The Ti-Hun beast has awakened its spiritual intelligence. After a brief communication, Han Li learned that it suddenly sensed a terrifying aura of negative spiritual essence deep within the mountain range—seeming to be confronted by some powerful ghostly entity that even the beast itself found threatening. Since the Ti-Hun is naturally adept at countering refined spiritual essences, the very presence of such a negative aura capable of unsettling it speaks volumes about the ghost's formidable strength. Although the Ti-Hun may not be entirely defenseless, Han Li was absolutely unwilling to take this risk. Thus, he immediately abandoned his intention to enter the mountain range and instead chose to spend more time traveling along alternative routes, circumnavigating it. As these matters pertain to the Ti-Hun beast's inner secrets, Han Li naturally offered only vague, somewhat ambiguous explanations to Lei Lan and the other two, without going into detail. This left the two Heavenly Peng Clan saints somewhat dissatisfied. Han Li chuckled inwardly at their displeasure, yet remained indifferent. After all, he had no intention of staying in the Heavenly Peng Clan long, so why should he concern himself with their opinions? As long as they didn't hold him back during this trial, that would be sufficient. With this thought in mind, Han Li said little to Bai Bi and Lei Lan, and neither of the two Sacred Princes showed any further interest in speaking. The spiritual carriage grew unusually quiet. Among the three, Han Li stood at the carriage, gazing into the distance; Bai Bi lowered his head, murmuring to himself; Lei Lan simply closed his eyes and settled into meditation. Under Han Li's full effort, the carriage soon broke away from the mountain range, flying farther and farther, and once again disappeared into the ever-shifting, dimly lit wilderness. After an unknown length of time, Han Li suddenly stirred, drawing his gaze from the distance and turning his head to the empty space behind the carriage, his eyes narrowing slightly. Han Li's movement naturally caught the attention of Lei Lan and Bai Bi. One raised his head, the other opened his eyes. Following Han Li's gaze, however, the carriage's surroundings remained hazy and uniform—there was nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, due to the earth's suppression of their divine awareness, the two could not fully extend their senses to conduct a thorough search. After observing for a while, they only stared in astonishment at Han Li. Han Li stood motionless within the carriage, his expression calm, yet a subtle blue glow continuously flowed through his pupils—silent and unspoken. "Brother Han..." Bai Bi finally found himself unable to hold back and asked what had happened. But as soon as he opened his mouth, Han Li suddenly extended two fingers and lightly swept them through the void. A golden flash, like a lightning bolt, sliced through the rear of the spiritual carriage. A scene that startled Bai Bi and the other instantly unfolded. Where the golden light passed, a surge of green energy flashed and instantly materialized into a cluster of green mist, which was then severed into two halves by the golden blade. Yet, from within the mist came a series of sharp, startled cries of anger. The two fragments of green mist shot backward and then suddenly converged in the center, reuniting into one. The green mist swirled and transformed into a strange, eerie ape covered in yellow fur—exactly the same creature that had slain a holy prince of It finally caught up with the hearse not long ago, and excitedly, it had intended to quietly approach, then envelop the flying carriage in its toxic mist and thus eliminate Han Li and the others. Yet it never expected that Han Li's spiritual awareness surpassed the stage of Transformation, and his Qing Ming Ling Miao technique could effortlessly penetrate its illusionary form—his concealment spell was severed by a single strike, forcing him to reveal his true form. Upon seeing this spirit ape, Lei Lan and Bai Bi were both startled, and with a swift sound, two carriages shot out, positioning themselves on either side. Though neither of them could project their spiritual awareness, the ape remained undetected despite being so close—this clearly demonstrated the power of the illusion. Yet how had Han Li, a fellow spiritual general of equal rank, detected it? The two remained watchful and cautious, deeply puzzled. At that moment, under Han Li's control, the flying carriage gradually came to a halt, and Han Li gazed silently at the spirit creature behind the carriage. "Have you three on the ground disrupted the master's sacrificial rites?" the wrathful ape's eyes widened, fixing the three with a cold gaze. "Sacrificial rites?" What kind of ritual is this? When have we three performed such a thing? Bai Bi's heart sank, yet he only smiled and asked calmly, showing no concern about the ape's ability to speak human words. "In the desert ahead, didn't you destroy a great spirit flower? That was the one the master used for ritual offerings!" The ape's eyes flashed with cold light, speaking with a stern tone. "No!" Upon hearing the mention of the great spirit flower, Han Li's mind stirred, yet he kept his eyes steady, firmly denying. The calm and decisive tone surprised the ape, who paused. But upon glancing at Lei Lan and the other two, he noticed their unusual expressions and immediately grew furious. "You yourselves are clearly still carrying the scent of the spirit flower's offering blood and food—how can you dare to deceive me? I shall draw you into my body right now and return to the master!" With fierce determination, the ape said, then spun around, transforming into a dense, emerald-hued mist that swiftly enveloped the three of them. "You're all dead!" Bai Bi's smile vanished, and he swiftly扇ed his wings against the mist. A roar of rushing wind surged forth, countless golden filaments shooting out and instantly piercing through the mist, riddling it with countless wounds. Yet, as the mist shimmered with a green glow, it calmly restored itself, as if nothing had happened. Han Li, however, issued a cold snort and stepped forward at this moment. A shimmering blue-green glow flashed behind him, and a massive image of a jade phoenix materialized, opening its mouth wide in the air. "Boom!" A column of bright green light erupted from the bird's mouth, piercing straight through the center of the green mist. As the light column dispersed, it unraveled into countless strands that burst into splendor. A fierce gale surged forth! A violent hurricane rose within the mist, sweeping all the green vapor into its path. After a violent whirl, the mist rose again and vanished into the sky. The green mist seemed entirely eradicated. Lei Lan and Bai Bi were both stunned by what they saw. Could it be that this formidable creature had just been vanquished? Yet Han Li, observing the scene, briefly frowned, then suddenly shook his shoulders, releasing eight thick beams of golden sword energy from behind him, which swiftly slashed toward eight points in the empty space behind him. Eight strange, resonant cries echoed simultaneously from the sky, and eight green silhouettes materialized from the void, just barely evading the sword-like qi. "You truly managed to uncover our movements!" Eight indistinct, slightly shorter green forms—taller than the original ape-like creatures—hovered in the air, one of them even gasping and speaking in surprise. "A mere illusion—what's so remarkable about that? What kind of beast are you? Not a grudge-ape, are you? Grudge-apes simply can't manifest such multiplicity of forms." Han Li's form briefly blurred before solidifying, his face now directly facing the green forms, and he asked calmly. Meanwhile, Lei Lan and Bai Bi only now turned around, visibly startled. Clearly, though their cultivation and abilities were strong, they clearly lacked experience in genuine life-or-death combat. It was no surprise, then, that the senior elders of the Tianpeng Clan had initially doubted the success of their individual trials. "Heh, ground-bound one. You wish to uncover the true nature of my being. Forget it—don't even dream of it!" You don't seem like an ordinary Feilin clan member. On the ground, I might not be able to match you, but here, deep within this earth realm—no matter how much higher your cultivation level may be, you'll never be my equal." It was another green figure who spoke, and then all eight green figures burst into loud, unified laughter. Suddenly, a flash of green light revealed eight completely identical yao-jun—mythical apes. With a swift flick of their hands, each ape produced a bright, emerald-colored chopping blade, the blades shimmering and curling like waves, rushing straight toward Han Li and his two companions. With a single thought, a deep thud echoed, and the silver flame burst forth, instantly splitting into eight silver arrows that flashed and vanished in a swift burst. After a few "pffft" sounds, the eight silver arrows pierced through the five-colored flame-bound apes, whose strength and cultivation were no less impressive—yet none of them had ever encountered such a strange ability that could slow down their movements. Unprepared, the apes saw the arrows coming, yet their bodies remained constrained, unable to move or dodge. They could only emit a startled cry of shock, and as a result, several large hand-sized holes appeared on their chests, the edges of the silver flames flaring and blazing fiercely. In an instant, the apes dissolved into wisps of pale mist, vanishing completely. This creature had not even managed to unleash a fraction of its own powers before perishing without a trace—its essence and spirit utterly lost! When the silver flames had once again gathered into a single cluster, forming a fiery phoenix that merged into Han Li's body, Lei Lan and Bai Bi had already been utterly stunned. Though they had only engaged in a brief encounter with the spirit ape, they could clearly perceive its fierce and formidable nature—something that should have demanded a prolonged and intense battle. Yet, the creature had been effortlessly eliminated by Han Li with mere gestures and movements. This striking contrast left them not only amazed but also deeply alarmed. At this moment, they truly realized the gap between themselves and Han Li, and their gaze upon him now carried a sense of something different. "Let's go," Han Li said calmly. "This spirit ape mentioned a master—perhaps we won't be so easily handled after all." With a single footstep, he pressed down on the spiritual chariot, and instantly, the chariot radiated a soft milky glow. (First update!)