The tall man who had just emerged from the earth, and the yellow-robed figure who had been initially pursuing Han Li, were precisely the duo who had been trailing him all along. Upon catching up, they feared that Han Li might once again set out on a distant journey. After slightly restoring their magical energy, they quietly approached, secretly planning this surprise attack. At this moment, Han Li felt a sharp, burning pain in his injured thigh—seeming to have worsened the wound during his recent movements. Yet now was not the time to dwell on such matters! For the tall man who had been concealed beneath the soil suddenly drew a long blade wrapped in black mist from behind and charged fiercely toward Han Li. Observing the man’s form, Han Li noted that though swift, his movements were stiff—clearly relying solely on the magical enhancement. This gave him a sense of relief. After all, in terms of grace and fluidity of movement, Han Li believed even if the man tried his best, he would still be unable to keep up with him. Thinking of this, Han Li no longer paid attention to the furious Han man before him, but instead focused entirely on the yellow-robed figure, who had now drawn a green-black gourd and was holding its mouth toward himself, as if about to cast another spell. "Where are you looking? Die!" The Han man had already charged close to Han Li, his body glowing with golden light, raising his strange long blade and slashing fiercely at him. Han Li hummed, his body swaying slightly, and instantly stepped out of the reach of the blade. "You've been tricked, youngster!" the Han man suddenly burst into laughter. With a flash of black light, the long blade transformed into a long black cord, coiling like a serpent and swiftly wrapping around Han Li's form, determined to hold him fast until he was completely secured. Han Li was startled, his figure immediately becoming blurred and shifting erratically—now left, now right, now forward, now backward—as though several versions of himself were circling the Han man, dancing around him in unison. Han Li was startled at first, but soon steadied himself, relying on the protective "soil armor technique" covering his entire body, and paid no further attention. Instead, he continued to vigorously drive the flexible black cord, relentlessly pursuing Han Li's true form. He briefly glanced at the yellow-robed figure amidst his busy schedule, and noticed the figure's composed demeanor, as the gourd-like artifact in his hands began to emit a subtle green glow from its mouth—seeming to herald something about to emerge. "No matter what, if this continues, I'll surely be in danger! I can't afford to take any more risks!" Han Li, seeing the situation growing critical, thought to himself. While speeding forward, Han Li drew forth the Jingu Seal he had received from the Golden-Light Monk. This seal was itself a type of incantation, and the incantation's verses Han Li had long known from Kusang the Monk—now at last, it was proving useful. He softly chanted a few incantations, though the motion and vibrations made the words somewhat indistinct. Yet, the golden characters on the seal gradually brightened. When all the characters glowed fully, Han Li suddenly struck the seal firmly against his chest. Instantly, a brilliant golden light enveloped him, and a golden aura formed around him—yet his own form seemed suddenly to slow down, and he was caught unawares by the black cord rushing up behind. Using the Jinguo Symbol slows down one's movements, a fact Han Li has already tested and fully understands. When he saw that although the Black Thread had wrapped around him several times, it was entirely repelled by the golden light, his heart grew even more confident—he knew his bet was correct: the Golden Shield truly could withstand attacks from the opponent's artifacts. Yet the large Han warrior, witnessing this, roared loudly, took a determined step forward, clenched his fists tightly, and charged again, his hands glowing with an intense, almost tangible yellow light, as though he had further enhanced his technique. Having learned from his previous encounter, Han Li would not allow the large warrior to close the distance once more. Suddenly, Han Li knelt down, placed his hands firmly on the ground, and then began to chant a low, resonant incantation. Soon, a faint yellow glow emanated from his hands as well. The large warrior was momentarily startled, quickly attempting to halt his advance, but it was too late. The ground beneath his feet transformed into soft, flowing sand, sinking deeply into his feet until it reached his thigh, leaving him scrambling and disoriented. "Attack!" A sharp exclamation reached Han Li's ears. His heart sank as he turned to look at the yellow-robed figure. From the dark gourd, a series of seven or eight dark, egg-sized spheres burst forth, hurtling straight toward Han Li. Han Li's face grew pale, yet his hands suddenly released their yellow glow, and with a swift motion, he reached into his cloak, pulling out a wooden chest. At that moment, several of the spheres had already reached him, striking hard against his luminous shield, causing it to warp and ripple continuously—seeming only a matter of time before it shattered. Undeterred by this pressing danger, Han Li remained motionless, settled into a meditative posture, placed the wooden chest across his knees, and began chanting his incantation. At that moment, Han Li roared, "Rise!" As the roar echoed, a beam of gray light, stretching a zhang in length, shot forth from the wooden chest within Han Li's hands. This light surged like a dragon emerging from water, circling the area once, and the spherical objects—now encountering their match—were all cleaved in two and fell to the ground. "An incantation artifact!" the yellow-robed figure cried out, as though he had seen a ghost. Han Li heard this and felt a spark of recognition, yet he didn't pause for further thought. The nearby tall man had already broken free and emerged, but upon seeing Han Li's hazy, gray sword light, his face turned pale as paper. Instead of advancing toward Han Li, he turned and fled wildly. Yet Han Li, now driven by fierce determination, would not let this man go. He pointed a hand toward the man, and the sword light instantly surged after, reaching the man's back within a breath. As the great man's head rolled to the ground with a simple twist around his neck, his protective yellow glow faded as if it had never existed, offering no resistance at all. Seeing this, the yellow-robed figure hesitated no longer. He withdrew a scroll from his body, pressed it against himself, and then unfolded a pair of massive yellow wings. With a gentle flap, he rose into the air and sped off toward the distance. Unfortunately, when Han Li arrived at the scene, the yellow-robed figure had already been completely lifeless—killed outright by being crushed! This left Han Li deeply frustrated. With no survivors, he had no choice but to thoroughly search the two bodies for any useful clues. After he had diligently gone through everything they were carrying, he found no direct evidence—yet he ended up with a substantial fortune. The two had a total of fifty low-tier spiritual stones on them, not to mention several scrolls and magical artifacts. Although Han Li was puzzled by the sudden ambush and wondered whether the disappearance of other wandering cultivators might be linked to these two, he decided not to linger any longer. After taking a few pills, he resumed his journey.