Han Li flew through the ethereal light, using his inner qi to suppress the unusual sensations within his body. The onset of the Feng Ling Jin had already begun to overwhelm him, making it difficult to maintain control. This sent a wave of concern through his mind. At this moment, he realized that the immortal cultivator Feng Xi hadn't merely suffered from exhaustion due to the effort of crafting a divine artifact—rather, he had been forced to constantly suppress the counteracting power of the green essence, which had significantly weakened the strength of the Feng Ling Jin within him. Otherwise, whether or not he could have successfully evaded that creature that day was truly uncertain. However, upon glancing at the faintly visible island in the distance, Han Li felt a sense of relief. The journey that should have taken two days had been completed in just half a day under his full-speed flight. As long as the transmission array was constructed promptly, he could safely return to the Inner Sea. Although he would still need to be cautious of some senior cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage, it would certainly be preferable to being relentlessly pursued by that astonishingly swift Liefeng Beast here. Just as Han Li was pondering, a voice from behind him spoke—clear and resonant, "Friend Han, I have no ill will at all. I merely wish to purchase a Complement-the-Heaven Pill at a premium price. Why should you drive me away at such a distance?" The voice of Miao He Zhen came softly and calmly, serene and composed, free of any irritation, with a quiet sincerity and warmth subtly woven into it. It naturally eased the listener's sense of hostility and stirred a genuine sense of goodwill. Yet Han Li heard this and felt nothing but resentment, even anger. Since he had donned the crimson cloak, which had significantly slowed his pace, he now found himself, upon turning his head, able to see the magnificent streak of light formed by Miao He Zhen trailing far behind him. This old Taoist seemed to have mastered some unusual and eccentric cultivation technique—once he caught up with him, he began to constantly harass him with a voice full of allure and enchantment. Han Li, unprepared, had almost fallen into the spell at first. Fortunately, the Great Yanshi Technique within him automatically protected him, clearing his mind just in time and allowing him to avoid becoming a victim of the spell. Nevertheless, Han Li still came away drenched in a cold sweat. Kanran is equally a profound cultivation technique. When a Yuan Ying-stage cultivator employs it, its effectiveness far surpasses that of Lady Fan or Yuan Yao. As for the old man's mere exchange of Complementary Heaven Dan and his seemingly benign words, Han Li would only believe them if his mind had truly failed him. With the small island now nearly within sight, Han Li could not afford to delay. A flash of red light rippled across his crimson cloak, and he prepared to soar toward the island. Yet at that very moment, the sky across from him suddenly brightened. Then, a piercing, sky-shattering cry erupted, sharp and intense. A faint, indistinct black dot appeared there, instantly expanding in size, and surged toward them at an astonishing speed. Han Li was startled upon seeing this. Though he had not yet made out the figure's face, the sheer speed and the fierce, aggressive cry unmistakably signaled the Nine-Rank Rift Wind Beast—could it be anyone else? As Han Li's mouth grew dry, he barely had time to think before a silver flash behind him revealed his wings, unfolding with a crisp "shush." Since this demon has already appeared, the only way for him to have a chance of survival is to reach the small island first. Otherwise, even if he now turns and flies away, with the裂风兽's astonishing speed, he may exhaust all his辟邪神雷 and still not be able to escape the pursuing foe. With this thought in mind, Han Li vanished from sight amidst the thunderous roar, his entire form transforming into a streak of silver lightning that darted and vanished in the air, swiftly moving toward the small island. The Miao He, trailing behind, also heard the piercing cries and immediately grew alarmed. Though he did not know who had arrived, he sensed that the visitor was no ordinary figure. Seeing the black dot charge directly toward Han Li without hesitation, he naturally assumed that this person too was coming to claim the Chong Xu Tian Ding, and grew increasingly anxious. In his moment of urgency, Miao He opened his mouth and forcefully expelled a ball of vital essence, which, upon release, expanded into a dense mist of blood, fully enveloping the elder. The white crane motif on the Daoist robe shone with brilliant white light, instantly drawing every single thread of blood mist around it into its center, transforming the motif into a deep crimson hue. Without hesitation, the Crane Master spun gracefully, and the entire robe resonated with a series of crane calls. Amidst the dazzling white glow, a blood-crane several dozen feet tall surged forth from the old Daoist's body. This crane was magnificent, its body entirely crimson, with emerald eyes. Upon seeing this, the Crane Master's expression darkened, and with a single flick of his body, he mounted the blood-crane. Then, he struck the crane's head firmly; the emerald light in the crane's eyes flashed rapidly, and as its wings spread, it swiftly carried the old Daoist several dozen feet away. Though not as swift as Han Li's instantaneous teleportation, the speed was significantly faster than before. Thus, an unusual scene unfolded above the surrounding sea: Han Li moved like a ghost, gliding ahead with wind and thunder wings, while the opposing figure continuously roared and shot forward, and behind came the Crane Master riding a white crane, swiftly trailing in the wind. Yet in the span of an eyeblink, Han Li had reached the sky above the small island. At that moment, the black figure on the opposite side closed the distance to him at a speed that was unimaginable—now only a few thousand feet away. Han Li immediately recognized the creature clearly, and his heart chilled at the sight. It was a strange, hybrid beast: the upper half bird-like, the lower half fish-tailed, with wing spans reaching several zhang in width and two pairs of exceptionally sharp claws. Its abdomen was covered in small, fish-scale plates, each about an inch in size, shimmering with a vibrant green glow. The wind-hope had revealed its true form—the Rift-Wind Beast—now pursuing him. Although high-level immortal cultivators often found it inconvenient to fight in their full beast forms, they could fully harness the innate strengths of the beast. With the Rift-Wind Beast's natural speed, its true form now moved with a breathtaking, wind-blown velocity. After drawing a deep breath, Han Li could not afford any delay. A flash of silver light, and he was already standing atop the earthen mound of the small island. A moment later, his figure vanished into the light. The beast instantly halted its piercing cry upon seeing this scene. With several powerful flaps of its wings, it covered the distance of over a thousand paces and arrived directly above the small island. Then, a brilliant green glow flashed, and the beast transformed into human form. It was no coincidence that, at the same moment, the white crane riding behind Han Li, who had been following closely, also arrived right before them. Upon seeing the transformed wind-harmony, the crane was first startled, and then, upon realizing that Wind Xi’s appearance was nearly indistinguishable from that of a human, his entire body bristled with gooseflesh. "An ninth-level beast—a swift, avian-type one," the crane judged instantly, feeling a chill spread through his chest. Usually, when a human encounters a high-level beast, while a full-scale battle isn’t always inevitable, a decisive clash is unavoidable if there’s a significant disparity in strength. After all, both the high-level beasts’ spirit essences and the humans’ golden dan and yuan-ling stages are deeply coveted by the other. Yet, as a ninth-rank immortal beast, he surpassed even mid-stage Yuan-Enlightened human cultivators by half. Now that he had encountered such a formidable opponent, how could the elder cultivator help but secretly sigh in frustration? Under normal circumstances, Miao He would have simply turned and fled without hesitation. But with the Virtual Sky Cauldron right before him, he simply could not let go. Thus, after his face turned pale, Miao He raised both hands—on one hand appearing a blue ancient mirror, and on the other a jade-handled hammer. With these two ancient treasures now in hand, the elder cultivator felt his courage renewed, and he stared at his opponent with a cold, composed expression, remaining silent. Wind Xi had also observed Miao He’s true form, yet at this moment, his entire focus was on Han Li. He had no time to attend to the elder’s hostile gestures. Having just spotted Han Li’s pair of wings from afar, and realizing that he could command this divine artifact, Wind Xi was both astonished and deeply saddened. Thus, even if he managed to kill Han Li, the Wind-Light Feathers, now bonded and refined, would at best unleash only seven-tenths of their divine artifact's power. How could he not harbor deep resentment toward Han Li? Facing Miao He, after merely coldly uttering a single word—"Roll away!"—he instantly transformed into a streak of jade light and plunged straight down, vanishing in an instant from atop the mound. Miao He was momentarily stunned. Yet, after a firm breath, he too mounted his white crane and charged downward. The Virtual Sky Cauldron, the very first secret treasure of Luan Xing Sea, was a prize he had vowed to fight for with his life. ...By this time, Han Li had already broken through the stone gate and swiftly entered the corridor ahead. After a few lightning-fast strides, he materialized on the square where a transmission array had been erected. There, several male and female cultivators from Miao Yin Sect were engaged in animated conversation. Upon seeing Han Li suddenly appear, they all stared in astonishment, unable to speak. "Has the transmission array been completed?" Han Li flashed a silver glow and instantly appeared beside the teleportation array, then roared loudly at the male and female cultivators around him. "Ah! It's Master Li! The teleportation array is complete. We haven't tested it yet—we were just..." One of the more elegant female cultivators immediately recognized Han Li as her master's new ally and hurriedly responded with courtesy, eager to explain the situation in detail. But as soon as Han Li heard that the array was finished, he no longer paid attention to anything else—he flickered and stepped directly into the array. At the same moment, the roof of the hall suddenly burst open, and Feng Xi descended from the sky, appearing in a swirl of emerald light. Han Li's face paled instantly.