A phoenix-like spirit creature hovered within the ball of flame, while within the yellow glow stood a rather unattractive, ball-shaped monster resembling a puffy sphere. Its entire body was covered in coarse, hard, earth-yellow hide, wrinkled and thick, as though clad in a heavy armor. Within this extremely plump form, a pointed mouse-like head and a slender tail protruded, giving it the appearance of a greatly mutated giant mouse monster. "What kind of beast is this? So unusual. Yet it appears to have around seven levels of cultivation—no, wait, it seems to have come from beyond the mountains," Han Li exclaimed, surprised. "This is a Terracotta Dragon, a very rare type of spirit beast renowned for its defensive strength and skill in seeking out rare materials and treasures. This is truly a gift sent right to us!" said the Great Derivation Sovereign, clearly delighted. "Ah, yes—this spirit creature. I just didn't recognize it at first, but now it makes sense." Han Li suddenly recalled. Just as Han Li spoke, the two beasts surged forward, one after the other, charging straight into the valley's dense white mist, heading directly toward the Nishang Grass below. After a series of trials, Han Li flipped his hand, and a green-tinged array disc appeared in his grasp. With a swift palm strike, the disc emitted a brilliant glow, and several outer seals flashed simultaneously, instantly encasing the first-hitting Houyang bird within them. However, when the anxious mouse-armored dragon from the yellow glow hurried after it, new seals emerged, momentarily blocking the creature outside the array. The earth-armored dragon naturally grew furious, its entire form swelling rapidly to seven or eight zhang in height as the yellow light flickered, drawing in all limbs and tail into its body. Gray-white stone plates formed in layers over its surface, transforming it into a solid, round mass that surged directly toward the seals. With a thunderous "thud," the first impact shattered two outer seals, and the yellow glow paused briefly before the creature charged again, pressing against the remaining ones. In that brief pause, Han Li had ample time to secure the Houyang bird. To the sight, after the bird surged past the barrier, it flapped its wings several times, sending out clusters of crimson flames that scattered and dispersed half of the mist, revealing beneath it a lush, delicate pink peach grove. With a single flash of its luminous eyes, the bird also spotted Han Li standing beneath the peach trees, and the peculiar fragrance emanating from the Nishang grass on the red coral. Though the bird's intelligence had not yet fully awakened, Han Li's unhidden cultivation at the mid-Centering stage of the Yuan婴 (Immortal) stage instinctively filled the bird with awe, causing it to hover in a graceful spiral in the lower air without daring to descend immediately. Yet the irresistible allure of the Nishang grass made the bird unwilling to leave. However, as the bird hesitated, Han Li remained expressionless, raising his hand and launching a black scroll. As the dark light shimmered, the jade scroll transformed into a long, black-and-red ghostly claw, which swiftly reached out and grasped the bird. The bird was startled, and, without hesitation, flapped its wings, launching thirty-some fist-sized balls of blazing fire toward the ghostly claw. A burst of sound echoed, and swirling black light and blazing flames intertwined, momentarily driving the ghost claw back, preventing it from advancing. Upon seeing this, Han Li murmured a light "ah," then pressed his palms together. Suddenly, the silver wings behind him glowed brightly. A thunderous roar followed, and Han Li vanished from his original spot. Moments later, his figure materialized several dozen feet above the bird's head, his face cold as he twisted his hands and then extended his fingers simultaneously. Two thick golden arcs shot forth from his palms, exploded, and merged into a vast electric grid that surged downward, enveloping the bird. The bird, fully focused on countering the black ghost claw, was caught off guard and instantly encased within the golden net. It panicked, shaking its body, causing some of its fiery feathers to fall off, transforming into dense streaks of red light that surged toward the grid. The net now erupted with continuous bursts of thunderous crackling. Han Li's eyes flashed with cold intensity, and with a flick of his wrist, he murmured the word "receive." The vast network of electric arcs flashed violently, then suddenly contracted without fear of the fire's intensity. As golden light surged forth, the Haoyang bird, desperately resisting, was instantly bound tightly by arcs as thick as a thumb—firmly immobilized, unable to move an inch. It could only emit piercing cries. At that moment, the Earth-armor Dragon swiftly scanned the ground where the Nishang grass grew, his eyes flashing with cunning. Suddenly, a flash of golden light surged from his body as he plunged straight down toward the ground. "Hold it! It has earth-burrowing skills—once it touches the ground, it will vanish into the soil." The Daxian Divine Sovereign remarked promptly. "Don't worry," replied Han Li with a gentle smile, calm and composed. "I've already made arrangements." Then, white light flashed from the ground, and twelve snow-white centipede-like creatures, each about half a span long, burst forth, raising their heads, swaying their tails, and continuously exhaling cold mist from their mouths. "Indeed, you've stationed the six-winged frost centipedes beneath the ground—I was quite worried for a while," said the Great Yanshan Sovereign, smiling lightly as he saw the earth-armor dragon subdued. Though the earth-armor dragon was tough and resilient, it could not withstand the continuous blast of cold breath from the twelve six-winged frost centipedes, no matter how strong its body. Being caught off guard and subdued was by no means surprising. "I originally set this up as a precaution," said Han Li calmly. "I never expected it to actually hit the earth-armor dragon." With a subtle shift of position, Han Li moved to the back of the Houyang bird. After briefly scanning several of the long feathers on its tail, he suddenly smiled at the celestial bird before him. "I know," he said, "though your wisdom may still be developing, you can certainly understand what people say. I didn't intend to harm you—yet the fire feathers on your "Han Li said it thus. The Haoyang bird indeed understood human speech. As soon as Han Li spoke, the bird shook its body, eyes flashing with astonishment, anger, and resentment, and its call grew sharper and more piercing. Han Li frowned, emitted a cold exhalation, and said nothing further. Raising his hand, he enveloped his entire palm in a layer of faintly emerald light, preparing to reach toward the bird's tail. Finally, the bird's eyes betrayed a hint of fear. With no choice, the bird shook several of its long feathers at the tail, and after a flash of red light, they fell off. These long feathers were intimately connected to the bird's internal essence and vital energy; if forcibly removed, the body would suffer considerable injury. Though the loss of essence was still significant, the feathers falling off voluntarily spared the bird's physical form. The emerald light flashed once, and Han Li was delighted. With a single motion, he caught the several long, fiery feathers in his hand. Then, he flipped his other palm, and a jade box, already prepared, materialized before him. Quickly placed the long feather into the box and affixed several talismans to the lid, Han Li then carefully stored the jade box within his storage sack. After completing these tasks, Han Li gently laid a palm upon the head of the Haoyang bird, and with a subtle surge of spiritual energy, the bird instantly rolled over and fell unconscious. Han Li smiled slightly, shifting his gaze toward the earth-armored dragon below, which was encased in ice. Though the dragon was restrained by thick ice, it seemed to retain consciousness within the ice, and as Han Li looked down, its small eyes met his gaze, revealing a look of profound fear. Han Li transformed into a streak of azure light and descended swiftly. One hour later, a brilliant golden arc, resembling a celestial lightning bolt, flashed briefly into the sky above the valley. After a gentle spiral, the golden light faded, revealing the purple-robed elder who had been in the secret hall of Yueyang Palace, standing beside her with a person who dared not breathe—none other than Fang Chu. At that moment, the peach grove had already lost all its seals—empty and abandoned. Only the Haoyang bird, now resembling a bald chicken, had been thrown beneath a single peach tree, still drowsy and unconscious. Seeing the bird in this condition, the old woman was startled. Then, with a swift sweep of her consciousness, she discovered that though the bird had lost all its tail feathers and suffered some damage to its vital energy, it had otherwise remained unharmed—thus, her mind eased. Yet, upon gazing once more at the bird’s now unattractive tail, a sudden anger stirred within her. "Look at the condition of this spirit bird," she said, her tone grave. "First awaken it, then attend to the matter." Upon hearing this, Fang Chu nodded eagerly, not wanting to miss a beat, and immediately descended with his vehicle. Had it not been for being intercepted midway by the elder of Yueyang Palace and brought along together, he would not have reached this spot at all, given his own speed in maneuvering his vessel. Then, the old woman glanced at the surroundings, thought for a moment, closed her eyes, and slowly released her awareness, beginning to search for the bold and A moment later, her expression suddenly changed, as if she had gained a clue. She hurriedly gave instructions to the lower ranks before vanishing in a flash of golden light, swiftly departing. A short while later, she arrived at a lofty altitude hundreds of miles away, intercepting a strange cultivator who was about to leave the mountain range. "Who might I be? Ah, it's Master Ma from the Magic Wood Sect. Why isn't Master staying within the sect to meditate and refine? What business brings you here, secretly observing our Heavenly Yue Mountain? Did you cause the recent disturbances among the beasts?" The old woman stared at him with a skeptical gaze, coldly questioning. Across from her stood a masked cultivator dressed in yellow and green robes, his bare eyes glowing with an unearthly golden light, appearing most peculiar.