"Who exactly are you?" a woman's voice emerged from the azure qilin, filled with anger yet still pleasant. It was none other than Xianxian's voice. Previously, after entering the True Spirit Cavern, she had not yet found what she sought when suddenly the Gu-named man appeared, and then the cavern spirit—expected to be asleep—underwent a sudden transformation and materialized, swallowing her whole. Had it not been for her thorough preparation this time—having taken a specially crafted elixir and then enabling the true qilin to manifest his great power, transforming her into the current qilin form—she would have truly been consumed by the spirit. "I don't care about your origins," the Gu-named man said coldly, "I only ask you about the true essence of the qilin within the True Spirit Cavern." "Heh, what origins do I have?" she replied. "Do you think anyone else in this True Spirit Cavern knows of my background?" A hollow, muffled chuckle echoed from the giant face, deep and ominous, sending a shiver down every listener's spine. In the span of a moment, the portion of its body that had previously burst open shimmered with a deep black light and restored itself completely, as if the earlier injuries had never mattered at all. Upon hearing this, the man with the surname Kui suddenly grew pale. The azure unicorn, however, expressed clear surprise. "What? You too? Indeed, no other being besides us could possibly know of this true spiritual nexus." The unicorn's ethereal form glanced at the man with the surname Kui, then took a deep breath before speaking. "Hmph. I'm no mere companion of yours. While you've failed in parasitizing a frail crystal-being, I've achieved a flawless, complete integration with this silver serpent." With a glance, the man with the surname Kui replied with no hesitation. Upon hearing the gu- surname man's words, the qilin silhouette's eyes flashed a subtle anger, yet he spoke calmly: "A successful symbiosis is nothing more than a lucky accident. Back then, each of us was but one-tenth of the original ten thousand divine consciousnesses. How could there be any difference? I actually believe this symbiotic relationship is no less valuable than mere symbiosis. As long as this crystal-kin woman reaches the stage of overcoming the celestial trials and ascending to the heavens, I too can restore my true qilin form and regain my boundless divine power." "Ascension! That's pure fantasy! A mere crystal-kin, daring to dream of such a thing!" The gu- surname man shook his lips with a scornful tone. "There's nothing impossible. Should we succeed in obtaining the true essence of the qilin from the true spiritual core, even a piece of wood might hold a chance to ascend to the realm of true immortals." The green qilin remained remarkably composed. "Such a potent source of true spiritual vitality—wasting it on a single crystal-kin is truly a great loss." "If I take this silver-jade-bodied elixir, with merely ten thousand years of cultivation, I am certain I can transform my jiao-body into a true dragon form." The Gui-named man did not dispute the qilin's shadow, yet spoke with disdain. "You say this, do you expect me to surrender my true qilin essence? Though we once shared one body, now after so many years, we have grown independent—like strangers. Even if I were to step back, the one beneath would never show such humility. Just now, within the true spirit cavern, it actually intended to swallow you and me whole." The green qilin's expression darkened, glanced at the massive creature below, then coldly remarked. "Whatever you do—whether you take up residence within the spirit cavern or have any other plans—I demand your true spirit energy now. Hand it over, and I shall immediately depart. Otherwise, don't expect me to be gentle." Though the Gui-named man immediately sensed the subtle undercurrent of manipulation, his eyes briefly flickered, then he stiffened, his tone sharpening as he spoke to the figure below. "If you wish for the true dragon's essence, of course you can. Simply enter my body with yourselves and merge with me, and naturally, you'll obtain it." The massive face burst out in a series of strange, grating laughs. "What? You've already consumed us! That can't be right. Only beings with tangible, physical forms can absorb true spiritual essence. How could a being composed of hollow, spiritual essence accomplish such a feat!" The man named Gui was utterly unconvinced. "Who told you that you're composed of hollow, spiritual essence? Didn't you two think yourselves the very first to discover this place?" This time, the massive face remained silent before responding with a sly, measured tone. "What does that mean?" The green dragon's body shimmered with a flash of green light, now showing clear signs of surprise. "It means that beings like yourselves—I've already consumed no fewer than three or four of you. All I need now is to swallow you two as well, along with so much true spiritual blood, and soon I shall possess a true spiritual body. As for the true dragon's essence, it will naturally reside within me." "Then, once you've absorbed me and become part of me, everything else will naturally come to you," the colossal creature seemed unwilling to say any more. A flash of black light rippled across its surface, and two black arcs of electricity shot forth, resembling towering black spears, seemingly aimed straight through the Qiu-enameled spirit and the man named Qiu. Upon hearing the creature's words, the man named Qiu grew visibly pale. When he saw the creature actually launching an attack, his fury was beyond words. Without uttering a single word, he flickered and suddenly manifested as three identical forms. One of them raised a hand and launched a silver sword, which instantly expanded into a beam of silver light stretching over ten zhang in length—this single flash severed the advancing black lightning in mid-air. Meanwhile, the azure qilin spirit opened its mouth widely, and its head suddenly swelled several times its original size before it drew in and swallowed the incoming black arcs whole. At this sight, the man of the Gui surname flashed his gaze, suddenly saying, "The Great Devouring Technique! It seems your abilities are no mere trifling—worthy of a partnership with me. Together, we shall extinguish this creature, dividing the true麟's essence equally. How powerful that true spiritual source is, even if it were completely consumed, it would still be impossible to fully refine." "Agreed," the blue qilin nodded slightly, then decisively accepted. Though now a fusion of the slender one and a strand of the true qilin's spiritual consciousness, its yearning for the true qilin essence remained as strong as ever. Though deeply wary of the man of the Gui surname, the entity currently inhabiting the lower body—its very adversary—had to be eliminated as well. With a flash of blue light on its body, the blue qilin swiftly expanded, its form now towering over a hundred zhang, and a surge of commanding presence rose skyward. The Gu family man observed this and, at once, had all three of his manifestations shimmer simultaneously. One of them flashed a silver glow at the top of his head, and a massive sword aura of over ten zhang reappeared. Another rubbed his hands together, and clusters of crimson flames materialized spontaneously around his body. The third rolled on the ground, and as he shook his head and swayed his body, revealed his true form—a silver dragon. Facing the strange beings below, both remained fully alert and vigilant, not to be negligent in the slightest. This time, the figure beneath burst out in another odd chuckle. "You still dare to resist! That's excellent. I won't have to go through much trouble if you don't run. However, before I deal with you, I need to attend to the other two unexpected guests first." As soon as the words were spoken, several of the thickest black lightning arcs suddenly thundered forth, striking the void at a specific point without any prior warning. Before the black arcs truly descended, a tremendous spiritual pressure surged downward, like a gale wind. Meanwhile, a slender figure materialized in the void, shimmering briefly before transforming into a streak of silver light and shooting swiftly away. Yet at that very moment, a tremendous thunderclap roared, shaking the surrounding space with a resonant hum. Several thick electric arcs instantly coalesced into a massive black sword, over a hundred zhang in length. In a single flash, this celestial blade struck and obliterated the silver streak, which had been momentarily slowed by the shockwave. Even the slender figure within the silver light failed to utter a single cry of pain. This figure was none other than the high-level, shape-shifting beast "Jiuxie," renowned for her mastery of concealment techniques, who had been diligently tracking Han Li all the way to this point. Though her cultivation level was roughly at the Lingxu mid-stage, she offered no resistance at all against the black sword's overwhelming power. Upon witnessing the sheer might of the towering blade, both the man named Gui, who had transformed into a colossal qilin, and the man himself were struck with astonishment, their expressions turning serious. After securing the sword, he did not immediately return nor launch a direct attack upon his opponent, but instead, with a swift motion, it transformed into a massive black rainbow that surged downward, striking the ground at a specific point nearby. This caught both the man named Gui and the azure unicorn aback. As the black rainbow descended with tremendous force—its momentum seemingly capable of cleaving the earth in two—the ground suddenly emitted a clear, resonant sound. A flash of emerald light followed, and from beneath, seventy-two slender jade swords erupted, each only a few inches in length. These swords instantly converged toward the center, coalescing into a towering, emerald blade several zhangs in length. Then, with a thunderous crack, brilliant golden arcs shot forth, boldly meeting the black giant sword head-on. A tremendous roar of thunder followed, and the golden and black arcs interwove and flashed in a dazzling display, ultimately halting their advance and forming a tense standoff in the lower air. Though the black great sword was imposing in size, the jade-colored one seemed remarkably sharp, and the golden arcs surging from it possessed extraordinary power, holding its own without faltering. A trace of surprise flickered on the white sword's face, but then it emitted a cold exhalation. A ripple of black light rippled across its surface, and dozens of black arcs surged upward, as if ready to launch forth. After a brief glance at the massive grotesque face, the Gu-named man in humanoid form, and the azure qilin silhouette, he raised his hand silently and summoned a golden blossom the size of a clenched fist. It shot forth from a nearby underground location, flashing swiftly toward him.