Han Li nodded to Ling Fu's old master, then suddenly turned and said gently to Zilin: "Your cultivation is still too low to make a difference here. You should leave now. Rest assured—since we're here to hold this foe at bay, he won't dare to harm you." Han Li and Zilin had a certain personal rapport, so he chose to speak kindly and gently urge her to depart. Otherwise, during the commotion of battle, he wouldn't be able to pay attention to her! Zilin was momentarily stunned by this, hesitated slightly, then nodded obediently. "If Master Han has spoken so, then I shall take my leave now. Master Han, please take good care of yourself!" She spoke softly. Then, glancing down at the 'Nan Long Marquis' and pausing to look once more at Ling Fu's old master, she transformed into a streak of brilliant light and soared into the sky. The 'Nan Long Marquis' below, either because he thought Zilin's cultivation too modest to warrant a fight or because he found Han Li's trio particularly formidable, merely glanced at the retreating Zilin with a cold expression before turning his gaze back to Han Li and fixing it Han Li noticed the other's displeased gaze, his expression darkening as he raised his hand. Several thick golden arcs appeared on his arm, accompanied by a continuous rumble of thunder. His entire arm instantly flashed with electric light, dazzling and brilliant. Faced with such a formidable ancient demon, Han Li had no intention of further probing—he immediately summoned the Bixie Divine Thunder, specifically designed to counter magical and corrupting techniques. Since he first wielded this divine thunder, it had never failed him when confronting magical arts or malevolent spells. Though this ancient demon was fiercely resilient, Han Li remained confident in the Bixie Divine Thunder. Upon seeing the golden arcs leaping across Han Li's arm, Nanlong Marquis' eyes darted several times, and his pupils suddenly narrowed. "I recognize you. In the residual memories I've preserved within this body, your image is deeply imprinted. Though I don't recall specific details, I am certain the original owner of this body held you in exceptional regard." Looking back now, it truly seems accurate—not only can he perceive my surprise attack, but he can also summon the Divine Thunder that once caused us great hardship. It appears that resolving this matter will indeed require some effort." The Nánlǒng Marquis stared at Han Li for a moment before finally speaking coldly. Upon hearing these words, Han Li's lips curled into a quiet smile, his expression remaining unchanged. His golden arc on his arm grew three parts larger. At the same time, he swept his sleeve aside, launching a small blue shield that spiraled into a shimmering, blue-hued barrier, fully enclosing Han Li within it. Seeing Han Li step forward willingly, ready to absorb the Nánlǒng Marquis's assault, Lún Fu the Elder and the white-robed woman exchanged a look of great relief. Han Li's reputation was now truly impressive, nearly on par with those at the late Yuan Ying stage, which naturally gave the two a sense of confidence. At once, as the two pairs of figures slightly transmitted their words, they slowly parted, preparing to assist Han Li from either side. Seeing that Han Li remained completely unaffected by the words and displayed an unwavering resolve, the Marquis of Nanlong unconsciously furrowed his brows, yet immediately brightened with a fierce, menacing expression. Without uttering a word, he stomped his foot, and as his body shook, a faint ripple of motion passed through the air—then he vanished completely from his original spot. At that moment, arcs of electricity and thunder roared in unison. A strange sight unfolded: where it seemed no one was present, a flash of black light revealed Nanlong Hou suddenly materializing there. As soon as he emerged, he saw countless golden arcs descending from above, their heads pointing straight down, which caused him to slightly gasp. Yet immediately, his shoulders settled into a deep, steady motion, and vast traces of residual figures began to appear. As the arcs fell and the traces faded, Hou's true form remained completely elusive. Han Li kept his lips tightly closed, his eyes flashing with blue light, turning his gaze slightly toward one side. But his other arm suddenly lifted, now aiming in the opposite direction. With a thunderclap, a thick golden arc burst forth from his palm, striking precisely at a plain spot some six or seven zhang away. Yet just as the arc reached its destination, Nanlong Hou's figure appeared exactly there, as if stepping forward of its own accord. Han Li could only watch, helpless, as the thunder boomed and the arcs of lightning surged directly toward him. The Nananlong Marquis was truly astonished. A single successful encounter might have been considered lucky, but two consecutive accurate sightings—this was no mere coincidence. The other party had truly discerned his movements. This time, Han Li had chosen his moment of attack with exceptional precision. As the golden arc descended, the Nananlong Marquis found himself utterly unable to evade it. He could only open his mouth in surprise, his brows suddenly arcing upward, and a dark crimson magical flame bursting forth—exactly meeting the golden arc. With a soft "pffft," the flame and arc flashed briefly before merging like water and fire, dissolving into a mist of pale green vapor. "Huh!" Han Li himself now looked genuinely startled. This ancient demon had managed to withstand the divine, purifying lightning! What kind of dark crimson flame was this—so powerful indeed! Yet, upon closer observation, Han Li noticed something else: as the dark crimson flame vanished, the Nananlong Marquis’s face, though only briefly, turned pale—though it quickly regained its usual hue. Clearly, the dark crimson flame was no ordinary magic. Most likely still tied to the relationship between the refined essence, spirit, and soul energy. When Han Li had not yet figured out how to leverage this situation, the general of Nan Longhou suddenly extinguished the golden arc, and in a sudden, eerie motion, his body stretched out like a frail, boneless form, materializing directly before Han Li. With a sly, dark smile, the general then hurled his two fists, wrapped in dark magical energy, straight at Han Li. Han Li remained calm, neither startled nor hurried, stepping back slightly. At that moment, a thunderous sound erupted behind him, and a pair of silvery wings emerged, shimmering in the silver light. Then, a sharp crack of thunder followed, and Han Li vanished silently within the silver arc. Nan Longhou was first stunned by this display, but upon a quick glance, he broke into a cold smile. "A mastery of the Lightning Transcendence Technique! Indeed, you know quite a few things. But alas, heh...!" Amidst his mocking laughter, Nan Longhou dissolved into a stream of black mist, vanishing without a trace. From the moment the general launched his attack until Han Li unleashed the divine, purifying lightning, and their Upon seeing the two parties engage in combat, the elder master Linghu and the white-robed sister Nan Gong Wu had intended to immediately summon their treasures to assist Han Li. However, from the very beginning, Han Li and his companion exchanged lightning and thunder, leaving them unable to intervene. Now, both of them vanished simultaneously, leaving Linghu and Nan Gong Wu utterly stunned, exchanging bewildered glances. Yet soon after, they grew alert, hastily deploying defensive treasures to shield their entire bodies, fearing that the "Nanlong Marquis" might strike a surprise attack. After all, neither of them possessed Han Li's extraordinary insight to perceive the hidden techniques of the other. At that moment, thunder roared, and Han Li materialized at a spot twenty paces away from his original position. Almost simultaneously, a surge of black mist behind him revealed the Nanlong Marquis appearing suddenly. With a grim, fierce expression, the Marquis delivered two powerful, unyielding punches straight into the air. Han Li did not turn around, and his consciousness instantly sensed everything behind him. Yet he could not avoid the attack any longer—only managing to surge all his spiritual energy into the blue shield, to absorb the blow first. After having witnessed the techniques the other used against Master Linghu, how could he possibly remain unprepared? Though he couldn't summon much of his own power, he did possess certain methods that could defeat his opponent without needing to move himself. Although his body still felt numb and immobile for a moment, his hands regained most of their strength within moments. He swiftly removed a spirit-beast pouch from his waist and hurled it toward the south, catching the southern lord off guard. Before the lord could even identify the object, a resonant hum erupted from within the pouch, and thousands of golden, gold-devouring insects surged forth. A golden cloud of insects formed instantly and descended directly upon the southern lord who had just arrived. Though the southern lord had never encountered the gold-devouring insects before, the primal, untamed aura of these ancient creatures stirred a sense of alarm within him. Without hesitation, he raised one hand and reached out into the insect cloud as if grasping it with his spirit. A jade-phosphorescent ghost claw, blazing with gray-white flame, materialized above the cloud and promptly seized the southern lord. At once, half of the golden insects failed to dodge and were seized by the ghost's claw, which then surged with a gray-white flame rising several feet high, enveloping every remaining insect not caught. With a cold laugh, the ghost prepared to move and pursue Han Li. However, at last seizing the opportune moment, the white-robed woman once again raised her precious mirror, sending a beam of five-colored light descending from the heavens to enshroud the 'Nanlong Marquis.' Simultaneously, the old master Ling Fu, who had been rotating a pale, misty circular ring above his head, saw it flash and launch the ring toward the Nanlong Marquis. The Nanlong Marquis, seeing this, was greatly incensed, yet with only a slight shift of his body, he managed to evade the descending beam of five colors. While the beam posed a challenge, as long as it did not fully encase him, it could not harm him. As for the swiftly approaching circular ring, clearly another object designed to immobilize a person's movements, the Marquis, with his agile, wind-like form, found it impossible to reach. He need not even pay it any attention. The Nanlong Hou carefully considered the situation, though his elder master, Lufu, had also launched an attack. Still, to him, Han Li's Bixie Divine Thunder posed the greatest threat, so he paid no attention and instead charged straight toward Han Li. Yet Han Li within the luminous shield remained active. He tapped his waist pouch of spiritual beasts, and from its mouth shot out a dozen white luminous spheres that swiftly transformed into fifteen mechanized spirit puppets, forming a single line to block the Nanlong Hou's path. Each puppet stood two zhang tall, with a tiger's head and human body. With a simple flick of both hands, ten slender claws, several inches long, extended and contracted in constant motion.