The brilliant light dimmed, and when Han Li opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on a patch of green stone plaza. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he recognized the buildings as familiar—exactly as depicted on the diagram of the Su Mi Immortal Realm. Taking a moment to survey his surroundings, he exhaled gently. Indeed, he now stood atop a small, emerald-green hill, the sky a clear blue with only a few drifting clouds. He had truly arrived in a space indistinguishable from the one portrayed in the Su Mi diagram. The space seemed modest, no more than a few miles across, surrounded by walls of five-colored light. Not far off, the other three had also materialized here. While the two Han men gazed around with curiosity, the merchant moved without hesitation, drifting lightly toward the group of buildings. Han Li and his companions, unwilling to be left behind, also ascended into the air and followed. "Fish brother, this Pu-mi space appears intact and shows no abnormalities at all. What exactly do you mean by 'defect'? "As soon as the young man landed near the shopkeeper, he couldn't help but ask. "Heh, do you really think I'd bring up this matter? It seems the defect in the Pu-mi map has absolutely nothing to do with our transaction." The thin, gaunt man rolled his eyes, speaking with no courtesy. "Haha, Fish brother, you're overthinking it. I'm merely curious—there's no malice at all," the young man replied, his face flushing a mix of red and white before he casually brushed it off. The shopkeeper hummed a short sigh; since he'd still need the young man's assistance shortly, he didn't press further, though after a few quick movements, he suddenly appeared on a pavilion some hundred paces away, standing mid-air with his hands behind his back. The pavilion stood over a hundred paces tall, divided into three levels, with a simple, ancient architectural style, tapering upward at the top. "The spirit beast is now trapped within this building. Follow me down and we'll take a look at it together." The thin man, after waiting for Han Li and his two companions to gather around him, simply stated and then led the way downward. Han Li and the others exchanged glances and followed suit. The thin man did not land at the entrance of the first floor, but instead drifted to a window on the second floor, where he halted his descent. Han Li and the others found this somewhat unusual, yet after a while, they too arrived at the second floor. Peering through the window, they saw a shimmering silver veil, as if the entire second-floor pavilion had already been sealed by a spell. The gentle young man's eyes flashed with interest, but before he could speak, a deep rumbling sound suddenly echoed through the space, causing the silver veil to tremble slightly and the pavilion itself to sway gently. Immediately, a continuous roar of thunder surged forth from the light screen, like a storm of wind and rain, filling the four with the sound of thunderclaps. All other sounds faded away, as if they had been plunged into a world where the heavens were in furious rage, leaving them momentarily disoriented. "Unfortunate," remarked Han Li, a man of exceptional composure. Upon his sudden alarm, the Daxian Sect's internal energy flowed smoothly, and within moments he regained full clarity. The storekeeper and the large man, both cultivators at the Xuangui stage, swiftly restored their well-being through their respective techniques. Yet even so, the young, gentle man and the large man both turned pale. "Is this the spirit beast Master Yu intends to subdue?" asked the black-armored man, his gaze fixed intently on the window. "Yes, this is precisely the creature. Please do not be concerned—the beast is still under a seal and will not pose any threat until it is released." The storekeeper spoke with calm assurance, though a spark of excitement shone in his eyes. Then, the man raised his hand and spun it once. A flash of light passed through his palm, and suddenly, a scroll It was precisely the scroll painting of the Mulberry Heavenly Realm. This time, he did not unfold the scroll, but instead grasped one end firmly in one hand, gently touching the other end to the luminous screen. Strange things happened! The luminous screen on the window seemed to crack inch by inch like glass, then gradually dispersed and vanished. The shopkeeper fluttered his wings and entered the upper floor with a faint ripple of motion. The impatient man and the graceful young man, already eager, followed without hesitation, stepping in with a similar flick. Han Li stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then slowly drifted into the window. A tremendous roar echoed—shaking the entire upper floor, a surge of lightning-based spiritual pressure rushing toward him like a tangible wave. As Han Li stepped into the space, his face slightly paled, and he nearly wanted to dart aside. Yet he ultimately remained suspended in the air, his body slightly shifting to hard-press against the incoming force of A La. Only then did he have time to take in the scene before him. The second floor of the pavilion was far larger than he had imagined. The area spans two or three hundred zhang, making the site resemble a small plaza. At its center stand eighty-one thick copper pillars, each gleaming yellow and intricately carved with various strange beasts and monsters. These pillars encircle a central space about thirty zhang wide, where the entire area pulses with eerie black electric arcs, emitting deep, resonant thunderous roars, forming a vast, cage-like magical seal. Within this cage, a swirling black mist of about one zhang in diameter stirs continuously, itself producing constant thunderous sounds. From time to time, silver-white electric arcs surge out from the mist, only to dissipate instantly upon striking the black grid, as if they were destined to be defeated. "Is that the thunder-element spirit beast inside?" the black-armored man, upon seeing the unimpressive black mist, was momentarily stunned. "You must be underestimating this creature. How could you possibly grasp the true strength of this thunder beast?" the storekeeper glanced coldly at the man. "A thunder beast?" Han Li furrowed his brow and murmured softly. "Indeed, that is the name of this spirit beast. As for its origin, I need not elaborate. Yet, in all the heavens and earth, there is absolutely only one such beast—no second one exists." The shopkeeper fixed his gaze on the mist swirling within the black grid, his face subtly revealing a touch of madness. "That's quite dramatic—its attacks aren't impressive at all." The young man with a gentle demeanor frowned, watching the silver arcs spewing from the mist, unconvinced. "Attacks? This lightning beast hasn't been attacking anything at all—these electric flashes are merely its innate qualities. Allow me to reveal the true form and true power of the lightning beast." The thin man spoke with a hint of disdain. Suddenly, he raised his hand, and a flash of white shot forth from his sleeve, spiraling before landing at the tip of the thickest of the group of bronze pillars. There, clearly visible, stood a small, snow-white, winged creature, its body covered in sharp spines several inches long—like a flying hedgehog. Unaware of some restriction imposed by the shopkeeper, the small creature, once it landed upon the copper pillar, became bone-soft and muscle-wavering, unable to lift even a fraction of its body, merely trembling incessantly in place. Upon seeing the creature's condition, the dark-armored man and the gentle youth immediately recognized it as a renowned fierce beast among the Fei Ling clan—so well-known that they could hardly believe their own eyes. This creature was known for its boldness, often charging head-on even against beings of Lingxu level. As a social, group-dwelling beast, its ferocity was no surprise. Yet now, merely placed upon the copper pillar, it appeared so weak and ineffective—this was truly unexpected. As the human thought this, suddenly a large hand of jade-green hue burst forth from the black mist, seizing the creature firmly. Before the tips of the five fingers even touched the small beast, shimmering arcs of silver began to radiate from the hand. With a thunderous "crash," the creature, though already motionless, was pushed back when the jade-green hand struck against the black electrical grid—naturally rebounding from the impact. A strange, low roar suddenly erupted from the mist, filled with fury. Then, a thunderclap followed, and a brilliant silver light burst forth from the black mist. Instantly, a radiant flash of lightning swiftly enveloped something and rapidly expanded, swelling in size as it surged through the mist. In a short while, the black mist was completely dispersed by the lightning. A creature resembling both a human and a bird now stood within the power grid. Its head was like a crow's, with a greenish complexion, and it had a pair of blue feathered wings. The body was half-human and half-bird, with its arms ending in the unusual forms of a hammer and a spike. Its eyes were golden, gleaming with an eerie, solemn intensity. Even the most experienced of the three men, Han Li, could not help but gasp upon seeing the creature's true form. Before they could recover from their astonishment, the crow-headed beast suddenly roared loudly. Then, its mouth flashed with white light several times, and countless white lightning balls, each the size of a fist, rolled forth in succession. At the same time, the pair of feathered wings behind the beast flapped once, sending out hundreds of blue feathers that instantly transformed into slender blue electric darts, each about half a foot long, forming a dense, sweeping shield that descended toward the front. As precisely at the moment when three different arcs were about to strike the network, suddenly eighty-one copper pillars resonated in unison, and the originally slender black arcs instantly thickened several times over. A dazzling, flashing surge of electric light erupted, and the black network held firm, successfully receiving simultaneous attacks of white, blue, and golden lightning. The thunder beast, witnessing this, roared with even greater fury, yet its eyes gleamed with golden light fixed intently on the speckled creature upon the pillars—remaining unmoved, as though displaying a certain level of intelligence. "Rest assured," said the thin man, smiling gently. "This Sealed Lightning Radiance Array was carefully crafted by me, specifically designed to counteract this beast's lightning-based power. Though formidable, this thunder beast cannot escape it." Suddenly, he raised his hand and gave a firm stroke toward the speckled creature on the pillar. Instantly, a wave of white mist surged forth, effortlessly lifting the small creature and sending it deep into the black network, right up to the very brink of the thunder beast. (Second update!) ) ------------ Look for the monthly pass this month!