Although slightly smaller in size than its opponent, the six-winged frost centipede, a formidable head emerged from the black mist, and as it opened its mouth, a luminous beam thick as a water tank shot forth. Where the white light passed, a sharp crackling sound of rushing air instantly resonated through the air. The beam flashed and struck the giant scorpion's body, piercing through and creating a hole several zhang wide. The scorpion, composed of countless flying scorpions, would not suffer severe pain or be extinguished even if struck at its vital point. Instead, it emitted a sharp, piercing hum, and its tall tail rose high, then moved with a sudden motion. A green flash burst forth, and the tail, appearing almost ethereal, spanned dozens of zhang to reach the centipede's head, where it plunged sharply. At the same time, the hole in the scorpion's abdomen began to pulse and rapidly sealed itself. As the six-winged frost centipede watched the scorpion's hook descend, it remained completely indifferent, merely causing its six semi-transparent wings to gently tremble, and then vanished from its original position. The scorpion's hook pierced the empty space with a roar! At once, a spatial distortion rippled above the giant scorpion, and a snow-white, serpent-like creature coiled and materialized. Its six wings trembled once more, and as its body blurred, it shot forward, plunging headlong into the giant scorpion's body, its pair of fangs deeply embedding into the scorpion's flesh. A milky, cold glow burst across the scorpion's surface and swiftly spread over half its body, becoming translucent and radiant. Yet, after a moment's pause, the scorpion's body shattered completely, and countless flying scorpions tumbled down like rain from the sky. The remaining fragments of the giant scorpion finally ceased to cohere into a single mass, scattering and fleeing in all directions. In an instant, the colorful toxic mist vanished entirely. The six-winged frost worm, instead of pursuing the scattered scorpions, opened its large mouth and blew a gust of white, cold wind, lifting the fallen bodies of the flying scorpions scattered on the ground and drawing them into its mouth, then chewing them down steadily. From a distance, Han Li now felt a sense of calm. Finally, he understood why this six-winged frost worm had evolved so rapidly! During his absence, it must have devoured countless flying scorpions. These flying scorpions seemed no ordinary creatures—they were quite significant, and their large-scale consumption likely provided a notable catalytic effect. Since Han Li had arrived in the desert, he had not seen any other moving creatures. It appeared that all the living beings had been completely consumed by the flying scorpions and this worm. As Han Li pondered this, the massive worm had already finished off all the flying scorpions on the ground. Then, it tilted its head and suddenly gazed directly at Han Li, its eyes subtly radiating a cold, ominous aura. Upon making eye contact with this gaze, Han Li felt a sudden jolt in his chest, as if the very thing he had feared most had indeed come to pass. Suddenly, the six-winged frost centipede emitted a sharp cry, and with a single sweep of all six wings, it instantly transformed into a white streak, rushing straight toward Han Li. In just a few breaths, it had reached Han Li's head, glaring at him with an unyielding, indifferent gaze. The sharp teeth exposed in its massive mouth gently rubbed against each other. Han Li frowned slightly, fixing his gaze on the creature without blinking, yet his hands behind his back subtly trembled—two extinguished immortality pearls slipped silently from his sleeves and landed into the palms of his hands. After a low hum, the white centipede turned and suddenly shot off toward the distant horizon, vanishing within moments beyond the sky. To Han Li, it had been nothing more than a stranger passing through. It had simply been cast aside and then departed without a word. Han Li exhaled deeply, his tightly tensed face now relaxing. Yet, he soon shook his head with a wry smile. The miraculous, unexpected evolutionary leap of these ancient insects—from four wings to six—had brought such astonishing growth in cultivation that it far exceeded Han Li's expectations. Though these wild, primitive insects could not transform into human forms like ordinary immortal beasts, they had already begun to develop rudimentary intelligence. With their powerful inner qi, they naturally desired to sever the spiritual bond linking them. If Han Li still possessed sufficient qi, he could easily have subdued the insects' resistance through the seals he had originally planted. But now, with not a single drop of inner qi remaining within him, even his most refined techniques proved powerless. Under such circumstances, it was no surprise at all that the insects suddenly turned and began to devour him. Han Li had genuinely been sweating profusely, even preparing for the worst—retrieving the Immortal-Heaven Pearl in secret. Indeed, this fortunate outcome was due to the fact that the twelve giant centipedes he had nurtured from their egg stages had been carefully cultivated by him over several centuries. The connection between their spirits had already grown exceptionally strong. And since this creature was formed by the convergence of twelve separate essences, it was as if twelve such bonds had been fused into one—making it even more difficult to dislodge. After a good struggle, the centipede finally abandoned any thoughts that might have been detrimental to Han Li and simply took off on its own. Han Li could only watch helplessly, unable to intervene. Now, gazing at the dark clouds receding into the distance, he found himself both amused and exasperated. Back when he was on the human plane, he had spared no effort, using a mysterious vial to carefully nurture this spiritual creature. Yet now, having matured into a fully developed form, the creature had become utterly uncontrollable—leaving him feeling frustrated and somewhat defeated. Nevertheless, after a quiet sigh, Han Li's mind settled. Though the creature had temporarily escaped his control, as soon as his magical energy recovered, he was confident he could reassert his dominance. The only concern remained: the vastness of the spiritual realm and the sheer number of cultivators within it. This insect had either vanished completely or been seized by the other great master before him. Han Li stood in place, pondering for a long time, then shook his head and decided to let the matter rest. Suddenly, in a flash of awareness, he remembered the Golden-Feeding Insect and the Soul-Calling Beast. At once, his expression darkened, and he hurried forward, reaching a spot over a hundred paces away in just a short while. After glancing down, Han Li raised his hand and clenched it firmly, sending a golden flash toward the ground, where he struck it hard. A tremendous roar echoed through the air, as if the mid-tier divine artifact had struck with full force. The silvery-gray sand floor, centered on Han Li, burst completely, splintering into fragments. A towering mound of dust rose like a mushroom, revealing a circular depression below—deep enough to reach three or four zhang, and wide enough to span nearly twenty zhang. At the very center of the depression stood a storage scroll and three spirit-beast scrolls. Han Li first saw that the storage bag's opening was intact, which gave him reassurance. But upon glancing again at the three spirit-beast bags, he immediately walked over. He picked up all the bags in his hands, his expression thoughtful. Though his divine awareness could not inspect the contents, the sealing traces left at the bag's opening were fully preserved, and with a slight weight check, he could confirm that nothing was missing. As for the three spirit-beast bags—one was completely empty, exactly where the six-winged frost serpent had been stored—the other two had slightly open openings. Without even looking, Han Li could sense the presence of the gold-devouring insects and the soul-calling beast through subtle mental connection. Indeed, he could hear the deep, rhythmic sleep of the soul-calling beast emanating directly from one of the bags. A slight smile touched Han Li's lips, and his last concern vanished entirely. He then tightly sealed each bag and tucked them into his chest. The bags were all compact and elegant, and from their appearance, there was no sign of any unusual condition on Han Li's person. However, the massive exoskeleton left behind by the six-winged frost beetle proved quite troublesome. Frowning, he delivered a series of consecutive punches, slightly enlarging the depression and carefully settling the entire exoskeleton within it, then covering it with thick layers of sand. After circling the spot several times and confirming no trace remained, he nodded with satisfaction. Looking up toward the direction where the dark clouds had dispersed, his face grew stern for a moment before he suddenly turned around and strode off in the opposite direction. This time, his destination was a renowned land of mythical beasts located thousands of miles away. Situated at the border where the Heavenly Yuan realm met a certain realm of beasts, this region spanned both realms, each holding a portion of it. The most expansive and central part, however, remained unadministered—serving as a buffer zone. Thus, in this region, spirit beasts, wild ancient creatures, and numerous half-divine humans frequently roam. The deeper one moves into the central, most expansive areas, the more perilous the terrain becomes. It is said that some have even witnessed the mysterious spirit race riding divine-level vehicles, others have seen ancient giants towering over dozens of zhangs in height, and some claim to have heard roars resembling those of true dragons. With so many such extraordinary tales, this land is naturally shrouded in an ever-thicker veil of mystery. Yet most people listen, smile, and remain unconvinced. The presence of spirit cultivators and cultivators at the Divine Form level is indeed a genuine occurrence—something that has prompted both human and spirit race elites to be particularly cautious, and to collectively limit their engagements to this level. Should any higher-tier forces emerge, it would truly ignite a full-scale war between the human and spirit races. Such beings are capable of disrupting the fundamental celestial and terrestrial energies, causing rivers to flow backward and mountains to shift dramatically. Even beings as powerful as the Three Emperors and the Seven Demon Kings are merely fully realized fusion-level characters. With so many dangers present, this region should have been sparsely inhabited from the start. Yet, it has remained largely undeveloped by both human and demon clans, boasting an abundance of spiritual veins and medicinal herbs far exceeding ordinary expectations—some even being unique to this very land, so highly valued that even the Three Emperors and others regularly pay premium spiritual stones to acquire them annually. As a result, a steady influx of cultivators and body-builders has naturally followed. Some come hoping for a chance to secure rare herbs, while others actively leverage the ongoing battles and bloodshed to break through their cultivation bottlenecks—this situation bears a striking resemblance to the current beast surge. However, the cultivators and body-builders who dare venture into this region naturally exclude those at the early stages, such as Qi-level and lower-tier body-builders, who would otherwise simply perish upon arrival. The demon clan's dispatched forces are likewise composed of similarly advanced individuals. Under these circumstances, Han Li, after years of tireless travel, finally reached this border region.