The mid-stage Yuan婴 immortal who had been struck mortal that day suddenly found himself in this predicament. However, the mature Golden-Feeding Insect, which remained spiritually connected to him, was easily captured by Han Li—whose intimate knowledge of the insect's habits allowed him to effortlessly subdue it with his second Yuan婴—and sealed within a jade box. Originally, Han Li had intended to study the differences between the mature Golden-Feeding Insect and its younger form at his leisure. But now, having significantly diminished in cultivation, he had to address this matter promptly. Otherwise, should the mature insect's abilities surpass his expectations and break free later, the consequences would be severe. With his current level of cultivation, it would be nearly impossible to recapture it. Reflecting on this, Han Li took a deep breath and suddenly extended his hands, producing several array flags of varying colors. With a gentle flick of his fingers, the flags shot out and settled around the vehicle, forming a circular protective barrier of about one zhang in diameter. He then placed the jade box gently on his knees and slowly closed his eyes. A black glow flickered atop his head, and a black-green immaterial embryo materialized on his forehead. With a simple搓, the dark, shadowy Yin Luo Banner appeared in his embryo's hands. This magical banner, originally entrusted to the second embryo for refinement and command, had now become his only artifact unbound by the Five Ghosts' Locking of the Divine Souls. The Jin-Shi Insect, immune to water and fire, unharmed by blades or spears, could only be destroyed when its spirit was extracted with the pure magical aura of the Yin Luo Banner and then refined into a Yuan Yin Mago-Head, which would then serve as its commander. The specific method of refinement had been fully acquired from the senior monk of the Yin Luo Sect's consciousness on that very day. Of course, this process could not be completed in a short span of time. In fact, if it weren't for the severe damage to the Jin-Shi Insect's host spirit—so much so that the insect itself had nearly perished—Zhao would have hesitated to pursue this plan at all. He held a deep sense of caution toward mature Jin-Shi Insects. Yet even so, he had already At that moment, the black-green immaterial infant threw the small banner he held toward the top of the vehicle, transforming it into a floating magical cloud about a foot in diameter, which remained steady. As the infant leapt, he vanished into the cloud. Immediately, the magical energy sank further, enveloping the jade box resting on his knees. A faint, sharp sound of insect chirping instantly emerged from within the box—though soft in volume, it carried an unmistakable tone of furious agitation. The magical cloud now began to surge and roll, the insect sounds growing sharper and more piercing. Yet Han Li remained completely still, his hands continuously forming seals, his body motionless. Within the protective spell, he was entirely unbothered by the insect sounds, which could not disturb the outside members of the Coqlu tribe; all he needed to do was fully extract the insect's spirit. Thus, the arduous process of integration began. The members of the Coqlu tribe outside the vehicle were deeply intrigued by this "Cold Immortal Master," yet since the master entered the vehicle, he had not emerged again. They naturally had no opportunity to see him. The chieftain Ying Lu strictly forbade these tribes from disturbing the immortal master's meditation, leaving the others deeply disheartened. Over the following十余 days, it seemed as though fortune had been favoring this cold immortal master—first, a herd of wild sheep was discovered in the valley they passed through, providing ample game; then, for the next fifteen days, the caravan remained unscathed. This brought great relief to Ying Lu, who had been anxious all along. He calculated the distance and knew that within a few more days, they would reach a highly secure resting place—a temporary settlement established by the Tianlan Temple using powerful magic, specifically designed for distant tribes and small communities to gather and rest. The settlement would be dismantled immediately after the opening of the spiritual day. As Ying Lu was quietly pondering this matter, suddenly, he sensed a sound coming from above. He instinctively raised his head and saw a brilliant white flash slicing through the air, within which a faint human figure seemed to be visible—yet it vanished almost instantly. The younger members of the Canglu Department were stirred into agitation upon seeing this. Yet the elder frowned slightly, murmuring to himself in puzzlement. Drawing upon his past experience in the Holy Wars, he knew these luminous trails were unmistakably the flight paths of senior immortals gliding at low altitudes. Such a sight was rare—typically, senior immortals flew at great heights, beyond the reach of ordinary ground dwellers. But according to his memory, this was now the fourth such low-altitude passage he had witnessed in just a few days. Could it be that some significant event had recently occurred, perhaps a tribe's tribute having been seized? Though puzzled, the elder grew more confident in the journey ahead. With senior immortals patrolling the route, the coming stretch should be secure. In this thought, Yinglu turned back and loudly summoned the others in the convoy, urging them to hasten their pace. The elder naturally had no knowledge that the streak of white light that had passed overhead had been darting across the lower atmosphere within a radius of over a hundred li for a considerable duration, never ceasing. Yet, ultimately, he found nothing and continued southward. At that point, a second streak of red light approached from a different direction, slanting in. The two lights converged. As the brilliance subsided, two figures emerged—one man and one woman. The man was in his forties, dressed in a light yellow tunic, with an ordinary, unremarkable face. The woman, in her early to mid-thirties, wore a full green court gown, and carried a certain grace and charm. "Ah, it's Master Xiuxian," said the middle-aged man, bowing politely to the woman and smiling. "I haven't found anything on my side. How about you? Have you spotted any trace of that person?" "Li brother," replied the woman, her expression not quite bright, somewhat cold, "do you think I appear as though I've made any discoveries?" "Hmm." In the past few days, I've thoroughly searched every place within two thousand li of that area, yet found not a single trace. The person is either not actually here, or his concealment techniques are simply too refined—beyond my current level of cultivation, making it impossible for me to detect his presence. Should we join forces and conduct a more thorough search, including questioning the several tribute caravans we've encountered along the way?" The middle-aged man spoke without hesitation, his tone growing increasingly urgent. "It seems Master Li has truly become enthusiastic about the reward—the 'Poison Dragon Pill.' But be careful not to risk your life for this medicine." The dressed-in-imperial-clothes woman sneered, speaking with clear intent. "What do you mean by that? Does Master Xiu not also care about it?" The middle-aged man was momentarily startled, his expression filled with surprise. "When Master Li received the assignment, how did the upper-stage Yuan-Ying stage masters describe their expectations of you?" The woman did not directly answer, but instead asked calmly and gently. "The master told me that a foreign Yuan-Stage cultivator had entered our Tianlan Grassland and seriously wounded a senior cultivator. Therefore, we need to capture and bring him alive. The foreigner has already been severely injured by other senior cultivators, so we, as Ji-Dan Stage cultivators, should have no difficulty in subduing him." The middle-aged man hesitated slightly before speaking honestly. "Hmph! Li brother truly only learned about this because he arrived late. If it were me, I'd never have taken such initiative to seek out this foreign cultivator." The woman remarked with a touch of cold sarcasm. "If Master Xi has such a view, there must be her own reasoning. Could you kindly share the details with me?" Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression grew serious. The dressed-in-imperial-attire woman paused for a moment before sighing and said: "Li brother and I have known each other for many years. This matter should be openly and honestly shared, so that Li brother doesn't end up unaware of the full context." I arrived a bit earlier, and thus heard from an elder some specific details about this foreign cultivator. Indeed, the foreigner is at the Yuan Ying stage of cultivation, and has sustained serious injuries—yet the one who struck him was no upper-tier Xian Shi, but rather the Grand Xian Shi presiding over the matter himself. "Wait—was it the Grand Xian Shi who dealt the blow?" the middle-aged man was startled. "Exactly. In fact, I heard that the foreigner was only defeated when he was surrounded by several upper-tier Xian Shi, and was ambushed and struck by the Grand Xian Shi at that moment. Prior to this, he had already eliminated three upper-tier Xian Shi in succession. It's said that this cultivator is exceptionally skilled and ruthless—every time he acts, either his opponent is killed or severely injured. Even after being severely wounded, he managed to employ a secret technique and escaped right before the Grand Xian Shi's eyes. In my judgment, this foreigner is almost certainly a fellow cultivator of the same stage as the Grand Xian Shi. If that's the case, even if we suffer serious injuries, eliminating two junior Dan-stage cultivators would be a mere breeze. For two vials of Toxic Dragon Pills, I certainly won't risk my life! This way, we can fulfill our duties without taking on much risk. We'll simply wait and see if others notice the foreigner. If others spot him elsewhere, that would be even better. Should there be no news at all, it will still be fine. The Day of Awakening has arrived. All the immortals are expected to visit the temple for worship. We will naturally be summoned as well." The woman seemed to have already considered this matter thoroughly and spoke without hesitation. "Then we'll follow Master Xiu's suggestion. Though the Poison Dragon Pill is excellent, I still value my own life more than anything." After a brief pause, the middle-aged man quickly assessed the advantages and disadvantages and responded decisively. "Excellent! Then let's head to the temple settlement on that side to rest for a while. Over the coming days, we'll see a steady flow of tribute caravans from various tribes gathering there. Perhaps we can find what we need right away. And every few days, we can make a show of going out to search—just enough to keep things looking active." The dressed-in-imperial-gown woman smiled lightly and said this. The man found no objection to the plan. Then, the two of them transformed once more into a crimson and a white streak of light, and flew directly southward.