A surprised "Huh?" echoed from the cold flame across the way. At a height several丈 above韩立, a flash of white light suddenly rippled the void, and a spatial rift tore open—then, a translucent, sharp-tipped creature, about half a foot long, suddenly extended half of itself, striking directly at韩立's head with a speed like lightning. Such an unexpected and close-range assault would leave even韩立 no time to react, no matter how swiftly he could deploy the Lightning Technique to shift his position. Indeed, he had been fully focused on the cold flame across from him, completely unprepared. Yet strangely, as the tip of the creature's beak seemed poised to pierce through the protective purple flame encasing him,韩立's expression remained utterly calm, neither raising his head nor showing any sign of movement. This was precisely the humanoid automaton. When Han Li Fang first engaged in combat with the ice phoenix, he had already instructed the automaton to protect himself—now it timely intercepted this dangerous blow. The sharp tip of the attack wavered and then vanished mid-motion. At that very moment, the white cold flame on the other side suddenly retracted, revealing the form of the ten-tier ice phoenix. At this point, the phoenix was only a few zhang tall—significantly smaller than before. It lowered its head and examined the sharp claws bound by the silken strands, emitting a cold huff. Suddenly, the claws surged and expanded several times in size, as if striving to break free. Yet the silken strands shimmered with continuous green light, and despite their swelling and contracting, remained completely still. The ice phoenix's eyes flashed with a moment of surprise, but then it opened its mouth and emitted two brilliant white beams that spiraled around its claws. As the beams flashed, the silken strands, once resembling dry grass, were severed one by one. Only then did the beams pause and reveal their true form. To his surprise, two small, milky-white swords materialized, radiating a faint cold glow. "A thousand-year-old jade!" Han Li instantly recognized the material used for these two flying swords, his brow furrowing slightly. The azure spiritual filaments were formed from the shimmering light emanating from the surface of the Xitian Ding in his sleeve. Clearly, even a celestial treasure could only barely hold its own against a level-ten beast when it came to mere surface-level power. The Ice Phoenix was startled, and the white glow on her wings momentarily dimmed. At that very instant, three phantom figures suddenly surged forward, transforming into three streaks of jade-green light that sped off in different directions—each reaching over ten zhang away within a single breath. On the other side, the golden sword and the fire crane, engaged in fierce combat with hundreds of shimmering flying blades, roared and surged away in unison, all heading toward a transmission platform located at one corner of the hall. These were actually two six-winged frost centipedes, now evolved to the four-winged stage. When Han Li turned around, he just happened to witness this scene, and his heart naturally leaped with surprise. Yet before he could even form a thought or decide on a course of action, both four-winged centipedes simultaneously unfolded all four wings, producing a rushing sound as they suddenly vanished from their original spot. Moments later, Mo Rui-na appeared before Han Li's true form and the other phantom, instantly spewing a stream of pale, misty cold air straight at them. Han Li naturally didn't intend to remain stationary and be struck by this cold blast; he merely flickered through a flash of light and easily evaded the attack. However, the other phantom remained motionless and continued flying in its original direction, only to be engulfed by the cold air, dissolving into a series of bubbles as if it had never existed. The silver-robed woman, hovering motionless, remained expressionless as she extended her hand forward with a single gesture. With a soft crack, a pale, misty fissure appeared—seemingly effortlessly tearing open the space around her. Then, her form shifted slightly, and she vanished into the void, the crack fading instantly behind her. Under Han Li's urgent urging, the lingering glow of her departure had already vanished, reaching the high platform just in time to evade the next blast of cold breath from the four-winged centipede that had been hot on her heels. As soon as she cleared that, she immediately descended with a swift shimmer of light. Yet at that very moment, a flash of white light appeared nearby, and the silver-robed woman suddenly materialized, her form shifting once more as she stepped onto the platform. She lifted her chin, her eyes—crystal-clear and icy—fixed steadily upon the heavens above. Han Li felt his heart sink, yet he dared not yet force himself into the teleportation array. For if the woman made even a slight movement outside, she might disrupt the transmission in unpredictable ways. "I'm no mere disciple of Xiaoji Palace, nor do I harbor any grudges against the immortal race. You truly intend to make it a matter of life and death with me!" Han Li stared intently at the silver-robed woman, his expression as calm and serious as still water, his voice growing increasingly sharp. "Hmph! Who cares what your title is. As long as you inherit the Qinglan Ice Flame of the Ice Spirit Maiden from that fateful day, you'll be our Ice Phoenix clan's greatest adversary. You won't be able to slip away easily from my presence!" The silver-robed woman radiated a dense aura of cold determination, her tone as clear and unyielding as ever, showing not the slightest sign of retreat. "Such boldness! You truly believe your mastery of spatial magic is enough to stop me. Very well. Since you've made such a declaration, I won't spare any effort. Let me now witness your mastery as the sovereign of the Ice Sea." Upon hearing this, Han Li burst into laughter, his anger turning into a display of spirited defiance. He extended his hand, and the golden swords that had been rushing toward him immediately began to swirl around Han Li, the fire cranes circling him At the same time, silver light flashed beside Han Li, and a humanoid automaton materialized silently. He then raised his hand and lightly tapped his storage pouch at the waist, sending a small black bottle soaring out. Several spells struck the bottle. Instantly, the bottle trembled, and five streams of gray-white energy burst forth from its mouth. Five skeletons gradually emerged, trembling slightly within the white vapor, their eyes glowing with steady green flames. The five demons emitted a series of low, eerie murmurs, their heads solemnly fixed upon the ice phoenix across the way, each one radiating an intense hunger for blood. "Five Sons of the Harmonized Demons!" The ice phoenix stared, momentarily stunned. Then, as her gaze swept over the humanoid automaton beside her, her expression grew even more serious. "Automated constructs—when did the human realm develop the capability to create automata of this rank? Even if I summon my other two incarnations back, with this automaton and the five demons supporting me, I believe it will be extremely difficult to defeat you. Still, I am confident enough to hold you here temporarily." "As long as you're not afraid of any mishaps during the transmission, why not just come down and give it a try!" The woman spoke slowly and deliberately. "Recall your avatar? Without your personal involvement, your avatar barely manages to hold on. I simply don't believe you can last long against the five demons and the puppets working together!" Although Han Li didn't turn around, his divine awareness clearly sensed the situation at the center of the hall. The two ice phoenix avatars were clearly being outmatched by the three members of Xiao Ji Palace, now clearly in a defensive position. Thanks to the fact that both avatars could still summon the extreme cold flame, they had not yet been extinguished—yet even now, they were in grave danger. The beautiful woman even had time to keep glancing toward Han Li, her expression of surprise and uncertainty shifting constantly, yet she showed no intention of coming to his aid. It seemed that the mistress of Xiao Ji Palace hoped Han Li would engage the true form of the ice phoenix in a one-on-one battle, allowing them to easily eliminate the two avatars first. Han Li did not feel particularly annoyed; had it been him in his situation, he would likely have acted the same way. Yet the silver-robed woman, upon hearing Han Li’s words, only sneered, as though her intentions remained unchanged. Han Li sighed, finally abandoning his last hope of persuading her with words. He immediately pressed two hand seals, preparing to simultaneously summon both the Five Demons and the puppet to launch a joint assault on the ice phoenix. Only by severely wounding or completely eliminating this woman could he feel secure enough to depart. But at that very moment, a strange expression flashed across the woman’s eyes—seeming both odd and unexpectedly relaxed. Han Li was startled, his mind racing to grasp the reason behind this unexpected demeanor, when suddenly the air darkened, and then a familiar, eerie voice resonated: “Younger one, you’d better come in again!” "As soon as he finished speaking, a subtle change occurred in the qi around Han Li, gradually forming layers of gray light, and the surrounding scenery became blurred. Han Li was deeply startled, and without further thought, he merely shook his robe. Instantly, the shattered boundary seal shot forth, flashing with yellow light, and the scene stabilized, returning to normal. Yet within just a brief moment, the golden swordlight and the dense flock of fire cranes surrounding him immediately burst outward in all directions. A series of thunderous crashes echoed as the gray light was instantly shattered and dispersed. Han Li raised his head and then saw, at a height of several dozen zhang, the colossal ten- or hundred-zhang-long banner of the myriad demons, which had appeared mysteriously above his head, pouring down sheets of gray mist and fully enveloping him from above. Fortunately, when he had broken the seal of the myriad demon banner earlier, he had not fully expended the power of the boundary seal, otherwise he would have surely faced another catastrophe. Even so, his face now looked unusually grave. Now, if he wished to leave this place easily, it would surely prove to be an immense challenge.