Lingfu, the elder, frowned, and without hesitation, launched a jade如意. At the same time, he opened his mouth, expelling a square, small seal that transformed into a sphere of green light and surged forward. "Boom!" The 'Nanlong Marquis' sneered, and with no hesitation, delivered a solid punch onto the jade seal. Black and green light intertwined, yet as the black energy contracted and expanded, it shattered the radiance completely. The jade seal whistled back, then crashed directly into Lingfu's elder, striking him hard. Lingfu was startled, quickly forming hand seals and casting a series of spells, which just managed to bring the jade seal to a halt before it reached his protective shield. Yet during this brief pause, an oddly floating black fist materialized before the shield and struck down with force. The shield trembled violently, and Lingfu felt a tremendous force emanating from his front, causing him and the shield to launch diagonally outward. Yet Lingfu, no stranger to combat after living for nearly a thousand years, proved himself exceptionally experienced in duels. Before he was hurled aside, the sleeve of the attendant fluttered, and a fiery red flying dagger shot forth, aimed directly at the newly materialized 'Nanlong Marquis.' The Nanlong Marquis, his face streaked with black mist, snarled with a fierce smile. As the dagger arced like a streak of light and struck his head, he showed no intention of dodging. Instead, he suddenly inhaled deeply, opened his mouth precisely toward the dagger, and expelled a stream of black-red, eerie flame. The moment the dagger met this black-red flame, it was instantly ensnared and wrapped in the surge of magic. The red spiritual glow on the blade flickered in distress only a few times before being completely consumed. The blade, now deprived of its essence, fell like ordinary iron. Liu Fu, the elder sage, was deeply startled by this sight. Though this flying dagger appeared ordinary, it was actually the famed 'Break-Devil Blade' of the southern heavenly realm—a prized possession he had obtained only after great effort. It possessed a special efficacy against demonic and ethereal spirits. The "Nanlong Marquis" before him was clearly possessed by a powerful, malevolent spirit, which is why he had suddenly summoned this blade without warning. Though he hadn't expected it to easily defeat his opponent, the fact that it was so casually dismissed—broken by the opponent's mere hand—left him utterly stunned. Just as Lord Lingfu was taken aback, the magified Nanlong Marquis hadn't even allowed his body to stabilize before he shifted slightly on the spot, as though probing his own form. With a deep breath, his body instantly elongated, becoming slender and serpentine—like a python—his upper half merely leaping slightly, and yet, with an eerie grace, he materialized right before Lingfu and delivered a powerful punch. Lingfu was sent flying. As the Nanlong Marquis moved, he again subtly shifted beneath Lingfu's body, and struck once more with a perfectly identical punch—within moments, Lingfu could no longer defend himself, being repeatedly knocked back like a mere target or sandbag. That jade fan truly was a top-tier defensive ancient relic. Though the emerald energy shield shimmered incessantly, it remained unbroken even under such powerful blows. The Nanlong Marquis could not help but emit a soft surprise, yet his attacks never ceased—punch after punch, relentless and unbroken. Linghu Elder's face was pale as ashes. Watching the protective shield begin to crack, he gritted his teeth and reached into his robes, clutching something firmly. He had decided to fight to the death, regardless of the cost. Yet at that very moment, a column of five-colored light descended suddenly—without any prior sign or warning—enveloping the unprepared 'Nanlong Marquis' completely. Though the Marquis had initially been indifferent, as soon as the glow touched him, he felt his body grow heavy, his movements slowing noticeably. "Hm!" he exclaimed in surprise, then glanced sideways toward a certain direction within the radiance. There, the white-clad woman stood at a distance, raising an ancient mirror high, from which a beam of five-colored light surged forth. Upon seeing this, the Marquis's eyes flashed with sharp determination. With the white-clad woman's timely intervention, Linghu Elder immediately seized upon a lifeline. He released the object he had been holding, and seizing the moment when the Marquis's attack momentarily softened, suddenly unleashed a surge of power, transforming into a streak of brilliant light and swiftly escaping. In an instant, he had materialized beside the robed woman. Master Lingfu didn't pause to offer any thanks. First, he rubbed his hands together, then raised both arms, launching十余 red-tinged scrolls that shot straight toward the 'Nanlong Marquis,' still trapped within the five-colored light beams. The scrolls reached the Marquis's head almost instantly, and under the impetus of Lingfu's spell, burst into fragments. A continuous roar of thunder rolled forth, vast waves of crimson lightning surged downward, pressing relentlessly upon the Marquis. The Marquis managed to emit a surge of black energy to shield his entire body, but was soon engulfed and consumed by the blaze. Lingfu, however, did not consider this sufficient to defeat his opponent. With a swift hand gesture, he released a new set of pale, three-pronged flying spears, striking with sudden bursts of varying intensity. The white-clad woman by the side was no less active. With one hand, she skillfully manipulated the Nengguang Mirror to amplify the power of the luminous beam barrier, while with the other, she flicked her wrist, launching a black and a white flying sword that shot forth like two streaks of brilliant light, cutting through the air with thunderous force. "The Grand Divine Sovereign said with a touch of gloating. "Heh! You didn't even urge me to flee immediately—already that shows considerable respect for Han Li. As for facing this creature alone, I've never had such a pleasure before. The Marquis of Nanlong has fallen so suddenly. Truly, the course of events is unpredictable!" Han Li smiled bitterly and murmured softly. "Hmph! In terms of cultivation, even three or four of you going up would still fall short against this ancient demon now inhabiting the body. But your various trinkets and accoutrements—how many there are! And there's the Divine Exorcising Thunder within you. Though you may not stand a chance against this ancient demon, shouldn't you still be able to make it out safely?" The Grand Divine Sovereign snorted, his voice sounding rather unusual. Just as Han Li was about to speak further, a voice from beside him spoke up. "Brother Han! What should we do now? Shall you step in?" Since the Marquis of Nanlong had transformed into a demon, Purple Ling had been stunned and remained silent. Now, seeing Han Li's expression somewhat strange, she finally couldn't hold back and asked. The tenacity of the "Nanlong Marquis" truly left her heart racing and breathless. Han Li smiled at Zilin's words, just about to reply when suddenly his face paled and he raised his hand sharply. A vast expanse of azure light burst forth, sweeping the woman into its embrace and drawing her firmly into his arms. Then, transforming into a streak of azure light, he soared skyward, reaching the mid-air within moments. As the light faded, Han Li reappeared, half-embracing Zilin, his expression now serious as he gazed downward. Zilin blushed slightly and quickly stepped out of Han Li's arms, lowering her head with equal astonishment. There, where they had just stood, a dark figure stood motionless, gazing steadily upward at them. It was the "Nanlong Marquis" who had appeared there without their noticing! He had intended to sneak down and launch a surprise attack. Fortunately, Han Li, by accident, used his Ming-Qing spiritual eyes to scan the scene, and it seemed as though the opponent had indeed succeeded in striking him with a decisive blow. He inhaled a deep breath of cool air and quickly turned his gaze toward the other direction. There, beneath the five-colored light pillars, a cluster of dark energy still flickered faintly amidst the thunder and fire, with figures moving within—clearly another "Nanlong Marquis." When Lüfu the Elder, from afar, saw Han Li suddenly appear in the sky with a female cultivator who looked like a heavenly goddess, he was first startled, then beamed with joy. However, upon glancing down and noticing the emergence of a second "Nanlong Marquis," he gasped in surprise and immediately called out to the white-robed woman, momentarily easing his offensive pressure. At that moment, the "Nanlong Marquis" beneath the five-colored light pillars calmly glanced at the two of them and then suddenly dissolved into a stream of black energy, revealing only a temporary form. Upon exchanging glances, both Lüfu the Elder and the white-robed woman saw deep apprehension reflected in each other's eyes. Creating an avatar is not difficult, but to elude the divine awareness of these two Yuan-Stage cultivators—this is truly astonishing. Indeed, just moments ago, they had been intently observing the black mist where Nanlong Hou was located, their eyes never blinking. Yet, Nanlong Hou managed to execute a flawless "golden cicada shedding its shell" maneuver without their knowledge. If Nanlong Hou had intended to strike them directly rather than secretly ambushing the one standing nearby, they would likely have already lost one of them. It seems this battle has been fought—whether we wanted to or not!