Hearing this, his expression grew increasingly uncertain, as though pondering something deeply. The two star-guild cultivators, observing韩立's demeanor, exchanged a默契 glance and immediately grew more alert, fixing their gaze firmly on him. "Very well! Since I have nothing pressing, let me accompany the two of you!"韩立 smiled calmly and spoke with composed ease. The scholar and the Han official instantly relaxed their stern expressions. The elderly scholar in his robe even flashed a touch of pride, as though ready to speak something significant. Yet at that very moment,韩立 took action. His right hand, previously tucked within his robe, suddenly swept out, sending six streaks of jade-green light silently toward the Han official. At the same time, he flicked his left hand, and five copper rings of varying colors suddenly materialized in his palm, emitting a low, resonant hum. "Do you dare move?" the scholar reacted swiftly, opening his mouth immediately and launching a square talisman several inches in size from his hand. This object was flat and slender, dark as ink, resembling an unusual talisman in the form of a inkstone. The sturdy, tall man also moved with deliberate grace, sweeping his arm and sending a white jade seal into the air, which then expanded several times in size, radiating a bright white glow toward the six beams of emerald light. "Watch out! Those copper rings are ancient treasures!" At this moment, the scholar, having now clearly seen the copper rings in Han Li's hands, was startled and promptly issued a warning. The man paused slightly, taken aback by the remark, but before he could react, the six beams of emerald light emitted a clear, resonant chime, then blurred slightly before transforming into twelve identical sword-like beams. Six of them instantly coalesced into a massive, deep-green sword, which struck the white-glowing seal with great force. The other six changed direction, tracing six curved arcs and swiftly shooting off from the side. The man was deeply alarmed, and without hesitation, quickly pressed two hands together, forming a series of gestures. A surge of blue light erupted, and several distinct symbols floated clearly from within his body. These runes glowed with a brilliant blue light, swelling rapidly until they formed a large, translucent blue aura that enveloped the tall man. The man seemed determined to absorb Han Li's Qingzhu Fengyun Sword directly through this shield. As the man moved, the scholar beside him naturally could not remain passive. After offering a prompt suggestion, he quickly pointed at the inkstone talisman floating before his chest. The inkstone spun swiftly, releasing a dark mist that spread out over several zhang, followed by a strong scent of ink and brushwork. Without hesitation, the scholar activated his spell, causing the dark mist to rapidly coalesce into dozens of large, black, strange birds. Each bird measured about half a foot in length, and as they emitted their strange calls, they flashed red light and flew toward Han Li. Yet Han Li paid these developments no attention. After a few swift movements of his copper phantom, it vanished into the radiance of the mist. Then, with a simple hand gesture, he produced an ancient-style flower basket in his hands. Seeing that the other party seemed utterly unimpressed by his attack, the scholar grew not only calm but actually delighted. This "Mystic Inkstone" of his had been crafted through an ancient method, requiring immense effort—almost as much as nine oxen and two tigers—finally succeeding after years of perseverance. He had nearly exhausted half his lifetime's savings, yet he felt no regret at all. Since its successful creation, he had rarely encountered a match among fellow cultivators of the same level, and even stood a strong chance against those in the mid-Jie Dan stage. As long as the opponent's cultivation level wasn't significantly superior, once immersed in the mist of the mystical ink, they would immediately fall into a trance and be unable to extricate themselves. Witnessing those strange birds, like arrows, charging straight toward Han Li, a cold smile spread across his face. With a swift motion, he pressed two hand seals, intending to cause these strange birds to burst apart. At that very moment, a faint, low hum suddenly rose in his ears, and shortly thereafter, five bronze rings appeared simultaneously on his neck and limbs. As they tightened suddenly, he felt his inner qi dissipate instantly, unable to gather or sustain it anymore. The scholar was utterly astonished. Naturally, he became highly alert regarding the mysterious disappearance of the bronze rings—yet there had been no prior sign or indication of their arrival upon him, which was entirely unexpected. For a moment, his mind was overwhelmed with fear, and a flurry of escape strategies raced through his thoughts. At the same time, on the other side, a tremendous sound echoed, as the shimmering green light intertwined with the white vapor, and finally, the great sword collided with the large seal. The brilliant white vapor easily overwhelmed the green glow, and the sword fractured gradually, breaking into fragments within moments. Meanwhile, the other six streaks of green light struck the strange protective symbol just as swiftly, producing a series of resonant "thuds." To his surprise, the runes held firm against the six streaks of emerald light, preventing them from breaking through the shield. Han Li murmured, "Huh!" with genuine astonishment. It seemed that the Qingzhu Fengyun Sword—without the divine protection of the辟邪shenlei—had indeed not yet developed sufficient power due to its relatively short cultivation period. However, before he could ponder further, the black strange birds had already launched themselves toward him. Though lacking the magical support from the scholar, the inkstone artifact—being intrinsically linked to his consciousness—still maintained its strength and drove the birds forward with unwavering force. Han Li emitted a cold hum, raising his flower basket, whose radiance surged brightly. A vast expanse of white light erupted from within, swiftly engulfing and absorbing all the approaching birds. Witnessing this, the scholar turned pale. "This is impossible! You must have other ancient treasures! Who exactly are you?" he exclaimed, utterly incredulous. For most cultivators, possessing even a single ancient artifact was already a remarkable achievement. After all, whenever an ancient treasure surfaces, it usually ends up in the hands of Yuan-Ying stage cultivators. For ordinary Jie-Dan stage cultivators to possess such treasures is truly a rare feat! Yet Han Li had successively presented two entirely different treasures—the bronze ring and the floral basket—leaving the scholars utterly terrified. However, Han Li paid no attention to their questions, simply hurling the floral basket straight ahead. Instantly, a flash of white light enveloped the approaching seal, wrapping it within the basket. The seal spun and struggled wildly in the light, yet could not free itself. Then, Han Li swiftly raised his ten fingers, launching a dozen streaks of jade-green sword qi at the scholar locked by the Five-Element Ring. "No—!" The scholar barely managed to cry out before being pierced through by over a dozen wounds. His body wavered several times before he fell lifeless. Truly pitiful—he had not even managed to deploy a single technique, his vital energy completely immobilized by the Five-Element Ring, rendering all his accumulated skills useless. Han Li extended his hand, and the Wuxing Ring once again transformed into a shimmering aura, automatically detaching from the corpse and flying back into his hands. Only then did he turn his gaze coldly toward the other side. The large man, his head filled with concentration, was attempting to withdraw his great seal, but he could not succeed in the short time available. Meanwhile, the six beams of azure light outside continuously struck and pounded at his symbolic light shield. Now, seeing the scholar fall so easily, the large man was deeply shaken in mind. As Han Li's attention shifted back to him, a profound sense of coldness spread through his entire being. With a sudden, determined bite of his teeth, he instantly transformed into a streak of blue light and fled—leaving behind even his life-long, spirit-linked master artifact. Indeed, he was remarkably resolute. Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, and the bronze rings vanished instantly from his hands. Yet, in the next moment, they mysteriously appeared floating above the fleeing man's head, within the five-colored light aura. Then, under the man's disbelief, the five bronze rings floated effortlessly throughout his body, as though completely unbothered by the surrounding symbols. The blue aura suddenly halted with a sharp "crack," and the large man flipped straight over, landing heavily on his back. Han Li's eyes flashed with cold light, and a streak of green light descended from the sky, circling the man several times before severing him into multiple segments at the waist. Thus, both of the Jade Star Alliance's Dan stage cultivators had fallen at Han Li's hands. Below, Han Li effortlessly retrieved the storage bags from the two bodies, briefly scanning their contents with his divine awareness before calmly closing them. He also took the large seal floating in the floral basket and the inkstone法宝 drifting without a master in the air, without hesitation. "Your presence here, observing quietly for so long, has surely been quite taxing," Han Li said calmly, standing upright with his hands behind his back, gazing down at the sea below. Though his voice was soft, it resonated clearly across all the sea surfaces within several miles. A sudden gust of wind swept through, yet the surroundings remained utterly still. Seeing this, Han Li sighed gently. "You're hidden beneath the sea, are you not? Then shall I really have to drag you out?" Han Li's expression grew slightly serious, and his tone became less favorable. "Wait, just a moment—I'll come out now." It seemed that, having been pinpointed by Han Li, the person who had been concealed finally could no longer remain silent and stepped forward.