"Is this?" Seeing that the other had blocked his full-force attack, Han Li was utterly surprised. He noticed a small sword, only an inch long, glowing green with shimmering light. "A divine artifact!" Han Li exclaimed, his expression shifting. How could someone with only Qi Stage levels five or six wield such an item to withstand his Wulong Duo attack? It clearly had to be a divine artifact—this both amazed and delighted Han Li. The surprise stemmed from the fact that the other now had a divine artifact to protect him, making the battle more challenging. Yet the delight came from the prospect of acquiring this very artifact if he could defeat the other. Now, he was finally certain—this person had indeed been a Ju Dan Stage cultivator all along! With this thought, Han Li directed his Wulong Duo to continue pressing the attack while simultaneously flipping his hand, bringing out the "Yinhun Bell" in his grasp. He had initially hesitated to use it, believing the other was already immobilized by the Sealing Symbol. But now, it was clear that he would need to employ his own divine artifact to resecure the other. Upon seeing Han Li produce the "Spirit-Calling Bell," a look of alarm flashed across Qu Hun's eyes, but quickly turned to fierce determination. He suddenly struck his abdomen with a sharp blow, then opened his mouth to expel a greenish pill. As soon as the pill appeared, it emitted a soft, glowing green light that completely enveloped his body. At that moment, Han Li's "Spirit-Calling Bell" began to ring steadily and resoundingly, aiming to make Qu Hun's limbs weak and his muscles numb, rendering him unable to resist. After a series of ringing tones, Qu Hun stood firmly, showing no sign of any effect whatsoever. Observing this, Han Li grew serious—clearly, the light emitted by the green pill had protected Qu Hun, rendering Han Li's bell ineffective. Realizing this, after Han Li struck the bell twice more without any visible result, he frowned and withdrew the small bell. But then, with a sweeping motion of his hands, he released a dozen puppets glowing with white light—these were the last of his remaining second-tier puppets. Should they be destroyed, he would be left only with the less effective, self-made ones. Therefore, Han Li had no intention of further delaying the confrontation. As soon as the puppets appeared, under his precise control, the beams of light and light arrows surged forth in a powerful, overwhelming assault. But then he recalled that the other party had originally been a cultivator at the Ju Dan stage, possessing a few well-practiced techniques—so it wasn't all that surprising. Han Li silently pondered this contradiction. At that moment, Qu Hun, having successfully blocked Han Li's attacks with two well-placed countermeasures, felt a great relief. He quickly racked his brain, striving to find the right words to calm Han Li and persuade him to cease his relentless assault. After all, with his meager inner energy, he simply couldn't sustain such intensity! Yet, before Qu Hun could settle on any words, Han Li, after a brief hesitation, reached into his storage pouch and then suddenly raised his hand—emitting a brilliant flash of red light that vanished almost instantly. Qu Hun was startled! Before he could comprehend what was happening, the floating green pills in front of him burst into fragments, and a sharp, tearing pain surged deep within his spirit, causing him to gasp and fall to the ground, his limbs convulsing uncontrollably. The green light that had originally enveloped the "Spirit of the Curve" vanished completely after the pill burst, leaving no obstruction. A surge of light columns and light arrows immediately converged, completely engulfing the "Spirit of the Curve." Meanwhile, the small green sword, now deprived of its wielder's control, lost much of its strength and was steadily pressed back by Han Li's unexpected counterattack, appearing as though it would soon falter. It seems that Lü Dan has a strong connection with the other party's spirit essence—hence, the other's reaction when he expelled this substance to defend himself! Could it be that this golden elixir was condensed during the other's Jingshen stage? Han Li secretly suspected as such. At that moment, upon a simple wave of his hand, the attacks launched by the puppets ceased. Then he turned his gaze toward the opponent. Once the light faded, Han Li clearly saw a blackened corpse lying on the ground—surprisingly, it had not turned to ash during the attack. This truly surprised him. Could it be that the zombie body of Qu Hun differs from that of ordinary people? Han Li examined the corpse carefully, paused a moment, and did not immediately approach it. Instead, he swept his hand upward, causing six or seven fire balls, each about the size of a clenched fist, to float in the air. Then, with a soft utterance of "Go," the fire balls shot forward like arrows toward the corpse. With several "puff" sounds, under Han Li's cool observation, the blackened body burst into vigorous flames. At the very instant the great blaze erupted, a glowing green orb, about the size of an egg, suddenly burst forth from the roaring flames and sped off wildly toward one side. Seeing this, Han Li's face froze with cold. He stepped swiftly and materialized behind the orb, then extended his hand with a lightning-fast motion, emitting a brilliant white light. Instantly, the green orb shrieked and was crushed to dust by Han Li's five fingers imbued with spiritual energy. Han Li then stepped back to Kurun's side, gently waving his sleeve, and the flames on Kurun's body vanished completely. "Even a Jiandan-stage cultivator can't do much better—just a simple illusion trick, and that's all it takes," Han Li remarked, looking down at the blackened Kurun with a cold smile. He then carefully examined Kurun's injuries. To his surprise, aside from the surface being completely charred, Kurun's internal organs and bones remained perfectly intact. Han Li was delighted by this discovery. Though he knew that Qu Hun was merely a hollow shell, he unconsciously still regarded him as a loyal subordinate. If Qu Hun could recover fully, he would be delighted beyond words. Moreover, there was a plan he had in mind that required Qu Hun's participation. Thus, Han Li drew forth the "Spirit-Calling Bell" and lightly tapped it. Instantly, Qu Hun, who had been lying on the ground, rose straight up, and his eyes, once again, regained their lifeless, wooden hue. Han Li nodded. Though he had some flesh wounds, the exceptional healing capacity of a zombie body would surely allow him to recover swiftly. Then his gaze shifted to the green, luminous sword floating in the air. Since the loss of its master, the sword had remained completely still. Han Li first used the Wulong Du to gently press it down, then carefully attempted to penetrate it with his divine awareness. Yet, it was not so kind and simply blocked him out. "It seems truly as the legend says—without the qualifications of a Condensed Qi stage, one cannot wield any unowned法宝." Han Li sighed with a touch of regret. Now, he could only watch and admire this treasure. Yet he remained deeply enthusiastic about it, and after a series of careful trials, finally felt confident enough to take it into his hands and examine it closely. The sword itself was only about one and a half inches long. Without the infusion of its master's spiritual energy, its radiance had dimmed somewhat, yet it still exuded a gentle, misty coldness that enhanced its beauty. Carved along the blade were two small ancient characters, which Han Li read aloud softly upon closer inspection. "Lü Huang." He cherished the sword, handling it with great delight, before reluctantly placing it gently into his storage pouch—his very first magical artifact! Then, Han Li cast his gaze around once more, checking for any overlooked details, and was immediately drawn to the scattered spots of green light on the ground. He examined it closely and found it to be fragments of green pills that could be shattered by the Blood Spirit Drill. Though broken, the glow on their surfaces remained unimpaired, which astonished him greatly. He stepped forward, bent down, and gently gathered these particles. Though he had no idea of their purpose, Han Li decided to leave them be. He suspected these fragments might be related to the golden elixirs of Jin Dan stage cultivators.