Although one could hardly judge the rank or the divine powers merely by the appearance of the treasure, it was generally true that special forms such as "vessels," "lanterns," and "mirrors" often possessed unique abilities. Once the particularly extraordinary Tian Ding was activated, the spiritual pressure it emitted far surpassed that of ordinary treasures, instantly prompting the man with a furrowed brow to feel deeply alert and sensing that this battle would not be easy. As he thought this, the man with the furrowed brow launched his attack without hesitation. With a swift gesture of his hands, the blue light points surrounding his body gathered and transformed into bright blue sand grains that surged skyward. These grains then slightly blurred and expanded—first into ten, then into a hundred—quickly forming a thick sand cloud that partially obscured half of the sky within the light screen. At the same time, the large silver disc vanished into the sand cloud. With a powerful cry, the sand cloud shimmered with deep blue radiance, pressing steadily downward toward Han Li, its grains rolling and rubbing together, subtly echoing the sound of thunder. Han Li observed the scene, his eyes narrowing slightly—without making a single move. As the golden lotuses spun around, they rose into the air with unwavering resolve... Amid the shifting shadows of the lotuses, a myriad of golden beams surged forth, and the momentum and grandeur of the lotuses were no less than that of the pressing blue sand clouds. Upon first contact, the lotus petals trembled violently, and the shadow of each lotus instantly swelled to twice its original size. Each golden lotus expanded to the size of a dozen paces, spinning rapidly in the air. Each petal seemed like a sharp blade, slicing through the sand clouds with force, sending sand particles flying in all directions and producing thunderous roars. Seventy-two golden lotuses had thus successfully withstood the crushing weight of the blue sand, as if bearing down like a mountain. The man facing them, who had been frowning, expressed a moment of surprise, then chuckled, subtly reinforcing his inner spell. Suddenly, within the flowing blue sand clouds, a flash of silver appeared—a massive silver wheel burst forth, swiftly rotating and cutting downward. In an instant, it collided head-on with one of the golden lotuses. The man with a downturned brow broke into a grim smile. His "Breakthrough Wheel," forged from a rare material known as "Lishan Sand" from the wild, was exceptionally sharp. As a wheel-type artifact, its cutting prowess surpassed even that of flying blades or spears. Since its formation, it had severed countless enemy flying blades and spears. Though the opponent's golden flying sword seemed to possess notable abilities, under this sudden, decisive strike, it should have been severed instantly. The man with his brows raised had still not recovered from his astonishment, yet Han Li silently pointed at the massive cauldron before him. Instantly, the lid of the cauldron shot off, and a resonant hum erupted within—countless streaks of emerald light surged forth, sweeping past the golden lotus silhouette and enveloping the sky of blue sand, then spiraling back into the cauldron. Han Li’s action was as swift as a lightning flash. When the man with raised brows regained his composure, already a portion of the blue sand had been forcibly drawn into the cauldron, severing its connection to its master’s consciousness. “An immortal artifact!” he exclaimed. These blue sands were different from the broken golden wheel—the man had personally cultivated and refined them into treasures. How could ordinary artifacts be captured? If all were taken, his decades of painstaking cultivation would be utterly undone. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and expelled a ball of blood the size of a fist, hovering before him. With his index finger, he lightly brushed the air, drawing a blood-red seal in a flowing, elegant script. Then, he raised his hand and delivered a solid palm strike. This rune burst forth with a soft "puff," then vanished as swiftly as it appeared. Yet the very next moment, it unexpectedly materialized several zhang away from Han Li, momentarily transforming into a massive ghost-headed creature with twin horns and a green, toothy face, charging straight toward him. It seemed the man with a furrowed brow had carefully planned his move—first disrupting Han Li's efforts to collect the treasures with an unexpected spell, then immediately drawing back his sand cloud and summoning his spiritual powers to confront Han Li. While Han Li was quietly channeling his hand seals to command the Virtual Heaven Cauldron to gather the blue sand floating above, he saw the ghost head surge forth with fierce intensity. With a slight lift of his eyebrow, he opened his mouth and unleashed a golden electric arc that struck the creature unexpectedly. A thunderous crack echoed, and as the delicate arc bounced off the ghost head, it dissolved into a series of murmurs, vanishing completely. Even the Divine Exorcising Thunder—something even the primordial offspring of the Ancient Demon Realm could not withstand—proved decisive against this unknown ghostly form. Though the origin of this ghostly being remained unclear, it was naturally obliterated by the sudden assault. The man with a furrowed brow froze. But then it struck him, and his face grew suddenly grim. At that moment, the azure mist of the Xutian Ding had already drawn half of the sand clouds in the sky. A sharp, bone-chilling sneeze escaped him, and he raised both hands, forming an unusual hand seal, while a sound like Buddhist chanting resonated from his mouth. With solemnity, he pointed steadily at the opposite sky. The sand grains, previously tossed about by the azure glow and golden lotus, suddenly stilled. Then, they spun smoothly, expanding rapidly in volume as brilliant light radiated from them. In a moment, these once barely grain-sized particles transformed into blue rock spheres the size of human heads, translucent and shimmering, radiating a vibrant blue glow. Immediately, those crystalline rocks pressed downward in dense numbers, and the golden lotus, which had been rotating freely, finally grew stagnant and motionless, amid a deep resonant sound. The emerald mist spewing forth from the Virtual Heaven Cauldron could no longer stir or carry these rocks at all. "Hmm." This scene, indeed, caused the man across from him, who had been frowning, to grow pale, gradually releasing the hand seal he had been holding. Even the golden-armored cultivator standing outside the light screen, who had previously remained expressionless and neutral throughout the clash, now for the first time showed a subtle expression of surprise and softly murmured, "Hm." Clearly, Han Li's Yuanmagnetic Divine Light technique had piqued the interest of this Lingxu cultivator. "What kind of technique is this? How can you simply draw away my 'Blue Crystal Sand' out of thin air?" the frowning man asked Han Li, his voice firm and intense. "Do you think I would tell you, then?" Han Li smiled gently, appearing composed and at ease. In his view, the man's arrogance stemmed solely from his superior cultivation level. Had it not been for the fact that he still hadn't fully grasped the other's true background and origins—especially the impression that the man might have a Lingxu-level master—Han Li would have been hesitant to launch a full-scale attack. Otherwise, he would have already unleashed a relentless, overwhelming counteroffensive, leaving the man no room to recover. He, who possesses the metaphysical magnetic light, the spirit-consuming heavenly fire, and the Da Ge Sword Array among his divine abilities, would not hesitate in the slightest when facing a cultivator at the late Stage of Transformation. The man across from him, with his brows furrowed, displayed a fluctuating expression, clearly surprised by the extent of Han Li's capabilities. However, recalling the intricate implications tied to the territory's spiritual essence, he briefly drew a sharp breath, his fierce demeanor flashing momentarily before suddenly flipping his hands. A yellow copper plaque, palm-sized, appeared in one hand, its surface veiled in a milky vapor that obscured its true form. In the other hand, a pale silver scroll materialized, adorned with shimmering silver characters, densely inscribed with intricate silver tadpole script. Upon seeing these two items, Han Li's eyes narrowed instantly, and he immediately pressed a sword seal with one hand. The golden lotus originally swirling above his head trembled and converged toward the center, instantly condensing into a colossal lotus over ten zhang in diameter. It then emitted a clear, resonant sound and drifted gracefully toward the man across from him. As for the hazy glow emanating from the top of the dome, it suddenly recoiled and transformed into a gray luminous veil, completely shielding Han Li. At this moment, the man with a furrowed brow raised both hands, and instantly the copper plaque emitted a low hum, floating upward. Suddenly, a bright white light surged from the plaque, projecting a translucent figure that rapidly expanded and grew larger. Before Han Li stood a towering giant, two zhang tall, with a bare upper body. This giant, though barehanded, had skin as emerald and translucent as crystal, with luminous eyes that shimmered with inner vitality—revealing him to be a humanoid automaton. Meanwhile, the silver scroll emitted a soft "pffft" sound and dissolved into a silver mist about a foot in diameter. The mist coalesced and reshaped itself, eventually manifesting into a massive black wolf. The wolf's eyes were deep, somber, and emerald green, fixed steadily upon Han Li with no expression of emotion. After summoning these two items, the man with the arched brows still wouldn't rest. Taking a deep breath, his face suddenly turned as red as blood. With one hand he struck his forehead, and at that moment, a shimmer of azure light flashed above his head, revealing a blue immaterial infant floating in the air, both hands cradling a black, lustrous bell about an inch in size, his expression solemn. "Thousand-Souls Bell! Has the old master Míng gone mad? How could he lend such a precious treasure to his disciples?" The golden-armored cultivator outside the light screen, observing that neither the earlier puppet nor the black giant wolf had shown any response, furrowed his brows upon seeing the bell held by the blue infant, then suddenly grew serious and spoke. "Senior! I have temporarily borrowed this treasure from my master, and I haven't violated any regulations, have I?" The blue infant chuckled softly, his voice delicate and infantile. "Hmph. While there are no such rules during the competition for the Spirit Lands, the Thousand-Souls Bell is indeed powerful—yet you can only control it through a special secret technique." Even with this decisive victory, the party will suffer significant exhaustion afterward. For a mere piece of spiritual land, are you truly willing to bear such a cost?" The golden-armored cultivator flipped his eyes and said coldly. "Thank you, elder, for the reminder. I have certainly given this matter careful thought," the Yuan婴 cultivator replied, then, upon seeing the massive golden lotus now drifting above his head, immediately and without hesitation hurled his black bell forward. At the same time, the emerald-green automaton suddenly lifted its leg and strode steadily toward Han Li across the battlefield. With every step it took through the air, glowing runes flashed around its body, causing its form to rise by a foot or so. By the time it had covered half the distance, the automaton had grown nearly twice as tall as before. The black giant wolf merely flickered and, without a sound, dissolved into a mist, vanishing completely at its original spot. (First update!)