Han Li's words suggested that, since he hadn't seen the black-robed figure from before, why did the other immediately mention the second Yuan婴? Yet, Liu Yu remained respectful and replied, "It was your master, the one who went missing, who captured us three and even took over one of our bodies. That person appears to have reached the mid-Yuan婴 stage." As she spoke, a look of recollection came over her. "The body? Could you describe the man's appearance?" Han Li now seemed genuinely interested. At that moment, the two golden electric dragon serpents had already cleared away most of the surrounding black mist, then spiraled back and disappeared into Han Li's body. This ability to transform electricity into form left the three women in quiet awe. Though, with their Jie Dan-level cultivation, they could also summon spells to change their forms, they could never match Han Li's effortless mastery—without moving a muscle, he could shape and manifest forms at will. After steadying herself, Liu Yu began to describe the black-robed figure's appearance and physique in detail. Han Li listened for only a moment before immediately concluding that the second yuan-embryo had indeed taken over the Tiansha Mochi corpse. His face remained calm, yet he felt genuinely frustrated inside. After all, without relying on the Xueyue Mi Ling Technique from the Daxian Treasure Scripture, he truly could not have easily located Mu Pei Ling's three companions. This second yuan-embryo, so well acquainted with him, could not be allowed to develop further—otherwise, it would surely become a major long-term concern. With this thought in mind, as soon as Liu Yu finished describing the situation, he promptly instructed: "You three should leave immediately and return to the sect. Since this second yuan-embryo has already returned to the southern region, I must reclaim it. I'll conduct a thorough search of this inner valley myself." "Master Han, the second yuan-embryo's cultivation level is now on par with yours—perhaps you should invite more assistants and seek it out together. Otherwise...咦! Master Shi's current cultivation level...” The Song-named woman hesitated as she spoke, but as her consciousness inadvertently swept over Han Li's修为 at that moment, her face suddenly turned pale. Upon hearing the Song-named woman's astonished voice, Mu Peilin and Liu Yu also directed their consciousness to Han Li, and were equally stunned. "Master, you have now reached the level of a great cultivator?" Mu Peilin opened her mouth and remained speechless for a while, unable to believe what she heard. "I had almost forgotten that you three didn't know. I held the ceremony for a Great Cultivator six months ago, and I am now a Senior Elder within the sect. Facing a second golden embryo at the mid-stage should be no problem at all. There's no need for you to hesitate." Han Li smiled calmly. As a result, the Song-named woman and the other two women were naturally overjoyed, quickly expressing their congratulations. After a slight smile, Han Li gently urged the three women to prepare and depart promptly. This time, the three female cultivators naturally had no further objections. They bowed to Han Li and immediately took flight from the cave where he had entered. Not long afterward, three streaks of light shot out from the molten lake and swiftly broke through the air. Han Li, however, remained within the cavern, intending to wait several more days. Given the seclusion of this location, if the second yuan-embryo had only temporarily departed, it would surely return soon. Should it not, then either it had settled elsewhere within the valley or had already left the Valley of the Fallen Demon. Yet, after waiting continuously for six or seven days in the cavern, Han Li saw not a single trace of the Zhi Mu Ling Ying. He then decided to abandon his passive waiting and left the cavern, releasing all the tens of thousands of gold-devouring insects he carried, thoroughly surveying every corner of the inner valley. Though he failed to locate the second yuan-embryo, he discovered numerous ancient relics left behind by early cultivators. While these treasures no longer held much appeal for him—far falling short even of the replica spiritual artifacts like the Three-Flame Fan—they were still exceptionally rare and precious in the region of Tian Nan. Yet Han Li's heart was far from joyful, as he had also discovered traces of the black-robed figures formed by the second prenatal stage during this process. In many ancient cultivators' abandoned abodes, the halls and chambers were now empty—clearly indicating that this figure had gathered numerous treasures, and the traces suggested he had only recently taken them away. Only now did Han Li firmly conclude that the second prenatal stage had indeed departed the inner valley, having collected treasures and vanished into the unknown. Yet, to refine xuan-yin magical energy to its utmost, one need not rely solely on personal cultivation—several esoteric, even deviant, techniques, such as blood sacrifices, can also significantly advance one’s修为. However, such methods generally come with endless drawbacks, either resulting in persistent complications or failing to sustain progress, often even preventing breakthroughs at the current stage. Upon reflection, it seems that the xuan-yin true classic’s recorded method of channeling magical energy into the body is the most effective auxiliary approach. By forcefully channeling this energy into the body through this method, a xuan-yin cultivator may well surpass their current limitations and achieve a substantial leap in cultivation. Of course, like other "pulling-up-the-plant-too-quickly" techniques, this method carries considerable risks—mildly, the body may undergo magical transformation, altering one’s appearance; severely, the consciousness may become lost, leaving the cultivator half-human, half-magical—a truly perilous outcome! Nevertheless, this second prenatal spirit is somewhat different. He originally seized a body that was already a magical corpse, and furthermore, he possesses the Da-Yan Decision cultivation method, which greatly enhances his ability to resist the process of spiritual magical With this method, the risks naturally diminish considerably. Back then, when the second Yuan-Embryo departed, he was only at the initial stage of cultivation. Now, within such a short time, he has achieved mid-stage proficiency—without any additional fortune, it's no surprise that this Embryo had already adopted this very approach. The Fallen Demon Valley, where the ancient demon first emerged, still retains traces of lingering demonic energy, which is entirely understandable. On a mountain peak, Han Li closed his eyes and sat in stillness for one full day and night, constantly pondering what method he would have employed if he had found himself in the second Yuan-Embryo's situation. Remarkably, he even deduced much of the latter's strategic intentions. "Ten thousand feet of Demon Deep!" Han Li suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and brilliant, murmuring coldly to himself. Immediately, the luminous aura surrounding him surged and transformed into a streak of jade-green light, shooting off the mountain and swiftly toward the horizon. Two days later, Han Li departed the Fallen Demon Valley, traveling at an unprecedented speed directly toward the Seven Spirit Island. According to the Xuan Yin True Classic, the Secret Technique of Infusing Malignant Qi into the Body requires several years to achieve an initial infusion. He didn't want to find, upon arriving at the Malignant Abyss, that his second prenatal spirit had already vanished. Almost simultaneously, the cloaked figure within the ten-thousand-foot Malignant Abyss, though aware his presence might be detected by Han Li, found himself unable to abandon his current spell at a crucial moment and thus remained in the Abyss. Moreover, since this second prenatal spirit had been cautious about exposing itself, it had continuously moved in concealment after emerging from the Falls of Malignancy, never meeting any other cultivator, and thus directly entered the Malignant Abyss. As a result, it had missed a vital piece of information—namely, Han Li's advancement to the Prenatal Stage—and remained unaware of the developments since then. It was understandable that it had overlooked this matter, for when Han Li first departed for the Great Jin Dynasty, he himself had always believed that even if he managed to reach the late Prenatal Stage, it would take at least two or three centuries, involving numerous attempts to overcome cultivation bottlenecks. The second prenatal spirit naturally did not anticipate Thus, the infant naturally calculated Han Li's flight speed according to the mid-stage cultivator's method. Based on its estimation, even if Han Li immediately realized the infant was deep within the realm of the demonic abyss and hurried to reach it, it would still take two months. Meanwhile, Han Li's magical essence reservoir was nearing its final stage, and only about a month remained before completion. Despite its deep sense of unease, the infant bit its lip and decided to take the risk and remain at its current location. After all, should this attempt fail, the next time it entered the demonic abyss, it would surely face immense difficulties given the heightened vigilance of the host. However, the infant had already made a firm plan in its mind. It would stay at most for another half month. Once that period elapsed—regardless of whether the essence infusion was successful—it would immediately depart from the demonic abyss without hesitation. With a half-month buffer, it should be safe enough. Calmed by this reasoning, the infant continued to absorb and channel pure magical essences into its body. However, after advancing to a later stage, Han Li's speed of travel had nearly doubled compared to his mid-stage performance. What used to take him two months now covered the distance to Wubian Sea in just one month. After traveling another two days toward the sea, he reached the location of the Seventh Spirit Island. Originally, when the matter of suppressing the magical qi was being handled, Wei Wuyacha and others had specially gifted the Ling Qie Island to him, only for him to transfer it directly to the internal administration of the sect. Now, it was likely that several disciples from Luoyun Sect were stationed there. As Han Li pondered these thoughts, he did not feel the urgent need to immediately head to the Magi Deep. His light-vehicle journey continued without pause, passing by the other two spirit islands, and directly arrived above the Ling Qie Island among the seven. As soon as the light-vehicle settled, he landed on a small mountain within the island. He found a large boulder and sat cross-legged upon it, then extended his powerful spiritual awareness. Within a few hundred miles, his spiritual perception swiftly swept over the entire island, identifying the two locations where practitioners were stationed. Han Li's lips moved slightly, and he spoke a few words silently. Then he remained motionless, expressionless. A great commotion erupted at two locations on Ling Bie Island. Not long after, two groups of cultivators flew in from each direction, their dozen or so streaks of light racing straight toward the mountain where Han Li was meditating. Han Li showed no intention of rising, merely gazing calmly at the group. Suddenly, his eyes flashed, and he murmured a soft "Ah!" with a slightly puzzled expression on his face. Within moments, the two groups arrived above the mountain and, upon seeing Han Li below, gently lowered their lights and descended. "Reporting to the Senior Monks!" "Respecting Master Han!" ...The cultivators bowed respectfully and approached. Leading the group were two Jin Dan cultivators—one a yellow-robed man with broad brows and a keen gaze, and another a woman in her thirties—and the rest of the ten or so also possessed Jian Ji-level cultivation. "Indeed you are! I didn't expect to see you achieve Jin Dan status after so many years not having seen you." Han Li glanced at the yellow-robed cultivator and suddenly broke into a gentle smile. (First chapter!