"Are you daring?" A thunderous roar of shock and fury erupted from the Blood Dragon, releasing a beam of bloodlight. With no choice, Longdong's immortal soul poured a drop of true spiritual blood, transforming it into a sword-like flash as a final, desperate effort. While such a blood-sword strike might indeed have defeated a regular attacker, the Virtual Sky Cauldron itself was a transcendent spiritual treasure, and its released silken threads were formless and remarkably adaptable. With merely a thought, Han Li caused the air to shimmer—half of the silken threads instantly vanished into the void, while the remaining strands suddenly solidified, weaving a dynamic duel of intertwined jade and blood light. At the very next instant, a ripple of spatial disturbance surged a few feet above the Blood Dragon, launching a burst of silken threads from the void. As the threads dispersed, they immediately ensnared the Blood Dragon and most of the Blood Phoenix within the five-colored flames, then swiftly recoiled, drawing them into the Virtual Sky Cauldron. A soft "pffft," and a cluster of emerald light burst forth from the blood dragon's body, struggling violently. It flickered once and suddenly appeared ten or twelve zhang away, then, with several more flickers, instantaneously materialized thirty or forty zhang beyond. Han Li's eyes flashed with cold glimmers, and suddenly, a deep, extinguished glow surged from the creases of his brows, projecting a streak of black light toward the emerald light. A dull thud echoed in the void, and the emerald light wavered slightly, its brilliance dimmed. Yet before Han Li could cast another spell, the light suddenly transformed into a shimmering, ethereal beam, appearing and vanishing intermittently, until it reached the far edge of the sky, then vanished completely. Han Li furrowed his brow, and the black glow that had just begun to rise in his third eye faded. Though the extinguished gaze possessed the power to pierce through the void, it proved powerless at such a distance. Within the cascade of silken strands, the blood dragon and blood phoenix had both been engulfed with a thunderous "crash" and drawn into the Vtian Ding. The lid of the鼎 settled down No one noticed that, in that very instant, two glimmers of golden light flickered subtly within one of Han Li's sleeves, vanishing into the cauldron with exceptional secrecy. At the same time, hundreds of zhang away, the four witnesses saw Han Li successfully absorb the true spirit blood and the Longdong immortal spirit fleeing—everyone's faces grew pale. The two Long family cultivators exchanged glances and then suddenly surged upward as twin streaks of brilliant light, departing without a word. The evil ghosts and demons followed swiftly, heading in the very direction where Longdong's spirit had fled. Ye Chu and the young woman in white showed no intention of pursuing them, instead their lights surged together and they sped directly toward Han Li. A short while later, the two women materialized at a distance of about ten zhang from Han Li. Ye Chu quickly scanned Han Li and the towering啼魂 beast nearby, her eyes filled with astonishment. The young woman in white smiled, yet her bright eyes remained fixed intently on the jade cauldron before Han Li. Clearly, upon seeing the true spiritual blood fall into Han Li's hands, the two women grew remarkably cautious. "Brother Han, this time it truly thanks to your timely assistance—otherwise, the Long family might have succeeded. Rest assured, we have no intention of changing our earlier commitments. We will not let you work in vain," the young woman in white robes smiled gracefully, her eyes sparkling with charm. "Indeed," said Ye Chu, speaking slowly, though there was an undercurrent of subtle pressure in his tone. "With the strength of our Ye family, I believe there are few wishes we cannot help you fulfill." Han Li drew a brief, almost imperceptible twitch at the corner of his mouth, said nothing, and then suddenly struck the jade stele before him with a single hand. The stele resonated, and the lid rose once more into the air. Amidst the dense tangle of silken threads, the blood dragon and half-fragmented blood phoenix emerged slowly and gracefully at the mouth of the stele. Upon seeing the blood dragon and blood phoenix, both women brightened; the young woman in white robes' face flashed with a shimmer of blood, and for a moment, a delicate, fleeting image Han Li smiled slightly and gently flicked his hand toward the green cauldron. Instantly, the silken threads wrapping the Blood Phoenix trembled and snapped inch by inch, sending the object they had enclosed flying toward the young girl across the way. The white-robed girl was delighted, exclaiming with a soft cry, and then summoned another small Blood Phoenix from her body, which immediately collided with the now-fragmented one. A brilliant surge of blood light erupted as the two seamlessly fused, forming a round, blood-red orb about a foot in size. The orb was vividly crimson, as if forged from pure essence, yet as it spun gently, it suddenly transformed into a full-bodied Blood Phoenix of the same size, circling and dancing around the girl. With a smile, the girl extended a jade finger and lightly touched the phoenix. A clear, melodious chime followed, and the phoenix spread its wings, shooting forth as a beam of blood light into the girl's body, vanishing instantly. Immediately thereafter, Ye Ying was completely enveloped in a layer of blood hue, and a faint, shimmering image of a Blood Phoenix appeared behind her, initially hazy and indistinct, but gradually becoming clearer and more stable. A moment later, the phantom of the Blood Phoenix dissolved, and the young girl opened her eyes with a look of exhilaration. "The true phoenix blood has finally escaped serious damage—most of it has been recovered. A small portion, however, seems to have been forcibly absorbed by this true dragon's spiritual blood, and likely cannot be easily separated from it now. Fortunately, the true phoenix blood has now come into our hands. Brother Han, please hand over the true dragon's blood as well. This precious blood must be carefully preserved—ordinary containers might significantly diminish its vitality." "Do you also wish to claim the essence of the True Spirit's blood?" Ye Chu's voice grew cold, his gaze sharp and piercing. "Even as a cultivator who has ascended to the heavens, I am well aware of the traditions and taboos upheld by the True Spirit families. How could I possibly entertain such a bold ambition? Even if I were to fully integrate the spirit blood, I would inevitably be pursued and hunted by all the noble families." Han Li, however, shook his head with a gentle smile. "Then, what is your intention, Brother Han?" Upon hearing that Han Li had no intention of claiming the True Dragon's blood for himself, the white-robed young lady relaxed slightly and asked again. "Heh, nothing particularly significant. I believe the True Dragon's blood is no less than your Heavenly Phoenix blood. Surely, the Ye family also desires it with great determination. If I offer this blood to you both, what would you be willing to exchange for it?" Han Li said solemnly. "Ah, so you do have expectations, Brother Han. That's quite reasonable. As long as you are willing to surrender your True Spirit blood, please go ahead and name your terms—I will not hesitate to make any concessions." "The true essence of this kind of spiritual treasure cannot be exchanged for mere spiritual stones, surely. Of course, if your esteemed friend truly possesses a hundred or so premium spiritual stones, then that would be a different matter altogether." Han Li said casually. Ye Chu's pupils contracted slightly, then settled into an unusually calm expression. Meanwhile, the white-robed maiden was startled. "Do you think I will believe this, Elder Ye?" the maiden asked. "If you two truly consider me to be speaking nonsense, then I wouldn't mind employing the soul-searching technique on Xiao Daojun. I only need one such feather. In exchange for the true dragon's blood, I believe you two would be well off indeed." Han Li spoke with serene composure. Upon hearing this, Ye Chu furrowed her brows, her gaze shifting toward Ye Ying. The white-robed maiden pressed her lips several times before her eyes sparkled with resolve. "What purpose do you have for the Heavenly Phoenix's feather? This item is of great value to our Ye family. Why not instead offer me something else—such as the two Zhilong fruits we previously obtained?" "I possess a precious artifact that requires precisely one top-tier phoenix feather to be reworked. As for the Zhilong fruits, though I would like them, I believe the true value lies in the Heavenly Phoenix's feather. Naturally, I would prefer that one." Han Li spoke calmly. "Han brother, truly, you only wish to exchange for the Heavenly Phoenix's feather—no other terms?" Ye Ying stared intently at the blood dragon on the green cauldron for a long time, her face shifting between expressions of concern and doubt. "Hehe, if the two of you have such extraordinary spiritual treasures as the 'Wangxian Pill' or the 'Jiuling Lingzhi,' I wouldn't mind exchanging for those as well," Han Li chuckled lightly. "Hmph. With such heavenly treasures, I no longer need true dragon's blood—just by consuming them, I can hope to achieve immortality and body fusion. Very well, I agree. I'll trade one Heavenly Phoenix feather for these." The young lady in white robes bit her lip and finally accepted Han Li's terms. Ye Chu's expression changed, and though he opened his mouth to speak, he ultimately said nothing. Upon hearing this, Han Li felt a surge of enthusiasm. "Haha, Ye lady's decision is indeed wise. As soon as I verify the Phoenix feather, I will immediately hand over the true dragon's blood to you both. I'm certain you won't be afraid. Then, I shall proceed to retrieve my "Chu sister, give him a Feng Ling." The young girl sighed, then turned to address Ye Chu. "Yes, Master!" Ye Chu hesitated slightly but ultimately replied, extending her hand to brush the storage bracelet. A crimson jade box floated into her hands. Not only was the box vividly red, but the patterns on its surface were all flame-like. As soon as it was produced, a wave of intense heat washed over her, raising the temperature in the surrounding area noticeably. "Innate Jade,"韩立 exclaimed, suddenly startled upon seeing the box.