With a simple gesture, she raised the jade orb toward her head. Instantly, the treasure radiated brilliant light, and countless threads of azure glow surged forth, piercing through the thick fog within a radius of over a hundred paces, transforming into a steady flow of cool, misty winds. After a vigorous surge, the fog was blown aside, revealing everything clearly. The green-robed woman raised her elegant brows, and observed at a distance of several dozen paces a young man dressed in blue robes standing silently, gazing at her with steady attention, his expression unchanged. It was Han Li, who had been waiting patiently all along! A flash of cold light passed across her face. As her eyes swept over the surroundings, her brows furrowed slightly, and she glanced upward. There, at a height of several dozen paces, a bright golden cloud floated silently in the sky. After carefully examining the true form of the golden cloud, her expression changed dramatically. "Phagocytic golden insects! The cultivator who possesses a spirit-insect companion—turns out to be you as well," she breathed softly, her delicate lips murmuring the words. Yet the ice-cold hue in her eyes deepened by a third. "The number of sages from the Mu Lan sect who recognize this creature is surprisingly large. That truly surprises me. Was it one of the sages who escaped from my hands last time that informed you?" Han Li was momentarily startled, yet remained composed, speaking calmly. "Wasn't the physical form of Master Mu of the Tian Feng Department destroyed at your hands?" The woman did not directly answer Han Li's question, but instead posed another. "Master Mu! The sage who used the Wind-Steering Vehicle to pursue me last time? Indeed, his body was destroyed by me. Had it not been for the Yuan-Ember escaping swiftly, I would have intended to annihilate both his form and spirit. So, do you wish to avenge his honor?" Han Li's face remained calm, his tone steady. Yet within, his alertness immediately rose! Since she now knew of the existence of the Qianlan Bingyan Flame and the Fenglei Wings, a surprise attack strategy would no longer suffice. This proved to be rather troublesome. Otherwise, drawing upon his experience dealing with several Yuan-Stage cultivators, he would still surprise his opponent by bringing his Fenglei Feathers close and then unleash the Qianlan Ice Flame, instantly freezing the opponent solid. "Master Mu's physical body has been destroyed due to his insufficient cultivation expertise—there's nothing to complain about. Yet you have managed to summon the Jin-Feeding Spirit Insects and possess such diverse abilities. Today, I shall not allow you to leave." The graceful woman's serene expression darkened instantly. With swift hand gestures, she waved her hands, and a shimmering white ribbon-like artifact emerged from her body, fluttering in the wind. Then, she performed another hand motion, and a small, pale-yellow cauldron appeared in her hands. The cauldron appeared to be crafted from an unknown type of spiritual wood, about three or four inches in size, ancient and elegant, with intricate, somewhat obscure symbols and incantations carved upon its surface. Upon sensing the artifact with his consciousness, Han Li's expression slightly changed. "The Golden-Feeding Insects, though ancient and extraordinary, once matured, are nearly invincible and capable of consuming all things around them. Yet surprisingly, they can be effectively restrained and confined by treasures of wooden and jade nature. Fortunately, my master once encountered a rather abrupt cultivator who also commanded such insects. That's why I specifically sought out this 'Yellow Spirit Cauldron'—to counteract his insect-controlling techniques. Yet, to my surprise, I never met the main cultivator, but instead, here I find you, a cultivator from the southern heavens, also wielding Golden-Feeding Insects. Otherwise, even though your insects have not yet fully matured, their sheer numbers would indeed prove difficult to manage. The green-robed woman spoke coldly, her slender hand swiftly and without hesitation brushing against the ear of the yellow cauldron. Instantly, the wooden cauldron radiated vibrant light, and a translucent yellow glow gradually emerged, forming a protective aura that enveloped the woman. 'Are there others who command Golden-Feeding Insects?' Hearing this, Han Li was stunned. His lips twitched slightly before his expression grew serious. 'Did you not know?' The Golden-Feeding Insects are our Mu Lan people's deadliest foes—the sacred insects of the Tūwù people. Our ancestors spent countless years, finally cultivating dozens of mature specimens. Only the most outstanding cultivators among the Tūwù have ever been granted the privilege of inheriting them. Since the insects first matured, we have lost countless cultivators to them—long since resented by our Mu Lan people. "You also possess Golden-Feeding Insects, and in such numbers, though not yet mature. Even so, you will never succeed in passing them on to future generations." After delivering these words with a composed expression, the green-robed woman immediately raised the small cauldron in her hand and cast it toward her own head. The cauldron spun smoothly above her head, then flashed with a yellow glow, spewing out vast waves of yellow-hazy light that surged directly toward the insect clouds above the opposing party. Hearing the woman's statement that mature Golden-Feeding Insects already existed in the world, Han Li had grown utterly astonished. But upon hearing the tone grow less favorable, he immediately focused his mind, setting the matter aside. Now, seeing the wooden spirit light aura emanating from the cauldron directly attacking the gold-eating insects, his heart sank. Yet instantly, a surge of fierce anger flashed across his face, and he swiftly pointed at the insect cloud above his head. A sudden roar echoed, and the golden insect cloud scattered instantly, transforming into countless golden blossoms that shot out in all directions. In moments, the gold-eating insects broke into numerous smaller groups and vanished into the surrounding misty sea. Thus, the yellow light aura naturally rolled away, emptying out. The green-robed woman stared in surprise, then suddenly recalled something, and quickly scanned the misty atmosphere around. A moment later, her brows furrowed, her face now pale with frost. "You've ordered the gold-eating insects to attack the other cultivators! Did you think I'd let you divert your attention to do that?" As she spoke, she pulled her white silk band, a magical artifact, and threw it toward Han Li. The silk ribbon shimmered with a brilliant white glow, then, in a single sweeping motion, transformed into a massive white crane, its wings spanning several dozen feet, eyes blazing red, and talons black. With a single flap of its wings, the crane's white light flashed and it instantly vanished from its original spot, only to reappear directly above Han Li moments later. A sharp cry rang out as the creature descended, its sharp talons plunging straight down toward Han Li's cranial region. The wind blades proved far more powerful than expected; though the golden net absorbed most of their force, it was ultimately sliced into fragmented pieces. A dozen remaining wind blades pierced through the net and surged toward Han Li. The giant eagle followed close behind, diving down with great force. Han Li coldly exhaled, pointing his single hand at the massive shield. A brilliant glow erupted, and his sharp claws, like ripples on the surface of water, only stirred concentric waves before being deflected. The great dragon-like creature flickered, its form momentarily unsteady. Yet in that brief moment of hesitation, Han Li's eyes flashed with cold light. With a swift motion of his other hand, a dark beam burst forth and instantly took on the form of a massive black-and-red hand, several zhang in length, sweeping down with the speed of a thunderbolt and seizing the creature firmly in his grasp. Han Li listened carefully, and found the words utterly obscure, his mind instantly startled. Then he saw the woman spread her hands and fingers wide, palm-up, forming a lotus shape, upon which a faint, shimmering orb of white light pulsed steadily—seeming, at first glance, like a white lotus bud slowly unfolding and taking shape. "What is this?" Han Li was taken aback. Though he didn't understand what she was doing, he knew that a method requiring a Yuan-Ence中期 cultivator to chant incantations for such an extended period must be of great significance. He absolutely could not allow her to succeed so smoothly. With this thought in mind, Han Li darkened his expression and swept his sleeve outward. Dozens of jade-colored swords shot out like fish from the sleeve, linking together to form a sweeping band of azure light, their sharp sword energy rushing toward the opposing figure in a powerful wave. In the meantime, Han Li raised his hand again and gently summoned the massive black-and-red hand that had been locked in a stalemate with the giant crane. The hand immediately clenched its five fingers, and with a sudden force, pulled the giant eagle down—arriving directly before Han Li's eyes Han Li didn't need to think; as soon as he opened his mouth, a swift stream of dry, azure ice flame shot out and struck the struggling giant sculpture. A crisp "crack" sounded. Upon contact, the ice flame instantly caused a shimmering blue glow to ripple over the creature's body, freezing it into an ice statue—preserving the lifelike expression of its wide-open eyes and vigorous struggle. A slight gleam of satisfaction appeared on Han Li's face. As he prepared to take further action, a sudden, ethereal melody arose from the opposite side, followed by an intensely bright white radiance that erupted there. A solid, tangible layer of white light instantly enveloped the entire area within a hundred paces. Han Li frowned, realizing the situation was unfavorable, and quickly turned to look. A strange scene unfolded across from him. The green-robed woman had ceased her incantations, yet remained in her original posture. However, the white lotus in her hands not only unfurled petal by petal, but also floated several feet above her head, radiating a brilliant white spiritual glow. And the jade bamboo bee-cloud sword, now transformed into shimmering azure mist, hovered十余丈 ahead of the young woman, tirelessly spiraling and dancing up and down—yet as though blocked by an invisible barrier, it could not come near at all. Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly.