"Move!" The middle-aged man spoke with solemn gravity, pressing his palms together in a seal. At once, the ghost-headed creature before him roared, its rows of fangs fully opening. Simultaneously, the incantation tools and magical artifacts of Han Li and his companions shot forth, pouring over the rebels of the Miao Yin Sect like a deluge. Naturally, the elders surrounding Ji Yin Elder—such as Zhao—did not remain passive. They too launched streams of radiant light to meet the onslaught. For a moment, the various tools and artifacts intertwined in a dazzling display. Ji Yin Elder observed the scene calmly, then glanced at the charging ghost-headed creature approaching, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his lips. With a gentle motion, he released two black fire orbs from his hands. The orbs wavered in the air, morphing into two thick, ink-black serpents the width of a thumb, which then shot forward like arrows, piercing deep into the creature's maw. The middle-aged man's face instantly paled, murmuring under his breath, "This is not good!" Indeed, the ghostly head halted and swelled out, bursting with a loud "pop" in a moment, showering the surrounding area with countless streams of black magical flames. Upon witnessing this, the middle-aged man's face grew slightly pale, but he quickly steadied himself, drawing a deep breath and adopting a resolute expression. With a firm stroke against the back of his skull, a pearl the size of a thumb slowly emerged from between his brows—small, delicate, and translucent, radiating a gentle, silvery chill. "Brother Chi," he said, as soon as the pearl was released, "this old demon's Heavenly Corpse Fire can only be temporarily contained by a very yin and profoundly cold artifact. I'll use this 'Cold Lih Pearl' to draw his attention, and then you'll find the right moment to employ your Kui-Shui Magic to encircle and restrain him. Only then will we have a chance of victory." As soon as the pearl took flight, he turned solemnly toward the celestial flame demon floating above, whispering his words into the air. A soft, murmured "Hm" echoed from within the clouds, instantly lifting the man's spirits. He didn't hesitate, snapped his mouth open, and a surge of blood mist erupted, enveloping the pearl within. Instantly, the pearl spun rapidly, drawing every drop of blood mist into it until it was completely absorbed. Then, as a white vapor contracted and expanded, it solidified into a massive silver orb, about one zhang in diameter—bright, dazzling, and utterly impressive! These black energies proved exceptionally agile; after rolling through the air, they instantly transformed into several wolf-shaped immortal beasts, each with distinct forms, charging directly at the white serpent. Upon witnessing this, the middle-aged man's eyebrows shot up sharply. He roared and rapidly flicked his ten fingers, unleashing a continuous stream of colorful spells that struck the white serpent without pause. At once, the serpent's eyes flashed green light, coiled its body, and emitted a vast, thick expanse of white, cold mist that surged silently, sweeping the wolf-shaped beasts completely out of sight—then, without ceasing, the mist surged onward toward the ancient master of extreme cold. Only then did the ancient master of extreme cold show genuine surprise, yet he remained composed, gently drawing his hand across his chest. With a soft "plink," a solid black light wall rose instantly, blocking the white mist outside. "Now is the moment—Brother Chi, act quickly!" Seeing the white mist now fully capturing the ancient master's attention, the middle-aged man urgently whispered to the red-flame immortal floating above. "Excellent!" The old red-flame monster in the clouds responded without hesitation. Then, a thunderous roar erupted above the middle-aged man's head, the clouds rapidly expanded and began to swirl and dance wildly before plunging down with sudden, overwhelming force. "Red-flame monster," the man gasped in sheer astonishment, and was instantly engulfed by the endless expanse of clouds stretching over a hundred zhang. "Hmph! It's just that you're too slow-witted. First, you settle down and play well with Chi-Huo! I'll take care of the others first, then return to talk with you as master and disciple!" As these words settled, the black aura of his great hand faded, revealing the figure of the Jiyin Elder. He coldly glanced at Yunwu, then at the cold-lit pearl in his hand, and without hesitation, exhaled a thin stream of dark energy that enveloped the pearl. Instantly, the pearl's radiant glow dimmed, stained and dull. Seeing this, a pleased expression appeared on the Jiyin Elder's cold, composed face. He then flipped his palm, and the pearl vanished completely. From Chi-Huo's sudden defection to the Jiyin Elder's removal of the cold-lit pearl—though it took a long time to unfold, it all happened within the span of a single blink. Even the Meng family cultivators, who had been gaining the upper hand, were left stunned. The Purple Spirit Princess's eyes widened with disbelief! But most people immediately realized what was happening, exchanged glances, and then swiftly withdrew their powerful artifacts that were now making the Zhao elder and others gasp, silently scattering in all directions. They weren't fools—they knew that standing and fighting against the current situation meant certain death. Each of them would now follow their own fate. Among them, the few who escaped the fastest were clearly the cultivators who had reached the Jian Dan stage. What was surprising, however, was that the three female cultivators—Zi Ling, Fan Lady, and Zhuo Ruying—had apparently employed some secret technique, combining their efforts to transform a stone tablet-like artifact into a radiant tri-color glow, achieving a speed that matched even the Jian Dan cultivators. Still, when it came to sheer speed, there was no doubt that Han Li and Qu Hun, who had already prepared to flee early, were the clear leaders. Almost as soon as the red-fire monster struck the middle-aged man, Han Li and Qu Hun immediately retracted their artifacts and, without a word, transformed into two streaks of golden and green light, taking the lead in their retreat. When the other cultivators had just managed to take flight, Han Li had already flown out over thirty paces, his face grim, and turned back to observe the situation behind. To his astonishment, what he saw was utterly unexpected! The concealed Shansha Sect's Ji Dan cultivator had not all fled—instead, the four cultivators who had appeared alongside the middle-aged man joined forces to launch a fierce assault on the Chi Fire Elder and the Ji Yin Patriarch. Their faces were filled with a chilling frenzy, and they fought with a relentless, unyielding determination, completely abandoning any defensive posture. The two monstrous figures were indeed momentarily overwhelmed, struggling to respond. This development filled Han Li with even greater delight. "Excellent! Excellent! I never expected these individuals to all be Ji Dan manifestations. Then, the Patriarch shall truly make it convenient for you!" Yet this assault seemed to have truly enraged the Ji Yin Patriarch. As his voice of furious laughter erupted, one of the four suddenly cried out in pain, and black flames surged violently over his body, consuming him completely within moments. Han Li felt a chill run down his spine and dared not look again, hastily turning around and rapidly channeling the power of the Green Brilliant Sword. Yet, he couldn't help but cast a strange glance at Qu Hun. Upon hearing the terms "Sundering Dan" and "Divided Body," the hazy veil in his mind finally lifted completely. He had always suspected that Wu Chou's cultivation of the "Xuan Yin" technique was related to the "Xuan Yin Scripture" mentioned in the Yu Huang Jade Scroll. Now, with the old master of the Extreme Yin Sect explicitly mentioning "Sundering Dan" and "Divided Body," his suspicions were fully confirmed. As for the fact that one was located in the southern heavens and the other in the Chaotic Star Sea—likely connected through an ancient transmission array, probably the very one he had used when he first arrived. Now that he thought about it, the five-colored skeletal remains found beside the ancient transmission array back then truly seemed suspicious! Moreover, although he had long sensed something was amiss, the fact that the Chi-Huo Elder would suddenly switch sides at the last moment came as a complete surprise—so much so that even in his first move since achieving the Jiān stage, he still found himself as clumsy and desperate as he had been during his Jújī stage, barely managing to escape. This left Han Li deeply frustrated and disheartened. Yet he noticed a striking resemblance between this scene and what had occurred when the "Yīng Lǐ Beast" was being ambushed. Two forces that should have been engaged in fierce combat suddenly turned on each other, one of them betraying its allies and slaughtering them. This reminded him vividly of the plaque carved with the grim visage of a ghost. He felt that everything seemed to be connected to this very plaque. However, Han Li could only think of this much for now, as two fresh cries of pain echoed faintly behind him, tightening his resolve. His hope now rested entirely on the extremely confident Li Jī Yīn Elder—whether he truly had no hidden plans or reserves in store.