Han Li glanced at the scene, his eyes sweeping over it. The water pond appeared only slightly clearer than ordinary—nothing particularly remarkable. As he was beginning to feel puzzled, the blue city's master examined the three slender, elderly figures across from him, then suddenly asked, "I've heard that the Silver Moon Wolf Clan has a mutated wolf spirit with three heads. Under the guidance of a great master in the clan, each of the three heads has been cultivated into a separate body. Each now possesses the attainment of a Yuan婴 (Jing) stage. Together, the three forms can withstand a single Hua Shen stage being. Could it be you?" "Master Blue didn't take the provocation from the slender, thin young man; instead, he turned to the young lady and asked, 'What are your plans? Didn't the elder Huan say that the spiritual race members were entering the pond to capture people? Then it's only natural that we should come over and stop them immediately.'" The dressed-in-courtly-attire young lady smiled calmly. "Indeed, Daoist Xiao has thought of this so carefully. Very well, then, please proceed. Master Blue, I shall have the others with me stationed outside the pond, blocking the spiritual race members, shall we?" Master Blue stared at the young lady for a moment, then glanced at the pond, and chuckled. The court-dressed young lady was momentarily startled, but after quickly surveying Master Blue, the head monk beside him, and the several Yuan-Infancy cultivators, she laughed lightly. "If Daoist Xiao hasn't come, perhaps I wouldn't have brought anyone in at all. But since Master Blue has arrived, it's only fair that the opportunity be given to you. Surely you don't really intend to send a mere young woman down there, do you? After all, I've long heard that Master Blue possesses a miraculous jade "You take the others and immediately withdraw from Chuanhou Valley—I'll go down myself." The Blue City Master's face darkened, his tone stiff and firm. The court-dressed young woman heard him without hesitation, her expression slightly tightening, and she gave a cold sigh before falling silent. Naturally, she, like the two others, would not yield at this moment. The Blue City Master, however, murmured softly, passing a message to the elder monk, and his gaze toward the young woman grew increasingly unwelcoming. On the other side, besides the young woman and three slender, wiry young men, there were only three fully manifested immortal cultivators. Besides the Blue City Master and the head hermit, there remained seven or eight human-origin Yuan-Center cultivators—clearly holding the upper hand. With no one coming to join them now, it was evident that the others had indeed been drawn into entanglements by the spiritual clan members. In the near term, neither side would receive reinforcements. As long as they could secure the supplies first, the supposed agreement of equal division would be entirely disregarded. Because everyone was well aware that the previous agreement had merely been a compromise—each side seeking a way to avoid direct confrontation. When the young noblewoman from the palace sensed the humans' growing eagerness, she raised her brows slightly, using a secret technique to alert her own people, and with a gentle flick of her sleeve, a small object settled into her palm. The atmosphere was intensely tense, with both sides poised for immediate action! Suddenly, the ground near the water pond trembled violently, and the normally serene pond water began to surge and churn violently. From the depths, countless strands of milky-white light shot out in random directions—some soaring skyward, others rushing directly toward the protective coverings of the human and immortal clans at the pond's edge. As these dense streams of light struck the nearby rocks, they instantly pierced through them, creating countless pinpoint holes resembling the stings of a honeycomb. Both clans were stunned, and quickly responded by either summoning their divine powers or deploying their precious treasures to fend off the onslaught of light strands. At that moment, the once-clear spring water began to radiate a brilliant, glaring light, as though a sun-like glow were slowly rising from beneath the surface. As the water surged and churned, it released waves of intense, scorching heat, making it appear as if the entire pond were boiling and steaming under the bright white light. "What on earth is happening? Could it be the spiritual race beneath is causing this?" Han Li, hovering above and observing everything below, had first been startled by the light filaments that forced him into a state of frantic activity. When he then witnessed the unusual phenomena in the pond, he grew even more alarmed. Not only he, but the young woman and the Blue Commander as well, were quietly murmuring in bewilderment. "That doesn't make sense," the Blue Commander remarked, clearly more familiar with this pond. "The radiant light should only be able to conceal the water—how could it rise above the surface? Could it be…?" Yet before he had finished speaking, dozens of luminous white beams—thick as water jars—burst through the air, suddenly curving at an odd angle as soon as they cleared the water surface, directly targeting nearby humans and immortals, all converging with astonishing speed, reaching their marks almost instantly. This unforeseen assault caught both clans off guard, inflicting significant losses right away. Among the few who had deep enough cultivation, such as the young woman and the Blue City Master, only those who perceived the threat in time managed to employ secret techniques and vanish. The three slender young men, however, failed to activate any known method, and the shape-shifting immortals and Yuan-En stage cultivators who came within the beams' reach simply vanished without a trace—leaving not even a hint of their presence. No matter what protective spells or artifacts they had summoned, they proved utterly ineffective. It was no surprise that the lady in court dress and others were filled with shock and outrage. Yet before they could fully grasp what had transpired beneath the pond, a tremendous roar echoed, and five yellow pillars erupted from the ground around the pond, each inscribed with patterns too intricate to decipher. The human cultivators at the元婴 stage were the most numerous, and many of those who had perished earlier were among them. Most of these victims were close aides and disciples of the Blue City Master, leaving him furious. Upon seeing these strange pillars rise from the earth, they immediately knew that the events of just now were directly linked to them. One by one, they roared, "What demon dares strike such a blow?" Then, the Blue City Master stroked his forehead, and a series of swift "shush-shush" sounds followed, as five slender blue blades shot forth, swiftly expanding into massive swords of several zhang in length. With a solemn voice, he declared, "Cut!" The five great swords flashed, transforming into five brilliant streaks of light, and swiftly darted toward the five yellow pillars, circling rapidly around their bases before swiftly spiraling around them. A series of thunderous crashes followed, and the pillar was severed into two halves, leaving only shallow, concentric traces of the sword blades upon its surface. The Blue Commander's eyes narrowed; he quickly chanted a spell and summoned the five great swords back. At that moment, green liquid surged from the areas where the sword marks had been on the pillar, emitting an unusually pungent, fresh scent. The Blue Commander kept the swords swirling above his head, then scanned the five yellow pillars, his facial muscles twitching slightly. He himself was most aware of the power of these flying swords—normally, even a small mountain could be cleaved with a single strike. Yet these pillars seemed peculiar; they appeared to possess a certain elasticity, as though alive. Seeing the Blue Commander's efforts fall short, the court-dressed lady in the lower airspace also displayed a look of astonishment and uncertainty. A low, resonant hum emanated from beneath the water pond, as if someone were groaning, or as though someone had just awakened. As this strange sound was emitted, the five pillars that had been standing suddenly grew still. Yet beneath the pond, a massive sphere of ten zhang in diameter burst forth. The sphere shimmered with a bright white light, and at its center rested a round, golden object the size of a human head. "The Setting-Sun Crystal," said the Blue City Master, who immediately gasped as he saw the object within the sphere. But as soon as he spoke these words, he regretted them instantly, leaping without hesitation into the air and transforming into a streak of white light, directly aiming for the treasure. Upon hearing the name "Setting-Sun Crystal," the young woman and the three slender, dark-clad youths were momentarily startled, then quickly brightened with joy. With a sharp cry, the young woman spun around and transformed into a black phoenix of flame, rushing straight toward the object. Meanwhile, the three slender youths suddenly converged toward the center, forming a broad beam of silver light and following closely behind. The Blue City Master, for some unknown reason, remained hesitant, standing still at his post without moving. Hidden high above, Han Li's eyes flickered several times, yet he made no move. His objective for this journey was simple—he had come solely for the divine blood. No matter how precious other items might be, he would not act rashly, exposing his presence. The young woman, as a spiritual cultivator, clearly moved more slowly than the head monk. The white rainbow formed by the head monk was about to plunge directly into the radiant light, carrying the "Luoyang Crystal" with it. At that very instant, an unexpected change occurred. A powerful, invisible suction suddenly emerged around the light sphere, momentarily halting the head monk's advance. Before he could even react in surprise and summon his inner energy to resist, several strange silver seals appeared on his garments. Then, his body trembled, and he was instantly drawn into the boiling pond, vanishing without a trace. Only the light sphere remained suspended in the air. The young woman and the three slender young men rushing toward them were naturally startled, hastily spinning and retreating with a surge of light, returning in a single breath to the edge of the pond, only then glancing back at it with wide-eyed astonishment. At the same time, the Blue Commander seemed to have noticed something, his face suddenly turning pale and grim. Just then, another deep rumbling sound came from the other side of the pond, and soon five more yellow pillars, identical to the previous ones, emerged. Then, a thunderous roar began to rise from the pond, growing steadily louder and more resonant. The pond water and the ten yellow pillars trembled more violently in response. The Blue Commander suddenly turned around, transforming into a streak of blue light and racing swiftly toward the valley entrance, vanishing into the thick mist within a few flashes. This sudden move left both Han Li and the dressed young woman momentarily stunned. Yet, as Han Li furrowed his brow, his body began to drift upward into the sky. After exchanging glances with the three slender young men, the young lady in her courtly attire remained solemn and did not move from her place. As a result, the water in the pond began to spin rapidly, soon forming a massive vortex. At the same time, ten pillars bent downward from halfway up, then simultaneously rose again, lifting several dozen feet higher. Meanwhile, the ground cracked and soil surged upward, and two colossal beings emerged from the earth on either side of the pond. Just as Han Li was ascending, he glanced downward. Upon seeing the true forms of the two beings, he was utterly stunned.