But as the blade's shadow dropped and closed in, the space remained empty. The Gu-named man expressed a moment of surprise, his gaze flickering with doubt before he paused and thought deeply. Finally, he emitted a cold exhalation, raising his hand toward the distant void. Instantly, the flying blade transformed into a streak of silver and shot back, vanishing into his sleeve upon a brief flash. Without further words, the man surged forward, his body glowing with blood, transforming into a blood-colored rainbow that streaked through the air. In a moment, the scene fell silent—save for the gentle breeze drifting through. After a full meal's time, a faint silver glow shimmered in the heavens, and a small, graceful figure emerged. With pointed ears and a delicate face, she was the humanoid beast known as "Jiuye." She stared toward the direction where the Gu-named man had vanished, her dark brows furrowed. After a while, she murmured softly, "Who is this person? Though not the one who killed the young master, their abilities are truly remarkable." Had it not been for the secret technique employed beforehand to transfer his breath to another location, he likely would have noticed. No, these outsiders were proving quite troublesome—none of them could be managed by me alone. Assistance was definitely needed. As she spoke, she reached out with one hand and plucked a small tuft of soft fur from her tail. Reciting a few words under her breath, she then raised her hand. Instantly, the fur emitted a series of "pffft" sounds, transforming into countless fine silver streaks that shot upward through the air. After flashing briefly, the silver streaks vanished at the far end of the sky. Only then did the woman ease her expression slightly. She glanced toward the mountain range where Han Li and the man named Gui had disappeared, hesitated briefly, and then sighed softly. With a single hand gesture, her form blurred once more within the silver light, ultimately dissolving into nothingness. Although the magical smoke bird occasionally emitted low, urgent calls, as if urging him on, Han Li paid it no heed, maintaining his calm and composed demeanor. Seeing him thus, the smoke bird had no choice but to slow its flight, gently following his pace. Though the surrounding magical atmosphere was so thick that visibility was nearly zero, creating a dreadful sensation akin to being in the afterlife, Han Li's body shimmered with golden light, and his eyes occasionally flashed with a subtle blue glow, clearly capturing the scene around him. At this moment, he found himself within a vast, square passageway. The passage was over ten zhang in both length and width, and its walls were constructed entirely of an unusual, deep black stone that he had never seen before. The dense magical atmosphere seeped continuously from these strange stones. This piqued Han Li's curiosity. Had he not been wary of potential, unknown seals possibly set upon these stone walls, he would have even, upon entering the passage, struck off several of these black stones from the walls to examine them closely. This passage was not the only one—it branched and interlaced throughout the mountain's interior, forming a maze that grew deeper and more intricate as one progressed further underground. Time passed slowly! When the magical smoke bird had entered and returned, it had only taken the time of a single meal. Yet Han Li had been walking for a long while and still had not reached the end. This caused his gaze toward the bird to grow steadily colder and more sharp. The magical smoke bird, sensing the growing displeasure in Han Li's eyes, continued along, passing through several intersections. When Han Li was about to decide whether he should halt, the bird suddenly spiraled ahead, pausing its advance. Han Li's mind stirred, and he focused his attention forward. To the observer's sight, the magical mist ahead seemed noticeably thinner, and there, clearly visible before them, was a vast, luminous exit glowing with a soft white light. Han Li's expression eased slightly; he took a deep breath and then, suddenly, extended his hand toward the magical smoke bird. Since the bird carried a strand of the divine awareness from Xian Xian, it was exceptionally perceptive. Seeing this scene, it blinked its eyes, expressing mild confusion. Yet after a brief hesitation, it flew steadily and obediently toward Han Li. However, just as the bird reached Han Li's head and was about to circle once, a sudden flutter of Han Li's sleeve sent a surge of gray light shooting upward like lightning. In an instant, the unprepared black bird was engulfed within the radiant glow. The smoke bird naturally grew startled, opening its beak to utter a sound. Yet as the light spun around it continuously, no sound could penetrate the powerful magnetic divine light. At that moment, Han Li calmly raised his hand and pointed it toward the empty space above. A flash of emerald light emanated from his fingertip, and a green rune briefly struck the immobile magic smoke bird. As the bird's body shimmered with a cascade of emerald radiance, it vanished instantly, the gray glow fading away. Only then did Han Li lightly clap his hands, a gentle smile playing at the corner of his lips. Yet, as soon as his gaze shifted toward the channel's exit, his expression grew slightly more serious. With his eyes narrowing, he suddenly opened his mouth, and a sphere of silver flame burst forth, only to transform into a silver fire bird after a brief flicker. This fire bird circled Han Li several times before vanishing with a soft *pffft* into one of the walls. Then, he swept his sleeves, and seventy-two golden small swords shot out silently. Under the quiet incantation from his lips, these swords spun gracefully, forming a vast array of floating lotus blossoms across the channel, before swiftly dissolving into mere shadows. After pondering further, Han Li flipped his hand once more, launching two silvery scroll runes toward the ground. As they traveled, their light flashed briefly, then faded into two faint golden shadows that vanished into the earth. These were precisely the Jia Yuan Scroll Runes. Since he was facing a Consolidation-stage beast—though not yet at the initial stage of Consolidation—and given that the creature was already severely wounded, Han Li naturally could not afford to be careless. For this journey, he had specially prepared several silvery Kuo Scroll Runes. Although the materials used to craft these runes were exceedingly rare, in a city as grand as Yun City, where even a modest amount of spiritual stones could always gather sufficient resources to replenish them. Only after ensuring all these pre-arranged contingencies, did Han Li flash a cold glint in his eyes, raised his hand, and affixed a purple scroll to his body. Instantly, a brilliant glow spread out, and a mist of purple diffused throughout. As the light shimmered within the silver scroll runes, Han Li’s form suddenly became intangible. For added safety, he even activated the Taiyi Huaqing Seal. Afterward, as Han Li moved slightly, his ethereal form drifted slowly toward the exit. He seemed entirely determined to actually slay that saint-tier beast. "But then we'd be in quite a predicament. We have no idea how he's faring in his battle with this beast, and thus can't time our actions precisely." The qilin's silhouette swished its tail, and its gaze darkened. "I certainly know about this matter! But now, we simply can't afford to wait. Regardless of whether he's currently engaged in combat with this creature or not, we must act swiftly. Even if he's supremely skilled, to eliminate a saint-tier beast—no matter how formidable—will take far more than a moment. It will be enough to open the True Spirit Caverns." The crystal-people woman bit her lip. "That's all we can do. Let's go!" The qilin's silhouette nodded decisively. With a gentle flick of her slender hand, she produced a triangular token in her grasp. Black and glossy, one side bore the image of a black qilin, while the other displayed several faint silver glyphs. "Alas, this Magi-Qilin Token. I've truly invested considerable effort to gather the materials and forge it. It even failed several times during the process." With one hand gently brushing the surface of the token, a delicate trace of regret appeared on her fine features. "No matter how precious this thing is, can it truly compare to the treasures within the True Spirit Sacs? It's only thanks to this token's ability to mask your aura that you haven't been repelled by the cave's magical mists and have been able to reach the deeper areas unimpeded. Moreover, with that young Han boy now shielding you from the Saint-Rank beast, even if the creature detects something amiss, it won't be able to prevent you from opening your spirit sacs." The Qilin spoke without hesitation. "Still, using this token merely to mask your aura seems a great waste—after all, it's a one-time consumption item." Linlin chuckled again, her expression remaining wistful. Upon hearing this, the Qilin blinked rapidly, ready to add more thoughts, when suddenly the crystal-people woman straightened her expression and tossed the token into the air. Instantly, the black token spun gracefully in midair, and then a sudden gust of wind surged, lifting a thick, dark hurricane into the sky. This hurricane was extraordinarily strange—while roaring upward, a deep, resonant growl emanated from its core, as though a great beast lay concealed within. Xin Xin's face darkened. With one hand continuously casting gestures, she lifted her wrist and opened her mouth. A slender blade of jade-green light shot forth, trembling slightly before spiraling around her wrist and then flashing back into her mouth. Instantly, a surge of vital blood gushed from the wound on her wrist. "Go!" the crystal-kin woman murmured. The blood that flowed immediately coalesced into a solid orb, the size of a clenched fist, and shot straight toward the black hurricane. Strange indeed. As soon as the blood orb entered the hurricane, the growling ceased abruptly, and the winds that had seemed poised to rage outward gradually diminished. In the end, the black storm flickered and dispersed, revealing a sleek, jet-black unicorn, measuring several zhang in length.