"Indeed, they have some prowess. But once I've caught up with them, if they still manage to escape, that would truly be a marvel." A woman's voice echoed. Behind the swirling black light stood the shadowy woman and the blood-toxin figure. It remained a mystery how they had tracked down Han Li so precisely. With a light laugh, the woman pressed a hand seal. The black light spiraled around the two figures, instantly transforming into a solid black light array. Within the array, a shimmering radiance flowed continuously, causing the blood-toxin figure's form to slightly blur before vanishing entirely. At that very moment, an astonishing sight unfolded. As the fine, pale-blue thread streaks moved with an almost otherworldly speed, a sudden ripple of space disturbance erupted ahead—there, a massive black magical array materialized mysteriously. Han Li was startled. Though he tried to halt his flight, he found himself too late. Even with his wind and thunder wings fully extended and flapping, his speed, though swift, could no longer be controlled at will. To his surprise, a fine, silvery thread plunged unnoticed into the black spell array. Han Li felt his vision darken, as black light streaks spread all around him, accompanied by gusts of cold wind that swept in like a journey through the gates of the Underworld. Han Li was startled, and without hesitation, a thunderclap erupted from his body, launching countless golden arcs that surged forth like serpents of lightning, dancing wildly. The thunder roared! As soon as the black light and cold winds approached the golden arcs, they were met with decisive resistance, bursting into fragments and vanishing entirely. "Divine Protective Lightning! You've truly cultivated this divine lightning!" voices of women echoed from all around, filled with astonishment and joy. Han Li paused, still unsure of their meaning, when suddenly he sensed the surrounding black light spiraling faster and faster. Han Li was alarmed, and as the thunderclap surged from his body, the golden arcs swiftly recoiled, weaving together to form a radiant golden robe that enveloped him completely. But at that very moment, a soft, mirthful laugh from a woman pierced his ears. "My lord need not be alarmed," she said. "I hold no ill will. All I wish is for you to stay with me for a while." How could Han Li truly listen to her and act as a guest? With a flick of his wings behind him, he was already preparing to flee. Yet the woman seemed to have anticipated this very move, and suddenly, with a single hand raised in the air, she produced an invisible force that instantly pressed upon him. Though Han Li possessed a remarkably strong physical frame, his body could not help but momentarily stiffen. His heart sank instantly. In that brief pause, the massive magical array flashed once with black light, and the three of them vanished simultaneously. After a dizzying sensation of spinning and turning, Han Li murmured to himself, "This is not good!" He quickly activated the Daxian Decision within himself, and only then did his consciousness clear. He realized he had been transported from the air to a high platform resembling a sacred altar. The ground beneath his feet was clearly another teleportation array. At a distance from him, the woman and the blood dragon stood motionless, as if they had never moved a single step since the beginning. Observing the thick dark aura hovering in the air nearby, it was clear that they were situated within one of the lower layers of the deep abyss, below the second level. What chilled him further was that several creatures of varying forms stood clustered around the platform where the spell array was located—each half-human, half-fey in appearance. Their cultivation levels were modest, no more than Yuanjing or Hushen stage. Yet, from the extensive complex of buildings surrounding the platform, it was evident that he had been transported to the lair of one of these creatures. Han Li silently groaned, hesitating to make any hasty moves, merely gazing silently at the woman across from him. Clearly, this woman was the one the blood dragon referred to as the host; otherwise, how could she have summoned such a power to effortlessly bring him to this very place? "My good friend, let us first proceed to the hall for a brief meeting," the woman with the dark silhouette smiled gently, then moved gracefully toward the distant cluster of buildings. The blood toxin glanced at Han Li with a strange gaze, then followed the shadowy woman without hesitation, as if completely unconcerned about Han Li's possibility of escaping. Han Li surveyed the cluster of buildings and glanced upward toward the distant sky, his face now expressing a wry smile. He saw that gray clouds had gathered, with faint flashes of black lightning moving within them, and a mysterious spiritual pressure subtly rising and falling—clearly a seal established by someone using powerful spiritual techniques. It was no matter that could be broken by him in the short term. Yet, as the woman had previously stated, she did not seem inclined to immediately strike him down. Thus, he decided to listen first to what she had to say. As long as he didn't offend her, he could surely adapt and act accordingly. Han Li had never been rigid about the idea of human and spirit beings coexisting. After carefully weighing his options, he felt a bit more at ease. A flash of green light rippled across his body, and he momentarily transformed into a glowing green sphere, following the others. Under the guidance of the shadowly woman, Han Li arrived at a grand wooden hall among the buildings, the tallest of all, and landed there. The shadowly woman and the blood crocodile stepped inside with just a few strides. After a quick glance at several creatures stationed along the sides of the hall, Han Li's face took on a slightly puzzled expression. The creatures guarding the entrance were small ape-like spirits, each one bearing a large, pale black spirit flower rooted firmly in the soil outside the hall's entrance. Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, as if pondering something. He now felt he had finally uncovered the reason why the others would actively seek trouble with him and his companions. With no further delay, Han Li took a deep breath and, under the watchful gaze of the ape spirits, stepped inside the hall. The hall was empty—besides the shadowly woman and the blood crocodile who had just entered, there was no one else present. Along both sides of the hall, rows of wooden chairs were arranged. The woman had already reached a magnificent golden flower at the center of the hall and settled herself gracefully in a meditative posture. The blood-jade dragon remained patient, standing quietly by. To his judgment, in an instant he recognized no fewer than several dozen rare and potent toxins hidden within the tea—though he could only identify a small portion of them. Even these recognized toxins were ones that would instantly prove fatal to ordinary people. Despite his confidence in his own physical constitution, he would not lightly drink the poisoned infusion. "Rest assured," the woman smiled calmly, as if sensing his hesitation, "this cup of Yin-Sha tea is brewed from eighty-one rare and potent toxins. While one or more of these are inherently deadly, through the subtle mutual neutralization of the toxic vapors, the tea itself becomes harmless. In fact, regular consumption tends to slightly enhance our awareness and mental clarity." She then lowered her head and genuinely took a sip of the so-called Yin-Sha tea. Han Li's expression shifted, and he carefully examined the tea in his hands. After a brief pause, he gently took a small sip himself. Should the woman have any hidden intentions to undermine him, he could not possibly refuse—so it was better to simply remain straightforward and unpretentious. Yet from the way she looked at him, it seemed as though there was no need for further words. When the tea reached her mouth, it first tasted strangely bitter; upon swallowing, it transformed into a sudden, intense warmth that spread swiftly through her body, reaching every meridian and channel. At the same time, a coolness surged into her mind, sharpening her awareness slightly. With a swift mental scan of her inner being, she found not a trace of toxicity. A sense of peace settled in Han Li's heart! "It's Master Mu Qing, isn't it? My name is Han!" Han Li hesitated slightly before speaking honestly. To deceive someone like this would be truly awkward and unprofitable. "Ah, it's Master Han! Bi'er, take Master Han to the贵宾 hall for temporary rest. Whatever he needs, ensure he is completely satisfied." Mu Qing nodded, but then his voice suddenly grew cold. The green-robed woman who had just brought tea and remained by the side blinked in surprise, then immediately knelt and accepted the command. Han Li, at a loss, could only rise and follow the green-robed woman out of the hall. In a moment, the hall was left with only Mu Qing and Xue Du. The dark-clad woman gazed toward the direction where Han Li had disappeared, her eyes flickering as if pondering something deeply. Xue Du, however, remained silent by the side, as though turned into a mute. "Xue Du, don't you wish to know why I've changed my mind?" the woman suddenly asked. "Since the Master has decided thus, there must be a reason of His own. I have no need to ask further questions." "Blood toxin bowed slightly, her voice remarkably calm." "Ah-hah, you have excellent intuition! In fact, there's not much to keep secret—telling you makes no difference at all. I've changed my mind about treating this young man as mere sustenance, not because I've lost interest, but because I've discovered a far greater potential in him." The woman smiled lightly. "A greater potential, Master—do you mean precisely the divine protective lightning he wields?" Blood蛟 felt a sudden surge of alertness and replied after a brief thought. "Heh, exactly that. While the finest blood offerings are hard to come by, we can always gather enough. But with this divine lightning at our disposal, our plans for grand undertakings gain an additional ten percent confidence. With such an advantage, what more needs to be said about our choices?" Wood Qing said calmly. "Hmm, just a few words to share with everyone! First, a bit of humility—my second update of yesterday was a bit late. I originally intended to finish it late into the night." But by around one o'clock in the evening, I was so exhausted that I just wanted to lie down on the bed and rest a while, to regain my energy before getting back to writing. Unexpectedly, as soon as my head touched the pillow, I fell asleep right away. I only managed to get up at five o'clock, but fortunately, I finished this chapter before noon. Honestly, these days during National Day holiday, I've truly longed to spend a full, formal day with my family. Yet, given my writing pace, even when I had to leave for various reasons, I ended up going out only briefly—quickly going and quickly returning. My outings rarely exceeded four hours. Still, all the events and activities during the holiday have left me feeling overwhelmed. After all, I usually stay at home, focusing solely on writing, and even a delay of three to four hours usually makes it hard for me to fall asleep normally. During these National Day days, I've mostly been staying up late—well, I'm not saying this to complain. Just recently, many book friends have been complaining about why we don't update during the day or why we don't occasionally burst out with several chapters at a time, suspecting that we have a large backlog. Sweat! We're simply going to be honest here: we don't want to burst out, but we genuinely don't have the speed or the capacity to do so. As for backlogs—we actually have not a single chapter saved. Every chapter is typed and posted fresh. Everyone knows that working late hours is the most draining on one's health, and we truly don't want to stay up late. Yet, to ensure readers see updates sooner, we often end up typing late into the night. Otherwise, we could simply go to bed and work entirely on the next day's morning. That would make the waiting period much longer. Now that we've explained this clearly, I'm sure everyone will understand. Hehe, we sincerely hope our book friends will continue to support us. Lastly, I'd like to kindly ask for your monthly votes here. The double monthly vote period is coming to an end. If you still have monthly votes to give, please do so now. It's a rare honor this time for ordinary folks to reach such a high rank on the monthly ticket leaderboard—we hope to maintain this momentum right until the very end of the double-period! We sincerely thank everyone for their continued love and support! (To be continued—please visit to learn more, with additional chapters, supporting the author, and supporting official reading!)