With one hand, the five fingers lightly flicked, sending five thick golden arcs surging downward. Simultaneously, the other hand flashed with a shimmer, a square silk cloth descending to cover the area, an odd symbol on its surface glowing faintly. Upon seeing this, the green figure, though startled, did not panic but merely shifted her shoulders, suddenly launching two additional gray shadows from behind—each vanishing swiftly and swiftly meeting the golden arcs above and the silk cloth. Meanwhile, the green figure herself twisted her body slightly, as if intending to momentarily retreat. At that moment, the winged figure above emitted a sharp, icy hiss. An astonishing scene unfolded! Upon hearing the hiss, the green figure's form trembled dramatically, her retreating motion halting abruptly—she stood motionless, stunned. A thunderous roar erupted as the five golden arcs first collided with one of the shadow puppets. Yet, upon mere contact, the gray shadows began to dissolve layer by layer under the intense golden light, instantly rising in dense plumes of gray mist. At the same time, the strange runes on the silk cloth shimmered suddenly and burst forth, transforming into thousands of fine silver filaments that instantly enveloped the gray shadow, then abruptly retracted to restore the silk cloth's original form, firmly enclosing the puppet within. Thunderous rumblings erupted across the surface of the silk cloth, with countless delicate electric arcs flashing and jumping, rendering the shadow puppet completely immobile and unable to break free. At this moment, the winged figure behind gently fluttered its wings, and the wings dissolved into a silver thread that vanished without a trace. Instantly, the silver thread appeared above the green figure, without any apparent use of a magical artifact. The figure simply extended one hand downward, gently pressing it with a clear, translucent palm. Then, with a subtle flash of light, five bone rings of varying colors emerged from the fingertips. These rings were as white and lustrous as jade, each bearing a finely engraved skull of bean-sized dimensions. As the eyes of the skulls blinked to life, they seemed to come alive, opening their mouths wide. Five distinct cold flames erupted, then merged into a single, resplendent five-colored glow that enveloped everything. Green shadow had just regained consciousness from the cold disdain that had stunned her, before she could even summon her spell, when suddenly her vision brightened and she was swept into the five-colored flame. Her body stiffened, and every movement slowed to a near halt… This time, Green Shadow was truly startled. Yet, as a high-ranking member of the Shadow Clan, she didn’t hesitate—she emitted a piercing, high-pitched cry, and her green-bodied form burst apart, scattering countless green filaments in every direction, striving to break free from the five-colored flame’s embrace. The figure in the air had clearly anticipated this very move. At the same moment, the other hand suddenly pressed downward. As the light danced, a small mountain-like pattern emerged on the back of the hand, but as soon as it was turned, a series of gray radiance surged outward from the palm. Wherever the gray glow passed, the green threads, as though encountering their match, were swiftly swept away and shattered, once again transforming into clumps of green mist. These mists seemed to be compressed by an invisible force, gradually coalescing into a single, unified mass within the gray glow, and thus reforming the original green luminous form. At this moment, the luminous figure's vivid red eyes were filled with shock and awe. Yet, despite possessing such vast powers, he felt as though mountains were pressing down upon him, unable to summon even a single ounce of his strength. With a series of sharp "whooshes," variously colored beams of light burst forth from the winged figure's hands, consecutively affixing a series of sealing talismans onto the green form. The green form staggered slightly, and the glow in its eyes dimmed instantly. Then, an astonishing phenomenon unfolded: Under the influence of the talismans and seals, the green form began to shrink and transform, eventually condensing into a green orb the size of a clenched fist, pulsing with a faint luminous radiance. The figure showed no surprise at all. With a simple motion of his hands, he drew back his two hand techniques and then, with a single gesture, reached out into the air. Instantly, the spherical object broke through the space and was easily captured in his hand. Then, turning his head, he smiled warmly at the stunned elder in the green armor: "Master Yue, I was a bit slow in my action. Is that alright?" "How could you say that, Master Han! If it weren’t for your timely intervention, I truly would have been in serious trouble this time. I’ve long heard of your extraordinary abilities—now, seeing you in person, I can truly say your reputation is well-earned. Even the high-level Shadow Clan members couldn’t hold their own against you for just one exchange." The elder finally regained his composure, retracted his sword before him, and bowed with a broad smile. The figure floating in the air with wings sprouting from his back was, in fact, another young man dressed in green armor—none other than Han Li! At this moment, however, Han Li had already advanced from the early stage of the Divine Soul Realm to the mid-stage of cultivation. Upon hearing the elder’s "This is merely because my currently cultivated divine powers happen to be effective against the Shadow Clan. Should it be another ethnic group, I would not have been able to secure such a smooth victory," said Han. "Ha ha, Han, you're being too modest. Who doesn't know that your team has been the only patrol unit without any personnel losses over the past several decades? Moreover, I've heard that you've captured and eliminated numerous foreign scouts in recent years. Truly, in terms of achievements, I'd have to say I fall short even if I tried my best," the elder chuckled, shaking his head in agreement. "You're most generous in your praise. Are the other colleagues unharmed?" Han smiled calmly, glanced around, and asked. "They're all fine. Since the Shadow Clan members have been restrained, their controlled shadow puppets will also dissipate simultaneously. My subordinates, though previously affected, will only suffer minor injuries—no serious harm at all. Nevertheless, I'm curious—how did Brother Han end up here? And where are your subordinates?" The elder, showing good judgment, promptly shifted the conversation upon noticing Han's apparent desire to avoid further elaboration on the earlier topic. "Hehe, this was quite coincidental. I've recently acquired a high-tier hetero-spirit disc with a slightly broader warning range. As we were patrolling in an area not far from here, I simply took the opportunity to stop by and have a quick look. As for my subordinates, I didn't ask them to join me—they're still waiting at their original location." Han Li calmly replied while withdrawing a jade box from his storage bracelet and setting aside the sphere he had previously sealed. "Ah, so it seems I've narrowly escaped this time—what a stroke of luck!" the elder sighed in relief. "Heard that when Master Han first arrived in Tianyuan City, he only possessed the early stage of Huashen cultivation, yet his abilities were already on par with mid-stage cultivators. And just ten years ago, he advanced to the mid-stage—how much deeper must his abilities now be?" The burly man, with a fierce countenance, murmured after Master Han's light trail had completely vanished at the horizon. "It goes beyond that. It's said that Master Han has only been assigned patrol duties for a few decades, yet he has already eliminated no fewer than seven or eight high-ranking alien species—how could ordinary Qingming Guards possibly match that? Are flying-awake cultivators truly that formidable?" Another black-iron guard expressed his admiration with evident envy. "Hmph. Flying-awake cultivators may indeed outshine our native cultivators in combat, but Master Han might well be an exception even among them," the middle-aged female cultivator coldly remarked. This remark caused the other cultivators to pause momentarily. The green-armored elder gazed toward where Master Han had disappeared, his hands gently stroking his beard, remaining silent and thoughtful. After a while, he suddenly raised his hand and led the group away. Hundreds of miles off, a ridge in the sky shimmered as a green rainbow surged forth from afar, then paused—framed by a burst of light, Han Li stepped out. At the same time, a dozen streaks of light shot upward from the ridge, and in a moment, ten men and women clad in black armor materialized before Han Li. "Captain," "Senior Han,"... various titles were spoken, each of the ten cultivators standing motionless in the air. Over the past several decades, the bearded man with green eyes and Xu Xianzi had all remained well and healthy. Now, their respect for Han Li was not merely formal—it was genuine, with no trace of hesitation or dissent. This was entirely natural. Anyone who discovers that the other three squads performing identical duties, patrolling the same areas, have suffered astonishing casualties over the decades—some even having nearly half their members replaced—while their own squad, though encountering numerous dangers, has been effortlessly handled by this officer, will be utterly convinced and deeply respectful. Naturally, under Captain Han Li's leadership, Zhu Chong and the others have also received numerous rewards, so there is no room for dissatisfaction at all. "Let's go. That extraterrestrial is a Green Shade from the Shadow Clan, and we've already dealt with them." Han Li nodded and said this casually. "Green Shade! Hah, what a stroke of bad luck for this one. Captain Yuan's Magnetism Divine Light is particularly effective against the Shadow Clan. Not only does it neutralize the Green Shade, but even the higher-ranked Red Shade—Captain might stand a chance against them, wouldn't you agree?" The young-looking cultivator smiled and said this cheerfully. "Hmph. Even a True Immortality cultivator finds the Red Shade difficult to handle. How could a cultivator at the Huashen stage possibly manage it?" Well, let's set off immediately. After inspecting the final regions, we can finally rest for another half-year. We only just discovered the high-level beings of the Dongxu clan last time, and now even the high-level Ying clan members have appeared. The situation truly doesn't seem right!" Han Li hummed, his eyes flashing as he spoke. "Indeed. The past ten years have been unusually turbulent. Though the FuLi Marsh has frequently seen scouts from other clans, it hasn't been this frequent. Even the high-level beings are appearing one after another, rushing into the marsh without hesitation. I've heard that the Zanggu Desert, where the Yao clan is responsible, has also seen a surge of foreign scouts. The Shengxing Yao clan members stationed there have suffered significant losses as well. Could it be that some foreign clans truly intend to target our human and Yao clans, with plans to attack Tianyuan City?" The Ma Daoist's face darkened, his tone grave. Upon hearing this, all the cultivators present immediately grew pale, their smiles fading. "Never mind, it's been no more than thirty thousand years since the last foreign siege—usually, such events occur after six or seven thousand years, don't they?" Xu Xianzi still looked as beautiful as ever, her dark brows furrowed as she asked.