This blood-shadow was clearly a young blood-bubble boy with a refined appearance! "Don't be too optimistic yet! Don't forget the conditions Yuan Sha first proposed when we arrived." The other blood-shadow, with a face almost identical to the first, spoke calmly. "Hmph. Since Yuan Sha's target is the same as ours, the original conditions must naturally be adjusted. We can hand him the person, but we've never agreed to give up the treasures on our person." The middle youth snorted, responding without hesitation. "In that case, Yuan Sha will likely refuse to accept it. We can offer him part of the treasures, but the Sealing Dragon Lock and the Purple Speech Cauldron—we must retrieve them first." The second blood-shadow shook her head. "Half of it! This human youth clearly possesses great treasures. You're willing to part with them so easily." The middle youth gave a slight frown. "We can't help it—we can't afford to provoke the Six Extremes behind Yuan Sha right now. This isn't the time to challenge them! "Ming Xiyin chuckled coldly. "Indeed, Lu Ji is no small trouble!" The young man's face grew pale, showing a touch of apprehension. "Enough! Don't just keep thinking of the good things! We still don't know whether we'll succeed in capturing him this time. It seems he's already aware of our presence. Any attempt to ambush him will likely fall short." The last Xiyin spoke, his tone serious. "How could he have detected me? We've completely concealed ourselves with the Qiankun Pan. Unless he possesses the stage of Great Perfection, he should hardly have any real awareness. At most, he might have a slight suspicion. Yuan Sha is still hot on his heels—how could he possibly remain still in one place?" The middle-aged young man frowned, gazing at the image on the crystal wall, his disbelief evident. "Is that so? I feel... something's off. What is he doing?" Just as the last Xiyin shook his head, ready to add more, he suddenly gasped, his voice rising in surprise. The other two, upon clearly seeing Han Li's movements on the crystal wall, likewise grew pale! Suddenly, the koumei form Han Li had transformed into opened its mouth, expelling a golden ball of lightning that instantly expanded into a sphere several zhang in diameter. As if giving a broad smile toward the three of them, the koumei launched the lightning ball, which transformed into a brilliant golden arc and shot straight forward. A thunderclap roared! The entire crystal wall shimmered with golden arcs, then cracked with a crisp sound, fragmenting into fine crystalline powder and vanishing mid-air. "He has indeed discovered the Qiankun Disk! Since he cannot lure it here, we must now act and forcibly intercept it!" the middle youth shouted decisively. The other two agreed without hesitation and began chanting their incantations simultaneously. The incantations echoed through the space with a resonant, somewhat awkward tone. At the same time, the lightning ball expanded into a vast net, sweeping forward. Amidst the flashing lightning, a faint, milky-white object gradually emerged in the sky. This object was over a hundred zhang in size, translucent and shimmering, shaped like a perfect circle, as if a colossal jade disk had been suspended in mid-air. Beneath the soft, milky glow of the disk, a square array of roughly one li in size gradually emerged silently. Had Han Li not halted his flight earlier, he would have surely been caught by this spell—despite his usual composure, he was genuinely startled by what he now saw. At that moment, the great jade disk spun gently, and a thick, luminous white veil surged upward from its surface. After a few flickers, it transformed into a seemingly boundless wall of light, completely sealing off the path ahead. Yet, at this very instant, Han Li’s transformed koupeng suddenly rolled onto the ground. A brilliant radiance flashed, and the silver giant bird vanished, replaced by a towering, unfamiliar creature with a phoenix crown atop its head and long, flowing feathers adorning its body—its appearance bore a striking resemblance to the legendary True Spirit Heavenly Phoenix. This was precisely the Tianfeng Incarnation formed by Han Li activating the Jingzhe Decision. As soon as the bird appeared, a clear, resonant call echoed from its wings as it扇ed them once. Instantly, ripples spread through the space before it, and a pale, misty crack emerged. The great bird moved swiftly, vanishing in a flash within the crack. A moment later, behind the white light curtain, another crack flashed into being, and the bird darted out from within it, then rolled once. Silver arcs of electricity flashed and interwove! Han Li had once again transformed into a silver giant phoenix. The giant phoenix merely flicked its four wings, and with a sudden burst of sound, it vanished completely—yet at a distance of several hundred zhang, a thunderclap rang out, and a shimmering silver-blue arc paused momentarily before the phoenix reappeared, its body then shifting into a strand of pale white and bright green light, continuing its flight. From the great jade disc projecting the light curtain to Han Li's transformation into the Tianfeng form and his seamless traversal through space, the sequence may appear dazzling, yet it was all accomplished in a single, fluid instant. The three manifestations of the Blood-Light Saint Patriarch within the Jade Disk were stunned by the scene. "Impossible! Under the restrictions of the Qi-Kun Disk, how could he have moved so effortlessly and instantaneously? Something must have gone wrong! Could it be that he possesses a treasure capable of countering the Qi-Kun Disk?" One of the Blood-Shadows, upon regaining consciousness, immediately grew agitated. "It's not that. It's due to his recent transformation. You've forgotten that although the Qi-Kun Disk is remarkably effective in maintaining spatial stability, it cannot restrain celestial phoenixes endowed with innate abilities to break through space. The technique he just employed is clearly a form of transformation unique to the Heavenly Phoenix." The middle youth calmly explained. "Even so, the number of transformations he has undergone seems excessive. Even with the combined efforts of Yuan Sha, capturing him would surely prove difficult!" The final Blood-Light manifestation grew unusually gloomy. At that moment, a flash of white light appeared in the sky behind them, and a grand stone pavilion emerged, shimmering with spiritual radiance, then surged forward with determined momentum toward their direction. "Come on, let's go and catch up with them first!" The middle youth's eyes narrowed slightly, and without hesitation, he spoke. "We absolutely can't let this young man escape—otherwise, next time we might not be able to stop him. Let's move!" The other two incarnations nodded in agreement. Thus, as a flash of bloodlight rippled across their bodies, they instantly linked together, channeling their entire spiritual power into the massive jade disk. The jade disk emitted a resonant hum, its inscribed symbols swirling and shifting, then surged forward as a bright beam of light, swiftly pursuing. At a distance of several dozen miles, Yuan Sha sat calmly on his stone throne, his jade-faced expression deeply displeased. "Such a waste! With three incarnations working in unison, they still failed to contain the young man named Han in the ambush! It seems we'll have to take personal action after all." After muttering angrily, the woman issued a single command and immediately resumed urging the stone pavilion forward. Meanwhile, Han Li, speeding ahead, was secretly growing increasingly frustrated. Though the mysterious enemy within the jade disc had not yet appeared, the faint crimson glow emanating from the disc as it was activated earlier allowed him to easily recognize the opponent he had recently fought. With both the old and new rivals now arriving simultaneously, Han Li had completely lost any desire to engage in combat and instead focused solely on accelerating the transformation of the great phoenix, urging it to fly swiftly toward the distance. Wherever the thunderous roar reached, all the demonic beings were instantly annihilated, turning into swirling ashes that vanished into the void. The colossal phoenix did not hesitate, once again flapping its four wings and speeding forward. A short while later, the jade disc and the stone pavilion roared past, swiftly passing through without pausing, in a desperate pursuit. ... Five days later, more than a hundred demonic beings, driving hundreds of low-tier beast-wretches, stood firmly in front of the silver giant phoenix. This time, the phoenix plunged directly into the midst of the beast horde, its body shimmering with a vibrant green glow, unleashing a dense stream of green sword-energy that erupted in all directions. Both the low-tier beasts and the demonic warriors were instantly shattered by the force of the sword-energy. With a single swift movement, the phoenix pierced through the swirling blood mist and surged forward. At that moment, the jade disc and the stone pavilion had already traveled over a thousand li away. …Ten days later, above a hazy range of mountains, a golden-mantled giant ape, wielding no weapons, surged directly into the ranks of hundreds of elite magical warriors and over a dozen super-beasts. With its massive hands sweeping and clutching wildly, the giant ape instantly extinguished nearly every opponent—both magical warriors and super-beasts—within a single round, leaving no one able to withstand even a single encounter. The golden-mantled giant ape suddenly stomped its foot, rising into the air as a sphere of golden light, but midway through its ascent, a thunderous crack split its form, and it transformed into a four-winged silver phoenix, spreading its wings and taking flight. ... Half a month later, Han Li had recovered his human form and floated silently at the bottom of an unnamed lake, glaring fiercely at the two strange, majestic magi. One had a dark, featureless head and dark body, with webbed hands and several thick, wavy tendrils growing from his armpits, constantly waving about. The other had eyes like lamps, holding a steel spear, and was protected by a shimmering layer of green scales. After taking a deep breath, Han Li extended both hands into the air, and with a thunderous roar, two peaks—one green, one black—materialized out of thin air and then swept directly toward the two magi. At a distance of over ten thousand li, on the low sky above the lake surface, the jade disc and the stone pavilion moved silently, one ahead of the other, approaching Han Li's position. ...Two months later, above an odd swamp billowing with steaming vapor, the silver great phoenix was tightly ensnared by a group of fifteen blood-colored magical beings, their bodies shimmering with a radiant glow. No matter how fiercely the phoenix unleashed waves of silver arcs or tore through them with its claws, these blood-shadows instantly recovered as if invincible, then sneered and re-ensnared the phoenix once more. At the lofty heights a thousand li away, the jade disc and stone pavilion flashed into view again! Though those golden-blooded shadows seemed immortal, they were utterly consumed within mere breaths, swallowed whole by the countless gold-devouring insects, leaving not a single trace. With a long cry, the great phoenix formed by Han Li sent all the spiritual insects soaring back! A thunderclap! After spreading its four wings, the great phoenix vanished, leaving behind a silver arc that shimmered and then disappeared. At the same spot in the sky, a continuous roar echoed, and as the silver arcs flickered in and out, the scene was completely gone. After a cup of tea's worth of time, the jade disk and stone pavilion rushed forward, then halted briefly before settling gently in the nearby void. A flash of light revealed two figures hovering above them—one slender and graceful, the other glowing with blood hues. These were the incarnations of Yuan Sha and Xue Guang. Though both scanned the surroundings with different expressions, the blue-dressed woman remained composed, yet a subtle irritation flickered in her eyes as she moved them. The young boy in the crimson robe frowned deeply, his expression turned stern, his brows furrowed with growing anger. "This youngster is truly troublesome—he has managed to evade even my Blood-Light Crystal Guards for a moment, let alone a sustained period. It seems he truly intends to wear us down, one step at a time." Blood-Light said, voice full of frustration. "Hmph. Your guards are said to be invincible, yet they've been utterly wiped out by mere swarms of spiritual insects. That's rather disappointing!" Yuan Sha scoffed. "Yuan Sha, stop being so dismissive. I'm certain you've noticed the origin of these insects! Even if my guards have perfected the Blood Body Magic Technique, how could they possibly withstand the devouring power of ancient, formidable creatures?" Blood-Light replied, clearly exasperated. "I have indeed observed their origin. However, if there were hundreds or even thousands of these gold-devouring insects, I would still feel some concern. But with only such a modest number, they cannot truly pose a threat to us. At worst, I'll simply use wooden or stone artifacts to encase and contain them when the time comes." The woman said, her tone calm and composed "As for precious items of the wooden and stone kind, I indeed have two at my disposal. But can you be certain that this young man carries only so many spirit insects? What if he has tens of thousands of them at his command—then I shall be utterly unable to cope. Moreover, he hasn't even unleashed half of his killing techniques yet. With us pressing him so relentlessly, won't we end up suffering a mutual defeat?" Bloodlight said, with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Tens of thousands of golden-devouring insects! You truly dare to think that? Very well—suppose this Han youngster actually possesses that many spirit insects. Do you think he has the strength of concentration to command them all? Even if our bodies were present, the sheer number of insects would drain our spiritual awareness in an instant. Rest assured. The spirit insects I observed earlier should already represent his current limit. If he could easily summon them to meet our challenges, wouldn't he have done so earlier, rather than waiting until now? Indeed, his abilities are quite impressive. We must remain vigilant. Bloodlight, are you seriously contemplating abandoning the fight now?" If it truly proves to be so, then I shall pursue him alone. All you need do is deploy your forces and seal off every path he can take back to the human stronghold." The woman gave a slight smirk and spoke with a cold tone. "I merely offered that as a suggestion. Should my esteemed companion be so confident, then I shall certainly accompany him to the very end." The young man in the crimson robe frowned slightly, but soon yawned and said. After all, the magian saint-ancestor had already lost two precious treasures to Han Li—how could he truly abandon the pursuit now? "However, as you well know, even though I command the entire army of saintly clans in this region, I cannot commit all my forces to block this young man. Otherwise, should anything go wrong, I shall be unable to face the others." The blood-red eyes flickered thoughtfully before suddenly adding. "What exactly do you wish to say? Just say it plainly—no need to beat around the bush." The woman raised her dark brows, showing a touch of impatience. "Heh, nothing particularly significant." Since we can't capture this human cultivator in the short term, we'll have to make long-term plans. Why don't you request some elite reinforcements from the Sixth Pole? With that, this young man will be truly trapped—no matter how hard he tries. Given your close relationship with the Sixth Pole, I'm certain this won't be a problem," Blood Light said, gazing steadily at the woman's face. "Requesting reinforcements from the Sixth Pole? Hmm, that's indeed a solid strategy. Very well, I'll agree to that. But during this time, you must keep this young man under constant pressure—no room for him to breathe or to make a break for it." The woman's eyes flickered several times as she considered, and surprisingly, she readily accepted. "Metastar, rest assured. I will mobilize forces to seal off all access routes leading to Tianyuan City and the other major human settlements, cutting off any possibility of him joining others and turning him into a true fugitive." Blood Light expressed her satisfaction with this assurance. "Yes, that sounds perfect." Before the arrival of the Six-Pole beings, why not simply follow at a comfortable, moderate distance? Once this young one is utterly exhausted, we can then close in and easily capture him!" the woman said coldly. "Of course! With our own powers, if we're willing to sacrifice a little vital energy, how could we truly remain unable to catch up with him?" Bloodlight replied with a smile. "Well, let's go. This young one's speed is truly impressive. If we don't move now, he may truly escape our range of perception." Yuansha raised her gaze toward the distant horizon and suddenly said. "Of course. However, ahead, I have already stationed seven additional teams waiting there—should be able to wear him down several more times." Bloodlight nodded slightly, her expression tinged with an air of strangeness. Upon hearing this, Yuansha said nothing further, but merely twisted her body and instantly transformed into a sphere of white light, shooting straight toward the stone pavilion. As for the blood aura, with a single hand gesture, it instantly turned into a mass of black vapor and vanished into the jade disk with a sharp "pop." At that very moment, the stone pavilion and the massive jade disk surged with luminous energy, then burst forth with a roaring surge in the same direction that Master Han had previously traveled. At the same time, far beyond ten thousand miles, Han, now transformed into a great phoenix, sped through the skies with breathtaking velocity, his heart growing increasingly heavy. After two months of relentless pursuit by the demonic forces, Han now fully understood the intentions of his two foremost adversaries. In this brief span, he had successfully repelled and defeated no fewer than thirty to forty waves of enemies. These demonic forces ranged from mere low-level demons or beasts assembled haphazardly, to the most elite troops of the demonic army—some even included the participation of the Magus himself. Were this a normal situation, even with such numbers, these foes would have been entirely overlooked by him. Yet, with two powerful rivals constantly watching from behind, how could he afford to slowly engage and weave through these enemies? He could only keep unleashing his thunderous tactics, swiftly eliminating each of the demonic forces in a single strike. As a result, Han Li's spiritual power and divine awareness steadily diminished throughout the journey. Had it not been for the numerous pills he carried—each capable of replenishing a small portion of his spiritual energy—he would have long since been unable to sustain himself. Even so, Han Li's current condition was dire. His accumulated divine energy, after a series of intense battles, had dwindled to less than half of its peak level. His spiritual awareness, having been compelled to summon and deploy thousands of golden-devouring insects, now remained at only a little more than half. This news weighed heavily on Han Li's heart. Fortunately, however, the two major rivals behind him appeared to have been impressed by his series of resolute actions and remained hesitant to step forward personally, instead relying on their subordinates to provide resistance. This allowed Han Li to remain temporarily unharmed. Yet this situation could not last long. Once they realized it was already weakened, or once a large force had effectively encircled them, their survival would surely be at stake. Han Li naturally would not wait for such a fate to unfold. Throughout the journey, he had employed various strategies to shake off the pursuing forces. However, whether it was the blazing light or the woman seemingly of the Yuan Sha Saint Patriarch, both demonstrated superior skills in tracking and concealment, outshining his own. Even after exhausting every possible strategy, Han Li could only manage to temporarily distance himself from both, only to find himself inevitably drawn back into pursuit once more. This steadily frustrated him. Should only one adversary have been pursuing him, he might have exploited the other's carelessness and managed to escape. But with both working in tandem, such a plan seemed utterly impossible. Moreover, as he approached the city of Tianyuan, the number of obstacles and intercepts he encountered was steadily increasing. "It's no longer viable," Han Li muttered. "We can't keep this up!" It was clearly evident that the other party had already identified his weakness—the desire to return to Tianyuan City—and had stationed numerous intercepting forces ahead of him. Should this situation persist, before he even reached the vicinity of Tianyuan City, he would surely exhaust his magical energy and be eliminated. A change in his escape direction was imperative! While simultaneously drawing upon the residual magical energy within his body to vigorously refine the pills he had just consumed, Han Li felt increasingly anxious. "Although there must be intercepting forces on the other routes as well, their strength is likely much smaller. Still, he could not afford to openly reveal his intentions just yet. He needed to set up a grand array behind him, temporarily disengaging from the enemy, in order to gain even a fleeting opportunity to recover." As Han Li pondered this, a fierce determination surged within him. With this resolve firmly established, he immediately began to carefully contemplate the specific means to achieve it. Whether driven by mounting pressure or genuinely inspired by a sudden insight, Han Li soon had a clear plan flash into his mind. ...Behind the jade plate, three blood-light incarnations stood before a newly formed crystalline wall, motionless. Two of them closed their eyes, as if gathering strength, while the third fixed its gaze steadily upon the scene displayed on the wall. Suddenly, the third incarnation's face changed, and it emitted a soft "Hm." The sound reached the other two, causing them to turn and open their eyes in unison. On the crystalline wall, the originally incarnated as a giant phoenix Han Li suddenly flickered and resumed his human form. As his light trail halted, he pressed his palms together in a seal, and his body briefly blurred, then instantly manifested seven or eight identical figures.