Yuansha's eyelids flickered, and her previously closed eyes reopened once more, her jade-like glow shimmering, radiating an unusually cool and composed demeanor. "Hmph. You're certain this time won't go wrong? I've put in so much effort—success is just around the corner. Even if the one before me isn't my true form, capturing him alive would still be of great use to me. If you feel you can't wait any longer, go ahead and depart first. I'll meet you again once I've secured this one." The woman spoke coldly. "Given that Yuansha-monk has said this, I must make the first move. A mere avatar—your divine prowess will surely handle that without issue. But his true form is quite a challenge. We'll need to work together to have any real chance. I hope there won't be any further complications." The blood-robed youth, slightly surprised, exchanged a moment of puzzled glances before speaking with a tone of warning. "Rest assured! As a matter of mutual benefit, I'm certain I understand the value of cooperation." "I'll need this embodiment for something important—perhaps you'll find out soon enough," Yuan Sha said with a cold laugh, showing no concern. Though still somewhat astonished by the woman's words, the blood-robed youth could not object further, and merely replied calmly, "I'll retain half my personnel, at your disposal. Though the numbers aren't large, I believe we can still offer some assistance." "Thank you very much!" Yuan Sha's expression softened slightly as he nodded. Then, the blood-robed youth activated the light emanating from his body, transforming into a streak of crimson light and shooting upward toward the sky. After a few flashes, the streak vanished entirely into the jade disk. A short while later, the blood-toned light curtain radiating from the disk flickered and then disappeared. Strange indeed—many of the elite magical clan members gathered around the disk had vanished as well, nearly half of them. At that moment, the disk trembled and then burst into a brilliant white light, breaking free and soaring into the air. The remaining百余 magi, under the guidance of a tall magi at the Late Transcendent stage, gradually descended toward the location of Yuan Sha. Taking just a few steps, the magi bowed deeply and greeted, "Master Yuan Sha! Master Xueguang has departed. Does Master have any instructions for us to carry out?" Though this magi had served under Xueguang, his demeanor before Yuan Sha was exceptionally respectful. "No," the woman glanced at him briefly and issued a simple instruction, "just remain nearby." "Understood, Master!" The magi immediately bowed without hesitation and accepted the command. Thus, the hundred-plus magi dispersed around the stone platform, remaining motionless. Seeing this, Yuan Sha's eyes flashed briefly before she slowly closed her eyes. Meanwhile, the vast flock of crows, transformed into black clouds, soon completed their search of another corner of the valley, and, under the impetus of the magi woman, surged forward with renewed vigor toward a new area. This time, after the crows had danced about for some time, an anomaly finally emerged. Hundreds of them, as they passed through a low thicket, suddenly gathered around it, circling erratically and emitting strange, unusual calls. Perhaps a few or even a dozen or so wouldn't matter much, but when hundreds or thousands surged downward together, the force was so powerful that the black mist had to momentarily halt its flight, revealing its true form. It was a fully black Yuan婴, with a face and appearance identical to Han Li's, yet radiating a strong and pervasive magical aura. This was precisely Han Li's second Yuan婴. While the second Yuan婴's cultivation naturally fell short when compared to the primary one, thanks to Han Li's continuous consumption of elixirs and the fortunate opportunity of having his body infused with magical energy during his time in Guanghan Realm, it had already attained the Lingxu stage, with its magical cultivation exceptionally refined. Though compelled to pause, it did not appear alarmed by the flock of birds rushing toward it from above. Instead, it roared loudly, then suddenly clenched and rubbed its hands together before swiftly extending them outward. A strong surge of black wind erupted, and from the midst, two streams of dark magical energy shot forth—each coiling into a pair of black, serpentine creatures—which immediately plunged into the midst of the flock. The strange serpent shook its head and swayed its tail, black winds sweeping in its wake, scattering flocks of crows into fragments as if utterly unstoppable. Seeing the black serpent gaining the upper hand, the second Yuan婴 never ceased his movements—quickly forming several hand seals, and then his figure began to spin rapidly. Each one, no larger than an egg, instantly transformed into a cluster of small, dark figures upon emission—then, with a series of swift "whooshes," materialized mysteriously at distances of several dozen zhangs away. "Still trying to escape!" Yuan Sha arched her brows, exhaled a sharp command, and simultaneously formed an unusual hand seal. In an instant, a strange crystalline shimmer rippled across the surface of the white light hand, which then burst open, expanding into a vast, hazy sphere of white radiance. A series of sharp "shush-shush" sounds echoed as countless crystalline streaks shot forth from the glow, spreading over a radius of over a hundred zhang and enveloping the dozen dark figures. As the dark figures attempted to activate their evasive techniques to flee, the crystalline streaks pierced through them instantly. A series of deep, resonant "thuds" followed. Except for one dark figure, whose body twisted slightly, allowing the streaks to skim past his shoulders, all the others vanished instantly upon being pierced—dissolving into swirling masses of black flame. They had been nothing more than fleeting shadows! The lone black figure was none other than the true form of the second Yuan-Emperor. Upon seeing his illusion shattered, his face paled instantly. He suddenly opened his mouth, spitting out several clots of pure blood, while rapidly pressing hand seals and murmuring incantations. As the blood dispersed into the wind, it transformed into a dense mist that completely engulfed the second Yuan-Emperor. "Hmph! You still intend to play tricks!" Yuan Sha's expression darkened. With a sharp exhalation, he swiftly shook his sleeve toward the blood mist. A streak of black, crimson silk flashed out from the sleeve, cutting through the mist as if it were transparent—only to vanish instantly. At the same moment, a streak of blood arced out from the mist, then dissolved into a thin thread of blood before vanishing. Next, a flash of crimson light appeared at the far end of the sky, revealing a young demon-child with a pair of black luminous wings sprouting from its back. As it shifted slightly, the figure then blurred and disappeared once more. "Blood Shadow Technique! It's this very method—this proves to be quite troublesome." Yet to escape my grasp so easily—how utterly deluded you must be! Yuan Sha was first taken aback, surprised, but after murmuring a few words, her expression turned as cold as ice. Then, with a single hand gesture toward the distant horizon, the two massive stone pillars trembled and were pulled upright from the ground, rising into the air before converging and transforming once more into a pale gray stone pavilion, which shot straight toward Yuan Sha. Yuan Sha leapt into the pavilion, issued a command to the magi below, and then vanished in a brilliant white light. The elite magi, witnessing this, immediately grew disoriented and rushed after her in pursuit. In a moment, the scene was utterly empty, with no one remaining. Even the Yuan婴 trapped within could not escape, being instantly shattered by the swordlight and reduced to a mere vapor. As Han Li swept his sleeve aside, the azure dragon cried out in a clear, resonant tone before dissolving into a dense array of shimmering azure swordbeams. These beams, upon a single spiral, were swiftly propelled back toward Han Li by his urging. After a burst of intense azure glow on his body, all the beams vanished in a flash. Beside the half-human, half-insect corpse torn apart, there lay another dozen floating remnants, clearly high-ranking magical beings of the魔race. Yet Han Li, having absorbed all the swordbeams into his body, grew pale and hurriedly recited his inner cultivation techniques several times before his complexion improved. "It seems they've now reacted and can no longer proceed in this direction. Regrettably, if only their movements had been a bit slower, there might have been a genuine chance for them to return to the Sky-Deep City." It was absolutely impossible to let them catch the pattern—now he’d have to take a chance and go in a different direction. Fortunately, the ones trailing behind had already been dealt with; he should have a solid chance of finally escaping. Han Li exhaled softly and murmured a few words as he glanced around. Originally, when Han Li employed his secret technique and manifested eight phantom figures, he had asked Qu and the second Yuan-Ember to separately activate their physical bodies and golden forms, drawing the pursuing forces away. Meanwhile, he quietly activated the Taiyi Hua Qing Seal, making his own body intangible and remaining in place. However, as Han Li’s cultivation advanced, the Taiyi Hua Qing Seal, though powerful, could no longer sustain itself for long. Otherwise, Yuan Sha and the bloodlight would not have needed to expend much effort to break it—mere moments of stillness would have forced Han Li to reappear. That was why he had not used the Seal at all during his earlier escape.