Before the wave of fire from the phoenix ravens reached the opposite side, the wind-and-thunder wings on Han Li's back suddenly shimmered, and he instantly vanished into a silver arc right where he stood. The man, who had been startled and furious upon seeing the toxic mist broken, was even more astonished by this sudden development. He immediately extended his awareness and, at the same time, pressed hand seals, launching a shimmering green silk net from his body—resembling a spider's web—that enveloped a radius of over fifteen zhang centered on himself. Just then, a thunderclap rang out, and Han Li materialized suddenly several zhang behind the man. As the green net trembled, it swiftly descended like a curtain. A golden grid of electricity surged across Han Li's body, facing directly toward the green net. The green filaments, upon contact, instantly dissolved. The male spirit-being gasped in shock and immediately flashed with luminous energy, preparing to flee. At that moment, a surge of three-colored flames erupted, forcefully striking toward him. The male spirit radiance surged forth, aiming to temporarily repel the fire and buy himself time to escape. However, upon a deep, resonant boom, vibrant tricolor glows erupted between the two. As the radiant light expanded and contracted, it enveloped the man completely. A piercing cry escaped him as he was instantly encased in the three-hued flames and vaporized into a thin, silvery mist, vanishing without a trace. The power of the Three-Flame Fan was even the silver-winged night-dragon beast dared not meet head-on—let alone this mere eighth-rank beast. This sight left the snake-like female spirit, who had failed to intervene in time, shivering from head to toe. Though her abilities surpassed those of the man, once the man had effortlessly eliminated his companion with a simple gesture, she knew this creature would not require much effort to overcome. Without hesitation, the beast unleashed a surge of crimson light, which then burst forth with a sharp "pop," instantly transforming into several blazing red fire serpents that shot out in all directions, fleeing swiftly. Han Li was momentarily stunned, but then a cold smile spread across his lips. He poured his spiritual energy into his eyes, and a brilliant blue glow erupted deep within his pupils. After a sweeping gaze, his eyes locked onto one of the fire serpents. With a flick of his back wings—wind and thunder—his form vanished into the thunderous roar. Silver flashes continued to ripple, and after several bursts of lightning, Han Li materialized directly above the head of the fire serpent, his gaze icy and unwavering. The crimson fire serpent raised its head, its eyes reflecting shock. Without a word, it opened its mouth and expelled a bright red glow, forming a round orb the size of a thumb, aimed straight at Han Li—this was the fire essence pearl it had cultivated for countless years. Han Li pressed his lips together, a faint smile playing on his face. With one hand, he gently reached out, making a subtle gesture in the air. "Zzha!" A purple flame shot from his hand, then transformed into a purple flame hand, which seized the orb firmly. A series of explosive sounds rang out in the hands, red light and purple flames intertwining and flickering before falling into stillness. The fire serpent beneath shivered, its surging flames dimming instantly. Startled, it prepared to once again activate its evasive technique and flee. Yet at that moment, Han Li's eyes flashed with murderous intent. With a quick gesture of his hands, the purple fire hand swelled several times and plunged downward, seizing the serpent. Before the serpent could launch its attack, it felt a sudden chill all over its body, its entire form locked in place, utterly immobile. It realized with growing concern that though the massive purple hand had not yet reached it, a series of slender purple cold currents had already wrapped around it, one after another. These cold currents, though unlikely to truly immobilize a near-nineth-level beast so swiftly, had already closed in by the time the hand descended. With no choice, the serpent desperately expelled a fiery orb mixed with its essence and blood. Yet the flame only trembled slightly before being firmly caught by the hand at its seven-inch mark. Layers of violet ice spread out, instantly extinguishing the last flicker of fire on the serpent's body, sealing it into a massive block of ice that shimmered with a brilliant purple glow under the sunlight, exquisitely beautiful. The large purple hand then vanished seamlessly into thin air. Han Li's sleeve trembled slightly, and several beams of golden light shot out, circling the violet ice several times. As the golden light flashed, the giant ice block—along with the fire serpent within—shattered into dozens of pieces, and a beam of green light shot forth. But having anticipated this, Han Li swiftly activated his sword technique, and simultaneously, several golden arcs surged from among the surrounding dozen flying swords, forming a golden shield that enclosed the green light. The golden arcs then contracted, condensing into a golden sphere that locked the green light within. Han Li raised his hand, summoning a black jade bottle. A cascade of light radiated from the mouth of the bottle, drawing the golden sphere into it, which Han Li then calmly collected. In the blue mist seeping through the ice cracks, silver light flashed, and Bai Yao Yi shot upward from below, gazing at the scene before her, her face expressing a touch To be sure, from the moment she ducked down to the lower level until she reappeared soaring upward to the Sixteenth Opening, it had only been a brief moment—yet the two transformed immortal beasts had been effortlessly slain by Han Li. The strength of these two beasts was well known to her. Though only ranked at the eighth level, each one was actually no less than a mid-stage cultivator of the Wu Ying stage, otherwise she would not have been so disheveled, being pursued all the way. Though she had anticipated Han Li's great powers, the ease with which he had eliminated both beasts still left her quite astonished. As Bai Yao Yi stood slightly stunned, Han Li gently returned, having simultaneously retrieved the centipedes and the gold-eating insects into his spiritual beast bag. "Lady Bai, it seems your poisoning is rather severe," Han Li remarked, frowning slightly at her face. "I didn't expect the venomous mist of these beasts to be so potent—it has managed to penetrate even my protective barrier. Fortunately, I've already taken a pill of 'Hundred Herbs Elixir,' and with just another half-day of stillness, I should be able to expel the poison." Bai Yao Yi regained her composure and spoke "Han was just finishing his elixir refinement as well. If your arrival had been a bit earlier, I truly couldn't have made it free to assist you," Han Li smiled gently. "Then, I must say, my fortune truly seems quite favorable!" Bai Yao smiled gracefully. "But how did the White Immortal encounter these two fully-formed immortal beasts? Didn't you say that high-ranking beasts rarely appear near the North Sea Island?" Han Li glanced around curiously. "This story is quite lengthy. This place isn't suitable for long stays—we shall depart soon. I'll explain everything in detail to you on the way." Bai Yao suddenly remembered something, her expression changing dramatically. "Indeed? Are there more such creatures? How many, exactly?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, a glint of keen interest flashing in his gaze. "Not just a few! I believe this time, our small palace is in for quite a serious predicament," Bai Yao sighed with a wry smile. Hearing the lady speak thus, Han Li felt a sudden sense of alertness, yet remained composed on the surface, nodding gently. "Since the White Lady has spoken so, let us first return to your palace. However, the Daoist currently suffers from a severe poison—she may not be able to move immediately. Allow me to lend a hand to the White Daoist!" "Then I most sincerely thank you, Master!" White Yao Yi expressed her delight. Subsequently, the two proceeded one after the other, flying into the blue mist below. Near the ice fissure, silence settled. Two hours later, two streaks of green and silver light burst forth from the fissure, vanishing swiftly into the sky with the sound of rushing air. Half a day later, a dark, ink-black cloud rolled in from another direction, enveloping the area within several li of the fissure. A moment later, a loud, startled roar erupted within the cloud, causing it to surge and ripple with thunder and lightning. Suddenly, a cold, gusty wind swept through the air, and the cloud vanished completely, leaving no trace. Several days later, Han Li and Bai Yaoyi returned to Xiao Ji Gong and appeared together before Han Li's person, standing within the grand hall composed entirely of ice that had lasted for ten thousand years—the very hall where Han Li had visited previously. "Brother Bai, you're certain? They truly have become intertwined?" At this moment, Han Li's face was solemn, his brows tightly furrowed. "That magnificent azure-backed wolf is one of the two foremost figures in Wan Yao Valley, ranking alongside the ten-thousand-year-old corpse bear. How could I possibly have mistaken it? Moreover, the two level-eight beasts pursuing me clearly aren't from the Ice Sea origin—this makes the mistake even less likely!" Bai Yaoyi's face was equally tense, and she spoke without hesitation. "So it appears that Wan Yao Valley has indeed allied with the Ice Sea beasts. This time, they seem determined to make their move. Brother Han, thank you for your assistance to Sister Bai. I believe you must be quite weary—please take good care of yourself and rest well at the Guest Hall." Han Li's expression softened toward Han Li, and surprisingly, he offered him a formal farewell. Han Li rose calmly and departed, showing not the slightest hesitation or delay. "Within two days, I'll introduce you to two other fellow cultivators," said Han Li suddenly. "Both of them are well-known independent cultivators from our Great Jin Dynasty—surely you'll become close friends with them!" "Understood, thank you for the kind offer!" Han Li nodded casually, then with a flash of light, vanished into the passageway without a trace. Only after the glow of light had faded from the hall did Han Li turn to Bai Yao Yi and say seriously, "Sibling, send a message to summon all the elders still residing in the palace here. We must discuss this matter thoroughly, and immediately reinforce the security forces by doubling their numbers!" "Yes, Elder!" Bai Yao Yi nodded, then flipped her hand, and a stack of message scrolls appeared in her grasp. Han Li then returned to his temporary quarters, ascended to the second floor, and settled into a meditative posture. On the way back, Bai Yaoyi briefly recounted to him the events she had encountered during Han Li's period of refining elixirs. It turned out that, while on patrol at a certain location, she had discovered a gathering of high-ranking, fully-formed immortal beasts. Among them were both those from the Ice Sea and those from inland regions, with a leading figure being Qing Bei Cang Lang, a deputy chief of Wan Yao Valley, and the renowned fearsome creature 'Dual-Headed Black Dragon' from the Ice Sea. However, before she could gather any concrete details, the beasts had spotted her, prompting her to swiftly retreat and fly away. Whether these beasts had other matters to attend to or simply decided to pursue her, the two serpent beasts proved more than sufficient—while the others did not follow. As a result, halfway through her escape, she engaged in a fierce battle with the two serpent beasts, ultimately suffering from poisoning and only managed to reach Han Li in safety. After Han Li employed a minor spell, he defeated the two serpent beasts. Now, he sits with his eyes slightly closed, calm in appearance yet deeply contemplative, his mind uncertain and actively weighing the matter.