Then, Han Li raised one hand, which instantly turned as black as ink. A massive, gray-hazy hand, stretching a zhang in length, materialized out of thin air in a flash. With a gentle parting of his fingers, it carried shimmering fragments of gray mist toward the massive black foot hovering above. Though vastly different in size, after a thunderous crash that shook the very mountains, the gray hand, trembling, managed to support the descending giant foot. Where the two touched, black light and gray mist interwove, flashing and bursting continuously, while an eerie gust of wind spiraled around them, as if a dragon of wind had surged skyward. At the same time, the great green lotus swirling around Han Li began to thunder with intense crackling. Countless golden arcs emerged densely and swiftly. Within a moment, a golden thunder lotus formed outside the green one. As the golden petals flashed, cascading golden arcs spread out in layers, immediately colliding with the gathering black electrical arcs nearby. The sound of thunder was deafening! At the very instant when the two electric arcs collided, they intertwined as if facing mortal adversaries, countless flashes of lightning and flames emerging amidst the shifting golden and black radiance, then bursting into vivid splendor. The two fierce attacks unleashed by the strange creature were unexpectedly repelled by Han Li. Startled, the creature's face froze momentarily, but then it emitted a cold hiss, a glint of frosty light flashing in its eyes. With a wide opening of its maw, a roar surged forth, and gusts of dark wind swept in, forming a vast, acre-sized black rift that materialized instantly before the Black Qilin. Within the rift, dark light spiraled and whirled, as though intent on devouring all existence. "Watch out! This is the Great Devouring Technique!" Though the young woman could not move an inch, upon witnessing the Black Qilin's action, she was instantly alarmed and hurriedly warned. Although her own form, a green Qilin, had previously performed a similar feat, its power and grandeur were utterly insignificant compared to that of the Black Qilin. Han Li was secretly startled by this scene. Upon hearing the young crystal-kin woman's words, he instantly flipped his palm in the air without hesitation. A small black mountain, only a few inches in size, rose from his palm and was then thrown forth. As the mountain swayed, it rapidly expanded—within mere breaths, it grew to over a thousand zhang in height, matching the size of the massive black麒 (Mò Qí Lion) across from it. It then rose into the sky and descended with the weight of a mountain pressing down upon it. Half the sky dimmed as the colossal black peak enveloped the lower region, as if relying on its might to crush the black hole and the black麒 itself beneath it. Yet a dramatic turn of events caused Han Li's face to pale. Suddenly, vast streaks of dark light erupted from the deep black chasm, striking the Yuanmagnetic Divine Mountain precisely. These streaks transformed into several large black symbols, each measuring several zhang in size, and vanished instantly into the mountain's body. The black mountain trembled, then spun swiftly, restoring itself to its original miniature size under the shimmering hues of dawn light. As a wave of black light enveloped it, it vanished in a sudden "whoosh." Instantly, the treasure appeared at the edge of the great cavern, only to be abruptly drawn into it. Han Li felt a jolt of astonishment—his connection with the Yuanmagnetic Divine Mountain, which had long been fully integrated into his essence, now grew weak, as though about to sever entirely. He could hardly believe it. After all, the mountain had been completely refined and absorbed by him, and yet it was now being forcibly taken away—this was truly astonishing. Han Li's expression grew serious. He murmured softly, and the silver glow on the back of his dark palm flickered gently, forming a faint, ethereal silhouette of a small mountain. With a second flash of gray light, the silhouette solidified into tangible reality—the black miniature mountain now appeared mysteriously in his hands, as if it had never been summoned at all. A light "Ah!" of surprise escaped his lips, leaving him utterly amazed. It naturally didn't know that the Yuanmagnetic Divine Mountain had already been consecrated and refined by the Hundred Meridians' Treasure-Forging Technique, and unless its entire body—including Han Li's hand—was severed, it could be instantly summoned merely by a flicker of its consciousness, no matter how far away. However, only when Han Li was about to employ a different divine technique to counter his opponent did the true power of the Great Devouring Technique fully unfold. After a series of strange, creaking laughs, the light around him suddenly dimmed unnaturally. A sharp scent of blood rushed toward him, and in the next instant, he found himself floating in a pitch-black void, with the massive black feet and surrounding black lightning suddenly dissipating and vanishing. Han Li was startled, realizing that his consciousness could no longer separate from his body. He blinked rapidly, his eyes flashing a blue glow, and quickly scanned the surroundings with his spiritual vision, barely managing to make out the shapes within a hundred paces. Yet, both the sky and the surroundings remained uniformly dark and featureless. He felt as though he had been transported into an entirely unfamiliar realm. Han Li, however, was very clear that he had not moved an inch since he first appeared there—so the monster should have truly swallowed him whole. Yet this Great Devouring Technique was truly strange; once it unfolded, it left him utterly unable to evade it. As he murmured to himself, the jade-lotus golden arc beneath his feet suddenly flashed and blossomed, forming a protective shield of golden and jade hues, with an additional translucent crystal-like aura encasing him tightly. He had personally witnessed the fates of the crystal race woman and the man named Gui, and thus he had been exceptionally cautious. Even so, Han Li showed no sign of being held back at all. With a gentle flick of his fingers toward one side of the empty space, he sent out a sharp burst of sound. A cascade of vividly green, piercing sword-like attacks erupted like a sudden downpour. Yet after a series of dull thuds, the green swordlight vanished as if sinking into a marsh, barely reaching a hundred paces beyond its point of origin. Han Li's face darkened. With a single hand gesture, golden arcs gathered around him and converged at one point. A thunderclap rang out, and instantly, a golden electric serpent several dozen feet long coalesced—then, in a flash, it shook its head and tail and surged forward. Han Li glanced at the scene, his eye twitching slightly and his eyes briefly narrowing. "Forget trying to escape. The other two managed to get out—thanks to my deliberate positioning. Now that I'm personally holding you here, you'll be unable to take flight, no matter how strong your wings." The black-robed man spoke, his words somewhat indistinct, yet unmistakably the voice of the stranger with the odd face. "Really? I'm not so sure about that." A fleeting oddity passed over Han Li's face, after which he emitted a low hum through his nose. That seemingly ordinary hum caused the black-robed figure, hundreds of paces away, to suddenly stiffen—his body seemed to sag as if made of wood, and he plummeted downward from the air as though frozen. It was precisely during Han Li's hum that he had silently activated the "Surprise Sting Technique." Despite the black-robed man's unusual abilities, he had been caught off guard and struck by the technique. Then, a thunderous crack echoed behind Han Li, and suddenly, a pair of translucent, shimmering wings emerged from his back. With a mere flick of his wings, Han Li vanished completely from his A flash of azure-white electric arc beside the black-robed figure, Han Li suddenly materialized, his hand gesturing gently, and a long blade of jade-green hue appearing silently. With a light sweep, a flash of cold light cut through the black-robed figure's head and face mask, splitting it in two. Then, without hesitation, Han Li cupped his hands and raised them, and a burst of golden arcs shot forth. The severed halves of the black-robed figure instantly transformed into swirling masses of black vapor, poised to vanish completely into ash and smoke. Upon seeing this, Han Li relaxed, a faint smile finally breaking through his lips. Yet, as soon as that smile appeared, it froze—because the black vapor that had previously vanished into the golden light suddenly coiled into serpentine forms, shooting forth like arrows from the ground. Though the Divine-Defying Thunder was powerful, it only intercepted most of them; a few managed to slip through the golden arcs, then, with a brief flash of black light, transformed into slender, small humanoid figures. Just as the earlier cloaked figures, though only a few feet tall, there were no less than a hundred of them. As their forms blurred, they seemed to flicker in and out of sight, like phantom shadows. In the next instant, Han Li found himself completely surrounded by these dwarf-like cloaked figures. Their eyes gleamed with cold intensity, and as they raised their hands simultaneously, streams of black light surged forth, aimed directly at Han Li. Upon impact, the black beams flashed strangely and then vanished entirely, as if they had disappeared into the sea, without a trace. The surrounding cloaked figures were momentarily stunned. At that moment, Han Li smiled lightly. The Yuanmagnetic Divine Light was particularly effective against the Five Elements' energies; the black beams, which had been unusually cold and refined, were in fact pure, refined water-based spiritual energy, and thus were easily deflected by Han Li's Yuanmagnetic Divine Light. Suddenly, Han Li lifted his single foot and stepped firmly upon the jade lotus beneath him. At once, countless streaks of emerald light burst forth like a torrential downpour, striking the surrounding short figures clad in black robes and piercing them to such an extent that they were instantly reduced to swirling masses of black vapor. "Ha ha! Young man, surrender now! Within my body, my spirit is immortal—each time you strike, it grows stronger, multiplying endlessly!" A grating, self-satisfied chuckle echoed from the surrounding void. Indeed, upon a mere flicker of the black vapor, hundreds of black-robed figures materialized—only a few inches tall this time. Han Li's eyes widened in sudden alarm, yet his expression hardened instantly. With a single hand motion, he spun it slightly and suddenly revealed a golden fragment of blade, the very item he had just obtained—believed to be a remnant of the Xuan Tian Blade. Though he did not yet know the true purpose behind the enemy's entrapment, he would not be led by the nose. If necessary, he would simply expend some of his spiritual energy and physical form to activate this blade once more. Though the other's Great Devouring Technique was remarkably exquisite, it could never withstand the power of the laws. He aimed to strike down this monster in a single blow and thus conclude the battle.