Celestial Taoist

Chapter 42 Waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump?!

Fortunately, the magic circle was not far from where Li Mofan landed.

In just two hours, Li Mofan arrived at his destination. The moment he landed, he saw the magic array hidden in the rocky ravine, completely out of place in this desolate wasteland. The array, outlined by dark silver metallic runes, was circular and about ten meters in diameter. A faint, pale blue light emanated from between the runes, dispelling the surrounding foul odor, but unable to block the withered vegetation surrounding it. Embedded in the center of the array was a dull crystal, its spiritual energy fluctuations weak, clearly indicating it had been abandoned for a long time. Several small fragments of broken runes were scattered around its edges, still bearing faint energy imprints, as if it had been deliberately disturbed.

Li Mofan slowly walked towards the magic array, his spiritual energy quietly circulating around him. His all-purpose Yuan Core Shield was ready at any moment. His gaze warily swept across the surrounding mountain valley. This world was fraught with danger, and the unusual quiet around the magic array was rather unsettling. Just as he was a few steps away from the magic array, a cold, emotionless female voice suddenly came from behind it: "You've come quite quickly."

Li Mofan froze, then whirled around to see a figure in red leaning against a rock. Her robes fluttered gently in the wind, her skin was as white as snow, her eyes were cold and clear, and her long hair cascaded down her back—it was none other than the mage Han Li. She was as beautiful as ever, surrounded by a faint white mist that contrasted sharply with the scorching, foul wasteland. Her expression was devoid of any superfluous emotion, as if she had been waiting there for a long time.

"Master Han Li? What are you doing here?" Li Mofan was startled and subconsciously took half a step back, gathering spiritual power under his feet. He had already dealt with Han Li once and knew that the other party's strength was unfathomable. It was no coincidence that he would encounter him in this remote edge world.

Han Li straightened up and slowly walked towards him. Her gaze fell on him without the slightest surprise, as if she had known he would come all along: "I've come to save your life."

"Save me?" Li Mofan scoffed, his eyes full of disbelief. "I'm perfectly fine, why would I need your help? You must have other plans." This powerful mage who set up the mission must be Han Li. Her scheming against him must be ill-intentioned.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Li Mofan no longer hesitated. He turned around to activate his spiritual power to escape, while reaching for the flying boat in his storage gem. But the moment he moved, Han Li lightly raised her fingertip, and a white blast of cold air shot out, transforming into several thin ice threads that instantly wrapped around his limbs and torso. The cold air seeped into his body along the ice threads, freezing his spiritual power instantly. His whole body stiffened, making it impossible for him to move or even speak. He could only stare at Han Li, his eyes filled with astonishment and resentment.

Han Li walked up to him, looking at him expressionlessly, her cold voice still devoid of emotion: "I told you, I'm here to save you. If you insist on running away, you'll only die faster."

Li Mofan was completely immobilized, his mind churning. He didn't believe Han Li's words, but her strength was too great, and he had no chance to resist. He could only watch helplessly as Han Li plotted her next move.

Just then, a sharp surge of spiritual energy emanated from the entrance of the mountain pass, the wind intensified abruptly, whipping up a cloud of sand. A figure in moon-white robes rode the wind, his clothes fluttering in the wind. His handsome face carried a hint of sinister intent; it was the young man who had received the news of Su Qingyao's intimate encounter with someone in the secluded cloud-top courtyard of the Heavenly Dao Legion. His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept across the mountain pass. When he saw Li Mofan bound by ice silk, his eyes instantly ignited with killing intent. Without pausing, he charged straight towards Li Mofan.

"I've searched high and low, but I've finally found you! Today I'll get rid of this eyesore!" the young man shouted, gathering dense spiritual energy in front of him, which transformed into a cold, gleaming sword that pierced through the air with a whooshing sound, aiming straight for Li Mofan's heart.

Just as the Dao Sword was about to pierce Li Mofan, a burst of white, icy energy suddenly condensed, transforming into an ice shield that stood firmly in front of Li Mofan, his red robes fluttering in the gale. With a crisp clang, the Dao Sword struck the ice shield hard, spiritual energy scattering everywhere. Ripples spread across the surface of the ice shield, but it was not pierced. The young man was jolted back several steps, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"Who are you? How dare you stop me from doing my job!" The young man glared at Han Li, his tone full of hostility. He could feel the unfathomable energy fluctuations around Han Li, but he still refused to give up. He had been planning to get rid of Li Mofan for a long time. He had previously tried to do so through the more subtle Trial of Sinners, but it had not worked. This time, he would take action himself and could not be stopped by anyone else.

Han Li remained expressionless, the white mist around her growing thicker. With a flick of her finger, several white ice threads shot out, thicker than the ice threads binding Li Mofan, carrying a bone-chilling cold as they hurtled towards the young man.

The young man's face darkened; he dared not be careless. He swung his sword, severing the incoming ice threads. At the same time, he flashed forward, his sword unleashing several sword flowers, each carrying sharp spiritual power, aimed directly at Han Li's vital points. Han Li moved nimbly, dodging the sword attacks like a ghost. Cold energy continuously gathered around her, and ice blades and ice spikes appeared one after another, shooting towards the young man. The two instantly became entangled in combat.

The spiritual light of the Dao Sword clashed and intertwined with the white light summoned by Han Li, the booming sound echoing through the mountain valley. A gale, carrying the aftershocks of spiritual energy, swirled the withered vegetation and rubble around them. The young man's swordsmanship was fierce and ruthless, each move deadly, clearly showing he was giving it his all. Han Li, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, her movements controlled with ease. Wherever the mist passed, even the air seemed to freeze. Every counterattack was precise and ruthless, firmly suppressing the young man.

Bound and watching the fight unfold before him, Li Mofan was filled with astonishment. Who was this young man in the moon-white Taoist robe who was tracking him? He never expected Han Li to come to his rescue.

In the sky, the two fought with increasing ferocity. The rocks in the mountain hollow were shattered by the shockwaves, and the pale blue light of the magic array was disrupted, the light between the runes flickering. Unable to gain the upper hand, the young man's anger intensified. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and a blinding white light emanated from his sword, distorting even the unusually thick air of World 23 at its edge. It seemed he was unleashing his ultimate move: "Today I will eliminate this scourge! Take this!"

Before he could finish speaking, the young man's figure blurred into a streak of light. His sword, carrying an aura of world-destroying power, slashed directly at Li Mofan on the ground. The sword's fierce wind even tore through the surrounding chilling air. Li Mofan was shocked, but bound by the ice crystals, he couldn't move and couldn't even let out a scream. He could feel the power of this sword strike; he hadn't expected this young man to be so intent on killing him.

Han Li remained calm, but the white mist around her suddenly churned violently, no longer exuding the previous cold and aloof aura, but instead revealing an eerie darkness. Just as the Dao Sword was still several meters away from Li Mofan and was about to kill him, Han Li's fingertips suddenly condensed, and a jet-black flame appeared out of thin air. The flame had no temperature at all, but instead exuded a chilling aura of death.

The young man's pupils contracted sharply, and an unprecedented fear rose in his heart. He wanted to withdraw his attack and retreat, but it was too late. The black flame was extremely fast and instantly wrapped around the young man's back. The pitch-black flame was like a malignant sore that it spread rapidly along his body. Wherever it passed, the sharp spiritual power was instantly devoured, the white light dimmed, and even the Dao Sword began to shatter inch by inch.

"What kind of sorcery is this!" the young man roared, desperately channeling his spiritual power to try and dispel the black flames. But the black flames were too bizarre; not only could they not be dispelled, but they spread along his spine to his entire body. He felt his spiritual power, Dao foundation, and even his life force being rapidly devoured by the black flames, and a bone-chilling cold emanated from his body, several times more intense than Han Li's previous ice silk!

Han Li stared at him expressionlessly, her fingertips flicking upwards. Suddenly, black flames surged, completely engulfing the young man's figure. The young man's screams echoed through the mountain valley, but only lasted a few seconds before abruptly ceasing. The dark flames gradually subsided, leaving not a trace of ash behind, only a faint black mark on the ground, which was instantly covered by the sand whipped up by the gale, as if he had never existed.

The fighting suddenly stopped, and the valley returned to its previous silence, with only the sound of howling wind remaining. The white mist surrounding Han Li gradually dissipated.