After flashing briefly, the small mountain shrunk to a few inches in size and transformed into a streak of black light, shooting into the sleeve. The blood-colored light shield also resumed its original shape, clearly demonstrating its exceptional resilience. Han Li turned around and extended one finger; with a soft "pffft," a pale blue fire orb the size of a walnut appeared at the tip of his finger. "Go," he murmured, gently flicking it forward, sending the orb straight toward the distant shield wall. With a light "thud," the blue flame burst, and instantly, a layer of blue ice spread out, covering the entire surface of the shield. The temperature inside the blood shield dropped sharply, turning into a frigid world where even exhaled breath could freeze into ice. Observing this, Han Li slightly shifted his stance and moved to a section of the shimmering blue shield wall. Raising his hand, a streak of green sword energy struck the thick ice layer, producing a sound of cracking as sparkling ice fragments scattered in all directions. As he watched the spot where the sword energy had landed, Han Li's expression grew serious. As the ice fragments fell, the blood-colored barrier behind remained undamaged, and the thick blood upon it showed no sign of being truly frozen—only a thin layer of blue frost had formed on the surface, while the blood essence continued to swirl within. Han Li paused to consider, then raised his hand, waving it gently in the wind. A sudden purple magical flame instantly enveloped his entire palm, and with no hesitation, he pressed the palm lightly against the barrier. The power of the Purple Celestial Fire indeed proved slightly superior to that of the Dry Blue Flame. As soon as the purple flame approached the barrier, a crisp "crack" sounded, and the blood mist on the barrier instantly solidified, glowing brilliantly purple. Han Li beamed with satisfaction. Carefully controlling the power of the Purple Celestial Fire to affect only this small section of the barrier, he then opened his mouth, and a thunderous roar followed, launching a golden arc directly at the barrier. After the golden light flashed, a fine crack appeared on the barrier. Yet, the blood light flashed several times, and the crack vanished almost immediately. Han Li was stunned! This blood-scarf technique indeed had many remarkable features—though it had been frozen, it could still self-repair its damages. That explained why the Mu Lan people trusted it so much; even the purple lotus fire could not penetrate it, and it could certainly hold ordinary Yuan-Enlightened cultivators in place. Though he felt quite amazed, Han Li immediately raised one hand and tapped his storage pouch. A bright, smooth, thumb-sized jade sphere appeared in his palm—his newly forged lightning orb. Since its creation, he had never yet used it, and now was the perfect time to test its power. Moreover, since the thunderous roar, he had been unable to sense the battlefield outside the scarf. Yet, judging by the elapsed time, the initial phase of the battle should have passed, and he should be safe to venture out. Otherwise, if he delayed further, and the cultivator army suffered a major defeat, he would surely become a prisoner in the midst of the siege—there would be no chance of survival. Thinking thus, Han Li's hands flashed with light. The lightning pearl spun smoothly before shooting out as a streak of bright green light toward the shield, while his own body shot backward. A deep, resonant thunderclap echoed, followed by a golden-green glow rising from the shield, forming a sphere the size of a human head. The entire shield trembled violently under this impact. Han Li's face briefly showed surprise. The power of this pearl seemed even greater than he had anticipated! As this thought formed in his mind, Han Li suddenly grew pale, his body radiating intense green light, and he surged forward as a streak of green light. The lightning pearl had effortlessly punched a sizable hole through the shield—so sudden that Han Li, sensing the blow, barely had time to react before launching himself into the air. The hole was rapidly shrinking. As Han Li's green streak of light pierced through the crimson shield, he felt immense delight. This lightning pearl, crafted from azure flame of equal potency to the Purple Lotus Heavenly Fire, effortlessly shattered the seal—far beyond what he had anticipated. Originally, he had planned to resort to the Golden Devouring Beetle or the Blood Demon Sword if this pearl failed. While the Beetle could consume anything, it would likely take considerable time to penetrate the shield. As for the Blood Demon Sword, its use came with enduring drawbacks, and Han Li had rarely resorted to it. Yet now, this unnamed lightning pearl successfully broke through the blood shield—an unexpected delight. It seemed that the Purple Lotus Heavenly Fire's inability to penetrate the seal stemmed primarily from its inherent icy, cold nature, unlike the genuine fiery spiritual flame of the lamp flame, which could not be overcome. However, as soon as Han Li broke free and had barely time to focus on the scene outside the protective shield, several startled exclamations reached his ears, followed immediately by a cascade of explosive sounds, thunderous roars, and countless sharp cries and shouts—some distant, some close—pouring into his consciousness simultaneously. Han Li quickly turned to look, and was momentarily stunned. He now found himself surrounded by over a dozen spiritual cultivators. Fortunately, upon a swift sweep of his awareness, he discovered that their levels of cultivation were not high—only two had reached the Jian Dan stage, the rest being at the Zhuo Ji level. Each of them held a spiritual banner, clearly preparing to unleash a series of spiritual techniques. To his surprise, Han Li had just emerged from the blood shield and found himself precisely above these several cultivators. Han Li paid them no immediate attention, merely taking a moment to survey his surroundings, when he suddenly drew in a deep breath of cool air. Everywhere he looked—both in the sky and on the ground—dense streams of luminous spiritual energy shimmered continuously, and bursts of colorful explosions rose one after another, never ceasing. Fighters and magicians from both sides, either individually or in groups, formed countless battle units, thoroughly entangled in a chaotic melee. Han Li found himself momentarily unable to determine which side held the upper hand. Without lingering, he quickly turned his gaze back, coldly surveying the nearby magicians. These十余 magicians, upon seeing Han Li suddenly emerge from the blood shield, naturally stared in wide-eyed astonishment. "He's a Yuan-Infant cultivator! Quickly summon the Grand Master!" The first among them, a Jian-Dan cultivator, immediately exclaimed, then promptly slapped his own head, launching a jade-green flying dagger toward Han Li. At the same time, his figure dissolved into a streak of green light, retreating several dozen feet behind, thus distancing himself from Han Li. The other magicians, startled by this, quickly reacted as well. Another Jian-Dan cultivator promptly launched a fiery red flying spear, while simultaneously raising his hand to send a scroll of voice transmission soaring through the air as a streak of flame. The remaining clerics with lower cultivation levels raised their magical flags high, chanting incantations loudly. Dozens of fire pillars, each as thick as a large bowl, erupted from the tips of the flags and surged forward, forming a vast sea of flames that rolled steadily toward Han Li. "Hmm!" Seeing these clerics not fleeing but instead actively engaging, determined to hold him back, Han Li was slightly surprised. Yet, a flash of sternness passed over his face. With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, points of emerald light burst forth, and dozens of green bamboo bee-cloud swords surged out from within. With a simple spell cast, each flying sword gently trembled before branching out into multiple beams of light, instantly creating a dense, shimmering network of swordlight that encircled Han Li, the sword energy rising skyward and creating an overwhelmingly powerful aura. The two Dan-stage clerics were startled by this display, yet still pressed on, commanding their magical artifacts to advance. Han Li smiled coldly, casually pointing with both hands, sending out several beams of light that deftly intercepted the incoming flying daggers and spears, which immediately interlaced and converged. Under the surge of brilliant azure light, these two treasures were instantly pressed and groaned by the host of sword beams, their luminous essence shrinking into a compact cluster. As for the surging flames approaching within several zhang of Han Li, they were dispersed and vanished entirely upon being stirred by the sword lights. Now was not the time to hesitate with these spellcasters; Han Li made no effort to spare. After uttering a single word, "Go!" a hundred sword beams suddenly flared brightly and shot forth simultaneously. A vast expanse of azure light surged forth, sweeping toward each spellcaster. Though the Foundation-stage spellcasters raised their magical flags to offer some defense, they were instantly crushed into pulp upon the arrival of the azure beams—none had a chance to escape. The two Dan-stage spellcasters, however, grew pale as ghosts upon seeing so many sword beams converge upon them. No matter how bold or courageous they were, they could not withstand such a devastating assault. Without hesitation, they each transformed into streaks of light and fled in opposite directions. Han Li observed this, his eyes flashing with cold light. With a series of hand seals, he directed two beams of sword light toward them. After a clear chime, the beams suddenly linked together, and the combined sword light and magical energies surged, increasing their speed by half. Alas, just as the two Mu Lan cultivators had flown out twenty paces, they were completely enveloped by the sword light that arrived first. Though they desperately summoned their protective glow and cast various spiritual techniques to hold on, once the azure light descended, both the techniques and the protective glow vanished instantly. The two remained silent, their bodies severed into countless fragments, and their essences, too, had no chance to escape, being fully absorbed by the sword light. Yet, as Han Li just secured his victory, a loud voice of rage erupted from above, followed by a brilliant yellow glow that plummeted from the heavens, moving with extraordinary speed. Han Li's expression shifted slightly. As a thunderous crack echoed behind him, his Wind-Thunder Wings instantly unfurled. A flash of silver light, and he vanished completely from his original spot. The yellow glow that had been rushing downward momentarily paused. As the light dimmed, a yellow-robed elder with no beard appeared in midair. Though his face was flushed with rage, his eyes betrayed a sense of astonishment. This man was one of Master Mu Lan's senior teachers. He had been coordinating with other cultivators, maintaining a standoff with several Tiannan Yuan-Centered cultivators at high altitude. Upon receiving a message from his clan, he immediately broke off and flew toward the scene. Though his movements were swift, he only witnessed the moment when two of his clan members were cut down by a wave of jade-green swordlight—his fury soared. Among them, one was his direct disciple, someone he had always treated as a son or nephew. Yet, upon hearing that Han Li had suddenly vanished, he was startled and immediately recalled a particularly formidable figure among the southern sky cultivators. He swiftly suppressed his resentment and continuously scanned the surroundings with his awareness. A flash of silvery light behind him revealed Han Li's form materializing there. "Die!" As soon as he sensed Han Li's appearance, the elder spun around without hesitation, raised his hand, and hurled a square artifact straight at Han Li. The moment the artifact was released, it radiated a strong yellow glow, instantly expanding into a massive brick several dozen feet in size. At the same time, a piercing, shrill wind howl erupted from the artifact, creating an impressively powerful and dramatic effect.