"How is it, you know this corpse-tempered creature?" "Sort of," Guiling replied honestly after a moment's hesitation. "What do you mean?" Han Li turned back, his eyes flashing. "It used to be a spiritual beast before it became a corpse-tempered one. We actually had some acquaintance with it back then. Its master was also a human cultivator who descended from the Spirit Realm to the Human Realm. However, since we've been sealed within Kunwu Mountain, we haven't seen it since—nor do we know how it transformed into a corpse-tempered creature." Guiling explained. "So its original form was indeed a spiritual beast from the Spirit Realm?" Han Li's expression brightened. "Exactly. When human cultivators descended from the Spirit Realm, their cultivation levels were limited, and so were the spiritual beasts they brought with them. Among the several beasts that accompanied us down, we were only allowed to descend after our original memories were erased." Guiling sighed. "Erased of memory? You don't even remember it at all?" Han Li's expression grew serious, yet a sense of disappointment crept in. He had indeed originally hoped to learn some things about the spiritual realm from Gui Ling. "Besides knowing that he came from the spiritual world, he had absolutely no memories of the spiritual realm at all." Gui Ling also showed a touch of wistfulness. Han Li remained silent, but as he thought it over, he suddenly remembered Yin Yue. Yin Yue's status was no ordinary one—she should have some memories of the spiritual realm, right? His thoughts stirred again, yet he quickly pushed the matter aside. At this moment, it wasn't the time to dwell on such matters. His instinctive gaze swept toward other areas. After stepping out of the barrier, the space had become strangely eerie. It was utterly empty—no figures in sight. Not only had the eight spiritual rulers, originally floating above the palace, vanished, but even the black wind banner, which had previously sealed them in, had disappeared without a trace. That explained why they had broken through the seal so effortlessly. All over the ground lay immense craters and long, furrow-like claw marks stretching several zhang in length, as though the entire area had been roughly torn and gripped by some colossal beast. A significant portion of the palace had been completely shattered into ruins, bearing clear signs of a fierce and devastating battle. Han Li's divine awareness had already swept through the palace wreckage, yet the spiritual isolation barrier still in place within the palace prevented him from detecting anything of immediate significance. This, however, brought him a sense of relief—after all, the immense pressure exerted by Yuan Sha, the Saint Ancestor, had been overwhelming. Should he face this demon directly, he was certain he would fall short. Nevertheless, the only teleportation array now left had transported him into the space enclosed by the Hei Feng Flag's barrier, leaving no other means of departure but to find a new way. With a flicker of his gaze, Han Li began to ponder his escape strategy. "Friend Han, if you would lend your assistance to me and Xu brother, I shall personally shoulder the grievances between you and our Tian Lan Temple as the Saint's daughter. Thus, our long-standing disputes between your faction and the Tian Lan Grasslands shall be fully resolved." At that moment, Lin Yinping suddenly cried out anxiously to Han Li, her voice filled with urgency. "I have already been pursued by you all for so long—what further grudges can there possibly be to settle? I have no interest in fighting!" Han Li replied coldly, firmly refusing. "Han brother, don't forget—we came to the Great Jin Empire precisely because of you. If I and Xu Xian-shi perish here, do you think the other three senior xian-shi would easily give up?" Hearing this, Han Li chuckled and glanced over at the blood sea. Lin Yinping was now channeling brilliant silver light from the silk handkerchief in her hands, momentarily pushing back the deadly soul threads, though her face had turned pale—clearly beginning to employ her secret techniques to draw upon her latent potential and enhance the power of her法宝. Xu, the young man with the Xu surname, who had been ambushed first and then trapped in the blood sea, though his two法宝 had shown considerable strength, now seemed to be faltering, their power waning rapidly. In contrast, the most promising situation belonged to the Lingxi peacock, whose body shimmered with vibrant hues of five colors. Though this ancient spirit bird could not yet break free from the purple mist, the lion-beast also found itself momentarily at a loss. After all, the bird's most formidable attack—golden waves—was precisely neutralized by the five-colored spiritual light. No matter how many golden waves struck the light, they instantly dispersed and vanished. "Ms. Lin is now speaking with such eloquence and charm that I still have no intention of stepping in. Honestly, if it weren't for the two of you appearing to be in imminent peril, I would have already seized the opportunity to strike a blow. Should those three senior immortals truly come to claim their share, I wouldn't mind giving them a demonstration of my own powers." Han Li replied calmly and unhurriedly. This was no mere formality. Following his decisive victory over the ancient demon, Han Li now had a clearer sense of his own capabilities. With nearly autonomous humanoid puppets and the fully obedient Gui Ling at his side, he could easily hold his own against three or four cultivators at the late Yuan-Ying stage, without being outmatched. Moreover, it would have been highly unlikely for all three of Tianlan's great master cultivators to have left the grasslands and come seeking them out. Unless they truly intended to sever their own lineage's fate. After all, should the Mulan people learn of this, the Tuyu people would face an imminent threat of extinction. With this clearly understood, Han Li regarded the threat posed by this Tianlan holy maiden as utterly insignificant. The white-haired corpse-cultivator who had initially been somewhat concerned suddenly relaxed upon hearing this, breaking into a series of odd, hearty laughs. "Master Han truly is a man of sound judgment. I have not even laid a hand on you, so how could you have been caught by such minor techniques? You two should simply remain calm and surrender." On the surface, Han Li showed no change in expression, yet within, he quietly scoffed. When the four-dispersed true cultivator, who had transformed into her, had subtly revealed a hint of her corpse-cultivator identity through a secret technique during the barrier, it had been immediately detected by the啼魂 beast inside the bag. He was startled and naturally caught the transmission from this spirit and the silver-winged night-warden. Leveraging his slightly stronger divine awareness compared to late Yuan-Ying stage cultivators, he quietly listened to a portion of their conversation without making a sound. To avoid drawing the attention of these two spirits, he dared not forcefully intrude upon their consciousness, and thus only grasped a vague impression. Yet even this partial understanding revealed that the white-haired corpse-spirit intended to ally with the silver-winged night-wardens, break through the barrier, and then strike at the human cultivators who had already stepped out of the valley—when the others were most emotionally stirred and least vigilant. Whether the targeted human was an unexpected arrival or part of Han Li’s group was of no consequence to them. Han Li had merely delayed his departure slightly, which caused the Xu-named youth and Lin Yinping’s group to suffer. Therefore, Han Li had no reason to be particularly displeased with them. Though he had never personally seen this white-haired corpse spirit, a spirit creature of Yuan Ying late stage cultivation who had grown into such a form, there could only be one—Wan Nian Shi Xiong from Wan Yao Valley. For decades, this spirit had been renowned among the great clans of the Dai Jin dynasty, having attained spiritual cultivation as far back as countless thousands of years ago. As Wan Yao Valley stood on par with Taimen and Tianmo Sect as one of the most prominent powers in Dai Jin, it was particularly intriguing that this spirit, serving as Deputy Valley Master, had manifested as a human independent cultivator here. Whether or not there truly existed such a wandering cultivator, or whether he had been slain and transformed into this form, or whether this was simply a persona assumed by the spirit itself as a human cultivator—remained a mystery. The spirit’s skill in concealing its true nature was truly extraordinary, rendering even he unable to detect its original corpse spirit identity. Yet, this concealment seemed to impose significant limitations on its cultivation—otherwise, during the initial blood-blade assault on the Yin Luo Sect’s black-robed elder, the elder’s Yuan Ying stage should have been easily captured. Han Li gazed at the ten-thousand-year-old corpse bear floating amidst the sea of blood, its body radiating an intense aura of decay, and silently pondered. Suddenly, a glint of cold light flashed in his eyes. Though he had no intention of rushing to save his former rival, he would not allow the rival to effortlessly consume the flesh and spiritual essence of a late stage Yuan-Infant stage cultivator, only to later witness the weapon's power grow stronger and turn against them. As soon as Xu's young disciple fell, that would be the moment for Han Li to seize the blade. He reasoned that even if the blade converted its power swiftly, there would still be a period of delay. During that time, it would be his prime opportunity to claim the artifact. Such an unusual and potent treasure naturally had to remain firmly in his own hands. Han Li had already made this decision with quiet resolve. Without making a sound, he subtly moved his lips. Guilin's gaze shifted slightly, yet his expression remained unchanged. "Brother Han, if you are willing to lend a hand, I would be honored to share with you the secret of fully maturing the Shijin Insect." "This condition—doesn't it always move you, friend?" A quiet, unspoken Xu-named young man suddenly took a deep breath and shouted sharply at Han Li. "The Gold-Eating Insects?" Han Li was momentarily stunned, his expression puzzled. "No way! The final method of maturing these insects is our temple's most closely guarded secret. How can we easily reveal it to outsiders?" Lin Yinping, upon hearing this, suddenly grew alarmed and voiced her opposition. "If even your life is gone, what matters now is the secret? Are you truly to be devoured by this blood blade, with no chance of rebirth or reincarnation? Moreover, if we fall, the Mulu people will seize this opportunity to launch a counteroffensive against the grasslands. In comparison, our single secret technique is nothing compared to the very fate of our own people." The Xu-named youth cut her off before she could finish, his face turning stern and pale. Upon hearing this, Lin Yinping's face turned as pale as paper, though she ultimately remained silent. Seeing Han Li's thoughtful expression, the ancient corpse bear sensed something was amiss. At once, the demon, no longer concerned with preserving its own power, pressed two hand seals and violently poured its energy into the blood glow formed by the blood-blade. Instantly, the glow surged to twice its original size and suddenly coalesced into a massive ghostly face. With a wide opening of its mouth, it rushed eagerly to engulf the Xu-family youth submerged in the lower blood sea. The Xu youth bit his teeth and, with his dual immortal embryos' eyes opening, prepared to detach and flee.