Before the others could react, the bright glow at a distance swiftly faded, and darkness fell over everyone's vision. To their astonishment, the Yuan Sha Saint Ancestor had summoned the spatial divinity of the Black Wind Banner, resealing a small section of space and trapping all of them within. The young man named Xu and the others were visibly startled. "Quick—get out of here!" "Hm! Where did the person who just arrived go?" "The teleportation array has failed; it won't activate anymore." A series of exclamations of surprise and alarm followed, and most of the group grew increasingly agitated. Han Li felt a weight settle upon his heart. Though he hadn't noticed how the person who had just arrived had vanished, nor had he seen their face clearly, this was far less significant than the failure of the teleportation array itself. With a slight movement, he stepped to the front of the array. Lin Yinping and Gui Ling were still inside the array, actively inspecting the spatial technique, their faces showing clear signs of anxiety. "Let me take a look!" Han Li said firmly, then raised his hand. At that moment, a spell struck the edge of the magical array, but the glow flickered only briefly before fading completely with no further response. Han Li's expression darkened. Meanwhile, the Xu-family youth and the silver-winged night warrior also approached, though neither of them was particularly skilled in array magic. Seeing Han Li's serious demeanor, the silver-winged night warrior asked, "What's wrong? Has the transportation array failed?" "The array itself is fine," Han Li said, gazing steadily at it, "but it has been sealed off by the spatial power of the Black Wind Banner. Unless we break through this spatial barrier—or if the master of the Black Wind Banner voluntarily lifts this seal—we will be unable to proceed." "Break through space? How? Do we have to destroy the Yuan Sha Saint Patriarch to achieve that? If we possessed such a capability, why would we be in such a rush to leave?" the silver-winged night warrior exclaimed, growing increasingly anxious. "Then what good is your assistance?" Han Li asked. Fortunately, this demon is currently focused solely on the person within the palace and has only managed to trap us; he hasn't yet reached the point of attacking us directly. We should carefully consider our options and see if we can devise a strategy to escape. As for complaints, friend, you'd better keep quiet. Han Li replied with a straight face, unceremoniously. Upon hearing this, the silver-winged night warrior grew furious, his gaze flashing with sharp intensity, but then recalled something, exhaled a sharp breath, and deliberately suppressed his anger, his eyes now flickering as he pondered. The young man named Xu also looked deeply thoughtful. Lin Yinping and Gui Ling, on the other hand, were forced to step out of the spell array, each with furrowed brows. Just when Han Li and the others were at a loss for what to do within this confined space, outside the space, the black-robed woman was enveloped in a powerful gust of black wind. She glanced at the great banner now dimming in the sky, and a cold smile formed on her face. At that moment, aside from a few wind pillars near her, the surrounding winds had gradually subsided. The once chaotic scene around had Although she had employed spatial techniques to partially absorb the power of the Black Wind Banner, the Nine True and Immortal Magic Array before her had already been destroyed. The remaining power was sufficient to withstand the uncontrolled Eight Spirit Rods. Though this divine artifact was powerful, its effectiveness relied entirely on its own spiritual essence—thus, it could only temporarily contain the wolf spirits without physical form within the palace. Thinking thus, the young woman turned her gaze outward. She saw the eight phantom spirit beasts constantly fracturing and dispersing under the fierce gales, yet re-coalescing again under the power of the Eight Spirit Rods. Though they could not penetrate the storm itself, she was unwilling to break through the protective vortex easily. The black-robed woman remained expressionless, then turned her gaze suddenly to someone on the palace roof—the large-headed, immobile figure who had remained in the vicinity since the battle began, neither moving nor taking any further action. Though the gales from the Black Wind Banner had been fierce, the central area of the palace remained safe and undisturbed. The one there remains unharmed. The black-robed woman's eyes flashed with a bright gleam, and she spoke with a pleasant tone: "Master Ye, go and retrieve the Eight-Spirit Ruler from my holy ancestor. Rest assured, I shall watch over you, and no harm shall come to you from Master Long-Meng." Upon hearing this, the strange figure was momentarily startled, displaying hesitation. "Is it that you fear my holy ancestor cannot guarantee your safety?" The black-robed woman smiled lightly, brushed a strand of green hair from her forehead, and then casually raised her hand, pointing toward the distant Ye family cultivators. Those cultivators, who had just been casting protective talismans and surrounding the phantom of the white-robed scholar, were now greatly alarmed by this gesture. With a delicate movement of her slender fingers—yet no shimmer of spiritual light appeared at the tip—she seemed merely to have lightly tapped the air. The Ye family cultivators stood utterly bewildered. The tall, strange figure, upon witnessing this, also paused, unsure of the black-robed woman's intent. "Pffft," "pffft"—a series of muffled sounds echoed. Among the Ye family cultivators, the nun and the elder beside her saw strange crimson blossoms bloom on their foreheads, their bodies instantly rolling over and collapsing. Their protective talismans and aura shields seemed completely ineffective. The middle-aged man with a square face, however, swiftly shifted, his white bones forming a ring around him, and with a flash of yellow light, blocked a translucent orb. The orb, only the size of a thumb, was crystal-clear; upon being struck by the yellow light, it burst with a "pop" and vanished entirely. Even the white-robed scholar, whose phantom form had been supported by the group, was struck directly at the brow, his spectral image instantly shattering. Since Master Ye has concerns about our Holy Ancestor, I naturally wish to demonstrate my capabilities to you. How about these individuals—do they have any connection with you? The black-robed lady glanced at him casually, speaking with ease. "Hmph!" The large-headed stranger snorted, seemingly slightly dissatisfied, though he said nothing. Yet his gaze lingered on the spot where the white-robed scholar’s silhouette had vanished, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. At that moment, the bodies of the two deceased Ye family cultivators burst open, and two Yuan-Infant spirits flew out, rushing toward the man with the square face. The man with the square face, his expression as calm as still water, drew his bone-ring close to his body, allowing the two Yuan-Infants to vanish into his sleeve. Then he released the bone-ring once more. Throughout this entire process, he kept his eyes fixed on the black-robed lady, ever vigilant, fearing she might strike again at a moment of opportunity. Whether it was that the first strike missed, that she was unwilling to make another attempt, or simply that she had intended all along to allow the large-headed stranger to witness her prowess, the black-robed woman paid no attention to the square-faced cultivator's action of gathering his immortal embryo. Instead, she continued speaking to the stranger: "Master Ye, as long as you help me retrieve these Eight Spiritual Rulers, you've already rendered me a significant service. Once I free myself, I will infuse you with magical energy, greatly extending your lifespan. And during the battle against the demonic queen, you need not intervene at all. Can you not manage such a simple task?" As she spoke, the expression on her jade-faced countenance grew cold, and the clear, contrasting eyes suddenly took on a crimson hue, appearing remarkably eerie. The large-headed stranger's expression changed instantly, naturally sensing the displeasure of the incarnation of the Yuan Sha Saint Patriarch. After a moment's thought, he realized that this peril could no longer be avoided. With a determined breath, he said nothing and stepped gracefully toward the Eight Spiritual Rulers. At the very moment the giant figure of the heady monster shifted, a cold, sharp exhalation echoed from beneath the palace. Suddenly, space warped above the monster's head, and a colossal hand—over ten zhang in length—materialized, clenching firmly into a fist and crashing down upon the monster with the force of a small mountain. Faced with the overwhelming spiritual pressure of the fist, the monster was startled, immediately retreating to avoid the impact. Yet at that instant, the black-robed woman smiled gently and lightly tapped the palace with her jade hand. "Crash!" The massive fist, as if struck by an unseen force, trembled and was hurled sideways, then dispersed into scattered points of white light. The monster now felt reassured and, without hesitation, flashed into a beam of golden light, rushing directly toward the Eight-Spirit Scroll. However, just as this beam had traveled a dozen zhang, a faint, barely audible sigh came from one side. Then, a flash of unusual light rippled through the surrounding void, and a strange black-and-red blade burst forth, expanding into a sweeping band of dark crimson light, rushing toward the monster to cut it down. "The Black-Blood Blade!" The giant-headed stranger gasped in surprise, instantly spitting out a yellow small sword that expanded into a massive blade several zhang long. With a slight spiral, it formed a dense array of sword shadows, shielding himself within. Then, with a single hand motion, he produced a pristine white bottle, aiming it squarely at the incoming blade flashes. A cascade of white mist erupted from the bottle, meeting and intercepting the fleeting dual blade attacks. As soon as contact was made, the dark-red blade light slightly stirred, tearing the seemingly solid mist into fragments. Then, the dark-red light surged outward, converging at the center to solidify into a colossal black-red blade several zhang long, which swiftly charged straight toward the stranger for a powerful strike. The giant-headed stranger looked visibly alarmed, pressing both hands together to channel the yellow giant sword for defense, while simultaneously shaking his sleeve to launch a silver streak of flying spears into the air. After the black-and-red great sword was met by a dense array of sword shadows, it paused slightly before emitting a deep, resonant hum—then, with a single stroke, all the sword shadows were severed like crumpled paper, directly striking the body of the great sword. The yellow great sword emitted a cry of distress, and at the point where it had been struck by the blade, a crack instantly appeared across its body. The strange figure paled, gasping and spitting out a goblet of black blood. Fortunately, just then, the flying fork arrived precisely at that spot, flickered to reveal a shimmering silver aura, and promptly assisted the great sword in countering the descending blow of the great blade. Yet it was clear that even with this exceptional silver fork, the two treasures could not withstand the force of the blade for long—lightning flashed across the giant figure's body, and he began to stagger, ready to fall to one side. From afar, the black-robed woman observed the scene, her expression darkening. With a single hand, she struck at an empty spot in the sky above the palace. Instantly, a low groan echoed, and a faint white figure stumbled into view—none other than the senior elder Yet at this moment he appeared expressionless, with a fine wound of blood emerging from his chest—precisely at the heart—yet strangely, he seemed unharmed.