The Leopard-Lion beast's emerald eyes had closed for a long time, only to snap open suddenly later. Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help but smile. Since he had tamed the creature, he had soon discovered that, in addition to its astonishing speed and body as hard as iron, it possessed a remarkably magical ability to detect and locate objects through its sense of smell. As long as the beast had sensed something—whether living or inert—it could ignore any concealment or restriction the object might have, and accurately find it within a range of a hundred thousand miles. This tracking ability went beyond mere olfaction; it was an extraordinary sense of awareness at the level of spiritual perception. At least, Han Li found himself unable to escape the beast's tracking efforts without using the Taiyi Huaqing Seal. As for the faint glow of white light in the magical disk, it was simply the pure spiritual energy that the white-robed young woman had planted in each of the others' disks when she first set out, to maintain communication among them. Xiao Shou glanced around, then tilted his head slightly, as though pondering something, before suddenly moving his limbs and transforming into a pale yellow ethereal figure that shot forth. Han Li did not immediately follow, but instead raised one hand and suddenly cast a streak of glowing green light into the ground. A faint, clear chime resonated from beneath, and suddenly a cluster of silver flame rose from the earth, within which a fire bird seemed to spiral and dance. This was precisely the spirit fire bird that Han Li had released earlier during the night in the forest, and had previously sent down to remain hidden beneath the ground. To be safe, Han Li had not retrieved it when he escaped the forest. Fortunately, the fire bird had long since been fully refined and integrated by him; even if he moved at the speed of thought, it could always keep pace with him at a single thought. Of course, this fire bird was not a true spirit beast, and maintaining its form required a certain amount of magical energy. Yet for Han Li at this stage, such a modest expenditure was no longer a concern. The phoenix spirit fire bird posed no issue, and Han Li nodded satisfiedly. With a single gesture, the fire bird once again vanished back into the earth. Though the surroundings remained perilous, he would not easily store the fire away—he kept it hovering outside his body, setting it as a reserve move. After completing this, Han Li suddenly brightened, transforming into a streak of azure light and shooting off swiftly. After a few flashes, he pursued the leopard stag beast until it disappeared at the horizon. The small creature flew steadily northward for a long time before abruptly changing course and heading in a new direction. Han Li paused slightly, but said nothing, simply adjusting his course accordingly. However, the leopard stag beast continued to alter its flight path several times in succession. This caused Han Li’s expression to grow serious. The leopard stag’s persistent changes in direction indicated that Ye Ying was still in motion, seemingly being pursued by someone—otherwise, such frequent shifts in flight path would not occur. Yet Han Li did not therefore hesitate to advance. With his current abilities, as long as he is not deep within a tightly surrounded enemy encirclement or being relentlessly pursued by a vastly superior force, he has a solid confidence in securing his safety. And since this woman is directly tied to his Mi Chen Pill, he will not easily yield. Maintaining a composed expression, Han Li closely followed behind the Leopard-Necked Beast, transforming into a streak of azure light and speeding forward with effortless momentum. This pursuit lasted three days and three nights, yet Han Li never managed to catch up with her. However, on the fourth day at dawn, as their light streak passed through a vast expanse of shimmering blue water that seemed to stretch endlessly, the Leopard-Necked Beast's light suddenly slowed and then abruptly halted. Han Li was instantly alert, his aura flashing, and he arrived beside the small creature in an instant. The beast gently turned its fluffy head, emitting a soft, low series of murmurs, as though conveying something. While others would have been unaware of the content of these sounds, Han Li was pleasantly surprised and asked, "What? The person is just ahead, already stopped—right there! Yes, I understand now. Return, then." Han Li flicked his finger, dispersing the fragrance of the medicine. A crimson pill previously swallowed by a leopard lion beast shot forth. The small creature was delighted, moved swiftly through the air, and took the pill in one mouthful. After opening its mouth again, it expelled a cluster of white light, then vanished into Han Li's sleeve, leaving only a trail of fading shadows. Han Li then turned his hand, retrieving the talisman, and captured the white light. With a swift flash of spiritual light, a Taiyi Huaqing seal appeared in his hand. Gazing at the seal, now dim and nearly devoid of luminous energy, Han Li furrowed his brows. After a moment's hesitation, he turned his other hand, and a second seal, identical in appearance to the first, emerged. This purple seal, however, shone with much brighter luminescence. These were the two additional Taiyi Huaqing seals Han Li had painstakingly crafted for this journey into the wild frontier—his first seal had nearly exhausted its power. To be safe against potential unknown dangers, Han Li naturally decided to take a fresh talisman to protect himself. After gathering the first fragment, he flicked the new scroll, and instantly, amidst the shimmering silver characters, Han Li vanished from his original spot. Then, murmuring incantations in his mind, he moved smoothly and gently flew toward the direction indicated by the Leopard-Necked Beast. This body of water seemed either a vast lake or truly reached the seaside; after flying over two hundred li forward, he found no trace of any shoreline at all. Yet, a modest island appeared before him. The island was about ten to fifteen li in size, densely covered with lush vegetation, as though rarely visited by humans. Han Li glanced at the island and then looked around before quietly proceeding toward its center. The place the Leopard-Necked Beast had mentioned must indeed be here. At the island's center lay a moderately sized basin, within which various gray-white giant stones of differing sizes were piled up. On one of the massive stones, a young woman in a white robe sat in meditation, her face pale. Before her, a woman resembling a member of the Wood race stood respectfully. Upon seeing this scene, Han Li was startled, his body momentarily suspended in mid-air as he narrowed his eyes to study the stranger. With a quick thought, Han Li made his judgment, then turned his gaze to the white-robed maiden. It was then that he noticed—besides her unusually pale complexion, there was a large stain of blood on her chest, about the size of a clenched fist, resembling a blooming cluster of crimson petals, strikingly prominent. The girl had been injured. Upon seeing this, Han Li hesitated, wondering whether he should manifest and descend. At that moment, the girl below suddenly lifted her head, smiling brightly at the air. "Master Han has arrived," she said, "yet why haven't you come down to rest for a while?" Han Li was startled upon hearing this, then grew even more astonished. How could this girl perceive his ethereal, concealed form? That was impossible. While the Taiyi Huaqing Seal was known to be difficult for cultivators at the Consolidated Stage, it had never before been detected by any entity at the Lianxi Stage. Could it be that she was using deception? Yet the warmth and clear awareness in her gaze clearly indicated that she knew precisely where he stood. Unless this goddess possesses such formidable strength that even surpasses that of the fused cultivators, it simply wouldn't make sense! Han Li was deeply puzzled in his heart, yet after a brief pause, the silver runes on his body shimmered, and his form gradually emerged. Then, he gently slapped his chest with one hand, and a purple scroll shot out, spiraling before landing in his palm. I am of human origin, yet I carry the blood of wood and wind spirits—thus, I’d call myself half-a-fox spirit." The woman glanced coldly at Han Li, her voice slightly rough. "Wood-Fox? Ah, I see—Master has achieved the Lingxu level!" Han Li was momentarily startled by the name, but upon scanning the woman with his spiritual awareness, his expression subtly changed. "Madam Chu, from our Ye family, already possessed Lingxu-level cultivation at the time of her early years. After decades of residing within the Wood Clan, she has now reached the peak of Lingxu, only a step away from achieving the full-bodied stage." The young woman spoke with a graceful, flowing gaze. "All this is thanks to the favors I've earned within the Wood Clan—otherwise, I would never have reached such a level. I never expected, however, that it would be the young master himself who has come all this way." Leaf Chu spoke modestly, standing still before the young woman. "Then it makes sense. Had it not been for the elder’s assistance, we would have surely been wiped out entirely this time." Facing such a terrifying presence at the late Stage of Immortality, Han Li took a deep breath and his expression became naturally respectful and attentive. "Nevertheless, to be honest, I haven't had the chance to ask you in detail yet.楚 sister, what exactly happened? Why did we end up caught in the Wood Clan's trap? What about the others?" The young woman's smile faded, and her expression suddenly grew serious. "All the members of the Wood Clan except me have already perished. Around a century ago, the Wood Clan received some intelligence indicating that there were spies from our two clans within their ranks. After a thorough investigation, only I managed to evade detection thanks to my Wood Phoenix bloodline. The others were gradually exposed and had to flee under duress, but all of them were eventually eliminated." The green-skinned woman stated this with surprising clarity.