"I don't care who I am—what matters is why are you so obstinate? Hand over the seal token that restrains your heart technique. As for this so-called Blood Demon Sword, I may not know what it is, but I have no fear of it. Don't treat it as your reliance!" Han Li's voice echoed steadily throughout the hall. "It can't pose a threat! Do you even know what the Blood Demon Sword is? To speak so boldly is quite bold! Well, then, let me kill you first—after that, Nangong Sister will surely change her mind." The cold woman stared intently at Han Li, her lips tightening with fierce determination. Suddenly, she bit her tongue, spitting a stream of pure blood onto the blood-colored sword, which was resonating with a loud hum. With both hands pressing a series of hand seals, she swiftly summoned power. The sword, originally only a few inches long, surged in brilliance, expanding to three feet in length, glowing vividly red and exuding a thick, cloying bloodiness that made one gag. Yet the cold woman remained unmoved, extending her slender hand to grasp the hilt of the sword, then radiating a brilliant aura as she poured her "Absolutely never let him attack first!" Nan Gong Wan's composure shattered, and she urgently called out to Han Li in a trembling voice. She was well aware of the blood demon sword's terrifying power, and thus did not believe Han Li's claim that it was anything less than formidable. Without waiting for the cycle divine light she had been gathering to fully complete, she suddenly pointed her finger at the immense glow above her head. The moon-like glow above trembled and then began to spin rapidly. In a moment, a strange, radiant rainbow streaked forth from the glow, shimmering like a jade-hued arch, exquisitely beautiful, and reached the cold woman's side in an instant. Upon seeing this, the cold woman raised her hand without looking and gently tossed the triangular banner she had drawn first. As the banner touched her jade hand, it transformed into a vast, dense, emerald-hued mist, advancing to meet the rainbow. After the light passed, the rainbow plunged deep into the green mist, emitting a deep, resonant sound. The rainbow surged forward as if a dragon emerging from water, immediately gaining the upper hand upon contact. It writhed and surged through the mist, striving to break through with a single strike. Yet the green mist clung to it like an unrelenting parasite, layer upon layer forming as the cold woman's consciousness pressed upon it, and for a moment, it could not pierce through the barrier. Seeing this, Nan Gong Wan's face grew pale with concern, while the cold woman's expression briefly brightened with delight. Then, she raised her blood-red long sword horizontally, and with a force that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, she severed the void above Han Li's head. A powerful surge of spatial disturbance erupted at Han Li's crown, and a massive sword aura, stretching a zhang in length, materialized there. This sword aura was as crimson as blood, radiating an intense malevolent energy, and it descended without hesitation. On the other side, the cold woman, after delivering the strike, seemed as though her vital essence had been drained by half—her face flushed red several times over. Her sword's light flickered, and then it returned to its original size, gently settling back into her hands. As the sword aura descended halfway, the surrounding spiritual energy was swiftly drawn away, as if a thousand streams of water had converged into Yet Han Li only felt his body tighten, instantly immobilized—unable to move even a single finger, or shift his hand, and could only watch helplessly as the sword aura descended steadily and calmly. A wave of bloodiness surged toward him. Witnessing this scene, Nan Gong Wan's face turned pale as snow, while a cold, mocking expression flickered across the woman's features. Just as both of them thought Han Li had truly been caught in peril, Han Li, fixing his gaze on the descending crimson sword aura, took a deep breath. A thunderous roar erupted, and golden light flashed wildly, forming a delicate golden electric arc that enveloped his entire body. Startled, the cold woman barely had time to react when the crimson sword aura plunged directly into the electric grid. A tremendous roar echoed—electric light and blood vapor intertwined. What seemed like an overwhelming sword aura, now swirling and flashing with golden light, surged forward and back, yet could not sever the seemingly delicate electric arcs. Instead, it was gradually enveloped layer by layer, struggling desperately like a large fish being caught in a net. At the very moment the golden arc of the Divine-Defeating Divine Lightning began to speak, the constraints binding Han Li completely vanished. He gazed upward at the golden arc of sword qi, his face expressing a look of mild astonishment. If he hadn't misjudged, the golden net formed by the Divine-Defeating Divine Lightning, though successfully trapping the crimson sword qi, was itself rapidly depleting due to the vigorous struggles of the latter. Had he not unleashed nearly one-third of his accumulated Divine Lightning reserves at once, it was far from certain whether the net could have held the strange sword qi at bay. Indeed, he had never before heard of a demonic artifact that could not be fully subdued by the Divine-Defeating Divine Lightning. Nevertheless, should this situation persist, the crimson sword qi and the divine lightning above would likely both suffer catastrophic failure and eventually dissipate. He certainly would not allow such an outcome to unfold. Thinking of this, Han Li's face darkened. He raised both hands, and two immensely thick golden arcs surged forth, striking the blood-colored sword energy precisely through the golden net. Under the relentless assault of the golden arcs, the sword energy let out a mournful cry and eventually collapsed, dispersing into a small clump of blood mist that floated motionless in the air. Without hesitation, Han Li pointed at the golden net overhead. Instantly, the net contracted, fully enclosing the blood mist within it, compressing it into a golden sphere the size of a clenched fist, which settled into his hands. Only then did Han Li glance sideways at the woman across from him, expression neutral and composed. The once-cold woman had been left utterly stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief. Even Nangong Wan was momentarily speechless, her mouth slightly open. The full force of the Blood Demon Sword's attack had failed—such a stunning outcome. Since its mysterious appearance in the southern lands, no one had known whether it was an ancient relic or a divine artifact. For this sword can be stored within the body like a divine artifact, yet it cannot be fully refined or bonded to the wielder like a true artifact—almost anyone who acquires it can unleash astonishing power. Against the sword’s void-cut, nothing can withstand it except by fleeing early and taking evasive action. Those who attempt to absorb the sword’s strike with their cultivation techniques or divine artifacts are often severed in two. Moreover, to wield this sword demands substantial expenditure of refined blood and vital energy, and the wielder must constantly guard against the sword’s malevolent qi reversing its effects. After using the sword, the true energy within the body gradually acquires a touch of magical malice, depending on the duration of use. Should this malice accumulate, the wielder may suffer from reversal of the sword’s qi, leading to a loss of rationality and eventually transforming into a blood-mad, dancing entity. There are several other such items of this kind in the southern heavens, so southern cultivators have simply dubbed them "martial artifacts"—a name that embodies both affection and frustration. But Han Li didn't wait for the two young women to respond. Instead, he emitted a sharp cry, and as soon as the golden insect cloud swirling on the other side began to hum, it surged forth in a sweeping wave toward the cold young woman. Han Li's insect assault finally roused the agitated young woman. With a look of astonishment and fury, she opened her mouth and expelled another silver sword, swiftly pressing hand seals. The silver sword shone brilliantly, enveloped in a radiant silver glow. "Pffft!" As the sword trembled, it split into thousands of fine silver threads, shooting forth through the air, heading straight for the golden insect cloud. "Transforming the sword into threads," Han Li murmured, frowning. It seemed that the senior disciple of Nan Gong Wan was indeed a sword cultivator—no wonder her array of treasures consisted mostly of flying swords. At that moment, the silver threads collided with the golden cloud. A sharp series of crackling sounds echoed, and countless golden blossoms plummeted straight down, thinning the golden cloud considerably. Han Li saw this scene and felt his heart sink. Could it be that the current generation of Ji Jin Jiu still couldn't stand against Yuan Ying cultivators? This truly wasted all his efforts. The silver sword filaments instantly pierced through the golden clouds, then turned around and pierced through the insect cloud once more. Naturally, many Ji Jin Jiu fell from the sky. The cold woman saw this and felt a slight relief. With several such back-and-forth movements, these strange flying insects could be completely eliminated—clearly, they were no longer a threat. Han Li naturally felt deeply disappointed. Yet suddenly, upon scanning the fallen insects struggling on the ground, he brightened again. He noticed that these insects, which should have perished, simultaneously twitched and emitted a sharp cry, then took to the air once more, re-forming into a new cloud of golden blooms and charging directly toward the cold woman. At that moment, a phoenix cry resonated within the green mist, followed by a burst of radiant light that instantly dispersed the entire green haze, revealing a bright crimson full moon. As the moon's glow flashed, it swept directly toward the cold woman. Upon seeing this, the woman's face paled in alarm. She suddenly spun swiftly within the luminous aura, her form transforming into a streak of black and white light, rushing straight toward the hall's roof to break through. Having endured the earlier exchanges, she now fully understood: with only her own strength, it would be extremely difficult to hold her own against the combined power of Han Li and Nan Gong Wan. Thus, she naturally resolved to escape the pavilion, gather reinforcements, and then return to confront them. After all, no matter how formidable Han Li and Nan Gong Wan might be, they would surely not stand a chance against thousands of Masked Moon Sect disciples. Moreover, once outside, she could activate the Sect's grand defensive array, trapping them firmly within.