Han Li was somewhat surprised, but his gaze flashed and his form shifted instantly—within a moment, he appeared at the summit of the small mountain. At once, the black mountain shimmered with a grayish, ethereal glow, its form swelling dramatically, expanding to three hundred zhang in height. The elderly man named Tu, who had previously managed to support the mountain with his own strength, suddenly turned pale, his feet trembling as they sank deeply into the ground, submerging his two lower legs. It was clear that, with his own immense strength, he could no longer uphold the mountain peak and had been forced to transfer his power into the earth beneath. Han Li remained expressionless, then lifted his single foot and stepped firmly upon the mountain. The original weight of the Yuanmagnetic Sacred Mountain had already been immense, and now, with the added force of Han Li’s powerful impact, the black peak shuddered once more and plunged downward with a thunderous roar, completely crushing the elder beneath it. His figure vanished entirely. Han Li was pleased with this development, yet he did not believe the task of eliminating a Consolidated Stage being truly so simple. Without a word, he pressed his palm downward with a single hand gesture, while at the same time gently tapped the ground with his other hand, which was as pure and white as jade. The black mountain, originally gray in hue, flashed once and continued to swell rapidly, growing larger and larger. Simultaneously, a surge of five-colored flame erupted from his white fingers and struck the base of the mountain. Where the five-colored flame passed, a layer of five-colored ice spread out, instantly turning the ground over a radius of several dozen zhang into a cold, icy expanse. The black mountain had now grown to over a thousand zhang in height, no longer distinguishable from a true mountain peak. Yet, even under these circumstances, Han Li showed no sign of stopping. A shimmer of light rippled across his body, and a streak of emerald light shot off in one direction. As the emerald glow flashed, it mysteriously vanished into the void. At the same time, a deep, resonant hum rose from the center of the black mountain, spreading outward through the surrounding air. One after another, small green swords materialized in the void, only to flash once and instantly transform into palm-sized green lotuses. These lotus blossoms swayed gently, instantly causing residual shadows to fade and more lotus forms to emerge, gradually solidifying from ethereal to tangible. For a moment, countless lotus blooms shimmered throughout the sky, their radiant glows interweaving to form a vast luminous screen that completely encased the elder. Han Li seized this opportune moment to activate the Chunli Sword Formation. At that very instant, a thunderous roar of fury erupted from the base of the mountain, followed by a series of unfamiliar and profound incantations. Suddenly, streaks of crimson light began to rise from the surrounding void—initially only a few, but as the incantations grew faster, the number of red streaks multiplied rapidly. In short time, the sky became densely layered with glowing crimson ribbons, as if the entire void had been dyed red. Meanwhile, the temperature at this location soared to an extraordinary height—so intense that it could instantly desiccate a common person into a mere skeleton. Yet, as soon as the incantations ceased, the crimson streaks swiftly flashed down and vanished into the ice layer beneath. A thunderous roar, like thunder rolling from beneath the earth! Following several deep, dull "puff" sounds, a series of crimson light beams, as thick as dinner plates, burst through the ice. These beams flickered only briefly before the ice rapidly melted and vanished. The ground nearby instantly dissolved into a flowing, deep red liquid under the glow. In mere breaths, vast stretches of land transformed into a large pool of molten rock. The black mountain, gradually sinking beneath the surging lava, slowly descended. Within a blink, it had disappeared halfway into the molten mass. As soon as the words were finished, a wave of molten rock surged forth from the pool, reaching over ten dozen feet in height. A flash of red light followed, and the wave instantly solidified into a massive crimson hand, which seized the black mountain firmly within its grasp. The hand glowed brightly, as if intent on pulling the treasure back into the molten core. However, even though Han Li had withdrawn much of the mountain's power, the extraordinary weight and inherent stability of the Yuanmagnetic Sacred Mountain could not be easily disrupted by a single manifested hand. The black mountain merely flickered a few times, remaining motionless within the hand, yet unable to move freely toward the nearby cyan light screens. Han Li then emitted a cold snort. At that moment, spatial ripples radiated around the crimson hand, and suddenly, countless strands of green silk emerged mysteriously from the void. These strands swiftly spiraled around the molten hand, flashing with green light, and in an instant, the hand was severed into fragments—its five fingers each breaking into several pieces and falling away. Thus, the black mound surged forth with a resonant hum and swiftly darted away. After a few flashes of dark light, it vanished into the luminous veil. The emerging strands of green silk likewise blurred and disappeared into thin air, as though they had never appeared at all. "Indeed, he possesses some true prowess—no wonder he dares to meet me directly!" The elder seemed undisturbed, yet his tone was unusually grave. At the same moment, the molten pool parted, and the elder emerged slowly, his body glowing with a steady crimson light, until he reached a height of over ten zhang above, where he halted. He wore a look of cautious vigilance, his gaze dark and penetrating, sweeping the surroundings. "A sword formation!" His expression brightened as he immediately perceived the subtle nuances. Yet, as soon as the elder fully materialized, the glimmers of the green lotus blossoms surged upward, and suddenly, countless petals shot forth. They flashed once, then instantly transformed into sweeping gusts of pale green blades, rushing in all directions to meet the elder. The elder's face darkened; without even summoning a specific technique, a surge of red light erupted from his body, instantly forming a crimson luminous veil that enveloped him. The elder chuckled coldly, then suddenly waved his sleeve upward, and the red glow on his body surged forth, spiraling upward into the air. Where the red light passed, the massive green trees that had not yet fallen more than ten zhang transformed into wisps of green vapor and vanished. "Young man, don't waste your efforts. If the sword formation were of another attribute, it might pose some difficulty to me. But as a pure wooden-energy array, it's utterly useless. I'll dismantle this formation in the span of a hand's movement," the elder suddenly boomed. Then, he abruptly pressed his palms together in a series of gestures. The red glow on his body trembled and instantly burst forth in a series of crimson light beams radiating in all directions. In an instant, these beams struck the green energy screen. A wave of intense heat immediately filled the space within the screen. The elder smiled with satisfaction. He believed, with the powerful, unyielding nature of his fire-based cultivation technique, that he could effortlessly penetrate the wooden-energy restrictions and thus shatter the sword formation at once. Then, relying on his strong cultivation, he could decisively eliminate the opponents who had unexpectedly proven to be quite troublesome. "Boom, boom, boom!" successive resonant sounds echoed. Initially, as the elder had anticipated, the surrounding luminous screens were easily pierced by the light beams, creating large holes—seeming certain that the lotus blooms would soon collapse and dissipate. But at that very moment, the elder suddenly felt the scenery around him blur slightly, and instantly, the luminous screens of the lotus blooms vanished completely, leaving him in a completely unfamiliar place—surrounded by towering, ancient trees, each reaching heights of several dozen zhang. "A spatial illusion!" Though the elder was experienced, this truly startled him. While illusions were not uncommon among other magical arrays and seals, they were rare among the sword-based array, which had always emphasized sheer power. Indeed, the elder had never before witnessed a sword array incorporating such an illusion. Nevertheless, the elder quickly regained composure. With a single hand gesture, he activated a series of red flashes on his body, and a towering column of crimson flame surged upward, rising straight into the sky. As the elder spoke, another translucent talisman burst forth. It flickered and dissolved instantly, transforming into a swirling white gale that surged into the flame column. In an instant, the fusion of wind and fire caused the originally only a few zhang thick flame column to roar and expand to over ten zhang in diameter, creating an overwhelming spectacle. At the very center of the flame column, the elder suddenly settled into a meditative posture, his head glowing red—then a massive, ethereal figure emerged, with a green-faced, toothed visage and clad in crimson scales. As this figure appeared, the ambient qi throughout the surrounding region surged and vibrated suddenly. Across dozens of miles—on mountain peaks, dense forests, and among the trees—tiny, five-colored luminous orbs of bean-sized diameter began to appear. Responding to some unseen call, they surged toward the array's location with great fervor. Countless luminous points descended from the sky, only to be instantly blocked by waves of emerald swordlight as they approached the array. These bands of light, each of a different hue, burst into fragments as the swordlight dances and swirls, transforming into clumps of mist in five colors. Yet the number of light points is so vast that it is impossible to count! In a short while, the mist formed after the bursts grows thick and fluid, gradually slowing down and becoming sluggish, even stiff, as the jade swordlight struggles to maintain its fluid motion. At the same time, the elderly man named Tu urges his colossal column of fire, which now begins to surge wildly within the sword formation's illusions. The countless great trees conjured by the illusion are swiftly reduced to ashes under the sweeping force of the fire column, offering no resistance at all. Though these trees are merely illusions, the magical power that shapes them is drawn from the pure, refined wood spirit energy contained within the flying swords. Whether real or not, under such overwhelming fire power, they inevitably burn and disintegrate. Immediately, the scene around the elder blurs, then clears to reveal the original, true landscape once again.