Faced with this thing that could easily annihilate a cultivator's true essence, several methods for refining the demonic flame came to mind in his mind, but ultimately he chose a secret technique from the Xuan Yin Classic, deeming it the most reliable. After settling on his plan, Han Li focused his attention on the golden sphere for a moment before extending a single finger, calmly pointing. A sharp crackling sound ensued, and a slender electric arc shot out from his fingertip, precisely striking the golden sphere inside the box. Immediately, the sphere trembled slightly, radiating bright light, then, drawn by the arc, rose smoothly from the box and floated upward to hover at the high ceiling of the still room. Seated below, Han Li raised his head, gazing steadily at the luminous sphere enclosed in golden light, his eyes slightly narrowed, his ten fingers continuously moving and forming a series of intricate hand seals. Under the steady thunderous rumble of the thunder, a dense network of pale golden arcs flashed and burst forth, weaving together into a solid, impervious grid measuring one zhang in diameter—perfectly enclosing the sphere and trapping it within, poised and ready. At this point, Han Li finally exhaled in relief, then activated his divine awareness to connect with the divine protective lightning encasing the outer layer of the ice and flame. A sharp, piercing cry erupted, and the golden sphere shone brilliantly, with countless fine golden arcs leaping and bouncing off its surface until they finally released their hold on the orb. Instantly, within the aerial grid of electricity, a deep blue orb appeared—crystalline and transparent, spinning rapidly. Staring at the Qinglan ice orb, Han Li held his breath. He had personally witnessed the power of the ice flame it once transformed into, and even now, he remained deeply startled and awed. Now that the ice orb had revealed its true form, Han Li didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth, and a streak of jade-green sword energy shot forth, while simultaneously clasping and then spreading his hands apart. A thick, golden electric arc surged forth between his palms, striking the ice orb with the combined force of jade-green and golden light. A crisp, cracking sound resonated, and the ice orb suddenly shattered into a swirling mass of blue light and flame. In the span of a single stretch and contraction, the light flame coalesced into a beautiful blue flower, about the size of a clenched fist, its translucent, shimmering petals unfolding slowly and gracefully. At the same time, a sharp "crack" echoed loudly, as a layer of luminous blue frost mysteriously spread rapidly along the floor and walls, thickening and expanding swiftly. The room suddenly became profoundly cold, as if plunged into an icy world. Yet Han Li had anticipated this development. Though a serious expression briefly flashed across his face, he remained calm and composed. A surge of green light rippled over his body, forming a dense, protective aura that shielded him thoroughly. With his current Yuan-Emperor stage cultivation, these cold currents, though potent, posed no threat as long as they did not directly strike him with the ice flame—the protective glow was sufficient to safeguard him. Seeing the pale blue cold air held at bay by the green light, Han Li felt reassured. Without hesitation, he pointed upward into the air. Immediately, the grid of the Bixie Divine Thunder began to flicker and contract, gently enclosing the glowing flower within. Waves of golden and blue light flashed in succession, causing the blue giant bloom to transform Staring at the re-ensnared dry blue flame, Han Li took a deep breath. With a subtle movement of his divine awareness, a thunderous crack sounded, and the golden net split open slightly before instantly sealing itself again. Yet in that brief instant, a fine, thread-like strand of blue flame slipped through and shot straight toward Han Li with a spirit-like grace. Unmoved by this, Han Li simply pressed his palms together in a series of gestures and closed his eyes. A surge of green qi erupted from his forehead, and suddenly, a baby about an inch tall appeared in the glowing light—Han Li had just activated his Yuan婴 (immortal embryo) at this very moment. The infant's face was taut. As soon as it emerged, its eyes fixed intently on the flying blue flame. It gently rubbed its plump hands together, then raised them. Two bright streaks of green light shot out from its hands. At the same time, as it opened its mouth, a second, fist-sized orb of light burst forth. The three beams of green light converged instantly upon the slender strand of blue flame. The blue and green radiance flashed and vanished in an instant, and the blue flame was swiftly envelop It struggled fiercely within the emerald light, trying to break free, yet it was so slender that even as the light gradually dissolved and faded wherever it passed, it remained tightly ensnared, unable to escape within a short time. Seeing this, the Yuan'ing smiled gently, extended a small hand of its own life essence light, and with a wave of the hand, the light sphere carrying the thread of blue flame flew back to its presence. Gazing intently at the object now just inches away, the Yuan'ing's face showed hesitation and apprehension. After a brief pause, a flash of inner light passed through its eyes, and it seized the emerald light sphere firmly in its hands, then without hesitation, pressed it directly into its mouth and swallowed it whole! The Yuan'ing then shimmered with surrounding emerald light, vanishing once more from its head into the light mist. As for Han Li's physical form, his closed eyes trembled slightly, yet his face remained unchanged, as if asleep. Yet within his body, the Yuan'ing sat cross-legged in the dantian, hands forming seals, his face solemn and composed. …One month later, Han Li finally stepped out of the meditation chamber, his face somewhat gloomy. The Qianlan ice flame was truly remarkable—even a mere trace of it had taken him so long to gradually assimilate. Yet it was overly cold, and it would take another year of internal cultivation for him to truly master it. To prevent any unforeseen complications, he had hesitated to further refine the flame before now. After successfully integrating the flame, he had not received any prompt to activate the Xitian Ding—likely because the amount of flame transformed was still insufficient. Han Li had chosen to step out of the chamber and not continue his meditation, intending to visit the two silver-haired elders to inquire whether they had any information regarding the "Geng Jing." He also planned to formally depart from Luoyun Sect for a period of time and travel to Yuanwu Kingdom. The promise he had made to Xin Ruoyin years ago was finally something he intended to settle now. After all, with his current level of cultivation, extinguishing an entire immortal family should be a mere breeze. To be honest, the Fu family of Yuanwu and the Bu family of Baiqiao actually share some connection. It's said that the Fu family of Yuanwu is a distant branch of the Bu family of Baiqiao. Over time, however, the two families gradually drifted apart. When Yuanwu fell under the influence of the magical path, the Fu family—being one of the nation's most prominent clans—joined the magical path without hesitation. This deeply disappointed the Fu family, who remained loyal to the Celestial Path Alliance, and ultimately severed all ties between them. …Half a day later, Han Li left the silver-haired elder's abode somewhat disappointed, having received no definite information about the "Geng Jing." However, the elder informed him that two years later, in Yu State of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, a grand trade fair would be held—renowned as the most prestigious in the southern lands. At this event, rare treasures from across southern territories would be on display, and nearly half of the Yuan Ying cultivators from the region would attend. Once they reach this stage, these Yuan Ying cultivators require exceedingly precious materials and medicines; ordinary herbs and resources no longer suffice, and thus they must seize such opportunities to exchange goods with other cultivators. The trade fair was held in Yu State because the Nine Kingdoms Alliance maintained a neutral stance and, due to constant threats from the Mulan cultivators, posed no threat to the other three major powers. This ensured that the attendees would have no concerns about hidden intentions, allowing them to participate with full confidence. Now, Han Li could only hope that the trade fair would feature the "Geng Jing" he sought. Otherwise, he truly had no idea how to successfully cultivate the Da Geng Sword Array. Could it be that he would have to journey all the way to the famed "Da Jin Empire"? That would indeed be quite distant. After inquiring about the "Geng Jing" from the silver-haired elder, Han Li did not mention where he intended to go. Instead, he simply stated that his Yuan Ying had fully stabilized and that he planned to travel across various regions for a while, thus formally bidding farewell. The silver-haired elder, hearing this, showed no doubt at all. He only briefly outlined the distribution of national powers, mentioned several renowned Yuan Ying cultivators to watch out for, and pointed out a few ancient, formidable beings who were particularly difficult to approach. Among them, the "Heaven-Hating Elder" that Han Li had previously heard of suddenly appeared. Han Li found these cultivators quite intriguing and carefully noted down all the details. He then expressed his gratitude repeatedly before bidding the elder farewell. On the second day, early in the morning, Han Li carried several important items, sealed his estate completely with a great array, and then departed alone from Yunmeng Mountain, flying directly toward the direction of Yuanwu Kingdom.