"As far as I know, if it weren't for the presence of a Fu Shen cultivator in the Xiao Ji Palace before, and if the Sun Spirit Fire were truly so hard to find, this item would have already been seized by other cultivators long ago. Though the Xiao Ji Palace now lacks any Fu Shen cultivators, Han Si has vanished without a trace for a long time. I myself have personally entered the palace several times in search of him, yet found nothing. How did you obtain Han Si? Could it possibly be the very vial that was lost by the palace? "Master Hua transmitted his voice in a沉沉 tone. "Naturally not. How could it be so coincidental that the vial lost by the palace ends up in my hands? I merely rediscovered a small amount of Han Si within the Xuan Yu Cave of the Xuling Hall at the Xiao Ji Palace, drawn from a jade stone that has been there for ten thousand years. And this time, when exchanging with you, I won't be able to offer it all. I'll only provide a portion—enough to prepare two batches of Rejuvenating Waters." Han Li seemed fully prepared for Master Hua's question, speaking calmly and without any change in expression This item was always prone to causing discomfort when consumed in excess—enough for just one person to use. But if you truly intend to use it as a means of exchange, then my master has another condition. Should you agree, I shall allow the young Zi Ling to depart from Maguo Mountain." The elder with the wooden crown paused mid-telepathic transmission, then spoke directly. "What condition is that?" Han Li's expression flickered with mild surprise—having heard the additional requirement, he found it genuinely unexpected. "It's quite simple. Besides the item you mentioned, you must withstand a direct strike from me. No dodging, no use of the Immortal-Heaven Pearl. Regardless of whether you succeed in blocking the blow or not, I will not impose any further difficulties." The elder scanned the young Zi Ling with a steady gaze of frost in his eyes, then spoke calmly and evenly. Upon hearing this condition, Xiang Zhi-li's expression stirred slightly, before settling back into composure. The old wind spirit, however, looked at the old demon with growing astonishment. The others, meanwhile, each displayed distinct reactions. The old demon lord's sudden transformation had already left them bewildered, unsure of the rare treasure韩立 had produced—something so extraordinary that even a floral deity cultivator had been visibly startled. But now, upon hearing this condition, they found themselves speechless once again. "Hardly able to dodge, yet must withstand your full force?" Han Li's eyes narrowed as he repeated the phrase, confirming it again and again. "Exactly. If I don't show you a bit of my strength, others might truly think that, as the sovereign of the Demon Palace, I can't even protect my own concubines!" the old demon said, his voice dark and ominous. The hall fell silent once more. Many of the present guests quietly pondered. Had the old demon's ambition not yet waned, and was he now planning to strike a decisive blow to eliminate Han Li at this very moment? After all, given the vast disparity between a Yuan婴 cultivator and a Hua Shen cultivator, how could one possibly endure a direct attack without retreating? As everyone's gaze turned toward Han Li, Zi Ling's face grew pale, nearly translucent. After a moment of silence, she suddenly clenched her silver teeth. "Without exchanging anything with Brother Han, I've changed my mind and no longer intend to leave the Magic Palace. You go on your way, Brother Han." The lady said, her voice somewhat strained and bitter. Upon hearing this, Han was momentarily taken aback, but soon understood her intent and smiled gently. However, before he could speak, the old demon coldly interjected: "Do you think the Magic Palace is some place where one can simply stay or leave at will? As long as I agree to this arrangement, you're already planning to remain here—your dreams of staying are nothing but delusions, young Han. Won't you agree to this?" "I most certainly won't. If it's merely a single blow, I'd actually like to try and withstand it." Han shook his head firmly, readily accepting the proposal without hesitation. The old demon chuckled, then raised one hand and pointed a finger toward the distant Zilin. The woman immediately felt a tingling and pricking sensation in her dantian, her face turning pale as she softly gasped. Her body then trembled, and several strands of dark silk shot out from within her, coiling like serpents before vanishing into the old demon's fingers. The old mage's eyes flashed twice, then with a swift motion of his sleeve, he brushed it against the bottle—immediately, the lid opened on its own. At the same time, waves of dark light radiated outward, forming a shimmering black aura that shielded the contents from any divine perception or stealthy observation. The careful manner of the wood-crowned elder stirred even greater curiosity among the others, prompting Xiang Zhi Li himself to gently stroke his beard, silent and thoughtful. "Just as he finished speaking, the dark glow had already vanished at the hall door, while the lingering echoes continued to resonate throughout the hall. Seeing this, Han Li showed no signs of urgency or anxiety. Instead, he calmly poured another cup of spiritual wine, took a few sips, and then stood up with composed grace. "Han brother, are you truly going to meet his attack head-on? He's a Huashen cultivator, isn't he?" Zi Ling frowned, her brows tightly knit, clearly concerned. "Don't worry. If it's just one strike, I still have a good chance." Han Li glanced at her with a calm, serene smile. Back when he was still in the early stages of the Yuanying period, he had successfully blocked a single blow from the ancestral spirit of an ancient demon. Facing a Huashen cultivator, he felt confident. "Then I'll go with you. I'll stay by your side and observe the battle." With her eyes shining brightly, Zi Ling spoke with unwavering determination. Upon making eye contact with the unusual glow in her gaze, Han Li hesitated slightly before finally nodding in agreement. A flash of brilliance surged through him, and he grabbed Zǐ Líng firmly, transforming into a streak of jade light that shot out, vanishing without a trace at the hall door. The blue-robed scholars and others in the hall also swiftly summoned their flight lights, rushing out in a flurry. They naturally wouldn't miss this lively scene. Even the other two exceptionally beautiful female cultivators, destined to become concubines like Zǐ Líng, hesitated only slightly before joining the group with their palace attendants and stepping outside. In an instant, the hall was left with only Xiang Zhīlǐ and the Wind Old Sage. They remained silently seated, motionless. "What could be strange about that?" Xiang Zhi-li remained as calm as ever. "Master Xiang truly doesn't wish to know what that thing is. Yet, a treasure so extraordinary as to make the old Hu Magician lose his composure—such a treasure must surely prove useful to both of us." Feng, the old monster, gazed deeply at Xiang Zhi-li, speaking with evident intention. "Even if that item is the very treasure that enables us to transcend our current limitations, or a holy medicine that could extend our lives by a couple of hundred years—what then? Does Master Feng believe that merely breaking through our present stage will suffice for our ascension to the Immortal Realm, or that merely living an additional one or two centuries will allow us to reach the late stage of the Perfected Immortal realm? If neither of these goals can be achieved, then we should not be distracted by external matters—we should simply focus on locating suitable spatial nodes. As long as we find the right ones, we shall have a real chance at immortality. Why, then, should we go seeking distant solutions?" Xiang Zhi-li sighed and spoke thus. "Indeed, your words are well taken. It is just that Feng here has been Actually, no matter what it was, once it came into the hands of Hú Lǎo Mó, we were certainly out of the running. And from the way Hú Lǎo Mó looked, it seemed he had absolutely no intention of revealing anything. Yet surprisingly, he insisted that Han Xiǎo Er take a direct hit from him—most unkindly. Would he really intend to take advantage of this moment and end the young man's life? Feng Lǎo Guài pondered for a while, then finally broke into a苦笑. "There won't be any trouble. I already warned Hú Dao-you in advance. Moreover, Han Shīdì has dared to commit himself—so he must have some confidence. Still, to be safe, let's go out and take a look. After all, Hú Lǎo Mó is rather eccentric. What if, in his moment of urgency, he makes some unexpected move?" Xiang Zhīlǐ suddenly remembered something, furrowed his brow, and then grew restless. Feng Lǎo Guài nodded and rose to his feet as well. With a slight shift in posture, the two vanished from their place without a trace. And then, in the next moment, their figures appeared near the hall doors, flashed briefly, and vanished once more. Of course, when the figures of Xiang ZhiLi and the other two materialized on the ground outside the hall, already hundreds of feet away, Han Li and the old man with the wooden crown had already come into direct confrontation, hovering suspended in mid-air. One composed, the other utterly expressionless! Scattered among the ground were other cultivators standing quietly, but in the nearby palace complexes, hundreds of graceful attendants of the Magic Palace emerged, gazing upward at the scene in the sky, whispering excitedly among themselves, their faces glowing with anticipation. It was no surprise—such an opportunity, with the Master of the Magic Palace personally stepping in, was something they rarely witnessed. "Should Hu the Old Demon give his full strength, do you think the young Han has a chance to withstand this attack?" the old wind spirit murmured, his eyes narrowed as he gazed at the scene above, then suddenly turned, asking with a strangely eerie tone.