"That person's capabilities are far beyond comprehension. My disciple has fallen short of expectations. Had it not been for the intervention of the onlookers from the Heavenly Guard, my disciple might have been struck down by a single sword blow." Upon seeing the Jade Dragon, the man with the surname Wang immediately bowed low, standing with both hands clasped at his sides. "The opponent is merely a cultivator at the early stage of the Perfected Realm. Your own abilities were already considerable, and you were specifically entrusted with the Thousand-Souls Bell. How could you have failed? When did you become so ineffective?" The Jade Dragon's gaze grew increasingly stern. "My disciple has given it his very best. The opponent possesses several mysterious techniques, as well as a dish-shaped spiritual artifact. Oh, and he is also a fully accomplished practitioner of the Jinao Sect's Body-Refining Technique." The man with the surname Wang's face flushed, and a sudden bead of sweat appeared on his brow. He quickly spoke up to explain. "Indeed, there is a spiritual artifact? And a fully accomplished Body-Refining Master?" Hearing this, the Jade Dragon's voice also showed a hint of surprise. "Correct. My disciple has spoken the truth—every word Upon hearing that the Dragon of Jade was showing genuine interest, the man with a furrowed brow felt a slight relief. The Jade Dragon, with a gleam of unusual light in its eyes, pondered for a moment, then suddenly extended one of its claws, reaching out into the air toward the Wang surname man. A soft "puff" sound followed, and a sphere of dark light launched from the man's body, spiraling once before settling into the Dragon's hands. It lowered its head, carefully examining the object, only for its expression to grow increasingly somber shortly thereafter. Seeing this, the Wang surname man felt his heart sink once more. "So this person has pursued the path of dual cultivation—harmonizing both spiritual and physical refinement. Hah! This kind of cultivator was once quite popular during the ancient times. But now, such practitioners are exceedingly rare. One would hardly think to consider that either spiritual power or physical cultivation requires countless years of dedicated effort to achieve even modest progress. When one combines both, though they may initially surpass peers in the early stages, their cultivation inevitably lags behind ordinary cultivators as they reach deeper levels of mastery. Moreover, cultivation of the physical body requires certain innate talent. As far as I know, throughout history, only a few individuals—such as the Heavenly Yuan Emperor—have achieved the pinnacle of dual cultivation of body and spirit, eventually advancing to the Combined Body stage. These individuals either were originally physical cultivators who later became spiritual cultivators, or consumed rare heavenly and earthly treasures that greatly strengthened their bodies. Otherwise, pursuing this path would essentially sever one’s cultivation path. "The emerald dragon snorted, with a cold smile. "This person has already perfected the Jade Firmament Technique—how could there be any further physical cultivation method to strengthen his body?" the man with a furrowed brow asked, startled. "The perfection of the Jade Firmament Technique represents the highest level of physical cultivation for ordinary humans. To further strengthen the body, one would naturally need to study ancient magical techniques from the realm of demons or the techniques of the feline and mythical races. However, both are foreign traditions, and their inherent dangers are undoubtedly significant. It is not surprising that this person has simultaneously cultivated both spiritual energy and physical strength to this level, especially considering that you, a cultivator at the Mid-Transcendent stage, would not be able to match him." Yet, how did he manage to penetrate my Thousand-Soul Bell, extinguishing not only its primary soul but also nearly six-sevenths of the accompanying ten thousand malevolent spirits? The dragon's voice suddenly turned icy. "I don't know how he accomplished this. I absorbed him into the space within the bell, but he soon broke through the seal. I haven't personally witnessed the exact sequence of events," the man with the surname Wang hurried to explain. "Hmph. Though the Thousand-Soul Bell still hasn't made it onto the Hall of Chaotic Universal Immortals, it is sufficient to imprison a late-stage Stage of Immortal Transformation cultivator. It seems this person either carries a special artifact capable of countering阴souls or has cultivated a profoundly yang and resilient divine technique. Well, this treasure can be restored by merely gathering fresh spirits from fierce beasts, but the artifact he left behind must be preserved without any loss." The dragon stared at the man for a while before finally exhaling a cold sigh and shifting his gaze. "Thank you, Master, but the spiritual land now belongs to that young man. Once he establishes his seals throughout the area, it will be very difficult for us to locate treasures elsewhere." The man was initially delighted, yet hesitated and asked further. "This does present some difficulties. However, given the magnitude of this spiritual land, he won't be able to establish deeply complex seals in the short term—there are certainly ways to overcome this. First, go to my body's meditation chamber and retrieve my token. Then seek out my friend Gong Yang Du. His hidden treasure, the 'Mist-Heaven Five-Color Banner,' possesses an extraordinary ability to reverse the Five Elements and render objects formless. Borrow it temporarily, and we'll find a suitable opportunity to secretly enter and retrieve the treasures there. In doing so, we'll owe Gong Sun the old demon a great favor—one that may be difficult to repay in the future..." The Jade Dragon said with some irritation. The old man from the Wang family said nothing, merely standing there with a respectful expression, nodding continuously. At the same time, Han Li had just slipped through the towering city wall of Tianyuan City—over thirty zhang high—and was flying toward the plains outside. After concluding his spellcasting, he did not return to Feilin Hall but headed straight for the spiritual land he had chosen. With Han Li's current abilities, he could traverse vast distances in an instant. Within just a few days, he reached the foot of a vast, lush mountain range uneventfully. As the glow of the mountain range faded, Han Li materialized atop a hill beside it, briefly surveying the expansive range stretching for tens of thousands of li. His eyes narrowed slightly. Though this mountain range was the least impressive among the three displayed by Yu Que Hall, it was still an exceptional choice for a Fushen cultivator, offering dense and abundant spiritual energy—far surpassing the standards of cultivation sanctuaries in the human realm. After a moment's observation, Han Li nodded in satisfaction and, with a surge of his ethereal light, transformed into a streak of jade-green light, plunging directly into the heart of the mountain range. Not long afterward, he had already vanished over ten thousand miles away. Though moving swiftly through the upper air, Han Li extended his divine awareness, and everything within a radius of ten thousand miles was subtly encompassed by it. Along the way, he discovered several sites with clearly established seals—obvious residences of other cultivators. Han Li paid these neighbors no special attention, merely accelerating his flight and passing them by. Only after nearly traversing half the mountain range did he finally reach the location marked on the map as his own spiritual estate. The mountain range spanning over twenty thousand miles stretched out endlessly before him, and beyond this place, no other cultivator existed besides himself. Han Li felt a deep sense of joy and did not immediately rush to establish his dwelling. Instead, he guided his flight, slowly circling the general area indicated on the map. At regular intervals, he cast a pale, misty magical banner from the sky, then vanished into the ground, leaving no trace. These legal banners were merely the most basic kind of spiritual artifacts. Aside from a slight psychedelic effect, their primary function was to inform nearby cultivators that this area had now been claimed and occupied—thus, urging them not to enter lightly. It was strange that he hadn't found anything special here, given that the man with the furrowed brow had fought so fiercely and persistently. Was it truly just for the convenience of refining his official duties? Han Li's eyes flickered several times, then he gently shook his head. Given the man's frantic agitation after his defeat, it clearly wasn't such a simple matter. Moreover, if the area of spiritual land in question were indeed large, it wasn't confined to just this location. It made sense that he would fight so hard, even risking his life. Therefore, he would need to thoroughly investigate this place again in the future. Otherwise, he wouldn't feel truly at ease in his cultivation. With this decision settled, Han Li immediately began contemplating the establishment of his dwelling. Although the spiritual land in this region was generally similar, there were still a few spots where the qi was notably denser. After careful consideration, Han Li finally made his choice and promptly activated his light, heading directly toward the site he had selected. Not long afterward, Han Li appeared in a vibrant, multicolored mist swirling between two towering mountains. This area seemed to be a vast marsh, with vivid, unusually potent瘴气 constantly rising from the underlying mud, reaching heights of over a hundred paces and possessing a strong toxicity—even a casual inhalation by a cultivator could prove troublesome. Most importantly, the mist contained some strange component that limited his spiritual awareness, preventing it from penetrating deeply. When Han Li had visited here recently, he had only been able to detect a medium-sized natural stone valley, several miles into the mist, thanks to the clear-sight perception of his Qingling eyes. This valley was naturally connected to both of the two massive mountains. Such a naturally concealed and secluded spot was undoubtedly the ideal location for Han Li to hide the entrance to his dwelling. Han Lifu vanished deep within the stone valley shrouded in mist, effortlessly carving a passage through an unobtrusive stone wall, then deploying his array of flying swords to excavate two remarkably long corridors that extended straight into the mountainous cores of two towering peaks. He had planned to establish two separate dwelling halls within the two massive mountains—one to deceive other cultivators, and the other his true abode for meditation, housing his spiritual insects and beasts, and cultivating medicinal herbs. As for the Tianji Mansion, being too small in scale, it remained unused at present. Once the halls were fully constructed, Han immediately transplanted all the medicinal plants and trees he had brought from the human realm into the botanical gardens, and relocated all the previously nurtured Jin-Eating Insects into their dedicated chambers. After years of continuous cultivation, these Jin-Eating Insects had grown remarkably large and formidable, their forms grotesque and imposing, clearly nearing the stage where they could mature into their full-grown forms. As for the leopard-mane beast, Han Li had specially prepared a comfortable den for it and sent it off to cultivate there. However, when Han Li passed through one of the empty beast chambers that was unusually gloomy and desolate, his expression immediately grew serious. He gently shook his spiritual beast ring, aligning it with the chamber, and instantly a wave of black mist surged forth, revealing a dark, towering creature of about one zhang in height, suddenly materializing at the center of the stone chamber.