Dong Xuaner, who had been standing beside the strange man, was also enveloped in his radiant glow. A single strike from a Jiandan-level cultivator, infused with resentment, was no mere thing that Dong Xuaner and the other two could easily withstand! The vast expanse of white swordlight, propelled forward by the masked woman, surged ahead for over ten paces before suddenly dissipating into nothing as the clouds parted. At the same time, the graceful woman standing atop the artifact swayed slightly, as if about to fall. Seeing this, both the handsome man and the young master of Guilin Sect were overjoyed and immediately stepped forward, shifting from retreat to advance. From below, Han Li's expression subtly changed. Without hesitation, he lightly tapped his storage scroll, and thirteen "Red Thread Dashing Needles" automatically materialized in his hands. He firmly clasped them in both hands. Even if the situation now seemed perilous, Han Li could not allow Nan Gong Wan to be harmed. After all, no matter how self-centered or detached he might be, he was far from completely indifferent or cold-hearted. Moreover, he was confident that at present he might not yet be up to the level of either of the two young masters of Gui Ling Sect, but if he truly wished to escape, he would still have more than enough strength. Just as Han Li raised his hand, intending to launch the flying needles to save the masked woman, the situation in the sky suddenly took a dramatic turn. The masked woman, who had previously wavered on the sword, suddenly steadied herself and flashed a cold gaze. Wang Chan and the handsome man both reacted with shock, instantly realizing they had been outwitted. Yet when they tried to turn and flee, it was too late. The woman raised both hands, and a surge of celestial sword energy burst forth, brilliant white light completely engulfing the three of them. Seeing this, Han Li felt a sense of relief, and gently loosened his grip on the artifact he had been holding tightly. At that moment, the entire sky was illuminated in a pale gray hue by the light of the veiled woman's sword. Amidst this white glow, the blood mist and dawn light, though wavering like small boats tossed by immense waves, stubbornly held on, drifting with the current. Particularly the handsome young man and Dong Xuan'er, glowing with vibrant hues of green and crimson as they extended their hands, managed to counter the sword's relentless assault. Worse still, the treasures closely linked to her Yuan Shen suffered severe damage during the battle and could not be used for a short time. With pursuers in close pursuit, she was forced to employ a costly secret technique, drawing upon a portion of her inner potential to generate a mere trace of spiritual energy, enabling her to stabilize and flee on her vehicle. Yet unexpectedly, although most of the magian disciples had been left behind, these three managed to maintain a remarkable tenacity, relentlessly pursuing her. Thus, she now had no choice but to eliminate them—otherwise, once the secret technique wore off, even as a Jie Dan-stage cultivator, she would be helpless against the attackers. She had chosen to halt here because her consciousness had just detected the presence of another cultivator in this location. Though she did not yet know who this person was, there was no trace of the magian Six Sects' cultivation aura—this was certain. Moreover, this individual was a mid-stage Jie Ji cultivator, neither belonging to a major immortal lineage nor to one of the other five sects' allied groups. Thus, she had come here with the mindset that no matter how bad things turned, they wouldn't get any worse—intending to drag this cultivator down with her, hoping that the situation might still find some turn. Yet she had never expected that this person's awareness was actually quite strong, having quietly withdrawn far away, completely indifferent to any trouble. As a result, the masked woman was forced to halt and face off alone, growing increasingly resentful toward him. Unexpectedly, another serious turn of events arose. These three figures from the demonic cultivation school proved remarkably resilient, each equipped with powerful defensive artifacts. Despite her efforts to unleash her remaining spiritual energy through her techniques, she found herself unable to overcome them at first. Moreover, the high-grade seals and other superior artifacts she had carried had been completely depleted over the course of several days of combat. Now, as her very last reserves of spiritual power began to fade, she felt her heart sink deeply. The Wang Chan and his companions, struggling desperately under the overwhelming swordlight facing them, felt the immense pressure gradually thinning, until it finally vanished entirely. This surprised the three of them, yet as they looked at the masked woman standing motionless upon the artifact, her eyes dull and lifeless, her body trembling gently with visible vulnerability, a sense of relief washed over them. Wang Chan and the handsome man exchanged a glance, filled with renewed hope. However, the hardships they had just endured still made them hesitate, unsure whether to act too soon. At that moment, a brilliant white light surged upward from below, moving with the speed of lightning and reaching the masked woman in mere moments. Within the light, a figure seemed to flicker, momentarily embracing her from waist to chest, before the light turned and retraced its path, returning downward along the same route. This sudden development enraged both Wang Chan and the handsome man. How could they allow the prize they had just secured to be snatched away by someone else? Without hesitation, they activated their flight techniques and pursued the white light with unwavering determination. But Dong Xuan'er remained in place, deciding not to move to pursue. Instead, she displayed a look of surprise and doubt. That figure seemed so familiar to her that it caused her to hesitate. The distance of several dozen zhang saw the white light swiftly descend and land within a dense thicket of trees. As the light faded, a plain-looking young man emerged. He was cradling the veiled woman tightly in his arms, gazing upward at Wang Chan and the other man who were approaching, his face expressionless. Yet the veiled woman struggled helplessly within his embrace, her eyes filled with irritation, as though she were scolding him. The young man paid her no attention at all. "It's you!" "It's you!" Upon seeing the young man clearly, both Wang Chan and the handsome man exclaimed simultaneously. They both recognized Han Li, who had suddenly appeared on the road. After exchanging a look of astonishment, they immediately summoned their powers and rushed toward him. To their surprise, the blood mist swirling around Wang Chan surged dramatically, quickly filling a space of twenty to thirty zhang, with an intense, overwhelming scent of blood and an astonishing aura. The handsome man, meanwhile, sneered and suddenly produced a jade flute from his hands. With a slight gesture, a clear, resonant melody rang out, and as the light radiance on his body harmonized with the melody, he transformed into a vibrant pink peacock that soared directly toward Han Li. He himself followed closely behind the peacock. It seemed that the female cultivator at the Ji Dan stage had absolutely no strength left to resist! Yet, at the very moment of panic, Han Li's expression suddenly changed, and a strange, almost enigmatic smile appeared on his face. Upon seeing this, the two rising talents from the Magic School exchanged a sharp, uneasy glance. Suddenly, the scene shifted—Han Li and the veiled woman seemed to vanish like a gentle breeze, now appearing instead before them as two massive rocks. This sudden transformation left Wang Chan and the handsome man startled, hastily halting their evasive techniques and turning to gaze around in bewilderment. But what they saw upon looking around left them stunned. The surrounding forest was no longer a forest—it had transformed into countless towering stone pillars, and they found themselves completely trapped within the illusionary array. Wang Chan and the handsome man were furious. Though the array's power was not overwhelming and they could easily break it, it was sufficient to allow Han Li to carry off their prey and depart unimpeded. This only deepened the animosity between the two young masters of the Magic Path, making them even more deeply resentful of Han Li. "Brother Wang, we must hurry to break through the array—don't forget! My sister-in-charge, Dong Xian, is still outside. With her level of cultivation, she should be able to hold off the enemy for a while." The handsome man suddenly recalled something, then spoke to Wang Chan with a cold smile. "Indeed, I nearly forgot about this! Though I remember she used to be a disciple of Huang Feng Valley—wouldn't she be able to intervene and block the enemy's advance?" Wang Chan's face flashed with a moment of delight, yet he remained doubtful. "I think so. Dong Xian holds a fairly high position within my Héhuān Sect—far beyond what she would have as a mere disciple at Huang Feng Valley. And my father has always treated her very well."