Thinking of the legend that the Shijiao, being invulnerable to iron and steel, could only be gradually transformed into ash through true fire or sealed by a soul-draining technique, it now appeared that the Shijiao had not truly perished but was merely temporarily restrained by an unknown golden seal. It was likely that the Shijiao would take a considerable time to recover its vitality. With this in mind, Han Li turned his gaze toward the jade box that had fallen beside the Shijiao, a hint of doubt flickering in his eyes. Since the Shijiao had been sealed rather than completely consumed, it must have been through a soul-draining method. The Shijiao's intense focus on this jade box, and its use of a golden seal specifically designed to counteract it, suggested that the jade box contained the Shijiao's essence. Yet, if that were the case, why could the Shijiao's physical form still move freely and speak with such clear intelligence, even going so far as to cleverly persuade Han Li to open the box? Was the soul-draining process incomplete, leaving a residual soul fragment within? Furthermore, why did the Shijiao possess such a precious artifact—the jade eye of spiritual clarity? Was it only after being trapped here that he had gained these insights? Some of these questions caused a slight furrow in Han Li's brow, leaving him with a growing sense of puzzlement. But after a moment's thought, he decided to let go of these unanswerable queries and began to survey his surroundings, aiming to find a way to escape. The true fire capable of fully sublimating the corpse specters required at least Yuan Ying stage cultivation, and even then, sustained refinement over several months was necessary to achieve complete success. Han Li himself possessed such a level of cultivation, yet he would never voluntarily undertake such feats of slaying demons and monsters. His intention was simply to distance himself from this place, allowing the corpse specter to remain isolated and confined here. As for whether others might later stumble into this very spot, only to be deceived and ensnared by it—well, that was not his concern. In such a case, the specter would naturally emerge and free itself, and various high-ranking masters from major sects would then handle the matter. Yet, after circling the area once more, Han Li's gaze returned to the jade box. After glancing at the golden scroll several times, he hesitated briefly, then suddenly reached out and drew the jade box into his hands, calmly storing it in his storage bag. The characters inscribed on the scroll were truly extraordinary—he intended to take it back and study it thoroughly before making any further decisions. As for whether or not to open the box, he would only do so when his Yuan婴 stage was fully achieved and he felt absolutely confident. Should there indeed be any corpse spirits, fierce souls, or other formidable ghosts inside, the protective divine thunder from the辟邪spirit and the啼魂beast would counteract them, and with his current cultivation level, he would have no cause for concern at all. He slightly tilted his head, thought for a moment, then sighed, taking several steps forward to stand before the Shijiao. With a single kick, he struck it—yet the Shijiao flipped over, revealing a subtle indentation. Within that indentation, the snow-cloud fox opened its dark, mournful eyes, gazing helplessly at Han Li. As he walked, he subconsciously murmured, "You little thing, you're truly lucky! Not only did you escape unharmed just now, but you've managed to survive all these years living alongside these rather odd, ghostly beings—such as the corpse spirits. Truly astonishing!" "Hmm... astonishing?" Han Li paused mid-sentence, suddenly remembering something. Then, his face turned pale as he raised one hand and forcefully hurled the white fox toward the stone wall across from him. Just at that instant, a trace of resentment flashed in the fox's eyes. In a flash, it lifted its front paw and slammed it hard against Han Li, who was only a few steps away. The normally short limbs swelled dramatically, transforming into massive, snow-white, sharp claws that struck squarely against Han Li's chest. A sharp, resonant crack echoed through the air. With a roar of fury, Han Li was thrown back, the white fox flying through the air, clearly intent on crushing him into pulp. Yet the little fox executed a graceful roll in the air, twisted mid-flight, and landed steadily at the opposite corner of the stone chamber. It then fixed cold eyes upon Han Li, who stood unharmed, its emerald gaze subtly revealing a hint of surprise and disappointment. Han Li, in turn, stared anxiously at the large gash on his upper garment, where a faint green glow pulsed subtly beneath the fabric. It was precisely the green inner armor of Wen Tianren, one of the six heirs. Since the destruction of the imperial scale armor, Han Li had worn this lesser-known yet equally superior inner armor—its quality no less than that of the imperial armor. Though the white fox's attack had been sudden and fierce, it could not penetrate this armor, which even ordinary magical artifacts found difficult to breach. "So who exactly are you?" Han Li asked, his voice steady now, his face stern as he gazed at the white fox. At the same time, he raised his jade如意 and prepared to summon a protective light shield. To his astonishment, the Jade如意 remained as lifeless as a statue, showing no reaction at all. Han Li was first taken aback, then glanced at the yellow young wolf by his side. Yet the yellow wolf stood motionless, displaying no unusual behavior. With the great threat looming, Han Li could not pause to ponder the reason at first. With a mere thought, his divine awareness stirred, and the sound of his flying sword grew louder, swiftly forming a broad sheet of emerald blades that shielded him in front. Only then did Han Li feel a slight relief. Yet at that very moment, the Snow Cloud Fox spoke a sentence that left Han Li utterly stunned in human language. "Who am I? Didn't you just greet me a moment ago? How could you have forgotten me so quickly?" As the familiar woman's voice echoed, a hint of scorn flashed in the white fox's eyes, and she suddenly stood upright on her hind legs. Before Han Li's very eyes, the scene of the beast transforming into a human form unfolded vividly and clearly. Watching the white fox before him, its form swelled several times within mere breaths, and in an instant, it shed its white fur, transforming into a graceful young woman with a delicate, elegant bearing and a fox tail trailing behind. Han Li pressed his lips together, no longer able to maintain his composure, his face filled with astonishment and shock. "How about this? Isn't my fox-bodied appearance quite good?" The woman, with a face identical to the black-robed young woman, stood tall with a full, snowy chest, her cheeks flushed with a delicate red hue, gazing at Han Li with an alluring, seductive expression. Yet in her eyes, an unusual coldness prevailed—there was not a single trace of warmth or smile. "You're the one?" Han Li finally regained his composure after taking a deep breath, speaking in a calm, measured tone. He then unconsciously glanced back at the stone platform, where the body of the尸魈 remained completely still. This gave him a sense of relief, and he turned his attention once again to the woman who had dramatically enhanced her修为. According to the rules, a creature capable of transforming into human form should at least possess the strength of an eight-tiered beast. Yet, upon a single sweep of his divine awareness, this white fox claiming to be the embodiment of a Shē Qiāo spirit was found to possess only seventh-level cultivation. This left Han Li deeply astonished, though not particularly fearful. Still, the fact that he had previously been deceived by this fox’s subtle concealment of his awareness made him hesitate, and thus his expression remained serious. In his mind, he recalled the ancient texts describing the legendary prowess of high-level fox spirits. Once foxes reached advanced stages of cultivation, nearly all were masters of illusionary arts, capable of manipulating even peers of equal rank with ease—often leaving the latter completely unaware. Among all beasts, their innate talent for concealing and transforming their form was truly exceptional. Initially, Han Li had doubted this account. But now, with his own powerful divine awareness so easily deceived by this creature, he began to believe it more firmly. Still, he pondered: if this embodiment of the Shē Qiāo spirit possessed such cultivation, why had it not gone directly to reveal the golden seal on the jade box? Could it be that this fox also feared the seal? Yet, even so, with its current cultivation level, it could easily seize and detain a lower-ranked cultivator, then compel them to tear the golden seal. Han Li's face remained expressionless, though a growing array of doubts surged within him. He had a strong intuition that the fox spirit across from him was far more than merely a manifestation of the corpse spirit—there must be some hidden matter at play. With this thought, he grew more composed. His gaze now turned steadily toward the young woman across from him, radiating subtle sharpness and lethal intent.