"The Shura Holy Flame! I naturally remember that. If indeed the Xuan Gu truly masters it, though it may not be able to claim absolute dominance across the entire realm, it certainly makes very few opponents. Yet, I wonder—does the master's fusion involve this very flame? It seems somewhat different from what I witnessed earlier." Silver Moon expressed her surprise. "This is certainly not the Shura Holy Flame. Even I myself am uncertain about its origins. However, its power clearly surpasses that of the Qianlan Ice Flame. Should my assumption be correct, as the six-winged frost centipede's cold aura intensifies, the strength of this flame will only grow stronger—eventually, it will surely outshine the Shura Holy Flame. This discovery was made only by chance, when I unintentionally absorbed the centipede's cold breath. It truly is a matter of fortunate coincidence." With that, Han Li gently moved his finger, and the purple-flame bird circled around his finger twice before swiftly vanishing into his palm. Silver Moon was momentarily stunned, then her face brightened with delight. "Then, I am delighted to congratulate the master." The original Qinglan Ice Flame was already something ordinary Yuan-Stage cultivators dared not touch. Now, with this newly fused magical fire, the master's sweeping dominance over the southern lands seems even more promising. Silver Moon bowed gracefully, her face bright with a warm smile, making her even more alluring. "Sweeping the southern lands? That sounds rather ambitious. The southern region alone hosts countless Yuan-Stage cultivators in their mid-to-late stages. These old masters—each of them has survived for decades—have surely honed their own unique strengths. Who knows, perhaps we might just encounter something capable of countering my magical fire." Han Li shook his head, speaking seriously. "The master is being overly modest. How unlikely is such a coincidence!" Silver Moon pressed her full lips together, her gaze showing clear indifference. "That's hard to say. Even the Golden-Feeding Insects are impressive—ranked among the rare insects on the Odd Insects List. Yet, the Blood Jade Spiders, ranked far behind them, are precisely capable of countering them. Should we meet cultivators who know their origins, and if they possess jade or wood-based treasures, the situation would certainly become troublesome." This magical flame also has its countermeasures. In this realm, it's simply impossible to have truly invincible techniques or treasures." Han Li smiled slightly. "Master truly is thorough and cautious. It seems we'll need to prepare several backup strategies, just in case our opponents manage to counteract us." Yin Yue's expression changed slightly, and she nodded thoughtfully. Han Li seemed still not satisfied, and continued slowly: "In the past, I didn't take disciples because my cultivation level wasn't sufficient, and I've always been restless, moving from place to place. Taking disciples would have been a burden. But now that I've settled down at Luoyun Sect, it's natural to begin cultivating my own influence. While personal strength remains the most important factor in the immortal realm, if one is truly isolated and alone, there are inevitably many inconveniences and dangers. At the very least, information flow would be disrupted, and we'd fail to receive timely updates on developments that could benefit us. For instance, the fact that the trade fair in Yu State will take place in two years—no one has proactively informed us of it." Although it was estimated that the two elders would eventually notify us, we couldn't prepare in advance. As for this young lady, Li Yu—though her cultivation level isn't particularly high—she doesn't seem like someone who would merely focus on rigorous training. Once she joined the Luoyun Sect, she would likely take initiative to develop her own influence without needing my instructions. "She has been struck by the Master's Divine Seal Technique, which will only be broken if she achieves a cultivation level surpassing the Master's in her lifetime. Therefore, she cannot betray the Master. Her influence, naturally, becomes part of the Master's own network. This makes her far more reliable than a typical disciple acquired under normal circumstances." Silver Moon added with a cheerful smile. Han Li glanced at Silver Moon and said calmly, "Good to know." Then, his gaze shifted to the iron rhinoceros beast. At this moment, the spirit beast stood up again, though its fierce flames had significantly diminished, and its gaze now carried a clear sense of hesitation and fear. "As for this spirit beast, it holds little value for me at this time." But since it was a family spirit beast, no need for refinement—just direct command through the artifact. It was one of the best tradable assets. Once you've trained it sufficiently, you can place it in the spirit beast chamber and await the next Yu State trade fair, hoping to exchange it for something rare. I'll go and plant the divine warding spell on Liu Yu." Han Li withdrew a black token from his storage pouch, tossed it to Yin Yue, and spoke as he did so. "Understood, master!" Yin Yue took the token, bowing respectfully. Han Li then stood up and quietly departed the hall. Meanwhile, Yin Yue handled the token in her hands, thoughtfully murmuring to herself, as if pondering Han Li's words. But after a moment, she suddenly smiled, raised the token, and directed it toward the spirit beast within the light dome. Instantly, a broad band of golden light radiated from the token, enveloping the iron rhinoceros. At that moment, a sharp, piercing roar echoed throughout the hall. …On the second day, after administering the Divine Seal Ritual to Liu Yu, Han took her to the silver-haired elder. Of course, he did not tell the full truth—only that the girl had a certain connection with him, and thus he had brought her from Yuling Sect to Xiqiu Kingdom, intending to take her as a disciple and give her proper care. Upon hearing this, the silver-haired elder was initially stunned, then suddenly brightened and burst into laughter. "I always wondered why Frater Han would journey to the realm of the demonic path and return right away. It seems it was all for Liu Neice! Excellent! Excellent! Our sect now gains a female cultivator at the Jiadian stage—my brother has long sought such a disciple!" The silver-haired elder immediately agreed to have Liu Yu join Luoyun Sect. Han was highly satisfied with this outcome and further discussed matters with the elder before finally taking her away. Subsequently, Liu Yu formally changed her name to Liu Mei and officially became a named disciple under Han Li’s tutelage. Although Han had previously stated he would not personally guide her cultivation, he did not show any sting during the formal enrollment. At once, he produced two divine artifacts and several pills of the kind taken by Jin Dan-stage cultivators, bestowing them upon the young woman. While previously accepting the offer to become a disciple of Han Li, Li Mei had felt somewhat hesitant, but upon seeing how generously her master had granted such precious gifts, she was filled with surprise and bowed deeply in gratitude. At that moment, she first realized that leaving the Yuling Sect to become Han Li's disciple might not have been such a bad decision after all. Nevertheless, being exceptionally respectful and attentive, she later copied her secret technique for expelling parasites onto a jade scroll, and together with the six-winged frost centipedes, presented them personally to Han Li. Han Li calmly accepted this token of discipleship. After Li Mei departed from Han Li's dwelling and settled into her own abode within the Bai Feng Peak of Luoyun Sect, where she established her own cultivation chamber and became one of the senior cultivators of the sect. Whether due to the senior silver-haired elder's goodwill toward Han Li or not, the young woman was appointed as deputy peak master of Bai Feng Peak, serving as deputy to the Song-family woman currently in charge. Upon learning of this appointment, Han Li only smiled and After acquiring the millipedes, he used the Nishang grass to accelerate their development. If the Nishang grass proved effective against the gold-devouring insects, it should likewise work well on the six-winged frost millipedes. He himself entered the chamber and began to study the new insect-repelling technique left behind by Xin Ruyin, as well as the Xuan Mu Transformation into Infant. ... Three months later, within the chamber, Han Li sat motionless on the ground, his eyes slightly closed, his entire body radiating a steady cyan glow, as if meditating on a profound cultivation technique. After a while, he opened his eyes, his clear gaze flashing, then immediately grasped the spirit-beast bag at his waist, turned directly toward the sky without a word, raised one hand, and pointed at the heavens, uttering a single character: "Hurry!" Instantly, thousands of three-colored gold-devouring insects surged forth from the bag, swiftly coalescing into a vast cloud of insects, stretching nearly a zhang in diameter, which then hovered and hummed around Han Li's head. Han Li didn't blink a single time; instead, he stood up, placed his feet firmly on the Xuanji, recited a series of incantations, and suddenly raised both hands. A sheet of emerald mist shot out, instantly enveloping the insect cloud. The Shījīn insects, which had previously emitted no sound, began to weave through and cross each other in a trance-like manner—yet none of them collided with one another, an utterly strange sight. Han Li's eyes shone with intense focus, fixed on the insect cloud, never blinking. After a while, he formed a hand seal with one hand and, at the same time, reached out with the other toward the cloud in the air, roaring softly. The shimmering insect cloud immediately plunged straight toward Han Li's head, completely enclosing him. The insects now moved at a speed several times faster than before, swirling and darting around him in a frenzy, forming an impenetrable, rain-and-wind-tight shield. Upon seeing this, Han Li's face broke into a gentle smile—but as soon as the smile faded, a deep, profound, and obscure voice emerged from his mouth. At once, all the spiritual insects surged toward the center, converging around Han Li, and their brilliant azure glow erupted simultaneously, blinding everyone. After a moment, the light faded, yet a sturdy, ancient battle armor adorned with three-colored patterns materialized effortlessly upon Han Li's body. The armor shimmered with a steady, luminous glow, its surface constantly radiating a clear, vibrant light—clearly a resilient, nearly unbreakable masterpiece. Seeing this, Han Li's smile grew even more radiant. He gently touched the surface of the armor with one hand, marveling at its flawless smoothness, noting no trace of imperfection—something utterly astonishing. "Indeed! I never thought it possible. The idea I first conceived in the Virtual Heaven Hall—using the Gold-Eating Insects to form a protective shield and armor—had already been realized by the Yuling Sect. Truly, the Yuling Sect deserves its reputation as a premier magical lineage renowned throughout southern lands for its mastery of insect manipulation. This is no mere product of my own imagination." Han Li's smile softened, and he sighed lightly, murmuring these words to himself.