"Given your current techniques and divine powers, when I first captured you in the Xutian Hall as a Jiadian初期 cultivator, did you deliberately intend for me to obtain the Jade如意?" Han Li did not directly answer the young woman. Upon hearing this, Yin Yue was momentarily startled, but then her eyes sparkled with a warm smile. "As the spirit of the Jade如意, I am unable to sustain prolonged flight while attached to the vessel. To leave the Xutian Hall, a cultivator must carry the如意 with them. When you first captured me, I indeed did not fully resist. On the one hand, this was true; on the other, breaking through the Xutian Cauldron significantly weakened my cultivation. Even if I had truly fought fiercely at that time, I would still have ended up in the hands of Yuanying cultivators. Therefore, I would rather have ended up with a Jiadian cultivator." Yin Yue explained with a smile. "There were not just you among the Jiadian cultivators that day—there were two others, correct? Then, why did you choose me specifically?" Han Li paused slightly, maintaining his steady tone without relaxing at all. "You're referring to the young man from the Wu family and the one who practices the ghost cultivation technique, both of whom died in the struggle for the Xutian Ding?" Silver Moon's expression brightened, and she asked back. "Exactly!" "I find both of them rather unappealing. The first one is gloomy, radiating an eerie ghostly aura, while the second is thin and frail, looking quite unattractive. You may not be as refined as the elegant atmosphere of Yu Lin Forest, but at least you're acceptable. Does this suffice?" Silver Moon gently pursed her lips, smiled warmly—her tone both serious and lighthearted. Han Li couldn't help but feel both amused and touched. "If you're not inclined to elaborate, then I won't press the matter. I'd like to ask the most important question: After I took this Jade如意 out of the Xutian Pavilion, did you, in your storage scroll, observe every move I've made over the years?" As he spoke, Han Li's voice grew noticeably colder, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop by three degrees. "Indeed so." I've taken in every detail of my brother's cultivation techniques and treasures, down to the smallest particulars—even that mysterious, heavenly-level vial, which I know as well as my own. The young lady's smile faded, and her expression grew serious. Though she had suspected something, hearing her state the matter so clearly sent a profound shock through Han Li, who immediately grew pale and his demeanor darkened. He stared coldly at the young lady across from him, silent, as though pondering a course of action. "Does my brother suspect you of having killed someone to eliminate the threat? After all, if any of the great cultivation sects learn of such a heavenly-tier treasure existing, I fear your brother will truly have no place to rest his body." Silver Moon paid no heed to Han Li's cold expression, maintaining her composed, gentle smile. Upon hearing these words, Han Li's eyes narrowed, his gaze sharpening into the intensity of a blade. "Since Silver Moon understands the matter so well, and yet dares to speak so openly, you must surely not fear that I will destroy your vessel." Should your form and spirit both be utterly extinguished, you would naturally no longer reveal anything. Then, does my esteemed friend not possess any other means, believing that I am incapable of killing you?" Han Li said, his face displaying a stern expression. "Even with the talismans and powers you currently wield, even before I employed the technique of soul absorption, you would likely have been my adversary. Now, after the soul absorption, the instrumental spirit's cultivation has been significantly diminished following the takeover. Should we engage in combat, I would have a three-in-ten chance of victory—already quite favorable. Moreover, the vessel itself remains firmly in your hands. All I need to do is think of it, and I can be reduced to mere vapor. "Yin Yue shook her head, calmly and steadily speaking of matters directly affecting her life and death, exuding composure. Han Li merely snorted, saying nothing. The young woman continued without concern: "Your ability to endure thus far, without immediately launching a deadly attack, has already pleased Yin Yue greatly. You may not be considered a paragon of virtue, yet you clearly possess a clear sense of justice when it comes to matters of personal grievances." If it weren't for my intervention earlier, just now, Brother Han would never have given me a chance to speak at all. "With a slight upward curve of her lips, the woman smiled faintly. "Even if I do give you an opportunity, if I can't convince me, I'll still step in. I won't let anyone know about the little vial—especially not someone whose presence isn't fully under my control." Han Li didn't deny this; instead, he calmly and coldly acknowledged it. "Well, Brother Han's words perfectly align with the essence of Yin Yue's intentions. If you weren't a decisive and resolute person, you wouldn't have made much headway in the immortal realm. I certainly wouldn't have come to your rescue earlier. After all, I don't want to just take a disciple under my wing and then see him fall right away." Yin Yue spoke with a look of appreciation. "Taking someone as a disciple? What does that mean? Do you really think that merely acknowledging me as your master in words would be enough to secure your safety?" Han Li paused, then replied with a cold laugh. "Of course not. It's far from that simple." As far as I know, your Qingzhu Fengyun Sword still lacks a spirit entity. Yin Yue can temporarily extract the main immortal essence from this如意ancient treasure and serve as the spirit entity of your flying sword. In that case, not only will Han brother's main artifact gain significantly enhanced power, but my very life will now rest entirely in your hands. This should give you peace of mind, shouldn't it? After all, as your spirit entity, if I harbor even the slightest intention against you, you will surely sense it. Moreover, even if I gain a spirit entity, I won't be able to stray too far from you. You needn't worry—I won't suddenly vanish without a trace. The young lady's eyes sparkled with bright light, and her words left Han Li utterly astonished. Upon hearing this, Han Li furrowed his brows, pondering for a long time before finally asking with a neutral tone: "Can a spirit entity detach itself from its host artifact? Even if it can, what makes you willing to serve as my spirit entity? Don't tell me it's simply out of gratitude for having brought you out of the Xutian Hall." "Other spirit beings are always dull and sluggish, naturally unable to detach themselves from their host objects. But I am different. With my own willingness, combined with my companion's assistance, it is absolutely achievable. Of course, the separation process will certainly be quite taxing for me. But that doesn't matter now. As for my purpose—after achieving a body takeover, I simply no longer wish to remain a spirit bound to an object forever. Don't find this contradictory. My current willingness to serve as your spirit being is precisely so that I may one day attain true freedom." The young woman sighed and spoke slowly. "Could you elaborate a bit more on that, please?" Han Li was momentarily stirred, his expression softening. "I'm not entirely certain about the specifics, but my lingering memories suggest that if I regain a physical form and master a certain secret technique, at the very moment when the host of the object reaches the legendary 'Great Immortal' stage and transitions into the other realm, I shall be free. Until then, I will remain at your service." Of course, if you should pass away midway or reach your final destination, I will naturally seek another cultivator. In my judgment, however, Brother Han, possessing such a precious artifact as the small vial, is the most likely cultivator to fulfill my wish. Therefore, even if you do not mention it, I will personally request that you serve as the spirit of my artifact and tool. Han Li listened carefully and his face expressed a mixture of emotions, shifting between clouded and composed. After a while, he finally exhaled a long, steady breath and said, "Regardless of whether what you've said is true or not—besides this method, I truly cannot think of any other way to control you. Since you have willingly offered yourself as my spirit of the artifact, I will certainly not refuse. However, before I accept, I must first place a temporary seal upon you. After all, awakening a spirit of an artifact is no matter that can be accomplished hastily. I still need to prepare accordingly. By the way, once you have taken over the vessel, how far can you depart from it without any issue?" Han Li seemed to have thought of something further. "Right now, I can only move within a hundred li of you, but as the cultivation of this fox spirit body improves over time, this range should gradually expand." Seeing that Han Li had agreed to her request, Silver Moon beamed with satisfaction and responded to his questions in a polite, attentive manner. "What will happen if we go beyond this range?" Han Li asked seriously and in great detail. "Should we exceed this range, my spirit will automatically be summoned back to the artifact and will fly back to it. However, don't worry about inconvenience while traveling with me. I have a secret technique that allows me to temporarily seal myself within the spirit beast bag without any harm. As long as you release me whenever you need to practice cultivation or when you assign me tasks, everything will be fine. During combat, I can either appear as the artifact's spirit or directly use my fox spirit form to assist you in battle—this can be adjusted according to the situation." Upon hearing Silver Moon's explanation, Han Li nodded with a satisfied expression. Nodding afterward, he said: "Very well. Then I'll first..." Suddenly, Ling Yue interrupted him, her face pale with concern. "No. My spiritual energy has been completely drained, and I can no longer support my physical form." With a shimmering flow of silver light, her figure rapidly shrunk before Han Li's eyes, and in a moment, she had transformed once again into the white fox. Wrapped around her now appeared Han Li's robe, which looked unusually large. Han Li watched this scene, feeling a wave of quiet humor. Yet, without hesitation, he suddenly pressed a series of hand seals, and several streaks of jade-green light flashed swiftly into the fox's body, temporarily sealing her. "Later, I'll carry you out and hand you over to those several disciples from Luoyun Sect. But once we part ways, you'll simply slip away on your own. After all, for them, those cultivators at the Qi level, your escape will be effortless. I'll meet you en route." Han Li gently lifted the white fox by its neck, speaking calmly and steadily.