The disappearance of the Saint Bird of Mulan stirred the battlefield instantly. The spellcasters grew pale with shock, while the monks brightened in spirit and their morale surged. Even the gaunt elder, already engaged in fierce combat with his opponent, could not believe what was unfolding. The Saint Bird could not have simply gone out due to a dwindling wick—only the monks of the southern region could have extinguished the ancient Yuanming Lamp. These two divinities were unaware that yet again, their Mulan lineage's treasured relic had fallen into Han Li's hands. In their estimation, all the late-stage Yuan婴 monks of the southern side had been tied down in combat, and without the support of the Saint Bird, the rest could not possibly break through the defensive line held by the woman of the Le family. Such a development was entirely unexpected. At this moment, Han Li had already silently flown to the vicinity of the Ti-Hun beast and reappeared. The giant ape formed by the Ti-Hun Beast had already turned most of the preserved corpses into ash, while the remaining few were hastily gathered by the black-robed cultivators of Yin Luo Sect, who otherwise would have been wiped out entirely. With so much corpse energy absorbed, the Ti-Hun Beast's giant ape had grown slightly larger in stature, its fur dark and lustrous, as if just finished a nourishing feast. During this time, several waves of black-robed cultivators and magicians attempted to eliminate the giant ape. Yet Long Han was well aware that this strange creature was crucial in countering the armored corpses—definitely not to be allowed to succeed easily. He immediately dispatched some of his forces to intercept and block these attackers. A few managed to escape, but before they could reach the giant ape, they were swiftly dispatched by the concealed Yin Yue, who consecutively employed her illusion techniques, leaving them bewildered and lifeless. When Han Li returned and saw the Ti-Hun Beast finally extinguish the last of the outer armored corpses, he immediately raised a hand toward it. At once, the Ti-Hun beast shimmered with black light, shrinking instantly and shooting forth as a streak of black iridescence into the spirit beast pouch at韩立's waist. Seeing this, the Silver Moon also gracefully floated to韩立's back. After securing the Ti-Hun beast,韩立 turned to speak a few words to the Silver Moon. But suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from the heavens, as a vast expanse of dark clouds descended from the sky—spanning hundreds of zhang—filled with countless green bolts of lightning that rolled ceaselessly within the cloud mass, instantly altering the sky's hue. 韩立's expression grew serious as he gazed upward. "Who is it? Who has slain my consort? I shall extract his soul and refine his essence to avenge this grievance!" A thunderous roar issued from within the cloud, clearly the voice of the Yin Luo Sect's master. Upon hearing this,韩立's heart skipped a beat, and his gaze turned cold. "Before the battle has even concluded, why do you hurry so? I have just been eager to learn a few of your magical techniques!" As the voice of the black-robed man echoed, the voice of Then another gray-white mist surged down from the sky, precisely intercepting the dark clouds ahead. "Clear the way. I have no time for any further sparring with you. If you don't move, don't be surprised if our sect isn't gentle." The master of Yin Luo Sect, voice as cold as ice, emanated from within the dark clouds. "Unkind? Easy has never been treated unkindly before. Show me what you've got!" The Hehuang Elder Magician sneered, showing not the slightest intention to retreat. The black-robed man in the dark clouds remained silent for a long while, then spoke in a solemn, eerie tone: "Very well. Since you show such lack of grace, I have no further patience to waste. Allow me to demonstrate the power of our sect's most precious treasure—the 'Gui Luo Fan.'" The master of Yin Luo Sect seemed to laugh in exasperation. "Gui Luo Fan?" The Hehuang Elder Magician's voice carried a hint of surprise, tinged with a touch of excitement. Yet with just a few brief exchanges between the two, all the cultivators engaged in the battle below were left astonished. Some had only just learned that the consort of Yin Luo Sect's master had fallen at the hands of cultivators from the southern lands, and were deeply surprised, speculating silently about who had slain her. On the surface, Han Li appeared calm and composed, neither surprised nor joyful—though upon seeing the Hehuang Elder successfully deflect the attack from the Yin Luo Sect's master, he felt a significant relief. He certainly didn't want to be relentlessly pursued by a cultivator at the late Yuan婴 stage. While everyone, including Han Li, had assumed that the Hehuang Elder and this Jin State cultivator would soon engage in a fierce battle in the lower airspace, another unexpected event unfolded. Suddenly, a sharp cry echoed from the sky behind the priests, followed by flashes of light. Several dozen colored flying lights shot swiftly toward the scene. Even before they reached close range, someone shouted, "Hold on, the senior masters! Something's happened on the grasslands—there's a change!" "He seemed determined to ensure that everyone heard, and thus employed some secret technique to utter these words. Then, the streaks of light accelerated by a third, swiftly plunging into the battlefield. Both the cultivators and the martial artists heard it clearly, and most of them paused in surprise, turning to gaze in astonishment. The gaunt elder, however, felt his heart sink upon hearing it. The dragon-honored figures on the opposite side likewise found their attacks momentarily weakened, surprised by the unexpected announcement. The elder swiftly withdrew, shooting back several dozen feet, coldly glancing at the cultivators before transforming into a streak of vibrant light and heading straight toward the group of over a dozen martial artists. Long Han hesitated, deciding not to pursue after the others. Though the elder had not faltered at all—indeed, had even gained the upper hand—now pursuing might prove unwise. The messenger martial artist had clearly intended for them to hear the words, implying something was amiss. It would be best to observe what transpired next." Yet, since the Mulan Grasslands were mentioned, could it be related to the Tuhu people? Dragon Han's mind instantly sparked, and he faintly sensed what he might have guessed. Han Li, too, stared at the elder with a look of surprise, watching as the elder faced the dozen or so streaks of light. As the light dimmed, the figures revealed themselves—ten or so clerics in varied attire. Leading them was a yellow-robed cleric, evidently at the mid-Immortal stage of cultivation. This surprised Han Li. Such a highly accomplished cultivator had not appeared in the earlier battle—this was indeed unusual. Could it be that this person had been stationed at the rear, playing a crucial role? This, in turn, suggested that the other side's display of grandeur was likely minimal. The Heavenly Huan Elder and the Chief of Yin Luo Sect, for some reason, remained hidden in the clouds, silent and unresponsive. Upon seeing the yellow-robed cultivator, the thin, elderly man himself was stunned, his face filled with disbelief. But before he could speak, the yellow-robed cleric flew to his side and whispered a few words. The elderly man's expression then darkened. Then the yellow-robed cultivator produced a jade scroll from his body and handed it to the elder with both hands. Upon receiving the scroll, the elder immersed his mind into it. After a moment, his face turned ashen. He briefly exchanged a few words with the yellow-robed elder through inner communication. Then, suddenly turning around, the overcast aura of Long Han reappeared before him. "We have no need to continue fighting. Cease hostilities immediately; otherwise, the two will compete fiercely, and the outsider will reap the benefits." As soon as the Mu Lan Zhu Shen Shi materialized before Long Han, he spoke calmly and composedly. "What does this mean? If we are to halt the battle, then please provide a reason," Long Han said, his eyes flickering several times, remaining unconvinced. Thanks to Han Li's unexpected display of strength, which had already eliminated the opposing bronze-armored corpses and the green-colored mythical bird, the current battlefield situation still appeared evenly balanced. Long Han did not feel that the other side had retreated out of fear. "Have you dispatched a group of cultivators to plunder our Qian Tian city's warehouses?" The elder did not directly answer Long Han's question, but suddenly asked it in a gloomy tone. Long Han naturally grew startled, maintaining composure on the surface, his eyes flickering briefly before he calmly replied, "Indeed, there is such a matter. It seems you've discovered it!" "Discovered? Hmph. If it weren't for some third party causing disturbances, perhaps you'd have actually succeeded." The elder's face flashed with anger, then settled back into calm. "A third party?" Long Han frowned at this. The thin, gaunt elder said no more words, merely moving his lips and transmitting a message directly to Long Han. "Really? Something like this?" Long Han gasped, unable to keep his composure after hearing just two sentences. "By now, do I still have any reason to deceive you?" the elder said with impatience. Long Han furrowed his brows, paused thoughtfully, and then, with determination, raised his hand and sent out a scroll of incantation. This talisman shot skyward and instantly transformed into several golden orbs, which then burst in the air, radiating brilliant light. At once, even the practitioners still engaged in combat halted their actions and swiftly retreated toward the practitioner ranks. Those who had already ceased fighting also began to retreat en masse. The opposing spellcasters, for some unknown reason, had likewise received a signal—silent and unspoken—and began to withdraw as well. Notably, the blood ghost and the stone giant, too, were separated by magical means, their combat paused. In a matter of moments, the space between the two armies became completely open. The two sides now stood as if returning to the pre-battle state, each positioned on opposite flanks. Though both had suffered significant losses in personnel, they had clearly been weakened. Yet, among the senior practitioners and spellcasters, casualties remained relatively light. The spellcasters' ranks remained stable, though each member appeared somewhat uneasy, maintaining a quiet demeanor. As for the practitioners, all had complied with the instruction and withdrawn as requested. But at this moment, the atmosphere grew restless, with murmurs and discussions spreading rapidly. Some senior cultivators even gathered around Long Han, asking what had exactly happened. Yet Long Han only kept shaking his head with a series of苦笑, leaving the surrounding cultivators deeply dissatisfied. At that instant, the overcast clouds and gray mist above parted, revealing the forms of He Huān the Elder and the man in black, who now stared at each other coldly. The combat sounds and unusual phenomena in the sky ceased abruptly, and Wei Wuyi and Zhi Yang the Elder descended gracefully and unharmed. The cultivators on the ground immediately breathed a collective sigh of relief, their faces now calm and reassured. A short while later, the Zhong-family scholar and the short man also safely returned from the sky, prompting the Mu Lan people to cheer spontaneously. Upon seeing all three senior cultivators safely return, Long Han finally spoke. However, to avoid causing panic, the news was kept confined to a limited circle for now. Thus, only the cultivators at the mid-meta-elixir stage and a few specially designated ones were gathered together, releasing a few simple seals, and then began discussing the rather unfavorable news they had just received from the Mulan people. Given Han Li's performance in today's battle, his participation in the meeting was entirely justified.