"Something odd! Their aura—those fellows really aren't up to much. They couldn't even manage such a simple task." One of the yakshas, who had previously been the leader named "Mengxiang" and had single-handedly cleaved through a massive mountain, blinked in surprise as he spoke. He had unexpectedly appeared here. "Immortal King! There's a stretch of magnetic stone veins beneath the area. These two have managed to escape undisturbed through the ground—quite an achievement, really. That's not something we can blame on your subordinates." The other yaksha chuckled, immediately grasping the very reason why Han Li and the woman with the Xiao surname had managed to flee. "Hmph. That's not even a valid excuse for their escape. I'll personally deal with them when I return. Your ability to reach this far is commendable. But that's as far as it goes." The first yaksha king snorted, raised his hand, and instantly a wave of crimson light surged forth, as if ready to instantly eliminate the two before them. Han Li and the woman with the Xiao surname both looked visibly startled. A surge of wind and thunder roared behind one person, and suddenly a five-colored phoenix silhouette and a large green bird with eyes like lightning materialized. After a brief flash, they coalesced into a pair of translucent, shimmering wings floating behind him. The other figure, meanwhile, had his five-colored small boat beneath him emit a low roar, then rolled over to transform into a strange five-headed serpent, over ten zhang long—each of the five colors radiating from its head, jaws agape and fierce in demeanor. "Unyielding King, hold on! These two human cultivators appear no ordinary. The figure behind that one just revealed the true forms of the Celestial Phoenix and K'unpeng. The other seems to embody a fragment of the true essence of a five-colored, sinuous dragon. This is quite promising!" Upon observing the divine techniques just summoned by Han Li and the Xiao-family woman, another night-born warrior suddenly brightened, stepped forward, and interrupted his companion. "Wheel King, what do you mean? Are you suggesting that you allow them to go? Furthermore, I don't appreciate being addressed by title—please call me by my given name." The first nightborne furrowed his brow. Though he followed the instruction and dispelled the bloodlight in his hands, he turned his head slightly, his expression clearly displeased. "Ha! That's indeed a oversight on my part. Dreamxiang, didn't we just argue fiercely over that matter a moment ago? Why not settle it by having these two compete in a wager?" The nightborne known as the Wheel King chuckled warmly, genuinely shifting his tone and calling his companion by name. "What kind of wager?" Dreamxiang, the one so named, stirred slightly, as if sensing the subtle intent behind the words. "Simple—using the very matter we argued about as our stakes, each of us will launch an attack to eliminate these two. Whichever of us succeeds first shall claim the victory." The Wheel King spread his mouth wide, his expression turning fierce. "Hmph. Two mere cultivators at the Stage of Transformation—when we make our move, they'll both fall instantly. How can there be any clear winner?" The Immortal King spoke with an unusually composed and detached demeanor. "Neither of these two is an ordinary Fushen cultivator. Moreover, since we ourselves cannot personally intervene, perhaps it would be better if each of us sends one of our own Changan slaves to handle the matter. In that case, I believe these two human clans should be able to withstand the pressure, and thus we shall be able to determine our own victory." The Wheel King spoke with confident assurance. "Changan slaves... Very well. Then let it be as you suggest. Do you really think I'll be afraid to lose to you?" The Immortal King's expression shifted between gloom and resolve for a while, as though he had finally convinced himself that the wager was sound, and then solemnly agreed. "Ha ha, excellent! You both have heard our proposal. Far from treating you as inferior, we are giving you a chance to survive. We will only send our Changan slaves to pursue you once you have both traveled a thousand li beyond this point. But keep this in mind—do not attempt to separate yourselves. Should the distance between the two of you exceed a hundred li, do not expect us to merely send our slaves; we shall personally intervene." The Wheel King laughed, nodded firmly, and then turned his gaze with "A thousand li?" Han Li ran a single hand over the nearly translucent feather wings on his back, his expression growing steadily calm. "Indeed. Of course, if, within the time of one incense stick, you haven't already vanished a thousand li away, I shall still dispatch my Chang Nu. Don't count on any luck." The Wheel King spoke calmly, yet his words were cold and firm. Han Li's eyes twitched slightly, then he tilted his head and glanced at the Xiao family woman nearby. She offered a weak, strained smile, her complexion having recovered somewhat, though her delicate frame made her appear even more fragile and delicate. "Very well, Xiao friend! Let's go!" After a moment of silence, Han Li suddenly moved his wings behind him, and in an instant, he vanished into a shimmering outline at his original spot. Yet the next moment, he appeared mysteriously across nearly a hundred zhang of distance, stepping silently out of the void and materializing beside the Xiao woman—right upon the body of the five-headed giant serpent. Han Li's seemingly flawless teleportation technique left the two Yecha momentarily astonished—eyebrows raised briefly—before they resumed their composure as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The woman with the Xiao surname was initially startled, but soon brightened with a pleased expression. Since it had been clearly established that the two of them would need to escape together, the greater Han Li's abilities, the greater their chances of survival. Without waiting for Han Li to speak, she stepped firmly on the five-headed strange dragon beneath her. The dragon, its five heads swaying, instantly enveloped the two in a radiant five-colored aura and shot off toward the distant horizon at an equally astonishing speed. A few swift movements later, they vanished completely, leaving no trace at the edge of the sky. Meanwhile, the two Yecha kings remained motionless, standing in silent contemplation, their gaze fixed on the two figures retreating—seeming utterly confident in the very notion of the "rampant servant." With the five-colored aura's speed, the journey of over a thousand li required no more than a brief moment, arriving instantly. Yet since the two Yaksha kings had granted a incense-burner's worth of time, the young woman immediately reduced her flight speed as soon as she had traveled barely over a hundred li, then with a single hand motion pressed against her waist, sending forth a snow-white jade plaque suspended there that instantly transformed into a soft, hazy layer of light, shielding the two of them within. "This Sunlight Amulet was forged from the essence of the most yang energy; even a fully matured Yaksha king could not silently penetrate it merely through his divine awareness. Thus, we may now speak freely without fear." The woman spoke swiftly, though a trace of worry creased her features. "What could we possibly talk about? This time, I fear we are truly in for a death sentence." Han Li drew a faint smile, his lips trembling with a touch of sorrow. "In your opinion, how strong are those two Yaksha kings?" The woman's eyes flickered several times, and she hesitated slightly before asking. "How so?" At the very least, they are comparable to our human cultivators during the consolidation stage. Although I am unable to assess their exact strength, I have personally witnessed silver-tier wood spirits from the Wood Clan—yet even those felt far less powerful than these two Yecha currently before me. These two Yecha are likely no ordinary figures among the Yecha Kings. Han Li carefully replied. "Do you mean to say they might be great Yecha Kings?" Xiao, the woman, exclaimed in surprise. "Even if not, they are probably the next tier down from the foremost." Han Li did not offer a fully confident answer. Yet even so, Xiao's expression grew increasingly serious. "Xiao, do you know what the term 'Chang Nu' refers to in the other party's context? They seem very confident about it." Han Li suddenly asked. "This young disciple has indeed heard of it from my senior teachers." It’s said to be a creature half-goblin, half-elf, nurtured by the royal night-fury lineage, fed regularly on the essence of the Night-Fury King himself. As the Night-Fury King grows stronger, so does this creature. Depending on the variety, it typically possesses between one-tenth to one-third of the Night-Fury King’s own divine abilities—remarkably powerful indeed. Therefore, if these two are indeed great Night-Fury Kings, even the weakest among them, the most inferior of the kind, would leave us utterly no match at all.” The woman with the Xiao surname bit her lower teeth slightly. Hearing this, Han Li’s expression also grew uncertain. “Given the current situation, I think it would be best if we each briefly shared our approximate abilities and strength levels with one another. This way, we can better coordinate and face the threat together.” The woman spoke softly. “Wait—do you really intend to fight these two Night-Fury Kings head-on?” Han Li furrowed his brow, asking in return. “Without defeating them, how could we possibly escape with our lives?” The woman paused, startled. “Are you really treating those two Night-Fury Kings as mere decorations If the arrogant young man defeats us, that’s still manageable. But if instead we defeat him—do you think they’ll personally intervene? It seems they’ve never promised us anything—only that if they defeat the arrogant young man, they’ll spare our lives. Han Li took a deep breath and spoke with a heavy, gloomy tone. Upon hearing this, the woman of the Xiao family suddenly grew pale, clearly not unaware of the matter, but simply unwilling to dwell on it consciously. "Master, do you have any viable strategy?" The woman with bright, attentive eyes fixed upon Han Li, asked seriously. "None at the moment. We can only proceed step by step, adapting as we go. However, if the arrogant young man truly proves as formidable as you described, we shall find it impossible to even overcome this immediate challenge. Even if we don’t engage in direct combat and merely make a break for it, how can we escape the lock placed on us by those two Night-Fly Kings? Unless we suddenly experience a dramatic surge in our cultivation level—perhaps even reaching the Consolidated Body stage—there’s only a slim chance of success. "Or perhaps we can find a teleportation array nearby that will allow us to transport several thousand miles away and escape safely," Han Li said, his voice steady as he pressed his lips together. Upon hearing Han Li's words, the woman named Xiao's face briefly flickered with a strange expression, yet she said nothing. "However, Xiao friend's suggestion of sharing our abilities and working together to face the enemy is indeed a last resort—at the very least, it will give us a little more time to survive," Han Li sighed, murmuring softly. Hearing this, the woman nodded in resignation and began to describe her cultivation techniques and the divine artifacts she had mastered. After a cup of tea's worth of time, although they had slowed their flight, Han Li and his companion had already traveled over a thousand miles. At that moment, from afar, two sharp, wolf-like cries echoed through the air—harsh, piercing, and rising straight into the heavens.