After gazing at the scroll with a glance, the elder found his object now riddled with holes, reduced to a mere sieve—clearly beyond repair. "Alas! If Master Kuo Yao had not been eager to emerge, and had instead remained within, conserving his Fire Spiritual Power without activating it, the cultivator would likely have, out of sheer exhaustion of spiritual energy, voluntarily withdrawn the array. Now, Master Kuo Yao has also depleted a significant portion of his vital energy. With both of them equally drained, neither can gain the upper hand," said the black-robed figure, expressing a sense of regret. Upon hearing this, the tall, slender cultivator was momentarily stunned, then glanced down at his own scroll, his expression now one of dawning comprehension. "Both of them have now exhausted their magical energies to such an extent that further combat would yield no result," the slender, tall priest suddenly spoke loudly in the air, interrupting Kuo Yao's actions, his words directed toward the bald-middled man and the other southern cultivators. The bald-middled man was somewhat surprised, yet upon exchanging glances with Gu Du Bipu, he nodded in agreement: "Very well, this contest shall be called off." Though reluctant, the elderly horse-named cultivator recognized that continuing the battle would be futile and could only reluctantly fly back. Kuo Yao, on the other hand, felt equally dissatisfied, retracted his fire-jacal beneath his feet, and angrily ascended back to the upper level. Upon returning to the lower level, the horse-named elder was naturally comforted by the bald-middled man, and his expression gradually eased. But at that moment, the cloaked figure from the Fash side and the tall, slender elder exchanged a few low murmurs. Suddenly, the cloaked figure drifted gracefully down to the spot where the great battle had just taken place, then cast a沉沉 gaze upon the assembled monks. "This time, your opponent is me," he said, his voice hoarse and indistinct. "I make it clear now—this battle is to the death. Do not hope for anyone to suddenly call it off." A flash of disdain passed briefly through his eyes. "...Friend Han, please be careful. Should anything go wrong, we three will step in to rescue you." Upon seeing Han Li actively volunteering to fight, the bald man was momentarily taken aback, yet soon exhaled a quiet sigh of relief, maintaining a steady stream of reassuring words on the surface. Han Li smiled slightly, said nothing, and as his body glowed with a steady cyan light, he leapt forward, transforming into a streak of azure light that surged skyward. In a moment's time, the azure streak reached the vicinity of the black-robed figure. The light faded, and Han Li stood there, arms behind his back, expression utterly composed. The black-robed figure's gaze flickered, carefully studying Han Li from head to toe, gradually growing colder, his eyes shifting from black to a vivid green, becoming increasingly eerie. Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly asked, "Are you an immortal spirit or a ghost?" "Hah! Do you not think I resemble a human?" The black-robed figure, upon hearing Han Li's question, did not grow angry but instead chuckled coldly. At the same time, dark, ink-like vapors began to rise from his body, and the sound of ghostly wailing grew At once, the wind on the opposite side blew strongly, as if in the realm of ghosts and spirits. "Good, it's a human after all. That's a relief. It seems you're a rogue cultivator specializing in the ways of demons and spirits." Han Li exhaled gently, his expression remaining calm. "Hmph! Younger brother, your chatter is endless. There's no need for further probing of my capabilities. Once I've extinguished you, you'll have no need to think of anything else." The cloaked figure spoke in a hoarse voice, while his black aura surged dramatically, making his form appear faint and translucent within it. "I have no patience to waste on you, so I shall hand over my life right now." With a deep, eerie chuckle, the cloaked figure pressed his palms together in a series of gestures, and his body instantly swelled to nearly twice its original size—transforming from an ordinary man into a towering giant of two zhang in height. Though the black aura somewhat obscured the details, the figure's robe was torn, and faintly, horns emerged from his head, while his mouth revealed sharp fangs. It was no wonder that many cultivators believed these unfamiliar figures to be entirely Han Li's eyes flashed with a blue light, and the clear image of the giant man's transformed demonic form—his face now pale and his teeth bared—flooded into his mind. "Wait a moment," Han Li said, for the first time displaying a hint of astonishment since he had clearly seen the giant man's demonic appearance. The current state of the giant man's magical transformation was exactly the same as the phantom image he had created during his battle against the Sixth Path's disciple, when he had employed the "Six-Pole True Demon Technique." "What is your relationship with the Sixth Path's Supreme Saint?" "What do you mean by the Sixth Path Supreme Saint? Don't think you can stall me with nonsense. Die!" The giant man paused, then broke into a fierce grin, and with a sudden sweep of his massive hand, he sent a dark object hurtling toward Han Li. As it emerged from the dark mist, the object vanished in a flash of black light. Seeing this, Han Li's expression darkened, and he suddenly shot backward several paces. At the same time, a massive green ghostly claw suddenly appeared at the spot where he had previously stood and swept through the air. The result naturally vanished. "Hm!" The giant demon figure, startled by the missed strike, emitted a surprised exclamation. "Indeed, quite impressive. Though you've trained in a magical arts method rather than the traditional ghost cultivation path, your attack techniques bear a strong resemblance to those of ghost cultivators. If anyone truly treated you as a ghost cultivator, they would surely suffer losses." Han Li gazed steadily at the ghost hand, speaking calmly. Upon hearing Han Li's words, the giant figure standing in the dark aura paused, his form stiffening, and he stared silently at Han Li. Yet at that moment, Han Li slightly furrowed his brow, then smoothly shifted several paces to the side. As a result, a second green ghost claw passed silently through the space where he had stood. This time, the giant figure in the ghostly aura could no longer remain composed. He spoke out: "You've repeatedly evaded the ghost's shadow claws—do you mean to say you've previously encountered genuine ghost cultivators?" A subtle hint finally emerged in his voice. "Of course I've seen you before—otherwise, how could I have evaded you so easily?" Han Li replied with a half-serious, half-fake smile. "Hmph! You truly are well-traveled. Still, that doesn't matter. Even if you know I employ a magical cultivation technique, what then? Under the full force of my Tiansha Zhenmo Technique, your death is already sealed for the very next moment." The giant spoke with a gloomy tone, clearly unwilling to elaborate further, and then suddenly lifted his head to unleash a sharp, piercing roar. The roar was so sharp and resonant it seemed capable of cleaving through gold and splitting stone. Upon hearing this, Han Li's composed demeanor began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of seriousness. At that moment, the black mist on the other side surged violently, swirling like a storm that swept away clouds. Then, a powerful and astonishing surge of magical energy erupted from nowhere. Immediately, a massive black silhouette shot forth from the rushing black wind, leaving a series of shimmering afterimages, and in mere moments, reached Han Li's side. The black figure merely moved his arms slightly, and instantly a vast expanse of dark, emerald-like claw shadows poured over Han Li, sealing him in with unyielding force—intending to slice him into countless fragments with just his sharp claws. Han Li took a deep breath, his expression strange, neither retreating nor avoiding. Instead, he rubbed his hands together and raised them upward. Suddenly, a shimmering golden lightning net materialized above his head, calmly facing the advancing claw shadows without hesitation. The black figure was momentarily stunned by this display, yet before he could reflect further, his claws descended with unwavering force. In his mind, he believed that perhaps ordinary magical techniques might be somewhat weakened by lightning-based ones, but his own Tian-Sha True Magic Technique—far beyond the ordinary—was impervious to such attacks. A mere display of lightning could not even scratch him. The mysterious cultivator, who clearly possessed some knowledge and now made him feel increasingly uneasy, would surely meet his end in the afterlife shortly. The black figure's thoughts had not yet fully settled when he suddenly felt a sudden warmth surge through his pair of sharp claws, followed by an unbearable, indescribable pain radiating from them. Then, a brilliant golden light erupted, and the grid formed by golden arcs of electricity surged forward, piercing through the black shadow and directly enveloping him. "Golden arcs? That doesn't sound right! I've heard of this before—wasn't it...?" It was only when the golden grid suddenly encased the massive black figure unawares that he suddenly recalled the legend of golden arcs. Wasn't this precisely one of the things the Master of Transmission had repeatedly emphasized during the time he received the magical power—the very thing most detrimental to the Tiansha Zhenmo technique? Since then, the black figure had become virtually unbeatable among peers, yet he had momentarily forgotten this crucial point! His face turned purple, his heart pounding with fear, yet he did not surrender passively. Without hesitation, he roared aloud, and in the midst of the thunderous sound, his towering form suddenly shrank dramatically, transforming in an instant into a dwarf barely three feet tall. This slightly extended the contact time with the Golden Network. And within this brief interval, a deep, resonant crash echoed. As the dwarf's body expanded and contracted, it burst violently, transforming into countless fine, lustrous black filaments that shot out in all directions.