Farelan frowned at this, turned to Bai Bi, and said, "I'll go lend a hand to Qin sister." As she spoke, her body shimmered with golden light, preparing to vanish outside the carriage. But Bai Bi raised her hand, stopped Farelan, and with a wry smile, pointed toward a certain direction. "Farelan, I think you don't need to assist Qin sister anymore—we have other matters to deal with." Farelan was momentarily startled and followed Bai Bi's gesture. There, in the darkness, a large group of spectral wolves emerged silently. From afar, the scene appeared as a dense expanse of fur, with an indeterminate number of creatures. At the same time, on the opposite side, loud cries began to rise. Farelan glanced over and saw the dark forms shifting, revealing a large troop of ice apes, each standing nearly a zhang tall. Their fur was long and slightly wavy, and most of them were wielding wooden or stone spears. Each ape bristled with teeth, displaying a fierce and aggressive demeanor. "I'll handle the wolves," she said, "and leave the ice apes to White brother." Lei Lan moved with clean efficiency, swiftly uttering a single sentence before vanishing in a flash of silver arc, rushing toward the wolf packs. Thunder roared, and several thick electric arcs erupted above the wolf groups, then shot down. The yō-wolves struck by the silver arcs shuddered and collapsed, their bodies scorched and blackened. Bai Bi shook her head, bowed slightly to Han Li, and then surged forward in a burst of golden light. A short while later, the group of apes on the opposite side stirred, and a golden flash exploded high above, spreading countless golden threads downward. A wave of cries erupted!大片 of yō-apes were pierced through vital areas by the golden threads, falling lifeless into pools of blood. Whether it was the wolf packs or the ape groups—should these merely be lower-tier yō-beings, they would have been no match for Lei Lan and Han Li. Yet among these lower-tier beast groups, several mid-tier immortal beasts with remarkable abilities emerged successively, making it impossible for Qin Xiao and his party to immediately eliminate the entire herd—they could only remain alert and gradually manage the situation. Standing on the spiritual carriage, Han Li observed the scene, his expression shifting as he considered whether to send the three back, leveraging the power of the great array to capture all these terrestrial immortal beasts at once. But at that very moment, an unusual sound suddenly arose from the heavens, as though something was approaching from that direction. Han Li's eyes flashed with a blue glow as he focused his attention, only to grow serious shortly thereafter. To his astonishment, hundreds of ice-spirit beasts of varying appearances descended from the sky, each with a dark, translucent body. The larger ones reached ten zhang in height, while the smaller ones were only a few chi in size. Judging by their outward aura, they clearly belonged to the mid-tier immortal beasts of the terrestrial deep abyss. Each of these creatures displayed lively excitement in their eyes, flying directly toward the location of the great array—clearly drawn by the unusual fragrance emitted by the smaller beasts. Han Li sneered, standing still, watching as these creatures flew in within moments, one after another, emitting strange cries and charging straight into the array, rushing toward the small beast at the center. Only when nearly a hundred ice-scorched beasts had entered the array did Han Li finally move. With a single hand motion, a flag several inches long suddenly appeared in his palm—bright crimson, glowing vividly. He poured his full inner energy into the flag, yet swiftly pointed the tip downward. A sharp "pffft" sound followed, and a streak of red light burst forth, vanishing instantly into the method array below. A thunderous roar echoed, causing the ten luminous pillars standing at the array's edge to tremble. As symbols began to emerge and form creatures, countless waves of red light surged from various points of the array, instantly encircling all the ice-scorched beasts that had entered. The beasts were startled. Some opened their mouths to exhale dark, misty cold winds; others flapped their wings wildly, summoning black snow and hail around their bodies. Yet no matter what ice-based techniques were employed, after the red glow rolled over them, they all vanished in an instant. And as the red radiance swept past the ice spirits themselves, their bodies began to layer upon layer dissolve and melt. In a moment, the creatures within the array were all reduced to nothing, leaving only drifting masses of lingering ice essence floating in the air. The remaining creatures outside the array were startled! Some, drawn by the fragrance, hesitated and lingered at the edges, while others, with greater intelligence and awareness of the unfolding disaster, turned to flee. Han Li raised both brows, then opened his mouth and expelled a sphere of bright green light, within which a small green cauldron spun continuously. As the light flashed, the cauldron expanded to the size of a few zhang. With a sharp "thud," Han Li pressed his palm against the large cauldron. A resonant hum followed, and the lid of the cauldron lifted, shooting out a cascade of green threads that, after a few flickers, mysteriously disappeared into the void. At that very moment, the ice spirits outside the array began to vanish around their vicinity. As the spatial fluctuations surged, countless strands of emerald hair erupted mysteriously from the void, scattering and shooting forth, instantly piercing through all the ice demons. Even those that managed to escape a short distance could not evade the assault and were ultimately destroyed. After the emerald light receded, the bodies of all the beasts shattered and fell to the ground below. Clearly, with Han Li's significant advancement in cultivation, the power of the Xuting Cauldron had vastly surpassed its former capabilities. Qin Xiao and the others also summoned their respective abilities from afar, successively eliminating the mid-tier beasts, finally causing the insect and animal groups to scatter and retreat. "I didn't expect there to be so many beasts on this ice-demon terrain," remarked Lei Lan and Qin Xiao as they returned to the spiritual chariot, marveling at what they had seen. "Heh, this area is so vast—it offers plenty of hiding spots. However, these are only the nearby creatures. In due course, beasts from farther regions will arrive, and at that point, some higher-tier beasts may appear." A flash of golden light, and Bai Bi also emerged within the spiritual chariot, speaking calmly and steadily. Upon hearing this, Han Li remained exceptionally composed. Not long after, roars of varying lengths echoed around, and various beasts gradually appeared, rushing straight toward the magical array. This time, Han Li did not send the other three out, but instead activated the Banished Barrier Array. As soon as any beast surged into the array, it was instantly engulfed by the crimson aura and screamed, then turned to ash. Thus, time passed steadily, one after another, as the beasts attacked, and half a day seemed to vanish in an instant. Even during this period, a high-level beast appeared, yet it was swiftly dispatched by Han Li, who had unhesitatingly summoned the Da Gong Sword Array. It seemed this beast was particularly renowned in the Ice and Death Realm, and for a long time afterward, no other powerful beasts emerged. Han Li and his companions naturally welcomed this prolonged engagement. Several hours later, as the unusual fragrance emanating from the Leopard-Lion beast began to fade, a group of strange birds that had been relentlessly charging at the magical array suddenly dispersed without any prior warning, abandoning their attack altogether. Han Li was taken aback at this sudden turn of events. At the same time, a series of heavy footsteps echoed from a distant direction. Each step sent tremors rippling through the nearby ice ground, as though a colossal creature of immense size were advancing slowly toward them. Li Lei and the others exchanged glances, their faces expressing mild surprise. Han Li narrowed his eyes, his blue glow intensifying. A few moments later, a towering creature hundreds of paces high, entirely covered in emerald green, stepped out from the darkness. "Indeed, a Green Wood Spirit," Bai Bi said, her tone serious upon recognizing the creature. The appearance of this beast was truly remarkable. The creature's upper half was human-like, while the lower half resembled a deer, and its head was an unusually vivid green, as if a massive tree had grown there, adorned with green leaves and blossoms—indeed, it looked quite comical. Yet the pair of colossal hammers held in its hands by the beast left no one able to smile at all. "Never mind," White Bi said, offering a reassuring remark, and quickly glanced at Han Li. Yet she was momentarily stunned! Han Li's expression was now grave, showing the first sign of seriousness since he had been surrounded by the spirits. "Han brother, what—?" Not only White Bi, but Qin Xiao and the others also noticed this, and asked with growing curiosity. "If this creature alone were the only one, it would be manageable. But there's another one standing atop this one—perhaps that will prove more troublesome," Han Li said after a brief pause. "Another one?" "Upon hearing Mr. Han say this, Bai Bi and the others were startled, and hurriedly turned their gaze toward the top of the greenwood spirit. After focusing closely, they finally spotted another creature. This one was a dwarf with a long white beard, only about two feet tall, dressed in a long emerald robe. He held a cane in one hand, standing motionless atop the greenwood spirit, his form partially obscured by the dense foliage, which explained why the others had failed to notice him at first. 'Listen closely, you all,' said the dwarf, 'I know you are earth-bound flying spirits with some abilities. Yet even with your current level of cultivation, you are no match for me. As long as you willingly hand over that advanced spiritual beast, I will turn around and leave immediately. Otherwise, this very place will become your resting ground.' With no flicker of his eyelid upon seeing Han and the others finally notice him, the dwarf delivered this confident statement. Lei Lan, hearing such bold words, found herself uncertain about the dwarf's true capabilities, and exchanged glances with her companions, puzzled. Han Li's eyes flashed several times, instantly discerning the other's cultivation level, and he sighed. It was no wonder the dwarf spoke with such confidence, even capable of commanding a high-tier immortal beast like the BiMu Yāo. He himself was no ordinary being—equivalent to a mid-stage Lingxu cultivator, a truly formidable presence. Yet, against an ordinary Feilin clan saint's heir, such a level would be utterly overwhelming. However, for Han Li today, as long as the dwarf lacked any transcendent divine power, he was not a serious threat at all. Thus, Han Li offered no further response, merely raised his hands slightly, smiling faintly while gazing calmly at the dwarf. At once, the monster roared loudly and took a determined step forward, heading straight toward the array. (Second chapter! ------------ Seeking votes at the beginning of the month!)