Han Yunzhi, though a little regretful about her earlier decision, folded the jade disc in her hands, took a deep breath, and with her delicate lips slightly parted, a luminous, round orb of light burst forth from her mouth. The orb spun gracefully in front of her before settling firmly atop the head of the large bird beneath her, remaining motionless. As she pressed two fingers firmly against the orb, her expression grew serious. The orb emitted a brilliant flash of light, and the spirit bird arched its neck and cried out, then spread its wings, drawing a long, white streak across the air as it surged forward with increased speed—now moving nearly half as fast as before. Yet, observing Han Yunzhi’s still-clenched hand and her slightly pale complexion, it was clear that this secret technique demanded a great expenditure of vital energy. Now, with her life hanging in the balance, she could hardly afford to delay. Just as she had begun to employ this technique, a sudden thunderous sound erupted from behind. Han Yunzhi’s face fell, realizing that the enemy had finally caught up with her. Yet now, this was already the fastest secret technique she could muster. Besides hastily summoning a protective shield around herself, she had no other means. After all, when she first chose her cultivation method to facilitate the formation of her Dan stage, it lacked any particularly powerful feats. Following a sharp high-pitched and a lower resonant thunderclap, a silver arc flashed past her side, and at about ten zhang ahead, a figure with wings sprouting from its back materialized. The figure's face remained obscured by shimmering green light, yet without a word, it raised its hand slightly, and several brilliant green streaks of light suddenly appeared. Huan Yunzhi's face fell with despair, and she was about to close her eyes and accept her fate. "Ah! It's you!" The figure glanced at Huan Yunzhi's delicate features and was surprised, exclaiming softly. Then, with a simple hand gesture, the green glow faded. Huan Yunzhi found this quite puzzling and was about to focus and examine the figure closely when, suddenly, the figure was enveloped in flashes of lightning and thunder, vanishing completely from its original spot. Huan Yunzhi stood there, momentarily stunned. Yet, at this brief delay, the thunder roared once more behind her. As the young woman felt her heart sink and hurried to turn around, the protective barrier shattered with a soft "pffft," and a slender golden arc shot straight into her. Instantly, Hanyunzhi felt a numbness spread through her body, her form unsteadily slipping off the spirit bird. At the same time, she sensed a gentle embrace around her face, as though someone had gently cradled her. A man's scent filled her nostrils. Overcome with embarrassment and indignation, she fainted right there. Huan Yun Zhi hurried over to inspect the bird, and fortunately, it had only been subjected to the simplest of spells—easy to unravel. Only then did she feel reassured enough to awaken the spirit creature and ride it upward, surveying the surroundings. The location was nearly identical to where she had been captured, having not been moved far at all. As for the time, it seemed as though only a short while had passed. Huan Yun Zhi remained puzzled for a while, then suddenly recalled a terrifying incident, quickly becoming tense and checking her garments and body carefully. To her relief, everything was normal—she had not experienced any remarkable ordeal. Her storage scrolls and the unique treasures kept in her bosom were untouched, as if no one had disturbed them at all. This time, Huan Yun Zhi was truly stunned. The other party had not only spared her life but had shown her the utmost care—how was this possible? She found herself genuinely confused. As she recalled the sound of astonishment the other had made when she had fainted, a look of wonder and doubt settled upon her face. Could it be that the Yuan Ying stage cultivator truly knew her, or perhaps someone familiar to her? Yet in her memory, aside from a few ancestral masters of Yuling Sect, she had never actually met any Yuan Ying cultivators from other sects. Unfortunately, the person's movements were too swift—she couldn't make out their face or figure, which was quite ordinary with no distinctive features. The only sound they made was a brief, surprised "Hm!"—nothing more. Hanyun Zhizi stood there, pondering in silence for a long while, still coming up with nothing. However, she then reached into her sleeve and pulled out the jade disc, which was a deep green. Then, with one hand, she formed a seal and chanted softly. A white spell immediately struck the disc. At once, the disc shimmered with green light, and a red dot appeared clearly in the center. Seeing this, Hanyun Zhizi frowned deeply, and as she recalled the moment when she had been instantly sealed by the other person, she felt even more uneasy. Her younger sister, Liu, had either been eliminated or had already escaped the range of this treasure's detection. Given the harsh manner in which the opponent initially acted, it seems likely that the former case is more prevalent. Hancunzhi sighed softly, then stored the treasure and took to the skies, riding a spiritual bird. These fierce centipedes, if not mistaken, were the "Six-Winged Frost Centipede," ranked eighteenth on the List of Rare Insects. Like Han Li's Gold-Eating Insects, they were among the ancient spiritual insects from the primordial age. It is said that they carry a portion of the true dragon lineage of ice-type dragons; once matured, their bodies turn entirely white, with six wings sprouting along their backs, radiating a cold aura powerful enough to cover a hundred li and freeze all living things within. However, these centipedes, much like the original Gold-Eating Insects, were clearly still in their juvenile stages. The cold breath they exhaled might be difficult for ordinary cultivators to withstand, yet for Han Li, who had already absorbed and refined the Dry Blue Ice Flames, it posed no real challenge. Han Li immediately activated his cultivation technique, effortlessly gathering the cold breath with his broad sleeves and unceremoniously absorbing it into his body, leaving the Li-family woman stunned and pale. Seizing the opportunity, he employed a Lightning Transcendence Technique to subdue her, causing her to collapse unconscious. With her consciousness lost, the several flying centipedes automatically returned to the spirit-animal s Han Li gazed at the beautiful woman in his arms, his expression filled with hesitation. It would indeed be a mere matter of lifting a hand to kill her. Yet if he did so, he would lose these "Six-Winged Frost Snails" entirely. For any cultivator who commands spiritual beasts or insects typically establishes an additional self-destructing seal beyond the standard ownership seal—fearful that, should they die unexpectedly, their spiritual companions might fall into the hands of their enemies. Once the master perishes and their spirit dissipates, the beasts or insects will likewise explode and vanish. Of course, if a cultivator feels their time has come or wishes to pass these treasures on to their descendants or disciples, they will often remove such a seal. Han Li’s Golden-Feeding Insect had likewise been endowed with this self-destructing seal. To secure the egg capsules of these winged snails, Han Li could not afford to be ruthless. Moreover, beyond securing the snails, he had also subtly refined the御灵宗’s secret techniques for controlling insects. After all, the御灵宗 had long been renowned throughout the southern heavens for its mastery in commanding spiritual insects and beasts, and undoubtedly possessed many unique insights in this domain His gold-devouring insects required better secret spells and seals to strengthen their control. Thinking of this, Han Li applied several sealing spells and incantations to the woman that would keep her drowsy for a short time, then cradled her in his arms, transforming into a streak of azure light and vanishing. As for Han Yunzhi—the gentle woman from years past who reminded him of his younger sister—Han Li could not bring himself to treat her harshly. By nature, he was never one to turn cold or unkind. Thus, he simply left her in place, no longer paying her any attention. After all, Han Yunzhi hadn't even seen his face clearly, and even if she returned, she would likely have no clear recollection of what had happened. As long as Han Li hurried back to Xiqiu Kingdom in time, even if the matter eventually came to light, could the Xu Ling Sect and Gui Ling Gate truly do anything to him? The Celestial Dao Alliance and the Magisterial Dao have always been rivals. Just a few years ago, the Abbot of Tiansha Sect personally stormed the sacred grounds of the three sects on Yunmeng Mountain, leaving them all speechless—didn't that also As long as the two parties don't actually trap or capture each other, they can only keep exchanging verbal posturing and mutual caution. This, Han Li fully understands and is well aware of. Now, he must hurry back without fail—otherwise, he risks being blocked by the Yuan Ying-period immortals of the Magic Sect within the other party's territory. With this thought in mind, Han Li's flight speed subtly increases.