"Scram!" The Yue Emperor's voice was icy.
Then, a ball of blood-red light spun rapidly around the group of puppets, let out a long howl, and swiftly chased after Han Li and the others. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared without a trace.
A moment later, the motionless puppets suddenly split apart and fell from the sky, each dismembered, none remaining intact.
Above the formation Han Li had set up, he sensed everything clearly through his divine sense. Besides feeling regretful, he didn't hesitate to signal the others and then plunged straight into the small bamboo forest below.
As Han Li and the others plummeted downwards, the Yue Emperor, somewhat obstructed by the puppets, swiftly caught up. Naturally, he observed Han Li's entry into the bamboo forest with perfect clarity. This unexpected turn of events both puzzled and delighted him.
From above the bamboo forest, seeing that Han Li and the others showed no signs of emerging from the woods, the Yue Emperor smirked and waved his hands. A portion of the blood-red light on his body forcibly separated.
"It seems these people had other plans when they fled here. They've set up a formation!" The Yue Emperor thought with annoyance.
"But it doesn't matter. A hastily arranged formation can't be that formidable. I'll just break the formation and capture them all together! I won't let these people escape from the imperial city." The Yue Emperor thought ruthlessly.
Once he made up his mind, he didn't hesitate to cast a spell, activating his secret technique.
The blood-red radiance, now suspended in mid-air, emitted a dazzling light and halted its descent.
But not stopping there, the Yue Emperor lightly traced his finger across his body, causing another chunk of blood-red light, no smaller than before, to shoot downward. In an instant, it merged with the first chunk.
The entire blood-red light curtain became even redder, exuding a faint bloody aura, nauseating to anyone who caught a whiff of it.
Seeing this scene, the Yue Emperor showed a satisfied smile as he continued to manipulate his hands, consecutively launching various spells, each blending into the one below.
The blood curtain began to ripple with the injection of spells, surging outward and enveloping the entire bamboo forest. The deep red light oppressed everything beneath, while the green and white light inside resisted desperately, as if on the verge of being overwhelmed.
Seeing this scene, the Yue Emperor finally relaxed.
For him at this moment, exterminating Han Li and the others was only a matter of time. These people were trapped and could only meet their doom. It was the aftermath that required some decisive action.
"It seems the Emperor of the Yue Kingdom can't continue like this. He can only start anew, under a different name!" The Yue Emperor thought regretfully.
While the Yue Emperor pondered his next move in the air, Song Meng and the others in the bamboo forest were extremely tense.
When they heard Han Li's message to retreat and trust him to protect their lives, they all followed suit without hesitation, trusting in Han Li's abilities. But they never expected to end up in this unknown bamboo forest, completely trapped.
Although the forest seemed to be protected by a defensive array, it was now surrounded on all sides by the enemy's blood-red light. The array was on the verge of collapse, with the danger of breaking at any moment. How could they not be filled with shock and anger?
"Han Junior Brother, is this your backup plan?" Song Meng asked incredulously.
"Yes, any problem?" Han Li looked up at the situation above, speaking calmly without turning his head.
Song Meng's face turned pale, while Zhu Weiniang and Chen Qiaoqian, who had lost her dual cultivation partner, looked equally distressed.
Only Chen Qiaoqian, after glancing at Han Li's calm face, flashed a pensive look in her eyes.
"Han Li, if you have other means, please speak up. Don't leave us in the dark! I believe with your abilities, you must have more than one trick up your sleeve!" Chen Qiaoqian suddenly spoke calmly.
After hearing this, the other three were stunned, then looked at Han Li with renewed vigor. It seemed they also believed that Han Li, who had shown such cautious thinking in previous battles, couldn't have resorted to such a foolish plan.
Surprised by the unexpected question, Han Li lowered his head slightly and gave the others a faint smile.
"Don't worry, since I brought you all here, I naturally have a plan." He said confidently, then reached into his storage pouch and retrieved a small flag with a blue-purple color. Covered in densely packed symbols and runes, it was obviously not an ordinary artifact.
"Is this a formation flag?" Zhu Weiniang exclaimed in surprise.
Formation flags and plates were rarely seen in the Yue Kingdom.
"Sister Zhu is truly knowledgeable!" Han Li praised Seventh Senior Sister and tacitly accepted her words.
This surprised Song Meng and the others, boosting their confidence slightly. It seemed that Junior Brother Han indeed had other preparations.
Under everyone's gaze, Han Li
held the flag in the middle of his hands, and with a slight movement, the small formation flag instantly expanded several times in size, emitting a faint blue-purple light.
Han Li held the formation flag horizontally in his hands, reciting a few incantations before loudly shouting, "Go!"
The blue-purple formation flag shot out like an arrow, disappearing from view.
Han Li then took out three more identical formation flags from his storage pouch, using the same method to send them in different directions, concealing them from sight.
After completing all this, Han Li coldly glanced at the sky, where he now held a light yellow formation plate in his hand.
This unremarkable plate emitted no light, but Han Li held it solemnly, raising it above his head, then gently shook it.
A thick yellow pillar of light shot up into the sky, directly hitting the green and white light barrier.
Almost simultaneously, four other colored pillars of light, gold, blue, red, and green, shot out from different directions, all piercing into the barrier.
The originally precarious green and white light barrier instantly stabilized under the influence of these five colored pillars. A faint tidal sound emanated from it, gradually growing louder and faster, resembling endless thunder converging overhead, shaking people's souls and leaving them unable to control themselves.
The green and white protective barrier gradually changed color, turning into a five-colored glow. Despite the red light outside shaking and colliding, the glow stood firm like a reef in a stormy sea, unmoved.
Seeing this scene, Song Meng and the others relaxed, realizing that the formation set up by Han Li was far from simple. It seemed that survival was no longer an issue.
Above, witnessing the unusual change in the formation, the Yue Emperor, after several attempts to break through, felt that things were not going well.
His face, initially filled with astonishment, now bore a look of fear.
Seeing this scene, Han Li sneered, while Song Meng and the others stared in disbelief. Zhu Weiniang was so surprised that she clenched her fists tightly, not even feeling the long nails cutting into her skin, blood trickling down unnoticed. As for Chen Qiaoqian, her face, unexpectedly, displayed a complex array of emotions.
Han Li didn't have time to explain the secrets of the "Inverted Five Elements Formation" to these people. Instead, he released the white phosphorous shield and tortoise shell artifact from his storage pouch, surrounding himself. With a deep voice, he said:
"Everyone, if you have talismans, now is the time to use them. We'll attack together and take down this person! Since we're trapped in this formation, he won't be able to escape anytime soon!"
Han Li's words brimmed with confidence!
