"Have you at last changed your mind? How come you've been hiding here for nearly a month just to avoid a single immortal flower? After all, that Heavenly昙flower holds little value to you now. As long as you hand it over, I'll spare your life. What do you think?" The lady in white spoke with a tone that made Lei Yunzi's face pale. "Hmph! Though the Heavenly昙flower may be rare and precious, even if I can't use it now, I'm certain I'll find a use for it someday. To see it simply handed over to someone else without a single thought—pardon me, I cannot agree!" Lei Yunzi sneered, then firmly rejected the offer. "It seems you have great confidence in your Lightning Transcendence technique." The lady remained calm, neither angry nor perturbed. "Heh! If you truly have the skill to catch me, then how could I have managed to evade you for nearly a month?" Lei Yunzi chuckled, as though he had already set aside his earlier apprehension toward her. "Bold! You dare speak to the Master of the Sacred Tree in such a manner!" The portly, dark-robed man suddenly roared at Lei Yunzi, his face contorted with fierce anger. "You're just playing the part of the tiger with the fox! Do you think I can't take your life in a matter of moments if we fight one-on-one?" Lei Yunzi's expression darkened, and he replied with a cold, sarcastic tone. Upon hearing this, the dark-robed man was instantly furious, his eyes blazing with rage, and he raised his fists to charge at Lei Yunzi. But at that very moment, the white-robed woman raised a hand and gently stopped him. "Black Crocodile, hold on! You've only recently taken your form, and indeed, you're not yet up to par with this guest." "Master Baoshu, he... well, he still seems a bit dissatisfied," the man admitted, though he had obediently lowered his fists. "Is there something you'd like to object to?" The woman known as "Master Baoshu" slightly inclined her eyebrows, speaking with a calm, composed tone. "No, your servant merely spoke too hastily," the Black Crocodile exclaimed, startled and quickly clarifying. Bao Shu glanced several times at the Han man's face, paused slightly, and then lightly said, "This shall be an exception." The black crocodile felt a great relief and naturally nodded in agreement. Standing by, Han Li watched all this with a serious expression, yet a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes as he gazed at the black-robed Han man. Though he had only just met this man, the fierce aura emanating from him felt strangely familiar—like he had sensed it before, far away, somewhere in the past. He naturally found himself wondering. Yet at this moment, such thoughts were not urgent. What mattered most was how to free himself and Lei Yunzi together. Given his deep understanding of the subtleties of the lightning array, he was not overly concerned. With Lei Yunzi's divine abilities, as long as he had prepared in advance, transporting him away would be merely a matter of a single thought. Even if the woman before him were indeed a great stage cultivator, she would surely not be able to stop him. Otherwise, Lei Yunzi would not have such confidence in facing this formidable opponent. As Han Li was mentally pondering, the woman on the great flower across from him spoke again to Lei Yunzi: "This lightning array technique—is it truly one that Lei Daojun has developed on his own? Indeed, it is quite extraordinary. Yet only someone with the Five Lightning Body, such as yourself, can fully realize its potential. That's precisely why you rejected my proposal so firmly just now." "Yes, and what of it?" replied Lei Yunzi, his expression dark, somewhat puzzled by the purpose behind her question. "In truth, your lightning array transmission technique combines spatial and electrical forces in a most ingenious way, enabling you to transport instantly over tens of thousands of miles. Yet fusing two such distinct forces is no simple matter. You must have drawn upon a certain secret method to arrive at this discovery." Said the precious tree calmly. Lei Yunzi's expression shifted, though he remained only coldly gazing at the woman, saying nothing further. And after the white-robed woman smiled gently, she added: "It's quite coincidental that among the powers I've cultivated, there are precisely the forces of lightning and spatial energy, and I've studied their fundamental principles quite thoroughly." "What do you mean?" said Lei Yunzi, his face growing serious, finally unable to restrain himself. "You should have noticed by now that the gap between us has been steadily shrinking each time I catch up with you. Perhaps, perhaps not long from now, I'll fully comprehend the principles governing this lightning array—once that happens, this power of yours will lose all effectiveness before me. You've already been marked by me; unless you can instantly transmit yourself a full ten thousand li away, you'll inevitably be captured. This is merely my way of not wanting to waste any more time—my final opportunity for you, then. Otherwise, I possess a precious artifact that still lacks several refined souls from the Consolidation Stage to serve as its primary essence. Should you refuse this chance now, and later be captured by me, you will naturally become one of those primary essences." The woman's gaze shifted gently, speaking softly and steadily. Upon hearing her words, Lei Yunzi's face paled once more, and his expression grew increasingly restless, shifting between gloom and agitation. The white-robed woman showed no urgency to press on, instead her gaze finally settled upon Han Li. Her eyes were clear and serene, yet Han Li felt a sudden chill run through him, as though his entire being had been fully perceived—something only possible if her spiritual awareness surpassed his own. Han Li was startled, and without further thought, activated both the Daxian Technique and the Refinement of Spirit simultaneously, allowing her spiritual power to spread throughout his body. Only then was that strange sensation of being fully seen somewhat blocked out. Yet within this brief moment, Han Li found cold sweat pouring down his back, deeply astonished. He had always believed his spiritual awareness to be far superior to that of ordinary late-stage cultivators, yet this woman's mere gaze had left him with such a profound impression—clearly indicating that even among the late-stage cultivators, she was truly among the very best. At that very moment, something even more astonishing happened to Han Li. After her gaze briefly swept over him, a strange expression flashed across her eyes, and she spoke softly, "I had always believed it was you who killed my subordinates in the magical gold battle and seized the Xuan Tian Rui Ren blade. For so many years, you've held my treasure—shouldn't you now return it to me?" "May I ask what you mean, Elder Lady? I'm not quite clear. It seems this is the first time I've met you." Han Li was deeply startled, sensing something he couldn't quite put into words, yet he managed to smile warmly and say this aloud. "It appears you have no intention of returning it willingly. Very well, then, I shall retrieve it myself." With these words, she showed no change in expression, and simply raised her hand toward Han Li. At once, a low hum resonated within Han Li's sleeve, and a beam of golden light burst forth—exactly the Xuan Tian fragment blade! This precious artifact, originally serene and quietly resting upon Han Li, suddenly warmed up and severed its connection to Han Li's spiritual awareness after the woman's seemingly casual move, then shot forth toward the white-robed maiden. Han Li's face paled dramatically, and almost instinctively raised his arm, instantly transforming his palm into a broad, jade-green hand that reached out to grasp it. Yet the golden fragment merely flashed once in the air before vanishing into a shimmering crystal glow, leaving the jade-green hand empty. At that moment, the white-robed maiden gently pressed her two jade fingers together, and a flash of golden light appeared between them, revealing a several-inch-long golden blade that emerged silently and was neatly cradled between her fingers. Han Li's expression grew increasingly grave. It was then that he suddenly remembered the origin of the rather unattractive man! The other clearly bore the strong aura of a powerful magical beast that he had first sensed far away during his time on the Mountain of Magic. At that time, however, he was engaged with other opponents and had only briefly scanned the presence with his divine awareness, thus leaving his memory of it somewhat hazy. Therefore, the woman's account is likely true—after all, this broken fragment of the blade was indeed obtained from the fully evolved magical ape dwelling within the mountain range. This woman herself must be the hidden saint-ancestor of the magical race from the Mountain of Magic. Though he had lost his most precious treasure,韩立 quickly deduced the origins of both the woman and her retinue in his mind. Feeling a growing sense of frustration, he immediately heightened his vigilance by an additional hundred and twenty points. "Indeed, it is the如意blade. With the passage of time, I have grown so accustomed to it that I myself no longer remember how long I've known it. Even if you conceal its aura, how could you possibly hide it from my senses? Black Crocodile, since you still lack a suitable treasure, I hereby bestow upon you this fragment of the如意blade." The woman, her expression unusually composed, gently stroked the broken blade twice, surprising everyone by unexpectedly bestowing the treasure upon the plain, unattractive man. "Thank you so much, Master Baoshu!" The black crocodile first stared in astonishment, then promptly accepted the gift, only then realizing what had transpired, and immediately bowed deeply in gratitude. Han Li, witnessing this scene, could hardly contain his disappointment, though he was powerless to act, constrained by the woman's evident prowess. To his surprise, the woman did not press further on Han Li's matter, but instead shifted her gaze downward and calmly asked the next question to Lei Yunzi: "Have you thought it through thoroughly? Are you prepared to make a lifelong sacrifice—just for a single currently useless medicinal herb?" Upon hearing this, Lei Yunzi's body slightly stiffened, the thoughtful expression gradually fading from his face, and he sighed. "What the elder just said is indeed true. However, if he had spoken it a half-day earlier, I might have truly been convinced. But now—!" As Ray Yunzi spoke, his wings behind him suddenly flapped, and at the same time, he pressed a series of hand seals. A roar erupted! Countless silver arcs shot out from his body. With a mere flick of his body, he vanished in the midst of flashing lightning. At that very instant, a flash of lightning appeared beside Han Li, revealing a massive thunder array several dozen feet in size, glowing and rumbling as it materialized. Within it, a figure emerged, faintly visible. It was Ray Yunzi himself. "Come!" he called out softly. And almost as soon as the array appeared, Han Li immediately dashed straight into it without hesitation. The bulky man at a distance, witnessing this, roared in fury, raised his hand in the air, and instantly summoned a massive black axe that appeared from nowhere. With both hands gripping it, he swung it powerfully toward the thunder array. "Crack!" A massive axe blade surged forward, transforming into a furious, black ribbon of slashing force, its passage causing the void to tremble as if being forcibly severed!