The scarlet-gold phantom moved as swiftly as a ghost, cold and deathly still, utterly at odds with the scorching fire spiritual energy around it. It shot straight toward the female Nascent Soul cultivator's back! Fully occupied with maintaining the formation, her attention fixed on the demonic beast ahead, she remained oblivious to the killing strike behind her.
In the flash of a spark, a concentrated streak of dark-gold sword qi arrived silently from the side, striking the leading edge of the scarlet-gold phantom with unerring precision!
"Hiss-!"
It was not the clash of metal, but a strange sound like cold water poured into boiling oil! The scarlet-gold phantom gave an extremely faint yet piercing shriek. Its advance abruptly slowed, and its form twisted and blurred, seemingly wounded by some power within the sword qi. Yet it did not disperse. Instead, it sharply changed direction, abandoned its attack on the female cultivator, and became an even faster thread of scarlet-gold light that fled into the depths of the lava lake. In a blink, it plunged into the churning lava and vanished.
The one who had intervened was none other than Han Li! Though locked in battle with the Scarlet Flame Earthfire Crocodile, his Primordial Magnetic Divine Light was exceptionally sensitive to energy fluctuations. Coupled with the Demon Source's instinctive sensitivity to sinister, deathly auras, it allowed him to detect the bizarre ambush at the critical moment and save the female Nascent Soul cultivator.
"Thank you, Senior Han!" Having escaped death, the female cultivator turned deathly pale and hurriedly thanked him. The others also broke into cold sweats.
"What was that thing?!" Shocked and furious, Stone Yaksha drove the Scarlet Flame Earthfire Crocodile back with a swing of his axe and looked toward the lava lake.
A terrifying gleam suddenly blazed in