Han Li pressed two hand seals. The black small bottle spun rapidly, then inverted itself, and from within, several fierce, low growls echoed out. Immediately, five streaks of gray-white energy shot forth, momentarily forming five human-shaped skeletons of pure white, resembling jade. When these skeletons first materialized, they were only a few inches tall, but soon expanded rapidly under the wind, growing to two zhang in height, while swirling with gray-white energy, their sharp fangs exposed and emitting eerie, heart-stirring laughter. At their necks and limbs, each skeleton bore a bright silver circular ring, seemingly embedded deep within the bone. These were precisely the five "Five-Hearted" demons Han Li had forcibly subdued. As soon as the skeletons grew to their full size, they exhaled thick streams of misty magical energy, then twisted their bodies, their eyes flashing with menace, and immediately charged toward Han Li. Han Li's face darkened. With a swift incantation, five silver rings instantly flared with intense emerald flames, releasing a pungent smell of scorched flesh that caused the five magicians to recoil, emitting sharp, disoriented cries, looking utterly startled. As Han Li raised his arm and exhaled a stream of silvery thread that swept past his wrist, cutting a small wound, five droplets of blood—each the size of a thumb—spurted forth and precisely struck the mouths of the five magicians. Immediately, the green aura within their eyes shifted, and their expressions softened, becoming calm and obedient. "Go!" Han Li simply pointed into the air at a distant young man in green robes, issuing a low command. The five magicians' magical energies surged and rippled, their eyes now blazing with fierce determination, and they rose into the air. After a series of ghostly wails and cries, they transformed into five small ghost heads. These spectral beings each had pale, grim faces, emitting eerie, unsettling wailing cries as they gnawed at their food, rushing straight toward the young Xijigong elder. Even as they journeyed, they stirred a vast, swirling haze of gray and white, their momentum and grandeur overwhelming. "Five-Hearted Mages of the Same Mind! It's astonishing—Master Qian was actually defeated by you!" The middle-aged man in green robes had been momentarily stunned when the five mages first appeared, puzzled. Now, upon recognizing their true lineage, he was utterly惊 at their arrival. To be sure, the sealing of Kunwu Mountain had far-reaching implications. Though Xijigong was located in a remote region, it was still well-informed about the many developments. In this incident, not only did the Ye family—renowned as the first great family of the Great Jin dynasty—vanish entirely, but the number of Yuan-Ying stage cultivators who perished on Kunwu Mountain was unprecedented in centuries. Especially significant was the fact that Master Qian, the Grand Elder of Yin Luo Sect, also met his end on Kunwu Mountain—this alone was a seismic event across the entire Great Jin realm. And this middle-aged man in blue robe had once witnessed, years ago, the terrifying scene of the Qian Old Demon summoning the Five Demons to attack his foes. Now that the Qian Old Demon himself had fallen at this man's hands, how much more formidable must this opponent be—clearly surpassing even a late-stage Yuan婴 cultivator! The middle-aged man, who deeply understood the strength of the Five Demons, now truly felt his heart race with fear. Without hesitation, he launched his copper gong high into the air and, with a flip of his palm, revealed a pale yellow jade mallet, striking it with a gesture in the air. A clear, resonant "thud" echoed from the gong. Suddenly, patches of golden light appeared around him. A moment later, these golden lights swiftly coalesced and transformed into over a hundred yellow flying knives, each shimmering with a cold, sharp brilliance—thin and delicate, like the wings of a cicada. Then, the rhythmic gong sounds rang out in succession, and the flying knives began to spin and dance, forming an intricate, dense network of blades that instantly encased the man in blue robe, shielding him completely. Yet still unsatisfied, he shook his sleeves, and from within, the two Hu Go swords spurted out, transforming into two dark ribbons that formed a new barrier behind the blade net—completely adopting the posture of a turtle retreating into its shell. It seemed that the arrival of the Five Ghosts had utterly shattered the young man’s resolve, leaving him solely focused on surviving the onslaught. As the five ghost heads moved through the eerie, mournful sounds, they reached the young man’s presence in an instant. With all five ghost mouths opening wide, a surge of gray-white magical energy engulfed him, and then, as the ghost heads flickered, they too plunged into the mist, exploding with a series of crackling sounds and ghostly cries. Upon issuing his command to the Five Ghosts, Han Li immediately turned away, no longer looking back. With their combined powers, the Five Ghosts were capable of standing against late Yuan-Stage cultivators, and thus, defeating a mid-stage cultivator was no challenge at all. In contrast, both Bai Mengxin and Han Li the Elder found their expressions no better than that of the young man upon first encountering Han Li’s Five Ghosts. Though they had never seen the Wufu before, upon witnessing the five magi's fierce and ominous appearances and hearing the middle-aged man in blue robe name them, they instantly recognized these formidable beings. Although Master Han Li held confidence in his own powers and felt no fear of the five magi, his spell-casting was at a critical moment, leaving him unable to respond otherwise. In contrast, White Mengxin was struck with astonishment, her hands momentarily still, and her spell that had already been half-cast naturally paused. It seemed clear now that she had realized ordinary spells could do nothing to threaten Han Li—they would merely waste her own magical energy. Yet she received not a single moment of respite. Immediately, without a word, she pressed her palms together in a seal, her body flickered, and suddenly manifested four identical azure shadows, dividing them into two waves that surged toward Bai Mengxin and Han Li's master. Meanwhile, Han Li remained motionless at his original spot, merely brushing his sleeves to retrieve the floating Xitian Ding from before him. As the three-colored flames danced, a fan slid smoothly into the other hand. With a powerful flap of his backwind and thunder wings, Han Li vanished into a silver arc right there. Bai Mengxin was startled. Having witnessed Han Li's instantaneous teleportation through the use of his wind and thunder wings in previous illusions, she dared not slight him at all. As for these four seemingly blurred, phantom-like duplicates, she found it hard to tell whether they were actual manifestations or pure illusions, and she was determined not to let them approach unimpeded. At once, she snapped several slender, pale fingers. A series of crisp crackling sounds echoed as four beams of crystalline light flashed, swiftly piercing toward the four figures in jade-green robes—unidentified objects resembling sharp, cone-shaped treasures. Then, the woman shifted her stance, and in the next instant, she materialized upon the massive stone beneath, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the cold, silver-clad elder. White Mengxin's expression grew serious as she pressed her palms together in a series of gestures; suddenly, a layer of white ice-flame surged up from her body. Under the impetus of a single incantation, the flame instantly solidified into a perfectly formed, luminous block of ice—crystalline and as pure as jade—enveloping both herself and the elder within. Then, raising both hands, she launched out cascades of silvery threads, which swiftly interlaced in midair, forming a dense, circular mesh that instantly encased her. Remarkably, just like the young man in the green robe, she pursued no grand feats—only sought to ensure her own safety. It was clear that this woman had completely lost her resolve to confront Han Li alone, and now only wished to delay until Han Li's superior spell was fully cast, then leverage the power of Xuanyu Cave to eliminate this adversary—far more formidable than anticipated. The four crystal beams surged with astonishing speed, striking the four figures of jade-green hue almost instantaneously. Three of them were pierced through, and one of the figures, barely shifting slightly, mysteriously deflected the beam, as if it had passed through him entirely, and instead surged straight toward Han Li's figure. Now that the green figures had revealed their true forms, they were seen to be ordinary middle-aged men dressed in green robes, their presence barely noticeable, their movements as elusive and ghostly as spirits. It was indeed the humanoid automaton, concealed within Han Li's illusions, attempting to deliver a decisive blow. Though Han Li did not know exactly what secret spell Han Li's superior was casting, the white qilin phantom manifesting above his head was clearly no ordinary phenomenon. Though he believed that, even if all the cultivators in the cave had simultaneously attacked him, none could prevail against him, he would certainly not watch helplessly as their spell succeeded. Thus, without hesitation, he simultaneously unleashed his two most powerful attacks. Upon seeing the humanoid automaton that was indistinguishable from a true cultivator, Bai Mengxin from the great ice was startled. She did not pause to ponder why a stranger cultivator had appeared among them, and immediately pointed at the four shimmering crystal streaks far off. Instantly, these streaks spiraled and then shot their light directly toward the back of the automaton. Yet the automaton paid no attention to the three-pointed cones striking its back, instead flipping his hand once and suddenly producing a small bow enveloped in crimson flame. He raised his head and aimed it straight at the massive ice across from him, shooting it directly. A thunderous roar erupted, and countless fiery arrows surged forth, densely filling the sky with a deep red hue. A wave of intense heat instantly spread throughout the area. The Li-Huo Bow, a divine artifact no less than a top-tier ancient treasure, finally fully revealed its might at this moment. White Mengxin, immersed in the vast ice, had her pupils widen in surprise—witnessing this stranger who, despite appearing vulnerable behind him, showed no hesitation. With a firm resolve, she intensified her efforts to drive the four crystalline glimmers with even greater urgency. As long as she could eliminate this figure, she believed the current assault would naturally dissipate. Of course, Mengxin had not forgotten the sudden vanishing of Han Li, who had employed the Lightning Route earlier. Her mid-level consciousness had already extended outwards, fully encompassing everything within thirty paces, to guard against any surprise attacks. Yet, what astonished her immediately unfolded: the four crystalline glimmers struck the stranger solidly on his back, and suddenly a five-colored light shield emerged over his body, accompanied by four thunderous explosions. The silver crystalline glimmers instantly interwove and merged. Yet, the stranger within the five-colored shield merely experienced a slight shift in posture and remained undisturbed. Those four tri-conical treasures proved utterly incapable of piercing the strange luminous shield. Bai Mengxin was startled as the shower of fiery arrows reached the massive ice, striking it with full force. A thunderous roar erupted, and countless crimson flames surged and boiled across the ice's surface, coalescing into dense, scorching clouds that seemed to immerse the ice in a sea of fire. Bai Mengxin, her bright eyes fixed upon the fiery clouds, remained calm, showing no sign of alarm. She knew well that though the flames were powerful, they could not penetrate her own intensely cold flame-based defense. Indeed, as she had anticipated, the crimson flames, though surging and swirling ceaselessly, only caused the ice's surface to shimmer with faint white glimmers—undamaged in every way. Bai Mengxin's gaze flickered, a subtle sense of satisfaction playing at the corners of her lips. Yet at that moment, at a distance of about ten paces behind the ice, a rumble of thunder sounded, and a silver arc materialized there. Then, a figure enveloped in purple flame materialized within the silver arc and immediately plunged headlong toward the massive ice! (Hehe, this is the second chapter update! I made a mistake at the end of the previous chapter.)