"This truly is a jade of a thousand years, rivaling Xuanyu in renown—only such rare, exceptionally pure materials can ensure the vital essence of Fengling's feathers remains unlost." Ye Ying smiled, a touch of pride in her voice. Perhaps only a true spiritual family like theirs would be willing to invest such a precious material into a mere ordinary object. At that moment, Han Li merely smiled lightly, his expression calm and composed. Ye Chu opened the box lid without a word, revealing three long, five-colored plumes inside, each measuring nearly three feet in length and shimmering brilliantly. With a simple gesture, she pointed to one of them. Instantly, the plume rose from the box and drifted gently toward Han Li. Han Li's face grew serious as he extended his hand, palm open, and the plume floated into his grasp. He then gently traced it with his fingers, examining it closely. The plume was crystal clear and translucent, with vibrant hues shifting and five-colored runes subtly appearing and fading—its contained spiritual energy was truly astonishing. "Indeed, it must be the true Heavenly Phoenix Feathers," nodded Han Li contentedly. Such a celestial and refined artifact would be nearly impossible to replicate. Then, with a simple hand motion, he produced a translucent, snow-white jade box, radiating an impressive chill—crafted from jade refined over ten thousand years. The two women across from him were momentarily stunned, exchanging surprised glances. Han Li then placed the Heavenly Phoenix Feather into the box. A flash of white light, and the jade box vanished completely. "Since we have received the phoenix feathers, the True Dragon's blood naturally belongs to both of you," he said, smiling and glancing at the two women. With a single hand gesture toward the green cauldron, he sent a light snap. As the silken threads rising from the cauldron trembled, the blood dragon was launched directly toward them. The blood dragon shimmered and flickered, struggling in midair, as though it still intended to escape. But the white-robed maiden had already been delighted, lifting her purple-gold gourd with a joyful gesture, and instantly a resonant hum filled the air. Suddenly, a cascade of blue light surged forth from the mouth of the gourd, flashing once and instantly enveloping the blood dragon, drawing it close to the maiden just inches away. The two women locked eyes, their gaze fixed on the blood dragon without blinking, their spiritual awareness penetrating through its body repeatedly. "Indeed, true dragon's blood!" After a while, Ye Chu exhaled softly and finally nodded in confirmation. The maiden smiled gently. With a simple hand gesture, she reversed the flow of the blue light, shrinking the blood dragon several times before sealing it within the purple-gold gourd. "Brother Han, you truly are a man of integrity. Once this matter is settled, upon our return to Tianyuan City, would you be interested in joining us as a guest scholar? Our Ye family has always held such extraordinary individuals in high regard." As she closed the gourd, the maiden offered Han a warm, sweet smile, extending her invitation. "Tianyuan City? I have no immediate plans to return there." "If you wish to stay in the Wild Realm for some time and not return soon," Han Li said without hesitation. The two young women were not surprised by his words. After a slight expression of regret, she added, "Then that will do. However, should Han brother change his mind at any time, he is always welcome to visit the Ye family. I would be delighted to host him. Then, I shall prepare to depart—otherwise the Wood Clan people might keep coming back. This black Phoenix Clan friend has surely been a great burden for you, so I shall take charge of her." Leaf Ying glanced once more at the dark mountain below, then smiled brightly. "Then thank you both. Indeed, I find this young lady quite difficult to manage." Han Li did not respond to the earlier part of their words, but readily agreed when they reached the latter point. Han Li then raised his hand and waved it downward. Instantly, the small black mountain emitted a gray glow, rapidly shrinking, and after several flickers, it condensed into a mountain several zhang high. With a thunderous roar, the black mound vanished mid-air. Below, Xiao Hong remained motionless, still trapped at the bottom of the crater. Meanwhile, Ye Chu, who had been prepared all along, extended her hand downward and snapped her fingers with a single motion. Five streaks of emerald light shot forth, swiftly reaching the black phoenix above—only to burst into soft "pops" upon impact, then instantly coalescing into a shimmering, green-hued net that enveloped the phoenix beneath. As she continued to chant softly, the net pulsed with gentle light and gradually shrank in size. Remarkably, the black phoenix shrank in tandem with the net, transforming into a compact form only half a foot tall. When Ye Chu ceased her incantations and gently grasped her palm, the green net trembled and rose into the air as a glowing orb. After a few brief flickers, the orb seamlessly disappeared into the sleeve of the girl, vanishing completely. "As for the journey ahead, Mr. Han has other matters to attend to, so he will not be joining the two of you." After a dry smile, Han suddenly bowed formally, uttering words that left both women momentarily stunned. "We haven't yet passed through the First Sky Path, and thus still remain within the territory of the Wood Clan. It would be best if you continue with us." The robed young woman expressed her surprise. "No, truly! Mr. Han has pressing affairs that prevent him from continuing with you both. I shall therefore bid you both farewell here." Han firmly shook his head, bowed once more to the two women, collected his treasures and the啼魂beast, and then vanished into a streak of jade-green light, breaking through the sky. In a moment, Han's light trail appeared at the far edge of the heavens, only to vanish without a trace. Seeing how neatly and decisively Han had departed, both the robed young woman and Ye Chu exchanged puzzled glances. "He's quite clever—he managed to make a swift exit. Perhaps he truly sensed that we have allies stationed outside?" The young woman frowned, her brows knit together, sounding somewhat disheartened. "That seems plausible." Even if not quite that, it clearly shows that this person is cautious—never revealing a single opportunity. Otherwise, with the reinforcements sent by the head of the household, we should have had a strong chance of holding them. Ye Chu also added, with her eyes flashing. "Chu-sister, you just used your inner-voice secret technique to communicate with me earlier, preventing me from acting. You're already a cultivator at the late stage of Qi-Transcendence, and now with me, shouldn't we be able to handle this person? Perhaps even without needing to bring out the exchange item on that day, the Phoenix's Feather might have been sufficient." The white-robed maiden seemed somewhat resentful about what had just happened. "If our goal is merely to defeat him, I certainly have over seven in ten chances of success. But if we're aiming to either eliminate him or capture him alive, I don't even have half that confidence. The young master has already witnessed this person's abilities, haven't he? He managed to capture several black phoenix clan immortals in just a few encounters, and his final sword formation was capable of destroying a Heavenly-Spirit-level artifact. Moreover, his spiritual beast is particularly unusual—it treats even Qi Even if I intervene, I cannot resolve this formless Ghost King so efficiently. Observing his performance thus far, he has remained so composed and relaxed—there must be some hidden strength he's reserved. Moreover, the genuine blood still lies in his hands. Should he destroy it, we would suffer even greater losses. While the Heavenly Phoenix Feathers are rare and still have a chance of being found elsewhere, the True Dragon's Blood—such a precious essence—is something that, across the entire human race, only the Long family might possibly possess. And how many generations would it take before someone like Long Dong, inheriting such refined lineage, emerges as a direct descendant? Ye Chu explained. "I'm well aware of all this. His powers and treasures truly are exceptional. Since Sister Chu has no confidence in her ability to succeed, our earlier hesitation was entirely justified. The Master knows we secured the True Dragon's Blood, and will not hold this against us. The True Dragon's Blood is indeed a matter of great significance—worth the risk we would have to take. Fortunately, this person has shown good judgment and has not pressed us to engage in combat. "I'm ready now. Let's go. The commotion we just caused might have actually drawn the Wood Clan over." The robed maiden spoke after a moment of silence, with a touch of resignation. Ye Chu nodded, shook his sleeve, and released once again the large wooden bird he had previously summoned. The two women transformed into streaks of light, ascending onto the bird's body, which instantly shimmered into a mass of green light and streaked off into the sky like a meteor. Almost at the same time, Han Li had already reached a lofty height far beyond the horizon. As he sped forward through the air, a strange smile played at the corner of his mouth, and excitement gleamed in his eyes. Suddenly, he opened his mouth within the streak of light and expelled the Xitian Small Cauldron once more. Holding the cauldron in one hand, he lightly touched the lid, and instantly a narrow crack appeared. A flash of blue light passed through his eyes, and two golden shadows shot out from the crack, spiraling before settling gently upon the lid—two small golden insects, each no larger than a thumb. Han Li smiled slightly, then opened his mouth again, expelling two streams of pure spiritual energy that evenly enveloped the two spiritual insects. The two gold-devouring insects emitted brilliant golden light, instantly expanding to nearly half a foot in size and becoming remarkably fierce. A low, rhythmic incantation flowed steadily from Han Li’s lips, and suddenly, both massive insects opened their mouths wide—shining with bloodlight, each spraying a slender, fresh red liquid the thickness of a human finger into the air. Han Li’s eyes brightened, and with one hand, he swiftly caught the sprayed liquid in his palm. When he released his fingers, two miniature blood dragons and blood phoenixes, each several inches long, appeared clearly at the center of his palm. Han Li had unconsciously preserved a trace of the true dragon and phoenix’s spiritual blood. Even though Ye Ying and the other two girls had been extremely cautious, they could never have imagined that Han Li possessed fully mature, all-powerful gold-devouring insects capable of consuming any substance—otherwise, they would never have allowed him to so easily steal these two precious spiritual essences. Indeed, true spiritual blood could not be separated in any measurable way without the use of special techniques or magical artifacts. Han Li stared at the miniature blood dragon and blood phoenix in his hands, desperately trying to rise, and with his five fingers glowing with jade-like light, tightly sealed both creatures within. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face. He still hadn't decided how best to utilize these two true spirit-bloods. Yet he was certain they were exceptionally rare, possibly even more valuable than some of the famed immortals' elixirs and divine herbs mentioned in legends. Unfortunately, his knowledge of true spirit families and true spirit lineages was still limited, so he couldn't make a decision at this moment. He would have to wait until he had studied them thoroughly before using the spirit-bloods. Suddenly, Han Li's face changed, and with a swift hand motion, he retrieved a bright silver wooden chest from his sleeve, placing the miniature blood dragon and phoenix inside. Then, with a gentle shake of his sleeve, he affixed several scrolls to the lid of the chest. A flash of silver light, and the wooden chest vanished entirely. Only then did Han Li turn his gaze back toward the far distance behind him, his eyes instinctively narrowing. (Second update!