The originally retreating妖energy immediately gathered upon hearing this roar. One after another, dark, lustrous creatures—both beasts and birds—emerged from the energy. They roared continuously, varying in species; some were as large as twenty or thirty paces, while others were only a few feet tall. Yet each one stared fiercely at Han Li, who stood at the heart of the inferno. Han Li felt a sudden surge of alarm. At first glance, the creatures were densely packed, swirling in the energy, forming a dark, unbroken mass that seemed endless. As one sharp roar echoed through the air, these creature puppets surged forth from all directions, charging in a relentless wave. Han Li’s eyes twitched slightly, but he remained silent, raising his hand and casting several pale green spells toward the floating cauldron hovering above his head. The cauldron trembled, then burst forth with a bright red glow, its entire body enveloped in crimson flames, transforming into a massive fire sphere. From within, countless streams of scorching flames shot out, joining the raging sea of fire. The temperature of the entire space suddenly rose by half, the fire surged with great intensity, yet immediately from the midst of the flames, spherical bursts of fire—each the size of a head—rocketed forth. Within each sphere, a larger-than-usual fire raven was enclosed, propelled by the power of the flames and directly charging into the ranks of the surrounding spirit-beast puppets. Dense and clustered, crimson flames erupted in all directions among the vast army of spirit-beast puppets, where thousands of fire ravens darted and swirled, entangling themselves with the beasts. Flames danced, spirit essences surged, and at times the fire and black mist intertwined, then separated and collided, creating a temporary stalemate. It was most peculiar: whether a spirit-beast was pierced by a fire raven or a fire raven was extinguished by a massive spirit-beast's palm strike, the struck entity would instantly coalesce within the spirit essence and recover fully, while the other would be engulfed by flames, only to be reborn moments later. Both sides seemed endless. A cold, resonant sigh echoed from within the spirit essence, followed by low incantations rising from all around—clearly the voice of the old elder spirit Han Li's eyes flashed, and suddenly he lifted his head, his face instantly changing. Before him, where the vortex had previously formed in the sky, the demonic aura surged violently, and a massive claw emerged slowly from the swirling mist. The claw was jet-black and lustrous, stretching nearly thirty to forty paces in length, with five sharp, spear-like plates several paces long, gleaming with a cold, eerie radiance, sharp and formidable. Due to its immense size, even before it had fully descended, the claw exuded a crushing weight—like a mountain pressing down—making it impossible to evade. As soon as the incantation ceased, the claw plunged downward, sweeping through the air with a roar. A fierce gust of demonic wind surged down, sweeping past like a hurricane, causing the flames around Han Li to tremble and ripple. Without hesitation, Han Li raised his hand and struck his storage pouch at his waist. The demigod staff shot out, swaying slightly as it expanded to over ten paces in length, then charged straight toward the demonic claw, crashing down with powerful force. Even as a mighty staff, it now appeared remarkably small against the towering black claw. A thunderous crash echoed between the staff and the giant claw. The demigod staff, as though striking upon steel, only caused the massive claw to pause slightly before being rebounded. The giant claw continued its relentless advance toward Han Li. Han Li pressed his lips together, then mentally summoned a command. At once, the thirty-six golden flying swords circling around him emitted a resonant hum, converging upward into a unified mass, radiating brilliant golden light. In a flash, the swords fused into a single, towering golden greatsword nearly five or six zhang in length. A renewed thunder rolled through the air, and great arcs of golden light burst across the greatsword's surface, instantly coalescing into a brilliant golden rainbow that surged straight toward the descending claw. A sharp "crack!" sounded! Under the full surge of Han Li's magical power, the thirty-six bamboo-honey-cloud swords, now unified into a single greatsword, proved nearly invincible. In a single flash of golden light, they cleaved the giant claw in two. A low gasp emerged from within the aura, as if the old monster had suffered a minor setback. The now-split claw, carried by the wind, dissolved into swirling mist Hearing the hum, Han Li's eyes flashed with a blue glow, and with a sudden nod toward the golden rainbow in the air, the golden light spiraled once and transformed into a golden serpent that lunged fiercely at a seemingly empty space. With a loud "thud," a brilliant black glow erupted without any prior sign, and at once a dark shield materialized, upon which the golden serpent bit down—yet failed to pierce it. At that moment, a flash of black light behind the shield revealed another figure. It was the young old demon, in the form of a child, who had gathered outside the ice city. The child had three small, upright braids tied at the top of his head and a silver lock of unknown origin hanging from his chest. Now standing behind the dark shield, he gazed at the still relentless golden serpent, his face showing a touch of astonishment. "Jingjing! Your flying sword must have incorporated such rare materials—now I understand how it managed to break through my magical claw!" The child's expression quickly returned to normal, and his gaze shifted back to Han Li, who was still engulfed in the flames. "Indeed, my prediction was correct—you are truly just a manifestation Han Li seemed entirely unheeding to the young child's words, instead murmuring to himself. Seeing Han Li thus so self-assured, the child grew furious and burst out laughing. Without a word, he suddenly reached out and grasped the air, and instantly a flash of black light rippled through his hands, revealing a small, grayish banner in his grasp. "Heh! Just now, when I demonstrated the power of the Ten-Thousand-Beasts Banner, I only showed two-tenths of its true might—yet you're already so conceited. Next, I'll erase both your form and your spirit, and you'll truly experience the Banner's full power!" As soon as the old demon finished speaking, he unfurled his banner, clearly intending to unleash a grand spell or divine technique. Han Li's expression tightened, and then he suddenly surged forward toward a point in the midst of the flames. Instantly, dozens of fiery raven birds shot out from within the fire, rushing straight toward the child. At the same time, under the impetus of his sword technique, the golden great sword emitted a long, resonant cry, trembled, and then transformed into thirty golden flying swords. Each mouth was several cun long, radiating a golden luster, then, amid a resonant hum, it manifested hundreds of sword-like beams of light, which, after a slight spiral, surged forward in a furious, head-to-shoulder slashing motion. The child's mouth curled slightly, momentarily pausing the small banner in his hand. With one hand, he lightly touched the dark iron shield before him. The shield trembled slightly, then transformed into a hazy, shimmering aura that enveloped the child. Golden and black luminous streams flashed wildly back and forth; though hundreds of sword beams struck the aura, only ripples of black light spread out, causing no damage at all. This seemingly unremarkable black shield proved astonishingly resilient. As for the dozens of fire cranes that flew in succession, the child paid them no heed, merely continuing to gently stir his small banner. Though these fire cranes were spirits of flame manifesting as birds, they held no significance for him—he was confident that his shield's defensive power was sufficient to withstand their attacks. To the sight, the small gray banner merely swayed once, and the space suddenly trembled. Then, as it gently swayed again, a misty gray vapor rose from the surrounding areas of the fiery flames, and with an unusual ripple of spatial disturbance, four dark, circular openings suddenly materialized—each about a zhang in diameter—seeming as though something within each was about to emerge. Upon seeing Han Li vanish into the flames without a trace, relying on the Lightning Technique, the young child's expression shifted slightly, a cold smile forming at the corner of his lips. His incantation paused momentarily, and with a flick of his other small hand, a slender, dark-blue cord emerged. As he shook it, the cord surged forth like a living serpent, instantly transforming into seven or eight loops that shot out and settled precisely at a spot some five or six zhang behind him. At that very instant, a silver arc flashed, and Han Li reappeared amid another thunderclap, materializing exactly beneath the dark-blue cord. Before he could react, the cord encircled him completely, and a sudden glow caused it to contract swiftly, fully ensnaring him. The young child's fierce smile flashed again, and as he opened his mouth, a deep, dark luminescence shimmered within—seeming to anticipate that, once Han Li was secured, he would unleash a powerful artifact. This truly surprised Han Li. Who could have ever imagined such a marvelously powerful artifact could foresee the exact location of his Lightning Technique before it even manifested? At once, his face paled, and with a low exclamation, he pressed his palms together in a series of gestures. A vibrant emerald glow surged from his body, colliding with the distinct luminescence of the dark slate ropes. Then, suddenly, Han Li vanished from within the ropes, leaving behind only a single green seal inscribed upon them. Moments later, his figure reappeared mysteriously at a spot some dozen paces away, though his complexion was now unusually pale. In this critical moment, Han Li, unwilling to sacrifice his own strength, once again activated the Spirit-Transmutation Seal—still not fully refined—thereby enduring the trial on his own behalf. The green seal, flickering once within the ropes, then dissolved into scattered emerald sparks that shot directly toward Han Li. In the blink of an eye, these sparks fully absorbed into his body. The young child, witnessing this scene, grew visibly concerned, his dark luminescence flickering twice before he finally exhaled a cold sigh and slowly closed his mouth. At that moment, a faint silver glow flashed several zhang away from the other side of the black light shield, and a figure in jade-green hue materialized, silently approaching the young child—unseen by either party. Raising both hands, the figure drew a small red bow, which flashed with brilliant red light. Immediately, a cascade of rushing sounds followed, as countless flaming arrows burst forth in a dense stream, striking the child at such close range. At the same time, a short, dark blade appeared suddenly above the child's head, cutting through the golden and crimson glows, and steadily plunged downward with determined force. Though the child was merely a manifestation of the old xiao-ya, in terms of cultivation and spiritual strength, this creature far surpassed the elderly sage who had taken the form of the young, green-backed deer. The sudden development startled the child, yet it quickly assessed that the black glimmer above was the true threat. With a swift, fluid motion, it pressed a palm against the iron shield before it, delivering a blow of astonishing speed and power. Then, lifting her neck and closing her small mouth once more, a coin-shaped divine artifact, accompanied by a surge of black energy, shot upward in a powerful jet. (Second chapter!