When mentioning that he was from the Ye family, the dwarf involuntarily straightened his chest, as if suddenly gaining confidence and speaking with greater assurance—clearly confident in the reputation of the Qin Ye Ling Ye family. Observing the dwarf's sudden boost in courage, Han Li realized that the Qin Ye Ling Ye family must be a renowned immortal lineage. Yet, despite having such a powerful family as his support, the dwarf had initially been so nervous and overwhelmed. This indicated either that he was not exaggerating or that within the family, he held little significance, with his very life and fate largely overlooked. Within a short time, Han Li reached a clear conclusion: eliminating this individual would pose little risk. This judgment completely dispelled the last lingering hesitation in his mind, strengthening his resolve to act. After all, a cultivator with such limited magical power and rather clumsy demeanor was truly rare! Even without this fierce confrontation, Han Li would never have let this conveniently offered prey slip away. Moreover, judging by the other's demeanor, he wasn't exactly a benevolent sort—so once Han Li decided to act, he had little room for hesitation. "Qinling Ye family—the renowned Ye family, you're referring to?" Han Li looked utterly astonished, as though he couldn't believe his ears. Since the other had dared to rely on this name, he must surely be well-known among the immortals, Han Li thought to himself. "Indeed, it's the Ye family I'm speaking of. Since you know of their name, surely you won't deliberately make things difficult for me!" The dwarf, seeing his banner gain momentum, immediately raised his voice noticeably. "The Ye family?..." Han Li feigned hesitation, rubbing his temple, conveying a sense of uncertainty and helplessness. The dwarf, seeing this, felt pleased and immediately began pleading and threatening, beating the side drum with a loud, hurried rhythm, fearing that the situation might turn against him. "How about this? I'll take you to meet the elders of our clan, and let them decide how to handle you," said Han Li, who seemed somewhat hesitant. "No need to go through all this trouble! This is merely a minor matter. If you expect the elders to make decisions on such a simple thing, it might leave a poor impression on the higher-ups, which could seriously hinder your future prospects!" Hearing this, the dwarf was startled and quickly adopted a concerned demeanor, urgently interposing to dissuade him. At this moment, Jin Guang, had already completely regarded Han Li as a young, inexperienced novice, someone who had spent his entire life in the family's cultivation and only recently ventured into the outside world—this explained precisely why, despite his young age, he possessed such profound magical abilities. "Thank you very much for the advice!" Han Li seemed deeply moved. After pausing thoughtfully, he reached into his cloak and produced the scroll drawn with a small sword. "It's our first meeting, and you've already shown such thoughtfulness toward me. Then, I shall return this treasure exactly as it is," he said sincerely, his expression still tinged with reluctance. The dwarf was delighted. He had not expected the young man to be so naive, returning the very item he had just secured. Without further hesitation, fearing that Han Li might change his mind, he quickly chanted a spell, then waved his hand, causing his golden aura to instantly dissipate and vanish completely. He then reached out eagerly to grasp the scroll, brushing off his own modesty with a smile and saying, "Since you are so sincere, I shall not hesitate to take it!" As Han Li's hand was about to close around the scroll, his face suddenly turned pale. With a look of astonishment, he turned sharply toward the dwarf's back and gasped, "The chief! How did you come to be here yourself?" "Upon hearing this, the dwarf immediately shivered, startled so much that he forgot about his precious treasures and hurried to turn around. To his astonishment, the space behind him was utterly silent—no one there. 'This is bad!' even though the dwarf had always been rather slow-witted, he now realized he had been deceived. Before he could fully turn around, he felt a sudden warmth in his chest, followed by a blazing red glow in his eyes. His body then surged with intense flames, and within moments, the dwarf was completely consumed by the fire, reduced to ashes. Because Han Li and the dwarf were unwilling for others to hear their conversation, they spoke softly throughout. Observers, too distant to catch their voices, could barely make out anything. It was clear that the dwarf, upon seeing Han Li, seemed immediately uneasy. After a few exchanges, the dwarf kept pleading with him, and then, when Han Li took the opportunity as the dwarf turned away, he suddenly conjured a small flame that effortlessly turned the dwarf's stalwart supporter—Jin Guang, the Master of the Wild Wolf Clan—into ash. Currently, Jia Tianlong's mouth was extremely bitter, the bitterness extending all the way to his lungs. What was going on? The promising situation had suddenly deteriorated dramatically with the arrival of this seemingly unremarkable disciple from the Qi Xu Sect. Even Jin Guang, the esteemed Master of the Immortal Rank, had been reduced to ashes by a single flame. As for Wang Juechu, his feelings were entirely the opposite. He clutched his long sword at his waist tightly, his eyes filled with excitement, gazing at Han Li, who was now squatting on the ground in an awkward posture, scribbling something with his fingers. Han Li himself was also stirred, though not with excitement—he was merely delighted to have recovered a few undamaged items from the ash pile where the dwarf had turned to dust. The items were few: one scroll, one seal, and one book. The scroll, a luminous talisman that emitted a golden glow and formed a golden shield, though the incantation and formula were still unknown to him, already filled Han Li with joy. After all, what he most needed right now was a means of protection. The seal was a dark triangular plaque, engraved with the ancient golden characters "Sheng Xian" on one side and a silver character "Ling" on the other. Though it appeared not to be made of metal, it felt heavy and substantial, its weight undeniable—its purpose remained a mystery. As for the book, Han Li had originally assumed that since it had survived the "fire ball technique," it must be no ordinary item. Yet after flipping through a few pages, he realized it was actually a family genealogy—a genealogy of the Qin clan—and had no idea how it was connected to Jin Guang, the monk, and yet it had been carried with him all along. "This dwarf claims to be from the Ye family, yet he carries a Qin family genealogy. Could it be that he is a private child of someone from the Ye family?" With his initial hopes dashed, Han Li began to harbor a certain degree of skepticism.