At that moment, faint streaks of white light suddenly appeared in the otherwise profoundly dark sky, spreading out swiftly. Simultaneously, the glow on the small creature's body suddenly shifted, turning an unusually rosy hue. A rare and exquisite fragrance then emanated from within the creature, so alluring that even the most discerning guests could hardly help but feel their appetites stirred. It seemed as though the small leopard-mane beast had instantly become a delicacy hard to find anywhere in the world. "White Bi's expression was not very pleasant. "I certainly know what's going on," said Han Li, his eyes flashing with cold light. "Do you really intend for me to ignore my spiritual beasts and simply leave?" Upon hearing Han Li's tone, which carried a hint of displeasure, White Bi quickly denied it, eager to explain. But Han Li merely waved a hand, cutting off whatever else he was about to say. "No matter what your thoughts are—should you feel it's dangerous, you may leave at your own discretion. But I will not be leaving." Han Li spoke with firm determination. Upon hearing this, White Bi, Lei Lan, and the others exchanged glances, then broke into a quiet smile. They found it entirely natural that Han Li should act so firmly. After all, if it were their own turn, a spiritual beast on the verge of becoming a spiritual general would surely be treated as a life of utmost importance—how could they possibly consider abandoning it? At that moment, however, Han Li paid no attention to the other three, and busied himself with his own tasks. The junior beast's ascension would take at least one full day and night, during which time any nearby creatures that sensed or recalled the presence of the spirit beasts might be drawn to the area. Naturally, given that this place is renowned for its icy, deadly aura, the spirit beasts of ice and cold would be the most numerous. This was a set of fire-element array tools that Kang Li had collected over time in Tianyuan City, spending considerable amounts of spiritual stones. Together, they could form the "Ten-Directions Flame-Extinction Array," a rare and powerful spell array. The array's strength is considerable—once activated, even a Cultivator at the Huashen stage would find it difficult to break through and exit immediately. For ice-cold, elementally opposed creatures, its power becomes truly formidable. However, this is not all. With a simple gesture of his hands, Kang Li pressed his hand seals, and simultaneously, seventy-two golden small swords shot out from various parts of his body, flying upward toward the apex of the array, where they resonated and transformed into hundreds of identical sword beams of radiant light. While chanting continuously, he pointed at the dense network of golden beams in the sky. Instantly, the hundreds of golden beams scattered outward in all directions, flickering briefly before vanishing into the void. Kang Li had thus established his own Dajing Sword Array within the larger array. At his current Huashen peak cultivation level, this sword array is so powerful that even a Liangxu late-stage cultivator entering it would find themselves unable to As for how much restraint the cultivators in the fusion stage could exert, it was hard to say—only after trying could one know. After completing all these actions, Han Li hovered above the magical array, his eyes slightly narrowed as he pondered. Then, he gave a slight flick of his sleeve. A cluster of silver flames shot out from the sleeve, transformed into a silver firebird upon a clear chirp, and after a graceful spiral, vanished silently into the ice below. Subsequently, Han Li raised his hand and released the triangular spiritual carriage he had used once earlier, causing it to float steadily above the array while he settled into a meditative posture, seated cross-legged and closing his eyes. At this moment, the small creature below was completely enveloped in a cascade of bright white light, its fragrance becoming increasingly alluring. Even with Han Li's tightly sealed, formidable array, this aroma could not be suppressed in the slightest. The scent spread rapidly, radiating strongly into the surrounding darkness. After a quiet conversation among Lei Lan and her companions, they remained calm and flew over to join the carriage, standing upon it. Though these three wished to avoid getting drawn into the妖 creatures' frenzied assault, given the peril they had just endured, without Han Li's protection, they would hardly have been able to even reach the third layer, let alone seek the Yin Yan Fruit. Thus, they had no choice but to stay and face the situation. Fortunately, Han Li had made ample preparations, and in the eyes of the three, he remained deeply enigmatic. As long as no exceptionally powerful妖 creatures appeared, they could reasonably tolerate spending a day here. Time passed slowly, and the number of pale, luminous spots descending from the sky kept increasing, gradually engulfing and completely obscuring the small beasts' forms. The previously silent Bao Lin creature now emitted soft, low murmurs beneath the white light, as though enduring an unbearable pain. "Spirit beasts advance in a manner quite different from ours; each stage brings substantial physical enhancement—something far beyond what our flying spirit beings can achieve," Qin Xiao murmured, gazing down at the glowing light below. "That's true. Yet the agony of this transformation through the Yi Jing's rejuvenation process is something we simply cannot compare to." "Léi Lán smiled slightly and interjected. Bái Bì, however, gazed steadily toward the dark, icy expanse in the distance, her expression growing serious. The surroundings now seemed unusually quiet—besides the faint whistling of the wind, there was no other sound. The unusual fragrance emanating from the small creature had already spread far beyond. It was unlikely that any of the creatures within a hundred miles hadn't detected it. Thinking thus, Bái Bì felt a growing sense of unease and turned to glance at Hán Lì. Hán Lì kept his eyes closed, his demeanor calm and composed. As Bái Bì's gaze shifted, she was about to speak when Hán Lì suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sparkling with clarity. At the very same moment, a sound of rustling came from somewhere in the darkness—seeming as though countless things were rushing toward them. Bái Bì's expression changed instantly, and both Léi Lán and Qín Xiǎo, who had been quietly conversing, fell silent, turning to look in that direction. A multitude of fresh red eyes emerged in the distance, followed by a large group of dark, slender creatures, each about a foot tall, bursting forth from the blackness. Their bodies shone black and lustrous, and as their limbs and legs moved, a rustling sound swiftly approached, growing louder with every step. They turned out to be a vast horde of grim, icy spiders! At a glance, the spider swarm seemed endless, instantly spreading across vast stretches of ice. Yet these lowest-ranked icy spirits required no intervention from Han Li. With a single, graceful exclamation, Qin Xiao of the Ye LV clan waved her sleeve, and a dozen green beams shot out, directly striking the spider group. "Boom, boom!" came several resonant sounds, and instantly, a dozen wooden figures—each several feet tall—rose up within the midst of the spiders. These figures resembled massive lizards, and though they made no apparent movement, merely slightly bent their bodies and opened their mouths, green light beams surged forth. Wherever the green light reached, the ice spiders melted swiftly, like spring snow dissolving in the warmth, unable to withstand it in the slightest. The puppets stood side by side, and with a mere flick of their heads from side to side, they blocked the ice spiders from advancing a single step, leaving hundreds and thousands of spider corpses scattered across the ground, piling up thickly in a short time. Yet the number of ice spiders was truly overwhelming; despite the sharp intensity of the green light, they pressed forward relentlessly, as though completely indifferent to their own lives. Even the green light emitted by these dozen or so giant lizard puppets proved formidable, though it clearly demanded substantial consumption of spiritual stones. Within just a short while, the light from their mouths grew dim and could no longer strike down the spiders behind. As a result, countless spiders surged through the barriers and approached the puppets. A continuous series of "pffft" sounds erupted, as countless black filaments burst forth from the spider throngs, swiftly enveloping and tightly wrapping the giant lizard puppets, forming an impenetrable network. Then, with a simple pull of her black silk, several dozen puppets collapsed to the ground, utterly motionless. Seeing this, Qin Xiao, standing in the carriage, was both surprised and deeply embarrassed, immediately whispering, "My esteemed colleagues, no need to intervene—these minor creatures shall be handled by my sister." Instantly, the young woman transformed into a shimmering green glow and ascended into the air, materializing a grand array after a few swift movements, now positioned just above the ice spiders. The spider swarm naturally detected the aerial target at once, and soon after, a series of hissing sounds followed, as countless black filaments were launched toward the woman in the sky. Qin Xiao's expression darkened, and suddenly a deep, ethereal green flame surged across her body. Upon contact with the black filaments, they instantly turned into wisps of pale smoke and vanished without a trace. Then, with a soft command, she raised her hand horizontally, summoning a green flame sword that hovered in her palm, and gently swept it downward toward the ground. At once, a thick green flame surged downward, crashing with a tremendous roar and carving a massive furrow several zhang wide before the swarm of spiders. The green flame rolled continuously within the furrow, and all the ice spiders that had fallen into it vanished within moments. Qin Xiao smiled gently at the corner of her mouth, intending to deliver a few more strikes to widen the furrow slightly, when suddenly several angry cries echoed from the dark distance, and several colossal beings—each several zhang tall—burst forth. Upon closer inspection, the young woman's expression grew slightly concerned. These were four giant spiders, far surpassing their peers in size, each bearing dense black bristles on their backs and sharp fangs protruding from their mouths, all roaring in fury. Qin Xiao raised her brows, crossed her fiery sword, and prepared to strike them firmly. Yet, just as she moved, a shimmer of black light rippled across the surface of each spider, and black cicada wings emerged on their backs. With a quick shake, they all rose into the air. Seeing this, Qin Xiao's previously relaxed expression immediately turned serious.