Although the three items Han Li had acquired from the dwarf were not immediately usable, he collected them without hesitation. Afterward, he stood up, brushed off the dust from his clothes, and with a slightly mocking smile, turned to face Jia Tianlong and the remaining members of the Wild Wolf Gang.
"Are you planning to sever your own meridians, or should I take care of it and send you on your way?" Han Li's tone was polite, but his words left no room for negotiation.
Jia Tianlong, hearing this, felt an icy chill run down his spine, his face freezing in fear. He struggled internally to remain calm, telling himself there had to be a way to handle this, but his body betrayed him. His hand wiped across his forehead, where cold sweat had already begun to form. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he realized that his expression must be one of pure panic.
He scanned the surroundings. Everyone seemed just as pale, their faces filled with terror and confusion. The air was thick with hopelessness, and there was no sign of resistance among his men. Even the fiercest of them looked like they had already accepted their fate.
In despair, Jia Tianlong turned his gaze toward the Seven Xuan Sect's side. He saw his nemesis, Wang Juechu, staring at him coldly, like a person waiting to watch a death sentence unfold. The others were no different, their faces filled with the satisfaction of revenge.
Jia Tianlong's mind spun, and his eyes inadvertently drifted towards the outer edges of the arena, where his once-loyal subordinates were standing. To his horror, he noticed that many of them were actually smiling, exchanging whispers, their faces full of schadenfreude. Some even appeared to be celebrating.
No! I can't die here! I must survive! My plans, my ambitions... They can't end like this!
Jia Tianlong's eyes flashed with madness. His gaze locked onto a figure in the crowd, and suddenly, a new surge of determination filled his veins.
"Come here! Iron Guard, prepare the crossbows! The rest of you, gather and protect Dark Green!" Jia Tianlong bellowed, his voice filled with power and authority.
His shout, reinforced with internal energy, sent a surge of clarity through his men. The Wild Wolf Gang's members, who had been paralyzed with fear, suddenly seemed to regain a sense of purpose. Everyone began to move, preparing for a fight, weapons at the ready. The remaining subordinates and other lesser faction members in the arena all prepared for the final confrontation.
Han Li raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint smile still playing on his lips. Looks like it's going to take more effort after all, he thought with a touch of self-mockery.
The next moment, Jia Tianlong barked his orders again, and hundreds of crossbow bolts, shining with a ghostly blue light, were released into the air, filling the space in front of Han Li with a torrent of steel projectiles.
The crowd gasped at the sight. Jia Tianlong watched with anticipation as Han Li remained completely calm in the face of the deadly rain of arrows. But to his shock, the youth didn't flinch. Instead, Han Li gave him a strange smile, and his body began to blur, as if he were dissolving into the air. The crossbow bolts passed straight through him, continuing to shoot into the distance. In that brief moment, Han Li's figure seemed to become insubstantial, and he vanished before everyone's eyes.
Jia Tianlong's face turned ashen, his body rigid in disbelief. He quickly shouted for his men to be cautious, but before he could finish his order, Han Li appeared again, mere steps away from him, as if he had been there all along.
Before anyone could react, the Iron Guard fired another round of crossbows, followed by a barrage of throwing knives, hidden darts, and other concealed weapons. But once again, Han Li's figure flickered, and he vanished, leaving only the sound of projectiles whistling through the air.
Jia Tianlong was no longer just stunned—he was terrified. As he turned around in panic, two chilling screams pierced the air. His heart skipped a beat. He spun around to see two of his Iron Guards engulfed in flames. Han Li, the elusive figure, stood behind them with his hands raised, his palms glowing red.
The two guards' bodies were already burning with intense flames, their forms turning to ash in seconds. From Han Li's hands, the glowing red light of the fireball technique flickered, a perfect blend of martial skill and magic.
Han Li didn't stop there. He had now fully embraced the hunt. He moved through the chaos, appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye. With every appearance, another life was claimed. Anyone Han Li touched with his flame immediately turned to ash, their bodies consumed by an unstoppable fire.
The Wild Wolf Gang members, previously filled with bravado, now cowered in terror. One by one, they were turned to dust, unable to escape the fiery death that awaited them. Jia Tianlong could do nothing but watch as his men perished before him. His expression had long since turned pale, devoid of hope.
As the last of his subordinates fell, Jia Tianlong remained standing, trembling. He knew that his death was inevitable now. Han Li had spared him for this long, but only for a cruel purpose.
Without a second thought, Han Li appeared behind him, his hand glowing with the familiar red light of the fireball technique. He didn't give Jia Tianlong a chance to beg for mercy.
A single wave of Han Li's hand sent the fireball hurtling toward Jia Tianlong. In a flash, the fireball engulfed him, reducing him to ash in an instant.
Afterwards, Han Li calmly dusted off his hands, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Seems like it's not too difficult to kill a few people after all. If you had just ended it yourselves, it would've been so much quicker and less painful. But now... you had to endure the flames."
Han Li turned and walked away, the battlefield now silent, save for the crackling remnants of his foes. The victory was his, complete and undeniable.