93: Han Li takes action

Underground Mo City was already a scene of apocalyptic desolation.

Collapsed rock walls, broken vines, withered lotus ash, and the pervasive scent of charring and the 'dry' aroma peculiar to depleted energy, together formed this desperate backdrop.

Mo Yuan slumped against the array core, his Thunder God Arm covered in cracks and dim, each weak breath bringing the searing pain of ruptured internal organs.

The magic bottle in his arms wailed, its sound as thin as a wisp of smoke, as if it would shatter completely in the next second; the crack running through its body was horrifying, constantly leaking chaotic Qi currents and a hint of the Heavenly Dao's residual wrathful thunder that made one's heart palpitate.

Half of his mind was struggling to maintain the last shred of connection between himself and the magic bottle, while the other half was firmly ' stare' (staring) at the Nine Heavens above—that tiny, insignificant 'blank space' torn open by the Calamity Cloud Beast.

The Calamity Cloud Beast, that grotesque offspring born accidentally of the Heavenly Dao and Chaos, had now expanded to the size of a house, like a greedy and violent gray-black vortex, rolling and devouring madly within the vast Heavenly Tribulation clouds.

Wherever it passed, a small piece of the Heavenly Tribulation clouds was indeed gnawed away, and its own aura grew stronger at a visible rate, its pure white electric arc eyes becoming increasingly bright.

But, it was too slow!

Compared to the overwhelming, heavy-as-a-star-sea Heavenly Tribulation clouds, the Calamity Cloud Beast's devouring was like a leech on a giant whale—though it could cause some pain and loss, it was far from fatal!

In fact, its actions seemed to have thoroughly enraged the Heavenly Dao's will!

Rumble! The Heavenly Tribulation clouds surged madly, and the destructive white light in their center flared again, even brighter and colder than before!

A more terrifying pressure condensed, no longer targeting the entire land, but... precisely locking onto that 'parasite' that was gnawing at it!

A pure white thunder spear, only arm-thick but condensed to the extreme, with edges smooth as a mirror, radiating an aura of absolute destruction, shot out from the core of the Heavenly Tribulation clouds like the Heavenly Dao's eye of judgment, ignoring space and directly piercing the Calamity Cloud Beast!

The Calamity Cloud Beast let out a sharp shriek, a mix of fear and rage; it felt a fatal threat, and the gray-black cloud Qi on its surface surged frantically, attempting to resist and devour the thunder spear!

However—Chih! Like a hot knife cutting through butter!

The pure white thunder spear easily tore through the Calamity Cloud Beast's defenses, instantly piercing its core!

"Aoo—!!!" The Calamity Cloud Beast let out an incomparably mournful cry, its body stiffening abruptly, its gray-black cloud body exploding with dazzling white light from within, like ignited cotton, and began to rapidly collapse and dissipate!

The power it had gained from devouring the Heavenly Tribulation clouds was utterly vulnerable before this precise annihilation by the Heavenly Dao!

The miracle that had just been born was about to be mercilessly strangled by the Heavenly Dao!

Mo Yuan's heart sank sharply.

Was the last variable also to be erased?

Cold despair, like a venomous snake, once again coiled around his heart.

Just at this critical moment! A new anomaly arose!

It didn't come from underground, nor from the Heavenly Tribulation clouds.

Instead, it came from... the depths of the extremely high Void Realm, a level completely beyond Mo Yuan's perception, and even beyond the Heavenly Punishment's locking range.

A point of emerald green light lit up without warning.

The green light was initially extremely faint, like cosmic dust, yet it carried an indescribable, vast and boundless vitality and the Dao charm of creation, utterly out of place in this world of destructive thunder punishment.

The next moment, the emerald green light point trembled slightly, as if flicked gently by an invisible hand.

It began to fall. No, not fall, but... descend.

Its speed seemed slow, yet it traversed an infinite distance in an instant, as if it was meant to appear there—precisely in front of the pure white thunder spear that was about to completely annihilate the Calamity Cloud Beast!

Only when it got closer could one barely make out that it was not merely a light point, but a... inverted, ancient, little green bottle phantom with natural wood grain textures covering its body!

It was Han Li's mysterious little green bottle!

The mouth of the bottle faced downwards, slightly tilted.

One drop... only one drop, presenting an indescribable emerald green dewdrop, containing infinite vitality and purifying power, slowly dripped from the inverted bottle mouth.

Drip.

The dewdrop fell, silently meeting the violent pure white thunder spear, powerful enough to obliterate a Nascent Soul.

There was no explosion, no conflict. Only a kind of... absolute restraint and inclusiveness.

The moment the emerald green dewdrop touched the thunder spear, it transformed into an extremely thin, yet incredibly tough, green light net composed of endless life runes, gently and effortlessly... enveloping that pure white thunder spear!

Yes, it enveloped it! Like the most resilient spider web catching a raging meteorite!

The pure white thunder spear struggled, thrust, and erupted with destructive energy within the green light net, but it simply could not tear through the seemingly fragile green light!

Instead, its violent thunder power was rapidly neutralized, purified, and absorbed by the boundless vitality Dao charm!

In just one breath! That Heavenly Dao judgment thunder spear was actually... annihilated into nothingness by the light net formed by that dewdrop!

Not only that! After annihilating the thunder spear, the green light net did not dissipate, but vibrated slightly, transforming into a soft yet boundless emerald green halo, like a gentle tide, instantly sweeping over the small half of the Heavenly Tribulation cloud area that had been gnawed by the Calamity Cloud Beast and ravaged by the thunder spear!

Zzzzt~ The Heavenly Tribulation clouds swept by the emerald green halo seemed to be endowed with a strange 'activity'; they no longer raged, but became utterly 'inert,' and the destructive energy condensed within them slowly calmed down and dispersed as if hypnotized!

This one sweep actually... wiped out nearly half of the energy in that area of the Heavenly Tribulation clouds!

Even the Calamity Cloud Beast, whose core was severely wounded and was about to collapse, was brushed by this emerald green halo.

Its collapsing trend instantly halted, the fear in its pure white electric arc eyes subsided, replaced by a hint of bewilderment, its gray-black cloud body stabilized, and even became a bit more solid, instinctively continuing to devour the surrounding Heavenly Tribulation cloud fragments that had become much 'gentler.'

The entire process happened as fast as lightning! From the appearance of the emerald green light point, to the dewdrop annihilating the thunder spear, and then to the green light calming the Heavenly Tribulation clouds... it seemed like just an illusion!

But the instant reduction of more than ten percent in the Heavenly Tribulation pressure, and the Calamity Cloud Beast's narrow escape from death, clearly told Mo Yuan—this was real!

In the high Void Realm, the phantom of the emerald green little bottle flickered slightly and silently dissipated, as if it had never appeared.

Only a calm voice, devoid of any emotion, as if spanning eons of the Universe, resonated directly in the deepest part of Mo Yuan's Sea of Consciousness, chillingly clear:

"This is a favor, and it must be repaid."

The voice faded, leaving no trace.

Between heaven and earth, only the significantly weakened, yet still terrifying, Heavenly Tribulation clouds remained, along with the still bewildered Calamity Cloud Beast devouring within them.

Mo Yuan stood frozen, his body cold, his blood seemingly congealed.

It wasn't gratitude, nor relief. It was a... deeper, bone-chilling coldness!

Han Li! He had been watching all along! He had seen all of his struggles, all of his trump cards, all of his disarray!

He chose to act at this most crucial, most desperate moment, in such an understated, yet world-changing manner!

A light sentence... "This is a favor, and it must be repaid." This was more terrifying than any threat!

This meant that from this moment on, he, Mo Yuan, and his struggling Pseudo-Immortals Dynasty, owed Han Li a 'favor'!

A 'favor'... whose time, method, and cost of repayment were unknown!

This was not aid at all! This was... domination on a higher level! It was... irresistible Karma!

Mo Yuan slowly raised his head, looking at the still surging but greatly diminished Heavenly Tribulation clouds, and then 'looked' at the dying magic bottle in his arms and his Thunder God Arm covered in cracks.

He survived... temporarily survived. But the cost... might be heavier than facing the Heavenly Punishment directly.

He slowly tightened his grip on the weakly hanging Thunder God Arm, his fingertips trembling slightly from the effort, tiny golden blood threads seeping from the cracks.

In his eyes, the chaotic gray light once again swirled madly, but it was no longer mere madness; it was mixed with extreme unwillingness, icy rage, and... a trace of profound awe and yearning for that unattainable height.

Han Li... this 'favor'... I will remember it!

One day... one day!