At that moment, two beams of black light and several streaks of yellow glow suddenly struck the Great Pheasant. But suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and a layer of crystalline light instantly rose from within his body. When the beams and streaks hit the crystal shield, they first paused, then changed direction, shooting obliquely off the Great Pheasant's surface and missing him entirely. The two beams faded and dispersed at a distance, while the several streaks of yellow glow flickered a few times before spiraling once and then rushing back toward the Great Pheasant. Yet the Great Pheasant merely flicked his wings once. Immediately, a strong, white-wind gust surged forth, and as soon as the yellow streaks approached, they were swept away, their destinations unknown. Then, electric arcs flashed wildly across the Great Pheasant's body as he moved swiftly, charging straight toward the short man amidst a continuous thunderous roar. The short man, who had already been disconcerted by the ease with which Han Li had defeated the old woman and whose own attacks had been repelled with a simple flick, now saw the Great Pheasant closing in with such sudden intensity. His face turned pale as a sheet at He suddenly stomped single-footed on the silver cloud with hardly any thought, causing a series of flashes of silver light. In the next instant, he appeared mysteriously beside the bare-footed creature. Then, with a gesture toward the nearby green ceramic bowl, it transformed into a green luminous shield, enclosing his form within. The bare-footed creature now had a pale, thunderous complexion; upon a sudden roar, black mist surged from the black arm guards on his arms, swiftly engulfing both him and the attendant dwarf. The mist swirled and surged wildly, expanding rapidly to cover an area of over thirty zhang, and still continuing to spread. Within the mist, cries of wailing and groaning echoed, and ghostly figures flickered in and out. The presence of both the bare-footed creature and the dwarf vanished entirely within the mist. At this moment, the great phoenix that Han Li had transformed into, naturally turned around due to the dwarf's earlier escape, now gazing back at this newly emerged sea of black mist. "Negative energy!" He almost instantly recognized the true nature of these black vapors—pure, refined yin qi. If an ordinary cultivator had not been careful, they would have been instantly transformed into dry, lifeless corpses upon being engulfed by this qi. Yet, upon observing the effect of the yin qi, a strange expression of surprise briefly flashed across the eyes of the great phoenix he had transformed into. Before the phoenix could react, the啼魂 beast, watching from a distance, suddenly emitted a loud, enthusiastic cry. Then, with a powerful clap of its massive fists against its chest and a deep nasal hum, a surge of golden light erupted from its nostrils, rushing directly toward the black vapors. Simultaneously, the phoenix he had become released a clear, resonant call, flapped its wings, and electric arcs burst forth from its body, coalescing into a brilliant, dazzling flash of light. As this electric glow faded away, a thunderous crack resonated—followed instantly by a thick, white lightning arc, the diameter of a water barrel, suddenly materializing above the black mist. The giant pterodactyl suddenly emerged from the electric arcs, its body resembling a small mountain, then executed a sweeping arc before plunging downward toward the mist below. "You're dead!" The barefoot giant had always remained hidden within the mist, only now having raised a dark banner in his hands. Upon seeing Han Li's movements, he was not only unbothered but actually delighted. With a sharp cry, he suddenly shook his small black banner. Instantly, vast swaths of black mist surged upward and coalesced into a black ghostly face, roughly the size of an acre, which seemed to come alive—its eyes glowing with green flames, its wide mouth opening to meet the great pterodactyl soaring above. Yet at that very moment, the soul-seizing divine light flashed and swept over the scene. As the golden light flashed violently, the ghostly face, which had just begun to rise into the air, suddenly gasped in terror and cried out in anguish. The massive face instantly twisted and warped, then "popped" into countless streams of black vapor, all drawn in by the golden light. Moreover, the entire expanse of black mist beneath immediately boiled to life the moment the yellow light appeared. Wherever the yellow light passed, the black mist transformed into countless strands of black silk, each flickering with an eerie motion before vanishing. Had it been the case in the past, even if the Ti Huo兽 could counteract negative energies, it would have had to exert considerable effort to draw in such a vast amount of negative qi. But after so many successive ascensions, the Soul-Capturing Radiance had grown immensely powerful, now truly formidable. Almost within a single breath, the majority of the black mist had been swept away. The originally concealed red-soled humanoid and the dwarf, previously veiled within the mist, now appeared intermittently in the thin veil of vapor, and then, in the next instant, fully revealed themselves. The red-soled humanoid held a banner in both hands, his face filled with disbelief. At the very moment the two figures emerged, the Dapeng surged forward, pressing down hard on both of them, and with its two massive claws spread apart, grasped each one firmly. Worse still, as the Great Peng flickered with a shimmer of azure light, it gently swept its two wings downward. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, yet the strange man and the dwarf suddenly felt the air around them tighten abruptly, as if a massive, invisible force pressed down upon them—like Mount Tai crushing their shoulders. The barefoot man fared better, merely trembling slightly in his legs, and with his solid修为, managed to remain upright. The dwarf, however, was far less proficient than his companion, and after a deep gasp, was pressed to the ground, one leg half-bending beneath him. His protective azure shield became severely distorted, and a large section of his head dome collapsed inward, trembling violently as though it might collapse at any moment. This deeply alarmed the dwarf, who was well aware of the strength of his protective abilities. Yet, as the great claws descended, though their forms now felt heavy and clumsy, unable to evade the force at all, they certainly would not simply surrender. At once, the bare-footed stranger managed a slight shake of his wrist, and not only did his black banner roll and transform into a misty dragon soaring upward, but the black arm guards on his two arms also emitted a surge of strange light, each releasing a spectral figure. Han Li focused his gaze and found two grim spirits—one red, one green—each with a fierce, monstrous countenance and double horns on their heads, their upper bodies wrapped in unknown animal skins while their lower bodies were similarly encased in such skins. As both spirits raised their arms, a broad band of dark light immediately followed the misty dragon, shooting upward. Meanwhile, the dwarf opened his cranial dome, launching a small white jade sword that shot forth, shimmering into a brilliant, dazzling arc, cutting toward the giant claw in the air. In this moment of urgency, both figures seemed determined to fight to the end. Once again, a thunderous roar echoed in the sky, and at that very instant, the silver war vessel emitted a beam of white light, rushing directly toward the great crane. Despite the relentless downward charge of the crane, a flash of crystalline light rippled across its body, transforming it into a translucent shield that detached and flew outward. This shield initially measured only a few zhang in size, but at the very moment it soared into the air, it instantly expanded into a colossal shield over twenty zhang in diameter. Transparent and luminous, it shone brilliantly under the sunlight! The beams of light struck the massive shield, then flashed and bent, deflecting each attack to other locations. The war vessel's assaults had absolutely no effect on Han Li's offensive maneuvers. A deep, resonant "thud" echoed as the stream of light formed by the hundred-jade sword first settled upon the giant claw. Yet the next instant, it was easily bounced off, only to be swiftly caught and firmly grasped by the claw as it closed. Despite the sword's vigorous struggles, it could not be dislodged from the claw's grip. A sharp crack followed, and the flying sword was torn into several fragments by the sheer force of the claw. The dwarf below gasped in agony, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood. Seizing the momentum, the giant claw descended, and in a single flash, it caught hold of the blue light shield beneath. Even the dwarves within the glow shield grew pale. Yet the azure shield proved no ordinary thing; though it creaked under the pressure of the massive claws pressing down, it remained intact for the moment. On the other side, the misty dragon swiftly drew in the dark glow and its body solidified, revealing glossy, dark scales. With a majestic roar, it shook its head and swayed its tail, then charged directly into the other giant claw. The giant claw halted, truly held fast by the black dragon. At that moment, the large crane's sharp beak struck hard against the emerald glow shield, which was tightly held by another massive claw. With a crisp crack, the shield—already trembling and on the verge of collapse—shattered into fragments, unable to withstand any further pressure. The dwarf inside, now utterly defenseless, was instantly crushed, his spirit along with him, dissolving into a mist of blood and vanishing without a trace. The bare-footed humanoid below fared no better. Even as the black dragon in the sky shrank to one-third of its original size, it could no longer bear the immense force of the giant claw and was easily dispersed with a single grasp. Then, the giant claw was enveloped in silver flame and swiftly descended toward the bare-footed humanoid. When the dwarf's demise was first witnessed, the humanoid's face suddenly paled with alarm. Now, as his own crucial support—the very treasure he had relied upon—proved unable to withstand the assault, genuine fear welled up in his eyes. Yet, at once, he clenched his teeth and let out a piercing, mournful roar. A tremendous roar echoed, and as a layer of bloodlight shimmered across the body of the bare-footed monster, its form suddenly burst apart. A brilliant streak of bloodlight contracted and expanded, eventually transforming into a blood-orange sun the size of a wheel. Even the massive silver-flame claws, which had been poised to strike, were repelled by this radiant sun and could not make contact for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, a faint blood-shaped silhouette darted out from within the light, stretching several dozen paces before shifting again and reaching over a hundred paces away—now close enough to the nearby intact war vessel. Han Li, endowed with the ability of spiritual vision, could not miss this silhouette. Without pausing to attend to the bloodlight below, he swiftly twisted his body and immediately set off in pursuit. Yet at that very moment, a golden light column surged forth from a different direction, appearing without any prior warning, silent and unobtrusive, and striking precisely upon the blood-shaped silhouette that had reappeared above the war vessel. A thunderclap followed, and several golden lightning arcs instantly flashed across the silhouette's form. The figure vanished with a piercing cry, dissolving into a mist of golden light. "Divine Exorcising Thunder!" Upon seeing this scene so familiar, Han Li was momentarily stunned, then gasped in astonishment.