With a sudden *shush*, a flash of golden light illuminated the man's vision, and the golden flame stone rose into the air without warning. Startled, the man hadn't anticipated it, and his reaction naturally lagged. When he reached out desperately to grasp it, he realized he had missed the moment—by just a fraction—and the stone instantly transformed into a streak of golden light, vanishing in an instant into the hands of a nearby figure. "Then I gaze at Han Li, speaking each word with a chilling solemnity. After confirming once more from the Great Derivation Immortal that this stone is indeed the Jin Yan Stone, Han Li gently flips his hand, sealing the stone into his storage bag. He then raises his head, offering a light, composed smile, and calmly says: 'I too have great interest in this item. I neither wish to yield it to you nor wish to risk injury to myself. Why don't we simply treat this matter as if nothing has happened, and return to our respective paths?' "Truly this is the item—will we not make a mistake?" The woman's face tightened as she asked seriously in the language of the Great Jin. At the same time, a silver streak erupted from her mouth and, after a flash, reached the body of a sudden, foundation-stage cultivator before him. Though the cultivator was shielded by a blue aura, it could not withstand the full force of the condensed-stage cultivator's attack. With a piercing cry, the shield shattered and he was severed in two, his body cut in half. The silver streak then spiraled and revealed itself—a bright, sword-like blade, about a foot long. Upon hearing the leading woman's command, the other foundation-stage cultivators from Dajin immediately summoned their artifacts and rushed toward the remaining three sudden cultivators. The ordinary people slightly farther away, however, did not feel urgent to eliminate them, since they had no chance of escaping. As soon as these Dajin cultivators began their assault, the three sudden cultivators were naturally startled and enraged. Yet, one of them was only at foundation stage initial, and the other two were still at qi stage—how could they possibly withstand the coordinated attacks of six foundation-stage cultivators? Despite their fierce resistance, they were swiftly overwhelmed and eliminated within moments. Two of them promptly charged toward the carriage where Feng Yue was located, intent on eliminating the hidden figure as well. The Jin Dan woman standing on the grand platform remained calm—this outcome had been fully anticipated. Yet, when her gaze shifted to the man, her face suddenly paled. Upon hearing the woman's command, the man immediately expelled his life-spirit sword, transforming it into a streak of white light that surged straight toward Han Li. However, Han Li sighed, then flipped his hand, and suddenly a small, dark banner appeared in his grasp. With a gentle flick, the banner expanded in the wind, forming a luminous screen that enveloped his entire body. When the silver light sword struck the screen, it was instantly rebounded—completely unharmed. The man was naturally startled. In a state of urgency, he quickly activated his own sword technique. The white streak spiraled several times and then transformed into a colossal serpent several zhang long, coiling around and encircling the dark light screen. With its wide, blood-filled maw, it fiercely tightened its coils and began to bite and wriggle desperately. Yet that unassuming black barrier seemed forged from golden vajra, and despite the great serpent's tight embrace and biting attacks, neither proved effective. When the white-robed woman glanced over, she just happened to witness this scene, and her heart sank slightly. Indeed, the other party had clearly something to rely on. With this thought, she did not hesitate—she simply pointed her hand toward a distant flying dagger. The artifact trembled lightly before instantly transforming into a silver arc and shooting forth, striking the black barrier with force. However, after the silver arc circled the barrier and struck it several times, the barrier remained undisturbed, neither wavering nor shifting. The white-robed woman and the man exchanged glances, each reading astonishment in the other's eyes. "You three—don't bother with the person in the carriage. Quickly establish a fire and flame array to purify him," the woman suddenly turned sharply and ordered sharply. Upon hearing the command, the three foundation-level cultivators immediately raised their crimson banners without hesitation. At that moment, a large fire cloud, spanning about a mu, rose up in the sky above the luminous screen and gradually descended. "Good. Very good. That saves me from having to exert any further effort," came a calm, composed voice from within the screen. Suddenly, the top of the screen flashed with light, and there appeared a black-green infant, grinning happily, holding a small black banner in hand. "An Yuan-En-Crystal! You... you're a Yuan-En stage cultivator! Hold on—don't move yet! I'll be right behind you. I promise we'll leave immediately and never compete with you for anything!" Upon seeing the infant appear, the woman's face fell as though struck by a heavy blow, realizing she had just made a foolish move. She quickly opened her mouth, pleading anxiously. At the same time, she sent out a mental command to recall her flying dagger and divine artifact. Yet at this moment, the second Yuan-En crystal of Han Li emitted a soft, quiet chuckle. He then tossed the small banner in his hand. Instantly, the banner swelled dramatically, expanding to a height of several zhang. A thick, dark magical aura surged upward, forming a vast magical cloud far larger than the fire cloud. Under the surging waves of this cloud, the flying blades, the giant serpent, and the fire cloud were all engulfed and swept away. At that very moment, the man and woman, along with the several Foundation-stage cultivators, simultaneously lost contact with their respective法宝 and tools. "Yin Luo Banner! You are the Senior Enforcer of the Yin Luo Sect!" The man, already stunned, gasped in shock upon seeing the banner's appearance. Instantly, his body shimmered with luminous light, and he transformed into a brilliant white glow, rising into the air—completely disregarding his own life-supporting artifact! Upon hearing the man identify the banner as the Yin Luo Sect's foundational treasure, the white-clad woman also drew in a sharp breath. Without hesitation, she channeled several spells into the large banner and swiftly stamped it with her jade foot. The banner instantly expanded by one-third in size, radiating a strong green glow. After a strange cry, it surged forward as a green streak, breaking through the air and vanishing in the opposite direction from the Qi-Condensation cultivator. Under the Magistrate Sect's unwavering habit of reporting any flaws, this young woman had no hope that the elderly, stoic figure from Yin Luo Sect would actually cease his actions. She also deeply resented the man for his unnecessary interference; otherwise, if he had simply returned earlier, everything would have been fine. The several foundation-stage male and female cultivators were even more terrified, their spirits shaken to the core, and they all scattered in a panic, fleeing on their flying vehicles. A flash of green light rippled through the magical clouds, and Han Li materialized upon the surface, observing the retreating figures of the Great Jin cultivators with a cold expression. With a firm tap on his waist pouch, a dozen beams of white light shot out, transforming into snow-white centipedes each about half a foot long, which then surged forward in pairs, pursuing the six foundation-stage cultivators. At the same time, a dark glow pulsed on the great banner, revealing a large, dark circular opening several feet in diameter. From within, a massive, golden-devouring insect, radiating black energy, burst forth. After its blood-red eyes flashed several times, it suddenly spread its wings and surged forward as a beam of golden Then, as the black and green first-rank immaterial infant insect flew out, it leaped directly into the Yin Luo Banner, driving it straight into the lower mass of magical clouds. The magical flow suddenly surged and became turbulent, then erupted with a sharp, piercing cry, rising into the air and momentarily stabilizing at a height of over a hundred paces, swiftly pursuing the fleeing giant bat. The dense, dark clouds, now stretching across the sky, appeared as though a magical deity had descended upon the world. Though only in larval form, it was utterly reduced to a massive block of ice beneath the chilling aura that even Dan cultivators feared, its essence and body completely shattered as the centipede, burrowing through the ice, tore it apart. The man who fled into the light, having lost his primary artifact, could not outpace his several Jian-level subordinates, and was soon caught by the colossal creature. With a look of utter despair, the magmatic, gold-devouring centipede easily pierced through several layers of his protective barriers and penetrated deep into his body. Instantly, he plummeted from the sky, landing on the ground with a painful, writhing roll, and died within moments. As for the white-clad woman, though her expansive formation was of lower rank, she appeared skilled in aerial movement and, under the power of her spell, achieved an astonishingly swift speed. Yet, even after she had flown ahead and then behind, in succession, for several dozen li, driven by the vast, unyielding cloud of magic summoned by Han Li's second prenatal essence, she was ultimately completely enveloped by the all-encompassing, indifferent veil of the magical clouds. From then on, the young woman vanished silently from the world. But when the second Yuan Ying summoned the magical clouds back, Han Li was idly twirling the snow-crystal orb in his hand, gazing at something left behind by the Great Jin cultivators on the ground, his face filled with bewilderment.