(Haha! Everyone who has a recommendation—please vote for them! We hope to make it onto the weekly ranking again!) Feng Yue's unattractive face was truly repulsive; he never expected someone to dare tease him like this, and his anger instantly flared up. Though he hadn't successfully achieved Foundation Stage cultivation, he had long been renowned among the lower-level disciples of various sects for his powerful artifacts and ruthless tactics. Indeed, he had once imprisoned other cultivators in a dark room, tormenting them for three days and three nights until they cried out continuously until they died—such a cruel record. Ordinary disciples, even hearing his name, would pale and immediately flee, never daring to meet him in person. Such a formidable reputation should have already prompted the Foundation Stage cultivators who disliked him to eliminate him long ago. Yet he proved quite cunning. Though merciless to lower-tier cultivators, he would instantly flee at the sight of anyone of significantly greater strength, retreating to Tianque Fort for safety. And since the people of Tianque Fort were determined to preserve their own prestige, they naturally wouldn't hand him over. Thus, those pursuing him found themselves helpless—staring in frustration as he thrived undisturbed. Once the pursuit subsided, Feng Yue would emerge confidently from the fort, going on to afflict other cultivators. After several such episodes, the senior figures eventually grew accustomed to it, choosing to tolerate it without further inquiry. After all, Feng Yue knew well when to act—he never dared to harm close relatives of those with strong backing. As a result, Feng Yue's reputation among the Seven Great Sects grew ever more formidable, spreading far and wide. His boldness and arrogance intensified, gradually cultivating a self-assured, unyielding demeanor. He no longer regarded any lower-tier cultivators as anything more than mere footnotes—except for a few disciples from his own sect who held comparable reputations. Yet now, this young novice, only eleven layers deep, dared to speak of killing him—how could the proud Feng Yue help but be thunderstruck! "Die!" With his fury mounting, Feng Yue no longer spared a single moment for Han Li. The small dagger he held now surged into a brilliant yellow glow, hurtling straight toward Han Li's head, aiming to sever his head with a single stroke. He was confident that despite Han Li's blue, watery shield, it would surely shatter under the force of his incantation and symbol weapon. Han Li, however, was far from content to let things unfold as Feng Yue wished. With a calm gesture, he raised his hand, and a small black shield expanded from his grasp, growing steadily larger until it stood precisely two zhang away, firmly blocking the yellow glow outside. As the yellow glow met the black light on the shield, a series of sharp "crackling" sounds echoed. Though the yellow glow quickly gained the upper hand, pressing the black light back step by step, the small shield did not yield, steadily emitting its own black radiance and resisting with unwavering determination. Thus, Huang Mang could not manage to shatter the shield and penetrate it in the near term. Seeing this, Feng Yue was visibly surprised, while Han Li exhaled a steady breath of relief. Feng Yue had not expected Han Li to possess such a rare, top-tier defensive artifact, and Han Li himself felt reassured by the accuracy of his own assessment. By using this flying celestial shield to directly withstand the opponent's symbolic treasures, Han Li had already taken considerable risks—should the opponent's treasures surpass his expectations in power, he would have been struck down instantly. During the previous encounter with "Master Lu," Han Li had managed to hold his own against the opponent's flying sword and symbolic treasures for half a day, relying solely on a single top-tier artifact, the Qing Jiao Flag. Even if Feng Yue's blade had been more powerful, Han Li believed his celestial shield should have been able to withstand the attack for at least a short while. Precisely for these reasons, Han Li had dared to take this bold step. Now, feeling secure and confident, Han Li immediately grasped his "Golden Light Brick" artifact in hand, ready to summon it and strike the opponent down decisively! But before He could mobilize his spiritual energy and begin casting spells to act, Feng Yue suddenly roared, "You lowly woman! Where do you intend to go?" With a flash of movement, he appeared at the edge of another dense forest, blocking the woman off there. The one who had been secretly trying to slip into the forest was precisely the yellow-robed woman. She had realized that her side had no chance of victory, and given Feng Yue's formidable reputation, she was deeply afraid. Seizing the moment when Han Li and Feng Yue were engaged in combat, she had decided to make a hasty escape. Han Li had observed her actions from the beginning and was somewhat annoyed, though he chose not to intervene. Since she offered no assistance at all, whether or not she stayed was entirely her own decision! Yet, by betraying their alliance, she had first broken their trust. Therefore, while he would not obstruct her departure, he would neither offer further aid nor let her fade away on her own. Han Li, cold and detached, wished to simply overlook her. But Feng Yue, now furious, was far from easy to manage. He had already grown deeply resentful of the yellow-robed woman due to Han Li’s words just now, and seeing her attempt to escape, naturally refused to let her succeed! Thus, he had leapt forward to block her path. Han Li’s sister, upon witnessing this, was as startled as a common person—she turned and fled without remembering to cast a single spell. Seeing this, Feng Yue’s face contorted slightly, then spun around with a strange grace, stepping once more in front of the woman. Without hesitation, he raised his hand, inserting a glowing yellow hand directly through her chest and emerging from behind her, now transformed into a blood-streaked hand. The yellow-robed woman’s body collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide open but lifeless. In her final moments, she may have regretted her hasty decision to flee Han Li’s side, yet in this world, there was no remedy for such regret! Seizing upon the fact that he had already known the other had lost both his artifact and his powerful seals, and having personally dispatched the yellow-robed woman with a close-range attack, Feng Yue now deliberately withdrew his hand, then licked the blood still dripping from his fingers before turning to glare at Han Li with a sneering expression. Han Li, concealed within the protective aura, appeared pale, his lips tightly pressed, though he did not shout out loud—his composure had clearly been shattered, and he was now utterly overwhelmed. This was precisely what Feng Yue had anticipated. In the past, his ability to easily defeat opponents had largely stemmed from his formidable reputation. Whenever someone faced him, the mere thought of enduring the grim fate that awaited them once captured by him instilled fear, causing them to hesitate even before battle, thus inevitably leading to defeat. Now, though Han Li’s cultivation was not particularly deep, Feng Yue noted that the artifacts he carried were notably strong. Therefore, he intended to employ the same strategy—using intimidation—to prevent Han Li from fully concentrating on the fight, thereby securing a decisive advantage for himself. Observing Han Li’s current expression, Feng Yue was confident that his tactics had indeed taken effect. Se封 Yue, secretly delighted, waddled with a touch of showmanship, and once again returned to the spot where he faced off against Han Li. Han Li's expression was indeed displeased, and his inner feelings were hard to describe. However, it wasn't because of the opponent's bloody tactics that he felt this way—rather, it was the swift, lightning-fast movements that truly troubled him. After Han Li had first employed the "Jin Guang Zhan" scroll artifact, he had already noticed that although this seemingly powerful artifact surpassed flying sword artifacts in strength, it actually had significant shortcomings when truly engaged in combat. Its destructive power was indeed astonishing—once struck, low-level cultivators had little chance of survival, regardless of how many tools or protective shields they carried. Yet, its weaknesses were equally apparent: it demanded a substantial outpouring of the user's spiritual energy to operate and control, and its speed and agility were simply unimpressive. If the opponent can be ensnared or pinned beforehand, this talisman will surely achieve remarkable feats and serve as an absolute weapon to defeat enemies and inflict mortal wounds. However, if it relies solely on the golden-brick talisman to attack, achieving such results is simply unthinkable. Unless the opponent's magical energy is completely depleted, even a few simple supporting spells are sufficient to allow the enemy to easily evade its attacks. Therefore, this "Golden-Brick Talisman" is not a maneuvering-type artifact akin to flying swords or the sealing knife talisman used to block mountains, but rather a pure power-attacking weapon—similar in nature to the great seal artifact wielded by the senior Dan-jing stage cultivators of Tian Que Fort. Han Li, lacking any means to immobilize his opponents, had originally planned to first encircle them with several golden blades before launching a surprise assault using the golden bricks. While this strategy might not guarantee a certain success, Han Li believed it should still offer at least a fifty-fifty chance. But now, after observing Feng Yue's movements, Han Li realized this was simply an impossible dream. With a speed no less than Luo Yan's step, Feng Yue could easily break free from the entanglement with the magical artifacts at any moment. Han Li felt deeply frustrated, yet also somewhat puzzled. Could it be that Feng Yue, like himself, was originally from the world of the gentry and the martial circles? Feel free to take a moment and check out our friend's new book, *The Hidden Master of the Tang Dynasty*. A brilliant anti-corruption hero reincarnates into the Tang Dynasty, embarking on a battle against the aristocratic factions, navigating the ever-shifting currents of official politics. With skillful political maneuvering, he is surrounded by beautiful women, ultimately forging the first aristocratic family dynasty in Tang history!