At that moment, a flash of red light appeared, then another—transforming the flying needle into a slender red line that pierced the green flame shielding the corpse wolf. With a sharp "pffft," the red line, sharp and piercing, cut cleanly through the flame. Startled, the giant wolf shook its head vigorously, yet the red line still penetrated its body, entering at the neck and emerging from the opposite side. A roar of pain erupted from its mouth as it strained, and instantly, black energy surged from its four limbs, propelling it violently into the shade wind, where it vanished without a trace. Seeing this, the elders and others naturally rejoiced. "Chase!" Someone shouted, and several figures radiated bright spiritual light, preparing to ride the flowing light and pursue. Yet at this very moment, a soft cry suddenly reached Han Li from his waist. Though faint, the sound caused Han Li's face to pale. He swiftly turned and flicked his hand, sending out several shimmering green sword-like waves that struck the ground several dozen feet away. With a series of thunderous booms, the ground glowed faintly, and several strangely black human hands emerged. As the fingers moved, they effortlessly deflected the sword beams. Then a strong wind blew from within, and three faint, wobbling figures emerged. These were precisely the three dry corpses that had appeared once at the intersection. They had somehow managed to evade the intersection's protective array, following the group all the way here, and remained concealed with remarkable skill. Yet when Han Li and the others prepared to depart, one of the corpses momentarily leaked a subtle aura, which was detected by the Ti-Hun creature inside Han Li's spirit-animal pouch, forcing it to appear. Though these dry corpses were similarly thin and gaunt, their heights and statures varied slightly. With Han Li's exceptional memory, he immediately recognized one that stood out—this one should have turned to ash. Han Li's face tightened slightly, and at the same time, the black-robed elderly woman and Bai Yao Yi both gasped in surprise. "How have these dry corpses survived? When I first noticed them, they were completely lifeless," said the black-robed woman, clearly astonished. It seemed she had encountered another one in a different cave. White Yao Yi's astonishment naturally stemmed from the same cause as Han Li's, her face revealing a touch of surprise and doubt. "Indeed, you recognize these spectral beings. We must now prioritize chasing after the Yin Zhi Horse—there's no time for other matters. Han Brother, and your sister, remain here to deal with these ghostly corpses. The rest of us will go after the spiritual treasures with me. Should it manage to hide once again, locating it will prove much more difficult." Although the wealthy elder was equally astonished by the sudden appearance of these three dry corpses, his primary focus remained firmly on capturing the Yin Zhi Horse. In his estimation, whether Han Li and his sister handled the three strange corpse-spirits or whether he and his companions dealt with the spectral wolf, all outcomes would be manageable. The others, too, showed no objections. After the black-clad woman and Han Li both nodded in agreement, the wealthy elder and his two companions immediately transformed into streaks of light, ascending into the air and swiftly pursuing the spectral wolf as it vanished into the lingering wind. Upon retrieving his crystallized flying needles, Han Li stood beside the black-clad woman, facing the three dry corpses with a calm, composed demeanor. Although the ghostly techniques were already strange and unusual, it was truly astonishing that the corpses, once struck by the divinely protective lightning, could reappear whole. Thus, while Han Li maintained a composed exterior, he naturally became more cautious within. The beautiful woman, as a senior disciple of the Nine-Depths Sect, was well-versed in the demonic arts and the ghostly cultivation methods, and she too could not overlook these dry skeletons. Though the red giant sword hovering above her radiated brilliant light, she did not immediately launch an attack. Han Li and his companion remained calm, yet when the other three figures moved away, the dry skeletons on the opposite side could no longer restrain themselves. The larger one in the middle suddenly took two brisk steps forward and, at the same time, opened his mouth, expelling a slender, grayish thread that shot straight toward the beautiful woman. "You're dead!" she said, her expression darkening and a cold exclamation escaping her lips. She shook her sleeve, launching a series of十余 fire balls from it, and then pointed at the giant sword above. The sword swept through the air, cleaving the space and sending a powerful crimson blade of energy crashing down. In the woman’s estimation, this seemingly insignificant filament must have condensed from the corpse’s essence and would thus be most susceptible to fire-based techniques. Yet, an astonishing scene unfolded! After a series of "pffft" sounds, the gray filaments passed right through all the fire orbs as if they were invisible. Then, with a sudden flash of light, the fire orbs vanished entirely—completely absorbed by the fine threads. The subsequent crimson sword aura, upon striking the filament, proved no stronger than the fire orbs. It merely caused the gray thread to flex with remarkable resilience before likewise being absorbed, leaving no trace—continuously advancing until it reached the black-robed beauty. The beauty was momentarily startled, brushing her fragrant sleeve and instantly summoning a small, jade-colored shield that expanded several times in size to block her path. At the very same moment, the great sword hovering in the air flashed briefly and then descended—directly targeting a potential spell absorption. Yet, as a physical artifact, its body should never have been susceptible to such absorption. This was precisely the thought that flashed through the black-robed woman’s mind. Indeed, as imagined, when the great sword struck the gray threads, the threads instantly halted, causing the sword to pause. Overjoyed, the beautiful woman was about to awaken the sword's divine powers when the gray threads suddenly blurred, transforming into hundreds of fine threads. As the threads swirled and turned, Shunjian quickly wound the great sword tightly with them. Then, an eerie, deep glow emerged on the threads. Upon contact with the sword's red light, this glow caused the red light to shrink and fade. Gradually, the sword's surface turned from red to black, appearing increasingly soiled and impure. The woman named Chang, who had been maintaining a connection with the sword, suddenly felt her spiritual link grow sluggish and weak. This development caused the black-clad woman to feel a deep sense of concern, prompting her to instinctively strike her storage bag with a sudden, decisive motion, and a wheel-shaped artifact appeared in her hands. Yet, before she could summon this artifact to aid her sword, a thunderclap sounded beside her, and a brilliant golden arc shot forth, precisely striking the great sword. The sound of thunder roared, and the gray threads fractured under the golden light, one by one. The sword was finally "Thank you so much, Brother Han!" The beautiful woman beamed with delight and quickly thanked him, then pressed a series of gestures, after which the sword instantly transformed into three streaks of red light and shot back into her sleeve, vanishing without a trace. Han Li heard the name and felt a sense of familiarity immediately. After a brief thought, he recalled a passage from the Da Yan Bao Jing he had read recently. As soon as he recalled the description, his expression darkened. This was one of the rare great techniques in the ghost sect, known only to a few cultivators. Shishai, as the name suggests, originated from the essence of yang qi—yet not ordinary yang qi, but rather the unique blend formed when the lingering yang qi of a person who died, combined with the corpse's qi before the yang qi fully dissipated. It was said to be extremely difficult to form, requiring at least a Dan stage cultivator's body, and under a series of unclear and specific conditions. Once formed, the shishai qi could neither die nor fade, and it could absorb the five elemental energies as well as contaminate various spiritual artifacts and tools—making it truly exceptional and one of the highest-tier techniques in the ghost sect. As for the Shadou Silk, although he had never heard of it before, it seemed to be a technique drawn upon the shishai qi, which explained why it was so troublesome. It seemed his divinely-protective lightning, though capable of dispersing this object, could not completely annihilate it. As Han Li had just fully considered all this, the three dry corpses simultaneously extended their hands, curled and snapped their fingers, and shot out gray strands from their fingertips. The black-clad beauty took a deep breath, then launched her handwheel with a sudden motion, chanting incantations continuously. The wheel spun in the air, then suddenly emitted seven-colored spiritual radiance, forming a luminous veil that enclosed Han Li and the other person within. "Seven-colored spiritual light! A Buddhist treasure artifact!" Han Li had just raised his hand, golden electric arcs flashing in his grasp, but upon seeing this, he paused mid-motion, his face expressing mild surprise. The deadly soul-threads moved with astonishing speed, reaching the seven-colored veil in mere moments, yet were repelled and failed to penetrate it. Han Li did not find this surprising—Buddhist techniques were inherently adept at countering ghostly powers. Even though the soul-threads were sharp and potent, they could not be instantly severed by the Buddhist light. Yet this beautiful woman, a senior disciple of the magic sect, possessed a treasure from the Buddhist tradition—something that greatly surprised Han Li. The three dry skeletons, initially unable to achieve effect with the Shadou silk, did not give up. Instead, their fingers trembled continuously, and instantly countless gray filaments materialized around them, layer upon layer wrapping themselves around the seven-colored light curtain, as if to completely enclose the two within. Han Li's eyes flashed with cold light, and with a quick motion, he rubbed his hands together before suddenly extending them. Two thick golden arcs shot forth from his palms and struck the light curtain. A series of sharp crackling sounds followed, and instantly a golden grid formed on the surface, swiftly dispersing the gray filaments into intangible mist. Yet the three dry skeletons remained undisturbed, continuing to emit fresh Shadou silk, and the dispersed mist gradually re-solidified and regained its form. "Chang, release them!" Han Li said briefly. As the thunder rolled, a pair of silver wings suddenly rose from behind him. The black-clad woman, initially startled and about to speak in protest upon hearing Han Li's words, instantly swallowed her words upon seeing this extraordinary phenomenon. With a single gesture, a fine crack appeared in the luminous screen. At the same time, as she扇ed her wings once, Han Li vanished into the silver glow. Having awakened the three immortal spirits within him, Han Li instinctively paused, his gaze shifting from side to side. Yet in the next instant, a silver arc flashed several zhang behind them, and Han Li reappeared. Without hesitation, the three spirits extended their fingers, launching dozens of gray filaments toward Han Li. Han Li made no attempt to dodge; instead, he opened his mouth and successively expelled three beams of golden light, directly targeting the three spirits.