The crimson light suddenly flared intensely at the center of the water curtain, instantly forcing out the water dragons, the rings, and the two blue long spears from within the column of fire. At the very heart of the flame column, the indistinct form of the ancient fire toad creature was subtly asserting itself. As all the attacks were repelled by the flame column, the fire toad, now aware it had been ensnared, seized the opportunity to retreat with a sudden kick, transforming into a surge of blazing flame aimed precisely at the gradually closing aperture. Seeing this, Nanlong Marquis and the elderly man of Lu surname were startled, quickly commanding their own treasures to pursue and intercept the creature before it escaped the seal. Yet it seemed too late. As the flame approached the water curtain and was poised to burst through, a sharp cry suddenly rang out from afar. Just as the fire toad extended one of its forelimbs through the opening, a flash of black light swept past, something brushing by—while the limb alternated between warmth and coolness, suddenly missing a significant portion. The body of the fire frog spasmed, and an unbearable, intense pain surged from the severed limbs. Though this creature possessed great prowess, it could not help but emit a piercing cry before plummeting from the sky. The two southern lords, observing this, were overjoyed and immediately commanded their treasures to surround the motionless fire frog, launching a relentless barrage of attacks. Among them, the emerald ring shimmered and then manifested hundreds of spectral images, swirling around the creature, constantly rolling and attempting to close in and immobilize it. The two blue spears also flickered and transformed into two serpentine blue ice dragons, each several dozen feet long, surging directly toward the beast. Yet this creature, a rare ancient marvel even the ancient Master of the Celestial Kun had once hesitated before, remained unshaken despite the loss of one limb. Its cultivation and powers remained undiminished; in a single thought, dense layers of luminous shields reappeared, effortlessly absorbing all the incoming assaults. The emerald ring spectrums could not even approach its form, let alone achieve any effective immobilization. The ordinary power could only continuously strike the light shields, yielding only slight results. The two ice serpents, whose elemental attributes perfectly countered the fiery light shields, each strike inevitably shattering one small shield—yet the shields seemed endless, and the effect remained modest. However, shortly thereafter, six beams of blue light surged from above, joining the assault. With every flash, a light shield was consistently broken. The roar of impact intensified dramatically, and the fire tortoise beast, which had just attempted to rise, was once again crushed to the ground. Nanlong Marquis paused, glancing briefly. He saw Han Li have flown to a nearby spot, now waving his arm to dispel a dark aura from his forearm. Behind him, six massive blue turtle automata opened their mouths, each expelling beams of light as wide as large bowls, attacking the fire tortoise ancient beast within the water curtain. Han Li then turned his gaze, observing the severed limbs of the fire tortoise beast that had fallen outside the water curtain. Though separated from its original owner's body, this creature still emits faint streaks of red light, floating near the water curtain as if still possessing a sense of spirit. Han Li observed this scene, his eyes flashing with a touch of surprise. Earlier, he had seen the situation grow critical—fire toad was about to escape the seal. In a moment of urgency, he had launched a strike of Yin Mochi, which severed the creature's forelimbs. Yet he hadn't expected the fire toad to remain so resilient after the limbs were lost. Despite being attacked by six giant turtle puppets from two Yuan Ying cultivators, it still held firm. It was no wonder that the ancient Master, Cang Kun, had chosen to retreat voluntarily when his vital energy was severely depleted. "Master Han, the fire-based spiritual shield on this fire toad is indestructible and continuously replenishes itself. It will likely require your cold-natured cultivation technique to counter it. Otherwise, this battle may continue indefinitely." The elder from Lu family, witnessing the small shield on the fire toad's body dissipate and then transform into a faint glow of fire cloud, being drawn into the toad's body, saw a successive wave of luminous shields surge forth. He immediately grew anxious and called out loudly. Without needing the elder to speak, Han Li had already observed this scene. He said nothing, merely swept his sleeve, and launched十余 golden flying swords from within. After a graceful spiral, under the prompt of his hand seal, they coalesced into a massive sword, measuring over a zhang in length. The sword shone with brilliant gold and exuded a piercing coldness. This action left Lu Weiying and Nanlong Marquis momentarily stunned. They had expected Han Li to unleash his terrifying blue cold flame to counter the fire toad, yet he instead released a host of flying swords—something they found utterly puzzling. As the great sword took shape, Han Li remained expressionless, extended his hand, and made a gesture toward it. The golden light flickered briefly, and the sword descended, settling before him. Han Li then opened his mouth, and a slender blue flame emerged, striking precisely upon the sword. The golden sword trembled slightly, and then a layer of blue flame enveloped it, blazing fiercely. Han Li hesitated, then rubbed his hands together and cast another spell, activating the divine protective lightning within the sword. At once, deep thunder rolled forth, and countless fine golden arcs of electricity surged through the blue flame, flickering continuously. Seeing this, Han Li's eyes flashed with cold light. With one hand, he pointed at the fire tortoise creature within the water curtain, and uttered a single word: "Go." A resonant hum filled the air, and the massive sword transformed into a golden rainbow, shooting forward straight toward the fire tortoise. Meanwhile, after a series of relentless attacks from Nan Long Hou and Lu Wei Ying failed to break through, their assault momentarily slackened, allowing the fire tortoise to finally catch its breath. Its fiery glow pulsed between dim and bright, and suddenly, its abdomen swelled rapidly, as if preparing to unleash a powerful counterattack. At that very moment, the golden sword arrived at the fire tortoise's head in an instant, plunging down with a thunderous crack of lightning. The Fire Toad Beast stared upward at the golden sword, its emerald eyes blinking several times, as if sensing an immense threat. With only a slight expansion of its belly, it let out a strange cry and expelled a bright, crimson orb of fire directly toward the descending golden sword. Though only the size of a clenched fist, the orb was smooth and shimmered with inner red light, resembling a massive fire droplet. As it emerged, the air throughout the water curtain instantly warmed. But to his great surprise, a remarkable scene unfolded. With a sharp "crack," the fire orb radiated brilliant light, its crimson and golden glows intertwining. The massive sword was halved and then abruptly halted by the force of the fire orb. A humanized expression of scorn flickered in the fire salamander's eyes, after which it opened its mouth to emit a sharp cry. The severed fire orb instantly burst into splendor, releasing vast streams of red light that immediately coalesced into a long, two-zhang-long red light serpent. With a sudden surge, the serpent swiftly coiled around the sword, tightly ensnaring it. The sword momentarily halted, as though now firmly bound. Han Li was momentarily stunned, but then a smile tugged at his lips, and a cold smile spread across his face. He pressed his palms together in a series of gestures and gently tapped the sword. Immediately, golden light surged across the blade, and a delicate network of electric grids appeared on its surface, with countless electric arcs bursting and exploding. The light serpent that had tightly clung to the sword was forcefully rebounded off the blade. The giant sword subtly shook, suddenly vanishing from its original position and appearing instantly upon the multitude of luminous shields of the fire toad creature, then delivering a decisive downward strike. The blue flames on the sword surged upward by a foot. A series of crisp cracking sounds echoed as the shields shattered. As soon as the giant sword struck them, each shield was instantly frozen into a translucent, sparkling ice shield by the blue cold flame, only to be shattered moments later by the sword's own force. After cleaving through over a dozen smaller shields in succession, the sword materialized above the body of the fire toad, aiming directly at its massive head and delivering a powerful blow. The fire toad had never anticipated such a sudden shift in the situation. It had just expelled a fireball formed from the essence of its inner vital energy, barely having time to catch its breath—when the sword had already breached its protective shields and reached its head. Even without high intelligence, the creature now stared with evident fear. With no other choice, it opened its mouth. A sharp *crack*, a long, black tongue shot suddenly from the creature's mouth, darting straight toward the descending giant sword, as it simultaneously leapt with both hind legs, aiming to dodge the blow. For a common flying sword or dagger, this maneuver would have been perfectly sound. After all, the chitin tongue was as sturdy as ordinary magical artifacts and could naturally provide temporary defense. Yet this particular sword—seamlessly infused with refined jing-ji metal—was sharper than most standard flying blades. As soon as it made contact, the sword's gleam flashed briefly, and it effortlessly severed the tongue in two, then pressed on with a swift follow-up strike. Nanlong Hou exhaled a long breath, his face breaking into a gentle smile, and at the same time, he pressed his palms together in a series of gestures, preparing to part the water curtain and move forward. "Wait," Han Li said coldly, stopping Nanlong Hou's action of withdrawing the water curtain. "What is it, Han brother? What do you mean?" Nanlong Hou was startled, his expression filled with surprise, his hand instinctively resting on his storage bag at his waist. Lu Weiying glanced at Han Li, slightly inclined her body, displaying a touch of caution as well. "Nothing. The fire toad hasn't been completely eliminated yet. Nanlong brother seems rather eager." Han Li paid no attention to these details, merely speaking calmly. "Wait—this fire toad is still alive!" Nanlong Hou and the elder were both taken aback, quickly turning their gaze back toward the water curtain. Only then did they notice that the body of the fire toad within the water curtain appeared strangely unusual. The divided body and head still shimmered with luminous vitality, floating in the air without a single sign of falling or descending.