The blazing flames soared six or seven zhang high. Under the mighty stroke of the great bird, Qingwen was completely transformed into a colossal figure of fire, plummeting straight down from the sky. Upon reaching the ground, she only managed to cry out in agony twice before turning into a pile of white ash. As Han Li was stunned, the fiery great bird gave a sharp cry, then turned its head and charged directly at the two luminous cocoons. Instantly, a towering column of flame erupted between them, swiftly engulfing the two blood-servants who were barely completing their transformation. Han Li watched closely—within the fierce red flames, the blood glow of the two cocoons struggled only briefly before completely dissolving, revealing two faint, blurred human silhouettes that trembled silently before being fully consumed. This fire, seemingly no different from ordinary flames, proved astonishingly powerful, leaving Han Li utterly amazed. He now had a clearer understanding of the true strength of法宝 wielded by Dan-stage cultivators. Song, Meng, and the others, besides being as stunned as Han Li, showed far more expressions of delight. "Indeed, this treasure is truly remarkable!" "All thanks to Master Liu for this victory over the evil sect!" ...Others excitedly exclaimed in turn. In their eyes, once the Blood Servant was eliminated, could any of the still in seclusion Black Shadegod Masters be any more formidable? After all, they had so many Foundation Stage cultivators—how could they possibly fail to defeat the sect's leader alone? Liu Jing watched the fiery phoenix gradually fade into nothing as the flames subsided, deeply saddened in his heart. Yet upon hearing these praises, he felt a renewed surge of spirit. "Then let's go! We've wasted enough time here. Let's enter and eliminate the Black Shadegod Master as well!" Liu Jing declared with renewed vigor. The others nodded in agreement and took to the skies, descending together. Han Li gave a slight smile, equally eager to descend, yet when he glanced aside, he noticed Wang Sheng was staring downward, expression oddly puzzled. This caught Han Li off guard, so he followed Wang Sheng's gaze. But on the ground, aside from the white ash formed by the spirit-azure patterns and fellow monks carefully gathering the remains of their spouses with expressions of sorrow, there was nothing remarkable to be seen. "Wang Sheng, have you found anything?" Han Li couldn't help asking, his face tinged with doubt. "No, nothing at all. You must be overthinking it, Han," Wang Sheng replied promptly, drawing his gaze back, his eyes slightly avoiding Han Li's. Han Li immediately understood what was going on—this man surely had something important to reveal, but was deliberately holding it back. With that thought, Han Li felt a growing sense of frustration. Yet with a faint, composed smile and a steady demeanor, he said, "Since everything's fine, let's hurry down—Li Sheng is already inside!" He gestured toward the cold palace gate and immediately summoned his artifact to descend. Left behind in the sky was Wang Sheng, whose face shifted between clouds of worry and resignation. But after a decisive kick of his foot, he sighed and followed suit. Liu Jing smiled gently and stepped forward. "It seems your two junior sisters had a smooth journey! This is the Yue Emperor!" After the two female cultivators landed, Liu Jing glanced over the middle-aged man's face before casually shifting the conversation. "Indeed! He was being summoned to a hall to meet several ministers. My sister and I went up there, knocked out the others, and managed to capture him. At the time, two Black Shattered Sect cultivators from the side rushed out to obstruct us, but we easily dealt with them. Liu brother, you're unharmed—what a relief!" Chen Qiaoqian calmly responded with a few words, then glanced around the crowd, pausing only briefly on Han Li's face before immediately stepping back with a complex expression. "Where is Xuehong?" Chen Qiaoqian furrowed her delicate brows, her tone carrying an uneasy feeling. This man, with a glowing red arm, had just pulled it out from within Wang Sheng's chest—appearing there at an unknown moment—after which the body fell straight to the ground, lifeless. "I didn't originally intend to kill him first," the blue-robed figure said with a warm smile. "But this young one truly shouldn't have taken things that weren't his own!" He was in his late thirties, with a clean, well-groomed face, no beard, and slight fishmouth wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, radiating an exceptionally kind and gentle demeanor. Upon seeing this man, one immediately realized he was the Black Shao Sect Master who should have been in seclusion—even Han Li could not help but visibly pale, let alone the other Yellow Maple Valley cultivators, who all instinctively gripped their artifacts with tense urgency. At the very thought, Liu Jing's heart warmed up like wine poured over hot stones, and with a hand motion, he brought out two silver hooks and the circular ring. Yet, before he could summon the others to join him, the black-souled master across from him suddenly smiled in a most eerie manner, and then a soft voice spoke: "Then you may die!" Almost at the same time, Liu Jing felt a sudden pain in his chest, and before he could comprehend what was happening, a blood-soaked arm burst through his front chest, five crimson fingers gripping a slightly pulsing circular object. "What is this?" Liu Jing thought in astonishment—perhaps he sensed it in his heart, but he didn't truly wish to know. Then he felt a dizzying spin, the world turning upside down, his vision darkening, and heard several sharp cries—sounds that seemed to be his beloved Zhong Wei-niang's weeping. Yet they sounded so unfamiliar, so distant! "Ah, this little girl still cries so easily!" Before falling into darkness, Liu Jing thought with a bitter taste. Han Li's face was pale, as before they had even begun to fight the Black Woe Master, a person they had not expected had struck and killed two cultivators at the mid-jing stage. The very leader of their mission, Liu Jing, had fallen at the hands of this very person. After landing the first blow, the stranger swiftly moved, his arms now pierced through the bodies of Liu Jing and a senior disciple of Chen Qiaoqian, and in a flash reached the side of the Black Woe Master, then turned to glare menacingly at Han Li and the others, leaving Han Li no time to intervene. At the very moment Liu Jing was slain, Zhong Wei'niang only let out a few heart-wrenching cries before she went completely still, her mind stunned and lost. Seeing this, Chen Qiaoqian quickly pulled her behind and carefully protected her, her face filled with anger and regret, fixed upon the person who had launched the surprise attack.