RUMBLE!
A flash of azure lightning erupted from Huang Li's body as his full cultivation base was finally revealed, thrumming with power.
The 6th Level of the True Profound Realm!
I didn't think my grandfather was so strong; he's almost at the late stages of the True Profound Realm, although I would expect that the Lightning Spirit Root the system gave him must have given him a huge boost.
As the Umbral Shadow Guards surrounded him, Huang Li raised his fist and punched out, his fist flashing with flickering azure lightning bolts that hit one of the Umbral Shadow Guards straight in the chest.
BOOM!
The Umbral Shadow Guard's purple-hued armor warped and distorted as the fist made contact with it before finally exploding in a cloud of shadows, its entire body destroyed by Huang Li's punch.
However, the destroyed Umbral Shadow Guard, which had now turned into a collection of purple-colored shadows, suddenly moved at an incredibly swift pace as Li Mei spoke in a neutral tone.
"Capture."
WHOOSH
The shadows created by the destroyed Umbral Shadow Guard suddenly moved straight toward the extended fist of Huang Li, wrapping it in dark, flickering purple light.
Huang Li suddenly grunted as he felt a weight on his fist, making it harder to move; it wasn't enough to completely incapacitate him, but it definitely slowed him down.
Despite this, Huang Li didn't hesitate; he instantly kicked toward his left with powerful momentum as his leg crackled with azure lightning bolts.
BOOM!
A second Umbral Shadow Guard broke apart in a wave of shadows before once more moving forward and covering up part of his left leg.
CRASH
A third and a fourth Umbral Shadow Guard, who had used the opportunity given to them by the two previously destroyed ones, attacked Huang Li from the back; one was using a simple sword while the other used a dagger made of purple shadows.
Huang Li, who had been busy destroying the fifth and sixth Umbral Shadow Guards from his left and right, wasn't able to block himself from the attacks of the third and fourth ones at the back as their weapons made contact with his wide back.
SLASH SLASH
The attacks didn't cause him much pain; in fact, he barely felt the attacks at all. Instead of dealing damage to him, the two Umbral Shadow Guards once more dissipated into a wave of shadows that wrapped around his back, causing him to grunt even more from the weight.
In fact, now that Huang Li had technically destroyed around six of the ten Umbral Shadow Guards that Li Mei had created, almost sixty percent of his body was now surrounded by purple shadows, and his face started to sweat from the weight.
It was clear now that Li Mei's goal in this fight was to use her purple shadows to increase the weight carried by Huang Li's body, increasing the pressure on him and making it so that it was extremely difficult for him to move.
It was like Li Mei was forcing him to wear weighted vests; despite the flashing of the azure lightning making his body more resilient and strong, he was now starting to find it more and more difficult to hold back the remaining Umbral Shadow Guards while also keeping an eye on Li Mei at the edge of his vision to prevent her from escaping.
RUMBLE
Feeling that things were becoming more and more out of hand as his body weight kept increasing—almost doubling in just a few short bouts of combat—he instead decided to be more proactive as he rushed straight toward Li Mei, who had been standing in the distance.
WHOOSH
Huang Li extended both of his arms toward her, hoping to hold her down with a bear hug, when his expression suddenly changed as he quickly realized that something was wrong.
THUMP
As his hands made contact with Li Mei's body, the Li Mei he was staring at suddenly broke down into a wave of purple shadows as his arms touched each other on both sides. It was a bit comical, as it was like he was giving himself a hug.
However, Huang Li didn't waste any time. His blue eyes shone with azure light as he instantly disappeared from his previous position in a wave of azure lightning as he turned around and headed towards the main gate.
RUMBLE
Using his powerful spiritual energy as a guide, he found his target, Li Mei who had been on the edge of escaping through the main gate. He waved his hand as a wave of lightning attacked—not at Li Mei, but the door.
SMASH
The lightning ripped through the door like it was nothing, causing it to tumble down and block Li Mei's path for just a few seconds. As her expression changed into one of surprise, and before she could adjust herself and move out of the way, Huang Li was already right behind her.
His body was currently surrounded by the four remaining Umbral Shadow Guards, who had now voluntarily broken their bodies down and joined their companions to increase the weight being carried by Huang Li.
"RAHHH, MEI'ER! YOU MUST LISTEN TO ME! I HAVE ALWAYS, ALWAYS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT BOTH YOU AND YOUR SISTER! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME JUST THIS ONE TIME!"
Huang Shi, who had previously chosen to just stand by the sidelines, had long since run straight toward Li Mei as well. With the system's help, he had already realized that the Li Mei who was supposed to be standing still and taking her time to make a move was a fake.
However, when he realized that he couldn't make it in time with the current limits of his cultivation base, he instead gritted his teeth as he waved his hands. This time, instead of golden flames appearing all around him, what appeared was a powerful wave of golden light that had the inherent ability to purify all manners of negative energy.
WHOOSH
As the golden wave of light hit the shadows surrounding Huang Li, they started to sizzle and break down, struggling to keep their forms.
With this, Huang Li was finally able to break free from the weight of the now-dissipated Umbral Shadow Guards. His speed increased, and his right arm finally managed to grab ahold of Li Mei.