Inside the newly constructed abode, after setting up a series of intricate defensive arrays, Han Li entered with the refined crystals and the bottle of ten-thousand-year-old elixir. Once inside, the main chamber door sealed shut tightly and remained unopened for an entire year. The other operations within the abode were managed entirely by several large stone automata stationed outside the sealed chamber. As a result, everything ran smoothly without any disruptions. However, on this particular day, an unexpected incident occurred. Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound came from outside, followed by an unanticipated tremor in the ground, causing the walls of the chamber to quake continuously. At the same time, the distant roar of thunder and surging waves grew steadily louder, as if the entire island were engulfed in a violent storm. "Thud!" The stone door of the workshop swung open from within. Then, a figure flashed into view—Han Li emerged, his expression cold and composed, yet his eyes betraying a clear sense of surprise and astonishment. He turned his head and listened to the booming sounds outside the pavilion. With a sudden press of his hand against the storage sack at his waist, a beam of yellow light shot forth and spiraled before settling into the palms of Han Li. It was a banner of pale yellow, embroidered with several symbols, about two or three feet long. Han Li didn't hesitate. He opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of green qi onto the banner's pole. At once, the yellow glow intensified. Then, a flash of cold light passed through his eyes as he slightly shook his wrist. A streak of yellow light shot straight toward the ground, and the banner vanished instantly, fully embedded into the earth. A steady, rhythmic chant of incantations flowed from Han Li's lips, varying in tone and intensity. A remarkable scene unfolded. Every surface and wall of the ground glowed with golden light, as if transformed entirely into solid gold. At the same time, the trembling, the swaying, and the thunderous roar all ceased abruptly. Everything returned to normal. Seeing this, Han Li's expression relaxed. Yet his expression of doubt remained unchanged. Suddenly, he surged forward as a streak of emerald light, racing toward the entrance of his pavilion. A moment later,韩立 appeared in the sky above the small island, glowing with emerald radiance. Though mist veiled the ground below, the spell he had personally arranged could not obscure his view at all. But what he saw now caused his face to change several times. Due to the activation of the spell's restrictions, the mountain range housing his pavilion remained as stable as a mountain. However, beyond the spell's reach, the land was now trembling and groaning in distress! Mud and stones rolled down hills and elevated terrains, while the ground itself cracked open, revealing vast fissures several zhang wide. Trees and plants were swiftly uprooted and thrown to the ground. Yet even this was not enough to make him lose his composure. What truly stunned him was that, on one side of the island, the sea surface had suddenly erupted into towering waves and furious surges. That colossal wave, towering over a hundred zhang, surged wave after wave against one side of the island, continuously eroding everything in its path, nearly transforming half the island into a vast expanse of lakes and marshes. Beyond the vast sea mist, amid the thunder, a deep, strange roar grew louder—like some great beast raging furiously there. With each rising crescendo of the roar, the thunder and the waves themselves intensified. "Could there be a high-rank mythical beast stirring up the seas nearby?" thought Han Li, gazing toward the direction of the waves. Given the sheer power displayed, it had to be a creature of considerable size—otherwise, such a spectacle would be impossible. With this thought, Han Li's curiosity surged. He lowered his gaze, his body shimmering briefly, then plunged directly into the misty sea, racing toward the source of the roar. Yet to be cautious, Han Li drew in his breath and calmed his spirit, causing his遁light to dim. In an instant, he had vanished completely. As soon as he stepped out of the sea mist, Han Li immediately spotted his target without having to search. As he had anticipated, there indeed was a monstrous beast stirring the waters not far away. But how enormous it was! Though he had expected something of the scale, Han Li still gasped in surprise at its sheer size. It was a type of turtle-like creature he had never seen before—reaching nearly a thousand zhang in length, it floated majestically above the sea surface like a mountain. Its dark, hard shell, crowned with a serpentine green head that raised itself skyward in a powerful roar, was accompanied by massive limbs thick as giant pillars and a long, silver tail stretching dozens of zhangs, constantly sweeping across the surrounding waters. With each roar, towering waves and whirling white winds spiraled around the creature, completely engulfing the sea in a furious storm. But what struck Han Li most profoundly was not these phenomena alone. Above the turtle, now heaving its great head and roaring wildly, vast stretches of sky were choked with dense clouds, and lightning bolts—thick as human arms—plunged down from the churning layers, intersecting to form a breathtaking, terrifying network of thunderous arcs, relentlessly striking the beast. Yet the turtle, relying solely on the massive waves and fierce winds it had generated, endured these celestial thunderbolts without a single wound. It remained unharmed, though its agitation grew ever more intense. The once vibrant green eyes, now began to gradually turn crimson. "The Transformation Thunder Calamity," Han Li murmured, a touch of wonder on his face, his gaze flickering uncertainly. It is said that when a spirit beast reaches the tenth rank, it becomes indistinguishable from a human. Although Han Li had read about the transformation ordeal in various texts many times, he never imagined seeing it unfold firsthand today—now he wasn't sure whether to consider it a blessing or a curse. On the one hand, the presence of this spirit beast confirms that there truly exist eighth-rank spirit beasts in the waters around Qi Yuan Island. Thus, his thousand-leaf dew will no longer be without hope. On the other hand, since this giant turtle is undergoing the transformation ordeal here, its nest is likely also located in this region. Han Li had absolutely no interest in sharing his home with an eighth-rank spirit beast! Even a newly promoted eighth-rank beast would be too much to handle. Currently, this turtle is still at the seventh rank and thus is unaware of Han Li's hidden sanctuary. But once it advances to the eighth rank, Han Li no longer feels confident in concealing his presence from the beast's divine awareness. Perhaps one day, while he is meditating within his cave, the turtle will simply appear and make its way there. High-ranking spirit beasts possess a strong territorial sense—far from being merely moderate. "Could it be that the newly established abode is now to be abandoned?" Han Li felt a surge of irritation, and his numerous flying swords within him stirred restlessly. When he stepped out of the chamber, the seventy-two green bamboo honey-cloud swords had been fully integrated. The difficulty of this crystallization process far exceeded his expectations. He had originally believed that half a year would be sufficient, yet it took nearly a full year to complete the integration. During the remaining time, Han Li took the opportunity to enter meditation, focusing specifically on refining his flying swords. Had it not been for the constant disturbances from this beast, he would have likely stayed in meditation for several more months. "Why not take advantage of the moment when the beast completes its transformation and suffers significant depletion of vital energy, launch a surprise attack? If we succeed in eliminating it, everyone will be satisfied. Should that fail, we will immediately depart from the island and seek another location." As soon as this idea formed, Han Li felt a sudden tightening in his heart. Yet shortly thereafter, he shook his head and dismissed it. Even this diminished, eighth-level beast was not something he could single-handedly handle. How powerful an eighth-rank immortal beast truly is,韩立 didn't know, but he had personally witnessed the feats of a Yuan-Infant stage cultivator. Given such a great peril, he would rather relocate his current abode. Unfortunately, the gold-devouring insects had finished feeding and laid new eggs. Otherwise, he might have been inclined to try his hand at something more. Watching the myriad flashes of lightning weaving and dancing across the giant turtle's body,韩立 sighed lightly and prepared to return to his dwelling. He didn't want to wait until the beast completed its lightning ordeal, only to be discovered by it spying quietly beside him, thus drawing trouble upon himself. Yet, as soon as韩立 turned around, a sharp cry echoed from afar in the sky, followed by faint glimmers of golden light shimmering at the horizon. Then, from the opposite direction, a melodious phoenix call rang out, and a sweeping wave of fiery crimson light streaked toward him.韩立 was momentarily stunned by this sight, but before he could react. At another part of the sea not far from the giant turtle, a fierce gale surged up, sending dozens of thick water jets soaring skyward. Then, vast waves rapidly rose and swelled, as though some colossal creature were rising from the depths. Han Li naturally gasped in alarm, quickly concealing himself and retreating a short distance before he stared in astonishment at the scene unfolding before him. A flash of blue light revealed a massive creature, entirely crimson, breaking through the waves. As soon as it surfaced, it emitted a strange, neighing roar, so powerful that it made Han Li's ears ring with resonance. Startled, Han Li nearly lost his balance and stumbled into the air; he quickly summoned his inner power and managed to steady himself. The Daxian Sect's internal energy flowed swiftly through his body, and Han Li, pale-faced, gazed at the strange beast with wide-eyed awe.