After Zhang Yan rushed out of the cloud-covered area, he retrieved the "Harmony Carrying Pure Cover" above his head, fused the Xuan Guang Seed into the sword ball, and activated his tunneling light, flashing out and soaring into the sky once again.
He halted mid-air, flicked his robe sleeve, and sent the Heart-Hitting Hammer smashing directly at the cultivator holding the Cloud Filling Bowl.
The cultivator hadn’t expected Zhang Yan, who had just been trapped amidst layers of encirclement, to appear right before him in the blink of an eye. Seeing a large hammer radiating red light hurtling toward him, he instantly recognized it as a Dharma Treasure. There was no time to dodge, so he hastily raised the Cloud Filling Bowl to block.
With a loud "clang," a tremendous force struck, causing the Cloud Filling Bowl to fly from his grasp.
Zhang Yan’s eyes gleamed briefly. With two fingers extended forward, the Star Sword Ball followed closely behind, aiming to strike.
The cultivator saw the incoming attack, screamed in terror, "Senior Brother..."
Before he could finish the sentence, a streak of blue light flashed across his throat, and his head separated from his body, plummeting from the sky.
Zhang Yan flew past the corpse, sweeping his sleeve to scatter its Primordial Spirit. Then, he reached out to catch the fallen Cloud Filling Bowl and tossed it into his Qiankun Bag. With an indifferent expression, he remarked, "Your senior brother can’t even save himself, let alone you."
With that said, he slowly lifted his gaze upward.
Though his demeanor appeared calm and detached, Han Quande, who was positioned above, felt chills run through his heart. Even his hand gripping the Purple Star River Moon Net trembled slightly.
The battle with Zhang Yan hadn’t even lasted an entire moment, yet their side had already lost two cultivators. Han Quande realized the situation was dire. Fear sprouted in his heart as he resolved to escape. With a flick of his rope, a dazzling cloud of multicolored light spread out to provide cover as he turned and fled.
Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Yan’s lips curled into a faintly mocking smile. He stretched out his hand, and the Wind and Thunder Fork lying on the ground was pulled into his grasp. He casually threw it into his Sleeve Bag before activating his tunneling light to pursue.
His speed was exceptional, catching up within mere seconds.
Han Quande cursed inwardly; fighting against a cultivator proficient in sword balls was the worst. Such cultivators, aided by an exceptional sword ball, could move swiftly—arriving and departing with ease. Meanwhile, he had to be vigilant at all times, for one lapse in caution could cost him his life.
Understanding the danger, Han Quande dared not turn his back to Zhang Yan. He quickly stopped, frantically shaking the rope to generate patches of colorful cloud light that surrounded him entirely. At this point, he no longer sought victory, only survival.
As Zhang Yan approached, he withdrew his sword light and revealed himself. Observing the scene before him, he let out a cold laugh, formed a spell with his fingers, and sent the Star Sword Ball leaping into the air to slash downward. Meanwhile, the Ruyi Divine Shuttle orbited under his command and darted toward Han Quande’s back.
After battling several opponents in succession, Zhang Yan had become adept at coordinating these two items, enabling attacks from multiple directions.
For a time, a streak of blue light and a streak of green light circled Han Quande relentlessly, forcing him to exert every effort to activate the Purple Star River Moon Net in defense.
Though Han Quande appeared utterly disheveled, neither the Ruyi Divine Shuttle nor the Star Sword Ball could penetrate the radiant cloud ribbon. Whenever they touched it, they were either gently bounced away or momentarily slowed.
Enshrouded by the cloud light, Han Quande shouted, "Zhang Yan, we bear no true grudges. Why must you press me so relentlessly? Let me go, and I will surely remember your kindness; there will be repayment in the future. Otherwise, I’ll fight you to the end today—let’s see what you can do to me!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yan laughed dismissively, "You really think I have no way to deal with you?"
He stretched out his hand, summoning the Ruyi Divine Shuttle back to him. Then, he activated the "Harmony Carrying Cover" overhead, immediately invoking a beam of light to shield himself. He took a step forward and charged straight into the dense cloud light.
With a thunderous "boom," the cloud light scattered, clearing the view entirely. Han Quande’s face was filled with horror and despair, but before he could react, a streak of blue light flashed, and with a sharp "shhh," his head flew high into the air, his life abruptly ended.
Zhang Yan waved his hand, sending the Star Sword Ball to twist and grind, obliterating Han Quande’s Primordial Spirit and corpse alike.
Forming a spell, Zhang Yan recalled the sword ball. Casting his gaze upward, he spotted the slowly descending Purple Star River Moon Net. He stepped forward, seized it in his hand, and examined it closely, murmuring, "This item seems suitable for female cultivators. I’ve got plenty of treasures now; I might as well bring this back and gift it to Luo Daoist."
Just then, he sensed a disturbance and turned his gaze into the distance, where light flickered faintly. Clearly, a cultivator was approaching aboard a Flying Boat or another kind of Magic Artifact.