Han Li quickly pulled out a blue scroll from his storage bag. A flash of white light caused the bleeding to stop immediately. Han glanced at the wound, relieved to see that the bleeding had been temporarily controlled. Yet when he turned back to look at Qu Hun, his gaze grew icy—silent, yet a surge of glowing jade light rose several zhang high from his body, with nine shimmering emerald streaks swirling and pulsing around it, striking a vivid contrast. Han had made up his mind: unless he lived to leave this place, he would never return the several "Severed Bamboo Honey Swords." He didn't want to risk being ambushed again by this ancient creature who had surely lived for centuries. Honestly, since he began his cultivation journey, nothing had ever frightened him more than what had just happened. Had he reacted even slightly slower, a hole would have appeared instantly in his heart. Thanks to his superior awareness and agility compared to ordinary cultivators, he had barely escaped death after Qu Hun's sudden attack. The Blood Spirit Drill truly is a master of subtle, insidious attacks—so hard to anticipate! Yet now, Han Li no longer needed to worry about the venomous nature of the Blood Spirit Diamond. That very one just now was the very last one cultivated by Qu Hun during his previous training. Still, Han Li was deeply frustrated! According to the method of cultivating a "body beyond the self," he had clearly achieved a state of human-divine unity between the portion of his consciousness and Qu Hun's physical form. Yet, how could he have been so subtly controlled by the old ghost on the other side without even receiving a single warning consciousness? Had it not been for his quick thinking and timely retrieval of that consciousness, he might have been completely absorbed and consumed by the opponent. At that point, his predicament would have truly been dire. Nevertheless, the fact that the opponent could manifest within him confirmed that the Green Shadow was indeed not human, but rather an ethereal spirit resembling a ghost or a spiritual essence. By manifesting within Qu Hun, it might not be a bad thing at all—it could even provide him with an opportunity to eliminate the opponent. With this thought in mind, Han Li flipped his hand, and a delicate bronze bell appeared in his palm. It was precisely the spirit bell that had been set aside for a long time. This bell contained the refined essence of the curved soul's physical body. Though he did not expect it alone to secure victory over the opponent, it might at least create some favorable opportunities for him! At that moment, the opposing "curved soul" was busily moving his limbs, as if adjusting to this new body. Upon seeing Han Li's actions, however, he chuckled dryly, displaying a confident, unconcerned demeanor. Han Li, observing this, grew serious and immediately began striking the small bell in his hand. With a series of clear, resonant chimes—ding, ding—the curved soul's eyes flashed red several times, yet his form remained perfectly still, showing no signs of disturbance. Han Li's heart sank. "No matter what adjustments you've made to this body's soul essence, once you've become the true master of this form, do you truly believe those minor restrictions will still hold?" came the rough, scornful voice of the curved soul, his expression filled with mockery. "Do you know what a soul essence of a deadly jade fragment is?" "Heard that, Han Li was struck with surprise and somewhat taken aback. 'Haha! The Shada Dan and the dual-body technique—those were originally passed down to the two rebellious disciples of mine. Do you really think I wouldn't have noticed? To dare use the dual-body technique right before me—what a bold move! Didn't you know that as long as the dual-body forms are created through this secret method, I can effortlessly control them? Didn't your master warn you about this?' Qu Hu turned his neck slightly from side to side, then crossed his arms and spoke calmly. Han Li was puzzled inside, yet his expression seemed oddly strange. 'As for a master—this dual-body technique came to me from a piece of jade scroll. I have no idea how it connects with you.' Han Li wasn't willing to shoulder any blame for the extremely yin master. Whether the claim was true or not, he simply offered a quiet explanation. 'A jade scroll? Young man, do you really think I'll let you off the hook just because you deny being one of the two rebellious disciples? Once I capture you, I'll extract your soul and refine your spirit—just as easily, I'll get everything I need.'" "Qu Hu didn't seem to believe Han Li at all, speaking with a blank expression. As soon as he finished, he immediately extended his hand toward the pile of white bones nearby. The scattered bones floated up on their own and instantly reformed into a complete skeleton, which then flashed with a bright light and shot toward Qu Hu. Though Han Li didn't know what Qu Hu intended, he certainly wouldn't let him complete this smoothly. Without hesitation, he lightly flicked his fingers, and three shimmering green sword beams shot out from his hands, heading straight for the skeleton—exactly the Qing Yuan Sword Light. "Even a grain of light dares to act so boldly?" Qu Hu said, his voice cold and solemn. Then, he opened his mouth, and a column of blood erupted from it. A thunderous burst of sound followed as the blood column collided with the green light, sending out a dazzling shower of sparks. Han Li's eyebrows furrowed slightly, his expression becoming serious. It seemed that Qu Hu's cultivation level went beyond the initial Ji Dan stage. This was indeed strange! But what happened to the "Qū Hún" left Han Li utterly stunned! He saw the white bones fly straight toward Qū Hún's body, seamlessly merging into his flesh without any obstruction. Then Qū Hún raised his head and roared loudly, his body radiating several distinct glows—emerald-green ethereal flames, dark ghost mist, and the blood-refined divine light that Qū Hún himself had cultivated. These three hues of light intertwined and danced continuously over his body, completely enveloping him. As he roared, internal sounds like popping beans—crisp "crack" noises—emerged from within, followed by a deep groan as he bent forward, his body and limbs gradually contracting. After the sounds ceased, when he straightened up again, the once-tall figure of Qū Hún had shrunk noticeably, now standing at the height of an ordinary person. What most astonished Han Li was that the face of Qū Hún had transformed into that of a young, clear-featured youth, and even the color of his eyes had faded from deep crimson to a pale red. In that brief instant, Qu Hu immediately transformed into a completely different person. After a moment of stillness, Han Li finally broke into a wry smile. He had expected the young man to cast spells with confidence and grandeur before him, giving him an opportunity to strike a sudden attack. Yet he found the young man's spellcasting remarkably swift, leaving him with no chance at all. "Transfiguration, or displacement?" Han Li paused thoughtfully, then suddenly asked the young man in a dry, somewhat bewildered tone. The elegant youth listened, and responded with a half-smiling, half-ironic expression. "You've underestimated my 'Xuan Hún Lian Yao' technique," he said. "It's a secret art reserved exclusively for cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage. Once mastered, I am no longer bound by displacement—my Xuan Hún body can freely attach itself to others at will. Now that my Xuan Hún Níng Gǔ technique is fully formed, I shall offer you as a blood sacrifice to mark the rebirth of my ancestral lineage!" Gazing steadily at Han Li, the youth spoke calmly, his eyes half-closed. Then, with a simple motion of his hands, his ten fingers suddenly became sharply pointed, growing several inches long of vibrant green nails. Han Li's expression grew dark, and he said nothing more. Gently tossing the spirit-beast bag he had been holding, thousands of gold-devouring insects surged forth, forming a magnificent, shimmering cloud of gold and silver that floated above his head. Next, with a sweeping gesture of both hands, white light flashed continuously, and thirty or forty giant ape puppets materialized around him, each one gazing coldly at the young man. Yet Han Li was far from done. After pressing a series of hand seals, nine small swords shot out from the shimmering green light, converging and fusing into a single, towering green blade nearly ten feet long, its blade glow fluctuating constantly, with faint golden arcs leaping between it. Seeing all this, the elegant young man's expression changed dramatically, revealing both surprise and growing seriousness. "A flying sword crafted from Heaven Thunder Bamboo, a pest-repelling technique, and puppets—seems truly not the disciples of extreme yin or extreme yang." "If that's the case, then perhaps we can have a proper conversation!" The young man's eyes flashed several times before he suddenly said this. Han Li, who had just been preparing to launch an attack, was momentarily stunned. After a brief silence, he coldly replied, "But I would like to test whether you can withstand my flying sword!" With that, Han Li pointed decisively at the massive sword, and instantly a thick green arc, as wide as a giant serpent, shot toward the young man, accompanied by continuous thunderous rumblings. Seeing this, the young man's expression slightly darkened. Before the flying sword reached him, he gently waved a sharp claw in front of him. Five crescent-shaped black glimmers materialized out of thin air and quickly expanded. Then, after flashing briefly, they swiftly slashed at the green arc. However, with just a single strike, the crescent-shaped black glimmers were scattered into smoke and dust by the faint golden electric arcs launched from the green arc—completely ineffective. Though his expression remained calm, the young man was deeply surprised by what he had just witnessed. The power of this Golden Thunder Bamboo far exceeded his expectations! In an instant, the green rainbow had reached the young man's presence. Yet he remained calm and composed, calmly observing the giant sword approach, as if confident in his plans.