Suddenly his face paled. "It's really him! With his swift movement and powerful spiritual awareness, he would have been locked by the spiritual perception—there'd be no time to escape. The Taiyi Huaqing Seal might well fail against someone of his caliber. Yet his aura has weakened considerably, as if he too is seriously injured. When Qingyuan Zi, at the stage of Lingxu, used the Dajing Array to hold off a Shengti-period cultivator, I may not have been as strong myself, but even then, with a well-prepared strategy, I could have contained him. Moreover, I still have other powerful reserves—there's still a chance of a stand." Han Li's thoughts raced through his mind, regretting having separated from both Ye Chu and the other young woman so quickly, otherwise he wouldn't have faced this crisis. Nevertheless, Han Li was no ordinary person. Once he formed a judgment, he immediately acted without hesitation—his body shimmered with a bright jade light, and his form shot downward with swift spiritual momentum. After a few flashes, he suddenly appeared atop a small hill. Without a word, he merely shook his sleeve, and suddenly seventy-two golden spears shot forth, then transformed into hundreds of golden sword beams under the incantations and momentum he exerted, scattering and vanishing into the air. He thus established the Dageng Sword Array here. Then, brushing his forehead, a vast expanse of gray light shimmered upward, dispersing to form a hazy, luminous shield enclosing him. At the same time, he shook the other sleeve, causing five white bone skulls to appear before him; upon exhaling, five flames of extreme cold burst forth, then fused together outside the gray light, forming a swirling, multicolored flame. Within this glow, Han Li clasped his hands and, as the flames coalesced and shifted, shaped them into a large, five-colored ring that spun continuously around him. Almost simultaneously, a thunderous sound resonated behind him, and a pair of silvery-white feather wings emerged. Only after completing all this did Han Li straighten his arms, his expression serious, and gaze steadily toward the distant sky without moving. In mere moments, a flash of light appeared in the distant sky, and a silver orb shot straight toward this area, breaking through the air. After a few flickers, it materialized above Han Li's mountain peak. Ye Ying had personally witnessed the terrifying power of the true spirit-blood of the Heavenly Phoenix, a power far surpassing that of this high-level wood spirit. He was certain that during their pursuit of the two women, they must have clashed in battle, which had led to their current situation. Yet, this opponent, despite being severely wounded, had persistently tracked them all the way to this location—a development that truly surprised him. The fact that the opponent had abandoned Ye Ying and his two companions to choose to follow him instead likely stemmed from having suffered a prior setback, making them hesitant to continue pursuing the two. But in order not to return empty-handed, they had decided to make their own stand. Han Li had now pieced together the reasons behind the opponent's pursuit, and felt deeply frustrated. The silver-rank wood spirit fixed her two bright green eyes on Han Li, then suddenly raised her fist and struck him with a distant, silent blow. A sharp cry tearing through the space erupted instantly. At the same moment, Han Li felt an immense force silently pressing against his outer defensive barrier. The five-colored aura trembled suddenly, then the gray light shield warped and distorted. Han Li staggered, involuntarily retreating several steps, his face flashing with waves of cyan light before he managed to steady himself. A brilliant silver glow radiated from its body. In an instant, the wooden spirit seemed to vanish like a phantom, appearing only十余丈 away from Han Li. At the same time, a green wooden armor unexpectedly materialized, its surface shimmering with silver light, and countless sharp, pointed spines of varying lengths suddenly emerged, transforming the once ordinary spirit into a fearsome and imposing figure. Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly. With a flick of his wings behind him, he dissolved into a streak of pale blue-white electricity, vanishing from his original spot. Moments later, he reappeared thirty or so feet away, already hands in gesture and murmuring incantations. The wooden spirit showed no hesitation, taking another step and once again flashing into a spectral form, charging directly toward Han Li. But immediately, a soft "crack" sounded, and without any prior warning, seven or eight bright golden threads suddenly rose before it, flashing past and slicing through. Startled, the spirit reacted instantly, flashing a glow from its five fingers and reaching out with a swift grasp. The result was only a few muffled thuds as the green light struck the golden threads, the luminous radiance interweaving and weaving, the two forces now evenly matched. The wooden spirit blinked in surprise, then spread her fingers wide, releasing five more green streaks to join the assault. But at that moment, golden flashes erupted nearby, one after another, golden threads rising in succession, then suddenly appearing at close range—right before the wooden spirit—before intertwining and swiftly converging to slice her into four or five fragments. These golden threads surged with such speed that, before the wooden spirit could fully grasp what was happening, she naturally chose to avoid the risk, twisting her body slightly and stepping back seven or eight zhangs to reveal a second, identical green silhouette. As the golden threads passed swiftly by, they instantly severed the original spirit into countless fragments, which then dispersed and vanished, leaving only a fleeting outline. At this moment, the silver-rank wooden spirit realized that not only the golden threads before her, but also numerous identical forms emerged from all around, at a distance. These golden filaments shimmered with a cold, eerie luminescence, slowly encircling the spot where he stood. "An array of blades!" exclaimed the voice of the wooden spirit, filled with astonishment. Yet immediately, it clasped its hands, and a brilliant silver glow surged from the palms. With a sudden separation, a cascade of silver sparks erupted, shooting out in all directions and precisely colliding with the dense network of sword-like filaments surrounding it. A thunderous roar echoed as the golden filaments interwove with the silver sparks, igniting waves of shimmering, contrasting hues of gold and silver. The nature of this silver radiance remained unknown, yet it proved remarkably potent—crushing the golden filaments into fragmented pieces, its force surpassing even the power of the blade array itself. The wooden spirit flickered and then surged forward, transforming into a swift green streak, aiming to escape the array's outer zone. Indeed, as a silver-tier being, it had only just moved when it appeared fifty to sixty zhang away—just a few more steps, and it would truly break free from the array's reach. But at that moment, a thunderclap roared, and Han Li, wrapped in shimmering arcs of azure and white electricity, materialized silently from the void. With a simple arm movement, he produced two strangely colored fists—one black, one white—floating erratically amidst the rushing air, creating an astonishing display. Mu Ling didn’t hesitate, her body moving without pause. As she raised both arms, ten green glimmers interwove and surged, forming countless grasping claws and punching shadows that enveloped her. A thunderous "crash" echoed twice as the punch shadows and claw glimmers collided, the roar deafening. The two figures staggered simultaneously, falling back with force. When Mu Ling, stunned and furious, regained her balance and attempted to advance through the sword formation, the golden filaments that had previously dispersed and vanished now reappeared, sweeping toward her once more in a continuous rush. With no choice, she stepped back slightly, returning to her original position, her eyes now blazing with cold, fierce intensity. This silver-stage wooden spirit had already begun to sense that, perhaps, this time he should not pursue the human cultivator before him. Indeed, as he had anticipated, in the following moments, the wooden spirit successively employed several great techniques. Yet every time he seemed to breach the sword formation, he was repeatedly pushed back by Han Li, who used his treasures and sheer strength. During these brief intervals of resistance, the shattered sword filaments gradually restored themselves, reactivating the full power of the sword formation. With Han Li's current strength and immense physical power—despite the wooden spirit's naturally robust bodies—it was simply impossible for the spirit to break free and escape the formation in a single encounter. Of course, this was due to the wooden spirit's own severe injuries, leaving only half of his peak capabilities. Otherwise, if he sacrificed some of his vital energy to deploy several unique secret techniques, Han Li would have been unable to withstand him at all. Nevertheless, at present, Han Li's Great Geng Sword Formation truly holds this high-ranked wooden spirit firmly within its bounds. At this moment, the countless strands of sword energy surrounding the sword formation were rapidly converging. Noticing the same distress in himself, the wooden spirit suddenly stood still at the very center of the formation, his wooden armor shimmering with unstable silver light, and all the sharp spines on his body emitting low, resonant hums, beginning to tremble gently. Han Li was startled, his entire body glowing with a deep jade light, and without hesitation, he accelerated the pace of the sword formation. Just then, the wooden spirit at the center suddenly raised his head and emitted a long, resonant roar. As his battle armor vibrated, the silver spines instantly transformed into countless arrows, shooting out in all directions. The silver arrows flashed brightly, dense and continuous, as if endless. For a moment, the entire sword formation was filled with the sound of rushing air, followed by constant thunderous explosions, with bursts of golden and silver light nearly overwhelming everything. Han Li, witnessing this scene, drew in a sharp breath. And this was not yet over—the wooden spirit, continuously releasing silver spines from its wounds, suddenly surged in size, its body taking on a vibrant, emerald hue. A towering ancient tree silhouette, approximately ten zhang high, materialized behind the spirit, its dense branches and leaves constantly sprouting and unfurling, rapidly expanding outward in all directions.