Chapter 147: Intercepting the Spoils

At the same time, a streak of azure light was flying rapidly into the distance, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Inside the streak of light was the square-faced man, who was fleeing with a panicked look on his face.

Han Li hadn't even withdrawn his fist before he vanished on the spot amid a flash of silver lightning.

Several resounding booms rang out from the horizon, and dazzling silver light flashed several times in the distance before peace and quiet returned. The streak of crimson light had also vanished, indicating that the square-faced man had been disposed of as well.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuqing was looking on with her eyes wide with shock, seemingly still yet to comprehend just how quickly and drastically the situation had turned.

A few seconds later, a streak of azure light returned, then faded to reveal Han Li.

Lu Yuqing cast her gaze toward the rather unremarkable-looking Han Li with a complex look on her face, and it seemed that she didn't know what to say.

"Let's go, Young Mistress Lu. Your father is waiting for you," Han Li said.

Lu Yuqing turned her gaze to Red Moon Island in silence, and it seemed that she was still a little reluctant to leave.

"Those two may not be the only Azure Feather Island cultivators in this area. As for the matter regarding your brother, I'm sure your father will look into it," Han Li said.

"How do you know about that?" Lu Yuqing asked with a surprised expression.

"Your father already told us everything before we set off to search for you," Han Li explained.

"We?" Lu Yuqing asked.

"Aside from myself, there are around a dozen other fellow daoists searching for you. I was just lucky that I happened to be nearby. Your father has gone to great lengths to ensure your safe return," Han Li explained.

"Alright, I'll go back with you," Lu Yuqing sighed in a slightly dejected manner.

……

In the sky above the boundless sea, two streaks of light were flying through the air alongside one another at an incredible speed, covering hundreds of kilometers in an instant.

Within the two streaks of light were a man and a woman, and they were none other than Han Li and Lu Yuqing.

Lu Yuqing's face was slightly pale, and she took a glance at Han Li, who was flying slightly ahead of her, seemingly wanting to say something.

Han Li's gaze remained fixed on the sky ahead, but he consoled, "Rest assured, we'll be reaching One Pine Island soon, and there's a teleportation array on the island that'll take us to a place near Black Wind Island."

"Thank you, Brother Liu," Lu Yuqing replied with a nod.

She had sustained some injuries earlier, and even though she had taken some pills to improve her condition, the past few days of rigorous travel had taken a toll on her.

Han Li merely waved a hand in response and didn't say anything.

He didn't have any suitable flying treasures that could carry both of them, so he had been traveling below his top speed this entire time in order to ensure that Lu Yaqing could keep up.

A short while later, right as the two of them were flying over a cluster of islands, Han Li's brows suddenly furrowed slightly, and he drew to a halt as he said, "Hold on a second."

Lu Yuqing was rather taken aback by this sudden stop, and she was just about to ask a question when she spotted three streaks of light hurtling rapidly toward them from the distant sky.

An alarmed look appeared on her face, but she could see that Han Li was still quite calm and composed, and that instilled within her a sense of confidence and security.

The three streaks of light drew to a halt several thousand feet away, then faded to reveal two men and a woman.

The trio was led by a burly man, followed by a young woman with a black veil over her face, and a thin young man.

It was none other than the Three Scourges of Splendid Mountain.

An elated look appeared on the First Scourge's face at the sight of Lu Yuqing, and he smiled as he said, "Thanks for your hard work, Fellow Daoist. You can hand over Young Mistress Lu to us now, and we'll make sure to keep her safe the rest of the way back to Black Wind Island."

"What's the meaning of this?" Han Li asked.

"If you know what's good for you, then you won't ask any questions. While we're still in a good and merciful mood, piss off!" the thin young man chuckled.

"I understand that the reward for the mission is very alluring, but it won't do you any good if you're dead," the young woman said in a meaningful voice.

Han Li raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and he said in a cold voice, "I am the one who found Young Mistress Lu. Don't you think you're going too far here?"

A cold look appeared on the First Scourge's face, and he chuckled, "Now that you mention it, you're right. In that case, you can stay here, and we'll send you on your way."

Han Li's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, but Lu Yuqing decided to step forward after a moment of hesitation.

"There's no need to escalate this into a physical conflict. There may still be unforeseen danger on the rest of the way back to Black Wind City, so why don't you all work together? Once we get back, I'll be sure to ask my father to reward all of you equally," Lu Yuqing said.

A hesitant look appeared on the First Scourge's face upon hearing this, and he seemed to be considering this option.

The veiled young woman remained silent, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Right as Lu Yaqing thought that a peaceful resolution could be reached, a sly look suddenly appeared on the thin young man's face as he said, "The promised reward is quite a handsome one, but it's still a finite reward, so the fewer people we have to share it with, the better."

A hint of killing intent flashed through the First Scourge's eyes upon hearing this.

Han Li stroked his chin with a contemplative look on his face.

Right at this moment, Lu Yuqing's voice rang out in Han Li's mind. "Brother Liu, it seems like the safest course of action for you is to leave for now. Once I return to Black Wind Island, I'll inform my father of what happened."

"The mission released by Island Master Lu only requires your safe return, there's no requirement on who takes you back to him, so even if they kill me and take you back to Black Wind Island, they'll have completed the mission. Besides, your father isn't going to punish them for the sake of a stranger like me," Han Li said as he turned to Lu Yuqing with a faint smile.

Lu Yuqing was stumped upon hearing this, and it was clear that she hadn't considered this.

"Besides, they never intended to let me go to begin with, isn't that right?" Han Li asked as he turned to the three scourges.

The First Scourge did away with his hesitant facade upon hearing this, and he admitted, "We didn't want to get violent in front of Young Mistress Lu, but it looks like it can't be helped."

A cold look appeared on Lu Yuqing's face upon hearing this, and she took a step forward, placing herself in front of Han Li as she declared, "I owe Brother Liu my life, so if you want to kill him, then you'll have to get through me first."

The three scourges were rather surprised to hear this, and Han Li was also slightly moved by her courageous gesture.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I don't have a habit of hiding behind women," Han Li said as he gently laid a hand onto her shoulder and stepped around from behind her.

As soon as his voice trailed off, he abruptly vanished from the spot.

In the next instant, a burst of silver lightning erupted behind the thin young man, followed by a resounding explosion.

A net of silver lightning that was over 1,000 feet wide instantly unfurled. Countless thin arcs of lightning shot forth in all directions, while a blurry azure shadow flew out from within.

An agonized howl rang out from within the lightning, and a humanoid figure that was completely encased in black ice crystals fell out of the silver light toward the First Scourge.

The burly man and the veiled young woman were both quite alarmed to see this, clearly not expecting Han Li to be so fast and strike so decisively.

In the blink of an eye, he had already struck down the thin young man.

Lu Yuqing was greatly startled by this abrupt turn of events, and she was completely rooted to the spot. However, she then thought of the power that Han Li had displayed earlier, and she was feeling a bit more reassured.

The sound of cracking ice crystals rang out, and the thin young man reappeared. His robes were in tatters, his skin had been charred black, and there was black smoke rising up from the top of his head, presenting a very sorry sight to behold.

The man quickly swallowed a pill as he spat through gritted teeth, "Make sure you don't kill him too easily! I'm going to peel off his skin and use it for a new drum!"

He then swept a hand through the air, and a large black drum appeared in front of him amid a flash of black light.

It was a flat cylindrical drum with a layer of waxy yellow skin draped over the outside, and at first glance, there didn't appear to be anything remarkable about it, but upon closer inspection, one would discover some harrowing details.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

As it turned out, there was an old and wizened face on the side of the drum. Its mouth and eye sockets were all empty, and it resembled a complete set of facial skin that had been peeled straight off someone's body.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and he flipped a hand over to produce a black longsword, which he held in his grasp before slashing it at the thin young man.

Hundreds of dizzying black sword projections instantly appeared in the air before surging toward the thing young man like a series of crashing waves.

Right at this moment, a crisp clang rang out, and a burst of ripples that were invisible to the naked eye began to spread through the air, releasing bursts of gentle force that shattered the black sword projections one after another.

The First Scourge had positioned himself in front of the thin young man, and he was holding an antiquated black pot in one hand and a copper pestle with a strange beast head engraved on it in the other.

Meanwhile, the veiled young woman had also pulled out a white bone lute, and her fingers were gently gliding over the lute's black strings.