Han Li smiled slightly, drew back the flying sword and the black mountain peak, and then a beam of golden light shot forth, spiraling before materializing into a small creature resembling a leopard, landing a few feet in front of him. It was the Leopard麟 Beast! As soon as the creature appeared, the woman and the other Serpent people priests were momentarily stunned. But upon scanning its form with their consciousness, they all gasped in awe—the powerful aura emanating from the beast made even the woman, with her own level of cultivation, feel chilled. "Go," Han Li said calmly to the creature, "and eliminate all the Wulo people." At the command, the Leopard麟 Beast's eyes flashed with fierce determination, and in a single motion, it manifested seven or eight identical phantom images that surged toward the temple gate. The images blurred slightly as they moved, then reached beyond fifty paces before vanishing completely at the gate in a single flash. The speed at which they moved was nothing short of astonishing. The woman's face changed several times before she managed to maintain composure, yet the depth of her astonishment was beyond words. But then she suddenly remembered something, reaching swiftly to her person and producing a token. With quick gestures in the air above, she murmured a series of incantations! At once, the token flashed with luminous light, and the five-colored radiance that had been enveloping the hall instantly faded away. "Since the matter is now settled, I shall not remain any longer. I shall return to my quarters to rest and recuperate. Concern yourself not with this spirit beast—it will return to me on its own when all is done," said Han Li calmly. Without waiting for the woman or the members of the Huoyang clan to express their gratitude, he flashed a streak of green light, transforming into a streak of jade-green light and vanishing into the distance. After a few swift movements, the green streak shot through the main gate and disappeared completely. Only the Huoyang clan's serpentine people remained, staring at one another in astonishment. "Had it not been for your intervention, Master High Priest, and your decision to keep this 'Mr. Han' here, we truly would have faced the very extinction of our entire clan!" After a while, one of the white-robed serpents sighed deeply, clearly filled with relief. At first, we were quite puzzled that the Grand Priest would so readily bestow the Brilliant Yang Elixir upon outsiders. Now that we look back, it's clear that the Grand Priest truly demonstrated foresight! The other white-robed priest also nodded vigorously. The woman, hearing the praise from the two, only smiled wistfully. "You both are overestimating me. My actions earlier were driven by necessity. Indeed, the Lord Han's extraordinary abilities surpass even my expectations. Zhu'er, what do you think of Lord Han compared to your master?" The woman turned to the young girl, her expression now serious and weighty. Upon hearing her mother's question, the young girl furrowed her brows, hesitating before finally responding: "My master is a fifth-rank figure from the Upper Clan. Yet even if he personally arrives here, it would be a considerable effort to defeat these two members of the Wulo Royal Family—defeating them so easily would be no simple matter." Upon hearing the girl's somewhat vague reply, the woman naturally understood the implication, nodded gently, and showed no surprise. Yet the several white-robed priests by the side looked unusually puzzled, one even murmuring, "Could it be that Master Han is a high-ranking member of the upper clan? If so, even the strongest silver shark resident in these nearby waters might not stand a chance." "This is hard to say. The silver shark resident is also a high-ranking being of the third tier. Even if their levels are comparable, the outcome would still depend on the mastery of their divine techniques and the power of their treasures." The woman exhaled deeply and spoke calmly. Hearing this, the white-robed serpent priests nodded in turn, each pondering quietly, with no one speaking immediately. "Master Han, how long do you intend to stay on Fire Cloud Island? Do you have any plans to settle here?" Finally, one of them hesitated and asked. "Actually, I haven't decided yet. I don't expect to leave immediately, but I also don't plan to stay for long. With Master Han's level of cultivation, we small clans simply won't be able to hold him." Seeming to grasp the meaning of the priest's question, the woman's expression shifted slightly, before shaking her head and saying so. Upon hearing the woman's words, the white-robed serpent-being furrowed his brows, and the great hall fell once again into quiet. "Well, we can discuss the other matters later. The battle outside has not yet ended. Though two members of the Uro royal family have fallen, there may still be other high-ranking Uro beings remaining. Even though Master Han's spirit beast is formidable, it's unlikely to eliminate them all. Let us hurry out and lend a hand. By swiftly eliminating these Uro beings, our own people will suffer fewer losses." The woman glanced toward the hall's outer entrance and issued these instructions suddenly. Upon hearing her words, the four white-robed serpent-beings instantly realized the implication and bowed in unison. Thus, the six of them swiftly activated their flight spells and took off from the hall, rushing toward the direction where the battle was most intense. ...Not long afterward, Han returned to his residence and entered his wooden cottage, reactivating the seal and settling cross-legged upon the bed. His eyes sparkled, and a faint expression of contemplation appeared on his face. Two of the highest-ranked Uro cultivators were slain, with the help of the Leopard Spirit beast. The battle at the earth city was thus decided! With this, he had finally settled his debt of gratitude to the woman for the pills she had gifted him. Now, he would need to spend the next half year fully recovering from his remaining injuries and restoring himself to his former state. While thinking thus, a gentle smile appeared on Han Li's lips. Yet, suddenly, he remembered something, and with a single hand motion, a flash of black light revealed a piece of silk cloth. It was the treasure he had obtained from the two Uro royal family members. Han Li gazed at the object in his hands, his face expressing keen interest. The cloth was a pale black, thin yet remarkably soft and smooth, cool and pleasant to the touch. As it swayed slightly, black runes shimmered and flashed across its surface—clearly no ordinary item. After observing it for a while, Han Li extended a finger and gently touched it. A flash of green light appeared at the tip of his finger, and a surge of refined spiritual energy flowed into the cloth. With a flick of his wrist, the black silk rose into the air, spinning smoothly before expanding into a translucent disc several zhang in size. Han Li narrowed his eyes, then pressed a hand seal, sending a streak of emerald light toward the silk. The hand seal vanished instantly, merging into the fabric, and then, with a gentle sway, the silk settled gently upon Han Li's head, completely concealing his form. Thinking thus, Han Li suddenly expanded a thread of his divine awareness, aiming to directly penetrate the black silk cloth. However, as soon as his divine awareness touched the black silk, it seemed as though he had plunged into a mist—completely unable to pierce through the fabric. It appeared that he could not see through the two rare treasures of the Wulo Royal Clan, either. After a moment's thought, he suddenly reached out and grasped a corner of the black silk, then gently shook it with a subtle internal spell. The black silk flashed with an unusual glow and instantly sank into his long robe, vanishing completely. Han Li then scanned his body several times with his divine awareness, satisfied with the result. Indeed, this black silk was a rare auxiliary artifact, exceptionally effective in concealment. It likely ranked only slightly behind the Taiyi Hua Qing Seal. While the Taiyi Hua Qing Seal offered remarkable concealment, it did have certain limitations—its activation was often slow, and many techniques and cultivation methods were significantly constrained. The black silk robe itself was a powerful artifact, convenient to use and capable of displaying remarkably different effects depending on the wielder's magical prowess. Had it not been for the two Uro beings having relatively low修为 initially, he would have found it difficult to easily perceive their movements. After summoning the robe, Han Li played with it for a while before storing it away for future use. For the rest of that time, Han Li did nothing but close his eyes and diligently focus on his cultivation. He saw golden light flash across his body, golden radiance spreading out in concentric circles from the top of his head, and his golden form briefly reappearing in a meditative posture. Han Li remained motionless—several days passed in an instant. During this time, the woman personally delivered some rare medicinal herbs and a batch of high-grade spiritual stones to the wooden cottage. This time, however, Han Li did not open the door to greet her. He simply asked her to place the items outside, giving the impression that he would no longer welcome visitors so easily. The woman, seeing this situation, naturally had no complaints and promptly set down the items, then gracefully departed without further delay. Han Li only instructed Ti Hun to directly bring everything inside the room, remaining seated on the wooden bed the entire time, never opening his eyes once. Day after day passed, and soon it was several months later. No senior official from the Huyang clan dared to disturb Han Li thereafter. One day, while quietly practicing his cultivation techniques, Han Li suddenly blinked and opened his eyes. With a single breath, a sphere of silver flame burst forth, then shimmered into a silver phoenix the size of a clenched fist. It was the Spirit-Eating Phoenix! Han Li gazed at the phoenix, yet a subtle expression of surprise flickered in his eyes. At first glance, the phoenix appeared unchanged from before, but upon closer inspection with his spiritual awareness, he immediately sensed that something new had been added within its body. A flash of blue light passed through his eyes, and he finally made out the subtle differences. Amid the silvery flame, delicate strands of golden hue, barely perceptible, emerged. These were precisely the byproducts formed when the Shenglin Heavenly Flame completely transmuted the so-called "Spirit Vortex Evil Light." There was clearly a strong connection between the two. Han Li pondered briefly, then pressed a hand seal and lightly tapped the silvery flame bird floating in the air. Immediately, the bird spread its wings and spiraled gracefully above Han Li's head. However, after completing just two circuits, it opened its beak and expelled a fine thread of silver and gold. In a flash, the thread struck the wall that had been sealed with a spell. The white shimmering aura of the seal slightly trembled, yet the thread passed straight through as if it had ignored the barrier entirely.