"What shall we do? Even with the Blood-Shadow Evade technique, the master can only escape a hundred li at most before being reacquired. He simply can't break free from the lock." Yin Yue also expressed her growing concern, murmuring softly. Though she never explicitly mentioned her gratitude toward the master's life-saving kindness, her heart had been touched, and her words carried a subtle, genuine concern. "Of course, a single use isn't enough. If he performs the Blood-Shadow Evade technique twice or three times in succession, and then relies on the remaining Bixie Divine Lightning to activate Lightning Technique, there should be about an eight-out-of-ten chance of breaking free. Still, even if I possess slightly more refined inner energy than an average Yuan-Enlightened cultivator, the significant loss of vital essence would still pose a considerable risk. Even if he survives, he'll remain profoundly weak for a considerable period. Yet as it stands now, it seems no other options remain. We'll have to resort to this." It seemed as though Master Han had already carefully considered this issue, a faint, almost imperceptible self-mockery playing at the corner of his lips. "Master... I was about to say something more The pressure was growing tighter and tighter. There was no more time to delay—only a bold attempt remained! Han Li suddenly changed his expression, lifting his head to gaze at the dim, heavy sky behind him, his face growing increasingly somber as he murmured to himself. Seeing this, Yin Yue naturally fell silent. Then Han Li took a deep breath, rapidly moving his hands and fingers, forming a series of strange hand seals. At the same time, a shimmering green light pulsed around him, and a remarkable surge of spiritual energy suddenly erupted from his body. As he opened his mouth, a cluster of bright red, pure blood burst forth and immediately dispersed into the wind, blending with the green light to form a dense, crimson mist. The light instantly took on a strange, vivid blend of green and red. At the same time, Han Li’s exposed hands and face began to turn abnormally crimson, quickly becoming as vivid as fresh blood, with countless blood veins threatening to burst through his skin—frightening to behold! Yet Han Li seemed completely unaware of this transformation, pressing and manipulating his hand seals with even greater speed. With two more bursts of pure blood, Han Li was completely enveloped by the crimson At that moment, shimmering lights appeared on the distant horizon, three gleaming orbs drifting gracefully toward them. Within the orbs, figures moved, none other than the Zhong Shen Shi and his two incarnations. The three figures, dressed in flowing scholarly robes, moved steadily and gracefully toward Han Li, their pace astonishing—within moments, they had covered hundreds of paces, making Han Li clearly visible to the eye. Three scholars simultaneously flushed with surprise, exchanged glances, and then suddenly gathered toward the center. After a flash of silver light, they merged into a single figure. The lone scholar immediately closed his eyes and projected his awareness, swiftly probing in the direction where the high-pitched cry had vanished. "He's already gone fifty li beyond—what kind of elusiveness is this? It bears a resemblance to the blood-flight technique of the magical schools, though the distance is astonishing." The scholar glanced at where Han Li had disappeared, his face expressing a touch of astonishment. Over the past several days of pursuit, Han Li had indeed left him deeply impressed. He had managed to evade continuously without rest, a feat that was truly remarkable. After all, even a typical Yuan-Enlightened cultivator, even with the ability of Thunder Flight, should have depleted his inner energy and been forced to yield by now. Clearly, either he possessed a rare natural resource capable of instantly replenishing his energy, or he had expended a great deal of vital energy through some secret technique. Yet, the technique had only now been revealed—indicating that he had not fully exerted himself earlier. But it was all right. Though he had now retreated a hundred li away, he remained within the reach of Han Li's spiritual awareness, merely requiring a bit more time. The Confucian scholar thought coldly, narrowing his eyes and once again focusing his spiritual sense on Han Li. With a faintly cold expression at the corner of his mouth, a flash of white light rippled over his body as he prepared to set off once more to pursue Han Li. Yet at that very moment, the scholar suddenly noticed that Han Li's spiritual aura had once again mysteriously vanished—startled, his body momentarily halted. But then he recalled something, quickly expanding his spiritual awareness by double its original range, and finally reacquired Han Li's presence. While he still hadn't had time to let out a cold laugh, Han Li's aura flickered and then disappeared once again. This time, the scholar was genuinely stunned, standing motionless in disbelief. Though his spiritual awareness was strong, it could only cover a range of up to two hundred li. Beyond that range, although he could still sense general presence, he could no longer instantly lock onto a specific individual. Unless the other party remained still, quietly waiting for him to mentally scan each and every one of them—something utterly impossible—his cunning was truly remarkable. As soon as he sensed that he was still being detected by the other’s spiritual awareness, the latter repeatedly employed that strange elusiveness technique, truly slipping away from his grasp. This left the scholarly scholar, who had never before been treated so lightly, with a face alternating between flushed and pale. A master of the Muling Sect, he had even failed to catch a cultivator in the early Yuan婴 stage—something that would surely bring serious embarrassment. Yet, he did not immediately set out to pursue. Without a clear mental lock, and given the other’s unpredictable maneuvers, the chances of catching him through other secret techniques seemed exceedingly slim. Moreover, he had already spent several days here, solely for this encounter, and could hardly afford to pursue a relatively minor opportunity further. After all, the presence of a Muling Sect master would inevitably draw the attention of several Yuan婴 late-stage cultivators from Tiannan. He would need to return and reunite with the other two, making preparations in advance. Should he be surrounded by cultivators at the late Yuan Yin stage, he would surely be in peril. The Mu Lan Master, deeply troubled, pondered for a while before settling into a serious expression, then transformed into a streak of silver light and turned back toward his origin, vanishing completely in an instant. Han Li replied slowly, his voice somewhat weary. "Should we return to Qian Tian City?" Hearing Han Li say this, Yin Yue exhaled in relief, yet hesitated and asked, "Of course not. My condition is so poor right now—I at least need to recover my cultivation before I can return to the Nine Kingdom Alliance. Otherwise, the alliance will be crowded with competing factions, and my relations with the Gui Ling Sect will be strained, making me vulnerable to covert attacks. I won't take that risk. Fortunately, I've been treating my injuries with pills, so I don't require a specific spiritual pulse location. I can simply find a quiet place and go into seclusion for a while. Moreover, the Qing Zhu Feng Yun sword still carries traces of those green lamp flames. Though I've used the Zi Luo Tian fire to seal them tightly, they remain a lingering concern inside my body and must be removed at some point." Han Li sighed, speaking with a sense of resignation. "That bronze lamp is a heritage treasure of the Mu Lan people, naturally possessing certain mysterious qualities. But I believe, with the Master's patience and dedication, it will eventually be fully refined and integrated." After all, the Purple Sky Flame of the master is no ordinary ability. Silver Moon smiled gently, soothing two brief remarks from Han Li. "The matter has now reached this point. Only by gradually addressing it can we find a solution." Han Li sighed, offering no further comment. Then, without further words, Han Li drew upon the residual spiritual energy within himself, activated his spell, and the azure rainbow streak accelerated another three parts, continuing its flight toward the distant horizon. After flying nonstop for one full day and night, Han Li finally halted his flight and landed in a modest, unremarkable valley nestled between two remote hills. At this distance, even if Mu Lan the divine master were unwilling, she could not possibly catch up. Han Li surveyed the surroundings. The valley lay precisely between two barren hills, where the ambient spiritual energy was barely perceptible, and the landscape was bare—only rounded stones scattered throughout, piled up in heaps throughout the valley floor. With his spiritual awareness carefully scanning the area within a hundred li, Han Li found no trace of any cultivator or spiritual practitioner. This gave him greater peace of mind. With a flick of his sleeve, he released the silver moon and gave a brief instruction. The small fox formed by the silver moon immediately spun around, yellow radiance bursting forth and swiftly engulfing Han Li within. After a flash of light, the fox carried Han Li directly into the side mountain wall. The valley was now completely empty of figures. When Han Li was transported by the silver moon to the central part of the mountain's core, a dense stream of jade-blue sword energy erupted, swiftly carving out a simple stone chamber several zhang in size. Han Li moved swiftly and entered the chamber, settling into a meditative posture. Not long after, his eyes closed, his body glowing with a steady green light, and several dozen medicine bottles of varying sizes arranged before him. He had to first transform the pills he had taken during the crisis before he could safely consume the others. Thus, Han Li quietly entered a period of seclusion within the mountain's core, restoring his vital energy. But Han Li had not anticipated the severity of his energy depletion, which far exceeded his initial expectations, nor the length of time required for recovery. Time passed slowly, day after day, in the monotonous routine of taking medicine and meditating. Without realizing it, half a year had elapsed. Han Li remained deep within the mountain, still unready to emerge. Yet outside, the world was now turbulent and ever-changing, with the impending clash between cultivators and magicians looming near. Even more surprising, the name of the senior monk from Luoyun Sect, Han Li, had become widely renowned—both within the southern celestial realm of cultivation and among the ranks of the magicians. Any high-level cultivator or magician, upon hearing his name, immediately recalled his mid-stage powers and capabilities, and no longer dared to treat him with indifference. All of this had unfolded merely within the past six months.