Tai Zhen Qi Xiu and the Yin-Yang Dual Demons jointly opposed Mu Lan Sacred Bird, yet within just a brief moment, the Dual Demons fared well—their ghost-based cultivation techniques were remarkably strange, and the combined waves of corpse energy and cold winds held firm against the vibrant green flames, managing to maintain their defenses. However, Tai Zhen Qi Xiu, despite significant depletion of their spiritual power, ultimately faltered. Particularly the two elder cultivators: one had his face flushed with blood, his luminous aura flickering intermittently, while the other appeared pale as paper, with subtle white vapors rising and contracting from his mouth and nostrils—clear signs of excessive spiritual exhaustion, even indicating the use of a secret technique to fully unleash their potential. Han Li frowned, glanced at the numerous cultivators fallen around him, and then turned to the Le family woman who had remained steadfastly by the ancient lamp. "Keep a close watch on the Ti Hun Beast—don't let it suffer any mishap. If danger arises, retrieve it first. Use the Míng Hún Pearl temporarily. I'll go and extinguish that ancient lamp." Han Li spoke calmly, his voice barely audible. Then, with a simple gesture, he threw a black-gray orb behind him. A faint glow flashed, and the orb vanished instantly. "Indeed! Master, please be careful. That peacock's powers are truly remarkable," came a voice of concern from where the space behind Han Li was otherwise empty. Han Li nodded calmly, and when he saw that no one else had noticed, his form blurred slightly, and he suddenly disappeared in place. Han Li's obscure Qi cultivation technique, inherited from the immortal race, may not match the innate talent of Yin Yue in terms of concealment and evasiveness, but in the art of suppressing and refining his breath and inner energy, he was no less proficient. By pushing his technique to its utmost, he had fully condensed his inner qi, ensuring not a single trace escaped, even his own aura was firmly sealed. Now, he needed not only to conceal the woman of the Le family, but also the deeply enigmatic, celestial peacock. At a distance, the lady of the Le family, seeing the thin, elderly sage and others also being held at bay by the cultivators such as Long Han, grew subtly anxious. Though she remained by the ancient lamp, upon turning her face, she spoke several words in an ancient dialect to the great bird on the other side, her expression conveying a gentle appeal. The mythical bird, which had been spewing out waves of emerald flame, paused instantly. Then, tilting its neck and glancing at the group of the thin elders, a hint of disdain appeared in its eyes. It immediately turned back, forcefully exhaling several more clusters of emerald flame, pushing the seven young cultivators into yet another flurry of activity. With a clear, resonant call, it suddenly took to the sky, spiraling once before gently shaking the translucent, glowing feathers on its chest toward the elders. In succession, large clumps of emerald feathers fell from its body, and with a flash of light, transformed into numerous fire birds each about a foot long. These hundreds of flaming birds, needing no command, chirped excitedly and then flapped their wings, shooting off toward the emaciated elder and the others. Only then did the lady named Le feel reassured. With these magically manifested spirit birds aiding them, the elders must surely be safe—victory was merely a matter of time! Just as her mind had begun to relax, a deep, resonant roar erupted from the center of the battlefield. Startled, she quickly turned to look. Han Li, who had just taken flight, was now cautiously approaching her. He too glanced in surprise at the sound. At the very center of the battlefield, another crucial confrontation was unfolding. There, the vast Array of a Hundred Souls, driven by the combined efforts of dozens of disciples from the Gui Ling Sect, had finally come to a halt. The ghost mist it had formed now floated motionless in the air. In front of this still mist, however, stood several ethereal spirit beasts, each one a fusion of the powers of the senior masters of Mu Lan, forming a towering stone figure of immense stature. This stone giant, resembling a puppet, routed the other Tiannan cultivators besieging it under Master Muran's command. Naturally, with no other enemies nearby, it sealed off the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators hiding within the Ten-Souls Array. The tremendous roar just now was the stone giant, under Muran's incantation, delivering a single palm strike directly at the ghost mist. Even before the palm reached its destination, countless stone discs the size of grinding stones rolled down from between its fingers. Though the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators within the Ten-Souls Array were confident in their array's defenses, they dared not meet these massive stones head-on—immediately, they all cried out and manipulated the ghost mist to evade. Yet, as the stones surged forward several dozen zhangs, they suddenly halted. Now that the battle between Tian and Muran has reached this critical juncture, both cultivators and spellcasters alike understand that the turning point has arrived. Thus, the senior monk overseeing the Ten-Souls Array merely paused to consider and decided to deploy the array's most decisive tactic, regardless of the cost. Before the stone giants could close the distance, low, resonant incantations rose from the ghostly mist, followed by a piercing cry from within the fog—then a surge of bloodlight erupted skyward. Suddenly, as if infected, the dark, somber mist began to glow vividly red, like fresh blood. The two Mulan Master monks standing on the shoulders of the stone giants exchanged expressions of astonishment. After a while, the incantations ceased abruptly. Then, as the blood mist surged and rolled, dozens of colored stream-of-light forms burst forth, fleeing as though in panic—exactly the ghostly sect's disciples. This development left the two Mulan Master monks even more puzzled. At that moment, the blood mist previously abandoned by the ghostly sect disciples began to animate on their own, transforming into various-sized tendrils that swayed wildly in place, gradually converging and shrinking toward the center. The senior ghost spirit monk who had been presiding over the Array of Ten Thousand Souls flew out fifty to sixty zhang before spiraling to a halt. He stared back at the scene of the blood mist with a strangely puzzled expression, thinking to himself: "Having drawn so much vital essence from the spellcasters, and with an additional voluntary blood sacrifice offered as the furnace vessel—this time, it should surely succeed!" Yet, as he began to feel a growing sense of unease, the blood mist shrank by half and began to pulsate and move incessantly. The two spellcasters controlling the stone giants, Mu Lan, decided to disregard all hesitation and, with determination, stepped forward to deliver a firm, decisive kick to the stone figures. Suddenly, a cold, murky, and dense wind arose from the ground—deeply somber, yellowish, and icy-cold, nearly blinding. The stone giants' movements slowed momentarily, but then resumed as normal. When the Mu Lan spellcasters regained their vision and looked again, they were astonished to find that the blood mist was now completely encircled by a dense, yellowish veil of wind, rendering the inner scene utterly indistinct. Just then, Huang Feng was suddenly ripped open with a sharp crack, and a blood-red shadow shot forth from within. Upon seeing the shadow's face clearly, the two Mulan senior masters gasped, their faces pale with shock. It was a blood-horror ghost towering over ten zhang in height! This ghost had two curved horns, a mane of horsehair, and two rows of gleaming, sharp fangs. Its arms, thick as giant trees, were encased in a layer of semi-transparent, fine scales, with ten slender, pointed fingers resembling sharp blades. While it was already a massive creature compared to ordinary cultivators, it still paled in comparison to the stone figure nearly a hundred zhang tall. Yet, this ghost showed no fear at all. As soon as it appeared, it roared loudly into the sky, then fixed its gaze on the stone figure with a cold, piercing intensity. It slightly lowered its head and shot forward like a powerful arrow, reaching the stone figure's lower leg in an instant. With its ghost claws fully extended, it seized the stone figure's leg firmly and plunged it with a strong, decisive grip. A large amount of rubble immediately tumbled down. Naturally, the two Mulan senior masters would not allow this situation to persist. At once, the stone figure's two massive hands clenched into fists and struck downward with a speed surpassing lightning. The Xue Gui was knocked back several dozen paces, even losing his entire head. Yet, with a simple roll, he rose as if nothing had happened. The broken head shimmered with blood and instantly restored itself. He then charged again toward the stone figure. The two Mulan masters, now both astonished and furious, simultaneously commanded their spectral beasts to engage in combat and launched their own divine artifacts, joining the assault from the side. The battle quickly intensified. Meanwhile, the ghost realm cultivators who had previously fled now returned, joining the fray without hesitation, forming a united assault on both the stone giant and the Mulan cultivators. The battlefield resounded with continuous thunderous sounds and flickered with unceasing flashes of bloodlight. Upon witnessing this, Lady Le frowned, her eyes flashing with intensity as she fixed her gaze on the scene, remaining silent. As the foremost master of Mulan, she naturally understood the immense power of this stone figure. Seeing that a cultivator from Tiannan had summoned a ghostly creature capable of holding its own against the stone figure without being pushed back, she was somewhat surprised. Yet she need not worry excessively. As long as the stone figure could hold out just a little longer, the sacred birds she summoned from Mulan would be able to eliminate those several opponents. At that point, the battle would be decided. With this thought in mind, she glanced again at the great bird nearby. It seemed that this divine creature, too, recognized the critical moment and had finally drawn upon all its fire essence, transforming the entire area within a hundred paces into a vast sea of emerald flame. The unexpected sweeping of its massive wings earlier had already shattered the combined strength of the seven elders and the two demons. The sea of flame beneath it instantly split into two sections, encircling the two groups separately. While allocating a smaller portion of its focus to the two demons, the majority of its offensive power was concentrated upon the seven elders of the Tazhen Sect. This arrangement left the seven elders of the Tazhen Sect quietly lamenting their predicament. One could never tell when one's life might be cut short! Seeing this, the lady of the Le family felt a great relief. She glanced back at the nine ancient lamps before her and noticed that half the oil remained in them, which gave her even greater confidence. Suddenly, her brows arched, her eyes narrowed, and with a swift motion like lightning, she plucked a bloom of flame from one of the ancient lamps with her hand. She gently shook it in her palm, and the flame vanished instantly within the clear light. At the same time, thirty or more zhang away, a flash of green light appeared, followed by a cry of surprise. A figure emerged—his body shimmering with green light, enveloped within a layer of light formed from the flame. Then, without lifting her head, the lady of the Le family pressed a hand seal. "Puff!" The figure was instantly engulfed by the green light, which burst into flame. He managed only a cry of agony before being completely reduced to ash in an instant.