"This is the seventh group," Han Li gazed at the bodies of the insects scattered on the ground, and asked slowly. "Though we've encountered ant groups quite frequently, we've fortunately not come across any with over ten thousand individuals!" Yuan Yao, standing beside Han Li, replied neatly. It had now been half a day since the two of them had set out together. Upon hearing her words, Han Li furrowed his brow, his expression growing gloomy, as though burdened by something on his mind. He thought for a moment, then gestured toward the golden-hungry insect swarm that had swept the ground clean. All the flying insects transformed into shimmering clouds of light and returned to the floating spirit-animal satchel. Han Li calmly closed the satchel. "Is something wrong, friend? Your expression seems rather displeased. We've already passed the most dangerous middle section of the desert. The journey ahead should be safer, shouldn't it?" Yuan Yao watched Han Li's face, blinked her beautiful eyes, and asked with some confusion. "Safe? Do you really think so?" Han Li glanced at Yuan Yao, speaking with a hint of cold disdain. "Are there any dangers ahead?" Yuan Yao unintentionally furrowed her brow, expressing doubt. "I don't know what dangers might lie ahead, but one thing is certain—the ant colonies we encountered earlier did not contain a queen ant. Either the entire desert has only one queen, or we're fortunate enough that we haven't yet encountered any super-colonies with queens. We should proceed with caution. Only if we remain unscathed for another day can we truly consider ourselves safe." Han Li spoke calmly. "Perhaps you're overthinking it! These flying ants are so formidable—maybe there's no queen at all!" Yuan Yao's face paled slightly, but after a moment, she composed herself and smiled brightly, as if nothing had happened. "I hope so," Han Li replied, not pressing further. Though he was well aware in his heart that the iron fire ants did indeed possess queens. Though the queens themselves were not particularly strong individually, their intelligence was said to be astonishing. They'd definitely be a pain to deal with. Influenced by the earlier remarks, the two travelers said little during the subsequent two-plus hours of journey. Yet something even more unusual occurred—their path now passed without encountering a single ant colony. Even Yuan Yao herself began to sense the anomaly, her face subtly revealing a touch of unease. However, when, by chance, they climbed onto a tall dune and looked ahead, both were stunned. "What in the world..." Yuan Yao's face was filled with astonishment; her lips moved several times, yet she could manage no words. While Han Li appeared slightly more composed, his expression was still marked by surprise. Before them, on the sandy plain in front of the dune, stood a towering crystal pillar, about twenty to thirty feet high. The pillar radiated an intense cold, glowing with a faint white light, and within it, a massive black giant stood, as tall as the pillar itself. This giant was astonishingly ugly, with blazing, wide eyes, and a smooth, bald head that remained motionless within the crystal pillar—most eerie! Han Li gazed at him for a moment, then quickly scanned the nearby sand floor. The ground was pitted and uneven, dotted with holes of varying sizes, as though it had endured a fierce battle. Han Li's eyes sparkled with wonder as he turned his gaze back to the giant. This time, however, upon seeing one of the giant's eyes, he couldn't help but softly exclaim, "Hm." "Master Han, what have you noticed?" Yuan Yao finally stirred upon hearing Han Li's voice, asking curiously. Han Li smiled slightly, not answering her question directly, but instead half-closing his eyes and extending his awareness outward. After confirming that no one else was hidden nearby, he stepped down from the sand dune and walked steadily toward the crystal pillar. "Hmph!" Yuan Yao scowled, growing increasingly impatient with Han Li's air of deliberate mystery, yet had no choice but to follow. After all, once she stepped outside the range of Han Li's icy orbs, she would have to expend her own spiritual energy to withstand the intense heat. "Fly ants!" When Han Li and she had drawn near—only十余 zhang away from the crystal pillar—Yuan Yao gasped, her face filled with astonishment. Now, at this close range, she could finally make out the true form of the giant. It was composed of countless black flying ants! From a distance, it was so realistic that it could easily be mistaken for a real giant—truly astonishing! Yet, these iron fire ants remained motionless within the crystal pillar, and it was unclear whether they were alive or dead. Han Li paused, gazing thoughtfully at the crystal pillar before him. "Since the flying ants have already perished, let's move on. We shouldn't waste any more time here," Yuan Yao said, after a careful inspection. "How can you be sure they're dead? Maybe they're still alive!" Han Li expressed his doubt. "Still alive? How is that even possible?" Yuan Yao stared at Han Li in surprise, her voice filled with disbelief. "The ancient treasure known as the 'Xuan Huang Mirror,' so renowned among the Wàn Fǎ Mén, have you never heard of it? As long as any living being is illuminated by this artifact, their souls will instantly vanish, and crystal pillars will emerge around them. Within a few days, the bodies contained within these pillars will gradually dissolve into nothingness." "I haven't heard of it!" Han Li replied honestly. The woman stared at him in wide-eyed astonishment, momentarily at a loss. "Then, it must have been Wan Tianming who dispatched these creatures and eliminated them," Han Li said, circling the massive crystal pillars several times, thoughtfully. "Who else could it be? You're clearly plotting something. These crystal pillars are remarkably resilient—unless they reach a certain time limit, they remain unbroken by most magical artifacts. Otherwise, the Xuan Huang Mirror wouldn't command such a revered reputation." Yuan Yao glanced at Han Li, as if sensing the subtle intentions behind his words, and smiled lightly. Han Li listened intently, then simply looked at her with a calm expression. With both hands brushing against her waist, she dispatched all her spirit-beast bags. Suddenly, a vast cloud of gold- and silver-colored insect creatures materialized in the air. "Go!" Han Li pointed firmly at the crystal pillar with his finger, and instantly, the insect cloud descended, swiftly covering the top of the pillar densely and completely, forming an unbroken, rain-and-wind-tight layer. "You really intend to make use of these flying ant remains?" Yuan Yao's words trailed off mid-sentence as her voice cut off abruptly. For, under her direct observation, the giant encased within the white crystal pillar rapidly shrank from top to bottom. In moments, the giant's head vanished entirely. Yuan Yao's mouth hung open, wide with astonishment, unable to close it. Amidst her stunned gaze, the gold- and silver-insect cloud completely consumed the massive crystal pillar, including the giant within, leaving behind only a spherical object the size of an egg, glowing with a mysterious black light on the ground. Han Li saw the object and smiled slightly, taking a few steps forward to grasp it in his hands. This substance was called "Refined Crystal"—a rare material produced daily when the iron-fire ant queen ingested mineral stones, which she then regurgitated from within her abdomen. Though only a few cultivators were aware of it, Han Li had only encountered references about it in an extremely ancient text and had doubted its authenticity. It was only when he saw the ant queen, resembling a giant's eye, that he suddenly remembered this and decided to give it a try. To his surprise, he had indeed obtained a piece of refined crystal. This was an ideal auxiliary material for enhancing magical artifacts—once incorporated into any artifact, it not only significantly boosted its power but also dramatically strengthened its structural integrity, making it nearly impervious to being cut or shattered. He had no idea whether Wan Tianming was completely unaware of this material or had simply overlooked it, and now he had secured it for himself. Now, as long as he is given some time to reforge and refine the Qingzhu Fengyun Sword, the power of this set of divine artifacts will surely be greatly enhanced. Yuan Yao clearly had no concept of what "crystallization" entailed, but seeing the delighted expression on Han Li's face, she knew it must be something truly excellent. Yet she wisely refrained from asking any questions that might have seemed inappropriate. Without further ado, the two set off immediately. Master Ji Yin, the scholarly elder in a Confucian robe, and Wan Tianming were all present, along with other cultivators who were all at the late Jin Dan stage—no one appeared notably weaker. Yet at this moment, every one of them bore a grim, somber expression, with no one showing any desire to speak. The stone hall was suffused with an atmosphere of profound suppression! Master Ji Yin, in particular, was especially gloomy, his face completely ashen, glaring intently at the central teleportation array, his eyes flashing with fierce intensity.