This scene startled the silver-winged yaksha who was engaged in combat with another monster at the side, causing him to tremble. Without hesitation, he shook his wings and shifted his stance, activating a Wind Release technique. The statue emitted a cold hiss, then, with a single hand, reached out into the void in the direction where the silver-winged yaksha had vanished. "Boom!" A massive claw, glowing with dark eyes, materialized in the space above, gently descending and lightly scooping downward. A surge of green light erupted within the claw, effortlessly shattering the Wind Release technique. The silver-winged yaksha appeared within the reach of the claw. Yet at this moment, the corpse-bound yaksha found his silver wings and entire body encased in a subtle black aura, completely immobile as the claw approached. Overcome with shock and fury, the silver-winged yaksha ignited his determination to fight to the last. As the claw neared his body, he suddenly unleashed a sharp roar, causing countless gray filaments to burst forth from his surface. These filaments exploded immediately upon leaving his body. A cascade of gray light flashed, and a thunderous roar erupted, creating a truly impressive display. But as soon as the magical grasp closed, a flash of black light surged, and the gray glow and explosive sounds—like they had encountered their match—were instantly extinguished, vanishing without a trace. Black magical flames erupted around the silver-winged night warrior, and that powerful spectral body was completely reduced to a great heap of ashes, even the spirit failing to escape in time. Then, the magical grasp vanished in a swift flicker. Two powerful beings, each at the late Yuan Ying stage, were effortlessly eliminated by the magical image. The last remnants of doubt among the others were now completely dispelled. Even if the magical image were not truly formed by the divine consciousness of the Yuan Sha Saint Ancestor, it would still be beyond the reach of any other ancient magical saints from the Ancient Magic Realm who had arrived in this world. Immediately, a cold dread settled in their hearts, and everyone scattered in panic, retreating or vanishing into the shadows, fearing that the next target would be seized by the image. Han Li was no less eager to remain in place; as soon as the thunder roared behind him, he hurriedly transformed into a silver arc of lightning and sped off. However, upon flashing into view twenty paces away, he suddenly heard a startled female voice in his mind. "Where is Xue Ling? Quickly release her and merge with me to form Linglong—only then do we stand any chance of saving our lives," came the voice of Long Meng, who had taken possession of Huatianqi. It seemed that even this usually composed fairy queen had finally grown alarmed by the appearance of the magical statue. "Fusion!" Han Li was startled upon hearing this, his face expressing hesitation. At that very moment, the magical statue above the altar turned its gaze toward the distant Lingxi Peacock and emitted a soft exclamation. "Huh! The Lingxi Peacock, with its five-colored radiance! I never thought such a rare celestial bird existed in the human realm. Fortunately, I just need this radiance—perfect!" The magical statue murmured, and with unwavering precision, pointed toward the ancient peacock now possessed by a young man with the surname Xu. The Xu youth, naturally, was startled beyond measure. He drove his spiritual bird toward a corner of the space, transforming it into a streak of light as he fled, while at the same time gritting his teeth and forcefully channeling the true essence of energy from his immortal embryo into the peacock's body. A deep, resonant sound echoed—bright, vibrant hues of five colors burst forth, forming a thick, tangible layer of luminous aura that enveloped the peacock, its radiance so intense it seemed like the sun itself, making it impossible to look directly at. Yet, the statue smiled faintly, a cold chuckle playing at the corners of its lips. With a gentle flick of its finger and a lightly drawn, effortless grasp, it moved. A tremendous roar erupted—the five-colored aura buckled and indented, and the peacock, along with the shield, was hurled into the air. Before the peacock could even roll and regain balance, a massive magical claw flashed into existence in the void, seized the peacock in a lightning-fast motion, and brought it Yet beneath the encircling magenta flame held by the magical claw, the five-colored light shield still seemed to stubbornly hold on. Upon seeing this, the magical statue's purple eyes flashed with fury, and black light rippled—immediately, the five fingers of the claw closed tightly, and the light shield, like dough, was compressed and deformed. A cry of distress followed, and then the five-colored shield shattered abruptly. "NO!" Xing Youth gasped in alarm. But as soon as the true form of the spirit peacock emerged, it was instantly torn and burst apart by the magical claw. With a sudden "whoosh," the Xu Youth's Yuan-Infant stage seized the fleeting moment and instantly teleported out of the claw's grasp, only to materialize twenty or so zhang away. Yet the magical statue seemed to have anticipated the exact point of his teleportation, and had already launched a strike toward that very spot in advance. This time, even before the Xu Youth could utter a cry of pain, his Yuan-Infant stage mysteriously exploded. The great celestial master of Tianlan Grassland had thus vanished completely from the world. With all this clearly visible, even the senior monks Xuan Qingzi and Qiyao Zhiren—leaders of the foremost sects of the Celestial and Demon realms—began to show signs of panic. This Demon statue's powers were truly overwhelming; under its might, they had no ability to withstand even a single strike. Should things continue like this, it would not be long before several of them were utterly annihilated in a single breath. Suddenly, a calm voice from Yin Yue echoed in Han Li's consciousness. "Yin Yue, what are you talking about? How do you know that after the fusion, we'll truly recover? Moreover, your consciousness is currently far weaker than his—after the fusion, it will surely be dominated by his." Han Li was startled and spoke sharply without hesitation. "Master, we can't afford to delay this matter now. If neither of us fuses our immortal essences with Lóng Mèng Ruò, we face certain death. In that case, it's better to take the risk and try." Yin Yue spoke calmly. Then, with a movement of her sleeve, a white fox shot forth and flew straight toward "Huā Tiān Qí" at the other end. Seeing this, Huā Tiān Qí also took heart and sped toward them. Han Li remained in place, his face pale, yet he kept his lips sealed and said nothing. After all, Yin Yue's reasoning was indeed the most sound choice. At that moment, as Xu's young Yuan-Enping was extinguished, the Lingxi Peacock's spirit, riding upon the demonic heart, attempted to flee from the monster's grasp. Yet before it could clear the monster's reach, it was suddenly enveloped by a sheet of black light and instantly dissolved into nothingness. However, the Peacock's remains gave a soft hiss, then were swiftly engulfed by a surge of fierce magical flames, turning into ash within moments. Yet within the monster's grasp, a patch of five-colored spiritual radiance emerged. This radiance was exceptionally clear and luminous, shimmering as if tangible. As soon as it appeared, it was immediately seized by the monster's claw and then vanished without a trace in an instant. The next moment, the claw flashed out from atop the magical statue, holding the radiance steady in midair. The statue raised its head and gazed at the five-colored glow, its face suddenly brightening with delight. It then exhaled a thick, ink-like magical wind. As this wind swept the radiance into its path, it swiftly coalesced and contracted, shrinking in a matter of moments into a luminous orb the size of a thumb. Gazing at the pearl, the magical statue raised its hand to take it into its grasp, then turned and tossed it to the black-armored woman behind. With a calm voice, it said, "This pearl proves useful to me. When you have the chance, pass it on to the ancient magic realm. Do not lose it easily." The black-armored woman nodded, her face briefly expressing surprise, but without hesitation, she caught the pearl. After a quick glance, she closed her hands with a flash of dark light, and the pearl vanished—its destination unknown. Han Li's heart sank. With a subtle shift of his spirit awareness, the humanoid automaton flashed forward, stepping in front of him. Then, with a single hand motion, the Yuan Gang shield that had previously floated before him suddenly flew into the automaton's grasp. As the shield shimmered, a brilliant silver light shield instantly enveloped Han Li and the shield within. At the same time, with a gesture of his other hand, vibrant hues of five colors rippled across his body. Han Li himself swiftly flipped his hand, causing his three-flame fan to rise into his palm, while his other hand pointed toward the massive sword spiraling above his head. He even activated the power of the Dharma Shield, originally designed to defend against the Five Sons of Magic, allowing the technique of Ming Wang Jue to run to its utmost, transforming his own body into that of a diamond. These consecutive actions were completed almost within the blink of an eye, yet still, he felt no sense of reassurance. He was well aware that such seemingly invincible defenses could be effortlessly shattered by the subtle movements of this Yuan Shaka Saint Ancestor—something entirely unsurprising. For, his greatest reliance in countering the opponent's attacks still rested upon two rather sluggish, uncooperative elements within himself. "Divine Thunder of Purification!" The magical statue blinked its purple eyes, observing the golden arcs dancing upon the golden lotus, its tone slightly astonished, yet its fingers never paused, striking two clear, resonant "thumps" directly at Han Li. Though the sounds were not loud, after the first strike, the golden lotus formed by the Qingzhú Fengyun Sword suddenly developed a massive rupture, causing the brilliant silver shield to sink inward and crack progressively, until it finally struck the luminous barrier generated by the Dharma Shield. The golden veil flashed several times, then suddenly shattered with a crisp sound. In that very instant, Han Li's blue glow flickered, and finally made out what had struck him. With a single sweep of his three-flame fan, he faced the object, his face expressing disbelief. (Second chapter!