"I may not fear your Tianlan Sacred Temple, but as for planting the Sacred Beast Seal and joining your Temple—well, I'll simply accept that. How could I possibly know what strange elements lie hidden within this so-called Sacred Beast Seal? As long as you no longer pursue me, that will be sufficient. Of course, if you truly prove ungrateful and insist on pressing your claims further, do not blame me for being merciless." Han Li gazed steadily at the Yuan'ing of the Xu-named young man, speaking calmly. "That's entirely natural. With your current prowess, how could your Tianlan Sacred Temple fail to uphold its word? Would you kindly release our Sacred Princess first?" The Xu-named young man beamed with relief and spoke eagerly. "Wait a moment—my conditions are not yet complete." Han Li snorted, speaking with a touch of impatience. "What further conditions does Brother Han have, please state them at your convenience?" The Xu-named young man blinked in surprise, then his expression grew serious. "I will return your Sacred Beast Avatar, but not immediately. It will likely take several years to accomplish this." "Rest assured, I can promise you that I will not harm this sacred beast." Han Li's face revealed a strange expression. "Unable to return the sacred beast's fragment immediately? That... that won't be easy." Upon hearing this, the young man with the Xu surname hesitated. "This is only the first matter. The second is that, as a guarantee that you won't regret your decision later, I shall place certain seals upon both you and this holy maiden's Yuan-Infant stage. Please rest assured—these are not divine-sealing techniques. At our level of cultivation, such techniques would be ineffective. By the way, I have just obtained the method for refining the ancient secret technique known as 'Chì Niàn Shén Léi.' All you need to do is have the Yuan-Infant absorb a single drop of this lightning infused with my divine consciousness." Han Li paid no attention to the young man's expression, speaking calmly. "'Chì Niàn Shén Léi'? This absolutely won't work!" The young man was startled and exclaimed without hesitation. "If you insist, I shall erase you both from this world and then journey to the Tianlan Grassland, taking the opportunity when the three immortal masters are un Then I'll return to the southern lands and inform the Muling people. I believe they'll be delighted to be able to return to the grasslands once again. By that time, even whether the Tuhu clan will still exist on this world is uncertain—let alone the Tianlan Temple itself." Han Li spoke calmly. "How dare you do this?" The Xu-family young Yuan-Enlightened, upon hearing this, felt a cold shiver rise from his back, his astonishment and anger mounting as he shouted. "Why shouldn't I? The very matter of joining the Temple and planting the sacred beast's seal that you mentioned earlier was merely a way to bind my hands. As for methods to circumvent this seal and deal with me directly—there are already many, far beyond just a few. Moreover, I've never been accustomed to having others control me. Everything in my life must remain under my own command. You refused the Chini True Thunder seal, and I won't easily let this opportunity pass. I will only allow you to vanish completely from this world. Very well, then, I give you one final chance. When I have bent all five fingers, and you still haven't spoken in agreement, I shall consider your refusal and act Han Li showed no intention of lingering, slightly lifting his hand and withdrawing his thumb, then spoke coldly. "How can I know that after planting the true lightning, you won't strike us at the opportune moment?" The young man with the Xu surname appeared startled, yet still refused to give up. "Do I need to go through all this trouble just to eliminate you now?" Han Li sneered, exhaled a "two," and then bent another finger. "But..." The Yuan婴 stood atop the peacock's head, murmuring continuously while his eyes darted around, as if trying to gauge whether there was still a chance to escape. Yet, without realizing it, Gui Ling had already moved to the other side of the Lingxi peacock, glaring at the Yuan婴 with an unwelcoming gaze. The Xu youth's heart sank suddenly. With all three of them now locked onto him, escaping as a Yuan婴 was nothing short of a dream. "Four." In a moment, Han Li bent his fourth finger, leaving only his little finger on his palm. Almost at the same time, Gui Ling and the humanoid automaton no longer concealed their surging momentum, and an astonishing spiritual pressure began pressing relentlessly upon Lingxi Peacock. With a simple gesture, Gui Ling's silver axe materialized in his hands, while the humanoid automaton held his thunder-and-flame bow, its red glow intensifying, and the golden lightning bamboo arrows on the bow flickering with jade-like luminescence, steadfastly aimed at the distant Lingxi Peacock. As for Han Li, he remained expressionless, flipping his other hand with a subtle motion—his spirit light flashed, and the three-flame fan instantly floated before him. With a gentle flick, symbols surged and rolled across the fan's surface, radiating three-toned glows and emitting a clear, resonant phoenix call. Seeing this, the young man with the Xu surname, whose Yuan-En stage aura had suddenly turned pale, could barely breathe, though his mouth remained tightly shut. Han Li's eyes glowed with a cold, sharp intensity, like blades, and his lips parted as if about to utter the character "Wu." "Well, Xu," finally recognizing Han Li's firm determination in his gaze, the young man gritted his teeth and said, Han Li nodded, his eyes flashing with intent, as he pressed a hand seal and emitted a sound of ancient incantation. After a while, his face paled, and a luminous orb the size of a bean emerged from between his brows—seeming to be wrapped in something—drifting gently toward the Xu-named young cultivator's Yuan婴. His other hand, still holding the three-flame fan, continued to hum softly, with no diminishment of magical power. Clearly, he had deliberately maintained this vigilance to prevent the Xu-named young cultivator from seizing the initiative. Gui Ling and the humanoid automaton likewise remained alert, even strengthening their presence in the Xu-named young cultivator's perception. They firmly locked onto the Yuan婴, offering no room for maneuver. The Xu-named young cultivator sighed inwardly, gazing intently at the white orb. The outside appeared hazy white, while within, faint flashes of five-colored spiritual light shimmered—exactly the appearance described in ancient lore of the Chi-Nian True Thunder. It could not be mistaken. The Chi-Nian True Thunder arrived swiftly, yet was momentarily held back by the five-colored light aura. After a moment's hesitation, facing Han Li's piercing, icy gaze, the young Xu finally had no choice but to gently send the white light sphere into the luminous aura. Indeed, after a flash of white light, the sphere vanished entirely, absorbed into the Yuan婴's body. The young Xu immediately used his spiritual awareness to carefully inspect the condition of his Yuan婴. Yet, nothing out of the ordinary was found—the Chi-Nian True Thunder seemed to have simply disappeared as if by magic. Far from feeling reassured, the young Xu grew even more alarmed. It was said that the Chi-Nian True Thunder was formed by the concentration of a cultivator's spiritual awareness and could appear or vanish without trace. Now, it seemed the tale was true. With this, how could he possibly find a way to expel it in the future? At that moment, Han Li spoke calmly, "My friend, do not insist on forcibly removing it. This ancient secret technique cannot simply be undone by sheer strength of magical power. As long as you remain patient and composed, I will not activate this restriction. Should it ever erupt, please do not blame me for not having warned you in advance." The young Xu cultivator at the Yuan Ying stage frowned deeply upon hearing this. Han Li turned his head and glanced at the unconscious Tian Lan holy maiden, furrowed his brows, and after a moment's hesitation, shook his head and performed the same ritual, channeling another Chi Nian Divine Thunder into her Yuan Ying. Sadly, the maiden remained unconscious and thus unknowingly had the seal implanted by Han Li. "You don't intend to kill us, do you? Then shall you merely use this seal to hold us hostage and control us indefinitely?" the young Xu cultivator searched once more through his divine awareness within her Yuan Ying, but found nothing. With growing frustration, he muttered bitterly. "Hostage-taking? Perhaps that's true. But rest assured—so long as you remain obedient and assist me within the Kunwu Mountain, we will part ways once we leave this mountain. You will continue as senior monks and the holy maiden of the Tian Lan Temple, and I shall return to the southern heavens to continue my cultivation. As for this Chi Nian True Thunder—within three or four centuries, it will naturally fade away." Han Li replied calmly. "Three or four centuries!" The young Xu cultivator was utterly speechless. "Alright. We've already wasted enough time here—now it's time to act." Han Li glanced at the still unconscious Lin Yinping, then casually flicked his sleeve, sending a ripple of emerald light sweeping over her. As the emerald glow enveloped her, her eyelids fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her beautiful eyes. Upon seeing Han Li standing beside her, she was startled and, without hesitation, swayed slightly, stepping several dozen paces away, then immediately launched a stream of silver flying swords, remaining on high alert. "Lin friend, wait!" The young Xu cultivator, already at the元婴 stage, naturally wouldn't allow Lin Yinping to move freely, and quickly stepped in to stop her. He then swiftly transmitted a message through a whisper. Han Li did not intervene, simply keeping his hands behind his back, expression neutral. Gui Ling returned to Han Li's side, while the humanoid automaton vanished once again, at the mere movement of Han Li's consciousness. Yet in an instant, it seemed as though the Tianlan Saint Maiden had already sensed the restriction of the Chi-Nian True Thunder spell planted within her, her complexion suddenly pale, her eyes betraying unmistakable alarm. As Han Li observed this, his gaze flickered several times, and he was about to speak when suddenly a tremendous roar echoed through the air, causing the entire space to tremble. At the moment Han Li was momentarily stunned, a thick sword-like aura suddenly burst forth from the barrier where they had previously been trapped, wavered slightly, and then instantly revealed a massive opening of about one zhang in diameter. From within, two streaks of brilliant light shot out, spiraled once, and then settled near Han Li and his companions—revealing two figures: one a scholarly man in a dark blue robe, and the other a woman. This person was Master Qiuli, a senior elder of the Tianmo Sect. Since the Tianmo Sect and the Tianlan Temple had mutual interests, Master Qiuli, who was also acquainted with Lin Yinping, the holy daughter of the Tianlan Temple, shared a certain level of familiarity with her. In fact, the miraculous mirror capable of revealing illusionary transformations—originally lent to her by Master Qiuli—was the very item in question. Beside her stood an elderly Taoist with white hair and a ruddy complexion, exuding a serene and refined aura—none other than Xuan Qingzi of the Taigong Sect. Upon seeing the young lady, the elder approached with a warm smile and greeted her, yet as his gaze swept over Han Li and the others, a growing sense of surprise gradually settled upon his face. "Miss Lin, could you tell me who these two esteemed Taoist friends are? Xu Daoist has sent his spiritual bird here, yet I do not see Brother Xu himself. May I ask, why?" the elder said, his smile fading slightly, and asked with a touch of wonder.