Chapter 182 The Girl and the Silk Thread
Now that Han Li had figured out the cause of their deaths, he could only wish this deceased senior brother, who had embarked on the road to the Yellow Springs, a safe journey and swift reincarnation, then proceeded unceremoniously to search through both of their bodies.
Since they were already dead, Han Li naturally intended to take their storage pouches.
He searched through them once, but found nothing!
His expression turned grave, and he searched through them carefully once more, still finding nothing!
A chill ran down Han Li's spine, and his heart began to race faster.
There was actually a fourth person here, and that person had taken the storage pouches! Although that person had most likely already left, there was no guarantee that they weren't nearby, observing, and using these two corpses as bait to find his weaknesses.
Across the cliff was a large expanse of tall grass, perfect for concealing someone's movements. Han Li happened to have his back to the grass, facing the bodies. This made him even more uneasy! Perhaps that person was hiding behind him.
Han Li remained motionless, maintaining his crouched position as if he were still focused on the corpses in front of him.
But in reality, he was fully alert. He quietly took out his magical tools and talismans, silently spreading his spiritual sense to try to detect any potential snipers.
The result of his spiritual sense probing didn't surprise Han Li. Everything nearby seemed normal, without any abnormal spiritual fluctuations.
There was nothing strange about this. If someone was indeed lurking nearby, they would surely have used "concealment techniques" to hide their presence, making it impossible for Han Li to detect them with his spiritual sense.
Han Li's intention in using his spiritual sense was merely to unsettle any potential opponents.
At the very least, it would make any imagined adversaries think twice before acting rashly.
And as expected, the outcome was just as Han Li had anticipated. Either he was overly paranoid and there was no one here besides himself, or the observer saw no opportunity to strike and continued to conceal their presence, unwilling to act.
After a moment, Han Li stood up, turned towards the large expanse of tall grass, and coldly surveyed the area several times. Then, without a word, he suddenly leaped up, disappearing into the distance after a few jumps.
As Han Li's figure completely vanished without a trace, the once quiet expanse of grass suddenly erupted into a rustling noise! Then, a slender figure emerged from the grass, a young girl dressed in white.
The girl appeared to be young, perhaps only fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pure and innocent face. It was unbelievable to find such an elf-like beauty in this land of life and death.
Judging by her attire, the girl should be a disciple of the Moon Concealment Sect!
The girl glanced in the direction Han Li had disappeared, pursed her lips, and muttered to herself with an old-fashioned tone:
"Bravery, intellect, not bad, but lacking in cultivation.
It seems like there are even bigger problems with his aptitude.
There isn't much potential to tap into. Otherwise, he could have been quite talented once he survived!
However, judging by his last escape technique, it seems to be a mundane form of lightness skill, and it's not weak.
Quite interesting!" The girl lightly supported her pointed chin, her large eyes showing a keen interest.
If Han Li had heard these words, he would have been astonished.
The girl was too astute. With just a few words, she pointed out all his strengths and weaknesses more ruthlessly than he could himself, as if she understood him better than he did.
"I'll let you off this time. I have more important matters to attend to! But next time we meet, little guy! It won't be so easy for you to pass." The girl wrinkled her nose playfully, forming a faint wrinkle, somewhat reluctantly.
It seemed that Han Li had become a new toy for her, attracting her attention so much that she didn't want to leave just yet.
In the end, the girl pouted, raised her hand, and took out a talisman. With a wave of her hand, she disappeared in a dazzling green light.
If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would have immediately cursed the girl for being wasteful, casually squandering the rare "Wooden Escape Technique" talisman from the cultivation world.
This was an intermediate-level beginner talisman!
You should know that once someone obtained this Wooden Escape talisman, it would be treasured and kept as a family heirloom, only to be used in life-threatening situations. It was the best tool for escaping danger.
Han Li didn't know this and wouldn't feel distressed about it. Furthermore, he didn't know that such an influential girl had taken an interest in him. He was just grateful that he had easily escaped the predicament.
Regardless of whether or not there were actually people lurking nearby, Han Li had no intention of pursuing it further. After all, the closer he got to the center, the more enemies there would be. Ambushes like this would gradually become commonplace and happen frequently.
Preserving his own life and avoiding unnecessary conflicts were Han Li's current principles of action.
Moreover, Han Li didn't come away empty-handed from the two corpses.
Thinking of this, Han Li reached out, and a nearly transparent bundle of silk thread appeared in his hand. This was the item he had casually grabbed before leaving, the thread-shaped magical tool that had killed the disciple of the Giant Sword Sect!
Han Li infused some spiritual power into it, and the thread gradually straightened out. In the end, it became a nearly ten-yard-long straight thread. Han Li moved the thread according to his will for a while and immediately felt the wonderful use of this item!
With its nearly invisible nature and extremely sharp cutting ability, Han Li was confident that when he used it to decapitate an enemy, the opponent would be at a loss.
He really didn't know what this silk thread was made of, but if it were longer, wouldn't it be even more versatile?
Excited, Han Li urged the silk thread to effortlessly cut through a dozen nearby trees, making him extremely pleased. It was even more useful than he had imagined.
At this moment, not far away on the grassland near the center of the forbidden area, disciples from the Knife Sect and the Clear Void Sect were engaged in a fierce battle.
Because both sides had about five or six people, their strengths were evenly matched, making for a tough fight.
This was the first large-scale battle of this Blood Trial, all for the sake of being the first to enter the central area and pick the spiritual herbs. If they could eliminate their opponents here, it would be even better!
In the end, the Taoist disciples from the Clear Void Sect prevailed. After killing most of their opponents, the two remaining disciples from the Knife Sect were injured and fled, while they themselves rushed into the central area first.
In the central area, various exotic flowers and fruits, as well as some powerful first-level demon beasts, guarded the heavenly treasures. They were enough to rival disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Every time a demon beast was killed and its medicine was taken, as long as spiritual herbs continued to grow here, these demon beasts would inexplicably reappear. Although they might not be the same species as before, it still
left the experts from various sects puzzled. Could it be that these demon beasts were also spontaneously born from the essence of heaven and earth? This was very different from their previous understanding.
According to their understanding, demon beasts should be beasts that had absorbed the essence of the sun and moon for many years and evolved into beings with demonic power. The probability of successful evolution was not higher than that of cultivators being born among humans.
Moreover, disciples from various sects could only collect spiritual herbs on the periphery of the central area.
If they approached the core, they would be trapped or erased by some active restrictions and traps.
Furthermore, the closer they got, the more formidable the demon beasts became, and their small fries like them couldn't drive them away.
Therefore, they could only loiter around the periphery!
Regardless of whether the disciples from the Clear Void Sect could seize the opportunity and pick the spiritual herbs first!
At this moment, Han Li encountered the greatest crisis of his journey in the forbidden area.
At a narrow intersection, he was blocked by a disciple from the Spiritual Beast Mountain and a disciple from the Heaven's Gate Sect.
The disciple from the Spiritual Beast Mountain, a burly man, was someone Han Li recognized.
He was the one with the mutton chops who had glared at Han Li before.
Now, he was grinning maliciously at Han Li, with a look that said, "You're finished. "