The strength of this wind is such that it seems to transform the very heavens and earth. As for the individuals themselves, they are completely immobilized by the gale, unable to break free. "Ha! To drink the wine and then refuse to taste the wine offered—insisting that I must expend considerable effort to satisfy them! Truly, they have no sense of what's happening!" The bald monk chuckled with vigorous energy, his face beaming with satisfaction. Then, with one hand he reached out into the air, palm open, and as if by magic, a large yellow hand materialized within the hurricane, pressing down firmly upon the exquisite young woman. His plan was well thought out: first, he would capture this chosen female cultivator alive, then unleash his most powerful techniques to eliminate the remaining four, thus eliminating any hesitation or restraint. The young woman, with skin as smooth as jade and a radiant beauty, had been wielding a red flying sword artifact. Now, as the yellow hand descended directly upon her, her artifact spun wildly in the turbulent wind, losing control and unable to defend itself. Her face instantly turned pale. The other four cultivators, though eager to save the young woman, were likewise thrown off balance by the gale, losing control of themselves. Only the stout elder, whose cultivation was the deepest, fared slightly better. Under anxiety, he managed to raise one hand and send forth a spark several feet long, striking the large hand on its side. Yet this attack proved as futile as a stone dropped into the sea—no visible effect at all. As the yellow hand, unceremoniously, prepared to lift the girl, it suddenly collapsed and vanished at a height of about one zhang from her forehead. At the same time, a sharp cry of astonishment and anger rang out from the yellow-robed cultivator on the side. Then, the gale that had been trapping the group of cultivators rapidly diminished and vanished within moments, dissolving into nothingness. It seemed as though the entire wind and the great hand had been mere illusions. The cultivators exchanged glances, naturally turning their attention to the bald cultivator. There, he had turned his body slightly, his eyes fixed on an empty spot far off, his face filled with rage. They were left utterly astonished. "Since you've already broken my master's spell, why hide behind the scenes and refuse to face anyone?" The yellow-robed cultivator, his fierce expression momentarily flashing, then forcefully suppressed his anger and spoke in a firm tone. He paid no further attention to the original female cultivators. "It's not that I've been hiding—I simply lack the cultivation level to perceive your presence. You haven't yet broken through the barrier of my existence, have you? From the way you're standing, you must have only just attained the Yuan'ing stage. Compared to the cultivators I've encountered before, you're quite far behind." A calm male voice echoed from the empty space. Then, a sudden flash of emerald light revealed a plain young cultivator—none other than Han Li himself. Earlier, when he saw the five figures trapped and the situation growing dire, he had not hesitated, instead releasing a broad surge of Qingyuan sword energy that instantly sent the fan-like spiritual artifact flying. The gale had been effortlessly dispelled. Upon seeing Han Li appear, the plump elder and others were first startled, then, upon sensing Han Li's Yuan'ing cultivation level, they grew greatly relieved, knowing their lives were now secure. The female nun hurriedly bowed respectfully from a distance, saying, "I am Nie Ying, and I am deeply grateful for your life-saving assistance." "Nie Ying!" Hearing this, Han Li glanced at her sideways, and suddenly recalled her. But at this moment, he had no time to say anything further—he simply waved her to rise. It seemed that neither she nor the elder had recognized him yet. That was understandable—after all, they had only met once before, and now they had been separated by nearly two centuries; it was no surprise that they hadn't recognized him. With this thought settled, he turned to the yellow-robed priest and said calmly, "Are you still here? Then I shall have to personally escort you away." The bald priest heard this, laughed angrily, "Hah! You're merely a Yuan-Stage初期 cultivator, yet you speak with such confidence. I, Qín, am determined to see what kind of abilities you possess!" "As soon as he finished speaking, the bald mage pressed a series of gestures and suddenly snapped his fingers downward. Instantly, two bright yellow, orb-like objects shot swiftly toward the ground below. Han Li was slightly taken aback and did not intervene, but instead narrowed his eyes, displaying a subtle expression of interest. The Han official was delighted by Han Li's confident demeanor. Without hesitation, he began chanting incantations, and the yellow clouds swirling around him immediately enveloped the Qin-named mage. A low roar echoed from within the dense yellow mist. Han Li heard the sound and glanced around, but noticed no immediate change. He found himself slightly puzzled. Suddenly, a deep, resonant rumble came from directly beneath him, followed by a sound like the sky and earth cracking apart. Han Li swept his awareness downward, and then his expression turned noticeably surprised. Without pausing to think, he flung his sleeve wide, and two immense streaks of vibrant green light, each stretching several dozen feet, burst forth from the sleeve, followed by two thunderous impacts below. Yet, upon seeing this, Han Li furrowed his brow, as if the sword's energy had not achieved its intended effect. Then came a series of swift "whoosh" sounds, and two massive yellow serpents, each over a dozen feet long and as thick as a man's waist, erupted from the ground, soaring into the air and circling around the bald cultivator Huang Wu, their bodies coiled and their heads raised, guarding him with lively movements. The bald fangshi in the yellow mist laughed wildly, then unleashed two yellow spells that struck the earth dragons. Instantly, the two earth dragons charged straight at Han Li with fierce momentum. Han Li furrowed his brow, but soon exhaled a long, steady breath. With a single breath, a stream of dry, azure ice flame erupted from his mouth, splitting in mid-air into finer, more delicate flames that precisely struck the thick, rugged heads of the earth dragons. "Crack!" The earth dragons instantly enveloped themselves in a shimmering layer of blue ice, transforming into two lifeless ice sculptures that floated motionless several zhang away from Han Li. A flash of swift green light rippled through the air, followed by two crisp, resonant cracks as Han Li's two sword attacks effortlessly shattered the ice dragons. With a simple hand gesture, he smoothly drew two yellow orbs into his hands and, with a glance, tossed them into his storage pouch. "What other feats do you possess? Go ahead and display them—Han Li has been eager to witness the true power of your spiritual and magical arts!" Han Li spoke calmly, his expression unwavering. The yellow mist on the other side fell silent, as if the bald mage had been deeply impressed by Han Li's effortless destruction of these two earth dragons. "Which sect's senior disciple are you, and may I have your full name? Among the more renowned Yuan-Infusion cultivators, none match your appearance. Could it be that you are one of the more recent Yuan-Infusion cultivators, having attained that stage only within the last century?" After a pause, the voice of the bald mage emerged, low and steady, no longer carrying any trace of arrogance. "I am merely an obscure junior cultivator—someone whose name you would hardly recognize. Since your companion seems unwilling to advance, I shall not hesitate to make my move." Han Li's expression darkened, and his tone grew sharp. With a single palm strike against his waist pouch, countless golden insects burst forth, glowing brilliantly—exactly the golden gold-eating insects Han Li had carefully nurtured. This was the first time Han Li had truly driven these creatures to fight against his enemies. He had been eager to test whether this spiritual insect truly proved effective against Yuan-Stage cultivators. "To the Golden-Feeding Insects! You actually have Golden-Feeding Insects? So many of them?" Han Li was completely surprised—before he even summoned the flying insects to attack, the Yellow Robe cultivator had immediately named the true name of the Golden-Feeding Insects, his voice filled with astonishment. Without a word, the yellow mist turned around and, in an instant, transformed into a streak of yellow light, breaking through the air and swiftly fleeing. Its speed was so rapid that Han Li hesitated, ultimately deciding against using his Wind-Light Wings to pursue. In such an open space, a Yuan-Stage cultivator fully focused on escaping—Han Li didn't feel confident in ensuring the opponent's complete annihilation. Once the Yuan-Stage essence separated, the effectiveness of lightning-based techniques would naturally diminish. Yet, the bald cultivator's skill level wasn't particularly high, yet he managed to recognize the Golden-Feeding Insects—this truly surpassed Han Li's expectations! Though a little hesitant, Han Li still returned the recently released, yet unproven, Shi Jin Bug into his spirit beast bag. Then, he calmly flew toward the plump elder and the other several cultivators. "Thank you so much for your great assistance! May I know your honorable name? I am Huang Feng Valley's Lei Wanhe, and I am deeply grateful!" The elder had already stepped forward several paces before Han Li reached him, and promptly bowed deeply. Besides the female cultivator Nie Ying who had already introduced herself, the others also quickly approached to pay their respects. "From the Great Sword Sect, Shi Qiyun; from the Masked Moon Sect, Tang Minghua; and from the Heavenly Gateway Fort, Qian Huan. We bow to you, esteemed elder," the three said in unison, each appearing earnest and deeply grateful.