"Can't take it—get out of the way!" Wang Zongguan shouted, his voice strong despite the intense pain. Clearly, his warning had come too late. Though, instinctively shifting his body to avoid the blade's edge, the young prince expected to deflect the azure giant sword, the sword suddenly changed from a slash to a glide, lightly grazing his leg. The protective black aura around him was severed instantly, with no effect at all. As a result, once his two legs were cleanly severed, the prince cried out and collapsed, unconscious. Having grown up in luxury, even with a sharp mind, he had never endured such severe pain from a broken leg. This development, however, surprised Han Li, who had initially thought the azure sword, unused for a long time, had accidentally struck him down. Once he understood what had happened, Han Li was both exasperated and amused, lifting the prince firmly and flying toward the Mengshan Four. Han Li felt delighted by his victory, yet also somewhat puzzled. From the initial impression of danger conveyed by the Prince and the Grand Steward, one would have thought they would be quite difficult to handle—yet here they were, easily captured. Could it be that his intuitive sense of mystery was beginning to falter? Han Li shook his head, finding this rather puzzling. At that moment, the remaining black-robed cultivators lingering at a distance, witnessing this scene, realized that staying any longer would be pointless. They exchanged glances and then began to truly scatter, vanishing within moments. Han Li had no intention of pursuing them. After all, these were merely peripheral figures akin to the Mengshan Four Friends—no effort worth making to pursue. As he thought this, he flew back to the Mengshan Four Friends and, casually tossing the two captives into their hands, said softly, "Stop the bleeding for them and secure their statements!" The young and the second-oldest among the Mengshan Four Friends immediately stepped forward to catch the two, showing no hesitation or negligence. At this moment, the Mengshan Four held not merely surface respect for Han Li, but deep, genuine awe—Han Li's magnificent display of prowess had left an indelible impression on all of them. "Your mastery is truly profound, Master! We've been truly enlightened!" the stoic elder said, his face filled with reverence. "Nothing special, just some minor accomplishments!" Seeing the profound respect in the Mengshan Four's eyes, Han Li felt a touch of pride, yet he maintained a composed demeanor, downplaying his achievements so as to further enhance their perception of his depth and mastery. At that very moment, a series of resonant clangs—'clang, clang'—echoed through the air, causing Han Li's expression to subtly shift. The Mengshan Four quickly turned to look, and upon recognizing the source, the middle-aged woman immediately grew alarmed, pointing urgently at Han Li and saying, "Master, look! Your artifact!" Han Li turned his head and looked back. He saw the "Sky-Shielding Bell" that had been trapping the bald man emitting thunderous sounds from within, while simultaneously undergoing astonishing transformations on its outer surface. With each resonant boom, large sections of the bell's wall would suddenly bulge outward. After a series of such powerful impacts, the bell had transformed completely, no longer resembling its original form. Yet even more troubling, the golden light on the bell's surface was gradually fading, and the bald man inside seemed as though he would burst through the bell at any moment. Han Li was deeply startled. Though he did not yet understand the cause of this remarkable phenomenon, it was clear that the bell could no longer contain the man. It would have to be addressed differently. With this realization, Han Li gathered the十余 magical artifacts hovering above his head, then cast out seven or eight beast-shaped puppets, arranging them in a line with the four puppets already deployed, forming a protective barrier between himself and the Mengshan Four. Just as all this was completed, a sudden explosive sound rang out, and the "Heaven-Shielding Bell" artifact cracked and shattered into four pieces, from within which a creature resembling both a human and a monster burst forth. "What is this?" the middle-aged woman exclaimed, her voice filled with astonishment. The other three nearby figures likewise turned pale, their expressions stunned and incredulous. Han Li's eyes also widened with unspoken amazement. The tall, bald man who leapt out had completely transformed into a demonic form. Now standing two zhang tall, he had fangs protruding from his mouth, two curved black horns sprouting from his head, and a long iron tail covered in scales trailing behind him. Even more striking was the network of dark and crimson demonic patterns that covered his entire body, nearly concealing his original form and radiating an indescribable aura of menace. Glimpses of his original human features could still be seen in his facial expression. Yet at this moment, his eyes glowed with a fierce, jade-green intensity, filled entirely with the aura of bloodthirsty violence—no trace of humanity remained. He coldly glanced at Han Li and the others, then suddenly bent forward, shooting toward them like a launched arrow. Alas, their beautiful dreams lasted only a brief moment. A surge of fierce, piercing energy erupted from the fallen giant, who then leaped violently to his feet, undeterred by the full force of all the magical implements striking him—none of them could harm him in the slightest. This left the eyes of the Mengshan Four nearly popping out of their sockets. The giant, now transformed into a monster, roared skyward, then swiftly waved his arms like a windmill. In a flash, his sharp fingers sliced through the several magical items encircling him, reducing them to scattered fragments of broken iron and dust. Before the Mengshan Four could even register the change in their expressions, a surge of jade-like light flared in the giant’s eyes. His body swayed slightly, and he materialized suddenly before the protective barrier of Han Li and the others, extending a sharp claw and plunging it down with great force. A sharp "shriek" rang out. The elder with the dark face swiftly cast Han Li's white phosphor shield outward, just in time to deflect the grasp—though five deep gouges remained on the shield's surface. His complexion turned instantly pale, clearly due to his diminishing magical strength. Observing this, the large Han growled with a fierce grin and launched his other claw at the shield with lightning speed. Yet immediately, his expression changed—he sharply retracted his claw, drawing his arms across his chest in a cross formation to shield himself. At that moment, the second beam of light struck him squarely. This time, though, the now-prepared, partially beastly Han was not knocked to the ground but was instead powerfully driven back several dozen paces. The elder with the dark face, who had only just managed to catch his breath, slightly wiped the cold sweat from his brow and, with a tense voice, addressed the other three: "Their attack is too fierce—no one can sustain more than a few strikes alone. We must work together to drive the shield!" Upon hearing his elder brother's words, the remaining members of the Mengshan Four immediately placed one hand on the elder's shoulder at the same time, then slowly channeled their inner spiritual energy into him. The elder's complexion instantly regained its rosy hue. The beast-form that had taken the shape of the great man failed to make any progress on two consecutive attempts, growing increasingly agitated. As soon as the light column of the beast-warden vanished, it charged again with its jaws agape and limbs outstretched, only to be blocked by the white phosphorus shield and then sent back to its original position by the light column. Seeing this, Han Li furrowed his brows. This creature, capable of shattering the "Sky-Shielding Bell" and withstanding the light-beam attacks from the beast puppets, clearly proves that ordinary top-tier artifacts are of little use against it—only a divine artifact can make a difference. With this in mind, Han Li no longer hesitated and instructed the four companions of Mengshan: "You hold on a bit longer with the beast puppets; I need some time to cast my spell!" Upon saying this, Han Li did not wait for any response from the others, but reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a pale, green scroll. He then placed both hands on it, sat cross-legged with solemn dignity, and closed his eyes, beginning to channel his inner energy. Han Li did not explicitly mention the divine artifact, as he was well aware that, given their status as independent practitioners, the others likely had no concept of what a divine artifact was—and now was not the time to explain. His decisive and efficient actions clearly demonstrated that he would not allow any opposition from the four companions of Mengshan, a point the latter fully understood. They exchanged glances and, finally, the elder with the stern face bravely nodded his agreement. Next, the妖化大汉 launched several consecutive leaps and strikes, yet each time he returned exhausted and unsuccessful. Although the white phosphorus shield held by Han Li was battered and scarred by the opponent's grasp, it managed to withstand the pair of sharp, crystalline claws under the coordinated efforts of the Four Friends of Mengshan. Then, the light beams from the十余 beast puppets would immediately push Han Li back a considerable distance, preventing the妖化大汉 from maintaining continuous attacks—thus granting the Four Friends of Mengshan a much-needed respite.