As soon as Han Li took a deep breath and prepared to cast his spell, he suddenly heard a piercing roar approaching from afar, swiftly growing louder. Then, a flash of blue light appeared on the horizon, and a streak of blue light surged forth like a dragon emerging from the sea. After the streak slowed and settled, a strange figure emerged in the sky, carrying two swords on his back. Upon seeing this figure clearly, Han Li and the others were all taken aback. The man was thin and gaunt, with a tangled mass of white hair reaching his shoulders. He wore a short-sleeved leather robe, a strange flower basket slung across his waist, and his face, marked with odd red spots, bore two fierce triangular eyes—clearly a cultivator at the mid-Jingdan stage. When the figure recognized the scene and saw so many Jingdan cultivators present, he was momentarily stunned. But upon focusing his gaze on the red energy shield and the array tools held by Han Li, his expression turned sharply alarmed. "Are you all mad?" he exclaimed. "Do you intend to die? To dare to sneak a peek at the very things I guard, while I am away? Get out of this island immediately!" "Strange man, as soon as he opened his mouth, he bellowed with fierce intensity, his eyes blazing. 'Master of the island?' 'Your belongings?' Hu Yue and Jin Qing exchanged a look of bewilderment, while Han Li and the others were completely at a loss. After all, wasn't this a deserted island? 'Are you indeed the master of this island?' Hu Yue furrowed her brows, asking calmly at first. 'I've resided here for over three hundred years—naturally, I am the master of this island,' the strange man replied with no hesitation. 'But when I and Jin Qing visited last time, we didn't see you at all!' Hu Yue asked steadily. 'What? You've been here before? Hmph! I'm certain you came just like this time—when I was away attending to matters!' The strange man snapped his eyes open, his indignation growing stronger. 'Then, this island is yours alone. You're merely self-proclaimed master, aren't you?' Hu Yue said with a cold smile, a hint of mockery visible at the corners of her lips. With the seal about to be broken, he naturally didn't intend to pay any attention to this strange figure. "Hmph, stop circling around me! After all, you're already guilty of breaking the seal—no matter what! If you don't wish to leave, then simply stay here and go nowhere else!" A strange yellow glow flashed in the figure's eyes as he reached down and lifted his basket from his waist, then hurled it straight downward. Instantly, the bamboo basket transformed into a cold, shimmering white mist that shot directly toward Hu Yue. The other cultivators, Han Li and his companions, were all taken aback. Was this man truly losing his mind? Didn't they see that the figure was a late-stage Condensation stage cultivator? How could he just decide to attack without any warning? Wasn't he completely out of it? When Hu Yue responded by engaging him in combat, she was both startled and furious, flinging her sleeve and sending two streaks of red light hurtling toward the white mist. "Thud!" The white mist shattered upon impact, scattering in all directions. "All he's done is talk the talk—turns out, he's just superficial!" Hu Yue felt a weight lift from her heart and immediately launched into her criticism. "Gah! Gah!" The strange figure said nothing, merely chuckled. This startled Hu Yue, who suddenly gasped, "What's going on? My flying daggers!" After piercing through the white vapor formed by the flower basket, the two flying daggers now wavered, as if losing their strength. Then, the scattered white vapor rapidly coalesced once more, flashing with brilliance and instantly restoring the shape of the flower basket. The two daggers, however, found themselves precisely inside the basket, completely encased by a dense mass of white vapor and unable to break free. This scene—her magical artifacts being subdued—left Hu Yue utterly stunned, while Han Li and the others grew visibly concerned. Yet the strange figure gave them no time to react. With a cold laugh, he merely shifted his shoulders, and two streaks of gray swordlight descended from the sky, aimed directly at Hu Yue. Jin Qing, standing near Hu Yue, naturally couldn't remain passive. With a flick of his fingers, a small white seal, about the size of a thumb, shot forth from his palm, expanded under the wind, and struck the gray light with full force. A thunderclap followed, and the three treasures emitted brilliant light, intertwining and merging into a radiant web. At that moment, the Jin-family cultivator glanced at Han Li and Qu Hun, then raised his hand silently, launching a spear infused with black and white energies directly at the strange figure. Han Li sighed inwardly. With the battle now underway, he and Qu Hun could no longer afford to stay idle—they would have to act first and deal with this strange figure. With this thought, Han Li and Qu Hun also summoned their "Hun Yuan Basin" and "Lü Huang Sword," heading straight toward the center of the fray. Seeing this, the strange figure not only showed no fear but grew more confident, laughing loudly. As he opened his mouth, a dark, blood-streaked orb shot straight toward the cultivators' treasures. A series of thunderous crashes echoed through the air. To everyone's great surprise, the beads instantly emitted a dark glow upon making contact with the several cultivators' divine artifacts, then burst open on their own, causing a powerful shock that severely damaged the spiritual essence of the artifacts and causing their radiance to fade rapidly. The cultivator named Jian was deeply distressed, his expression filled with profound regret; he quickly pressed hand seals, attempting to retrieve his flying spear. This single blow would at the very least require his spirit to rest for several years before the spear could recover fully. However, at this moment, he found himself too late to act. As the stranger coldly watched, the bamboo basket in the air shimmered, then suddenly burst forth a dense stream of white radiance, swiftly rolling and drawing it in to completely enclose all of the cultivators' artifacts within. "An ancient relic! You're using a primordial ancient artifact!" Jian suddenly recalled something, gasping in astonishment. This remark startled Han. The so-called "primordial ancient artifact" was simply the divine artifacts used by ancient cultivators themselves. These divine treasures possess singular powers, yet their effects are generally immense, far surpassing ordinary artifacts of the present day. Moreover, the methods of crafting, materials used in ancient times were fundamentally different from today's, making it impossible to incorporate them into one's body—thus, they must be carried like regular tools or instruments. This is the sole means of distinguishing ancient primordial treasures from ordinary artifacts. Now, upon seeing this peculiar flower basket, and recalling that it was initially positioned at the other's waist, the simple cultivator immediately grasped its true origin. Indeed, the "Dry Sky Spear" employed during the earlier incident when the "Infant Carp Beast" was subdued at the Six-Connected Hall, is itself an ancient primordial treasure that has been passed down. Although Han Li was somewhat surprised by the concept of ancient treasures and still held several reserve strategies, he deliberately chose not to take the spotlight in front of so many people. He always believed that the more reserves he retained, the more effective they would be when unexpected dangers arose. Moreover, he was certain that even if the other party possessed a rare ancient treasure, it would be impossible to secure anything favorable against so many jointly established Dan-stage cultivators. All he needed to do was demonstrate the standard proficiency of a typical Dan-stage cultivator. With this thought in mind, Han Li focused entirely on controlling the Lühuang Sword, guiding it to surge left and right within the white mist, without making any special efforts on his own or on Qu Hun. Instead, he calmly observed the actions of the others. He believed someone would surely step forward! Indeed, upon hearing that the floral basket was an ancient treasure, Hu Yue and the others immediately brightened slightly. Since this eccentric figure had initiated the effort, it seemed entirely natural for them to unite and eliminate him to claim the treasure. However, after a brief hesitation, the Jin-family cultivator pressed both palms together, and three streaks of dark light emerged from his storage bag—three black banners each measuring over a zhang in height, radiating an intense aura of martial energy. Then, with a sudden exhalation, a surge of black energy shot toward the black banner, instantly triggering a chorus of ghostly wails and moans that left the cultivators dazed and their minds shaken. At the same time, Hu Yue abandoned her control over her flying dagger, simply rubbing her hands together and sending a continuous stream of bright green lightning and flame streaking forward. Jin Qing raised her eyebrows, suddenly casting a spell upon her divine artifact, causing a white seal to rise with a resonant dragon's roar, expanding instantly several times in size and immediately pressing down the two gray flying swords beneath it. Witnessing this synchronized display of power from the three of them, Han Li smiled calmly, sensing that the strange figure was about to face serious trouble. Yet, despite the sharp attacks from Hu Yue and the others, the stranger, though his face briefly darkened, quickly regained his mocking expression. Suddenly, he pulled his short sleeve leather robe aside, exposing his upper body. Han Li glanced at him and was so startled that he nearly bit his own tongue. There, nestled in the hollow of his sunken body, two skull heads—each the size of a clenched fist—were biting firmly on either side. Both skulls were uniformly black, crowned with lush, flowing hair, and constantly quivering at their chests, as though alive. At that moment, the waves of azure lightning and the three black banners had advanced right up to the monster’s face. In response, the monster extended two slender fingers and gently waved them, then uttered a strange, unfamiliar incantation. Instantly, the two skulls emitted deep, mournful groans, then suddenly surged forward from his chest, one after the other. With great enthusiasm, they snapped off the monster’s two fingers in succession and then charged straight toward the approaching lightning and banners.