As soon as Han Li spoke these words, the small beast flickered, manifesting dozens of identical phantom forms. With each swipe of its claws, whether the silver armor worn by the infantry or the weapons they held, crumbled like paper, torn apart in a single grasp—its claws as sharp and divine as sacred blades. Meanwhile, the black monkey shimmered with black light, its body swelling instantly to dozens of times its original size, transforming into a towering black giant ape over twenty paces high. With both hands striking its chest and a powerful exhalation from its broad nostrils, a golden-hazy radiance surged upward into the sky. As soon as this light touched the double-headed giant eagles, they swayed as if drunk, plummeting straight down from the heavens. Under the vigorous, wheel-like movements of the giant ape’s massive hands, it struck each eagle with a single palm, reducing them to pulp, much like crushing insects. On Han Li’s side, his flying sword surged forward once more, slicing through the air. With every passing strand of silk, infantrymen and giant eagles alike were severed in two—no one could withstand even a single blow. Hundreds of Jiaochi infantry and dual-headed eagles were swiftly eliminated by Han Li and his two spirit beasts. The remaining barely a hundred infantry finally showed signs of fear, and without knowing who started, suddenly broke and fled in all directions, rushing toward the two war vessels floating high above. Han Li immediately activated his flight spell, transforming into a streak of jade-green light and swiftly pursued them. With sword flashes succeeding one another, the battlefield lay littered with fallen bodies. Gazing down at the "silver islet," Han Fan remained expressionless and reached out with one hand. A dark, ink-black palm emerged from his sleeve, gently pressing downward into the empty space below. A flash of gray light, and the black mountain shot out from his palm, spinning as it did so. The mountain rapidly expanded, swelling into a colossal form over a thousand zhang in height, then crashed down hard upon the war vessel. The Yuanmagnetic Divine Mountain grew even larger than the war vessel itself. As this immense mass descended, it covered the war vessel completely, pressing it beneath its weight. The Angle-Chi people remaining inside the war vessel were instantly startled, even as they attempted to activate the vessel to evade the impact—there was no time to react. A tremendous roar echoed through the air. The base of the mountain collided with the war vessel, and as the impact occurred, the mountain was slightly rebounded upward by a powerful force. The shockwave caused the war vessel's hull to buckle deeply, and it was then violently struck from the sky, crashing down hard onto the ground. The war vessel was nearly entirely embedded in earth and stone, appearing as though it would never rise again. Han Li witnessed this scene and was momentarily taken aback. The war vessel had not been shattered by the first strike of the Yuanmagnetic Divine Mountain, clearly indicating its extraordinary material strength—likely no less resilient than that of ordinary法宝 materials. Considering the sheer size of the vessel, the amount of materials consumed must have been immense. Recalling the even larger "island"-sized structure he had seen in Lüguang City, Han Li could hardly contain his astonishment. Now he finally had a clearer sense of the prosperity of the Diao Chi clan. Indeed, the clan truly deserved its high standing among the elite families of the Spiritual Realm. Though deeply impressed, Han Li showed no intention of halting his assault. Instead, he raised one hand and pointed steadily at the black mountain in the sky. At once, the Yuanmagnetic Divine Mountain emitted a resonant hum and plunged downward once more, crashing with a thunderous roar. A series of earth-shaking impacts followed in rapid succession. That silver war-boat, struck violently by the mountain peaks, had flattened out completely, reduced to a heap of scrap metal and rusted iron. Though the angular beings inside, though not yet dead, were in no condition to boast of comfort. Yet surprisingly, beneath the shimmering silver surface, the boat was gradually rising again, as if striving to regain its original form. Seeing that several powerful blows had not yet fully destroyed it, Han Li raised his eyebrows in surprise and suddenly reached out, grasping the void with his hands. He was startled, then suddenly felt a powerful spiritual force erupting from one side of him. Without hesitation, Han Li swiftly crossed his massive sword and made a sweeping, empty slash directly into the force. Instantly, a blade of jade-green energy several dozen feet long surged forth, precisely striking the spiritual force. At a distance of thirty paces from Han Li, the two forces collided and exploded, transforming into a towering column of mingled green and black winds. From afar, the sight was truly astonishing. As Han Li glanced toward the opposite side, his eyes narrowed slightly. There, on the silver great vessel across from him, four figures of different appearances had suddenly appeared. One pale figure with both feet missing floated before him, holding a transparent, strange blade, gazing at him with a touch of wonder—clearly the one who had launched the surprise attack. The other three were an elderly woman, a short man, and a towering, wild-looking giant clad in animal hide. Han Li narrowed his eyes, and with a single sweep of his divine awareness, immediately discovered that the one who had moved was a mid-stage Xuanxi cultivator, while the other three were at the initial stage of Xuanxi. However, he had clearly scanned the area earlier and had not noticed these four individuals present—how had they suddenly appeared? Though Xuanxi cultivators were slightly troublesome, Han Li still did not consider them a serious threat. What intrigued him, though, was the strange manner in which they had materialized. Then, why must we necessarily serve the Tianyun Thirteen Clans? When we first came, several of the elders specifically mentioned your name, praising your mastery of puppetry without reservation. They also stated that should you pledge allegiance to Jiaochi Clan, they would go to any lengths—replacing your blood and marrow, transplanting your very lineage with that of their own—and guaranteed that you would at least reach the pinnacle rank of the upper clan. Should you truly possess great fortune, even attaining the status of a Saint Clan-level being would not be impossible. The pale stranger, whose voice had been trembling, now spoke with steady confidence to the long-haired foreigner, his demeanor deeply respectful. "I shall not pledge allegiance to you. As for me, I have no interest in doing so. Though my bloodline is not pure, the elders of my clan have shown me great kindness. I will not switch allegiance to another clan. Your capture of me—while indeed driven by my expertise in puppetry—must also have a second motive: surely, part of it is to secure some of the hidden secrets of the Tianyun Thirteen Clans." "Jia Tianmu paused briefly, then shook his head expressionlessly. "Mr. Jia, do you think there's still a chance for us to escape from here? Though his protective puppet is formidable, the spiritual stones it relies on have likely been nearly depleted during our last breakout attempt. As for Mr. Jia's own cultivation level, it poses no real threat to us four. We don't wish to resort to violence—Mr. Jia, you might as well surrender peacefully." The odd man, instead of becoming angry at Jia Tianmu's firm refusal, smiled gently and continued. Upon hearing this, Jia Tianmu's expression remained unchanged, yet he glanced toward Han Li beside him. "Is it then that you still hope this man can rescue us? Very well—let us first deal with this troublesome figure before we proceed." The pale-faced odd man, slightly taken aback by Jia Tianmu's composed demeanor, replied calmly. Then, his expression suddenly stiffened, and he turned his gaze once more toward Han Li. "You either surrender gracefully, or we shall destroy your physical form and take only your spirit back," the strange man said coldly. If this proves true, then our team has come exactly to the right place—our efforts will achieve two major accomplishments at once! Indeed, it all comes down to this man having defeated the other war vessel; otherwise, if another team had arrived, their contributions would have been split in half. The massive man clad in animal hide suddenly burst out laughing. "Hmph, Li, you're quite confident, but this man isn't made of clay. His abilities are no less than ours. Don't grow complacent—otherwise, you might suffer a serious setback." The short man, barely three feet tall, sneered and gently reminded him. "He may have great powers, but can he really face us four alone?" The giant chuckled, showing no concern. "A direct confrontation—of course, we four can handle that. But if he insists on fleeing, you will surely be able to intercept him!" The short man gave a dismissive sigh and said with a touch of impatience.