At this moment, Han Li finally understood what it meant to be pierced by a wind as sharp as a blade. Though he merely stood at the edge of the Black Wind Banner's power, he still felt as though his five senses had vanished—only a howling wind reached his ears, everything before his eyes was yellow and hazy, and even his consciousness could not move more than a step away. As soon as he stepped out of the protective shield, the fierce wind instantly scattered his spirit awareness. Now he finally grasped why the San-Yan Fan, which could already exert three or four out of its full power, ranked so low among the celestial treasures—compared to the Black Wind Banner's might, it was utterly insignificant. Fortunately, his Qing-Ming Spiritual Vision remained intact. After channeling spiritual energy into his eyes, with the blue glow within his pupils flickering, he could now vaguely discern objects within ten zhang. As for the distant Ji-Zhen Fumagreat Array, he could not yet determine its condition under such violent winds—only the ground's intermittent and strong tremors conveyed to him that the struggles within were exceptionally intense. He lifted his head and gazed upward— the sky remained unchanged, still chaotic and smeared as if made of thick paste by the gale, offering no clear view beyond. Suddenly, a change came over Han Li's expression; the hum emanating from his protective shield grew louder, and the loss of magical energy required to sustain it had noticeably increased. The power of the Black Wind Banner seemed to be intensifying continuously. Taking a deep breath, he instinctively glanced down at the ground, as though descending into the earth might be a sound strategy. As this thought formed, at a distance of about ten paces beside his shield, a massive black wind column, as wide as a bowl, surged upward from the ground, rapidly expanding and spinning. Instantly, a powerful force radiated from the column, causing the jade-green shield to shift involuntarily toward it. Han Li was startled, his body's magical energy instantly solidifying. The glow of the shield dimmed, and only with great effort did he manage to halt its movement. Then,十几 beams of golden swordlight shot out from the light shield, weaving around it and flashing in intricate patterns. As the sword energies interlaced and clashed, they shattered the still-unfolding wind columns into black mist. But immediately, the mist coalesced and spun again, forming a new gale. A crisp "zhī lā" sound, and the hazy barrier instantly split open, revealing a fissure several feet deep—yet as a flash of white light passed through, it seamlessly restored itself. Han Li furrowed his brow. Though the barrier appeared neither particularly sturdy nor difficult to penetrate with a flying sword, its thickness seemed immense, and under the spell's influence, it healed with astonishing speed. Unless he could pierce it in a single strike, he would never be able to leave this place. With this thought in mind, Han Li paused briefly, then raised his arm, placing his palm firmly against his waist pouch. A moment later, the three-flame fan floated into his hands. With careful infusion of spiritual energy, he gently shook the fan, and a shimmering tricolor glow appeared upon its surface. Taking a deep breath, Han Li held the fan single-handedly and gently swept it against the barrier. Instantly, a stream of tricolor flames surged from the fan, swiftly dissolving the barrier in silence, and a hole several zhang in diameter emerged. Yet, upon merely glancing inside, Han Li's face grew increasingly grave. The attack had penetrated over ten zhang in depth, and though the flames had finally dissipated, the barrier remained untouched. Though he had not fully unleashed the power of his San-Yan Fan, the barrier's thickness left him visibly hesitant. The San-Yan Fan was indeed powerful, but since the initial strike had failed to make an impact, he found it hard to believe that simply amplifying its strength would suffice to breach this ancient cultivator's peculiar seal—especially considering this was the very place where the Lingmeng Demon Princess and the Ancient Magus Patriarch had been sealed. Moreover, when the San-Yan Fan reached its full power, the disturbance would surely draw the attention of the Ancient Magus Patriarch. In that case, rather than breaking through the barrier, he might end up being engulfed in flames first. Furthermore, he doubted whether this barrier, so strangely constructed, might conceal additional, layered seals. Should the barrier be compromised and trigger a counter-response from these hidden seals, the consequences would indeed be serious. Thinking thus, Han Li slightly loosened his grip on the San-Yan Fan, his face growing increasingly uncertain. "This space is far from simple. It would be wiser not to act rashly, Master," Silver Moon suddenly spoke, her mind having been somewhat hazy since she first saw Long Meng. Han Li smiled at this, intending to respond to her, when suddenly his expression darkened. Turning his head sharply, he faced the wind blowing from one side, his voice cold and firm. "Who is there, hiding in the shadows? Don't expect me to be gentle." With these words, he tightened his hold on the San-Yan Fan, and the three hues of light on its surface began to swirl and shift once more. "Han Brother, please refrain from acting yet. I am well acquainted with the power of your fan—it won't be a mere chance encounter that lands you a blow," a calm male voice echoed. Then, amid the hazy, gusting wind, two figures in white emerged—two young people, one a young Xu and the other the Tianlan Saint Lady, Lin Yinping. Han Li raised his brow slightly, his face revealing no concealment of surprise, yet his voice remained as cold and composed as ever. "Oh, have you two come here with the intention of challenging me directly?" Upon saying this, he casually glanced toward the palace. Though that area was the most turbulent, with the majority of dark wind pillars converging there, the underlying rumble of thunder still echoed through the wind, and occasionally, vivid streaks of golden light would pierce the sky, instantly illuminating the entire space. Clearly, the Nine True Magician's Array was no ordinary feat—it had withstood the overwhelming power of the Black Wind Banner. He wondered whether the Eight Spirit Rulers had also joined the fray. In his mind, he pondered these thoughts, but as he saw the black-robed woman still unable to focus on him, he felt reassured and immediately returned his attention to the two figures before him, maintaining a calm and neutral expression. "My friend, there's no need for such urgency. We have come not to trouble you, but to jointly discuss a strategy for our own safety." Lin Yinping seemed to have anticipated Han Li's hostility, raised a hand to release an隔音 barrier, and then calmly continued. "What strategy for self-preservation do you have?" Han Li's mind stirred, yet his voice remained expressionless. "Master Han, why hesitate? The Black Wind Banner of the ancient demon sage is so formidable—no matter how we combine our efforts, we still cannot stand against him. Shouldn't we act now while this demon is still distracted by the immortal realm's fairy queen and thus away from his stronghold? Do we wait for him to return, only then to calmly settle accounts with us?" With time running short, the woman had no time to play further games and simply stated her intentions plainly. "Oh, so neither of you wishes to secure the heavenly spiritual treasures?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, asking gently. "You're mistaken. Though the spiritual treasures are indeed precious, how can they compare to our very lives? This ancient demon sage has been trapped beneath this tower for so many years, his vital energy long depleted. Our immaterial essences are precisely the finest elixirs to restore his vitality. Once he recovers, he will surely not let us go. The young Xu seemed quite familiar with the ancient demons, speaking decisively. "Then what do you intend to do?" Han Li had a hunch about the others' plans, yet asked calmly. "I'll join forces to attack the ancient demons guarding the transmission array over there and then break through and escape." The young Xu said without hesitation. "With just us? Do you truly know the strength of that four-armed ancient demon?" Han Li sneered and asked. "How can you doubt that we can take down this demon?" Lin Yinping was surprised, smiling lightly. "Do you know, back then, this demon managed to escape even when surrounded by three senior cultivators and over a dozen other Yuan-Stage cultivators—do you really still believe we can do the same?" Han Li gently stroked the feather fan in his hand, speaking slowly. "Was this ancient demon the one that originally fled from your Tiannan Ping?" The young Xu suddenly gasped. "Exactly—this is the very demon." "Seeing Han Li so certain, the Mu Lan Great Immortal Master and Lin Yinping glanced at each other, both displaying a slight hesitation. "Then shall we join? This should surely drive back the demon!" Suddenly, an icy voice resonated from above their heads. As Han Li and the others were startled, the yellow phoenix in the sky flashed with hues of green and purple, revealing the forms of the silver-winged yaksha and the lion-bird beast. These two spirits were completely enveloped in luminous radiance, unafraid of the turbulent winds above, floating steadily and motionless. It seemed that the silver-winged yaksha's wind-based magic had truly flourished in this harsh environment. "You two, are you also joining us?" After recognizing the two beings, Han Li regained his composure. "Of course. Though we are not of the same kind as you, in the eyes of this ancient demon patriarch, we are no different from you. If we don't join, we'll simply end up with more brothers than sisters!" The silver-winged yaksha spoke with no hesitation. "Very well," said the young Xu, "with the assistance of these two esteemed colleagues and Guiling, we shall be safe. The sooner we act, the better. Who knows how much time the magical array and the Eight Spirit Rulers might secure for us?" The young man readily agreed, his earlier stern expression briefly fading as he turned to face Han Li. Clearly, as soon as Han Li agreed, their alliance would be firmly established. The two silver-winged night demons also turned their gaze toward Han Li. In mere moments, a flash of yellow light revealed the ugly woman appearing silently and like a ghost behind Han Li. (Second chapter!