This was a strange creature resembling a seahorse, yet born with four arms—its four arms were all cradling a pale green storage sack. Upon seeing this scene, Han Li's pupils constricted slightly. At that moment, the blue-colored immortal cultivator who had been hovering motionless in the air began to speak softly with the four-armed creature, exchanging a few words. Then, a look of excitement spread across the cultivator's face, and with a sudden movement, he surged forward, transforming into a streak of blue light and rushing directly toward the four-armed creature. After observing the unusual expression on the eighth-level cultivator, Han Li's final hesitation vanished entirely. Immediately, he no longer concealed his form. As a rumble of thunder rose from behind him, his snowy wind-and-thunder wings unfolded, and he vanished from his original spot. Flashing several times along the way, Han Li materialized as a silver arc some thousand paces away. A thunderclap followed, and then he suddenly appeared directly atop the four-armed creature. "Ah!" The four-armed beast proved quite astute; upon seeing the scene, it immediately sensed something amiss. It opened its mouth, and a dense stream of golden light surged forth. At the same time, it shifted its form, transforming into a brilliant yellow arc that curved gracefully, narrowly avoiding Han Li and directly heading toward the eighth-tier immortal cultivator stationed at a distance. Clearly, the beast recognized Han Li's formidable momentum and had no intention of facing him alone. Yet, despite being only a sixth-tier immortal cultivator, Han Li could not allow it to slip away unnoticed. Ignoring the thunderous outburst of the eighth-tier cultivator, Han Li merely swept his sleeve, and a wave of azure light swept past him. The hundreds of golden spears that had been launched were instantly dispersed by the wave of light, scattering into dozens of fine yellow spikes that fell to the ground. Then, Han Li raised his other arm and reached out into the air, palm extended toward the retreating four-armed beast. Instantly, a scene remarkably similar to the one where the Golden Dragon King had confronted the lean elder unfolded. A flash of azure light appeared above the beast's head, and a large, azure hand materialized, swiftly plunging downward to grasp The giant suddenly seized the beast right at the waist, holding it firmly in his hands. The four-armed monster was stunned, its spirit fleeing into the heavens! Its yellow glow flashed wildly, and its four arms suddenly shimmered, transforming into four sharp, gleaming blades that slashed wildly at the green-clad hand. Yet how could a mere sixth-rank beast possibly breach the divine technique that Master Han had cultivated at the late Yuan婴 stage? The blades flashed, yet the green hand remained untouched. Han raised an eyebrow, a surge of sternness appearing on his face. He then closed his five fingers firmly. The green hand responded with equal force, pressing down with its five fingers, and instantly a piercing cry of pain erupted. Though the four-armed beast was remarkably resilient, it could not withstand the powerful strike of a late Yuan婴 cultivator. Its body was torn apart into several segments as if by sheer force. At the same time, Han Li transformed into a silver arc, vanishing from his spot and reappearing beside the fallen妖's corpse, where he swiftly seized the jade-colored storage pouch from the creature's body with a single hand. He then quickly scanned the contents within with his divine awareness. A look of profound astonishment spread across Han Li's face. "Leave the spiritual stones behind!" A thunderous roar came from a few yards away. The blue-faced eighth-level immortal cultivator, witnessing Han Li's sudden appearance and his swift elimination of the four-armed beast, had been incensed beyond measure. Unable to contain his fury, he roared, his voice spreading outwards like ripples, infused with powerful spiritual energy—so clear and resonant that even the beasts within dozens of miles could hear it plainly. Han Li furrowed his brows, turned to gaze at the cultivator, and his gaze was as cold as ice, as if viewing a corpse. The immortal cultivator flashed with blue light, finally reaching a spot near Han Li, yet upon glancing at him, Han Li felt a sudden chill run through his body, as though he had stepped into a harsh winter. Startled by this, the beast immediately halted its flight and swiftly sent out a surge of spiritual awareness to scan the figure across the way. To his astonishment, his face paled and he drew in a deep, refreshing breath. "A late-stage Yuan婴 cultivator—what is your name?" The once-assertive eighth-grade immortal lowered his stance, hurriedly flipped his palm, and revealed two strange, shell-like treasures, placing them before himself, his eyes now reflecting a touch of alarm. "Who am I? What do I have to say to a corpse?" Han Li did not pause to engage the immortal, but instead glanced briefly at the surroundings and swept his gaze toward the horizon. The earlier roar of the beast had clearly taken effect—two fully-formed immortal beasts, who had previously tightly ensnared a man and a woman, now released their hold and instantly transformed into two swirling green gusts of aura, rushing directly toward Han Li. At the more distant end, golden light and distant thunder could be heard, and the Golden Serpent King was making his way back toward this spot. With this creature's astonishing speed, returning here would surely take only an instant. Han Li pondered this in his mind, a cold smile playing at the corner of his lips. He closed his storage pouch and, with a single hand motion, a jade-green wooden ruler appeared in his hands. Upon seeing this, the eighth-rank immortal cultivator immediately activated the ordinary, shell-like artifact before him. Instantly, the surfaces of the two shells flashed with white light, forming a thick, protective glow that enveloped the creature, calming his mind. Yet Han Li, observing the scene, only showed a look of contempt. With a gentle flick of his wooden ruler, a jade-green glow surged, and a sound of Buddhist chanting rose from the top of the opponent's beast. A silver lotus, several zhang in diameter, bloomed instantly, radiating seven-colored Buddhist light. The eighth-rank immortal, instinctively shifting his form, began to glide away, attempting to step out of the radiant light. But then, something utterly astonishing occurred. The air around the creature tightened, and an invisible, immense force pressed upon its body, rendering it completely immobile—unable to move even a single finger. Instantly, it was enveloped by the Buddha's light, and its inner spiritual energy became paralyzed, utterly unable to flow. "Ahh!" The creature only managed a gasp of shock before a beam of golden light, stretching a zhang in length, shot straight toward it. Circling the light several times, the golden aura began to crack with a crisp, brittle sound and then collapsed. Then, as the creature's cultivator stared in growing fear, the golden light passed swiftly over it. "Poof!" The creature's body split cleanly in two, and its form fell directly to the ground. Yet, from the broken remains, a surge of green flame erupted. Just as it surged, however, a thunderous crack split the air, and Han Li's figure suddenly appeared before it—strangely floating—then raised his hand and gently pointed at the green flame in midair. The green flame trembled slightly, yet was held firmly in place by Han Li's powerful spiritual energy. With the other hand, he tossed out a pale azure jade bottle, which spun smoothly before releasing a stream of white mist from its mouth. The mist curled slightly and immediately engulfed the green flames, drawing them directly into the bottle. At that moment, the other two immortal cultivators, riding on their azure winds, had already covered half the distance. Observing Han Li's actions of extinguishing demons and collecting their souls from afar, they both felt a sudden chill. Urgently, they halted their azure winds and exchanged glances, each displaying a look of apprehension. Meanwhile, the golden light in the sky had gradually become clearer—indeed, the Golden Dragon King was rushing toward them. On other directions, various hues of妖 mist also began to appear, suggesting that the other cultivators were likewise hastening their return. Han Li's eyes flickered several times, and after a brief pause, he murmured softly, "Well, since we've secured the spirit stones, perhaps it's best not to take risks!" Upon saying this, he gave a slight downturn of his mouth and immediately radiated a strong azure glow, then departed from the scene. "Stop him!" "Although the Golden-Jiao King was still hundreds of zhang away, his commanding voice resonated firmly in the surrounding skies, leaving the other two demons no choice but to act. Before them, the superior spiritual stones had been seized—losing such a treasure would be a burden they simply couldn't bear. With no alternative, the two demons each chanted incantations, transforming themselves into two shimmering green wind dragons that surged directly toward Han Li, charging with fierce determination. Yet Han Li merely laughed heartily, instantly transforming into a silver arc and vanishing from his spot. A moment later, he reappeared twenty zhang away, then materialized as a streak of jade-green light, breaking through the air. The two wind dragons could not catch up at all! Immediately after the golden spear vanished, Han Li resumed his composed demeanor, his evasive light briefly pausing. At the same time, he suddenly flipped his hand, and a silver shield materialized before him, expanding to the size of a zhang. Almost simultaneously, the golden spear appeared about a zhang away from Han Li's body, and in a flash of lightning, it swiftly impaled the silver shield. A resonant "clang" echoed as the gleaming gold and silver lights interwove and flickered, momentarily holding their ground. The Golden Dragon King, stationed afar, also felt his evasive light halt, and promptly activated a mental incantation, causing a thunderous rumble. From the spear, a silver electric serpent shot out, spiraling before crossing over the shield and directly targeting Han Li. "Hmph, mere trifling!" Han Li murmured, seizing the serpent without hesitation. Though his movement appeared deliberate, it was strangely precise—his hand caught the serpent at its vital seven-inch section, while his entire arm surged with a thunderous burst of dense golden electric arcs. These arcs surged directly down from his arm, instantly engulfing and extinguishing the entire silver serpent. The Golden Qiao King at a distance frowned slightly at this sight. But Han Li did not stop there. After having just extinguished the electric serpent, he gave a solid single clap with his hand, striking the silver shield before him. Immediately, a brilliant silver glow surged across the shield's surface, making the entire shield smooth as a mirror. The golden spear trembled slightly and was then gently bounced off by the silver light, rolling backward several dozen feet. Seizing this moment, Han Li once again transformed into a streak of jade-green light and shot off in a new direction. This time, he released all his inner energy without reservation, and the speed of the jade-green streak was so swift that within just a few breaths, it had already traveled over a hundred feet. Coincidentally, just across from him, an immortal cultivator had transformed into a dark glow and was approaching—exactly the turtle immortal who had come to meet the Golden Qiao King. Because the evasive light formed by Han Li moved so swiftly, this monster could not clearly see Han Li's face. However, it had clearly witnessed Han Li's earlier feats—his decisive defeat of another eighth-level immortal cultivator and his effortless defense against a direct strike from Jin Jiao Wang. Upon seeing Han Li suddenly approach, the turtle monster naturally grew alarmed. Immediately, it changed its direction of flight, shooting off swiftly to one side in an attempt to evade Han Li's light. Han Li, observing this, narrowed his eyes and, at once, the vibrant green light flashed violently before vanishing completely. The vast expanse of space ahead instantly became empty and silent. The turtle monster paused, startled, and its flight momentarily stalled. (Second chapter!