This time, the ancient demon's entire spirit was captivated by the sudden appearance of Han Li behind him. When the magic-infused flying dagger reappeared, its strange, swift flight caused the ancient demon to be utterly stunned—by the time he managed to react and attempt to evade, it was already too late. The same scene unfolded once again at the ancient demon's neck, blood lines emerging, and the second head of the demon rolled cleanly off with a crisp sound. Seeing this, Han Li naturally felt immensely pleased. Yet, before his joy could fully manifest on his face, the two swords still held in the now-headless demon's hands did not dissipate—they instead surged upward, transforming into two streaks of black light aimed directly at Han Li. As the wind roared, the headless demon's body burst into a thick, swirling wave of magical energy. Though Han Li was startled, he could not allow his prize to escape unharmed. Without hesitation, he pressed his palms together in a series of gestures, and the purple fire jiang that had been launched simultaneously exploded in a powerful surge. The compact purple flames spread out, covering an area of ten zhang in radius, cascading down like a gentle rain. With dozens of golden small swords swirling tightly, the two black blades were instantly dissolved into nothing. Then, the flying swords scattered in all directions, launching cascades of golden arcs that formed a vast golden net, which immediately descended overhead, covering the purple flame. A series of sharp "crack" sounds erupted! Half of the magical energy had barely moved before being abruptly frozen into massive blocks of purple ice. The remaining black mist collided with the golden grid, producing thunderous crackles, and then naturally vanished. Han Li, still cautious, pressed his palms together and softly uttered the character "explode." The entire golden net burst apart, and countless fine electric arcs struck down, causing the purple ice beneath to shatter and collapse. The black mist trapped within the ice, along with the countless strands of ancient magical essence hidden within, were naturally swept away. Several items fell from the magical mist. Upon seeing two objects wrapped tightly in black filaments, Han Li's eyes brightened. With a simple flick of his fingers, two golden arcs shot forth, instantly dispersing the black silk mist and revealing two small golden swords, their surfaces slightly dull, as though their spiritual essence had suffered considerable damage. These were precisely the two Qingzhu Fengyun Swords that Han Li had lost over the years. Overjoyed, Han Li quickly used his divine awareness to gently urge them, and the two flying swords instantly launched themselves, then settled into his hands. A great weight lifted from his heart. Fortunately, though the swords had been sealed by the ancient demon for many years, their inner spiritual essence had not been completely lost. With only a little re-cultivation and re-attunement, they could immediately regain their former brilliance. At that moment, the young Xu and the silver-winged night warrior, who had just watched Han Li strike the ancient demon and then pursue it relentlessly, finally dispatching it completely—its spirit even unable to escape—stared at each other in quiet astonishment, each reading a clear sense of awe in the other's eyes. As for the newly appeared humanoid automaton, these several individuals naturally found themselves utterly bewildered, unsure of how Master Han had summoned such a capable cultivator. When the group was originally transported in, this person had not been present at all. Could it be that this individual's elusiveness was truly that extraordinary, allowing him to simultaneously evade the notice of so many people? With such thoughts running through their minds, their sense of unease only deepened. Nevertheless, they were no ordinary individuals; immediately, they suppressed these concerns and, without any prior coordination, simultaneously launched attacks upon the lower seal. Surrounding the black transport array, several array flags formed a gray luminous shield, effectively isolating the spell array within. It was precisely this seal that rendered the counterpart transport array ineffective. Various attacks roared downward, crashing with force. Surprisingly, after a series of flashes of luminous energy and thunderous impacts, the gray luminous shield formed by the array flags proved remarkably resilient. Whether it was the soul-shaking silk of the Silver-Winged Night-Devil, the sharp talons of the Lion-Beast, or even the luminous orb of the Xu youth, each striking the barrier only caused a faint ripple—mere ripples at that. The seemingly simple seven or eight gray banners, upon a mere glance within the seal, simply faded into insignificance. Moreover, the Silver-Winged Yōkai suddenly condensed countless strands of spiritual souls into a massive serpent, delivering a final, fierce blow. Everyone knew that whether or not they could escape depended entirely on this very strike, so they gave their full strength, leaving no reserve. In an instant, dazzling spiritual light engulfed and submerged the seal. The gray-white light shield finally emitted a sound of cracking and breaking. At that very moment, Han Li and Gui Ling ascended on their incantation lights, flashing through a few movements and arriving back here. The humanoid automaton, however, vanished, now hidden somewhere unseen. Han Li's arrival seemed calm at first, yet it instilled profound apprehension among all others. As just when several banner flags began to wail and snapped in two, numerous figures suddenly stirred, rushing simultaneously toward the magical array. Yet, as several clusters of light burst violently against one another, several figures then fell simultaneously. They had begun to attack each other, pushing the others back. "Han Brother, what is the meaning of this?" The young Xu, his face ashen, held the jade orb in one hand, staring angrily at Han Li and asking, "What do you mean? This is something only Xu friend can explain." Han Li spoke with a half-smiling, half-irritated tone, several golden swords floating before him, while in his other hand he clutched the three-flame fan that had caused deep concern in the others. "The first group to be transferred must include me. I won't trust you human cultivators!" The silver-winged night warrior shielded his body with his broad wings, speaking coldly to Han Li and the others. "Hah! That's a challenge. This small teleportation array can only carry two at a time. If those who leave early disrupt the outer magical array, then the ones remaining here will have to wait—perhaps die waiting." Han Li's smile faded, and his voice grew icy. As he spoke, the lion-beast and Gui Ling and others gradually approached. With mutual distrust among the three parties, a tense standoff had formed. At that moment, a sharp, cool voice—clear and feminine—echoed from the direction of the distant palace! "How dare you slaughter my holy clan members right in front of me! Not one of you will make it out alive!" The voice was icy and piercing, though seemingly quiet, it resonated clearly in every listener's ears—exactly the voice of the cloaked woman. At the very moment of the ancient demon's death, the Yuan Sha Sage Patriarch had sensed this incident. Now, only just recovering from the intensity of the event, he erupted in fury. Currently, the Black Wind Banner was unleashing nearly half of its full power, shattering the Nine True Subduing Demon Array to pieces. Even the Eight Spiritual Rods hovering above the palace were now emitting resonant hums, summoning eight spectral spirit-beasts that materialized near the demon and joined the assault. Yet, under the near-divine, all-encompassing offensive and defensive strength of the Black Wind Banner, the Sage Patriarch's form remained utterly unscathed. Originally, the woman had intended to first dismantle the Demon Array and then proceed to subdue the Eight Spiritual Rods. But now, upon witnessing the unexpected death of her sole subordinate, the Sage Patriarch's wrath was instantly kindled. The woman in black robes faced the sky with a demeanor as still as water, spitting out several streams of refined blood onto the small banner floating in mid-air. Then, with her ten fingers rapidly striking in succession, she unleashed a series of intricate spells. The banner emitted a piercing, deep-black glow, instantly swelling in size—within moments it had grown into a colossal banner, over fifteen zhang long and bowl-thick, its surface shimmering with flowing purple runes and swirling black mist. The surrounding gales, now amplified by the banner’s transformation, surged with renewed power. As the fierce winds swept through, they even shattered the altar structures within the Jiuzhen Fumagong Array, tearing them into fragments. Several golden swords, caught in the gusts, spun wildly in the air, their fate seemingly sealed as the Jiuzhen Fumagong Array appeared to be collapsing. As for the Ba Ling Chi, its full power had not yet fully manifested when the woman approached the palace. Previously, the eight spectral beasts formed by the chi had continuously attacked her, but under the force of the towering wind columns generated beneath the black banner, they too were blown about, their forms wavering and unsteady. On the other side, the young Xu, along with the Silver-Winged Night Dragon and others, felt the stern tone of the cloaked woman and sensed the sudden, dramatic shift in the wind. They all stiffened, ready to act—had it not been for the mutual vigilance among the three parties, they would have rushed straight into the teleportation array to flee. "Let Guiling and Lin first teleport. Guiling is a beast-bodied disciple and has long been acquainted with the Silver-Winged companions. I am confident that Guiling will not abandon me. If Lin goes first, Xu will feel more at ease. Then, the second batch of Lion-Fowl disciples and Xu will follow. I and the Silver-Winged will go last. Let's begin—quickly! Delay and things may change!" As the roar from the palace direction grew deafening, dark clouds gathered overhead, and several black wind pillars were merging and intertwining, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly. This development gave Han a growing sense of unease. Without further hesitation, he spoke decisively. The Xu family youth and the Silver-Winged Night Guardian also sensed the unusual changes in this space. Though some still harbored reservations, they had no better alternative at hand; if they delayed any further, they might indeed be swept away whole. With only a glance exchanged and a slight nod, they proceeded. As soon as these words were spoken, a column of black light surged upward from afar. Then, the column paused strangely in midair, and suddenly, the entire sky split in two along the column's boundary—one side still bright with sunlight, while the other side was swiftly engulfed by an endless black veil, covering half the sky within moments. By the time it reached the heads of Han Li and his companions. (Second update! The last few hours of 2009—don't forget to vote if you still have your monthly subscription! Please, don't waste your vote! Finally, as the new year approaches, Wang Yu wishes all book friends good health and every wish fulfilled!)