Amid the crowd's gasps, Han Li, already prepared, raised his other hand and launched the Green Radiance Sword. Instantly, the black figure was sent flying back to the edge of the water pool, then turned to gaze coldly upward at the onlookers. "A phoenix-crowned serpent? How has its phoenix crown transformed into the form of the Seven-Cloud Lotus!" Ruan Yue exclaimed, her eyes wide with astonishment upon recognizing the true form of the figure. At the edge of the pool stood a dark, monstrous serpent, measuring three to four feet in length, its head crowned with fleshly horns. From its mouth flowed a fresh red tongue, and the upper portion of the horns bore the three-colored flower buds, resembling a delicate little bloom growing directly atop its head—most comically so. The rainbow that shimmered around it was formed by the serpent's continuous emission of ethereal, seven-hued magical vapors, indistinguishable from a true rainbow. It was no wonder it had deceived so many cultivators' eyes. Shi Die clearly saw the true form of the serpent, her eyes flashing with cold light. Without a word, she raised her hand and launched a purple cloud cloth, which roared forward with thunderous sound, directly striking the demonic serpent. "Be careful! This serpent is extraordinarily venomous—you won't be able to match it!" Jin Qing's face suddenly paled as he urgently exclaimed, then himself released a white seal, transforming it into a beam of white light to assist the attack. "How could this creature be so formidable? Is it perhaps a mutated monster?" Jin Qing exclaimed, somewhat startled at the sight. But as soon as he finished speaking, a streak of blood shot suddenly from one side, cutting through the colorful mist and striking the flesh crown of the serpent. Instantly, a blood hole the size of a thumb appeared there. The monster howled in pain, rolling onto the smooth stone ground before arching its body and darting swiftly toward the jade pool. At that moment, however, a jade-green flying sword descended from the heavens, swiftly impaling the serpent's head onto the stone, causing its tail to thrash wildly but rendering it completely immobile. This was precisely what Han Li and Qu Hun had done simultaneously. While Qu Hun used a blood-spirit drill, Han Li deliberately restrained the divinely protective lightning from his "Qingzhu Bee-Cloud Sword," choosing not to unleash it, in order to avoid revealing that the sword had been crafted from thunder-forest bamboo. Jin Qing and the others, seeing the divine serpent subdued by Han Li, finally relaxed. Using their divine artifacts, they worked together to gradually press the seven-colored divine pearl downward. After a brief discussion, Shi Di took the pearl and stored it in her storage bag. Then, the group moved closer to the serpent. "This is indeed a divine crown serpent," Ru Yue observed, glancing at the serpent still struggling beneath the small sword. "Yet the divine crown appears to have been specially crafted into the form of a Seven-Rain Lotus—something that could not have been natural to this serpent." "Clearly, the Seven-Rain Lotus is a deliberate trap, possibly designed specifically to counter the bone-bodied person. We've simply fallen into the same trap once again," Jin Qing agreed with a wry smile. Han Li stood silently by, observing the serpent, then turning his gaze to the damaged right hand of the bone-bodied figure. Inevitably, as someone eagerly gathered this Seven-Cloud Lotus, a strange and venomous serpent suddenly shot out from the pond, biting the finger, and then was torn into the pool of poison. Han Li couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart! Looking at the small arrows embedded in the white bones, it was clear that the person who had planned this had a second move—this strategist truly had thought deeply and carefully! With a sharp "plink," the head and body of the serpentine crown snake were severed in two by a flash of cold light. By the side stood the stone butterfly, her face solemn, holding a short sword with a cold, composed demeanor. Seeing this, Han Li slightly furrowed his brows. He knew that this woman harbored such deep resentment toward the serpent because her beauty had been destroyed. Even if the serpent hadn't been the direct cause of her disfigurement, it certainly played a major role. For a woman, beauty was likely as vital as her life. Han Li gently shook his head and then extended his hand. Instantly, the small sword returned to his body, untouched. Then his gaze settled once again on the arrows embedded in the white bones. At first glance, the arrow’s emerald hue resembled that of Han Li’s Qingzhu Fengyun sword, but upon closer inspection, it was subtly different. Han Li’s sword shone with a bright, luminous emerald glow, while this arrow carried a faint black aura, as though it had been enchanted or tainted by some malevolent spell. “Han, friend, shall we go and check other places? Perhaps we’ll find something new?” Ru Yue, seeing Han Li still intent on studying the bones, couldn’t help but ask. It seemed he was determined not to return empty-handed! “Friends, please go ahead—myself and Qu friend can stay here in the hall.” Han Li spoke calmly and composedly. Hearing this, Ru Yue was somewhat surprised, yet after glancing at the bones and the emerald arrow, he hesitated. In the end, he remained where he was. Jin Qing and Shi Di, observing the scene, also stayed put, silent and motionless. After all, they had recently encountered a series of mishaps—how could they be sure there weren't other dangers within the sanctuary? Naturally, it was safer for everyone to stay together. Moreover, they had already noticed that this arrow seemed no ordinary item. Otherwise, the rather enigmatic Han Li would not be constantly flipping it back and forth. At that moment, Jin Qing and Hu Yue exchanged glances, their expressions subtly shifting. Especially Hu Yue—she had not only failed to gain any benefit, but had seen two guests she had personally invited, one of whom had his face severely damaged, and the other who had perished entirely. It seemed like a complete failure of their quest! Just as the group remained silent, a faint, intermittent moan came from the direction of the water pool. The sound startled everyone, prompting them to rush over immediately. To their astonishment, the body of the Jin-family cultivator, who had appeared dead for some time, was now slowly rising from the pool, limbs moving erratically, and occasionally emitting muffled, indistinct murmurs from the exposed bones of his mouth. Everyone stood speechless, gazing at one another in bewilderment. As cultivators, they would not have been particularly surprised by the appearance of a ghostly or supernatural entity—on the contrary, they would have acted swiftly to eliminate such threats. Yet what they now witnessed was the physical bodies of their companions, who had just entered the hall together. Can any secret technique preserve the spirit when the body is ruined like this? Since they couldn't tell whether the other was human or a ghost, Hu Yue and the others hesitated. Watching the corpse of the Jian-family cultivator slowly crawl out of the pool and steadily approach them. "No matter if you're human or a ghost—don't come any further. Otherwise, don't expect us to be gentle!" Hu Yue seemed to sense something was amiss and shouted urgently. With a swift motion of her sleeves, the pair of flying daggers shot out and began to swirl around her. Jin Qing and Shi Die also grew alert, fixing their gaze firmly on the figure across from them. As soon as Hu Yue finished speaking, the Jian-family cultivator's physical form halted, standing motionless in place. Hu Yue and the others breathed a little easier. Yet from the sidelines, Han Li felt something was off, and unconsciously flipped his palm, catching something in his hand. At that very moment, a sudden turn of events occurred. The Jian surname cultivator's physical form suddenly kicked forward, his bone-exposed body crashing violently toward the group. Hu Yue and Jin Qing were startled, instantly summoning their talismans—two beams of white light and one streak of white radiance struck the cultivator simultaneously. Instantly, the Jian surname cultivator burst into fragments, utterly unable to withstand even a single blow! Hu Yue felt a great relief in his heart. Yet at that moment, he suddenly sensed a gentle breeze brushing past him from behind, followed by a coolness on his back. A white-boned hand emerged from his abdomen, fingers tightly gripping a blue, luminous orb the size of a soybean. (That's all for today's update—please don't wait for the evening chapter. As we're now prioritizing our health and aiming to avoid staying up late, we'll be updating during the day. Everyone, rest well!)