The venomous dragon roared, its body blazing with bloodlight. Yet almost simultaneously, the beast's face turned pale, and with a loud "thud," its knees buckled, collapsing to the ground. It watched in helpless awe as its entire body swelled and distorted, becoming immobile and speechless. "You're dead!" Wind Xi exclaimed, his expression flashing with outrage. Instantly, his figure vanished from where he stood, reappearing like a ghost behind Han Li. With a single hand raised, he swept it forward, transforming his palm into a black, sharp claw and driving it down with force. His movements were as swift as lightning. Though Han Li had remained ever-vigilant, he could not keep up with the pace. He only managed to shift his body desperately, his mind growing increasingly anxious. A clear "clang" echoed through the air. Han Li was suddenly propelled by an immense force, flying several dozen feet before he staggered to a halt after a few unsteady steps. Surprised, he had not been pierced through by the nine-tiered beast's claw, despite the solid impact. The fairy cultivator Feng Xi could not help but be stunned. After flashing a fierce gaze, he fixed his attention on the spot where the fabric of Han Li's back had been torn. There, some silvery scales were revealed. These scales had been damaged in Han Li's previous attack, exposing the dark, lustrous inner garment beneath. "An inner armor?" Feng Xi was deeply surprised, yet with a cold laugh, he immediately transformed into a gentle breeze and vanished without a word. This inner armor, capable of withstanding his single strike, clearly was a top-tier treasure. But in the next attack, it would no longer be able to save Han Li's life. Han Li himself also felt a surge of relief. Had that grasp targeted his head, he would have been dead by now. Indeed, the royal scale armor worn by the bearded warrior was no ordinary treasure—it had proven capable of withstanding an attack from a nine-tiered beast. With this precious moment gained, Han Li, once he stabilized his stance, instantly summoned a surge of jade-green light and golden arcs, which radiated brilliantly and danced dynamically, forming a magnificent display of the Qingyuan Sword Shield. At the same time, twenty-some streaks of jade-green swordlight erupted from his body and instantly formed a new protective barrier within the shield. As soon as this was done, Feng Xi's slender, tall figure appeared before Han Li. The demon's face was clouded with gloom; after a cold glare, a vivid white light surged forth from his mouth. Han Li's expression changed abruptly, silently exclaiming that things were not looking good—the old demon had launched a direct attack using his inner essence, and Han Li had no chance to defend. Just as Han Li felt his heart sink, Feng Xi closed his mouth and suddenly staggered, his face turning pale and his stance wavering. Han Li, startled, immediately noticed that the demon's body was trembling slightly and that his abdomen began to ripple unevenly. Though Feng Xi's cultivation was significantly deeper than that of the other two demons, his medicinal effects were now clearly taking hold. Han Li was overjoyed and, without hesitation, pointed at him with a single gesture, launching twenty-some bamboo-honey-sword blades in a flurry, slashing and stabbing wildly around the demon. A moment later, the smile that had just begun to spread across Han Li's face slightly froze. Although the Liefeng Beast was painfully kneeling on one leg, hands tightly pressed against its abdomen, a faint layer of white light radiated from its body—unbroken by the group of swords, no matter how fiercely they attacked. The beast could still manage to lift its head and glare fiercely at Han Li, though it could not speak, its eyes filled with bitter resentment. Upon seeing this, Han Li felt a sudden pang in his heart. But after a brief thought, he concluded that the beast must possess some protective artifact. Otherwise, given the depth of its animosity, as long as it could muster a mere fraction of its spiritual power, it would have already seized and killed him to vent its rage. With this realization, Han Li felt reassured. He quickly pressed a series of hand seals, and instantly, twenty-four flying swords soared upward into the air. In the blink of an eye, two bursts of emerald light erupted in the sky, revealing two massive green swords, each several dozen feet long, their blades gleaming with cold, sharp light. A flicker of surprise passed through Han Li's eyes. Without a word, he opened his mouth and two clumps of green vapor burst forth, spraying directly onto the great sword. As soon as the green vapor touched the sword, it shone with brilliant light, and in a soft hum, the sword descended with powerful momentum, charging toward the crackling wind beast glowing in white light. Two thunderous impacts echoed. The great sword struck hard against the white glow, where green and white light intertwined. Yet the white glow only dipped slightly before being forcefully pushed back. Witnessing this, Han Li stood motionless, stunned. Meanwhile, Feng Xi's face revealed a touch of scorn. Noticing this expression, Han Li was startled. He realized then that although Feng Xi still appeared in pain, unable to move, her abdomen swelled and contracted intermittently, and her limbs and head showed no unusual changes. It seemed the beast was actively suppressing the flow of her spiritual essence and medicinal power. Han Li's expression changed abruptly. Suddenly remembering something, he swiftly turned to gaze at the other two beasts. To his dismay, the results were shocking! Though the bodies of the two eight-tier beasts—the toxic dragon and the turtle demon—were still expanding, their heads and limbs had grown smaller since the beginning. Observing the vibrant flow of spiritual energy surging over their bodies, it was clear they were attempting to suppress their internal power. Yet, their cultivation was far less profound than that of the Liefeng Beast, so the effects were slow to manifest. Without further hesitation, Han Li pointed at the two massive swords, instantly transforming them into two streaks of jade-green light, and launched them toward the two beasts. Since the swords could not subdue the Liefeng Beast, it made sense to eliminate these two first. Then, with a firm resolve, Han Li tapped his waist pouch of spiritual beasts, and countless golden-devouring insects surged forth, rushing in waves to envelop the radiant white light. The Liefeng Beast, witnessing the sudden surge of so many insects, blinked in mild surprise. Yet, moments later, the insects began layering themselves over the white light, gradually feeding upon it. At that very instant, the two swords had already struck the giant turtle and the toxic dragon. Though the two demons' faces changed, they could not move an inch, only watching as the jade-like swordlight struck them. A continuous series of sharp clanging sounds echoed as the massive sword slashed furiously, yet the two demons remained unharmed, their hair and feathers untouched. Han Li stood motionless, as if turned to stone. He turned his head again to gaze at his swarm of gold-devouring insects. With a mere thought, all the insects rose into the air, revealing the concealed Liefeng Beast beneath. Though the glow had dimmed slightly, the beast remained unharmed, safely nestled within it. This light proved remarkably resilient—thousands of insects devouring it simultaneously had made little dent at all. The beast's protective treasure truly seemed beyond ordinary, almost celestial in its power. Just as Han Li hesitated whether to continue having the insects feed upon it, the Liefeng Beast, Feng Xi, suddenly spoke. "Human! Do you truly believe that a mere Jiedan-stage cultivator could withstand our fully-formed, immortal race? Wait just a moment—I shall make you experience the agony of life itself." The beast spoke slowly and deliberately, his face filled with fierce determination. Though his voice remained calm, the intensity of his words conveyed unmistakable resolve. "Hmm. Is that so?" Han Li, hearing the creature's fierce declaration, responded with even greater composure. He no longer hesitated, pointing sharply at the swarm in the air. Thousands of golden-feeding insect elders roared in unison, turning their direction and charging toward the other two immortals. Meanwhile, the two great swords surged forward, slashing furiously at the luminous shield floating in the sky. To everyone's astonishment, the venomous dragon蛟 let out a thunderous, heart-rending cry. At that moment, a burst of vivid red light exploded within the swarm of insects. As soon as the golden-devouring insects came into contact with this blood-colored glow, a wave of yellow vapor surged forth, and they instantly transformed into a mass of dark liquid. This light proved to be an extraordinarily potent toxin.