The five-colored barrier formed by the cultivator clearly represented a specialized restriction against spiritual techniques. After the seemingly devastating assault, Long Han smiled slightly, pleased. These more than a thousand flying cultivators were all elite disciples of the Nine-Nation Alliance, well-trained and experienced, which enabled them to skillfully set up this array. After witnessing its power, Wei Wuyah did not overstate its effectiveness. The thin, elderly cultivator, seeing his own attacks failing to make an impact, looked somewhat concerned, yet he immediately issued another command to launch further attacks without hesitation. Amid the incantations of the spiritual practitioners, the formations now coalesced into not merely simple fire balls and ice spears, but individual fire cranes and translucent ice serpents, slowly taking shape in the air. Naturally, compared to the first wave, this process took considerably longer. At this moment, a subtle commotion arose within the opposing cultivator ranks, as a group of green-robed cultivators broke through the protective shield and simultaneously removed their satchels containing their spirit beasts, launching them skyward. The spirit beast’s bag was opened downward, spewing out a radiant, multicolored glow, within which dozens of differently shaped monsters soared forth. Among them, three stood especially remarkable. One had a dragon’s horn on its head and a shining armor-like scale covering its body—rare among spirit beasts, a true dragon-horse. Another exhaled a sharp, briny wind, a dual-headed feline lion with a lush green coat. The third was even more imposing: a massive, crimson-bodied stinger scorpion, stretching nearly six zhang in length, its tail spines dark and purple, so that mere sight of it sent a shiver through the onlookers. These monsters were precisely the fine spirit beasts carefully nurtured by the Magic Way’s御灵 Sect. As soon as released, they immediately surged forward under the leadership of these three, boldly confronting the giant beasts and spirit entities summoned by the opposing forces through spellcasting. The air soon filled with the roar of battle, as the creatures clashed in fierce combat. Although only the leading three spirit beasts could engage the wild giant beasts one-on-one, fortunately, the rest of the spirit beasts were numerous and well-trained, and when they surged forward together, they successfully halted the giants' advance and even gained the upper hand. As the spirit beasts took flight, thousands of cultivators also rose into the air, forming five groups and charging directly toward the opposing forces, unleashing a continuous barrage of their respective artifacts that rained down upon the mage ranks. The spiritual techniques now concentrated by the mage ranks were notably more vigorous than in the previous encounter—they were no longer waiting passively for the opponents to finish their spells. The dense stream of artifacts surged like a tidal wave, constantly crashing against the Mulan defenders' protective formation. The thin-featured elder grew serious, exhaled a cold breath, and then issued a command—promptly, a large number of mages also took to the skies. Instantly, fierce combat erupted in the upper air between the two formations, with spells, artifacts, and divine treasures interweaving into a dazzling tapestry of flickering lights. After a brief clash, hundreds of protective talismans and artifacts were shattered by the opposing forces, and the main body of the defenders burst apart, plummeting from the sky—truly a devastating scene! Yet, during this brief pause, the spiritual attack forces of the magistrates had already readied themselves. Dozens of fiery cranes and icy serpents, now seemingly animated, surged forth toward the ranks of the opposing cultivators. However, the cultivator forces had likewise prepared defenses, and before these attacks could land, countless talismans and artifacts rose into the air, destroying most of the fire cranes and ice serpents. The few that managed to escape were entirely intercepted by the five-colored light screens, which trembled slightly but failed to pose a serious threat. Seeing this, Long Han furrowed his brow. It appeared that although the Nine-Nation Alliance's protective array was formidable, it could not fully withstand more powerful spiritual assaults. Taking a deep breath, he then issued a cold command. The cultivator forces, bearing the five-colored screens, began to advance steadily toward the opposing magistrates' ranks. At the same time, the cultivators summoned their own spiritual implements and talismans, transforming them into various beams of light that floated in the air or shielded their bodies. A variety of incantations echoed, and the implements and talismans shone even more brightly, ready to launch a powerful assault at any moment. The elder from the Fashishi faction observed this, his eyes flashing with cold light—knowing that the opposing forces had taken the initiative to attack, thus depriving them of the time needed to deploy their spiritual techniques and arrays. Indeed, it seemed they no longer had the time to launch a second wave of attacks. With a similar command, the Fashishi army also advanced slowly, bearing a massive luminous shield toward the opposing forces. The distance between the two armies rapidly shortened. When the two sides were only a hundred paces apart, and even began to clearly discern the faces of their adversaries, a series of soft "puff" sounds first emerged from the ranks of the cultivators. Seven pale, translucent jade symbols were solemnly cast forth by seven elders from the Luanning Sect. As soon as the symbols were released, they transformed into seven streaks of white light, shooting upward toward Between one contraction and one expansion, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from within the jade scroll. Seven jade scrolls shattered, revealing seven brilliant, dazzling white spheres of electricity. These spheres rapidly expanded and, in a moment, transformed into immense, sun-like entities. Seven massive white suns, each with a diameter of over ten zhang, floated proudly above the ranks of the cultivators. This spectacle was truly astonishing, prompting many of the cultivators to lift their heads in awe, their faces filled with astonishment. And at that moment, a deep, resonant thunder rolled forth, echoing amid a shimmering glow. "...It seems the battle outside is quite lively!" Han Li murmured to himself. At that moment, he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing steadily at the blood-red barrier before him, his face showing no signs of panic despite being trapped. Since he had learned that the mage had originally intended to encircle them, his earlier concern had completely faded. Though the Mulan people had clearly placed great confidence in this protective barrier, Han Li felt confident himself in breaking it. Yet he still needed to carefully consider both when to break free and how to accomplish it. Right now, it was not the earlier the better—indeed, the sooner they exited, the more likely they would be caught in the chaos. Han Li was willing to lend his strength to the fight against the Mulan forces, but he also did not wish to be merely a sacrificial casualty, falling senseless in the initial clash of battle. After all, this was no solitary confrontation—there were multiple adversaries to contend with. Should he, at the very beginning, be simultaneously targeted by several Yuan-Ying stage cultivators or attacked by dozens or even hundreds of legal practitioners, even with the mastery of the Lightning Route technique, he would be in extreme peril. Only after successfully avoiding the initial chaos—when most high-level cultivators and legal practitioners had already engaged in combat—would his journey outside become significantly safer, greatly reducing the likelihood of being surrounded and attacked. Of course, had it not been for the blood shield trapping the situation, Han Li would have had other means to circumvent the initial clashes. But now, he had more formally and legitimately weathered the most perilous phase of the battle. The thunderous roar that just now reached him was truly astonishing—so intense that even Han Li, standing right here, could feel the shield's walls trembling slightly under the force of the thunder. This clearly signaled the beginning of direct confrontation between both sides. It remained to be seen, however, which side had unleashed such a powerful assault. Surely, the other side, receiving such overwhelming blows, would suffer greatly. Thinking of this, Han Li sighed, then turned his head and examined the other sections of the barrier. This blood barrier indeed seemed strange—his divine awareness could not penetrate it at all. Moreover, the spell clearly appeared to be of a magical school of cultivation, yet the divine, pestilential lightning striking it had no effect whatsoever, which piqued Han Li's interest. Previously, he had used his Ming-Qing spiritual eyes to inspect various parts of the blood barrier. Aside from a uniformly red appearance, he found nothing of significance. Yet Han Li did not feel rushed. The battle outside had only just begun, and he had ample time to study the methods of breaking through the barrier. With a simple breath, Han Li expelled a slender, faintly green sword. Under the influence of his divine awareness, the sword expanded into a streak of jade-green light, striking forcefully against the barrier. A deep, resonant "thud" echoed, yet the barrier remained untouched, while the sword was instead rebounded several zhang away. Han Li did not show any surprise. After drawing back his flying sword, he flipped his hand once, and a dark object appeared in his grasp—the ancient castle of Qianchong Peak. He then tossed the treasure into the air and pressed two hand seals. A flash of black light followed, and suddenly, a small mountain several dozen feet high materialized silently before Han Li. He gently touched the mountain with his finger. Immediately, the mountain trembled and struck the outer wall with force. A tremendous roar echoed, as black light and blood glow intertwined, and the mountain rebounded, returning to its original position. The outer wall only trembled slightly. Han Li finally showed a hint of astonishment. After stroking his chin, he suddenly touched the mountain again. This time, the treasure transformed into a streak of dark light and shot straight toward the center of the blood-covered barrier. As he recited a series of incantations, the mountain rapidly expanded in the glow. In a short while, it grew to nearly seventy feet high, its peak and base nearly touching the ground and the ceiling of the barrier above. Han Li showed no intention of stopping, instead raising his hand and launching several more spells toward the small mountain. The mountain's process of growing larger accelerated by a third. After a series of rumbling vibrations, the peak, now over a hundred zhang high, rose straight like a pillar, firmly supporting itself within the blood shield, its entire body pulsing with steady black spiritual light. Under this weight, the top of the shield began to subtly deform and bulge. The entire shield wall trembled violently. Seeing this, Han Li felt a surge of satisfaction and swiftly circulated his inner spiritual energy, continuously striking the growing mountain with various spells. The black mountain continued to expand slowly, and the deformation at the top of the shield became increasingly pronounced. Yet, once the bulging reached a certain point, no matter how Han Li applied his spells and intensified his efforts, the deformation of the shield suddenly stopped—just as mysteriously, the mountain's growth also halted. Han Li ceased his spells, fixed his gaze on the top of the shield, and narrowed his eyes. It seems the idea of using Qi Zhong Feng to shatter this seal will also prove futile. What remains is to attempt whether the Qi Lan Ice Flame and Zi Luo Heaven Fire can break through this shield.