"Really, going to die!" The woman didn't go any closer to inspect, merely murmuring the words softly. To her, knowing the other was a cultivator from the southern region was sufficient. Since she had lit the ancient lamp, five or six cultivators had approached her, each eager to extinguish it. After the great bird had been summoned by the ancient lamp, the nine lamps had remained continuously lit—anyone observing would immediately sense the strangeness. Naturally, some cultivators who prided themselves on their mastery of concealment sought to put out the lamp. Yet none had succeeded—each had been effortlessly extinguished by the woman. At this moment, Han Li was only several hundred paces away from her. Seeing the unknown cultivator ahead being effortlessly extinguished by her, he felt a sudden sense of alertness. His previously steady, gradually advancing form now halted silently. Though the woman's murmurs were barely audible, Han Li's exceptional awareness allowed him to catch the essence of her words. He gazed at the ancient lamp in the distance, stroked his chin, and fell into thoughtful contemplation. It seems that this ancient lamp is no ordinary thing—it not only can summon spirit birds, but also possesses the ability to reveal hidden entities. Now things have become quite troublesome. Han Li's expression shifted between gloom and concern for a while, then, as his brow furrowed, he suddenly had a plan. With one hand, he brushed against his storage scroll, withdrawing several items, and then his gaze settled on the spirit beast pouch at his waist, where a faint smile spread across his face. The Lady of the Yue surname paused slightly, then recognized the nature of these giant apes, furrowing her brows and carefully scanning the surroundings. She did not spot any of the attendants who controlled the puppets. Regarding the beams of light, she showed only mild attention, casually forming a gesture, and with the lotus shadows flickering continuously, effortlessly deflecting the beams. Then, she moved her body slightly and plucked a flame from an ancient lamp. This time, however, she did not immediately summon the flame; instead, she held it gently in her palm, where it floated softly. The Lady of the Yue surname watched the ancient lamp intently, her gaze shifting with anticipation, preparing to remain flexible and responsive. Only after a brief moment did her expression change, and with no hesitation, she opened her lips and exhaled a stream of spiritual energy toward the flame in her hand. The flame shimmered with a jade hue and then mysteriously vanished from her palm. Only then did the Lady of the Le surname turn her attention to a specific spot some dozens of zhangs away. A soft "puff" sound followed, and first a figure emerged, instantly enveloped in a shimmering jade glow. A jade-colored flame ignited on the man's body at the woman's mere gesture. The woman quickly lifted a corner of her mouth, a cold smile playing on her lips. "Wait a moment—why hasn't he been fully absorbed yet?" Her smile froze suddenly. The man neither transformed into ash like the previous few, nor showed any signs of struggle. Startled, she quickly focused her gaze. "This person... no, he's a puppet!" At first glance, the figure in the jade flame resembled Han Li, yet his expression was lifeless, his movements stiff—clearly a mere dummy. Moreover, he seemed entirely unafraid of the jade flame, showing no signs of being scorched at all. "Unbelievable!" The woman suddenly realized something. She hurried to turn and gaze toward the ancient lamp, eager to re-attach her consciousness to it. But in the brief interval of delay, At a distance of over twenty paces, a figure materialized in the jade light, followed by a deep thunderous crack—then vanished again in a flash of lightning. The lady of the Le family was deeply startled and furious, simultaneously pressing her hand seals and then suddenly raising them, sending a series of spells in quick succession toward the ancient lamp. Yet it was too late. A flash of light erupted beside the ancient lamp, and within it, a human figure gradually emerged. Then, a massive hand of black and crimson surged forth from the light, expanding to a span of several zhang in a single flick, and plunged directly toward the ancient lamp, grasping it firmly. "How could this person recognize the main lamp! Which one is truly the original? Only the spellcaster knows that. Even a cultivator at the late Yuan婴 stage cannot discern its authenticity." The lady of the Le family was even more astonished and enraged upon seeing this. At such close range, the giant hand nearly touched the ancient lamp at the same time as her own hand seals. The ancient lamp first flashed a shade of green, just as it seemed about to undergo some transformation, but was immediately snatched up by the massive hand, and the flame on the lamp was forcibly extinguished by the dark,阴 fire on the hand. At the same time, the other eight bronze lamps sensed the disturbance and began to tremble, their luminous glow flick These ancient lamps instantly transformed into swirling streams of spiritual energy, dispersing into the air. "No!" The first female master of the Mulan clan, upon seeing this, turned pale as a sheet. Biting her silver teeth, she raised both hands, and vast lotus shadows surged forward to envelop the dark, massive hand, attempting to reclaim the ancient lamps. But the dark and crimson hand had anticipated this move—once it seized the lamps, it immediately shot backward with swift precision, leaving no delay. Yet, as the lightning flashed, a cold exhalation echoed through the air, and thunder roared once more. When the dark and crimson hand had just disappeared into the luminous sphere, the figure and the hand vanished in perfect synchrony. Moments later, the figure appeared beside the puppet figure encased in azure light, now holding the ancient lamp in her hands. It was Han Li, who had quietly slipped in unnoticed. "You will not escape," the woman with the Le surname exclaimed, glancing anxiously toward the azure bird. Seeing that the sacred bird had not yet vanished, she felt reassured and then screamed out loudly. Immediately, a surge of azure light radiated from her body, forming a gentle breeze that Han Li's face darkened. With a flash of white light, the ancient lamp was stored in his storage bag. At the same time, his wind-and-thunder wings fluttered, and he vanished, appearing several dozen zhang away at a new location. Just then, the wind personified by the woman reached the spot where he had previously stood. Han Li's eyes flashed, and suddenly he pressed a hand seal, then uttered the character "explode." The puppet figure, glowing with green light, suddenly spat out a round green orb that struck precisely against the green flame barrier. With a thunderous "boom," golden arcs intertwined with the green flames, shattering the barrier. Not only did the puppet figure itself be reduced by half, but the nearby woman named Le was also affected. This woman's lotus image possessed a natural protective ability. Though her master had been anxious and unprepared, the fluttering lotus petals managed to absorb and deflect the attack. Still, the lightning orb concealed within the puppet was no ordinary force. Though the woman escaped unharmed, her body was knocked back several zhang away. The Wind Technique had been successfully unraveled. Han Li sighed, though he found it somewhat regrettable. Without hesitation, he spread his wings and vanished in a flash, swiftly retreating toward the distance. When the Lu-family female senior monk had regained her footing, Han Li had already vanished over a hundred paces away. As the Lu-family female senior monk gritted her teeth, determined to pursue, the half-destroyed puppet figure suddenly emitted an odd, resonant hum. Startled by Han Li's sudden attack, she quickly turned to see what was happening. To her amazement, the broken puppet's body burst forth with a vibrant jade-green glow, then instantly dissolved and dispersed into groups of three-colored flying insects that rose into the air. Startled, she could not afford to engage with these insects and immediately activated her white lotus protective aura, striving to charge forward. Yet, within moments, the three-colored insects coalesced and transformed into several large, three-colored shields, continuously striking her. Every time this woman chanted her incantation to summon the Wind Technique, a wave after wave of assaults caused her to fail in maintaining her spellcasting posture. Enraged, she consecutively launched several spiritual attacks, only to find that none of them could harm the insects. It was then that she realized with surprise—these three-colored insects, though differing in hue from the Gold-Eating Insects, were otherwise identical, appearing to be a mutated form of them. With a slight start, she immediately reached into her storage pouch to retrieve a wooden spiritual artifact to ensnare the insects. Yet at that moment, the insects emitted a hum and scattered in all directions. The woman froze, her expression shifting to concern, and hurried to look toward the distance. There, she found that Han Li had already activated his concealment technique, vanishing completely, leaving her utterly unable to locate him. Her face flushed alternately between red and pale, floating alone in the air, now at a loss what to do. At that moment, the young bird on the other side just then struck a massive, jade-green bird defending an elder with a burst of azure flame, shattering its ancient treasure defenses. Overjoyed, it prepared to dive down and seize the opponent instantly, when suddenly it felt its inner spiritual energy rapidly draining away. Startled, it paused mid-action, turning its head in panic. To its surprise, it discovered that the ancient lamp floating there had vanished completely—its copper lamp was now entirely gone. The great bird grew deeply alarmed, barely managing to emit a sharp cry before its form began to shrink swiftly. The fiery spiritual energy it had previously controlled instantly lost its grip. Below, the azure sea of flame surged violently and then vanished entirely, revealing the stunned expression of the Seventh True One. Meanwhile, the two demons who had escaped, without hesitation, transformed into a swirling green wind and charged directly at the now-weakened young bird. This mythical creature, now reduced to only a few feet in height, stared at the demons with a look of reluctant determination, showing no intention of retreating. With a soft *pffft*, before the two immortals could even reach it, the bird's form burst apart, transforming into countless streaks of emerald light and vanishing without a trace. The two immortals stood stunned, their bodies momentarily halted. "What on earth is going on?" asked the elder who had just escaped with his life, beaming with relief. At this moment, his inner qi had nearly been completely drained. He had once thought he was finished. "Look over there—seems the artifact they used to summon the spirit bird has failed. The ancient lamps are no longer there, scattered in the distance." The leading elder exhaled deeply, casting a glance toward where the lamps had been placed, and added. He too bore the unmistakable glow of relief and gratitude after surviving such a trial. If they had lingered any longer, he feared he would have perished as well.