On hearing Lu Luo's words, Cheng senior also was taken aback. To his surprise, Han Li's qi was deeply contained, with a luminous glow radiating inward—clearly exhibiting the signs of a mid-stage Yuan婴 (Metamorphic Immortal). He stood there, speechless. "I always knew both of you had sharp eyes and keen insight, and that you would soon notice this. Indeed, my brother-in-arms has truly encountered a fortunate turn of events in the Valley of the Fallen Demon, after years of rigorous cultivation, which has enabled him to advance to the Yuan婴 stage. Yet, to reach the mid-stage of Yuan婴 so swiftly—this even surprised me. Had it not been for the fact that Wan'er is being well looked after by two senior brothers, I would have been deeply worried and anxious throughout these years. I would have been utterly unable to find the time or calm to focus on cultivation. All this is truly due to your kind assistance," said Han Li, bowing respectfully to both of them in gratitude. "What could be more natural than that? Since Nan Gong has chosen me as her elder brother, to take care of her is surely a matter of course." Moreover, as for the care I've provided, honestly, I haven't been of much use at all—still, I can only leave my younger brother and sister trapped in the ice. I feel deeply ashamed! Finally recovering from the shock of seeing Han Li's advancement, the elder brother immediately responded with humility upon hearing Han Li's words. "Your brother has reached the mid Yuan婴 stage in less than three hundred years of life—this alone would surely astonish the entire southern realm. Looking ahead, it's certain that even reaching the late Yuan婴 stage will be no surprise, and perhaps even advancing to the Shén stage is entirely possible!" Lu Luo couldn't help but add, his voice filled with admiration. In the history of the southern realm's cultivation world, Han Li's pace of advancement is truly exceptional—perhaps only a handful of individuals have matched him. This level of progress is no longer primarily dependent on personal cultivation potential; rather, it largely stems from individual fortune and circumstances—something that cannot be forced. Han Li naturally offered a few humble remarks, then deliberately shifted the conversation, asking about the events that unfolded in the Fallen Demon Valley after his disappearance. Information gathered directly from those who had personally witnessed the battle was naturally far more authentic than what others could only speculate about. Upon hearing韩立's question, the elder could not help but smile wistfully. It turned out that after韩立 was swallowed by the spatial rift, the other ancient demon became furious. As the elder felt his life hanging by a thread, the other cultivators arrived just in time. Though even the cultivators who arrived first, despite uniting with Wei Wuyi and his companions, could not overcome the other ancient demon, which had also transformed into a two-headed, four-armed form, they soon found themselves in grave peril. It was only at the crucial moment that the Mulan people finally arrived. Together, they managed to encircle and ultimately besiege the demon. After a fierce battle, with the aid of the Mulan sacred bird summoned by a woman named Lu, the demon was severely wounded—so much so that the Mulan mid-deity even severed one of its heads. Yet, in the end, the ancient demon managed to escape. In this battle, several Yuan-Stage cultivators perished, and even Master Nan Gong Wan's senior sister was struck directly by the surge of magical flame as the ancient demon went berserk, her Yuan-Stage essence reduced to ashes. Lún Fu the Elder fared slightly better, though his body was severely damaged, with only his Yuan-Stage essence escaping unscathed. The most unfortunate were the cultivators from the Gui Ling Sect—the Master named Zhong had his Yuan-Stage essence extracted and completely devoured by the ancient demon. Among the entire contingent of Gui Ling Sect cultivators entering the valley, aside from a few Jie-Dan Stage practitioners, all higher-ranked cultivators were wiped out—an outcome truly astonishing. The subsequent events unfolded much as Huang Yuanming had described. It was originally expected that this demon would be unable to remain in the Human World for long, as recorded. These cultivators had not ventured out after the battle to pursue and eliminate it. Yet unexpectedly, this demon had employed some unknown method and showed absolutely no intention of returning to the other realm. Instead, it launched a relentless campaign of slaughter, devouring countless cultivators' prenatal essences across the southern lands, ultimately provoking widespread outrage and leading to a full-scale siege. As he heard this, Han Li furrowed his brows and asked, "I've heard various accounts from outside sources regarding the great battle that resulted in the siege of this demon. There are many different versions of what happened, but if both senior cultivators and one Master of the Muling Sect all joined forces, couldn't they have slain the demon right then and there? As your senior brothers, shouldn't you know the actual outcome?" As he spoke, Han Li's expression grew serious. The ferocity of the ancient demon now made him feel a growing sense of apprehension. "I personally did not participate in the siege battle, but according to information relayed from the alliance, the ancient demon indeed suffered a critical and life-threatening wound. However, he managed to escape the encirclement by employing a peculiar secret technique. Nevertheless, the senior monks, especially Zhiyang, have continued to pursue him relentlessly, determined to eradicate him completely. And as a result, they pursued him all the way to the edge of the Muling Grasslands." Because of the fear instilled by the Wandering Immortals, the cultivators had been forced to abandon their pursuit. Yet, over the years that have passed, the ancient demon has not reappeared in the southern heavens, and the situation on the Wandering Immortals' side has remained calm and stable—seeming to indicate that this demon is not truly severely injured or deceased, but instead has crossed the Muling Grasslands to reach the Great Jin dynasty. The elder explained this in detail to Han Li. "Crossing to the Great Jin dynasty?" Upon hearing this, Han Li's face slightly tightened, but soon settled back into its usual composure. Cheng and Lu Luo naturally sensed that Han Li had some thoughts he wished to keep private. Yet, both of them tactfully chose not to press further. After all, Han Li's cultivation abilities and attainments now far surpassed theirs, and they now felt a subtle sense of reverence before him. After a brief further conversation on other matters, Han Li finally revealed that he had already found a suitable remedy in the Fallen Demon Valley and would now proceed to test it on Nan Gong Wan, in order to remove the poison curse. The two heard this and were not overly pleased. If Nangong Wanru could recover fully, then their Luoyun Sect would naturally grow even stronger. With that in mind, they had no further interest in lingering and immediately accompanied Han Li personally to the sacred precinct. At the entrance of the precinct, Cheng Brother and the other two stopped, volunteering to guard the spot themselves so that Han Li could go ahead and remove the evil spell with full confidence. Han Li, not hesitating, thanked them briefly and then entered alone. Not long after, his figure appeared before the stone door of the inner chamber. He glanced at the seals outside the stone door—no longer reacting to any passive triggers since his last departure. It seemed Cheng Brother and the others had only used their spiritual awareness to check on Nangong Wanru’s condition, without entering the sealed area again. This only deepened Han Li’s satisfaction with their actions. With a series of hand gestures, he cast several spells in succession. The stone door shimmered several times before producing a deep, resonant sound and finally opened. Han Li moved silently and smoothly through the threshold, without any visible disturbance. The stone door then closed once more. The scene within the chamber remained unchanged, neither dim nor obscure, thanks to the moonstone embedded in the ceiling. Due to the presence of a protective spell, the room had always stayed immaculately clean, untouched by dust, with the ice walls softly glowing with a gentle luminous aura. Nangong Wan, still appearing as a young girl, remained sealed within, her eyes closed and her complexion slightly pale. The immortal essence, glowing with intermittent crimson light, shimmered mysteriously and splendidly within the pure white jade box. Han Li gazed at the essence intently for a long while, then suddenly opened his mouth, drawing a hazy green qi that lifted the essence and carried it floating toward the ice wall. At that moment, a low incantation echoed, and a spell was cast upon the ice wall. The ice wall flashed blue, and the essence seemed undisturbed, seamlessly merging into the thick ice, eventually drifting to just below Nangong Wan's lips. Han Li calmly pointed at Nangong Wan, and instantly, her lips parted as if she were a puppet. Seizing the opportunity, the essence swiftly entered Nangong Wan's mouth. Immediately, a gentle glow of red light spread over her pale, bloodless face, yet her eyes, densely lined with long lashes, remained tightly closed, showing no sign of awakening. Han Li sighed, knowing that this matter could not be rushed—despite the essence's potency, it would not lift the sealing spell on her spirit within just a few days or weeks. Yet Han Li did not immediately depart. He simply stood quietly before the ice wall, gazing silently at Nan Gong Wan. In his mind, without knowing why, a vivid memory of their first meeting surfaced—his initial astonishment. Time passed slowly. Han Li’s figure remained motionless before the ice wall… For half a day, he only finally stepped out of the chamber, calmly reactivating the seal and retracing his path. Cheng and Lu Luo remained outside the sacred site, naturally inquiring about his well-being upon seeing him emerge. Han Li managed a faint smile, merely stating that he would need to observe for several more days to determine whether the Soul-Sealing Spell could truly be lifted. Having traveled continuously for several days, he felt somewhat weary and did not continue their conversation. He thus parted ways with the two and returned to his own dwelling. After all, there was still much time ahead—there would be ample opportunity to discuss matters in greater detail later. Han Li then transformed into a streak of azure light, heading directly toward the Parent-Child Peak. As he had learned during their earlier conversation. Though he had gone missing for over twenty years, his abode remained unchanged under the strict supervision of the elder and Lü Luo. As his concubine, Mu Peilin had continued to reside in the Zi Feng peak, receiving consistent care and attention from the two elders. Now, having reached the stage of false Dan, she could begin attempting to form the Dan within just a year or so. This proved to be an unexpected delight. Han Li was struck by this development and naturally recalled the matter of the Dian Feng Pei Yuan Technique. After all, he possessed numerous elixirs and medicinal remedies that could enhance the chances of successful Dan formation. Given her excellent innate potential, if he truly committed himself to helping her achieve the Dan, she would have at least a seven-out-of-ten chance of successfully forming it. Yet, unexpectedly, during her journey, she had encountered a fortunate turn of events—before she could even begin her Dan formation, he himself had already surpassed this critical threshold. Thus, the current situation now differed significantly from his original plans. However, this does not matter either, as the dual-renewal cultivation technique of the Shaking Phoenix and Nourishing Primordial Energy is equally beneficial for breakthroughs at the late Yuan-Ying stage. Of course, the practitioner must have a deeper level of cultivation to fully benefit. This young woman would need to reach the late Jie-Dan stage to truly prove useful. The original plan—of having her cultivate this technique for several decades so that her primordial yin essence could be harvested at will, depending on whether she remained or departed—had to be revised. After all, under normal circumstances, he might not reach the peak of the mid-Yuan-Ying stage within two or three centuries. Over such a long period, it would indeed require substantial nurturing to have her consistently cultivate this technique. For, the Shaking Phoenix and Nourishing Primordial Energy technique is not among the top-tier ones; without the aid of pills and elixirs, it would be quite difficult for her to reach the late Jie-Dan stage within a short timeframe. He calmly flew toward the main peak.