Under Han Li's breath-held gaze, the giant mantis flew several circuits within a radius of several miles. At once, Han Li's face turned ashen. With a look of cold determination, he gripped the "Blood Spirit Drill" tightly in his hands and began channeling spiritual energy into it, causing the object to warm slightly. Maintaining a composed expression, Han Li watched the monster descending swiftly toward him. He had decided to release his artifact only when the creature came close enough—only then would he have a greater chance of injuring or killing it. Of course, this strategy would multiply the risks, but at this moment, Han Li could no longer afford such concerns. At fifty paces, then forty, then thirty—Han Li's heart pounded fiercely, and he took a deep breath, ready to shake the drill into the air. Yet a scene that left Han Li utterly stunned unfolded: as the mantis approached twenty paces above his head, it suddenly executed a graceful spiral, then altered course and slanted toward another nearby spot. Then, after a few mournful roars, the giant mantis suddenly used its forelimbs to grasp a massive mountain boar and took off once more from the forest, flying resolutely back along the path it had come. Only when the sight of the beast gradually faded from view did Han Li finally breathe a sigh of relief, sinking down to sit on the ground, no longer bothering to maintain the composure of a cultivator. The situation had been absolutely perilous! Had it not been for his intention to launch an attack only at close range, he would have ended up just like that wild boar, swallowed whole by the beast. His safe escape this time was truly a matter of sheer luck! Han Li silently felt grateful, for the first time truly appreciating how fortunate his own fortune had been. Calming his mind, he recalled the true culprit behind all this—the cultivator from Yuling Sect who had taken possession of Quhun's body—and his anger flared up immediately. It was clearly evident that the letter sent to the cave had been a deliberate trap set by the other party. Despite his utmost caution, he could not match the seasoned cunning of his opponent and was thoroughly betrayed, nearly losing his life in the process. "Well, very well! As long as I'm still alive, you'll have no chance to escape my wrath!" For the first time, Han Li spoke with such indignation, while sitting and resting, muttering angrily. In his mind, the "Spirit of the Curve" had consecutively placed three "Stabilizing Seals" on him—seals that, given his level of cultivation, he believed would be impossible to break. Once he returned, he was certain to easily claim the opponent's life. As soon as he sensed his physical and magical energies had fully recovered, Han Li immediately launched himself into the air, returning in the same direction. This time, however, he did not dare to fly at a high altitude with confidence. Instead, he flew cautiously at a low altitude—only ten to fifteen zhang above the ground—afraid of drawing the attention of the great beast once again. On the way back, the cool night breeze brushing against him gradually extinguished half of his furious anger, clearing his mind and allowing him to re-examine the sequence of his interactions with the "Quhun." After reflecting on the cultivator's words and actions, as well as the terrifying nature of the mantis beast, Han Li began to doubt the original foundation-level status of the cultivator. Such a formidable insect-type beast appearing within a mere hundred miles of Jiyuan City could hardly be wild. Considering the cultivator's affiliation with the Yuling Sect, it seemed highly likely that this giant mantis was one of his tamed spiritual beasts. Han Li found it hard to believe that a foundation-level cultivator could have tamed such a powerful spirit beast. In his estimation, this single mantis spirit was capable of easily defeating three or four foundation-level late-stage cultivators—indeed, astonishingly strong. "Could it be that this 'Qihun' was originally not merely a Juji Period cultivator, but actually a Jiedan Period one?" He couldn't help but wonder this. Han Li was startled by his own speculation! As he drew near to the original small hill, he unexpectedly halted his advance and floated gently in the air, pondering deeply. How could a Jiedan Period cultivator end up in such a tragic state—his body destroyed and his spirit separated? After all, even if he faced another Jiedan cultivator, if he couldn't prevail, he should still have been able to escape and hold his ground. Unless he had encountered the Yuanying Period immortals of Yue Nation? Yet the Yuanying Period cultivators of the Seven Sects had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs, and there were even two or three who weren't even in Yue. Indeed, during the several clashes between the Magian Sects and the Seven Sects that had occurred recently, Han Li had never heard of any Yuanying-level cultivators stepping into the fray. It made it hard for him to imagine just how catastrophic and tumultuous the battles would be when these individuals actually engaged in combat. Yet, Han Li was not satisfied with the way these Yuan-Stage cultivators merely watched the lower-level cultivators fight, while themselves remaining indifferent. He silently murmured his discontent several times. What on earth were these senior cultivators up to? Could it really be that fortunate—this cultivator, possibly at the Jiedan Stage, had just encountered one of these ancient masters? Han Li mused to himself. If the one who had taken over Quhun's body were indeed a Jiedan cultivator, then it would make perfect sense that he possessed such detailed knowledge of the magical sect's invasion and even had a powerful spiritual beast like the Mantle Spirit. After careful consideration, Han Li had to admit that the likelihood of Quhun being a Jiedan cultivator had reached as high as six or seven out of ten—this fact sent him sweating profusely, and he adopted a rather puzzled expression. He felt both apprehensive and a touch excited. Could it be that the other party was playing a long game—deliberately appearing so weak in cultivation level, all along teasing him? "Han Li was desperately trying to figure out just how severe this situation was. "No, the other party wasn't deliberately showing weakness!" After mulling it over for a while, Han Li finally reached a firm conclusion. Besides the fact that the other person had only recently taken over the Qu Hu body, which was certain, Han Li's profound cultivation level had naturally been rendered insignificant, as he had previously claimed. Even though the other's spirit still remained, allowing for a smooth restoration without any bottlenecks, his current cultivation level was indeed what one would expect under such circumstances. Moreover, Han Li immediately noticed that the other could not control the mantis spirit beast either; otherwise, with such a capable bodyguard, how could he have allowed it to accompany him so closely? After all, Han Li was currently at his most vulnerable—most lacking in strong protection—so he had been reluctantly deceived into being taken to the cave, hoping that the unruly giant mantis would kill him. Han Li's mind was exceptionally sharp; with only a brief reflection on the situation before and after, he quickly grasped the full truth, and his confidence and courage surged once more. This was not because Han Li intended to take advantage of the situation and exploit the other's vulnerability at a moment of crisis. Rather, he was fully aware that he had already forged a deep enmity with this cultivator from the Autonomous Spirit Sect. Should the other escape his grasp now, once he regained his Jie Dan stage strength, he would surely crush him to pieces. Therefore, Han Li absolutely could not allow this individual to leave alive. With a clear understanding of the underlying dynamics, Han Li immediately activated the magical artifact beneath his feet and sped straight toward the small hilltop. Upon reaching the summit in a matter of moments, Han Li immediately spotted the "Quhun" standing still in place, all of whose scrolls remained intact. He was greatly relieved and gently descended to a distance of about fifteen zhang away, simultaneously securing one magical artifact in each hand. As soon as Han Li descended from the sky, a look of shock spread across Qu Hun's face, as if he had never imagined Han Li could survive. He managed a forced smile and began to speak, but before he could utter a word, Han Li merely took a few steps forward and, without ceremony, raised his hand. Two beams of dark light roared forth and surged toward him. Since Han Li had decided to eliminate his opponent completely, he had no patience for any last-minute verbal pleasantries from someone on the verge of death. As the dark dragons surged forward with fierce momentum, Qu Hun's face turned pale. When Han Li thought the opponent was about to be torn apart, Qu Hun suddenly shifted, leaping several feet outward and narrowly avoiding the attack. "What are you doing? Have you forgotten your oath?" the cultivator of Yuling Sect exclaimed, furious. He had not expected such a fierce assault upon seeing Han Li. Han Li, however, seemed completely unimpressed by these words, his eyes fixed intently on the three still-anchored spirit seals on Qu Hun's body, as if he could not believe what he was seeing. "How could the other person move if the talisman hadn't been removed?" Han Li was full of suspicion. But now was not the time for questions or hesitation. With a cold exhalation, he simply pointed at the black dragon talisman, and instantly the artifact expanded several times in size, transforming into two thick streams of dark light that flashed swiftly and surged toward the opponent. He had made up his mind—despite sacrificing Qu Hun, the corporeal corpse, he would utterly destroy the metaspirit of this Jie Dan stage cultivator, leaving not a single trace. Qu Hun seemed to sense Han Li's unwavering determination. As the black dragon talisman pressed down with full force, he urgently opened his mouth and emitted a beam of green light, which successfully deflected the full power of the attack.