"Not necessarily!" Han Li sneered, then suddenly clenched his hands in a series of gestures and swiftly drew them back. At that moment, the various magical implements that had been fiercely attacking the azure energy shield roared simultaneously and soared upward, gathering in the air above. This unexpected move left Qingwen momentarily stunned, unsure of Han Li's intentions. Yet, being a seasoned and shrewd strategist, he didn't allow Han Li to proceed unhurriedly. Instead, he instantly brightened his hands, now holding two gleaming golden rings, each radiating a cold, crisp aura—clearly no ordinary items. "Go," Qingwen murmured, without hesitation, and launched the rings forward, transforming into two beams of golden light that surged directly toward Han Li. Han Li's eyebrows shot up sharply, his face darkening as he pressed his palm firmly against the white phosphorus shield. However, before the magical artifact could be thrown, three green streaks, each about a foot long, suddenly burst forth from one side, intercepting the two golden beams mid-flight and immediately engaging in a fierce struggle. "You've forgotten me, haven't you, you rogue?" Han Li exclaimed. The senior master of the royal family gestured with the green glow, offering a warm smile to Han Li. Seeing this, Han Li felt a great relief and returned a smile in kind. But Qing Wen was far less composed—his expression grew gloomy, and his gaze flickered uncertainly. Yet at this moment, he had no remedy. After all, simultaneously managing the True Jade Veil of Qing Mu and the Golden Ring Lock had already consumed nearly all of his spiritual awareness. Unlike Han Li, who had studied the Daxian Sect's Great Derivation Technique, Qing Wen could not effortlessly handle so many artifacts at once. Thus, though he still possessed several beneficial artifacts, he hesitated to deploy them freely. With his entire spiritual awareness dedicated to controlling the artifacts, this was a cardinal sin among cultivators—exactly the condition that left the artifact's owners unaware of approaching dangers. Moreover, Han Li's rare feat of simultaneously commanding over a dozen artifacts to attack the enemy was possible only because these artifacts were used in sets, and in reality, the total amount of spiritual energy consumed equaled that of just three artifacts. If there were truly ten or more distinct first-tier artifacts, even with his current cultivation level, Han Li would simply be unable to command them—no matter how strong his consciousness or how many divisions of awareness he maintained—due to insufficient spiritual energy. Around five would already represent the absolute limit of his spiritual power. This is precisely why Han Li favors using sets of artifacts, as only then can he fully unleash the power of his Daxian Technique. As for Han Li's earlier ability during his Qi Condensation stage to manipulate the eight off-swords of the "Jin Fu Mother-Sword," that was hardly true mastery of artifact control; it merely involved using his mother-sword to guide and direct the off-swords, resulting in vastly inferior power and flexibility compared to his current capabilities. While Qing Wen hesitated, uncertain whether he would need to take additional measures, Han Li had already completed his incantation. The words of his "Great Sword Technique" emerged from his mouth with a cold, composed tone. Immediately thereafter, all the artifacts hovering above Qing Wen's head radiated an intensely brilliant light. When the various hues of light blended together, they coalesced into a massive sword of golden, black, and crimson interwoven patterns, hanging in the air—over a dozen zhang in length, truly astonishing in its scale. This "Great Sword Technique," the method of manipulating the sword, was discovered by Han Li on the golden scroll detailing the complete sequence of Qingyuan Sword Light. It is currently the only sword technique he employs, using his Jianji period cultivation level, and thus, its power is notably impressive. Although the Qingwen and the elder brother's artifact were still engaged in combat, both of them displayed clear astonishment—anyone with even a basic level of intelligence could perceive the strength of Han Li's technique. Qingwen silently groaned in his mind and, without bothering about the two golden rings, suddenly produced a bright bronze mirror in his hands with a simple hand motion. Yet at that moment, Han Li, his face frozen with cold determination, pointed firmly at the enormous sword suspended above. The sword then descended silently and powerfully, cutting through the air with such force that it seemed destined to not only cleave through the surrounding space but also to shatter the figures beneath it. Witnessing this scene, the senior master also forgot to seize the opportunity—when Qingwen couldn't concentrate—to swiftly destroy the opponent's artifact. Instead, he too was stunned, gazing in awe at the overwhelming momentum of the great sword descending. At that moment, his mind was filled with anxious thoughts: could he withstand the blow if it struck him directly? A tremendous crack echoed, and though the bronze shield emitted a strong yellow glow, it only held for a brief moment before emitting a mournful cry and shattering into fragments. Without the shield to impede it, the light sword descended without pause, striking the jade-like pillar with a series of loud, sharp cracking sounds. Witnessing the astonishing power of this mysterious sword, Qingwen's expression finally grew somewhat anxious. With both hands flashing with green light, he swiftly split them left and right, pressing firmly against the side enclosures while desperately channeling his spiritual energy into the inner structure, striving to strengthen the defense of the jade-green true shield. The three-toned glow of the sword intersected beautifully with the green light of the shield, and a steady series of crackling bursts began to emerge. Thanks to Qingwen's relentless efforts, the jade-green true shield managed to withstand the downward thrust of the light sword. Thus, Han Li and Qingwen now coordinated their efforts—one activating a spell to use the great sword to forcibly breach the light shield and deliver a decisive blow to their opponent, avenging the betrayal they had suffered years ago. The other one desperately poured his spiritual power into the energy shield, striving to sustain himself until the full force of the opponent's technique waned, hoping to save his life. At this moment, Wang Shifu on the side finally realized what he needed to do—he swiftly shattered the two golden rings with a few swift movements and then directed three streams of green light energy, charging straight toward the Qingwen Daoist with great momentum. He was well aware that right now, Han Li and the opponent were locked in a deadlock; as long as he provided just a little assistance, he would become the final straw that would break the opponent's resolve, allowing him to easily defeat this capable blood-servant. With that, he could then claim a substantial share of the blood-servant's treasures. With this thought in mind, his heart burned even hotter. Yet, just as Wang Shifu was indulging in his hopes and the Qingwen Daoist's face grew pale, a flash of yellow light suddenly darted past the Daoist's side like a lightning bolt—then, the Daoist vanished completely from his spot, leaving Han Li's three-colored light swords to descend and strike the ground, creating a deep crater several zhang in depth. Wang Shiyi's three green beams naturally also fell short, prompting him to be both astonished and furious as he turned toward the direction of the yellow glow. Indeed, the Qingwen Daoist appeared twenty or so zhang away, bearing his luminous shield, and now with an additional young man in yellow robes beside him, lounging indolently. Upon seeing Wang Shiyi's gaze, he showed no alarm at all and calmly stated, "This man once saved my life—by no means shall I let you kill him so easily." Then, with a cheerful smile, he addressed Han Li, "Han brother, I never thought we'd meet again. Wu Jiuzhi is honored to greet you." The Qingwen Daoist finally regained his composure after the recent peril, cast a venomous glance at Han Li, and muttered resentfully. Wu Jiuzhi, upon hearing this, sighed and said nothing further to Han Li. At this, Qingwen suddenly emitted a series of two long and one short whistles. The iron rooster and the ice demon, who had been under attack from Liu Jing and the others, were instantly surprised and leapt out of the combat circle, flying over to join Qingwen and Wu Jiuzhi. "What's going on? Another person has joined! Now things are complicated," Liu Jing immediately realized the situation upon seeing Wu Jiuzhi appear unexpectedly. Just moments ago, their five had been fighting against the other two Blood Attendants, managing only a slight advantage without being able to inflict serious damage. It was now clear that these four Blood Attendants were no ordinary Jianji-level cultivators—now that four of them had gathered, they were even more formidable. With this realization, Liu Jing called out carefully, and the group soon gathered close to Han Li and his companions. Han Li gazed at Wu Jiuzhi, who had just appeared across from him, feeling utterly uncertain about what emotions stirred within him. Back then, he had genuinely held a favorable opinion of this odd, spirited young man. Yet fate had intervened, and now they found themselves forced into open hostility, facing off against each other until one of them fell.