Chapter 12: I Am Han Li
The black centipede screeched as it shook its body from side to side, then shot forward as a black shadow, reaching Liu Shi in the blink of an eye. It opened its mouth to reveal rows of dagger-like white fangs that were shimmering with a sinister light, and it bit down viciously upon Liu Shi's shoulder.
Liu Shi was still screaming with his hands clutching at his own head, completely oblivious to what was happening around him, and the centipede was able to chomp down onto his shoulder without any resistance.
A cruel smile appeared on Daoist Master White Stone's face upon seeing this.
He was well aware of how powerful the centipede was. It was capable of even shattering the average magic tool with a single bite, and what was even more terrifying about it was that its entire body was covered in lethal poison that could kill even with the slightest wound.
However, in the next instant, Daoist Master White Stone's smile abruptly stiffened.
The black centipede suddenly let loose an agonized screech as it reared back with blood gushing out of its mouth, and all of its sharp fangs had been completely shattered.
As for the golden scales on Liu Shi's shoulder, there wasn't even a single mark that had been left on them.
Even though the black centipede's fangs had been shattered, the pain seemed to have ignited its ferocity, and it wrapped itself around Liu Shi like a constricting boa, slicing at his body from all directions with its sharp legs.
Sparks were sent flying everywhere, but Liu Shi's scales remained completely unharmed.
Daoist Master White Stone was so shocked to see this that his eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.
"I remember everything now... I am Han Li, the number one cultivator of the human race and the most powerful Grand Ascension cultivator of the Spirit Realm!"
All of a sudden, Liu Shi's screaming ceased, and he suddenly raised his head to reveal a pair of bright and clear eyes that were no longer disoriented in the slightest.
He was none other than Han Li, who had ascended to the Immortal Realm after enduring countless hardships in the Spirit Realm. [1]
Han Li didn't even look at the black centipede that was wrapped around his body as he plunged his hand into the hard exoskeleton on its back. His hand was like a steel spike, and after impaling the centipede, he casually tore it off himself with ease.
The black centipede was screeching incessantly as it thrashed desperately from side to side, but was unable to get free.
A dull thump rang out as Han Li's hand quivered slightly, and a burst of enormous power immediately surged throughout the centipede's entire body.
With one final anguished wail, the centipede fell completely limp and was unable to struggle any further.
Han Li plunged his other hand into the creature's body as well, then spread his arms wide to tear the centipede into two, then casually tossed the two halves of its body aside.
The two halves of the centipede's carcass spasmed violently on the ground for a moment before reverting back to the small black flag, which had already been torn into two, and the spiritual light glowing on its surface had completely faded, clearly indicating that it had been ruined.
All of this had happened in the blink of an eye, and Daoist Master White Stone was still looking on with a slack-jawed expression, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Only now did Han Li turn to take a glance at Daoist Master White Stone, and as soon as Daoist Master White Stone met Han Li's gaze, he immediately shuddered involuntarily. He felt as if his heart had been plunged into a bottomless glacial pit, and his entire body was freezing cold.
His expression changed several times in succession, following which he abruptly let loose a loud cry as he made a hand seal.
The black array in the secret chamber immediately began to glow brightly as a loud buzzing sound rang out, and tendrils of black mist surged rapidly toward Han Li again.
At the same time, Daoist Master White Stone swept a sleeve through the air to release a white flying spear, which shot forth toward the door of the secret chamber in an attempt to facilitate his escape.
"You're not going anywhere!" Han Li harrumphed coldly as golden light flashed from the scales on his arm, and he slammed his fist into the ground.
A resounding boom rang out as shattered stone chunks flew in all directions, and a massive crater was smashed into the ground. The black array was completely destroyed, and all of the black mist also ceased to exist.
Daoist Master White Stone shuddered as he heard the sound of the array being destroyed behind him, but at this point, he had already flown to the entrance of the secret chamber and was about to crash through it to make his escape.
However, right at this moment, a figure appeared directly in front of him, following which an explosive boom rang out.
Daoist Master White Stone was instantly sent flying back like a ragdoll, crashing heavily into the stone wall with a resounding thump.
Daoist Master White Stone immediately threw up a large mouthful of blood from the impact, and he slumped onto the ground with a horrified expression. The flying spear that was previously beneath his feet was already nowhere to be seen.
Han Li was standing at the entrance of the secret chamber, and he slowly withdrew his outstretched left fist, then abruptly appeared directly in front of Daoist Master White Stone again in a wraith-like manner, looking down at him with a cold expression.
"Please spare me, Senior! I was a fool to have failed to recognize your brilliance! I'm willing to offer up everything I have in exchange for my life!" Daoist Master White Stone was trembling uncontrollably as he struggled to a kneeling position, then pulled out the storage bag from his waist before setting it down reverently in front of Han Li's feet with both hands.
At the same time, he was kowtowing desperately with such force that his head was slamming audibly into the ground.
Han Li remained completely expressionless, and he didn't even bother to take a glance at the storage bag.
Han Li's silence struck further panic into Daoist Master White Stone's heart, and he hurriedly continued, "Aside from this, I have treasures elsewhere that I can offer to you, Senior. As a guest elder at the prime minister's manor, I know where the treasure pavilion in the prime minister's manor is. As soon as you give the nod, I can fetch all those treasures and bring them to you right away!"
For the sake of survival, he was willing to completely discard his moral compass.
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, and it seemed that he was rather tempted by the offer.
The golden light glowing from his body slowly faded, and Daoist Master White Stone was ecstatic to see this.
However, right when he was about to say something, Han Li suddenly raised his hand before making a grabbing motion, releasing a ball of black qi that vanished directly into Daoist Master White Stone's face at Han Li's behest.
"Spare me, Senior!"
Daoist Master White Stone was greatly alarmed by this, and he hurriedly inspected his own internal condition. However, he didn't discover anything amiss, but that only made him even more terrified.
"Rest assured, I won't kill you for now, I'm just repaying the favor for what you tried to do to me. All it'll take from me is a single thought for that black of black qi in your body to explode, and I'm sure you know what'll happen to you after that. Also, I've regained my memories. My surname is Han, not Liu," Han Li said in an indifferent voice, and his body began to shrink back to its original size while the golden scales on his skin quickly faded.
Daoist Master White Stone's face was deathly pale, but he was quite relieved to hear that Han Li was going to spare him, and he hurriedly nodded in response.
Han Li grabbed onto Daoist Master White Stone's collar to lift him up from the ground, then tapped his right index finger against the daoist priest's glabella and released a burst of black light into it from his fingertip.
"Senior..." Daoist Master White Stone was horrified, thinking that Han Li had suddenly changed his mind, but before he had a chance to say anything, his eyes suddenly became completely glazed over.
Han Li's lips were tightly pursed, and a layer of sweat appeared on his forehead as his complexion paled slightly.
Moments later, he exhaled, and the black light glowing from his fingertip faded.
Daoist Master White Stone's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he immediately fell unconscious.
Han Li tossed him onto the ground, and only after taking a few deep breaths did his complexion return to normal. However, his brows then furrowed tightly, and a grim look appeared on his face.
He had just unleashed a soul search technique that had allowed him to gather the information that he wanted from Daoist Master White Stone.
Han Li turned his gaze toward Liu Le'er, who was also unconscious, and a gentle look appeared in his eyes. Without any further injection of magic power, the golden rope around her had already fallen slack, but she was still trapped within the black light barrier.
He made his way over to her side, then swept a hand through the air to release a burst of enormous force that shattered the black light barrier in an instant.
Liu Le'er's body was riddled with wounds, and looking down at her, Han Li heaved a faint sigh. After a moment of hesitation, he made a hand seal,
A hint of color immediately returned to Liu Le'er's pale cheeks, and the wounds on her body began to heal at a rate that was discernible even to the naked eye.
"You've been through a lot the past few years. With that, I don't have much magic power left," Han Li murmured as he looked at Liu Le'er.
He then made his way over to Daoist Master White Stone before picking up his storage bag, then tore it into two, causing all of its contents to fall onto the ground.
Most of its contents were materials and ingredients, but there were also some pills.
After some careful examination, Han Li picked out two vials, tipping out an azure pill and a red pill from the vials before feeding them to Liu Le'er.
1. For those who haven't, please read the first installment of RMJI to see the story of Han Li's adventures in the Spirit Realm. ☜