Two sharp "whoosh" sounds echoed, and two streaks of green light shot out from the bodies of the shadow beasts. Then, a figure moved swiftly, and a man and a woman stepped out from behind the stone. The man had an ordinary appearance with clear, bright eyes, while the woman was graceful and elegant, charming and refined—none other than Han Li and Mei Ning. However, both were now dressed in light blue animal-skin outer garments. Han Li held two small green swords, each about an inch long, in his hands, with delicate, semi-transparent thread-like strands wound around the handles—fine animal tendons. "A slightly older, sturdy man with a look of curiosity spoke up, clearly the leader among the young men and women. "Of course it's true—I don't lack food at all," Han Li affirmed, kicking the bodies lying on the ground with his foot. "Very well, go ahead and ask!" Though the man found the matter somewhat odd, he felt confident that there would be no loss, and finally agreed. Seeing that the other was so attentive, Han Li nodded satisfiedly and spoke calmly: "Are you all from Hongtu Village nearby?" "Yes, we are all villagers of Hongtu Village!" the man furrowed his brows but answered honestly. "That's good. We've come here actually to inquire whether your village has recently taken on any new arrivals from outside. We're here looking for people." Han Li asked calmly. "Newcomers? None at all!" However, when the crack first opened, we found several skeletons—both men and women—near the阴兽's activity area, all reduced to piles of white bones. It seems they were unfortunate enough to be completely devoured by the early-returning groups of阴兽. The sturdy man paused, speaking with a slight hesitation. "White bones?" Meiling, standing behind Han Li, frowned slightly, looking somewhat concerned. Over the past month, they had visited three other villages, and although they hadn't seen their brother there, several practitioners had survived, albeit with varying degrees of injury. This village, however, was different—right from the start, it seemed to be entirely composed of the deceased. It was no surprise that Meiling felt a growing sense of unease, as if something ominous was brewing. "Yes. We've buried the remains right where they were found. But the items they were carrying have been placed into the village's warehouse. Would the two of you like to take a look?" "The tall man immediately sensed that Han Li was truly come to look for someone, and his alertness gradually eased. He greeted them warmly and generously. "Very well," Han Li said, glancing at the silent beauty by his side, and then nodded to make his decision. Even with several corpses, he needed to verify identities—should this lady's brother indeed be among them, he would no longer have to bother with this matter. "Heh! Your tone is quite formal, as if you're a newcomer from afar. You must have just arrived here, then?" The tall man sent his companions off to clear the bodies of the shadow beasts, while he himself engaged warmly in conversation with Han Li. Seeing this, Han Li smiled pleasantly. After walking several miles with them, Han Li and Mei Ning arrived at another unfamiliar village. This settlement was clearly much smaller than the others. Though it too was enclosed by stone walls, these walls were only about seven or eight zhang high and showed numerous signs of wear and tear, as though they had never been properly maintained. In terms of the village's size, it seems to house no more than a hundred or so people—rather sparse in population. As soon as they entered, the tall man pointed to a larger stone dwelling, apologized slightly, and asked Han Li and Mei Ning to take a look on their own. He needed to attend to the bodies of the Bichat beasts first—their meat was a precious food source and had to be given priority. Han Li naturally didn't mind, thanked him warmly, and then proceeded to walk toward the stone dwelling with Mei Ning. Han Li didn't know what comforting words to say, so after hesitating, he gently pat her fragrant shoulders twice and then quietly stepped out of the stone pavilion. He knew that it would be better for her to be alone for a while now. Indeed, as soon as he had left, faint, intermittent sobs came from within. Han Li sighed softly, looked up at the sky, and remained silent. It was nearly a full minute before Mei Ning emerged from the pavilion with slightly puffy eyes. "Let's go," she said calmly. "Since our elder brother has passed away, there's no need to visit other villages anymore. Let's go straight to Fengbo Mountain!" It seemed she had managed to conceal her grief deep within her heart. "Fengbo Mountain is certainly a destination we must reach, but before that, I have some other matters to attend to. I need to gather certain spirit-mourning beast crystals." Han Li glanced at Mei Ning and spoke calmly. "Spirit-mourning beast crystals? What use are they? And those beasts aren't exactly easy to deal with." Mei Ning naturally also understood the matter of the Yin-Ming Beast Crystals at this point, and was momentarily surprised, asking with a touch of unexpected curiosity. "I certainly have my own purposes in gathering them," said Han Li. "I estimate that, though places like the Yin-Ming Realm may not be entirely unique, they are certainly rare—perhaps even one-of-a-kind. Once we leave this area, collecting more Yin-Ming Beast Crystals will become an extremely difficult task. As for dealing with these Yin Beasts, we needn't intervene at all—we can simply entrust it to them." Suddenly, Han Li waved his sleeve, and a streak of green light shot forth, landing before the two of them. "It?" Mei Ning looked at the small monkey before her, her face expressing bewilderment. "Of course it!" Han Li affirmed with unwavering confidence. Throughout their journey thus far, Han Li had been eager to reach the village and had therefore chosen safer routes. As a result, although he had used his small sword to slay several lower-tier spiritual beasts, he had not yet encountered any Beast Crystals. This made Han Li, who already had a vague sense of the utility of the Yinming Beast Crystal, naturally eager to gather more. Now, Han Li said little more, merely greeted the young woman and then turned to walk away with Ti Hun. He intended to rest in the Red Soil Village for one day, and then begin his journey the next day toward the strong Yin beasts' gathering grounds to test Ti Hun's power. The colossal beast, upon seeing the young monkey, did not immediately rage and charge at him. Instead, it low-humed a few times, then showed clear signs of fear, attempting to retreat. But as it moved only slightly, a surge of golden light erupted and swiftly enveloped the beast. Then, within the radiant glow, a thunderous roar erupted, shaking the very ground. The light intensified, and the golden aura surged back, carrying with it threads of dark mist that were drawn into the monkey's nostrils. The monkey chewed eagerly, then patted its slightly distended belly, a satisfied expression spreading across its face, as though it had just savored something exceptionally delicious. At this moment, Han Li approached slowly from the distance, his expression relaxed and composed, while the graceful young woman beside him stood in open amazement, having witnessed the entire scene in stunned disbelief. Now she glanced at the nearly shriveled corpse of the giant clawed beast, and finally began to connect the dots between the small monkey before her and the famed fierce creature mentioned in the tales, her expression growing increasingly troubled. At this moment, Han Li had already reached the giant beast's head. With a simple flick of his sleeve, a short, gleaming knife appeared in his hand. Without changing his expression, he sliced through the flesh of the head, splitting it cleanly in two—like a watermelon—and a green crystal the size of a thumb fell out. Upon seeing the crystal, Han Li's face broke into a faint smile. He bent down and picked it up. "There are several stronger yin beasts still seven li to the west. Perfect—let's deal with them all at once," Han Li said, lifting his gaze toward the west, as though speaking to himself.