Threads of red and azure lights began to emerge from all over the hall and followed after the silver soundwaves, engulfing the icy woman at their center.

In the face of these oncoming attacks, the woman simply pointed to her two swords. Black and white light flashed from the swords as they easily spun once in the air, instantly releasing a wave of glacial and scorching Qi. With the white icy Qi on the outside, and the black scorching Qi on the inside, they conformed into a strange barrier of light around the woman.

When the sound waves struck the barrier, they were entirely absorbed without a trace. But soon after, the red and azure lights from the hall’s restrictions managed to envelop the barrier.

Nangong Wan took action at that moment. In a burst of flame, the Vermillion Bird Band turned into a huge fireball and suddenly exuded a vast pressure. Then with a casual wave of hand, a dim scarlet light flashed from her hand and she vanished from sight. Were it not for Han Li’s vast spiritual sense, he wouldn’t have been seen through Nangong Wan’s sneak attack.

Following a muffled hum, the dim light suddenly revealed it in a colorful burst.

“To think that you would use a Devilslaying Thorn to injure me!” she cried, her face contorted with a mixture of fury and alarm. “Well done. I had always thought that Junior Martial Sister had used all of them. I hadn’t expected that you managed to preserve one.”

The woman appeared to have somehow suffered a heavy blow but her vitality still held strong. Han Li knew that she had merely suffered a minor injury and that Nangong Wan simply intended to interrupt the icy woman’s use of the restriction medallion.

After Han Li activated the restrictions in the hall, he flipped his hand and the pitch-black Thousand Layer Mountain in his hand. He tossed it into the air and quickly struck the mountain with quickly formed spell seals.

Appearing momentarily trapped by the restrictions, the Vermillion Bird Band shot towards the icy woman as a ball of flames. But in that instant, eight ferocious arm-thick flame pythons became entangled with it. A roaring sea of flames soon appeared in the hall.

At that point, the mountain had expanded to twenty meters in height. Just as Han Li was about to command the treasure, he saw a bowl-thick beam of rainbow light shoot out from the sea of flames. Be it flame or light, anything that was struck by the beam of light was unable to resist it.

A series of clanks suddenly rang out, and the beam of light abruptly stopped on the spiralling Vermilion Band Ring, completely locking it down.

‘The Light Stasis Mirror!’ Han Li narrowed his eyes with a solemn expression.

Before the woman arrived, Nangong Wan gave Han Li a general explanation of her Senior Martial Sister’s techniques and treasures to Han Li, allowing more opportunities for Han Li to strike her. The Light Stasis Mirror was the ancient treasure that Nangong Wan had mentioned the most amongst her Senior Martial Sister’s treasures. It was also among the most fantastical of them.

The Azure Stasis Mirror that Han Li saw during the Trial by Blood and Fire was most likely a replica of this ancient treasure. Although it only possessed a hundredth of its power, the magic tool was still renowned amongst low-grade cultivators as a magic tool that was amongst the best.

The azure restrictions and the flames had been thrown into chaos by the light beam’s overwhelming power, rendering them completely ineffective. As a result, the icy woman re-appeared once more. Within her black-white barriers, she held a mirror in one hand and formed an incantation gesture with the other.

Han Li’s gaze flickered and fell onto the famous mirror that was in her hand.

The mirror wasn’t large and appeared the same as the Azure Statis Mirror. However, its body shone with a pitch-black light that left a deeply eerie impression on those who saw it. As for the rainbow beam of light that it emitted, it created such a harsh contrast it made for a bizarre sight.

The hand that formed an incantation gesture was bloodstained, and the restriction medallion that it originally held had disappeared without a trace. It was truly unfathomable how she was injured through the barrier.

‘This Devilslaying Thorn is quite effective!’

With Nangong Wan’s bonded magic treasure restrained by the mirror, Han Li wasn’t about idly stand by. He silently pointed to the black mountain, and had it disappear with a faint tremble. A short moment later, it re-appeared above the icy woman and began to fall with tremendous momentum.

The woman scoffed and slightly adjusted the direction of her Light Stasis Mirror while striking it with a spell seal from her free hand. Suddenly, the existing beam of light faintly trembled and a slimmer branching beam shot out form the mirror towards the black mountain. Surpassing the speed of sound, the beam pierced through the air in an attempt to restrain the falling black mountain.

Already prepared that he wouldn’t be able to easily succeed, he clutched his hands together in a incantation gesture without further thought. The falling black mountain suddenly stopped in the air and revolved once before expelling a large cloud of black light from underneath it, just in time to interrupt the beam of light before it struck.

The black cloud of light engulfed the beam of rainbow light as soon as it had appeared, flowed down to strike the icy woman’s barrier. The black layer of the barrier trembled and began to throw her body’s spiritual Qi into disarray, nearly causing the beams of light from the mirror to scatter.

The woman’s silhouette grew dim from behind the barrier of light and her expression faintly changed. She opened her mouth and spat out a mist of azure Qi onto the mirror without further thought. With the reinforced power, the rainbow light dissipated into a mist and stopped the black mountain and its aura from descending further.

The confrontation between the two forces eventually resulted in a series of muffled explosions.

Nangong Wan’s spirits were roused by the sight of the deadlock, and she suddenly willed the restricted Vermillion Bird Ring to vastly fluctuate in size. It screamed with phoenix cries as it attempted its utmost to break free.

For a time, the two joined hands to withstand Nangong Wan’s Senior Martial Sister.

Of course, the three weren’t simply maintaining this deadlock; they were also observing each other’s actions.

Han Li was the first to move, slapping at his waist and summoning a spirit beast pouch. With a loud buzz, countless sparkling golden beetles surged through the air and formed a malevolent golden cloud.

Nangong Wan followed by uttering an incantation in the cadence of an otherworldly song. A huge scarlet barrier suddenly appeared a meter above her head. The barrier glowed with fluid light that gradually grew intensively bright.

The icy woman suddenly tossed the mirror in her hand above her and slapped her hands together, summoning a small triangular flag into her grasp. Despite her preparations, she still gloomily said, “Divine Incarnation Light! Junior Martial Nangong, you truly aren’t holding back! You dare to use this!”

Although she found the golden insect swarm to be somewhat strange, she paid them little heed. She was clearly unfamiliar with the Gold Devouring Beetles.

Wearing a faint smile on her face, Nangong Wan said, “If Senior Martial Sister doesn’t wish to fight with her life on the line, then hand over the Contraining Heart Restriction Medallion and leave us be.”

The icy woman snorted and malicious intent appeared on her face. She then opened her mouth and spat out a small blood-red sword.

The sword was only several inches long but its body glistened with blinding red light and a thread of black Qi faintly wandered around the sword’s body. As soon as the sword appeared, the sword began to tremble of its own volition, filling the air in the hall with the scent of blood.

The smile disappeared from Nangong Wan’s face with the appearance of the small crimson sword and she icily stared at her senior martial sister, “Blood Devil Sword! Since when did you acquire that evil treasure? Are you not scared of the devilish Qi backlash?”

“Backlash? Have no worry. With this artifact, I will defeat you so quickly there won’t be any opportunity for any devilish Qi backlash. But now, I will ask you one last time. Are you truly unwilling to marry Wei Lichen for the prosperity of the sect?

If you are still unwilling, I will have the Blood Devil Sword go mad. I am not entirely confident of my ability to restrain its power. Do not blame me for not warning you.” The icy woman’s voice was brimming with certainty.

Han Li glanced at the Blood Devil Saber without much care and calmly said, “There is no need for you to ask any questions. Even if Wan’er was willing to sacrifice herself for the Masked Moon Sect, I would not allow it. You will cease this foolishness!”

“And who are you? It seems your cultivation and abilities aren't weak, but I don’t recall a Nascent Soul that compares with your description. Could it be you are a newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator? But to call her in such a sappy manner as Wan’er? You must’ve be the reason she had been unwilling to marry Wei Lichen all along.” With a cold glint shining for her eyes, Nangong Wan’s Senior Martial Sister stared at Han Li with murderous intent.