The massive sword, struggling between the grips of the three tiger demons, ceased its trembling with a single gesture from Han Li. The tiger demons, exhaling thick plumes of black mist, were momentarily stunned. Yet before they could react, dozens of slender, pale golden arcs erupted from the broad surface of the sword and shot swiftly across the furry giant hands, swiftly climbing up the creature's entire body and weaving into a shimmering golden net that completely encased it. Upon seeing this, all three of the tiger demons' heads simultaneously revealed expressions of shock. But just as they began to act, the golden net burst apart with the light, gentle utterance of the character "Ji" by Han Li. The intense, blinding white light engulfed the massive form completely, rendering it entirely invisible. Even the purple spirit and the cloaked figures, engaged in their own struggles, were momentarily astonished to see this scene. Their opponents—the "Weiwu" ghosts and the two ghost yakshas—exhibited a moment of bewilderment before suddenly abandoning them and fleeing in all directions. The two purple spirit maidens were startled, hesitated only briefly, and then watched helplessly as the ghosts vanished into the ghost mist. Only the Tichun beast seized the opportunity, forcefully exhaled through its broad nostrils, and emitted a shimmering radiance that swept a fleeing evil ghost unawares into its belly. The white light lasted only for a short while before gradually fading and returning to normal. The tiger demon, however, remained motionless in its original position after the light faded, its three heads maintaining a state of profound alarm—completely still, with no change in expression. Then, a gust of cold wind swept through, and the massive form of the creature turned to dust, vanishing completely. Only the great sword and a three-colored orb, the size of a clenched fist, floated in midair, the gray, black, and green hues interwoven and flashing continuously. Han Li exhaled deeply, then waved his hand. The jade-colored great sword emitted a low hum and dispersed into eight flying swords, which shot back toward Han Li. However, four of them flashed with a brief surge of green light and became useless midway. The other four remained steady, entering Han Li's body and falling into a deep sleep. The electric arcs had completely consumed their previously stored "Divine Thunder of Exorcism," and they now required a long period of recovery. Han Li glanced at the strange orb, then stepped forward, shifting his body several times until he stood directly before it. He focused intently on the orb, pondering. After a moment, a grim expression passed over his face. He raised his hand, and a second jade-colored flying sword appeared in his grasp. Then, with a flash of light, he struck it down with a decisive, forceful blow. With a loud crash, the orb was severed in two by a single sword stroke, from which three streaks of black mist burst forth, trembling in terror and desperately attempting to flee. However, with a simple flick of his other hand, Han Li launched three small fire balls, each the size of an egg. Upon impact, "pff," "pff," "pff," the three black streaks emitted faint cries of pain and were completely consumed by the flames. Precisely because he had this decisive strength as his back-up, he displayed exceptional composure and confidence when entering the ghost mist. Even when confronted with the phenomenon of the ghost and the demon fusing into one, though it seemed utterly strange, he remained calm and unhurried. Naturally, due to his concern for the presence of the cloaked figure and the purple spirit maiden, he had originally intended to eliminate the opponent without resorting to his "Divine Protective Thunder." Yet, surprisingly, the fused tiger demon proved remarkably formidable—and even foolishly reached out to grasp his green bamboo-honeyed sword with both hands. Seizing this golden opportunity, which had been presented so generously, he naturally could not miss it. Indeed, he has now achieved a decisive victory, completely eradicating this monster, who was no weaker than a late stage Condensation-period cultivator. Han Li glanced down at the now-separated round beads, shook his head slightly, and then turned to walk toward the purple spirit maiden. The cloaked figure, meanwhile, continued to gaze at the scene, his expression filled with astonishment. Though he didn't have the leisure to closely observe the struggles unfolding on Han Li's side, he had indeed witnessed the ghostly beast's subsequent spirit attachment, transformation, and fusion—events that left him utterly astonished. At that moment, he even made the decisive plan to immediately retreat as soon as Han Li showed any sign of being overwhelmed. For the three-headed tiger beast appeared truly terrifying and immensely powerful. Yet, after a brilliant flash of white light, the monster was effortlessly vanquished—something he found utterly unbelievable. Could it be that Han Li possessed some legendary, game-changing ancient artifact capable of turning the tide? Otherwise, how could a cultivator only at the initial stage of the Jian Dan stage possibly defeat such a formidable ghostly beast? If so, securing this opponent would give him a solid foundation of support within the Xutian Hall. After all, aside from the senior Yuan Ying-period immortals, he simply didn't believe anyone else could have defeated such a powerful ghostly beast without sustaining even a single injury. Thinking of this, the shock in the black-robed man's eyes gradually faded, and he now regarded Han Li with a more complex expression. As for the purple-spirit maiden, though she was also quite astonished, she had already anticipated that Han Li was no ordinary Ji Dan stage cultivator, and thus quickly regained composure, approaching him with a warm, smiling demeanor. "Master Han truly possesses great prowess! You managed to effortlessly eliminate such a formidable ghost demon. It truly seems like a fortunate circumstance to be able to learn from you!" the purple-spirit maiden said with graceful elegance. "Effortlessly? I certainly did not feel that way at all." Han Li, upon hearing this, simply replied with a calm, gentle negation. "Master Han is indeed being most humble!" the purple-spirit maiden said with a smile, clearly believing Han Li was not being sincere. "I wonder, could you kindly tell me what that brilliant white light you used earlier was? It seemed to possess such remarkable power." The black-robed man, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up, though his voice was low and rough, slightly uncomfortable to listen to. Hearing this utterly unpleasant sound, Han Li's eyes flashed with unusual light, and he suddenly smiled at the black-robed figure. "You're a female cultivator, aren't you? No need to speak in a false tone. We, along with Zi Ling, have already noticed that." With a slight smile, Han Li said calmly. Zi Ling, upon hearing this, gave a graceful, subtle smile. The black-robed figure was first taken aback, then her eyes filled with a mix of embarrassment and warmth. After a while, she adopted a soft, gentle female voice and said, "Since both of you have already noticed, I have nothing further to conceal—only that I've found it more convenient to speak this way when outside." After saying this, the black-robed woman hesitated slightly before slowly removing her black robe hat, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. Her skin was as pure and delicate as snow, flawless and easily broken by a touch; she had long, lustrous black hair flowing over her shoulders, adorned with golden hair ornaments on her forehead, adding to her air of quiet elegance and mysterious charm—making her appear coldly graceful and commanding. Upon seeing the graceful face of the black-robed female cultivator, even as a woman herself, the Zi Ling Princess was struck with admiration. Yet, as if suddenly remembering something, she glanced at Han Li with a quiet, subtle gaze. To her dismay, what she saw made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. For Han Li was gazing at the black-robed woman's beauty, yet his eyes held an indistinct, peculiar expression. A gentle blush rose on the black-robed woman's porcelain face—she felt both pleased and slightly irritated—and coldly replied, "Have you admired me enough, Daojun? Does my face appear anything amiss?" As she spoke, her expression grew slightly stern. Though Han Li did not grow angry, he also did not withdraw his gaze. Instead, after taking a deep breath, he suddenly smiled with a mysterious air, constantly studying the woman from head to toe, clearly showing great interest. Now not only did this young lady raise her brow, her face turning cold, but even Zilin Princess found herself somewhat doubtful—wondering whether Han Li had truly harbored some hidden intentions. Yet upon reflection, she thought this situation was not entirely out of place. After all, due to their inherent limitations in natural aptitude, female cultivators in the immortal realm who achieve Golden Dan stage are far fewer than their male counterparts. As a result, most high-level paired cultivators typically feature male partners at the Golden Dan stage and female partners only at the Foundation stage. Consequently, the benefits of practicing dual-cultivation techniques are naturally less effective for male cultivators. The rare female cultivators who reach the Golden Dan stage naturally attract numerous male cultivators who believe themselves to be well-matched. Thus, it was entirely reasonable that Han Li, captivated by a beautiful and exceptionally accomplished female cultivator like the black-robed lady, should have developed such feelings.