At this moment, "Haha! What a delightful surprise! I never thought that just dozing off here for a while would reveal someone engaged in such a murder-for-wealth scheme. Yet it's rather amusing that two Junzi-level cultivators are eyeing a Yuan婴-level cultivator. Could it be that I haven't fully woken up yet?" The voice was fresh and clear, reminiscent of a young girl's laughter. Upon hearing this, Han Li's face grew pale, while the short, stout cultivator and the bald man both seemed struck by thunder, their faces instantly turning pale and lifeless. "A Yuan婴-level cultivator?" The stout man shrieked, then fixed his gaze tightly on Han Li, as though he had seen a ghost. "How is this possible? A Yuan婴-level cultivator? It must be one of his allies deliberately exaggerating to frighten us!" The bald man was equally startled, but then recalled something, and quickly raised his voice, trying to steady himself, though his body involuntarily stepped back two paces, his eyes wide as oxen's, constantly scanning the surroundings for the young girl who had spoken. It seemed that as soon as he found this person, his courage would immediately surge. Yet the surroundings were utterly empty, with not a single trace of human presence. At that moment, the awe filling Han Li surpassed even the combined might of "Peng Yi, the Twin Fears." Without knowing why, the moment he heard the girl's voice, he felt an inexplicable chill run through him, and the Yuan Ying that had been quietly dormant in his Dan Tian stirred with a sense of urgency, its small face now etched with deep fear. Even more astonishing, after he had carefully scanned every inch of land within ten li, he was certain no one else existed—yet the girl's sudden outburst clearly indicated she was nearby. With his current Yuan Ying stage, bolstered by the Da Yan Decision, he should have been able to detect anyone—yet he simply could not perceive her presence. Could it be that this person possessed an exceptionally refined technique, or perhaps some other hidden mystery? Han Li's throat grew dry. "Who? Who is playing tricks? Dare to mock even us, Peng Yi, the Twin Fears?" The shorter, plump monk regained a few streaks of color on his face, as though convinced by the giant's words, and kept glancing calmly between the two sides. As she spoke, a yellowish glow emanated from her body, followed by a small black shield materializing in front of her. "Haha! If you could see me, I'd simply charge straight into the ground and be done with it. But your Yuan-Infant cultivator's awareness is quite strong—had it been just a bit stronger, you'd have been able to catch a glimpse of me." The young girl still spoke with her usual composure. Han Li's expression grew increasingly grave. While listening to the girl, he continued to vigorously search the surrounding area with his spiritual awareness—how strange it was, for despite his efforts, no trace of any cultivator appeared wherever his awareness reached. "Hmm, I'm feeling a bit hungry now. Why don't you three let me have a meal? Hm, the Yuan-Infant stage of cultivators—I haven't tasted that in a while. I truly miss the flavor!" The young girl's cheerful, gurgling voice continued, seemingly innocent, yet her words were genuinely chilling. Hearing this, Han Li maintained his expression as though he had not heard a word. After a deep, low exhalation, he no longer concealed his true cultivation. A flash of brilliant azure light surged from his body, radiating an astonishing aura, and dozens of azure beams erupted—seventy-two jade bamboo honey-cloud swords simultaneously projecting outward to shield him completely. "Truly... a Yuan婴 stage cultivator! Grandmaster, please forgive me! I simply failed to recognize your esteemed status—this was no intentional offense on my part. My younger brother, what are you doing? Don't run! Before Master Han, how could we possibly escape?" The short, stout cultivator, upon seeing Han Li reveal his true power and unleash so many flying swords and treasures, was utterly terrified. Without hesitation, he immediately knelt and bowed deeply, displaying a humble, submissive demeanor, as if pleading for his life. In contrast, the towering man, though his face turned pale, instantly drew out a golden scroll and slapped it against his body, transforming it into a streak of golden light that surged skyward. "You think you can escape just by using the Golden Flight Scroll?" Han Li's expression of scorn flickered briefly, then with a finger gesture, a flying sword emitted a clear, resonant sound, transforming into a streak of jade-green light that vanished in an instant—only to reappear moments later, right behind the golden light that had just traveled a short distance, leaving onlookers astounded. The green glow flashed rapidly, and a loud cry of pain rang out from a tall man in the air, followed immediately by the golden light dissolving into scattered golden specks and fading away. The bald man vanished with it. The girl's voice suddenly stilled, and only after a pause did it rise coldly. "How did you discover that my 'Luminous Transformation Technique' is utterly impossible for a Yuan婴 cultivator to detect?" "Regardless of how I managed to uncover it, you still haven't revealed your true form. Do you really intend to leave me with the impression that you're merely a tree—something I can chop into seven or eight pieces like a mere sapling?" Han Li said nothing in reply, appearing calm and composed. Yet inside, he was gripping his breath, silently grateful for having escaped unscathed. In his moment of urgency, he unconsciously used his slightly divinely endowed Ming-Qing spiritual eyes to scan the surroundings, and surprisingly, he did detect subtle differences in the trees near the small tree boy, all glowing in blue light. With a sudden determination, he feigned ignorance and spoke with deliberate deception—only to find himself correct. "A mere Yuan婴 cultivator, and yet your tone seems quite grand. Pray, what is it like to have your Yuan婴 absorbed?" As the girl's voice darkened, the small tree glowed green briefly, then shrank and transformed, now appearing as a mere figure only half a This young figure had a refined appearance, slightly longer hair, and a gentle green glow emanating from his body, as if he were bare-chested. The girl's voice came directly from this young figure. "A Yuan婴! Hm, wait—no, that's not quite right." Upon seeing the figure, Han Li exclaimed aloud, but upon closer inspection, he hesitated. "A Yuan婴! Haha, you're absolutely right to call me that. Still, you're the first Yuan婴-level cultivator I've seen since I woke up—perhaps you're just unlucky, or maybe I'm truly fortunate!" The young figure gazed at Han Li calmly and said. Then, with a swift movement, the figure stepped instantly to the back of the short, stout cultivator. With a cheerful smile, he said, "Would you mind lending me your spirit essence to wrap around my belly for a while?" "No, no, please, forgive me!" The short, stout cultivator immediately recognized the young figure as someone at least equivalent to a Yuan婴-level cultivator. Startled, he desperately pleaded, while his body, like a ball of flesh, leaped upward, trying to retreat as far as possible. But that little figure flashed with a fierce expression, then instantly transformed into a sphere of green light, shooting directly into the stout cultivator's body before vanishing and reappearing as a human form. On its small hands, however, a small green glow—about the size of a thumb—now pulsed steadily, flickering on and off. The senior of the "Ping Yi Shuang Xiong," who had previously been so formidable, now stared blankly, his body collapsing to the ground, motionless. The little figure said nothing further, simply lifted the glowing orb to its mouth and swallowed it in a few quick sips, its own green radiance deepening noticeably. "Are you truly a human or a ghost?"韩立 could no longer remain composed, pressing his lips together and shouting sharply, "How dare you directly consume a living soul!" He had clearly sensed the spiritual essence of the small being earlier, just as his own—both at the initial stage of Yuan婴 (Metamorphic Immortal) cultivation. Yet, after absorbing such a refined soul, he now felt a slight increase, though minimal. This indicated that the being could enhance its own cultivation simply by directly consuming the souls of cultivators—an achievement that was truly astonishing. "The appetizers are finished. Now comes the main course. As a Yuan婴 cultivator, I wonder—after I have swallowed your Yuan婴, will you directly advance to the mid-stage of Yuan婴 cultivation?" The greenish little figure paid no attention to Han Li's questions, instead gazing intently at the dantian of Han Li, murmuring as if she could see his Yuan婴 clearly, her face filled with eager anticipation. "After swallowing my Yuan婴, you won't even have to worry about bursting your stomach!" Han Li, hearing this, burst into furious laughter. With a firm clap of his hands, a deep, resonant roar erupted, followed by a massive, luminous golden arc appearing between his palms. Since entering the Yuan Ying stage, Han Li has been able to store the Divine-Defying Thunder on his flying swords directly within his body. Thus, although all seventy-two flying swords now reside outside his body, the Divine-Defying Thunder still functions perfectly. "Golden lightning? I seem to have heard of this before—how it escapes me right now," the green little figure tilted its head, murmuring to itself as it observed the Divine-Defying Thunder in Han Li's hands. "Experience it yourself, and you'll understand," Han Li raised his eyebrows slightly, spoke calmly, and then struck his palms together—instantly transforming the electric arc into a golden, serpentine creature that surged forward, charging straight at the figure nearby. For some reason, the figure merely smiled brightly, neither dodging nor retreating, and was actually swallowed whole by the creature. As countless golden electric arcs surged around and exploded around the figure, a dazzling golden glow spread out, accompanied by continuous thunderous crackles. Han Li kept his eyes half-closed, gazing steadily at the figure across from him, his expression neither joyful nor relieved—instead, his demeanor grew even more somber. The other party dared to directly receive the Divine Exorcising Lightning with such resolve, indicating they had already been confident all along—there was no way they could truly eliminate them now. Indeed, even before the golden glow faded, laughter from the young girl echoed through the thunderous roar. "I remember now—this is the Divine Exorcising Lightning, isn't it? Hmph, what a remarkable treasure! I never thought a cultivator at just the initial stage of Yuan Ying could possess such a rare celestial wonder. But you wouldn't think that my grandmother practices some esoteric magical technique, would you, to use this very lightning against me? Truly, she's been seizing the very essence of heaven and earth!