Suddenly, his brows furrowed and his body moved, the stunning aura of the shock-rising light flashing like lightning. After a few swift steps, he appeared suddenly above a seemingly ordinary residence. There, five cultivators dressed in various styles were gathered around a house shrouded in a pale mist, whispering and discussing matters among themselves. When Han Li materialized above the house like a ghost, the others were startled, some immediately flipping open their hands to produce treasures, others forming seals to prepare defenses. "Get out of the way!" Han Li said coldly, not even looking at them. "What did you just say? How dare you be so impolite!" "Ah, it's the senior! We will immediately depart!" The five cultivators, all clearly at the stage of Immortal Transformation, were instantly furious upon hearing Han Li's words. When Han Li casually released the immense aura of a consolidated stage, the five people were once again startled to the point of their souls fleeing, hastily retreating and scattering in panic. They didn't dare to turn their heads even once during their flight, as if an evil ghost were relentlessly pursuing them. Han Li coldly glanced at them, hesitated slightly, then decided against taking any further action. Yet at that moment, from the house protected by a seal, a voice of sheer delight emerged: "Master Han, you weren't here! How could Master have appeared here? I shall come out to greet you!" As soon as the words were spoken, a surge of white mist rolled outward, followed by a strong gust of wind that swept the scene clear. The previously closed door suddenly opened, and three women stepped out. The leading woman was tall and graceful with fair skin—none other than Xu Xianyu of the Xu Shi family. "Master Xu, it's been many years!" Han Li smiled slightly and nodded in greeting. Since their parting at Xu's household, he had not seen her again—now, during the magical calamity, she had unexpectedly appeared here, which was truly surprising. "Thank you so much, elder, otherwise I truly would have been caught in this disaster." Xu Qianyu was visibly delighted upon seeing Han Li, and hurried forward with the other two women to pay him a deep bow of respect. "It's nothing—I was merely passing by and decided to lend a hand. Who were those people, and why did they attack you? Were they your enemies?" Han Li waved his hand and casually asked. "Enemies? Those people merely saw us three vulnerable and decided to act against us. You should have crushed them to pieces, elder." A round-faced woman following Xu Qianyu spoke with some frustration. "Enough, Xiao Qing!" To have met Master Han at all is already a matter of great fortune—we cannot allow ourselves to speak to such a senior in such a disrespectful manner. Master Han, this young lady, Xiao Qing, is my niece, who has always trained within the family and has never ventured far beyond. I hope you will not mind.!" Upon hearing this, Xu Qianyu's expression changed instantly, and she spoke sharply. Han Li paused briefly, then nodded in agreement. The location was far from the main encampment of the magical race, and there were no signs of other magical beings nearby, so he felt quite at ease. Though the room itself was not particularly spacious, the furniture and decorations exuded a distinct, timeless charm, suggesting it had existed for a long time. What did concern Han Li, however, was that the subtle fluctuations of magical seals that had been faintly visible around the room vanished completely the moment his party entered—disappearing so suddenly that even his awareness could not detect their origin at first. This sparked two new questions in his mind. As Han Li was seated at the central seat, he turned to the three women standing respectfully beside him and asked, "It seems this place is no ordinary human dwelling. Does it have any connection with your Xu family?" "Master Han, forgive me for the oversight. Indeed, this has long been a place we once used, which we abandoned many years ago. Our younger disciples were forced to take refuge here, pursued by those evil cultivators, and have been relying on the residual spells and seals we still possess to hold our own." Xu Qianyu replied respectfully. To our surprise, on the way back after the matter was settled, we unexpectedly encountered a large army of demonic forces. After a fierce battle, our people were defeated and had to flee in all directions. I and my two nieces were pursued by a smaller group of demonic warriors and, panicking, managed to reach this very place. Yet, after struggling hard to escape their pursuers, we unexpectedly ran into these several evil cultivators. "Has the Blood Spirit Brother left the Sacred City?" Han Li was momentarily startled, showing clear surprise. "Indeed, the elder monks of our clan originally did not wish to see the Blood Spirit Brother depart. However, the matters the Brother needed to attend to seemed particularly urgent, so he had to be allowed to leave temporarily." Xu Qianyu spoke honestly. "Then, after encountering the demonic forces, did the Blood Spirit Brother remain unharmed?" Han Li did not press further about the specific matters handled by the Xu family, but after a brief pause, asked instead about the well-being of the Blood Spirit Sister. "Master Han, please don't worry. Before I departed, I personally witnessed the Blood Spirit Lord break through the encirclement. Although several high-ranking demonic warriors pursued him, the Lord's divine abilities ensure his safety without any issue." Xu Qianyu calmly reported. "Then I'm reassured. By the way, how is the situation in the Sacred Emperor's City? The entire human realm has now been severed by the demonic army's relentless advances, and even basic spirit scroll communications have been disrupted." Master Han asked, his expression shifting. "It's not very promising. Our Sacred Emperor's City remains unharmed—the demonic army has not attacked us directly, but instead launched multi-pronged assaults to eliminate other human strongholds. Now, aside from the capital city, many human outposts have fallen, and several sects and noble families have been completely wiped out. Moreover, this assault appears different from previous invasions, which were merely looting operations. Now, some of the demonic forces have begun establishing permanent settlements in the conquered human cities and are systematically enslaving our common human civilians." Xu Qianyu spoke, her face growing increasingly worried. "It seems the rumors are true—the current magical calamity is different from past ones; it appears the demonic forces intend to settle in the immortal realm for the long term." Upon hearing this, Han Li's expression darkened, and after a pause, he said in a serious tone. "Wait—does that mean the demonic race truly plans to occupy our human realm?" Before Xu Qianyu could respond, another woman, pale but well-built, gasped in alarm. "It's not just our human race—the elven, the night-folk, and even neighboring forest tribes may also be targets of the demonic incursion. As for specifics, I'm not entirely certain, though I do know that such reports have indeed circulated among the upper echelons. But you needn't be overly concerned—when the sky collapses, someone tall enough will naturally bear the weight. I'm sure the Sacred Island has already devised appropriate measures." Han Li's expression relaxed, and he smiled lightly as he spoke. "Indeed, with the Holy Island and Mo Jianli Master here, the demonic race may have grand schemes, but they will find it difficult to carry them through." Xu Qianyu also breathed a sigh of relief and said this. The other two women heard this and their expressions improved noticeably. Clearly, the reputations of the Holy Island and Mo Jianli had given them considerable confidence. During the remaining time, Han Li carefully inquired about the details of the demonic army near the Sacred Emperor's City, and before they knew it, half an hour had passed. "It's getting late now. I have other matters to attend to, so I shall not stay any longer. I'll see you all again at some point in the future. By the way, this place isn't suitable for long stay—better for you three to return to the City of Life sooner rather than later." Han Li finally stood up and delivered his parting words, adding a few final pieces of advice. Upon hearing this, Xu Qianyu and the other two women naturally did not hesitate to object, and immediately agreed, then respectfully escorted Han Li out of the door. Han Li's body shimmered with a flash of azure light, and he once again transformed into a streak of azure Xu Qianyu watched as Qinghong vanished at the very edge of the sky, her eyes suddenly flashing with a complex expression, and then sighed softly. "Uncle Xu, this Master Han is indeed the elder who once delivered the Blood Spirit Master back to our Xu family. Is he truly an elder at the Consolidated Stage?" As soon as Master Han had departed, the round-faced woman hurriedly asked, eager to know. The other woman blinked her beautiful eyes, equally attentive. "Yes, it's exactly this Master Han. When he first came to our Xu family, he was already at the Consolidated Stage. It's said that shortly before the Magician's Cataclysm, he advanced again, now reaching the mid-Consolidated Stage." Xu Qianyu replied with a wry smile. "Mid-Consolidated? That's truly remarkable! I've never seen someone of such a high rank before. From what others have told me, Uncle Xu and Master Han have been close friends, even working together in Tianyuan City back then—this is no exaggeration! The woman with the round face clearly wasn't too young; she first gasped softly, then asked two more excited questions.