Han Li heard the voice of the Young Prince, and his face slightly changed, but when he slowly turned around, his expression returned to calm—showing no sign of alarm. Instead, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips as he gazed steadily at the black-shade sect members and the bald foundation-stage cultivator. Han Li’s composed demeanor also calmed the four companions from Mengshan, who now felt a bit more at ease. They exchanged glances and, without speaking, all moved toward Han Li’s back, forming a direct confrontation with the black-shade sect members. "You! You're not the one from the Qin family, are you? You're a foundation-stage cultivator?" The Young Prince, now clearly seeing Han Li’s face, was filled with astonishment. The slender, wiry man standing beside him, though silent, likewise emitted a look of profound surprise. Only the bald man fixed his gaze firmly on Han Li, his face taking on a serious expression, and suddenly spoke: "Be cautious—this person is a cultivator at the mid-Ji stage, one level higher than my own. We'll likely need to set up the Black Wind Array to capture him." Upon hearing this, the young prince showed no sign of concern, but instead expressed surprise and asked: "Blood Servant Sir! If this person is offered as a blood sacrifice to the Master for training, wouldn't that yield even better results?" The man chuckled and replied: "Of course. The previous several mid-Ji cultivators we captured were all at the early stage of Ji. This individual's vital essence must be superior to theirs!" After confirming this with the bald man, the young prince turned back with a greedy gaze toward Han Li, and then burst into laughter. "Excellent! Outstanding! Regardless of your true intentions or origins, you won't be able to leave this place today." "Set up the Black Wind Array and move!" After a smile, the young prince's face grew stern and he barked the order sharply. Instantly, the black-robed figures swiftly drew out long, dark as ink flags from their bodies and flew them rapidly to surround Han Li, encircling him tightly. They immediately began waving their flags. "You just need to maintain your protective shield—the rest I'll handle," Han Li said calmly to his four companions. Then, he blurred into a haze, vanishing completely from his original spot. "Be careful!" The bald man, witnessing Han Li's disappearance, turned pale and shouted in alarm, but it was too late. Han Li's figure flashed briefly behind one of the black-robed figures and vanished. The cultivator, who had been actively waving his flag, instantly stopped, stood motionless, and then his head rolled lifelessly to the ground, dropping with a crash. Blood surged from his body, rising several feet high, and splashed down onto the ground. And at that moment, the last syllable of the bald man's roar had just been uttered. This sight sent a jolt through the other flag-bearing cultivators, who were still at a loss as to what to do! Han Li's figure suddenly appeared once more behind another person—just as swiftly and imperceptibly—and that person too fell to the ground. Now, the other black-robed cultivators could no longer hesitate. They swiftly halted their black stones and summoned colorful protective shields and various defensive artifacts. Yet, within this fleeting instant, two black-robed figures who had not yet activated their defenses fell victim to Han Li's sharp attacks, lying dead on the spot. "Boy! You're dying!" Seeing this, the bald man's eyes flashed with dark and crimson glimmers. He roared, his entire body radiating a blood-like glow, and surged forward toward Han Li at an astonishing speed. Han Li stared coldly at the tall man, completely enveloped in a crimson light, charging straight toward him. He then glanced at the black-robed figure who had already deployed a protective light shield, his eyes filled with astonishment. Immediately, Han Li flashed past with a decisive movement, returning to the side of his companions on Mengshan Mountain. The man who had charged empty roared like a wild beast, without hesitation, turning instantly and charging again toward Han Li and his companions' position—still not summoning a single piece of equipment. Observing this, the second of Mengshan's four companions suddenly realized an opportunity and raised his hand, silently launching a three-pronged spear glowing with green light, aimed straight at the man's face. As the spear approached, the bald man smiled grimly, neither pausing nor retreating, and boldly met it head-on. The second, a tall and slender elder, was overjoyed and exclaimed excitedly: "This guy is in for it! My artifact is a top-tier mid-tier item—definitely going to do something remarkable... Ah! But how is this possible? My green glow spear!" As he spoke just two sentences, he was stunned into silence, gasping in astonishment. This bald man must be practicing something far beyond ordinary techniques—most likely a top-tier demonic energy cultivation method, similar to that of the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master. The bald man didn't give Han Li and the others time to ponder; in an instant, he stood before them and raised a massive, blood-red fist, forcefully slamming it into the luminous shield jointly projected by the four companions of Mengshan. With a thunderous "thud," the shield formed by the four cultivators at the Qi stage was deeply indented and quickly dimmed. The four companions of Mengshan were stunned—such a powerful blow would likely shatter even ordinary defensive artifacts upon impact. "Master, look!" the bearded elder hurried to turn and watch Han Li's response. After all, given the intensity of the attack, their combined shield wouldn't last very long. Han Li said nothing, but as he raised his hand, a small shield radiating brilliant white light shot out and instantly expanded several times in size, settling firmly in front of the protective barrier, precisely meeting the other massive crimson fist from the bald man. A sharp, resonant crash echoed through the heavens, so powerful that even the nearby cultivators who had not been prepared staggered, nearly sitting down. The four companions from Mengshan also felt dizzy for a long time; the only two who remained composed were Han Li and the bald man. Han Li stared steadily at the phosphorus shield, noting that although it had absorbed the blow, the once-smooth surface had slightly indented, forming a small pit. This gave him a quiet sense of astonishment. He knew well the strength of the phosphorus shield, and thus felt even more cautious toward the large man. With this thought, Han Li promptly struck his storage pouch. At that moment, two streaks of black light and six streaks of golden light shot forth simultaneously, charging directly toward the tall man without hesitation. The combined roar of the top-tier artifacts, like a tidal wave of thunder, sent the bald man into a state of shock, his face revealing a clear trace of fear. He roared loudly, and suddenly his crimson glow intensified dramatically, completely enveloping his form in a brilliant blood-mist aura, transforming him into a massive, still-floating orb of blood light several zhang high, hovering motionless in the air. Seizing this opportunity, Han Li's "Golden Fly Twin Blades" and "Black Dragon's Seizure" launched themselves with unyielding force, plunging straight into the blood orb. Yet, something strange occurred. No matter how vigorously Han Li's artifacts slashed or stabbed at the orb, the inner core remained utterly still. Moreover, once the blades penetrated about half a zhang, they could no longer advance an inch—seemingly blocked by an impenetrable shield that absorbed and deflected every single strike. Frustrated, Han Li suddenly remembered something and hurried to look around—only to be struck with alarm. Under the command of the young prince and the masked official resembling the royal steward, the black-robed figures had once again organized themselves, now encircling them more tightly and vigorously waving their black flags. These flags were now emitting a mournful, ghostly wail and had begun to release eerie black mist that spiraled continuously around them. Then Han Li's figure shimmered, and he materialized outside the shield. The several magical instruments that had been slashing at the crimson light orb suddenly roared and automatically flew back to gather around him, spinning erratically beside him while emitting a steady hum.