At the same time, a crimson streak of light sped away into the distance, disappearing in a flash.

Within the streak of light was another square-faced man, his face filled with panic.

Han Li didn't even retract his fist before a flash of silver lightning enveloped him, and he vanished from the spot.

Rumble!

Several loud noises came from the distant horizon, and dazzling light erupted there, flashing wildly a few times before returning to calm. The crimson streak of light that had been speeding away had also disappeared.

Not far away, Lu Yuqing's beautiful eyes widened as she took in the scene, seemingly unable to react to the rapid turn of events.

After a few breaths, a streak of azure light shot back, revealing Han Li's figure as it converged.

Lu Yuqing looked at Han Li, who had ordinary features and didn't seem particularly remarkable, with a complex expression on her face, as if she didn't know what to say.

"Miss Lu, your father is waiting for you. Let's go," Han Li said.

Lu Yuqing heard this and silently turned to look in the direction of Crimson Moon Island, her expression still hesitant.

"There are likely more than those two individuals from Qingyu Island in this area. As for your brother's matter, I believe your father will handle it," Han Li said slowly.

"How do you know..." Lu Yuqing's beautiful eyes widened.

"Before setting out to rescue you, your father had already told us about these things," Han Li explained.

"Us?" Lu Yuqing was taken aback.

"Besides myself, there are more than a dozen other Daoists searching for you, but Liu is simply fortunate enough to be nearby. Your father paid a considerable price to bring you back safely," Han Li said with a calm expression.

"Alright, I'll go back with you," Lu Yuqing sighed softly, speaking quietly.

...

Above an endless expanse of sea, two streaks of rainbow light traveled together, their speed reaching the extreme, covering hundreds of miles in an instant.

Within the light, the figures of a man and a woman were visible, one dressed in a green robe and the other in snow-white clothes, none other than Han Li and Lu Yuqing.

Lu Yuqing's face was slightly pale. She glanced sideways at Han Li, who was slightly ahead of her by half a body length, and seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

"Don't worry. We'll soon reach Wusong Island, where there's a teleportation array that leads back near Blackwind Island," Han Li said, offering words of comfort without looking at her.

"Okay... Thank you for your trouble, Brother Liu," the young woman nodded slightly.

She had already suffered some injuries earlier, and although she had taken pills to recuperate for a while, the continuous travel over the past few days had taken a toll, and she was starting to feel exhausted.

Han Li waved his hand, not saying much.

In fact, he had deliberately slowed down his flying speed to take care of her, as he didn't have any suitable flying treasure that could carry her along.

Just as the two had flown another thousand miles or so, barely passing over a group of islands, Han Li's brow furrowed slightly, and he stopped, uttering a low cry:

"Wait a moment."

Lu Yuqing's expression faltered, and she opened her mouth slightly, wanting to ask something.

However, before she could speak, three streaks of light suddenly appeared at the end of the horizon and sped towards them.

"This is..."

Lu Yuqing's face paled with shock. She was about to cry out when she saw that Han Li had unknowingly moved in front of her, blocking her, with a calm expression. She couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

The three streaks of light stopped hundreds of feet in front of them, and as the light converged, the figures of two men and one woman appeared.

The leader was a burly man, followed by a veiled woman and a gaunt youth.

These three were none other than the Shaoshan Three Fiends that Han Li had met in the Talisman Hall.

"Hehe, you've worked hard, Daoist friend. Hand over Miss Lu to us. We'll escort her safely back to Blackwind Island for the rest of the journey," the burly man said with a grin, his eyes falling on the white-clad woman behind Han Li, his face filled with undisguised joy.

"What do you mean, fellow Daoists?" Han Li asked with a calm expression, using a somewhat questioning tone.

"Kid, if you know what's good for you, don't ask so many questions. While we're still in a good mood, get out of this sea area immediately," the gaunt youth said with a sneer.

"Let me offer you a word of advice. Although Island Lord Lu's promised conditions are tempting, you have to be alive to claim them," the veiled woman said meaningfully.

"Miss Lu was found by me first. Don't you think you're going a bit too far, fellow Daoists?" Han Li raised his eyebrows slightly, speaking in a tone that was both mocking and questioning.

"Too far? Maybe a little... Since you've said so, then stay here together. We'll be responsible for sending you home," the burly man's face suddenly darkened, and he said in a cold voice, emphasizing the words "sending you home."

Hearing this, Han Li's expression didn't change at all. On the other hand, the white-clad woman standing behind him showed a conflicted expression before stepping forward.

"Seniors, could you please not make things difficult for Brother Liu? There may still be twists and turns on the way back. Why don't the three of you cooperate with Brother Liu and escort me back together? When the time comes, I will definitely ask my father to give you the same generous reward," Lu Yuqing said after carefully considering her words.

The burly man's face showed a hint of hesitation, as if he was considering the feasibility of the matter.

The veiled woman remained silent, and it was impossible to discern any change in her expression.

Just as the young woman thought her words were having an effect, the gaunt youth suddenly revealed a cunning look and said:

"Although the merit of rescuing and escorting is great, the reward is, after all, limited. Of course, the fewer people who share it, the more benefits there will be."

Hearing this, the burly man's brow twitched slightly, and a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help but touch his chin.

"Brother Liu, a wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him. You should temporarily retreat and leave. After we return to Blackwind Island, I will report the truth to my father," Lu Yuqing's voice suddenly sounded in Han Li's mind.

"Island Lord Lu's mission is only to find you or safely bring you back. There's no requirement as to who brings you back. So even if they kill me and then take you back, it will still be considered completing the mission, and your father will have to accept it. Moreover, by then, what's done is done, and your father won't pursue three Loose Immortals for the sake of a stranger like me," Han Li turned his head, smiled at the woman, and shook his head, saying.

Hearing this, Lu Yuqing was stunned, obviously having not thought of this before.

"Besides, the three of them never intended to let me leave in the first place. Shaoshan Three Fiends, am I right?" Han Li looked at the three and asked in a raised voice.

"Tsk tsk, we didn't want to act in front of Miss Lu, but now it seems impossible," the burly man no longer pretended to hesitate and admitted generously.

Hearing this, Lu Yuqing's face finally turned ugly. She took a step forward, blocking Han Li, and said:

"Brother Liu has saved my life. If you must kill him, then you'll have to get past me first."

Hearing this, the burly man and the others immediately showed a hint of surprise.

Han Li looked at the slender figure in front of him and couldn't help but feel a little moved.

"Liu doesn't have the habit of hiding behind a woman..." He reached out and patted the young woman's shoulder, gently pulling her behind him, and said with his back to her.

As soon as his voice fell, his figure disappeared from the spot.

The next moment, a flash of silver lightning "hissed" as it appeared behind the gaunt youth, followed by a "boom" as it exploded.

A silver electric net, hundreds of feet wide, spread out instantly, with countless thin arcs of electricity scattering and shooting in all directions. A blurred, green shadow suddenly pierced out from within.

A miserable scream rang out from within the lightning, and a figure, covered in black ice crystals, rushed out of the silver light and fell beside the burly man.

"Third brother..."

The burly man and the veiled woman were both shocked, obviously not expecting Han Li to attack so decisively and with such extreme speed.

Almost in the blink of an eye, he had struck the gaunt youth.

Lu Yuqing was also startled by this scene, stunned in place, but considering the strength Han Li had shown before, her mood calmed down a bit.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

A sound of ice crystals shattering and falling rang out, and the figure of the gaunt youth reappeared, his body charred black, his clothes torn, and wisps of black smoke rising from the top of his head, looking rather disheveled.

"Big brother, second sister, don't kill him easily later. I'm going to peel off his skin and make a new drum!" The youth raised his hand, put several pills into his mouth, revealed a mouthful of white teeth, and said through gritted teeth.

With that, he waved his hand, and a small, urn-sized black drum immediately appeared in front of him.

The drum's body was round, covered with a layer of yellowish drum skin. At first glance, there was nothing strange about it, but if one looked closely, one couldn't help but feel a little horrified.

Beside the drum's body, there was actually an old face, with empty eye sockets and mouth, looking like a completely peeled-off face.

Seeing this, Han Li's brow furrowed slightly, and he turned his wrist, and a black long sword immediately appeared, held in his hand.

He tapped his toe in the void, and slashed at the gaunt youth with his sword.

Hundreds of dazzling black sword shadows burst out in the void, crashing down in heavy layers like crashing waves.

"Clang..."

At this moment, a crisp sound of knocking suddenly rang out in mid-air.

Waves that could not be seen with the naked eye rippled in the void, transforming into continuous, gentle forces that shattered the black sword shadows bit by bit, canceling each other out.

The burly man had unknowingly blocked in front of the gaunt youth, holding a dark green ancient chime in one hand and a copper pestle carved with a strange beast head in the other.

Not far from him, the veiled woman was already holding a white bone lute in her arms, her fingers gently stroking the black strings.