The light screen shattered under Han Li's strike, and the two seated below naturally opened their eyes, their four sets of gaze fixed directly upon him. At that moment, a layer of pale green and yellow light shimmered subtly above them, though smaller than the previous five-colored screen, it still fully enclosed the two figures. At the center of this screen, a semi-transparent silk cloth rotated gently and continuously. This very screen was the divine ability emanating from the silk cloth. "Indeed it's you!" The old woman, her wrinkled face aglow, seemed momentarily stunned. The gray-robed monk, on the other hand, displayed a mixture of emotions. Han Li glanced at the silk cloth below and the newly formed light screen, a slight smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "It seems you've truly put some thought into it—using a precious artifact to conceal your movements. Hm, that explains why I couldn't perceive your simple illusion spell even with my spiritual sight. It appears both of you have long been eyeing the fishing man's advantage. I must say, I am truly impressed!" "Han Li spoke with words of admiration, yet his face showed no expression, and even a trace of sternness appeared in his brow. When the gray-robed monk finally calmed down and uttered a Buddhist chant, he said: 'Master Han truly possesses great prowess—how could he have escaped being captured by the three elders of Han Li? But I wonder, where are the three elders now? Have they left the cave on their own?' As he spoke, his gaze swept across the entire underground cavern, yet he failed to spot the traces of the three elders of Han Li. His heart grew increasingly alarmed. Clearly, he did not believe that Han Li could have single-handedly eliminated the other three. Han Li narrowed his eyes, shook his head, then nodded, and finally sighed deeply—yet said nothing. This sudden silence left the two beneath him somewhat puzzled. 'Hmph,' the monk remarked, 'why all the pretense?' If the Cold-Li Monks has already left the cave, then we too must break through and escape—otherwise, once he summons other cultivators from Xiao Ji Palace, we shall be trapped like fish in a pond. The old woman could no longer contain herself, her eyes blazing. "You needn't worry about them anymore. I've already eliminated most of the three of them. Cold-Li still has one immortal embryo remaining. Would either of you like to see him one last time before I send you both on your way?" Han Li said without hesitation. "How could Cold-Li have been defeated by you? That's impossible! What exactly did you mean by your last words?" The old woman's face turned pale upon hearing Han Li's words, and when she heard the final remark, she erupted into furious astonishment. "Nothing much. Though I don't yet know the nature of your relationship or your hidden intentions, I have no desire to probe further. What matters is that you have fought against me while harboring ill will. That alone is sufficient. And above all, I have always resented being used by others." Moreover, as for the fact that I harbor a celestial treasure of unparalleled power, I absolutely intend to keep this secret from anyone else. Therefore, you two should simply vanish from the mortal realm. "Han Li said calmly, closing his eyes and ignoring the two of them completely. Then, with his hands forming gestures, he slowly chanted a series of incantations from his mouth. The gray-robed monk and the old woman were startled, instantly sensing the subtle shifts in the surrounding qi. They quickly turned to look around. To their astonishment, several dozen zhang away, countless streaks of golden light flickered, and then, one after another, slender golden threads—thin as hair—emerged in an eerie manner. As these threads shimmered and moved, their motions appeared entirely random, yet they all gradually converged toward the center, the entire process silent and undisturbed, with no sound at all, which was truly astonishing. "A sword formation!" the old woman exclaimed upon seeing Han Li turn serious and act decisively, swiftly scanning the surroundings. The gray-robed monk, however, felt a sudden surge of apprehension, suppressing his growing concern that Han Li might be able to defeat Han Li himself. He stepped forward and loudly declared to Outside the Xuling Pavilion, there are surely countless young Jijingu cultivators who would not allow you to leave easily unless Master Han Li appears. We should unite and jointly resist the attackers. As for the matter of the Heavenly Immortal Treasures, we can take an oath of blood, swearing never to reveal a single word. "No need. I only believe the dead never leak secrets!" Han Li chuckled at the monk's words. "Moji, there's no need to speak further. Look at the items behind this person—he has these as his backing. How could he still regard us as insignificant?" The old woman flipped her palm, and the yellow cane floated into her hand, then coldly laughed at the monk. The monk paused, startled, and focused his gaze. Only then did he clearly see the humanoid automaton previously obscured by Han Li's figure, as well as the five human skeletons standing several dozen paces behind it. His expression grew pale. "What are those? And who is the other person?" the monk asked, visibly surprised. "The skeletons seem to be the legendary Five-Hearted Magic Beasts—though the other one's origin remains a mystery. It's likely that this person struck the old Han Li with a sudden and decisive blow, using these items. If this other figure is indeed one of the five heads of the fallen Qian Elder—the Five-Hearted Magic Beasts—then even together, we two would not be able to match him. Our only option, then, is to act swiftly and eliminate the young Han boy first. Once that's done, these items will no longer pose a threat to us. But for now, we must first break through this sword formation. Otherwise, once the five beasts are activated, our situation will become dire. Fortunately, the Buddhist techniques have a natural advantage against the Five-Hearted Beasts. Should they engage, you can handle them. For now, we must proceed step by step. Our immediate priority is to break this sword formation. If all else fails, we'll deploy the very item originally used to counter the old Han Li, now to face this person." The old woman whispered softly. "We'll have to settle for that." "But the cultivator is not practicing a cold-natured cultivation technique—its effectiveness will likely be significantly diminished." The monk sighed, transmitting his words back as well. "It's simply unavoidable. Fortunately, the opponent is not a late-stage Yuan-Ying cultivator. Even if we can't eliminate them completely, we can certainly inflict a decisive blow. We truly underestimated this situation. Though we were informed that this young Han cultivator possessed powers comparable to late-stage cultivators, we hadn't anticipated such a formidable challenge. Originally, we planned to first drain half of the Han Li elder's cultivation essence, then strike decisively at the final stage to secure victory. Yet, we were surprised to find that this cultivator had completely eliminated the Han Li elder without sustaining any damage. Had we known that, we would never have come into this mess." The old woman said, expressing her frustration. "Now that things have taken this turn, Master Long, there's no need to regret. We've used the item, and in return, we've gained a celestial spiritual treasure and the Five-Children Harmonious Demon Magic—so in the end, we're still well-positioned to gain." Upon seeing this, the monk was unable to move Han Li, and as the golden threads gradually closed in around him, his expression grew increasingly gloomy. Suddenly, a deep, somber aura emanated from him, contrasting sharply with his previously kind and benevolent demeanor. The old woman listened intently, murmured indistinctly, then suddenly threw her walking stick into the air. A bright yellow glow surged forth, transforming the staff into a strange yellow creature resembling a horse yet with sharp fangs. With a spell cast by the old woman, the creature spiraled once in the lower air before opening its mouth and spewing out countless streams of yellow light—thousands of palm-sized yellow blades, each radiating brilliant luster and sharpness, rushing in a single direction. Meanwhile, the monk clasped his hands together, then separated them, and from each palm emerged a gleaming silver wheel. He raised both wheels toward the sky, where they rapidly expanded, transforming into two large silver discs, then charged forward with vigorous momentum, rolling and cutting in unison toward the same direction. Han Li had reopened his eyes in the sky, his expression unchanged as he observed the two figures below. He witnessed the yellow spears and the two silver discs successively charging into the golden silk, only to be instantly sliced to pieces by the sword-like filaments, turning into scattered heaps of rusted metal and falling down. "What kind of sword formation is this? It's so sharp!" The old woman and the monk gasped in amazement, exchanged glances, and simultaneously saw fear reflected in each other's eyes. Naturally, neither of them would be satisfied merely by this initial test. The old woman raised her fan, suddenly producing a square, pale blue ancient relic in her hands. As she uttered a series of incantations, she launched it into the air. Instantly, the brick-like object expanded rapidly, growing into a massive structure the size of a pavilion, and then crashed down with a brilliant blue glow toward the distant area. The same scene unfolded once again. In the void, after the dense golden threads flashed and vanished instantly, the treasure was suddenly sliced into countless fragments, like fireworks, and disappeared completely without a trace at a distance. "Impossible! This blue-gold brick is crafted from the essence of blue-gold, renowned for its extraordinary resilience. How could it be destroyed so easily?" the old woman finally lost her composure, calling out in astonishment. This monk indeed thought swiftly—upon seeing that tangible treasures seemed utterly powerless against the sword formation, he immediately summoned intangible forces and launched them straight at the formation. Yet, though the Dageng Sword Formation was originally described in the Qingyuan Sword Technique as being capable of ensuring freedom and stability throughout the human realm once mastered—though perhaps somewhat exaggerated—what was currently deployed here was only a partial array. It was certainly no mere wave of sound that could easily dislodge it. As soon as the gray, misty wave of sound struck the golden filaments, the filaments trembled slightly, then, under a brilliant burst of golden light, transformed into towering beams of swordlight, each several zhang long, and swiftly slashed at the sound wave with lightning speed, scattering and dissipating it into fragments. Subsequently, these golden beams shimmered and retracted, once again becoming individual filaments, flowing steadily toward the two central figures as if the earlier transformation had never occurred—creating an impression of profound, unyielding depth and power. (Heh, finally managed to complete this chapter before twelve o'clock.) We're going to be able to enjoy the second half of the Spring Festival Gala! Also, we'd like to kindly ask everyone for a few more monthly passes. Given our dedication—working hard right up until New Year's Eve—we sincerely hope those who still have passes will give us strong support! Dear book-loving friends, Happy Spring Festival!