One of the Yakshas wore an odd expression and said, “How strange! From their smell, they should be two of the humans that our king detected earlier. Those fellows are useless. They can’t even handle such an easy task.”
The Yaksha that spoke was the one that cleaved the mountain, Meng Xiang. It was unknown why he was here.
The other Yaksha chuckled and said, “Indestructible King, there is a spirit magnet nearby. They were able to fly underground without being affected. Please don’t blade your subordinates.”
The first Yaksha king snorted and raised his hand, producing a cloud of crimson light from his hand. “That still isn’t a reason to let these two escape. When I return, I will have to properly punish them. You two must have some skill to be able to make it this far, but your lives end here.”
Han Li’s and Lady Xiao’s expression greatly changed.
With a ring of thunder and gust of wind, a rainbow phoenix phantom and an azure bird phantom appeared from Han Li’s back. They flashed and turned into a pair of crystalline wings.
As for Lady Xiao, her small rainbow boat shouted, unfolding as it turned into a five-headed wyrm. The rainbow wyrm bared its fangs in a menacing appearance.
When the other Yaksha saw Han Li’s and Lady Xiao’s abilities, his eyes lit up and he called out to his companion, “Indestructible King, wait! These humans appear to be unordinary cultivators. That person seems to have the true phantoms of a Heavenly Phoenix and a Kun Peng. The other one seems to have a True Dragon variant, the sliver of the soul of a rainbow wyrm. How surprising.”
“Chakravarti, what are you saying? Could it be you want me to let them go? And I am not fond of being called by my t.i.tle. Call me by my name!” The first Yaksha frowned. Although the crimson light faded from his hand, he turned his head and wore a displeased expression.
“Hehe, that was only something I overlooked. Esteemed Meng Xiang, why must we quarrel endlessly on this matter? Why don’t we make use of these two for a gamble?” The Yaksha named Chakravarti chuckled.
“A gamble? On what?” Meng Xiang’s expression stirred, guessing what his companion meant.
“It’s quite simple. Let’s settle our previous dispute on a gamble. We’ll act separately to kill them. Whoever is successful will determine the winner.” Chakravarti sinisterly smiled.
Meng Xiang coldly asked, “Hmph, two trifling Deity Transformation cultivators? They’ll die in a single strike. How do we determine the winner?”
With a plan in mind, Chakravarti said, “They aren’t common Deity Transformation cultivators. Furthermore, we won’t personally attack them. Why don’t we release our demented minions to attack them? We’ll bet on how they deal with the humans.”
Meng Xiang’s expression wavered for a moment. After finding the conditions acceptable, he agreed, “Demented minions... Fine, let’s have it your way! Could it be that you fear that you’ll be outdone?”
“Hehe, very good.” Chakravarti widely smiled and turned to the humans, sternly saying, “You humans heard us. Don’t say that we were bullying you. We’re giving you a chance at life. We’ll first let you go for five hundred kilometers. Then we’ll release our demented minions to pursue you. Take note that you had best not separate. If you separate more than fifty kilometers from one another, we will personally hunt you.”
“Five hundred kilometers?” Han Li stroked his transparent wings with a calm expression.
Chakravarti coldly said, “That’s right. If you don’t arrive in the time it takes to burn an incense stick, we’ll release our demented servants regardless. Don’t think about getting lucky.”
Han Li’s eye twitched and he glanced at the nearby Lady Xiao. The woman forced a smile and her complexion slightly improved. The lovely smile complimented her dainty appearance.
“Right, Fellow Daoist Xiao, let’s go!” After a moment of silence, his wings suddenly stirred and he disappeared into s.p.a.ce. A moment later, he strangely warped three hundred meters away. Afterwards, Lady Xiao appeared at his side in the silent blur. She was riding the huge five-headed wyrm.
As Han Li smoothly used his teleportation ability to its perfection, the two Yakshas exchanged a glance. A brief moment of surprise appeared on their face but quickly disappeared
Lady Xiao was similarly astonished and wore an expression of joy.
Since they were both fleeing for their lives, they had a greater chance of success given Han Li’s astonis.h.i.+ng ability.
Without needing a single word, she stepped on the five-headed wyrm.
The wyrm moved its head back and forth, immediately wrapping the two in a rainbow mist. Then, they shot away at an astonis.h.i.+ng speed. Several blinks later, they disappeared from the horizon.
The two Yaksha Kings stood still in place. They emotionlessly looked at the two cultivators making their escape as if holding complete confidence in their so-called demented minions.
Lady Xiao promptly commanded the rainbow light at a speed that would allow them to reach five hundred kilometers in nearly an instant.
But since the two Yakshas gave them the time of an incense stick burning, when they arrived fifty kilometers away, the woman slowed them down. Afterwards, she slapped her waist and summoned a snow-white jade pendant, turning into a white mist that covered them.
“This white light pendant is condensed from the utmost Yang energy. Even those Body Integration stage Yaksha Kings won’t be able to eavesdrop. We can talk here.” Lady Xiao gave a quick explanation, betraying worry from her face.
“What do you want to say? I fear we have a slim chance at surviving.” Han Li’s lip twitched and he wryly laughed.
Lady Xiao’s gaze flickered and she hesitantly asked, “Are you able to sense the approximate strength of the Yaksha Kings?”
Han Li clearly explained, “At the very least, they’re equivalent to our Body Integration cultivators. Although we aren’t capable of examining their exact strength, compared to the silver-tier wood spirit I’ve seen before, I sense that these two Yaksha are much more powerful. I fear they are unordinary existences.”
Lady Xiao cried out in alarm, “You mean, they are possibly greater Yaksha Kings?”
“Even if it isn’t the case, I fear they are absolutely close to it.” Han Li wasn’t completely certain, but even so, Lady Xiao wore a difficult expression.
Han Li then asked, “Does Fellow Daoist Xiao know what demented minions are? They seem to hold confidence in them.”
“I heard my sect elders mention them. They are half-ghost half-demon beings that are nurtured by Yakshas once they become a king-tier existence. Normally, the Yaksha Kings feed them their own blood essence, giving them a portion of the Yaksha King’s true strength. Furthermore, their breeds differ as well. They have anywhere from a tenth to a third of a Yaksha King’s abilities. They are incredibly fearsome. That is why if they are greater Yaksha Kings, I fear we don’t stand a chance.” Lady Xiao gritted her teeth.
Han Li’s expression wavered when he heard this.
Lady Xiao quietly said, “As the matter stands, we’d best quickly give an explanation of our abilities to each other and join together to deal with the enemy.”
“What? Could Lady Xiao plan on staking it all against these demented minions?” Han Li asked with a frown.
Lady Xiao paused, “If we can’t repel them, how will we escape?”
Han Li took a deep breath and gloomily answered, “Didn’t Fellow Daoist hear what the Yaksha Kings said? If the demented minions pursue us, it would be better than if we defeat their minions and force them to personally attack. They didn’t promise us anything. They are only making a gamble with our lives.”
When she heard this, her expression changed. She clearly hadn’t thought about it.
“Then what do you have planned?” Lady Xiao looked at Han Li with bright eyes and asked with a serious tone.
Han Li curled his lips and sullenly said, “I have nothing. I only plan on taking it a step at a time. If the demented minions are as fearsome as you say, we won’t be able to deal with them. Even if we can’t fight them we can still escape. Still, how will we escape the attention of the two Yaksha Kings? Unless our cultivation suddenly surged countless times to the point of entering Body Integration, it wouldn’t be possible. Perhaps if we immediately use a nearby teleportation formation and use it to travel myriad kilometers away, we’d be able to escape them.”
When she heard Han Li, an odd expression appeared on her face.
Han Li sighed and muttered, “However, we should use your suggestion and exchange details of our abilities. Whether we choose to fight them or not, we’ll stand a better chance at surviving either way.
Lady Xiao could only give a wry smile and soon after, she began to introduce her own abilities and treasures.
After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the two of them reached the five hundred meter mark despite their slow speed.
At that moment, a large distance away, two wolf-like howls shook the sky.