For some reason, the elder, upon gazing at this seemingly ordinary five-colored light sword, simply opened his mouth without hesitation and expelled a bright crimson flying sword. Three feet long, translucent and crystal-clear, as if half-forged from crystal. As it flashed, it instantly transformed into a streak of blazing red light, rushing forward to strike the strange five-colored sword. A soft exhalation echoed from the void. The five-colored sword suddenly swayed and then delivered another distant slash. The streak of light trembled, instantly reverting into a smaller crimson sword, which spiraled downward. Though only a few inches long, the blade bore a noticeable crack on one side. Though not severed, it clearly sustained significant damage. At the very moment the flying sword was struck, the elder's complexion paled slightly, and his inner consciousness seemed to feel the same impact. However, after the five-colored sword had delivered two consecutive strikes, its once brilliant and dazzling glow began to dim, and the symbols floating near its blade started to dissipate. The elder's expression tightened suddenly, and from his mouth burst a long, resonant roar. The wind and fire forces raging around him instantly surged and rolled back toward him. With a great downpour of tricolor light, a sturdy, ancient armor of three hues materialized upon his body. This armor neither resembled gold nor wood, and from head to toe it was tightly encased, leaving only two transparent crystalline openings at his eyes. From a distance, the elder seemed to have transformed into a towering warrior completely enveloped in armor. As he waved his hands, a flash of tricolor light revealed an ancient, massive sword resembling a door panel now resting in his hands. He clasped the sword firmly and held it horizontally before him. At once, a powerful aura of lethal intensity rose from the heavens! The pockets spewing blue sand and the golden, misty banner, which had been hovering, also shot downward at that moment, transforming into golden and blue light halos that spiraled and danced around the elder. Han Li, concealed within the luminous veil, could not help but feel a subtle tremor in his eyes. He could only勉强 exert the sword array technique known as the "Primordial Qi Sword Gourd"—a skill praised by Qingyuan Zi—by drawing upon the celestial and terrestrial energies absorbed through the previous sword formation. This technique involves manifesting a gourd and using the sharp sword qi from seventy-two jade bamboo bee-cloud swords as seeds, then nurturing them into powerful, boundless streams of primordial qi through the combined forces of heaven and earth. Though this technique is truly formidable, it demands an astonishing amount of celestial and terrestrial qi. The two previous strikes had already consumed nearly half of the qi absorbed by the sword formation. Should the opponent rely solely on this technique, with only the limited power available thus far, they would surely be leading themselves to certain doom. The strength of the primordial qi swords generated by this technique depends entirely on the amount of celestial qi drawn upon and the quantity of spiritual energy channeled into it. For the next strike, he was determined to make a bold, decisive effort! With this thought in mind, Han Li smiled faintly, then suddenly pressed a hand seal and swiftly accelerated the sword formation. At once, the surrounding jade-green light screens flashed, and the lotus spun smoothly before transforming into a series of radiant columns shooting upward toward the massive light sword floating in the sky. The vast expanse of jade-green light shimmered, the screens thinning rapidly and finally dissipating in a resonant hum. In the blink of an eye, only seventy-two slender jade-green swords remained suspended in the void, their glow somewhat dim. With a determined resolve, Han Li poured the entire accumulated spiritual energy of the sword formation into the sword of his own vital qi. Without the protective shield of the array, Han Li himself emerged into the upper air. The great light sword, having absorbed so much spiritual energy, swelled in size by nearly a factor of two, its blade now exceptionally clear. Though still displaying a five-tone hue, the dominant jade-green hue was clearly more pronounced than the other four. "Cut!" Han Li pointed a single hand toward the elder below, and suddenly emitted a sharp, resonant voice. The massive light sword slowly lifted, then descended in a sweeping slash through the void. The elder who had transformed into a towering warrior roared aloud at the same time, raising his ancient, massive sword and delivering a sweeping strike toward the direction of the light sword. A sharp, piercing cry rang out, and simultaneously, a delicate strand of crystalline luminescence and a thick, tri-colored sword aura materialized in the middle of the void. Yet as soon as the two met, they vanished without a sound. Yet as the banner trembled, a brilliant golden glow erupted instantly at its pole, and the section that had split off fell from the sky in two. The cloth sack nestled among the blue mist remained untouched. The elder, fully encased in his armor, stared blankly into the sky, his three-colored armor appearing undamaged, with not a single scratch visible. Han Li watched this scene, his pupils suddenly narrowing, and gazed at his adversary with the same cold, impassive expression. He drew out a palm from his sleeve, moved it silently, and a small object settled gently into his palm. "Do you know the name of this attack?" came the low, resonant voice from within the armor, yet the question surprised Han Li. "Of course! The taste of the spiritual energy blade isn't exactly pleasant, is it?" Han Li expressed a slight sense of bewilderment. "Hmph. Indeed, it possesses some remarkable abilities. Even I couldn't fully block it!" the elder murmured. As soon as he finished speaking, a faint green thread suddenly appeared in the center of the three-colored armor. Then, seemingly without a single seam, the armor split suddenly along the green line, the cut smooth as a mirror, and fell heavily to the ground. At the same time, a massive arm, along with half the armor, dropped to the ground as well. A burst of blood erupted from the shoulder, filling the air with a strong scent of blood. Yet the elder merely turned his head to glance at his severed arm, his brow remaining unruffled; with a simple shoulder shift, the broken limb shot upward with a swift "whoosh" and landed precisely at the wound. A circle of white light flashed, and the arm seamlessly reattached itself. Then, the elder's inner qi surged and circulated through his body. With a single hand gesture, a brilliant red glow flashed once more. The surrounding space instantly became intensely hot. Han Li narrowed his eyes, observing the elder's actions without immediately launching an attack, instead his gaze flickered with a subtle hint of scorn. "Truly, with such a simple feat, can you so easily heal the wound of the Qi Sword?" "What do you mean by that?" The elder named Tu was startled, and instinctively glanced again at the injured arm. To his dismay, the area that had seemed to have resumed normalcy now turned a deep crimson once more, with fresh blood gushing out. "Heh, as long as your disciple uses a single spell, this wound won't heal immediately. That's truly the terrifying aspect of the Vitality Sword! I wonder whether the young master below intends to suppress his spell power, thus competing with me, or whether he plans simply to let his vital essence drip away drop by drop," said Han Li, chuckling. Then, suddenly, he shook his sleeve. A resonant hum rose up. From within his sleeve, dozens of golden blossoms burst forth and immediately expanded to half a span in size—transforming into dozens of massive, grotesque armored beetles. The elder, who had remained expressionless while listening to Han Li, but whose mind had been filled with shock and anger, now could no longer maintain composure and gasped aloud. "The Golden-Feeding Beetles!" "How could you have such a matured specimen of this insect!" the elder's expression changed several times, and for the first time, a hint of fear shimmered in his eyes. Yet Han Li said nothing, merely pressing his palms in a series of gestures, and the golden-devouring insects surged forth, all converging directly upon the elder. At the same time, Han Li himself burst forth with a brilliant golden glow, golden scales shimmering across his body. A flash of black light passed over his brows, revealing a dark, ethereal eye. Suddenly, a golden aura surged from behind him, unfolding into the true form of a Buddhist saint—three heads and six arms. A thunderclap echoed within Han Li's body, and countless golden electric arcs flashed densely across his form. Then, with a simultaneous motion, he flipped his hands. On one hand, gray light rippled, and the dark, metaphysical Mount Yuman reappeared. On the other, he gestured toward the surrounding clusters of green bamboo-hive swords. Instantly, the smaller swords converged into a massive jade sword several zhang long, now held firmly in his hands. Only then did Han Li step forward with a cold expression, advancing a full dozen zhang in a single stride, directly toward the elder below. The elder clearly observed the entire scene, his face growing slightly pale. He glanced once at his arm, still applying the healing spell, then quickly surveyed the dozens of large golden insects that had already approached him. After a deep breath, he suddenly opened his mouth and expelled a purple scroll. With a sharp "pop," the scroll burst into fragments. A thick cloud of purple mist immediately spread out, completely enveloping the elder. Upon seeing this familiar scene, Han Li paused mid-step, his body suspended in midair, his brows furrowed slightly. Yet the dozens of golden insects did not hesitate—they surged forward and plunged directly into the mist, soon swallowed whole. Han Li then swiftly shook his sleeve, and a surge of clear, misty wind burst forth. With a single gust of wind, the purple mist was instantly swept away. Indeed, the scene matched his expectations—completely empty. Han Li's eyes flashed a blue glow as he swiftly scanned the ground. Suddenly, a low, clear hum escaped his lips. A moment later, a flash of golden light erupted on the ground, and dozens of golden-devouring insects shot out from the soil, spiraling around Han Li before vanishing once more into the folds of his robe. In the span of this brief maneuver, Han Li felt his spiritual awareness depleted by nearly half. This was only possible thanks to his enhanced spiritual perception following his advancement to the Liangxu stage; otherwise, he would have dared not release so many of these insects so easily. Yet, under the watchful gaze of his spiritual sight, the elder of the Chishi clan had already transformed into a swirling purple silhouette and fled at a remarkable speed, escaping over fifteen li without turning back—seeming truly startled and retreating.