Seventy-two faint images of small swords shot forth from the sleeve. They merely flashed lightly, then Han Li raised one hand, murmured a single character—"Qi"—and an astonishing scene unfolded. All the Golden Thunder Bamboo erupted with thunderous sounds. Whether trunk or leaves, the surface color instantly shifted from green to yellow, then, after a gentle tremor, turned to a pale gray, becoming lifeless. A gentle breeze swept through, and the Golden Thunder Bamboo vanished in an instant, reduced to ash. In their place, seventy-two slender, jade-green swords, each about a foot long, floated several feet above the ground, their cold, sharp glimmers commanding attention. With a mere gesture of the hand, a soft "puff" sound was heard, and one of the swords flashed with a bright green light, rising into the air and being caught in Han Li's hand. He gazed at the green sword in his hand for a moment, then, with a sudden motion, lightly tapped the sword's back with his other hand. Instantly, the sword's surface shimmered, and a long, resonant sound, like a dragon's roar, echoed forth. As the flying sword trembled, it seemed to sway like a vibrant green dragon. Han Li slightly raised his brow, his gaze flickering briefly before suddenly radiating a brilliant glow from the palms gripping the sword. A surge of astonishing spiritual energy was forcefully channeled into the sword's body. The sword instantly flashed with intense green light, and its once-stern form became blurred and indistinct. Han Li narrowed his eyes, then extended a finger toward a spot on the sword that showed no trace of flame or smoke. As the sword shimmered, the finger passed straight through the blade with no resistance at all—seeming as though the sword had no physical substance, merely a mere illusion. Seeing this, Han Li was greatly delighted. He then clasped both hands and performed a series of gestures, sending his spiritual awareness forward to urge the gathering flying swords. Instantly, the seventy-two flying swords rose into the air, spiraled, and then vanished completely into Han Li's body. A flash of green light rippled across his form, and he transformed into a streak of radiant light, swiftly departing the herb garden. After a few swift movements, he was out of sight. A short while later, a streak of azure light surged upward from the foot of the great mountain where Han Li's dwelling stood, rushing in the exact opposite direction of the black冥mists. With the powerful divine senses of the three combined-stage beings stationed at a distance, Han Li could not have truly concealed himself, no matter how carefully he tried. Thus, he chose to reveal himself completely, directly riding the stream of light toward the horizon. Distant rumblings echoed, and at the very edge of the sky, brilliant flashes of light periodically erupted. Even if the two foreign beings truly intended to pursue Han Li, they now had no time or opportunity to shift their focus. Han Li had seized upon this favorable moment and had thus fled without hesitation. Among the distant combatants, the young single-horned creature, embodying a creature with prominent fangs and grace, launched countless streaks of azure arcs to repel the bone birds charging forward. After the powerful strike, he lightly exhaled, "Hm," turned his head, and glanced toward Han Li's retreating path, his eyes flashing with cold determination. "Ming, don't concern yourself with the other matters. Focus entirely on defeating this beast. With our combined efforts, we can surely On the other side, the massive merman waving his trident spoke in a low hum. It seemed that this foreign being had also noticed Han Li's departure, yet offered a gentle reminder. "You don't need to tell me—I already knew," the monster formed from the young unicorn coldly replied. As his pointed horn crackled with thunder, a beam of vibrant cyan light, as thick as a water cistern, shot forth, swiftly transforming into a colossal lightning blade that struck the bone bird across the battlefield. In response, the enormous bone bird did not hesitate, letting out a sharp cry and lifting one of its massive claws to sweep the air. From the void, a colossal, impossibly large claw emerged, wrapped in dark mist, and directly confronted the lightning blade. A thunderous clash erupted, sending out a powerful wave of air that rippled outward. Seeing this, the great merman snarled and, with a sweeping motion of his trident, simultaneously launched a remarkably thick lance of ice, a gale of wind, and a white electric arc, charging forward with his own body shifting in motion. The intensity of the battle seemed to surge even further in that instant! …Initially, Han Li steered his flight toward the inland region where the Tianpeng Clan resided. However, after traveling more than ten thousand miles, he suddenly changed course, looping around and instead heading deeper into the ocean. This was a deliberate move, made with great caution—intended to prevent the two foreign beings from swiftly eliminating the nine-headed bone bird and then pursuing him from behind. By feigning a diversion, he ensured complete security. Nevertheless, even thus, for the first十余 days, Han Li dared not pause at all, continuously flying at full speed through the deep sea, unsure of how many thousand miles he had covered, until he was certain he would no longer encounter the two foreign beings. Only then did he finally exhale in relief and alter his course, now flying steadily and horizontally parallel to the coastline. Generally speaking, the powerful sea creatures and natural hazards found in the deep ocean were more abundant than those on land. Though he had already attained the Lingxu stage of cultivation, he had never seriously considered venturing so deep into the open ocean before. After all, there were too many unknown dangers. Nevertheless, Han Li had no intention of staying any longer within the territory controlled by the Feilin Clan. On one hand, there were matters involving the Tianpeng Clan; on the other, the arrival of two combined-rank beings from outside the Feilin realm had given him a growing sense of unease, prompting him to make a swift decision to depart without further deliberation. He planned to continue flying along the coastal regions until he reached beyond the Feilin Clan's domain. The coastal areas were free from the powerful sea beasts of the Inner Sea, and the Feilin Clan generally disliked the ocean and rarely ventured there—thus, he could avoid numerous complications. With his plans well thought out, Han Li set off eastward at a swift pace. At his current level of cultivation, even while maintaining a steady speed of flight, he could cover several million li in a single day with ease. As he flew, he drew forth a green flying sword from the light of his flight, and with one hand gently stroked it, silently pondering. These completely transformed into pure wooden-element Qingzhu Bee-Cloud Swords now shimmer with a vibrant green light, becoming as light as air. Upon infusing spiritual power, they can freely shift between their luminous, ethereal state and solid form. Han Li grasped the hilt in one hand and, after a gentle flick of the light column of spiritual energy, sent it sweeping forward. A vast expanse of green light erupted before him, resembling a peacock spreading its tail feathers; yet with a simple wrist flick, all the light instantly contracted and reformed into a series of slender, green swords—so swift and seamless that it seemed almost unimaginable. Han Li's face naturally lit up with delight. During the previous motion, he had felt absolutely no sense of weight or resistance—demonstrating that the sword's sharpness and lightness had reached an astonishing degree. Thus, with merely a thought, he could now propel the sword instantly several miles away, capable of striking down an opponent in a single instant of intent. Yet, Han Li immediately furrowed his brow. This flying sword had become so light and its properties so singular—its resilience must now be far inferior to what it once was. As he thought this, Han Li hesitated slightly, then, with a single flick of his other hand, summoned another flying sword identical in every way to the first. The two swords flashed past each other, intersecting and cutting one another. A flash of emerald light followed by a crisp crack resonated. "Unbelievable!" Han Li jumped in surprise, then murmured under his breath, quickly focusing his gaze. His face immediately grew pale. The two swords had split cleanly at the point of impact, their anterior halves gently hovering before him. The resilience of the newly refined Qingzhu Fengyun Sword was even greater than he had anticipated. "That can't be right," Han Li murmured, now puzzled. "Qingzhu Fengyun Sword is my life-long companion artifact—how could I remain unharmed if it were damaged?" Yet, as he thought further, he shook both halves of the sword in his hand and hurled them forth, then pressed a single palm seal with his hand. A strange phenomenon occurred! The four flying swords suddenly trembled, then swiftly paired up and converged toward each other. In a flash of emerald light, they appeared whole and undamaged before him. "Ah! The swords have become intangible!" Han Li's eyes brightened as he exclaimed, his voice rising with astonishment. When he first infused spiritual energy into the swords, making their forms appear faint and translucent, he had already harbored some doubts. Now, those doubts were fully confirmed. This was indeed a miraculous ability long rumored among human sword cultivators! Han Li had heard of it many times, yet never witnessed it firsthand or heard of a high-level sword cultivator possessing such a rare power. He never expected that after merely employing one of his sword secrets, his own flying swords would now possess such a remarkable ability. It was said that swords with this power could completely dissolve into an invisible form, be broken into countless fragments, and then seamlessly reassemble themselves whole again. Thus, a flying sword endowed with such a divine ability can truly be said to be invincible, suffering little damage except possibly from rare, special treasures. Of course, this is purely theoretical—each time the sword undergoes virtual reformation, it incurs some minor wear, and the wielder also expends considerable spiritual energy. Should the sword endure numerous such breakages, or if the wielder's spiritual power is completely depleted, even with the sword's inherent spirit of a blade, it will ultimately be completely destroyed. Yet even so, Han Li was overjoyed. Now he finally understood why the elder named Jiang had shown such disdain when he incorporated materials of other properties into his flying sword. It was likely that the elder himself possessed a flying sword with such a remarkable ability. However, Jiang had not employed the technique of cultivating the sword, and it remained uncertain how long such a divine ability required to develop through continuous refinement. How could it be that, with the aid of the Golden Thunder Bamboo and the small vial, he had only spent a hundred and some years and yet refined his flying swords to such a pure state? As soon as he opened his mouth, a stream of azure mist erupted from his lips. The two swords spun around in the mist, shrinking instantly by more than ten times, until they were only a few inches long. Then, the mist surged downward, and in an instant, the swords were drawn into him and absorbed into his body. Should these swords wish to be further refined until they reached the level of "sword-heart clarity," they could no longer rely on external aids—they would have to depend solely on their own true energy, gradually cultivating them over time. Fulfilling and delighted, Han Li continued to ride the light of his flight, constantly advancing, while deepening his understanding of the Chunli Sword Array. Day after day, month after month, Han Li flew along the coastline for nearly half a year—until one day, after just commanding several of his flying swords to swiftly cut a sea serpent emerging from the depths and attempting to attack him into several pieces, he suddenly frowned, and abruptly raised his head to gaze toward one side of the sky.