Having completed all this, Han Li showed no intention of stopping. With a simple搓 of his hands, two golden arcs, thick as his arms, burst forth from his sleeves with the sound of thunder, then converged into a massive golden serpent the width of a large bowl, shaking its head and tail as it surged straight toward the sky. At the same time, as Han Li opened his mouth, a crystalline orb shot out and, upon a gentle flick, transformed into a purple dragon several dozen feet long, equally fierce and menacing, charging forward. The silver giant lotus rose to meet the ascending emerald glow, drifting upward steadily. The emerald glow that had fallen from the sky suddenly flashed with brilliant light, reforming into eight peaks of jade green, though four of them were now partially ruined, their radiance dimmed, while the four more recently formed peaks remained perfectly intact. Yet suddenly, the peaks shimmered with a vibrant jade glow, undergoing astonishing transformations. As the eight mountains converged toward the center, they truly fused into one. In that instant, a colossal mountain, nearly a thousand zhang in height, rose into the air and immediately pressed downward without hesitation. At this moment, the purple dragon, the electric serpent, and the silver giant lotus beneath also advanced to meet it. Instantly, a dazzling array of spiritual lights erupted—electric arcs, cold vapor, silver radiance, and jade glimmers intertwined, causing the mountain to momentarily pause. However, the mountain was truly immense. Regardless of the electric strikes, thunderbolts, or icy seals, they barely registered on its vast form. It only trembled slightly before resuming its descent, pressing the silver lotus—three dozen zhang in diameter—downward until it sank firmly. Below, Han Li narrowed his eyes, his blue pupils flashing momentarily. Then, with a low exhalation, he opened his mouth and expelled a cluster of pure blood. This blood immediately plunged into the heart of the floating silver lotus and was drawn in by the green measuring rod. Han Li pressed a series of intricate gestures with his ten fingers, simultaneously chanting a profound and obscure incantation. Upon hearing the chant, Xiang Zhilǐ and Feng, the elderly marvel, exchanged glances, both expressing astonishment. As the mountain of a thousand zhang loomed ready to crush the giant lotus, eight distinct, strange piercing tones suddenly emerged from the green bamboo ruler embedded within the lotus. Immediately, the ruler spun around and suddenly revealed eight phantom figures, each about an inch in size. Under the impetus of Han Li's gestures, these phantoms rapidly expanded in form, transforming within moments into eight spectral beasts each ten zhang long, glowing with a soft, ethereal green light—so vivid and tangible they seemed solid. Each of the spectral beasts bore a striking resemblance to the legendary celestial and terrestrial beasts described in ancient lore. As the eight phantoms either breathed out streams of spiritual flame or charged forward, their combined efforts successfully halted the mountain, which could only rotate slowly in midair, unable to descend at all. The elder demon far off saw this scene and his expression finally grew troubled. Though he hadn't truly intended to灭kill the other this time, he had absolutely planned to severely wound Han Li. If Han Li were to effortlessly parry this attack, then what purpose would his condition serve? With this thought, though the elder demon seemed motionless, he subtly strengthened his spiritual awareness. Suddenly, the cries of birds on the green peak boomed loudly, and countless gray shadows shot forth from the mountain, transforming into numerous towering, about one zhang in length, fierce apes that charged down with great ferocity. These apes were no ordinary beasts—they were the spirits of demons used as blood sacrifices during the creation of the artifact. Being essentially immortal and indestructible, they could regenerate within moments even if severed into many pieces. Thus, their power grew stronger against the powerful and weakened against the weak, making them extremely difficult to handle. Yet, as soon as these celestial apes appeared, the Ti-Hun beast that had shrunk down to a span in front of Han Li suddenly brightened its eyes, immediately emitting a resonant cry without further words. Its form then swelled once more in the black light. This time, however, it stopped expanding after growing to about ten or twelve zhang, and instead emitted a low hum from its nostrils. Waves of golden mist surged forth from the giant ape's nose, transforming into hundreds of hazy golden beams that shot skyward. Strange as it might seem, though these celestial apes were clearly brimming with powerful spiritual aura—each possessing an astonishing level comparable to a fifth-tier immortal beast, and several even reaching the peak of the seventh tier—upon being struck by these golden beams, they instantly collapsed like ants, turning into slender streaks of green vapor that were swiftly drawn back and absorbed by the golden light. All hundreds of celestial apes fell without a single one escaping, becoming nourishment for the giant ape transformed from the Ti-Hun beast. However, after devouring all the Qing Yan beasts, the凶's body shrank once more and instantly transformed into a streak of black light, flying directly into韩立's waist, vanishing from his garments and returning to its spiritual beast bag.韩立 was momentarily stunned, but soon felt a message in his consciousness indicating that Ti Hu was preparing for further evolution—immediately bringing him great joy. Yet the rather strange phenomenon of Ti Hu inhaling and absorbing so many Qing Yan beast souls left the other cultivators deeply surprised, even momentarily staggering the old Hu Magician himself. While others might not be aware of the Qing Yan beasts' prowess, as the owner of this precious artifact, he personally knew how tenacious and difficult these beast souls could be—thus his astonishment far surpassed that of others. Meanwhile, the thousand-zhang-high mountain floating above, held firmly in place by the combined efforts of the eight spirit-beast shadows, now appeared completely motionless, as if it would never descend further.韩立, his face slightly pale, stared intently at the mountain above, silently pondering whether he should summon additional artifacts to completely destroy it. "Ha ha, Han Zhishidi and Hu Daojun truly display great prowess. Shall we conclude this encounter here? Should we go further, we might truly damage our harmony." Suddenly, Xiang Zhilǐ burst into laughter and spoke. With a mere shift of his body, he vanished silently from his spot—only to reappear instantly between Han Li and Hu Lǎomó, extending his hand casually as if by mere gesture toward the thousand-zhang emerald mountain. A thunderous roar echoed as a ghostly claw, wrapped in dark qi, materialized from the void—like a colossal celestial being descending from the heavens and seizing the mountain's peak. With a firm grip of his five fingers, the claw lifted the mountain's summit several dozen feet into the air. Han Li's expression grew slightly pale upon witnessing Xiang Zhilǐ's feat, while Hu Lǎomó's demeanor grew increasingly uneasy. "Hmph," Hu Lǎomó observed coldly, "I never thought Xiang Daojun's Giant Spirit Claws had reached such a refined level. Yet now, as he deploys them—does he intend to impress me?" "The Giant Claws? Nothing more than a mere trifle—how could they possibly meet with your approval? I merely feared that my esteemed friend might, in the course of his enthusiasm, forget our agreement to strike once. Now, shouldn't Brother Han have taken that strike?" Xiang Zhi-li smiled gently, speaking with calm indifference. "As the Master of the Demon Palace, how could I, a Yuan-Enlightened cultivator, fail to speak with authority? Brother Han has indeed received my strike," said Hū, his expression shifting between clouded and resolute before finally slowly nodding to Xiang. Then, he raised his hand and waved it toward the distant mountain. Instantly, the mountain emitted a resonant hum, its entire body shimmering with emerald light. Xiang Zhi-li's lips moved slightly, and the colossal claw that had been gripping the mountain's peak instantly vanished into nothingness. Then, the thousand-zhang mountain trembled and transformed back into eight peaks each a hundred zhang tall, which then surged forward with a rushing sound, rapidly shrinking in size. When these eight peaks reached near the scroll, they had shrunk to mere inches and dissolved into the scene, vanishing completely. This scene also appeared on the other ten emerald peaks floating above the old demon's head. In a moment, all the small mountains disappeared into the scroll, and then the painting gently folded in a shimmer of light, transforming once again into an ordinary, plain scroll. The old demon reached out into the air, and the scroll's beginning instantly turned into a cluster of green light, vanishing into his sleeve. "Though I won't be marrying Zi Ling now, the other two ladies still remain, and the wedding ceremony for the secondary wife will still take place in three days. Brother Xiang, you won't be leaving now, will you? Surely you won't skip the celebration wine." The elder with the wooden crown glanced warmly at Han Li and Xiang Zhi-li, as if the earlier surprise he had shown toward Xiang Zhi-li had never happened at all. "Of course," Xiang Zhi-li replied with a bright smile, showing no sign of surprise or hesitation. "Friend Han, you should also stay with the palace for a few more days. After the ceremony, you may then depart." "Hu, the old demon nodded and then, in a calm tone, spoke to Han Li just as he had. Han Li's eyes flashed briefly, but with a swift internal thought, he maintained a composed expression and replied, 'Of course! Both Xiang Shifu and Feng Dao-friend have not yet left. How could I possibly leave without them?' "You just enjoy yourself staying here with this young lady for a few more days in the magical palace—no need to rush." With these words, Xiang Zhi-li smiled warmly and then gracefully drifted downward, entering the hall with a confident, unhurried air.