The azure rainbow formed by Han Li had already reached high above, far beyond the range of a thousand flying spirits. From the flying spirits' accounts, he had gained a clear understanding of several significant developments within the flying spirit clans in recent years. However, all other matters were entirely unrelated to him, thus requiring no further attention. The only two things that truly concerned Han Li were these: First, the four great demon kings who had journeyed with him deep into the realm of the Underworld during their earlier days had seemingly never managed to return to the Earth's depths, ultimately leading to the Earth's depths being seized by the united flying spirit clans, with all the earth-bound demon creatures being completely eradicated. Second, Bai Bi and Lei Lan, who had safely returned during the trials, eventually both ascended to the status of Sacred Masters of the Sky-Peak Clan, thereby rescuing the Sky-Peak Clan from the imminent threat of extinction. As for the first matter, since Qingyuan Zi now presides over the Underworld realm, and the Fluttering Clan is deeply involved, and there appear to be further major secrets yet uncovered, it is no surprise that the four great demon kings remain trapped there. However, this would make it somewhat troublesome for him to re-enter the realm of the River of Souls. The point of convergence originally agreed upon by Qingyuan Zi was precisely a location deep within the earth's depths. Unless he reached that spot, even with the reverse-star disc bestowed upon him by the other party, he would be unable to breach the boundary and enter the realm of the River of Souls. After all, even when the four great demon kings had united their efforts, they had still expended considerable effort and relied on external assistance to establish a passage into the realm. Though he now considered himself no less capable than late-stage cultivators, he certainly did not possess the true ability to shatter the void and transcend dimensions. As for the second matter, he had once impersonated the holy heir of the Tianpeng Clan and, with their support, had cultivated the Jingzhe Technique. Yet, he had been forcefully compelled by the senior abbot of the Tianpeng Clan to descend into the earth's depths, ultimately falling into the hands of the four great demon kings. Thus, the grievances he held against the Tianpeng Clan remain somewhat blurred and difficult to fully clarify. Nevertheless, if he wished to re-enter the earth's depths once again, he might still be Han Li pondered this in his mind for a while, then suddenly flipped his hands, and at once a blue jade scroll and a pale, circular disk appeared in both hands. He pressed the jade scroll directly against his forehead, slightly narrowed his eyes to scan additional information, then removed it and carefully examined the white disk. His face expressed a series of shifting moods before finally settling on a decision. He took both objects into his hands, and at that moment, the Qing Hong suddenly emitted a low hum, then trembled, accelerating its speed dramatically and swiftly breaking through the air. Five months later, high above the sky, beyond a hundred li from the celestial city of Tian Peng, a brilliant streak of emerald light surged from afar, breaking through the atmosphere like a meteor. Before it even reached the city, a clear, resonant call suddenly rang out from within the light. At first, the sound was soft, but as it continued without pause, it grew steadily stronger, eventually echoing across the sky like a surge of waves, resonating throughout the entire city. This astonishing scene naturally sent ripples through the high-ranking beings throughout the holy city. Instantly, several figures surged forth from towering buildings, then, in a flash, either transformed into streaks of electric arcs or simply blurred, vanishing without a trace. At the next moment, these figures materialized in the void beyond the holy city, all gazing in stunned silence at the vibrant blue light sphere hurtling toward them. Though still some distance away, the sphere exuded an overwhelming, primal aura—so potent it seemed capable of consuming the entire cosmos. This very aura was one they recognized instantly; it was the celestial pheasant essence revered by their lineage. Such a refined and pure expression of this essence, however, seemed to be possessed only by the Grand Elder’s celestial pheasant form. Upon realizing this, the others all turned to gaze at one another. Where they were looking, a white-robed maiden with golden feathered wings stood gracefully, her gaze fixed upon the azure light, yet a hint of doubt flickered in her eyes. She was none other than Jin Yue, the Grand Elder of the Tian Peng clan! Though this young lady had achieved the peak of the Consolidated Stage, she was indeed startled by the aura emanating from the visitors—yet she showed no fear. Without hesitation, she pressed her palm to her chest and instantly a golden glow shimmered within her pupils, activating an unknown spiritual sight technique. At once, the distant azure glow, once nearly blinding, became vivid and clear in her vision. "Indeed..." Jin Yue was taken aback, her face now expressing genuine astonishment. "Grand Elder, what have you seen?" asked an elder with red hair, who had just reached the Consolidated Stage. "Xu Elder will find out shortly!" Jin Yue said, her expression somewhat puzzled, before shaking her head after a brief pause. Upon hearing Jin Yue's words, Senior Xu naturally felt no need to press further questions, and the other senior elders of the Consolidated Stage remained silent, all turning their gaze toward the distant jade-like light formation. During this brief pause, the light formation seemed to surge forward like a gust of wind, swiftly arriving before the gathering crowd. As the glow subsided, a colossal bird of a uniformly jade-green hue emerged. This bird measured ten zhang in length, its feathers as strong as steel, and its claws like hooks—exactly as described in the legends of the True Spirit K'un Peng. Though they had long suspected as much, upon seeing this magnificent bird before them, Senior Xu and the others could not help but visibly startled. Before any of them could ask questions, the great bird swept its wings once, and its prolonged call ceased. Yet immediately thereafter, a cascade of jade-green symbols rippled across its body, causing it to swell in size dramatically. In a matter of flashes, this azure phoenix grew to a colossal size, stretching hundreds of zhangs tall—its golden eyes blazing like lightning. With a mere flap of its wing, a storm of wind and thunder surged forth, so powerful that several senior elders of the Tianpeng Clan, still in their early Consolidation stage, were startled and stepped back several paces. "Hmm, you're—" Jin Yue's brows furrowed slightly, as if she had caught something, her delicate features momentarily revealing a look of disbelief. "Ah, it seems the elder has remembered me." Suddenly, the massive phoenix bird rolled downward, its immense form instantly dispersing into a swirling mass of emerald light, leaving behind a figure clad in a green robe, with a pair of feathered wings sprouting from his back, gazing calmly at Jin Yue. "It's you!" "Impossible!" Neither Jin Yue nor the elder Xu, nor the other elderly lady who resembled a graceful matron, could speak as the moment passed. "I see both of you have been here all along. Allow me to extend my greetings." The green-robed figure was none other than Han Li, who had just performed his transformation into the celestial phoenix. Upon hearing the elder with red hair's words, he glanced at him and offered a gentle smile, bowing slightly. "Xu brother, you both recognize him! Is he one of our celestial phoenix people? If so, then why have we never heard of someone of his caliber before?" The other several senior elders of the Tianpeng Clan naturally found this scene astonishing, one of them unable to refrain from asking repeatedly. Xu Elder and the beautiful woman, however, were too stunned to respond—they exchanged glances and immediately saw shock reflected in each other’s faces. When Frang initially appeared in the Sacred City, the other elders had been dispatched to oversee various cities of the Tianpeng Clan, and thus not recognizing him as the then-foreign "Tianpeng Clan Heir" was entirely understandable. Yet according to expectation, Frang should have been captured and even perished in the hands of the earth-deep monsters long ago—there was no way he should have survived. Yet here he stood before them, having transformed into a magnificent Tianpeng form and appearing as though he had already advanced to the Saint Rank. How could they not be utterly amazed? "Indeed, it is Frang. It turns out he did not perish in the earth-deep realm at all. In fact, he has now reached the Saint Rank. Clearly, he must have discovered remarkable fortune during his time there." "Jin Yue finally spoke, but her voice was far more composed than anyone had expected. "Han Li indeed had some fortunate opportunities in the Deep Realm, though these are not directly related to my current stage of cultivation. On the contrary, I have truly come close to dying several times at the hands of those four Great Demon Kings." Han Li smiled slightly, then exhaled gently in reply. "Indeed? Regardless of how much Han has advanced in cultivation, attaining the Saint Stage is surely a cause for great joy. Moreover, I haven't yet had the chance to properly thank you for what happened back then. However, this isn't quite the right place for a conversation. Why don't you come with me to the city? I believe your arrival with such a grand presence must not merely be about catching up with us a few old friends." Jin Yue's eyes sparkled with sudden brightness, and she suddenly smiled warmly. "The elder's keen insight and grace are truly admirable. This visit of mine indeed has a matter of business to discuss with you, Jin." Han Li smiled gently and openly acknowledged it. "Then, please, Han, proceed." Jin Yue heard this and a gentle smile appeared on her face, at which she immediately extended an inviting gesture. Though the other senior elders of the Tianpeng Clan—including Xu Elder and the beautiful woman—were all filled with surprise, Jin Yue had long held the position of Senior Elder and her prestige within the Tianpeng Clan was unmatched, making them naturally unwilling to express any opposition. Han Li smiled lightly, moved his body, and followed the white-robed young lady toward the Sacred City, showing not the slightest hesitation. The other several senior elders of the Tianpeng Clan followed suit, each with a different expression. Han Li’s earlier roar and transformation into a massive, jade-colored great phoenix had been nothing short of impressive, naturally drawing the attention of countless mid-to-high ranked Tianpeng members within the Sacred City. Nevertheless, upon seeing several senior elders appear suddenly outside the city, these elite spiritual generals and commanders—ranked among the top spiritual officers of the clan—felt no need to interrupt and simply approached, instead observing from afar above the city’s ramparts. Yet they were too far away, and furthermore, the nearby area had already been sealed off by Jin Yue, the senior elder, with a near-sound restriction, so they heard absolutely nothing. They only saw that the large azure pterodactyl suddenly transformed into a young man resembling one of their own clan, who then conversed briefly with several elders before immediately heading toward the city. As a result, the entire group remained utterly confused, unable to grasp the reason behind this sudden development. Under the dense gathering of sky-petrel observers, Han Li entered the holy city of the sky-petrels with remarkable composure. It wasn't until some time later that the sky-petrels gradually dispersed, once again resuming their individual activities. First, please forgive us. We originally planned to send more chapters to everyone by the end of the month once our health improved last month. However, with the approaching wedding, we’ve ended up handling so many unexpected tasks that we’re now utterly exhausted—simply unable to find the energy to write additional chapters. Even the chapters we’re currently working on have to be written late into the night, with much of it completed only after long hours of effort. Honestly, we used to hear other authors say that marriage takes a significant amount of time and energy, and we didn’t fully believe it. Now, we finally understand and accept it as true. With less than two months until our scheduled wedding, we anticipate even more busy days ahead, so we’re likely to remain quite busy in the coming period. Therefore, we may not be able to add much beyond what we can manage—only striving to keep delivering consistently. Hehe. Marriage is undoubtedly a major milestone in everyone’s life, and we don’t want our future wife to feel any sense of regret. We sincerely hope you can understand and appreciate this. Also, the success we’ve achieved today is entirely due to the unwavering support of all of you, our beloved readers. We deeply appreciate your continued dedication