Focusing intently on the massive bell now pressed down, Han Li extended his hand toward the floral basket ancient artifact before him and gently touched it. At the same moment, a deep, resonant chime echoed from the bell. Though the sound was not loud, Han Li, who had been directly facing the bell's mouth, felt his mind sink and his body sway, nearly collapsing—exactly the kind of attack he most disliked! Inside, he cursed under his breath, yet dared not hesitate, swiftly urging the ancient artifact in the air. A flash of light revealed the true form of the floral basket. It then spun smoothly, projecting a cascade of white radiance that instantly enveloped the silver bell and began drawing it upward toward the blue sky. The silver bell, however, refused to comply, radiating a brilliant silver glow and ringing continuously, one after another. Yet, thanks to being completely wrapped in the white mist, Han Li found the sound less jarring, though still somewhat uncomfortable—no longer staggering as he had earlier. Only then did Han Li turn his attention away from the two ancient artifacts overhead and shift his gaze back to the man across from him. The Sixth Path's young master, now composed once more, was pondering the scene just witnessed—the instant annihilation of his True Demon Embodiment by Jin Hu. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on Han Li. "The Divine-Defeating Thunder! You possess the Golden Thunder Bamboo artifact!" Wen Tianren's voice was filled with astonishment and outrage. Aside from the legendary Divine-Defeating Thunder, famed for its ability to counter demonic techniques and spells, Wen could not think of any other electrical force capable of instantly shattering his True Demon Embodiment. The Golden Thunder Bamboo—a weapon that once stirred fierce battles—had reemerged, now refined into a master artifact by the opponent. This development left Wen utterly stunned. Upon hearing Wen Tianren name the Divine-Defeating Thunder, Han Li's expression slightly shifted, yet he maintained a calm demeanor, only smiling faintly and activating his floral chalice artifact, intending first to secure the silver bell. Seeing this, Wen Tianren immediately realized his intuition had been correct, his face now pale. As the inheritor of the foremost master of the Magic Path, his understanding of the Divine-Defeating Thunder was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators. He held this divine thunder in deep reverence. After witnessing the Six-Polar True Demon Technique—completely powerless against the thunder, with no ability to mount a defense—he was certain that the legend of this thunder's ability to counteract demonic techniques was not an exaggeration at all. With this thunder in his possession, the opponent could effectively nullify ninety percent of his own demonic arts. At that moment, the stunning young maiden standing farther away was left utterly stunned by the relentless series of duels between Han Li and Wen Tianren. Already, when Han Li had summoned the Gold-Eating Insects, she had sensed the true nature of his identity and was deeply amazed. Though only a few decades had passed, Han Li's cultivation had soared from the early to the late stage of the Condensation Realm—something that left her hard to believe. Yet, as she recalled the legend of the Xitian Cauldron, which seemed to be in Han Li's possession, a sense of reassurance settled in. Nevertheless, at the outset, she had not been confident in Han Li and Wen Tianren's contest, believing Han Li would only hold the advantage for a brief while before suffering a decisive defeat. She had never imagined that, by now, Han Li had gained such a commanding lead—especially when his pale golden electric arcs shattered Wen Tianren's magical techniques, leaving the young maiden so astonished that she felt her mind momentarily fogged. Divine Exorcising Thunder! She had already identified the origin of the golden arc before Wen Tianren even recognized it. After all, the half-section of thunder bamboo that had been there for over a thousand years had been personally delivered to Han Li by her. But now it had transformed into a golden thunder bamboo of ten thousand years' age—wasn't that strange? Could it be that Han Li had obtained a new supply of thunder bamboo from elsewhere? This was the only explanation she could currently think of. This exquisite young lady—naturally, the Purple Ling Immortal who had parted ways with the Virtual Sky Pavilion—had undergone a remarkable transformation, now blending in with Wen Tianren, and seemed somewhat reluctant. How many stories lay beneath this surface! At present, the Purple Ling Immortal bit her lower teeth firmly, her beautiful eyes fixed steadily on the distant scene, as though she sensed that the conflict would surely continue. As the silver bell was about to be taken into Han Li’s floral basket, Wen Tianren’s expression finally stirred. A golden glow suddenly intensified, then solidified and stretched out, extending visibly. In a moment, a delicate, elegant single-horned creature emerged abruptly from between Wen Tianren’s brows. Above, it shimmered brilliantly, adorned with intricate, enigmatic runes that seemed not to carry a single trace of magical aura, but instead pulsing with pure, refined celestial and terrestrial qi. Gazing at the other's strange, single horn, Han Li narrowed his eyes, his expression growing serious. Without hesitation, he pointed at two distant, jade-green great swords and cast two additional spells. The great swords emitted a resonant hum before disintegrating, reforming into over twenty smaller swords. These smaller swords were then guided by a spell known as the "Shadow-Splitting Sword Technique," which caused them to manifest into three radiant sword beams that, instead of advancing, surged backward in a flurry, swiftly converging and circling around Han Li within moments. They hovered before him, swirling and dancing, forming a protective barrier. "Excellent! Remarkable! I never expected to be pushed to such a pass. I always believed that beyond the senior Yuan-Ying stage, no one among the Ji-Dan stage could be a match for me. It seems, however, that my confidence in my own superiority has been rather misplaced." But this is also fine—now that I've met you, it's truly a stroke of luck. Otherwise, once you reach the Yuan Ying stage, eradicating you would be far more difficult." Wen Tianren paid no attention to Han Li's actions, his expression instead calming down into a quiet, composed tone. With a golden horn now emerging from his brow, he seemed suddenly confident, and the faint traces of earlier alarm had completely vanished. Han Li remained composed on his face, yet his awareness had already scanned Wen Tianren thoroughly. The result was that, aside from the unusual golden horn on his brow, Wen Tianren showed no signs of a sudden surge in cultivation or any other remarkable changes. Han Li furrowed his brows, a subtle sense of doubt forming in his mind, and grew even more alert. He wasn't aware that Wen Tianren's words had been merely diplomatic flattery—this golden horn surely held some hidden significance. Before Han Li could fully grasp the situation, Wen Tianren suddenly spread his hands wide and launched eight golden flames from his sleeves. These golden flames were small, like clenched fists, radiating brilliant light and dazzling brilliance, spinning rapidly around Wen Tianren in a swift, fluid motion. Seeing that the other had once again drawn something from his person, Han Li sighed inwardly, feeling a growing sense of frustration and irritation. He was well aware that, though he possessed an abundance of treasures—undoubtedly among the most numerous among peers of his rank—compared to Wen Tianren, he still fell significantly short. After all, given Wen Tianren's distinguished status as the junior chief of the Inverse Star Alliance and the foremost inheritor of the Magician Path, acquiring even modest treasures would naturally come easily to him. He could no longer afford to continue matching his treasures one by one against Wen Tianren's; he needed to devise a strategy—either to immobilize him or to strike a decisive blow. Unbeknownst to Han Li, at the very moment he was formulating this plan, Wen Tianren was thinking nearly identical thoughts. He too felt a growing sense of apprehension and respect in the face of Han Li's ever-increasing array of tactics. Thus, he decided to dispense with all other treasures and directly summoned his most powerful technique—the eight golden flames. As the flames faded, eight ancient mirrors of pure gold emerged. Each mirror was palm-sized, one side smooth as water, shimmering with flowing golden light, while the other side was wrinkled and uneven, appearing crude and unattractive. Upon seeing this, Han Li's eyes flashed with surprise. He felt as though he had heard of these mirrors before, yet couldn't quite recall when or where. "Since my companion has already revealed the origin of these mirrors, I'm sure you now understand their power. Now, you may die without regret!" Wen Tianren slightly turned his head, giving a thoughtful glance to Zi Ling the Immortal Lady, then turned back and spoke coldly. A golden aura shimmered across his brows, and suddenly a slender streak of golden light burst forth, striking the mirror closest to him. It then swiftly leapt to the adjacent small mirror, and within moments, it had bounced eight times. Each time it rebounded, the golden light grew stronger. By the time it finally emerged from the last golden mirror, the light had swelled to the thickness of an infant's arm.