The insect merely flickered and was instantly absorbed into Han Li's sleeve, vanishing without a trace. The strand of divine awareness attached to it instantly returned to Han Li's consciousness. Han Li's expression grew dark and uncertain. All the information carried by that strand of awareness had been drawn into him, as if he had personally witnessed everything the devouring golden insect had seen and heard. The massive, strange face, seeing Han Li so effortlessly deflect its attack and not immediately launching a renewed assault, fixed him with a cold, penetrating gaze—seeming to grow even a touch wary. "That great demon ape's aura vanished earlier," came a deep, resonant voice from the face after a pause. "Did you perhaps slay it?" "Ah, your senses are indeed sharp," Han Li replied calmly, his eyes flashing. "Since I am here, that demon ape no longer exists in the world." "Hmph. That's quite a stroke of luck for you." This great demon ape chose to settle here and heal—originally, I lured it here precisely for that purpose. I intended to wait until it achieved true spiritual essence, then consume it as a medicinal elixir to greatly replenish myself. The demon ape had always believed that the land naturally possessed such refined demonic qi. "I merely gave a puzzled, indifferent response." Upon hearing this, Han Li's face changed momentarily, but he quickly regained composure and said, "Ah, so that's it. I always found the demonic qi here so refined, something difficult for a wounded creature like this demon ape to gather. It must have been your subtle manipulation. Still, I'm curious—what kind of being are you exactly? Might you be a celestial or terrestrial spirit?" "What celestial or terrestrial spirit? I'm merely a faint, ethereal mist born from the power of true spiritual essence. Originally, I had no consciousness at all—just a simple, unthinking entity. It was only when a foreign force took control and inhabited me that I became so cunning. Han brother, simply remain vigilant." The azure unicorn suddenly spoke. "And you remain the young lady, Qing Xian, correct?" Upon hearing the pleasant female voice of the qilin, Han Li's expression shifted, and he asked, "Of course, it's my humble self. However, my current state is rather unusual—two divine consciousnesses have temporarily merged, jointly controlling this qilin form, though primarily guided by my own awareness." After a deep breath, the azure qilin responded with remarkable sincerity. "So it seems that the primary purpose of Lady Xian's bringing me here was indeed to seek the true qilin essence. As for the matter of using a saint-tier magical core to repair the celestial magical armor—could this not be entirely a fabrication?" Han Li stared intently at the azure qilin, his voice devoid of emotion. "By no means. It is true that a saint-tier magical core is indeed required to repair the celestial magical armor. Regarding the true qilin essence, I must admit there is some element of exploitation on my part; however, in reality, Master Han has sustained no loss at all. I have merely taken this opportunity to act. And since you have already defeated that saint-tier magical ape, I believe its condition of being severely wounded is also accurate." The delicate tone of Lady Xian instantly softened, becoming tender and "Your assessment is indeed quite sound. I haven't lost anything of significance. Yet now it appears the仙子's plan has encountered considerable difficulties, with several unexpected setbacks." Han Li glanced at the three manifestations of the Guǐ-named man, then at the massive, strange face below, his expression suddenly turning curious. "I hadn't anticipated things to unfold this way. However, as long as the spiritual beings beneath are eliminated, I can still secure the true essence of the original Great Spirit麒麟. This essence is the residual fundamental power from the moment the Great Spirit麒麟 was born. Any living being who acquires it will undergo a profound transformation, gaining extraordinary benefits. Simply speaking, if Brother Han secures even a fraction of it, his advancement to the Consolidated Stage is absolutely assured." "What do you mean by that? Do you intend to further divide the True Lion's essence among this person? If so, take your share and divide it off to him—my portion will remain untouched and be given to no one else." The silver dragon, formed by the man of the Gui surname, spoke coldly. "Absolutely no problem. Brother Han, I'd like to make another arrangement with you. Should you assist me in defeating the spirit at the lower level, I shall bestow upon you a thread of the True Lion's essence. Since you lack the True Lion's consciousness, even this single thread will be sufficient—too much might actually prove detrimental. Furthermore, the process of refining and absorbing this essence requires a special method, which I will reveal to you in due course." The delicate voice emanated gently from the qi form of the qilin. Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly. Could this truly lead to his advancement to the Consolidated Stage? The appeal was indeed remarkable. Yet, he had never heard of the "True Lion's essence" before—thus, he remained somewhat cautious and uncertain. But before Han Li could make a decision, the massive, grotesque face below suddenly burst out with a series of unpleasant, eerie laughter: "Divide the True Luminous Spirit! Do you truly think you still have a chance? Time has passed—by now, it should be nearly complete. Don't either of you feel anything unusual in your bodies?" Upon hearing the face's words, the man with the Gui surname and the slender woman both gasped, instinctively drawing in their inner consciousness to examine their internal conditions. Almost simultaneously, both humanoid manifestations of the man cried out in agony, from which countless strands of dark, hair-like filaments erupted, densely covering their skin and instantly tearing them into countless fragments. Two large, black sea-urchin-like anomalies immediately materialized in the void. The two green flames formed by the separated souls of the two manifestations were pierced through by the dark filaments, unable to escape, and then, as flashes of black light danced around them, were completely absorbed in a most strange manner. The silver dragon, originally manifesting from the Gui clan man's essence, though not burst apart and killed, now had black threads emerging from its shimmering scales. It roared loudly and then stiffened, plummeting straight from the sky and crashing heavily into the ground. As for the azure unicorn silhouette, it too was pierced through by countless black threads, its form shrinking dramatically to about one zhang in size, and finally, after a brief flash, it transformed back into the slender young woman's original form. Yet now, she was completely enveloped in a brilliant azure light, with her dense mass of black hair constantly contracting and expanding, unable to maintain stability. The crystal clan maiden, though not having plunged from the sky, also trembled uncontrollably, her delicate face etched with intense pain, completely motionless. Han Li witnessed this scene and was momentarily stunned. "Impossible! When exactly did you intervene within us?" the young woman forcefully suppressed her internal changes and exclaimed in surprise and anger. "When exactly? Naturally, during the very moment you were inside my essence." You thought I had any difficulty in eliminating those who came before to extract the essence of the True Lion? As long as I enter my true form and implant spiritual seeds within your bodies, it's nothing short of effortless. Even if you haven't perished, you're no better than puppets now. Once I settle this unexpected intruder, I shall have fulfilled my purpose." As soon as he finished speaking, a fierce grimness spread across the massive, grotesque face, and thunderous crackling erupted from his body. Black lightning arcs surged forth, transforming into countless black blades that surged toward Han Li with overwhelming force. Before they even reached him, hundreds of these blades suddenly scattered outward, then began rotating like windmills. Black electric arcs shot forth from their surfaces, connecting with one another in a continuous roar. In an instant, a vast black net—spanning an acre—materialized around Han Li, encircling him from all sides. "A sword formation," Han Li murmured, his eyes narrowing with a look of astonishment. Strange incantations echoed from the face of the strange figure, and at once thunder roared. Under the flashing black arcs of lightning, the vast net began to slowly converge toward the center, driven by hundreds of black lightning blades. A deep rumble echoed, and beneath the relentless surge of azure light, the black grid seemed to shatter like paper, crumbling into fragments. Yet the man's smile remained untouched! As the thunder roared, the scattered black arcs gathered themselves with a kind of spiritual awareness, coalescing once more into an identical, solid black network, which continued calmly advancing toward Han Li. Han Li's face grew pale. At the same time, the monstrous face burst out in a fierce, grim smile, its massive form twisting and reshaping. Amidst the blazing black light, it suddenly sprouted four thick limbs, and its body transformed from bulky to tall and robust, becoming a sleek, shimmering black qilin. The qilin stood hundreds of paces tall, appearing like a towering black mountain from afar—seeming even more imposing than before. The large, grotesque face now covered the qilin's forehead, its distorted features strikingly unusual and lending an eerie, otherworldly charm to the creature. With the transformation complete, the Black Qi Qilin lifted one of its forelimbs and stepped down into the void directly at Han Li's position. At once, intense spatial ripples surged ten zhang above Han Li, and a flash of black light revealed a colossal black foot, rising like a towering pillar. Even before it truly made contact, an invisible, immense force surged into being, enveloping the space below. Han Li, immersed in the green swordlight, felt a sudden tightening around him—like a massive steel band had been pressed firmly against his body, attempting to bind him in place, helpless and motionless. As the great black foot descended, the black net also shimmered and moved into position, its electric arcs crackling with a loud "crack!" sound, as though it were moments away from touching him. At this critical moment, Han Li's face remained calm, showing no signs of panic. Instead, he took a deep breath, and suddenly a radiant golden glow spread over his body, golden scales emerging mysteriously on his skin. With both arms gleaming gold, he swiftly spread them out to either side. A continuous series of thunderous booms echoed through the air! Surrounded on all sides, it was yet forcibly broken by Han Li with an even stronger force.