body had eerily disappeared without a trace.

Han Li's lips were tightly pressed together, blue light flickering in his eyes as he tilted his head to look to one side. But his other arm suddenly rose, aiming in the opposite direction.

With a clap of thunder, a thick golden arc instantly shot from his palm, targeting an ordinary spot about six or seven zhang away.

Just as the golden arc reached its destination, Marquis Nanlong's figure materialized precisely there, as if he had deliberately moved into its path. He could only watch helplessly as the thunder roared and the electrical arc struck him directly.

Marquis Nanlong was genuinely shocked this time. Once could be called luck, but to be accurately found twice in a row was definitely no coincidence.

The opponent could truly see through his movements.

This time, Han Li's attack timing was impeccable. Seeing the golden arc upon him, Marquis Nanlong had no way to evade. He could only suddenly furrow his brows, open his mouth, and a mass of black-red demonic flame burst forth, colliding directly with the golden arc.

With a soft 'puff,' the fiery golden arc flashed once, then, like water meeting fire, both simultaneously transformed into a wisp of green smoke and vanished.

"Eh!" This time, it was Han Li's turn to be greatly surprised.

This ancient devil actually had a way to resist the Evil-Dispelling Divine Thunder! What kind of black-red demonic flame was this, to be so potent?

However, Han Li, being meticulous, also noticed something. The moment the demonic flame dissipated, Marquis Nanlong's face inadvertently paled, though it returned to normal in the blink of an eye. Clearly, that black-red demonic flame was by no means ordinary for him. It was most likely tied to his essence and soul power.

Before Han Li could figure out how to exploit this, Marquis Nanlong extinguished the golden arc, then suddenly lunged forward. His entire body eerily elongated as if boneless, and he instantly appeared before Han Li.

After giving Han Li a sinister smile, his fists, wrapped in demonic energy, slammed down ferociously.

Han Li's expression remained unperturbed. Unhurriedly, he retreated half a step, and then, with a clap of thunder from behind, a pair of silvery-white wings emerged in a flash of silver light.

Then, with another crack of thunder, Han Li subtly vanished within the silver arc.

Marquis Nanlong was initially startled by this sight, but after a glance, he sneered.

"Thunder Escape Art! You certainly know many things. But unfortunately, heheh..."

Amidst his mocking laughter, Marquis Nanlong transformed into a wisp of black mist and similarly vanished into thin air.

From the moment Marquis Nanlong charged to attack, to Han Li unleashing his Evil-Dispelling Divine Thunder, and then both of them vanishing simultaneously, it all happened in the blink of an eye.

Old Ancestor Linghu and the white-clad woman, watching from afar, saw the two engage and were about to immediately summon their treasures to assist Han Li. However, as soon as Han Li and Marquis Nanlong clashed, sparks and thunder flew, leaving no room for intervention. Now both had vanished without a trace. This left Old Ancestor Linghu and Martial Sister Nangong Wan dumbfounded, exchanging bewildered glances.

But then their vigilance heightened, and they hastily released their defensive magic treasures to protect themselves, fearing Marquis Nanlong might seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

After all, neither of them possessed Han Li's divine ability to see through the opponent's concealment techniques.

Just then, thunder rumbled. Han Li reappeared more than twenty zhang from his original position, but almost simultaneously, a black mist appeared behind Han Li, and Marquis Nanlong also suddenly materialized.

A cruel smirk appeared on his lips, and his fists mercilessly slammed down.

Han Li didn't turn back, his spiritual sense instantly detecting everything behind him. But he, too, had no way to evade. He could only rapidly channel all his spiritual energy into the blue light shield, intending to block this attack first.

He had just used his technique to show his opponent a thing or two, and now, unexpectedly, he was caught by the opponent so quickly. Besides being shocked, he was also very puzzled.

Two loud thuds echoed, and Han Li experienced the same taste of what Old Ancestor Linghu had just endured.

The blue light barrier around him trembled. His body was involuntarily sent flying, and most of the magic power he had gathered was dispersed by those two punches.

The Thunder Escape Art instantly became unusable.

Marquis Nanlong burst into maniacal laughter, his body transforming into a whirlwind. He fiercely pursued Han Li in the direction he was sent flying, ready to swing his fists and strike Han Li down.

Han Li was sent flying backward through the air, unable to control his body, yet his face showed neither shock nor joy.

After witnessing how the opponent dealt with Old Ancestor Linghu, how could he not be wary? Although he couldn't gather much magic power, he possessed methods that could defeat an enemy without needing to exert himself directly.

Although his body was temporarily unable to move, his hands recovered most of their function in an instant.

He snatched a spirit beast pouch from his waist and flung it at Marquis Nanlong.

Marquis Nanlong paused in surprise, not yet seeing what the item was, when a buzzing sound erupted from the pouch, and thousands of golden Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed out.

A golden cloud of insects instantly formed, descending upon the rapidly approaching Marquis Nanlong.

Although Marquis Nanlong didn't recognize the Gold Devouring Beetles, their primal aura as ancient exotic insects sent a chill down his spine. Not daring to be negligent, he grabbed at the insect cloud in mid-air with one hand.

A phosphorescent ghostly claw burning with grey-white flames appeared above the insect cloud and unceremoniously scooped down.

Instantly, most of the Gold Devouring Beetles couldn't evade and were scooped up by the ghostly claw. Immediately, the grey-white flames on the claw surged several feet high, engulfing all the remaining beetles that hadn't been caught. Then, with a cold sneer, he was about to move to continue his pursuit of Han Li.

But at that moment, the white-clad woman, finally finding an opportunity, once again summoned her precious mirror. A five-colored beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping Marquis Nanlong. Meanwhile, Old Ancestor Linghu pointed at the white ring hovering above his head, and with a flash, the ring shot towards Marquis Nanlong as well.

Marquis Nanlong was enraged by this sight, but with a slight flicker of his body, he dodged the descending five-colored light beam.

Although this light beam was somewhat tricky for him, as long as he wasn't enveloped by it, it couldn't harm him at all.

As for the flying ring, it was clearly a treasure designed to restrict movement, but with his swift, wind-like movements, how could it possibly get close to him? He didn't need to pay it any mind at all.

Marquis Nanlong pondered carefully. Although Old Ancestor Linghu had also attacked, Han Li's Evil-Dispelling Divine Thunder remained the greatest threat to him. Thus, he completely ignored the others and continued to lunge towards Han Li.

However, Han Li, within the light barrier, was also not idle. He slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and over a dozen white orbs of light shot out from its opening. In an instant, they transformed into more than ten two-zhang tall, tiger-headed, human-bodied mechanical puppets, lining up to block Marquis Nanlong's path.

Each stood two zhang tall with a tiger's head and a human body. With a shake of their hands, ten several-inch-long claw lights flashed in and out.