A weight settled in his heart; naturally, Han Li did not wish to be enveloped beneath the power of the Ten-Myriad-Beasts Banner. Without hesitation, he cast a spell and pointed at the Five-Spirit Demon. As the Five-Spirit Demon surged upward, flashes of gray light rippled through the air, and the five skeletal forms fused together into a single, towering skeleton of thirty zhang in height. Suddenly, a green glow flashed within the hollow sockets of the skeleton's eyes. With its two bone hands reaching out into the air, it grasped at its own body, and two rib segments shot out, instantly transforming into two bone blades each over ten zhang long. After a roar, it swiftly crossed the blades in the air, sending a cross-shaped blade of astonishing cold brilliance slicing toward the massive banner above. The gray shimmering rays that had descended were cut into fragments, striking directly upon the Ten-Myriad-Beasts Banner. A thunderous roar erupted, and the cold aura and the vibrant green light intertwined, entangled and swirling together. The colossal skeleton suddenly leapt into the air, its two swords swirling wildly, sending forth a cascade of crescent-shaped cold streaks that enveloped half the sky in shimmering frost. It seemed determined to utterly destroy the great banner with a single breath. From within the Ten-Thousand-Beasts Banner, the old demon roared in fury. The banner trembled and shrank dramatically, shrinking in an instant to only a few inches in size. A young child materialized swiftly, seizing the banner in one hand, then stepped forward—her body flickering—and instantly materialized several dozen paces away at another location. It appeared the old demon recognized that after the banner had been enlarged, its movement became sluggish, making it an ideal target for the skeleton’s dual blades. In its original form, it was far more maneuverable. Seeing this, the white giant skeleton shivered, and likewise shrunk within its gray-white magical aura, reducing its form to two zhang in height. Then, a strange, mournful cry issued from its mouth as it exhaled streams of gray-white magical mist, and with a sweeping motion, it hurled its now-shrunk pair of bone swords straight toward the child. The young child also found the five minor demons rather troublesome. These five demon offspring had undergone special rituals, rendering them immune to the restrictions of the Ten-Thousand-Beast Banner. Unless specifically equipped with a demon-destroying artifact or unless their human master was eliminated, they were practically invincible—capable of reappearing from the same spot even after being shattered multiple times. While the Ten-Thousand-Beast Banner was indeed powerful, it primarily proved effective against human cultivators. Against such formidable demon lords, it truly struggled to contain them. Even if other divine techniques managed to defeat them, it would take far more than a brief moment. The silver-robed woman stood steadily on the platform, showing no intention of launching an attack. It seemed she hoped to maintain the standoff, or feared that if she moved, Han Li might seize the opportunity and slip away swiftly through the teleportation array. The two four-winged centipedes hovered one to the left and one to the right, suspended above the smaller teleportation arrays, watching Han Li with keen vigilance. This ice phoenix was well aware that these two arrays were the only means of escape from the hall. Han Li had not yet moved because he was somewhat wary of the phoenix's ability to tear open space. Though he possessed many techniques, he could not at this moment devise a way to drive the creature back and then escape unharmed. Yet at that moment, a loud, hearty laugh suddenly erupted from the center of the hall behind him. "Hah! Finally out! This time, I'll truly make the most of it. I'll not return until I've had my fill!" The laughter sounded like a woman's, yet it was rough and unpleasant. Han Li's mind instantly snapped back, his face expressing surprise. He saw that the beautiful woman who had been fighting alongside the two ice phoenix duplicates suddenly abandoned the fray and shot straight toward him. Only two elderly figures remained behind, now engaged in battle with the two ice phoenixes. Behind the woman, a hazy green aura of ghostly energy followed closely, within which a faint, shifting figure of another woman could be seen—precisely from this green aura did the loud laughter emanate. "This is...?" Han Li immediately sensed the powerful ghostly energy radiating from the woman, realizing she was another cultivator at the late Yuan婴 stage. Yet, this woman was enveloped in a dense aura of ghostly energy, clearly a formidable ghost cultivator. "Master Han, do not be alarmed," the woman suddenly said to him, stepping forward. "I will lend you my support." Hearing this, Han Li found himself at a loss for words. Though she had been worried that the two demons would first联手 eliminate him, and then, without any restraint, turn their attention to the Xiao Ji Palace, as soon as she spoke, it turned out she was actually helping him. These ten-tier cultivators had originally come straight for the Xiao Ji Palace. Nevertheless, the beautiful woman immediately recognized his identity, which still surprised Han Li a bit—so he naturally said nothing about it. With two late-stage cultivators now supporting him, he was delighted beyond words. Even though the palace master of the Xiao Ji Palace's powers were clearly inferior to those of the two demons, the ghost cultivator emerging from the green mist seemed remarkably exceptional, giving him a strong sense of pressure—she must have reached the peak of late stage cultivation! "Mother Huangqu, it's you! How dare you interfere with my affairs?" Upon seeing the woman in the green mist, the young child trembling beside the giant skeleton suddenly gasped, his face turning pale. "Hehe, if your true form were to personally arrive here, I would certainly not dare to interfere. But this mere incarnation of the Wood Mushroom—how could I possibly fear you would devour me?" A loud, unpleasant laugh echoed from the woman in the green mist, showing no fear at all toward the young child. "Yellow Springs Ghost Mother? The very one who, with just her own strength, extinguished several immortal sects back then!" Upon hearing this name, the silver-robed woman's expression subtly shifted, as though she recognized the woman's background. "Indeed rare—this generation's master of the Ice Sea Realm knows my name! I've heard that you attained the stage of Spiritual Transformation even before I myself completed my transition into a ghostly form. Yet you still remain at the tenth level of cultivation. Are you afraid that the imbalance of the mortal realm's primordial energies will drain your essence, thus causing you to lose your vital energy? You've been diligently suppressing your own cultivation level—how difficult that must be. Moreover, though your Ice Phoenix may live for a long time, if it doesn't advance further, it will soon be unable to sustain itself." The woman in the ghostly aura seemed remarkably well-informed about the current state of the tenth-level Ice Phoenix, even revealing what was the very deepest secret in the silver-robed woman's heart. The silver-robed woman's face instantly darkened. Han Li, however, drew in a sharp breath and suddenly understood why this ice phoenix had been so tenacious. "I released you," the beautiful woman suddenly snapped, "not to let you chat with others!" "Rest assured," said the Yellow Springs Ghost Mother, her voice calm in the green mist, "as long as no cultivator of the Huashen stage is present, I can easily ensure your safety. But don't forget your earlier commitments. And if you insist on forcibly awakening me without a soul stone, you'll surely suffer from a severe illness due to the influx of cold qi." In the span of just a few words, the beautiful woman and the Yellow Springs Ghost Mother had already reached the vicinity of the platform, their flight lights dimming and halting beside them, forming a balanced, triumphant trio with Han Li and the two spirits. "Han brother," the beautiful woman turned to him with a warm smile, "shall we combine our efforts to eliminate this ice sea sovereign first?" "Very well," Han Li replied, "I have no objections." Han Li stroked his chin, nodding subtly. Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman was overjoyed and had just about to invite the Yellow Spring Ghost Mother to join in the attack when the silver-robed woman suddenly sneered, lifting her hand to send a brilliant white arc of light shooting forth. With a thunderous "crash," the small teleportation array behind her was severed right down the middle. Both Han Li and the beautiful woman were startled. "If you intend to surround us, then do not be surprised if I destroy the remaining one as well!" the silver-robed woman said calmly, gazing at the two figures in the air. "What do you mean? If you destroy the teleportation arrays, you'll never be able to leave the Xuling Palace!" the beautiful woman exclaimed, her expression shifting several times before she regained composure. "Have you forgotten how I entered the Xuling Palace?" the silver-robed woman chuckled lightly, her voice clear and composed despite the fluttering of her floral robes. Han Li's expression grew somewhat uneasy. "Master Han need not be concerned about this matter. Even if the teleportation array is indeed destroyed by this demon, as long as you join forces with the Lady and take a little more time, we can break the seal and exit through the main gate of this pavilion." The beautiful woman paused thoughtfully before speaking to Han Li. Yet, with such a great foe at hand, she could only feign ignorance. But at this moment, the beautiful woman's expression darkened. Suddenly, her eyes flashed with sharp intensity, and her lips moved slightly, as though whispering a message. Behind her, the Yellow Springs Ghost Mother flickered in the green mist, her form instantly becoming blurred. Then, a slender green thread, as fine as a hair, shot silently from the mist, vanishing without a trace. Though the thread vanished almost imperceptibly, the Ice Phoenix below seemed to sense something, and emitted a sharp cry. "You dare!" At that moment, the spirit raised one hand and rapidly flicked her five fingers at the smaller transmission array, sending five white sword-like gusts of energy soaring forth. Simultaneously, the four-winged earthworm, which had been circling above, suddenly lowered its head and unleashed a surge of cold, white mist, completely enveloping the transmission array. (First update!)