The storekeeper, who had previously carried a hint of cold disdain, naturally sensed the powerful aura emanating from Han Li's spiritual form and the sharp determination displayed by his revealed treasures. The啼魂 beast, now transformed into a fearsome ghost of immense size and ferocity, seemed clearly no ordinary presence. "You must be one of the outstanding talents of the Tian Peng clan—I should know your name by now. Yet here you are, a complete stranger!" The thin man remained silent for a moment before suddenly shouting with intensity. "Who I am may not matter so much. What matters is my suggestion—what do you think? Your cultivation has dropped from the late Lingxu stage to the initial stage. Even if you still hold some hidden reserves, I believe I have a good chance of defeating you. But I don't wish to go to the extent of a final, all-or-nothing battle. As long as I secure what I need, I will simply turn and leave." Han Li gazed steadily at the storekeeper, speaking calmly. Upon hearing this, the thin man's eyes swept over Han Li several times, hesitated slightly, and then broke into a quiet smile. "Very well. Excellent." Indeed, based on your demonstrated prowess, you are well-qualified to make such a statement. Yet unfortunately, though I would like to agree with you, I have no Qingluo fruit to offer. The treasures you saw inside the box earlier were merely illusions created by my unique secret technique of the Wuguang clan. You must have suspected something along those lines, haven't you?" The shopkeeper licked his lips and asked hesitantly. "Hehe, illusions created by secret techniques! My cultivation method does indeed have the ability to penetrate certain illusions. But what I seek is precisely the item within the box. Your technique may be impressive, yet if you don't use this very object, how could you make the Qingluo fruit appear so indistinguishable between genuine and false?" Han Li said with evident intention. "You want this item?" The shopkeeper looked visibly surprised. "Indeed! I believe this condition is quite reasonable." Han Li smiled lightly. "If you wish for this item, I shall certainly provide it." The storekeeper simply replied without any hesitation, flipping his hand once and producing a wooden box, which he then threw toward him. Han Li's eyes flashed a subtle blue glow as he extended his hand, palm open and empty. A swirl of emerald mist surged forth, instantly enveloping the box and suspending it before him. With a mental sweep, Han Li's face brightened slightly, then he opened the lid. A distinct medicinal fragrance filled the air—within lay precisely the "Heavenly Net Fruit" he had seen before. Without a word, Han Li opened his mouth and expelled a globule of refined blood, which vanished instantly into the box. At once, the box shimmered with five-toned radiance, and the green fruit seemed to shrink and transform, like a fleeting shadow, until it became a crimson seed about the size of a thumb. What had been placed inside was not the full fruit, but merely its seed. Indeed, he had once, many years ago, during an expedition deep beneath the earth, accidentally obtained a single seed of the Heavenly Net Fruit. However, it was only recently, in order to nurture the Thunder Beast, that he had finally used it as medicine. Otherwise, even if I truly hand this fruit over to Brother Han, it wouldn't be much of a gain. The seed of the fruit is valuable, but compared to the Severe Lotus Fruit itself, it falls short considerably. I don't want to leave you at a disadvantage either—I'll compensate you with a few pieces of top-tier spiritual stones, shall I?" After glancing at Brother Han's delighted expression, the man relaxed, smiled, and said. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a green leather pouch floated toward him. Han's brow lifted slightly; instead of immediately reaching out to take it, he waved his back with a shimmer of gray light, instantly drawing the pouch into the Yuanmagnetic Divine Light. Within the gray glow, the pouch spun continuously and refused to settle. "Since you've made that offer, I won't be so modest," Han smiled, sensing instantly the contents of the pouch through his spirit awareness. "Whoosh!" The pouch vanished into thin air as if it had never been there, while Han calmly collected the seeds from the box. Upon seeing Han Li's strange and unusual abilities, the shopkeeper's face slightly changed, but soon brightened and inquired, "Han brother, your talents truly stand out. I wonder what plans you have next?" "Though I would indeed like to do so, I still have matters to attend to and must remain with the Tianpeng Clan for a while. As for soothing them, I will find a way," Han Li spoke lightly. "Since Brother Han has said that, these two shall stay with you," the shopkeeper said without further hesitation, and indeed agreed. Almost at the same time, the lightning beast flashed with four hues of electric light, vanishing from behind Han Li, and then reappeared a moment later behind the shopkeeper, accompanied by thunderous roars. "It seems, from the start, you never intended to subdue this creature, but rather to use it as your outer avatar," Han Li remarked, his eyes suddenly brightening as he observed the beast. "Brother Han has indeed noticed that," the shopkeeper chuckled, his words vague and somewhat unclear. Just as Han Li moved his lips to ask another question, a low hum rose from the sky. The clouds summoned by the shopkeeper suddenly were whipped away by a fierce wind, dispersing and vanishing entirely. The heavens then emitted a pale yellow glow, accompanied by an odd, resonant hum. In some areas, the space itself began to subtly warp. Han Li's eyes widened in sudden realization. "The primordial qi of this Xiu Mi immortal realm has been completely drained by me. Soon, it will collapse and disintegrate. We must leave now." The thin, elderly man glanced around, frowning slightly. "Agreed. We'll have to ask Master Yu to clear a path ahead." Han Li nodded promptly. "Heh, no problem at all!" The storekeeper swept his hand over the five-colored celestial phoenix form behind Han Li, speaking with genuine enthusiasm. Then, he murmured a few words and reached out toward the empty space before him. With shimmering hues of five colors, the previously vanished scroll suddenly materialized within the radiance. As he unfurled the scroll, a beam of light erupted from its surface. Suddenly, a luminous gate, about one zhang high, appeared before them, glowing softly and extending seamlessly into the realm beyond the immortal realm. Han Li's expression shifted slightly; with a subtle movement of his shoulders, two streams of gray light shot forth from behind, instantly lifting the unconscious middle-aged man and the young man from the ground and transporting them to his back. At the same time, the Ti Hu Shen behind him shrunk in size, transforming within moments into a tall black ape, who then swiftly followed Han Li. "Brother Han, I'll go then," the storekeeper murmured, a brief brotherly glance passing through his eyes as Han Li transported the two figures—yet he made no further movement, merely offering a quiet greeting. The two figures flashed forward, one in front, one behind, stepping through the light gate. Han Li was struck by a sudden sense of relief. Outside, the scene was precisely the dwelling of the thin, gaunt man—calm and undisturbed, as if nothing had happened at all. On the wall behind them, the scroll painting of the Su Mi Heavenly Realm remained exactly as it had been. Only then did Han Li feel a subtle sense of ease. Though he had taken action, he need not truly fear this man. After all, the man was no ordinary Xuangong cultivator—his strange and With a soft "pffft," the ancient painting on the wall trembled slightly before silently turning to ash and vanishing. Han Li was startled, his face showing evident emotion. The thin, gaunt man by the side, however, looked genuinely distressed, clearly lamenting the loss of this precious Miraculous treasure. At that moment, the two attendants standing outside also entered, standing respectfully by. "Master, shall we really let these three go? Won't there be any major issues?" one asked cautiously. "Hmph. What kind of problems could arise? Even if he sends someone later, we'll have already left this place by then. We'll simply pack up our things, activate the underground teleportation array, and depart from the Sacred City right away. The Tianpeng Clan won't be able to stay any longer. We'll have to go to the Wuguang Clan. I've already prepared an alternate identity there—no one will be able to find us." The storekeeper issued a cold command. "Yes, Master!" The two Tianpeng attendants responded without hesitation, promptly and respectfully agreeing to the elderly man's instructions. Immediately, they began swiftly sorting through the other supplies nearby. The thin man remained in place, gazing toward the main entrance, his stern expression flashing momentarily. "Unless it's for some major reason, and we don't want to take any risks." "With my former temperament, I'd have insisted on keeping you both." He murmured, withdrawing a bottle from his sleeve, taking two bright green pills and swallowing them. Then, with one hand he brushed across his face, and both his face and figure immediately radiated a brilliant white light. When the light subsided, a slender, refined middle-aged man stood in place—his features and demeanor entirely different from before, as though he were a completely new person. He strode steadily toward a corner of the hall. With a single hand on the wall, a downward passage appeared. The man stepped directly into it. As he spoke, he flicked his hand once, and dozens of silver needles floated into the air. A series of rushing sounds followed, and the silver filaments vanished instantly, penetrating the bodies of the two.