The elder of the Yan surname did not immediately speak to the other person, but instead turned his head slightly, and in that direction, another heterospecies at the peak of the Transcendent Virtual stage was also gazing at them with an expressionless face—their eyes meeting directly. The elder’s pupils constricted! This heterospecies, aside from having a rough complexion marked with green patterns, resembled human beings in facial features and form. Wearing a silver armor lined with blood-red spines, a faint scent of blood radiated from him. His gaze was utterly lifeless, as if observing a pile of corpses without any emotion. Even as the elder came into contact with that gaze, he shivered involuntarily. The elder felt a deepening sense of concern. With his experience, he naturally knew that the other person had likely mastered an exceptionally powerful cultivation technique—otherwise, as a peer in rank, he would not have felt such a distinct sensation. The elder remained composed, subtly shifting his gaze and quickly scanning the area around the heterospecies. Although the outsiders who had arrived here had not yet united as a single group, there were already over a dozen of them gathered closely around that man. After glancing at the seven or eight people on his side, as well as the members of Han Li's clan, the elder's expression grew increasingly somber. In his estimation, even when counting Han Li and his associates, the numbers were only just equal to the opposing side. Beyond the two senior members from the Upper Clan, the opponents held a clear advantage among the high-ranking figures. There were four members from the Upper Clan at the level of seventh through eighth stage. On his own side, aside from himself, only one other person—a tall, bearded man who had remained silent throughout—had reached the seventh stage or above. The elder sighed inwardly, realizing that the opponents were clearly intent on overpowering the weaker members, thus explaining their unyielding demeanor. "Yue, my junior nephew, has a certain connection with me. I will not allow you to take him away. Moreover, I would like to remind my fellow traveler of something: this is Lei Yun Town, not a place where one can act with unchecked authority." "Even if you wish to cause a disturbance, you must abide by the customs of this town," the elder finally said coldly. "Customs! What customs?" The elder named Yan's words came as a surprise to the green-haired foreigner, who flashed a sharp gaze and asked. "Should there be a dispute between two people here, they must compete in the town's arena. The one who wins shall be deemed right," the elder said firmly. "Hah! Do you really intend to have this young man battle me?" The green-haired foreigner was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. "It would be impossible for either the young master or myself to compete. I had almost forgotten to mention that, according to the town's custom, such a duel is only possible when the two parties have comparable levels of cultivation. If you insist on having the young master join you, either find another cultivator of similar level, or allow me to step in and fight on his behalf," the elder said calmly. "Comparable levels of cultivation? What custom is this? What if I refuse?" The green-haired foreigner paused momentarily, then spoke with fierce determination. "If you refuse, then it will be considered a disturbance in Leiyun Town. Naturally, the senior councilor on duty will revoke your eligibility to enter the Magic Golden Mountain Range and expel you from the town outright. Do you intend to directly challenge the Council of Elders?" The elder named Yan flashed a sharp gleam in his eyes, speaking calmly. "The Council of Elders?" The green-haired foreigner hesitated, then turned to look at the armored foreigner standing beside him. The armored figure frowned slightly, then turned abruptly and asked someone behind him, "Is he really saying this? Does the Leiyun Array truly have such a rule?" "Report to Senior Gui, indeed, such a rule exists here. However, it was established when the town was first built. It has not been mentioned or referenced by anyone in many years," replied the person in a black robe and cloak, who seemed quite familiar with Leiyun Town, speaking respectfully. The women in court attire and others gazed at this person, their faces expressing bewilderment. He had entered the premises in such an unusual manner from the very beginning. They had initially thought him a traveler from outside the town, but now it seemed something was amiss. "Let us not discuss anything else," said the foreigner of the surname Gui, coldly. "I only wish to know—if we act here, will the senior elder's steward actually intervene?" "It's hard to say. He might step in, or he might simply ignore it. However, it's reported that the newly appointed steward is quite rigid, so there's a strong likelihood he will take action." The man in black replied softly. "So it seems we cannot act here after all. Very well, then, let us follow your customs. Once we receive the Lightning-Opening Umbrella, I shall personally demonstrate my skills to the friend. If I win, then the friend shall accompany us. If I lose, we shall let him go unharmed," said the foreigner of the surname Gui. The elder listened intently, his expression growing serious. Nodding slightly, he turned to the younger man beside him, whose face was pale with anger, and said, "Young cousin Yue, shall I step in and face off against the other party on your behalf? What do you think?" To her surprise, the young woman was gazing at him, a hint of anxiety visible on her face. "You're being too generous with me. I'm merely at the seventh rank of my clan. How can I possibly stop this?" Han Li calmly turned his head, his lips moving slightly as he spoke. "Master Han, there's no need to hide anything from me. Though my cultivation level may be modest, I believe my information network is fairly reliable. When you rescued the elder of the Wangu Clan, you single-handedly defeated several peers of the same rank in an instant. Your abilities must surely surpass those of most seventh-rank elders in the upper clans." With a determined breath, the crystal-clan woman suddenly said something that caught Han Li off guard. Han Li's gaze sharpened, and after a moment of silence, he replied calmly, "I didn't expect you to have investigated me so thoroughly—knowing such details indeed. Very well. For the sake of the celestial-magic armor from beyond the heavens, I'll assist you once more." "Thank you so much, Master!" The young woman beamed with delight at the news. At that very moment, Han Li suddenly spoke with a composed demeanor, "Is it truly Han Li felt that the third option was better. "We have an agreement with Yue Youhao—he won't be going with you." As he spoke, Han Li stepped forward and reached directly in front of Yue Zong. Upon hearing Han Li's words, the dressed-in-imperial-clothes woman and the young man with a pale face exchanged glances, surprised. Yue Zong himself looked momentarily taken aback. Only the elder named Yan was initially stunned, then after carefully studying Han Li again, hesitated. "Who are you? Are you trying to commit suicide? Or do you intend to spar with me on his behalf?" The green-haired foreigner blinked, then immediately glared fiercely at Han Li, his voice growling. Without waiting for Han Li to respond, he suddenly stepped forward, moved his arm, and reached out with a green, velvety palm, grabbing Han Li firmly. It seemed that this person had mastered some unique internal technique. As soon as the palm extended, it instantly expanded into the size of a fan, and with his fingers spread wide, completely enveloped Han Li. At the same time, as the five fingers of the green-haired foreigner flashed with yellow light, a tremendous force suddenly pressed down upon Han Li. "Han friend, be careful!" The elder named Yan was startled, and issued the warning without hesitation—but for some reason, his own body seemed to lag a moment. The green-haired foreigner's five fingers had already closed in, making contact. For a cultivator at the initial stage of Lingxu, such an unexpected grasp, delivered under such immense pressure, would instantly render them completely immobile. Yet Han Li's physical strength was extraordinary, having reached an unparalleled level—how could such a technique even begin to restrain him? No matter how much the force pressing down increased, it remained utterly imperceptible to him. Watching as the foreigner's palm emitted a deep, resonant roar, accompanied by a strange gust of wind, pressing down with growing intensity, Han Li only offered a faint, quiet smile. One hand emerged from his sleeve, instantly darkening to a deep, ink-black hue, and then reached upward, grasping firmly. A flash of gray light followed—then swiftly coalesced into a unified beam! A massive, hazy hand of light materialized spontaneously above Han Li's head, facing the descending yellow palm and reaching out to grasp it in reverse. "You're overreaching, youngster! Kneel down!" The green-haired foreigner, upon seeing Han Li's actions, frowned with a touch of fierce irritation and roared. Originally, he had only drawn upon seven-tenths of his inner qi to activate his divine ability. Now, his qi surged rapidly throughout his body, flowing without reserve, and coalesced into a full ten-tenths of spiritual power, concentrating it into the palm. He intended to establish his authority by forcefully pressing Han Li to the ground. The yellow palm flashed with light, expanding by two more increments and then colliding with the gray hand below. At that very moment, the gray hand clenched its five fingers together—unexpectedly! The collision did not produce a thunderous roar, but rather a soft "thud." The yellow palm was instantly crushed and dissolved upon being squeezed by the gray hand. Then, with a simple hand motion, the figure materialized mysteriously above the green-haired foreigner, silently reaching down with the same grip. Before the hand had fully descended, the gray light aura formed by the Yuanmagnetic Divine Light had already spiraled down. "Impossible!" the green-haired foreigner exclaimed, unable to believe that not only had the opponent broken his signature technique, but he had now countered him directly, grabbing down at him with the same force. Overcome with rage, he clenched his fists tightly and launched two powerful punches toward the descending gray light, roaring with force. Two yellow fist-images thundered forth, striking the swirling gray light with full intensity. "Plump, plump!" The yellow fist-images vanished instantly upon contact with the gray light, as if they had disappeared into the sea. The green-haired foreigner's face fell with astonishment, muttering "Unfortunate!" as he prepared to activate his evasive technique and step aside. Yet, the gray light aura, which had previously moved slowly and deliberately, simply flickered and appeared before him—unexpectedly, and without warning. A gray light curled backward, fully enclosing his form within it.