"Can you capture the Golden Essence Crystal Insects alive?" Han Li's expression remained unchanged. "Indeed. Once our Hao Shou clan members achieve a certain level of proficiency, they are naturally able to identify these insects among countless stones, and furthermore, we can prevent them from transforming back into crystal." The young creature spoke with pride. "Excellent. Simply this point is sufficient for me to set aside any grievances I may have regarding your search for me. I'll grant you the Mu Ling Flowers!" Han Li suddenly smiled, his demeanor noticeably softened. "Such a pleasant surprise! What conditions do you have?" The young creature proved remarkably astute—first delighted, then quickly grasping the situation. "Very simple. How many Mu Ling Flowers do you need? I'll provide exactly that many. In return, however, for every ten flowers, I require a pair of Golden Essence Crystal Insects. Additionally, I am equally interested in the Golden Mother Coral Sand from your offerings. For every few grains of this sand, I can exchange it for one Mu Ling Flower." Han Li added with a light smile. "The crystal insects are offerings—we don't have many, and ten of the pairs have already been pledged to the Bao Guang Master." The Niu-Shou small creature's eyes twinkled as it suddenly said this. "Bao Guang Master? Just a sea creature that has recently taken form. If I wish for these spiritual insects, I will naturally settle matters with him. I give you seven days to prepare. In three days, come to my abode to exchange for the wooden bell flowers. If you don't come—ah-ha…" Han Li smiled coldly, shook his sleeve, and suddenly a gentle breeze rose around him—then he vanished into thin air. The Niu-Shou creature and the three-headed giant serpents were startled, only realizing that the red silk strands that had tightly bound them were now gone. Both creatures regained their freedom and stared at each other, puzzled. After a while, the three heads of the giant serpents turned and surveyed the surroundings. The middle serpent blinked its green eyes and suddenly whispered softly to the small creature, "Has that person truly left?" "Upon hearing this, the young creature hesitated slightly, but as soon as it opened its mouth, a green orb, faintly tinged with jade, burst forth. The orb spun once in the air before projecting a layer of silvery-blue light, forming a protective shield that enclosed both creatures." "Now there should be no issues," the creature said, blinking its eyes. "With my inner essence, I've established this sound-dampening barrier. Should that person attempt to eavesdrop on our conversation through their spiritual awareness, they will surely detect my presence." The three-headed giant sighed in relief, yet immediately asked, "Shall we truly exchange for the wooden bell flowers?" "The offerings are not merely a matter between us two; we must also consult with a few other companions. However, if we wish to survive this particular offering, there seems little choice but to proceed," the creature replied with a wry smile. "The golden essence crystal insects and the golden mother coral sand are also quite rare. Should we offer them, we may not be able to gather such a substantial quantity again." The giant added. "We cannot afford to dwell on these details. Though the crystal insects and the golden mother coral sand are indeed extremely difficult to find—" But if I take a little more time, I'm certain I can find him. The wood-bell peacock clan requires a vast quantity—other places have long since dried up, and only on this mountain can we gather enough for this offering. The ox-headed creature also felt somewhat helpless. "Rather than wait, why not tell the peacock clan members when they come to collect the offerings, and let them handle this odd individual?" said the three-headed serpent, after its three heads swayed back and forth. "Hmph. Don't delude yourself with this. Didn't you forget the previous lesson? Even if the peacock clan manages to eliminate this person, the wood-bell flowers on the mountain will surely be entirely taken away—no offering will be spared. If I tell them honestly that the wood-bell flowers are nearly vanishing from Black-hidden Mountain, will the peacock clan still see us as valuable? And throughout the years, whenever the peacock clan collects offerings, as long as the wood-bell flowers are sufficient, even if other offerings are slightly reduced, they can still manage to meet their demands. Yet, if the number of Mu Ling flowers is insufficient, no matter how abundant the other materials offered, there will be no good outcome at all. It seems that the Mu Ling flowers are of utmost importance to the Tian Peng clan. Had the Tian Peng clan not been exceptionally wary of the Black冥Mist, they would never have stayed here for so long. They might have already sent representatives to establish a permanent garrison here. "Coldly, the Niu Shou small beast remarked. "But should this situation continue, even if we manage to survive this time, we shall still be unable to offer the same supplies in the next cycle. The outcome will remain the same. After all, we have all been marked with the bonds of servitude by the Tian Peng clan. As soon as we leave this place and journey beyond ten thousand miles, we shall instantly perish from the burst of these bonds." The three giant pythons expressed their growing anxiety. "I fully understand this. But there is no need to worry. Have you forgotten the promise made by the esteemed figure within the Black冥Mist? If we can secretly send them a hundred more spirit stones over the next century, he should achieve great power and be able to remove our servitude bonds. The young ox-like creature's voice suddenly grew solemn. "But is he truly reliable? Don't forget, though he was once among the last elders of Hei Yin Mountain, when he fled into the Black冥Mist, he consumed the crystal core of an ancient giant ghost—now he is half-god, half-creature. What if he undergoes some change later on?" The three-headed serpent hesitated. "Wait—has Huā Brother grown concerned that the elder might fail to keep his word? Rest assured, this elder hails from the Hao Herd and bears a deep grudge against the Tian Peng Clan. How could he possibly be detrimental to us? Besides, we've secretly sent him hundreds of years' worth of spiritual stones to aid his cultivation. Now that his great efforts have finally borne fruit, what other choice do we have?" The creature shook her head repeatedly. "Perhaps I've been overthinking it. Still, what exactly lies within the Black冥Mist that has caused the Tian Peng Clan to fear it so? Has the elder ever investigated this matter?" The giant serpent asked with growing curiosity. "No, but there must be something strange within. Even with the elder's current abilities, he can only linger at the edge of the Black冥Mist—certainly not venture toward its center. Yet the Black冥Mist has existed for an extremely long time. It is said to have originated precisely when the Tianpeng people were at their peak strength, nearly ruling the entire Feilin race." The small creature smiled bitterly. "That makes sense. Regardless of what lies within the Black冥Mist, it offers us no benefit. Once we enter it, with our current levels of cultivation, we would be absorbed within moments, our bodies drained of life, turning into mere dry bones." The three-headed giant serpents nodded in agreement. After a few more discussions, the small creature and the serpents gathered the immortal pearl, transformed it into two swirling streams of magical wind, and then took off, vanishing into the distance. Not long after their departure, a ripple of spatial disturbance rippled through the area, and a faintly pale blue figure materialized from the void. It was none other than Han Li, who had been expected to have already left. He glanced upward at the retreating two creatures, smiled with a strange, almost eerie A flash of golden light suddenly revealed a tiny golden insect, no larger than a fingernail—clearly a phage golden insect shrunk by over ten times. With a simple flap of its wings, the creature flew and settled into the palm of Han Li. Han Li gently touched the insect with one finger, closed his eyes, and instantly drew back the subtle spiritual awareness that had been attached to it. Thus, the entire conversation the little creature had shared with the three-headed serpent now flowed clearly into his mind. Hehe. As for the Golden-Eyed Coral Sand, it's also something urgently needed. Using it to refine and penetrate into the flesh and bones would greatly strengthen his physical form.... Han Li murmured to himself a few words, then burst into joyful laughter. After a while, his laughter ceased, and suddenly he remembered something else. His lips moved slightly, and then the shadows of the Great Peng and the Five-Color Phoenix behind him flickered, revealing a pair of translucent feather wings. With just a gentle flap of his wings, Han Li's body suddenly radiated a brilliant azure light, and in an instant, he shot forward like a shimmering filament. A long streak of azure-white light appeared in the sky, as if slicing through the void, stretching all the way from the point of departure to the far horizon. Then, at the far end of the streak, a flash of light, and the filament had already materialized there. A second flash, and it vanished into the horizon. With his wind-and-thunder wings now a fully enchanted spiritual artifact, his speed of travel was several times faster than ordinary. Just over two days later, they had already flown out of the island and appeared in a vast expanse of sea several ten thousand miles away. This region was dotted with coral formations of all sizes—some as large as small islands, others only large enough for a single person to stand. Han Li floated motionless above a coral cluster spanning several mu, his eyes flashing with sharp insight. This was precisely the abode of the so-called Treasure Light Master that he had discovered through his soul-searching technique. The Master himself was merely an eight-tiered immortal beast that had only recently taken on a humanoid form. Two centuries ago, he had wandered around the area, gathering seven or eight lower- to mid-tier sea creatures, before settling here. The ox-headed beasts and other island inhabitants had only managed to establish a modest relationship with him through exchanges of spiritual herbs. Thus, when they found themselves unable to launch a successful assault on Han Li's abode, they had resorted to using the golden essence crystal insect to leverage the Master's strength. Of course, this was also due to Xiao Shou's underestimation of Han Li's true cultivation level, believing he would at most be a Yuan婴 stage practitioner, thus acting in such a manner. Otherwise, he would never have undertaken such an apparently futile endeavor. Han Li did not hesitate for long. With a single hand motion, he extended a dark, lustrous palm from his large sleeve, gently pressing it downward upon the coral formations below. A tremendous roar echoed as a mountain-like silhouette rose from the palm, swelling rapidly within the gray light aura, and gradually solidifying before descending steadily. Under Han Li's full concentration, the Yuan-Magnetic Divine Mountain soon expanded to over a thousand zhang in height, and the emanating Yuan-Magnetic divine light from its base surged and danced, fully enveloping a several-acre expanse of sea surface. (First update!