295: Chapter 295 Han Li Gives Up the Pillar!

Wan Tianming faced Savage Beard's overwhelming, almost insulting provocation and monstrous Battle Intent; the calm, water-like expression on his face finally shifted.

It was not fear, but a kind of thoroughly ignited, dignified Battle Intent belonging to a top-tier powerhouse!

His thick brows, like swords, slowly rose. In his tiger-like eyes, brilliant light burst forth like stars, akin to two peerless divine swords drawn from their sheaths, meeting Savage Beard's wild and domineering gaze without yielding!

"Crack!"

In the Void Realm where their gazes met, it seemed as if invisible electrical sparks and thunderous fire burst forth!

A terrifying clash of Spiritual Pressure, far exceeding any previous confrontation, erupted!

Centered on the two of them, the air within several dozen zhang suddenly contracted inward, then exploded with a boom, forming a visible ring-shaped shockwave, mixed with pale golden righteous Qi and bronze-colored savage Evil Qi, sweeping wildly in all directions!

"Pfft!"

Nearby Core Formation Cultivators were hit in the chest as if by an invisible giant hammer, all vomiting blood, flying backward, crashing into jade pillars or walls, breaking bones!

Even the slightly further Late Stage Core Formation Cultivators were hit hard, faces turning pale, retreating repeatedly, their internal magic power in disarray.

Tianwuzi and Mutengzi both groaned, stepped forward, waving their horsetail whisks and striking their ebony staffs on the ground. Green Taoist clear Qi and withered yellow Wood Spiritual Qi rose, merging with Wan Tianming's Aura, barely resisting the violent shockwave and protecting the area behind them.

Jiyin Old Ancestor's eyes flashed with a complex mix of ecstasy and apprehension, quickly channeling his Mysterious Yin Devilish Qi, laying down layers of ghost shadow shields in front of him to dissipate the aftermath of the shockwave.

Madam Wen's black sword on her lap unsheathed three inches with a "Zheng" sound, an icy Sword Intent freezing all things erupted, silently slicing and freezing the shockwave heading toward her.

Layman Qingyi's worn bamboo slip before him flipped without wind, releasing a soft yet incredibly tough pale white halo, gently pushing away the shockwave, remaining motionless himself, not even a corner of his clothes fluttering.

Lu Qiu, located on a distant jade pillar, could still feel the heart-palpitating pressure bearing down on him.

His internal magic power circulated on its own, Chixiao True Fire leaping slightly in his Meridians, silently incinerating the incoming aftermath.

His eyes locked tightly on the two confronting figures in the arena, evaluating in his heart: "A Middle Stage Body Cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage, his Physical Body strength is indeed terrifying, his Aura so strong it faintly suppresses Wan Tianming, a Spell Cultivator... However, Wan Tianming's magic power is more pure and vast, with long-lasting endurance. In a true life-and-death struggle, the outcome is still unknown."

Just as everyone thought these two Middle Stage Nascent Soul giants were about to stage a world-shaking battle in front of this Void Heaven Palace, Wan Tianming spoke.

His voice was no longer flat, but carried a metallic clang and unquestionable majesty:

"Since Fellow Daoist Savage has such refined interest, Wan will naturally accompany you to the end."

He paused, sharp light like electricity in his tiger eyes, spitting out clearly, word by word:

"It just so happens that Wan also wants to learn if Fellow Daoist Savage's Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art truly has the ability to support the heavens and lift tripods, breaking all Dharma as rumored!"

"Boom!"

Once these words were spoken, it was like adding fuel to fire!

Savage Beard's bronze-colored light intensified, his whole person seeming to transform into a burning metallic God of War!

He laughed wildly, the sound waves causing dust on the jade pillars to fall:

"Good! That's the spirit! I also want to see if your 'Heavenly Net True Technique' can truly net the heavens and earth, trapping these two fists of mine!"

Between the two, swords were drawn, ready to trigger at any moment!

Violent Battle Intent and terrifying Spiritual Pressure collided and squeezed crazily, distorting the space in that area, causing the light to flicker uncertainly!

However, at this critical moment, when everyone was holding their breath, waiting for that earth-shattering first strike, Wan Tianming and Savage Beard both retracted their Auras almost simultaneously!

The suffocating, terrifying confrontation receded like the tide.

The brilliant light around Wan Tianming slowly retracted, his purple robe returning to calm.

Savage Beard's burning bronze-colored light also dimmed, though the Battle Intent in those copper-bell-sized eyes remained burning hot.

Both knew that this was not the time for a death match.

The Void Heaven Palace had not yet opened; fighting to the death here, regardless of the outcome, would only let others reap the benefits, or perhaps both would fall here.

The previous clash of Auras was both a probe and a deterrent to each other, and a tacit demarcation.

Inside the Void Heaven Palace, it would be based on ability, life or death notwithstanding!

Wan Tianming snorted coldly, no longer looking at Savage Beard, turned around, flicked his sleeves, and walked calmly toward where Tianwuzi and Mutengzi were, leapt lightly, landed on the top of a nearby unoccupied thick jade pillar, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes without speaking.

Only the vast Spiritual Pressure around him, like an invisible Domain, quietly expanded, standing in stark contrast to Savage Beard's domineering force field.

Savage Beard saw this and laughed triumphantly again, as if he had gained the upper hand in the previous silent confrontation. His copper-bell-sized eyes rolled.

At this moment, Jiyin Old Ancestor seized the Opportunity, quickly stepped forward a few steps, a slightly sycophantic smile squeezed onto his face, his tone carrying deliberate, lowered respect, and spoke:

"Brother Savage, you came at just the right time! With you here, looking at that Wan Tianming..."

"Get lost!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was rudely and impatiently interrupted by Savage Beard!

Savage Beard squinted at him, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and annoyance, his voice like muffled thunder:

"Jiyin, stop farting these tasteless farts in front of me! I came here for the treasures of the Void Heaven Palace, not to be a thug or support you, a rat in a sewer! Take care of your own bullshit, don't come near me! It's annoying to hear!"

"..."

Jiyin Old Ancestor's smile instantly stiffened, solidified, then turned livid, as if he had swallowed a live fly, or as if he had been slapped dozens of times in public!

His chest heaved violently, the Mysterious Yin Devilish Qi around him rolling violently, showing his inner monstrous anger and shame!

But he gritted his teeth hard, his nails digging deep into his palms, oozing blood, yet he dared not utter another word, just stared venomously at Savage Beard's back for an instant with those long, narrow eyes, then suddenly lowered his head, his figure trembling slightly as he retreated to his own jade pillar, the Aura around him so cold it was almost dripping water.

In the hall, there was dead silence. All the Cultivators who saw this scene gasped.

This Savage Beard was indeed as rumored: arrogant, domineering, unscrupulous; even a fierce person like Jiyin Old Ancestor dared to be scolded like this in public, not giving any face at all!

Savage Beard didn't care at all about Jiyin Old Ancestor's murderous gaze, or rather, he didn't care at all.

His copper-bell eyes swept across the already somewhat "crowded" hall again, as if he had just remembered to find a place to stay.

His gaze swept over the jade pillars, some empty or full, and finally landed on a relatively remote jade pillar in the northwest corner of the hall, far away from the several Nascent Soul Old Monsters.

That pillar was not the thickest, and the Spiritual Qi was relatively average. At this moment, on top of the pillar, only a solitary green figure sat cross-legged.

That person was lowering his head, seemingly focused on adjusting his breath, his Aura weak, with only Early Stage Core Formation cultivation. In this hall gathered with experts, he appeared completely inconspicuous, even somewhat eyesore. It was Han Li in disguise.

Savage Beard grinned, revealing white teeth, his smile filled with the cruelty and natural bullying of a cat playing with a mouse.

He set off with steps that weighed over ten thousand jin, each step causing a tremor, "Dong! Dong! Dong!", like the death knell of the Grim Reaper, unhurried yet firmly walking toward that jade pillar, toward the seemingly unaware green figure on top of the pillar.

Wherever he passed, the ground shook and cracked, the air whined and wailed.

The Cultivators along the way, whether Middle Stage or Late Stage Core Formation, all retreated to the sides like avoiding a plague, faces pale, scrambling to give way, fearing that if they were a step too slow, they would be casually crushed by this fierce god.

In just a few steps, Savage Beard's terrifying body, towering like a mountain and casting a vast shadow, stood beneath the jade pillar where Han Li was located.

He lifted his head slightly. His copper-bell-sized eyes, filled with wildness, tyranny, and a view of all living beings as mere ants, were like two small, blood-colored suns. Looking down from above, he unscrupulously locked onto the cyan figure atop the pillar, who appeared incredibly small, thin, and seemingly on the verge of being crushed under the shroud of shadow.

Savage Beard opened his cavernous mouth. His voice, like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens, exploded in Han Li's ears, mixed with undisguised malice and command. It also struck like a heavy hammer against the heart of everyone in the silent hall:

"Hey! You kid on the pillar!"

"Are your ears deaf, or are your eyes blind?"

"This pillar—I—have taken—a fancy—to!"

He extended a finger as thick as a carrot, shimmering with a bronze metallic luster, and pointed it at Han Li with extreme rudeness. His tone was barbaric, arrogant, and unquestionable:

"I'll give you three breaths!"

"Roll down yourself!"

"Otherwise..."

Fierce light erupted from Savage Beard's copper-bell eyes. The muscles all over his body bulged suddenly, and a terrifying Evil Qi that would cause one's Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, mixed with substantial killing intent, crashed down toward Han Li atop the pillar like Mount Tai pressing down!

"I will personally crush you into a pulp, pull out your pathetic Soul, light it as a wick, and let you watch as your own rotting flesh is stomped into these floor tiles by me!"

"One!"

The cold countdown, like the tolling of a funeral bell, echoed through the deathly silent hall.

"One!"

Savage Beard's cold, barbaric, metallic-grinding countdown voice was like a poisoned ice pick, stabbing fiercely into Han Li's eardrums and into the hearts of every Cultivator present.

Atop the jade pillar, Han Li's face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color.

He could clearly feel that terrifying pressure, heavy as a tangible mountain and mixed with violent Evil Qi and naked killing intent, pouring down without reservation from Savage Beard's body below, which resembled an ancient primordial beast, suppressing his head, shoulders, back, and even the depths of his Soul!

The surrounding air seemed to have turned into viscous mercury, making every breath he took incredibly difficult, his lungs aching with a burning sensation.

His bones emitted faint groans of being unable to bear the weight, and the circulation of magic power in his Meridians became sluggish and slow, as if it might stop or snap at any moment.

He lowered his head, a few strands of hair on his forehead obscuring most of his face, as well as the suppressed grievance, anger, unwillingness, and cold killing intent rolling violently in his eyes like molten lava before a volcanic eruption!

Those eyes that were always cautious and deep now had pupils constricted to pinpricks, the whites of his eyes bloodshot from extreme anger!

His fists were clenched tightly within his wide cyan sleeves, his nails having already dug deeply into the flesh of his palms from excessive force, bringing sharp pain, yet also helping his near-uncontrollable reason maintain a sliver of clarity.

"Two!"

The second countdown was colder, deeper, and closer! It was as if the footsteps of death had already stepped onto his heart.

Han Li could feel the gaze from Savage Beard's copper-bell eyes below, like a red-hot branding iron, searing his back, filled with undisguised contempt, mockery, and the pleasure of imminent violence.

He knew that this arrogant and tyrannical Nascent Soul Old Monster, who viewed human life as mere grass, was definitely not joking. Once the three breaths passed, if he had not yet "rolled" down, what awaited him would truly be a fate of being smashed to pieces and his Divine Soul completely destroyed!

Before this Void Heaven Palace, under the gaze of everyone, to be casually crushed like an ant, with no one even speaking a word of justice for him!

Endure!

This single word exploded like a thunderclap in his Sea of Consciousness!

It shattered all his luck, all his mettle, and all his unwillingness!

In the face of this absolute gap in strength, any resistance, defense, or even hesitation would only bring about a more cruel and rapid destruction!

He was not a hot-blooded, impulsive youth; he was Han Li! He was Han Li, who had struggled on the edge of countless life-and-death situations and deeply understood the principle of "As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood"!

The humiliation of today was like a poisonous snake biting his heart; he had noted it down!

It was deeply carved into his marrow and Soul!

But he had to live. Only by living would there be a future, and only by living would there be a chance to return this humiliation tenfold, hundredfold!

"Hoo..."

Han Li, with extreme slowness and extreme difficulty, exhaled the foul Qi in his chest that was almost about to explode.

He released his fists, which had been clenched until his knuckles turned white, letting the sharp pain and stickiness in his palms remind him of his current powerlessness.

He slowly lifted his head. All the anger, unwillingness, and killing intent on his face had been completely restrained the moment he looked up, leaving only a numbness that was almost calm and a resignation that was almost dull. He avoided Savage Beard's mocking gaze, lowered his eyes, and stood up silently.

His movements were stiff but exceptionally steady. There was not a shred of trembling, nor a shred of hesitation.

Then, under Savage Beard's gaze, which carried a cruel smile, and amidst the sympathetic, disdainful, schadenfreude-filled, or indifferent gazes of all the Cultivators, Han Li leapt lightly. Like a weightless falling leaf, he drifted silently down from the top of the jade pillar, which was several zhang high.

He landed without a sound.

He did not even look at the jade pillar he had just "yielded," nor did he look at Savage Beard, who stood like a mountain beneath the pillar, letting out triumphant, wild laughter.

He only lowered his head, his face livid, his lips pressed into a bloodless straight line, and walked silently, step by step, toward the most remote and inconspicuous corner of the hall. His pace was neither fast nor slow, and his back, under the focus of countless gazes, appeared exceptionally thin and lonely, yet carried an indescribable tenacity.

"Hahahaha!!!"

Savage Beard's smug and unbridled wild laughter exploded like a volcanic eruption the moment he stepped onto the top of that jade pillar!

The laughter was rough, arrogant, and filled with the pleasure of conquest and bullying. It echoed and clashed wildly in the spacious hall, irritating everyone's eardrums, and also struck like a whip against Han Li's heart, which appeared calm on the surface but was already bleeding profusely.

"Consider yourself sensible, kid! Hahaha! This pillar belongs to me!"

Savage Beard slapped the jade pillar, which was harder than iron, with his fan-sized hand, producing a "thud-thud" muffled sound, as if asserting his sovereignty.

His copper-bell eyes swept across the entire venue, lingering for an extra moment especially on those Core Formation Cultivators who had previously shown fear toward him, his look of disdain growing even stronger.

Han Li did not stop his pace, as if he had not heard that grating laughter.

He walked to a corner, found an open space near the cold stone wall where the light was dim, sat down cross-legged silently, and closed his eyes again.

It was as if he wanted to completely merge himself into the shadows and dust, isolating himself from the world.

Only his chest, which rose and fell slightly but exceptionally slowly, and his fists, which remained tightly clenched beneath his sleeves with nails dug deep, revealed the raging waves within his heart that were far from subsiding.

Lu Qiu had taken in this entire scene from beginning to end. He sat on his own jade pillar, his expression calm, as if he had only watched a farce that had nothing to do with him.

However, deep within his eyes, which were as deep as an ancient well, a trace of bone-chilling coldness that was almost enough to freeze the Soul flashed and vanished.

He did not make a move.

To make a move now would be unwise and unnecessary.

For Han Li, to clash head-on with Savage Beard, this Middle Stage Body Cultivator of the Nascent Soul, expose his strength, and disrupt his own plans was not worth it.

However, this did not hinder the killing intent that already existed in Lu Qiu's heart; it was as if boiling oil had been poured onto it, causing it to rise explosively, becoming more intense and more concentrated!

"Savage Beard..." Lu Qiu silently recited this name in his heart, as if engraving a mark of certain death.

"Inside the Void Heaven Palace, there are countless Opportunities, but also hidden dangers at every turn, with life and death hanging by a thread... I will always find a chance."

Lu Qiu slowly closed his eyes, pressing the boiling killing intent in his heart, bit by bit, into the deepest part of his heart, like a frozen volcano, waiting for the most suitable moment to erupt.