At first glance, these two colossal beasts seemed like giant apes, but they were covered in long, lush green fur and each had three black eyes that rotated smoothly. Han Li quietly watched as the two long-haired creatures passed beneath the trees, gradually fading into the distance before suddenly shifting and reappearing beneath the great tree. As he gazed in the direction where the beasts had disappeared, a look of surprise and curiosity formed on his face. These creatures, clearly on patrol, were obviously not of the wood race. Yet, how had they come to be in the Black-Leaf Forest? The large bronze spears they carried on their shoulders clearly indicated a high level of intelligence. Could they be a previously unknown ethnic group? Han Li pondered this thought, then shook his head again. As far as he knew, the wood race was extremely reserved and generally would not allow foreign beings to move so freely and prominently within their territory. Could it be that these were war-beasts—beings trained by the wood race—trained specifically for combat? In essence, war-beasts were no different from spirit-beasts, merely given a different name. With various secret arts employed to cultivate and command the spirits of the human and yao clans, enabling them to drive and control spiritual beasts, other ethnic groups also train ancient beasts using medicines or other methods, making them serve their own purposes. Of course, due to differences in innate talents among the clans, the types of beasts they can train and control vary significantly. Not all ancient beasts can be tamed, however. The dual-headed creature from the shadow clan that he had previously encountered was a powerful, unique war beast of the shadow clan—though likely only the shadow clan possessed the means to tame such a creature. As for the wood clan, according to his knowledge, they had never previously possessed any war beasts—perhaps they had recently succeeded in training them. Filled with questions, Han Li pondered for a long time before ultimately deciding to let the matter rest. Since these long-haired beasts remained undetected even by someone so close as himself, they must be of a sturdy, resilient type, not particularly threatening. With his plan settled, Han Li flickered slightly and vanished into a shimmering form. …One day later, beneath a large tree in the forest, Han Li stared gloomily at eight hairy beasts before him. These creatures, resembling giant apes, were different from the two he had encountered earlier—not only were they significantly smaller, but their entire bodies shone a deep crimson color, and instead of copper spears, they each held eight polished, black, gleaming wolf tooth maces. All eight beasts snapped their jaws and stared at Han Li with fierce, imposing demeanor. Han Li's mouth twitched slightly. He had originally assumed these hairy beasts would be rather dull in their senses, yet when this group passed by, they had immediately detected him hidden behind the tree and swiftly encircled him. As he observed the third eye on the foreheads of these beasts, constantly flashing with black light, his brow furrowed, and a subtle realization began to form. When he had first met the two green-haired beasts, their third eyes had appeared closed. At that moment, eight red monsters roared low, leaping into the air and swinging their wolf-headed spears with force. Immediately, a green glow surged across the surfaces of the spears, while several gusts of wind rushed straight toward Han Li, crashing into him head-on. Han Li raised his eyebrows slightly, making no attempt to dodge—instead, he casually flicked one sleeve toward the sky. Eight golden small swords flashed into being, then swiftly transformed into eight golden threads that spiraled around the eight hairy beasts. After a series of "pfft" sounds, the eight large heads rolled down like slices of vegetables. When the eight golden threads shimmered and returned to their original form as small swords, then trembled and shot back, the eight bodies, now stained with vivid green blood, had already crashed to the ground. Han Li then flicked his other long sleeve at the corpses, sending out eight bright red fire balls that struck them. With only a few light sounds, the bodies instantly turned to ash in the glow of the red flames. After completing all this, Han Li merely flashed his expressionless form, vanishing once more into the forest with a series of trailing shadows. Han Li was unaware that, shortly after his departure, two green glimmers suddenly flashed on the thick trunk of a nearby giant tree, and two eyes about a foot in diameter opened—green, emotionless, and rotating slowly before settling steadily on the direction where Han Li had disappeared, never blinking. At a distance of several ten thousand miles, on a seemingly ordinary tree sheltered by other trees, a pair of eyes, faintly glowing green, likewise opened. Directly in the direction of these eyes, at a distance of over a hundred paces, where the ground was slightly open, a man and a woman stood side by side—men in purple robes and woman in black skirts—none other than Longdong and Xiao Hong. They were softly muttering to each other, exchanging words, while on the ground nearby, several dozen long-haired creatures lay motionless, their fur either red or green. "Brother Long, these beings seem to lack much strength, yet how could they have detected our concealed techniques? My Phantom Mist Banner is even capable of concealing even cultivators of the next rank." The young wife, her brows slightly furrowed, transmitted her words. "It's probably related to their third set of divine eyes. Most multi-eyed beasts possess certain special abilities. In that case, we must be even more cautious." Brother Long also appeared somewhat surprised, yet replied as such. "Most likely. Let's set out now—we must reach the destination ahead of that young girl. Otherwise, the item might fall into her hands." The young wife's expression suddenly darkened. "Heh! I never expected you and that girl to be involved in this mission—clearly, there's a hidden agenda. Unfortunately, for our Long family, this item is merely a mere afterthought. But don't forget our earlier agreement, Miss. The item goes to you, but the person—well, that's mine." Brother Long offered a strange, quiet chuckle, yet spoke with a firm, serious tone. "Hmph. Though I also greatly desire the Heavenly Phoenix blood, when compared to the matters of our clan, I am quite clear on what is more important." The young wife sneered. "Ha ha, that's good. Then let's go!" The young man with the blood spot chuckled. Immediately, both of them moved swiftly and vanished into the nearby forest. In the other direction, an exceptionally faint white spectral figure was racing through the forest at an astonishing speed—so fast it was almost unbelievable. Deep within the Black Leaf Forest, at a particularly secluded and magically protected spot, beneath a slender silver tree several to seven zhang tall, several dark figures were seated. One of them suddenly snapped his eyes open, revealing bright emerald eyes shimmering with golden light, and emitted a few short, strange sounds. At the same time, the other figures nearby also opened their eyes. Among them, a tall figure, noticeably taller than the others, suddenly spoke with a voice full of authority, as though asking a question. The figure who opened his eyes first immediately knelt down and replied respectfully. After the second figure had finished listening, he promptly issued a solemn command. The other figures rose instantly and spread out around the small silver tree. The tall figure roared loudly, pointing single-handedly at the silver tree with his hand, and at once a green line shot forth, vanishing swiftly into the silver tree. Immediately, the silver tree trembled violently, suddenly opening silver-lit eyes all over its body, and simultaneously projecting several thick silver beams—each one striking precisely upon one of the figures. An astonishing scene unfolded. The figures struck by the beams momentarily blurred and then vanished completely. As for Han Li on the other side, he naturally had no awareness that his movements had now come into the eyes of others, and continued to move subtly and intermittently through the forest. The journey ahead proved remarkably smooth, with the wood elves encountered only occasionally—indeed, not a single one of them was seen throughout the entire route. This brought both joy and a growing sense of unease to Han Li. Yet, upon reflection, considering the vast expanse of Blackleaf Forest, it was not at all surprising that he had not encountered any wood elves within this brief span of time. This trip was crucial—centered on the extinction pill—and having ventured so deep into the forest, he could not now back down. Though a quiet sense of apprehension lingered, Han Li remained vigilant, never pausing his steps. At the center of the jade disk, a pale white spot flickered erratically. He bowed slightly, gazed at the disk for a while, then turned his gaze toward the distant hills. With one hand, he formed a seal and sent a streak of azure light directly toward the disk. Instantly, the disk flashed with black light, and the pale white spot shot out, spinning once around the disk before suddenly erupting into a fine, slender strand of white silk, clearly pointing toward an ancient tree on the hills. Han Li's eyes brightened. This tree was an ancient one, yet its trunk had already half-dried out—about thirty zhang tall, with the upper half blackened as if struck by lightning, while the lower half had taken on a yellowish hue, and near the base, a faint green tinge appeared. Han Li studied it for a moment, then closed his eyes, slowly releasing his spiritual awareness to search carefully in the surrounding area. After a while, he opened his eyes again, a look of reassurance settling upon his face. Indeed, there was no one nearby, and nothing out of the ordinary. Han Li did not immediately act. With his eyes slightly narrowed, he pondered for a moment, then moved his sleeve—several bright silver spheres appeared in his hands. He opened his mouth, and with a "pfft," a silver phoenix the size of a clenched fist burst forth. The phoenix circled around his body once, then shortened to a length of a foot, darted toward his palm, and swallowed several of the silver spheres whole. After a brief flash, it vanished into the ground. Seeing this, Han Li gently exhaled, lengthening his form and leaping down from the branch. After a few swift movements, he reached the edge of the hilly terrain. A flash of green light, and he vanished completely. (First chapter!