Shi Lun was instantly startled upon hearing this, his breath catching with a soft "puff." The leather sack suddenly burst open mid-air, and a swarm of blood-colored toxic bees surged forth. Immediately, a low hum resonated, and the bees coalesced into a dense blood cloud, rushing straight toward the young man who had materialized behind Shi Lun without any prior notice—none other than Han Li, who had just manifested through teleportation. Upon seeing the blood bees sweeping directly toward him, Han Li offered a calm, serene smile. Though the number of bees was substantial—nearly three or four dozen—their cultivation to maturity had required considerable effort on the part of the opponent. Even a Jading cultivator might find them formidable. Yet to Han Li, they posed no challenge at all. With neither movement nor gesture, he merely opened his mouth and expelled a stream of five-colored cold flame. A flash of intense cold instantly enveloped the swarm, fully absorbing and subduing the blood bees. To the sight, a swirl of five-colored cold light flowed through, instantly transforming the entire swarm of blood bees into a massive block of ice, suspended in midair and completely motionless. Stone Lun, witnessing this, naturally grew both astonished and furious, yet with a single hand gesture, he produced once more an ancient green mirror. As the mirror's surface shimmered with a radiant glow, a column of pale green light erupted and shot forth, reaching remarkably close to Han Li in a flash—its speed astonishingly swift. Han Li slightly raised his brow, neither flinching nor retreating; suddenly, a grayish shimmer rolled before him, forming a translucent gray light curtain. The green light column struck the curtain and vanished as if it had never existed. Stone Lun himself stood utterly stunned, his face filled with disbelief. Han Li, however, remained composed, lifting one arm and gently touching the opposite side with a single finger. A strand of green silk shot out and, after a brief flicker, disappeared silently. At that very moment, Shi Lun felt a flash of emerald light before him, a sudden coolness spreading across his brow, as a surge of silken threads pierced through his entire head, leaving him rigid and completely unconscious. The silken threads, however, did not pause, swiftly spiraling around his body before cutting into seven or eight fragments. The fallen corpse scattered like a downpour of blood, and even the immortal spirit dwelling within him was instantly severed and extinguished. "Ah!" exclaimed a young man who had just narrowly escaped death nearby, startled into speech. Two black-robed cultivators, who had been enjoying a lively exchange with Hai's young master and the spirit of the artifact, naturally witnessed the entire scene of Shi Lun's demise. Both of them were instantly stunned, their limbs growing cold, their faces pale with awe as though they had seen ghosts. When Han Li turned his head and cast a cold, steady gaze upon them. The two accomplices of Shi Lun were instantly chilled, simultaneously shedding their opponents. One suddenly launched a flying dagger, which transformed into a streak of white light and swiftly took off, drifting toward the distance. The other abruptly drew out a black scroll, slapped it against his body, and instantly a surge of black mist erupted, engulfing his form completely, then rolled off in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Hai the Young and Qi Lingzi were left helpless—Hai could not even lift off, and Qi Lingzi had no flying artifact at all, so they could only watch helplessly as the opponents vanished into the distance, growing increasingly frustrated and shouting angrily in place. At that moment, Han Li's calm voice echoed: "You still want to escape now?" As soon as the words fell, a thunderous rumble surged from Han Li's body, and two golden electric arcs shot out, swiftly closing the gap and catching up to the fleeing figures from behind. "Boom!" "Boom!" The two cultivators were instantly reduced to ash, unable even to utter a sound. The Hai Young Man and the Spirit of the Artifact were both jumping up and down, suddenly going utterly still, as if frozen in place. After a while, the handsome young man finally hummed and said, "Spirit of the Artifact, you're a Foundation-level cultivator, and so is Brother Han. Yet your abilities seem to differ by a wide margin. You've been struggling for a long time to handle your opponent, while Brother Han simply waved his hand and extinguished him. Either you're not as strong as you think, or Brother Han truly surpasses you in prowess!" Still stunned, the Spirit of the Artifact immediately regained her composure and began to express her frustration in a flurry of explanations: "Master, you're also a mid-stage Body-Training cultivator—your strength shouldn't fall far short of even a Foundation-level cultivator. Then why haven't you managed to defeat your opponent as well? Besides, I've been reduced to relying solely on this 'Black Silkworm Wood Sword,' and many of my techniques simply can't be executed anymore." "Hmph. Honestly, I still can't even match Brother Han's single finger. Thank goodness I wasn't fooled into the Mist Sea Pavilion back then. Otherwise, I The sea-wealthy young lord waved his hands, and in a flash of golden light, his pair of golden gloves vanished. In their place, he produced a fan, shook it gracefully, and gently扇ed it back and forth, his face beaming with an air of clear foresight. The spirit of the artifact, however, grew slightly flushed at the young lord's words, finding himself momentarily at a loss for counterarguments and only hummed a few times, as if he hadn't heard a word. The sea-wealthy young lord, now comfortably prevailing in the verbal exchange, felt satisfied and said nothing further. Han Li descended slowly from the sky. "My name is Bai Hua Ji. May I ask your esteemed names, honored friends? I am deeply grateful for your life-saving kindness. Without you, neither I nor my daughter would have made it." At that moment, the middle-aged man approached, accompanied by the young girl, and bowed deeply, expressing his heartfelt gratitude. Yet, the way he looked at Han Li carried an unmistakable sense of reverence. After all, the feats displayed by Han Li had been remarkably astonishing—within just a few encounters, he had eliminated three fellow-stage cultivators, yet appeared as though he had not even deployed his true power. How could his actual strength be significantly inferior to that of a Ji Dan cultivator? Sea Da and Qi Ling Zi clearly had never before experienced such respectful treatment from a peer. Immediately, one of them composed himself, calmly stating, "It's nothing at all," while the other, beaming with pride, fully accepted the elder man's gratitude and even proudly announced both his and Han Li's lives to the gathering. Han Li glanced at the two with a composed expression, then his gaze shifted to the young girl named Bái Guǒ’ér. The girl stood shyly behind her father, curiously observing Han Li and the two others. When their eyes met, she grew slightly nervous, gently stepped back, and completely concealed herself behind the middle-aged man. "Hmm, isn't something amiss with your demeanor?" After gazing for a moment, Han Li emitted a soft "Ah!" and his face revealed a touch of surprise. "Ah, Brother Han has noticed the cold toxin within my daughter!" The middle-aged man, upon hearing this, likewise looked astonished. "Yes, the cold qi has already penetrated deep into the dantian and meridians. If not expelled soon, my daughter will likely perish within three years. However, it seems not to be a mere ordinary cold toxin—treating it will indeed prove quite challenging," Han Li said, his pupils flashing with blue light several times, a statement that sent the middle-aged man's body vibrating. "What? You mean this cold toxin can be cured?" Bai Hua Ji's ears seemed to doubt their own hearing; his voice trembled as he repeated the words in disbelief. Han Li smiled slightly, about to respond, but then furrowed his brows, lifting his head toward a certain direction in the sky, as though he had just noticed something. The others, seeing this, were momentarily stunned and turned to look as well, yet the sky beyond remained empty and unremarkable, showing no signs of anything unusual. "Han brother, you..." The sea's young general closed his fan, eager to ask something. But at that moment, a flash of white light appeared on the horizon, and a streak of white light suddenly emerged, rushing toward their location. "Ah! It's Auntie!" The young girl, upon seeing the white streak in the distance, immediately beamed with joy and clapped her hands. The middle-aged man also brightened visibly. "Ah! A Jiadian cultivator? Is that the very one they just mentioned—the senior 'Moonlight Immortal'?" The instrument spirit master's face slightly changed, and he said to Han Li. Han nodded, his expression calm and unbothered. In a short while, the white streak reached above them. As the light faded, a young woman in a white dress appeared in the air, in her thirties, graceful and dignified. "Guo, are you all safe?" As soon as the woman materialized, her initial anxiety eased upon seeing the young girl and the man below, and she asked with a relieved tone. "Madam, the child is safe. How did you also come here? Did you hear of the misfortunes befalling my brother-in-law and the others?" Bai Hua Ji hurried forward, bowed respectfully to the air, and asked with some bewilderment. "Good—that's what matters! I heard from a close friend in the marketplace that you had gone out together with people who closely resembled the Three Wicked of Mount Nanshan. The Three Wicked are well-known for their ill repute; thus, I immediately came here out of concern. Are these three indeed the Three Wicked of Mount Nanshan?" The woman briefly answered the man a few sentences, then turned her gaze and instantly fixed it on Han Li and the two others. A flash of cold light gleamed in her eyes, and at once, an astonishing spiritual pressure surged downward, directly pressing upon the three of them. Hai Dashi and Qi Lingzi were startled, retreating several steps under the irresistible spiritual pressure, nearly falling to their knees. Han Li's expression darkened. Without a word, he suddenly raised one hand and waved it through the air, and instantly, an invisible force rippled outward. A heavy thud echoed as the immense spiritual pressure descending from the sky was suddenly shattered in one blow. "Hmm, you're not the Three Wicked of Nanshan!" The young woman's expression tightened upon closer inspection of the three figures—her face now revealed a touch of surprise. "Mother-in-law, wait a moment! The three elders we've been speaking of are not the Three Wicked of Nanshan. In fact, the Three Wicked have already been defeated—thanks to their timely intervention, both I and my daughter, Guo'er, were saved. Moreover, this Master Han seems to have a method of expelling the cold toxin that has been plaguing Guo'er." The middle-aged man quickly shouted to the young woman. "Really? They can cure Guo'er? That's truly the case!" Upon hearing the first two sentences, the young woman's earlier stern expression had already softened, but upon hearing the final statement, her face suddenly brightened with great joy. "As for that, my son hasn't yet had the chance to ask Master Han about it in detail. Mother-in-law has arrived just in time." The middle-aged man smiled faintly, then glanced at the young woman to indicate where Han