A flash of five-colored glimmers within the black hole, and the form of Tianfeng suddenly vanished. With Tianfeng's innate spatial prowess and Han Li's repeated experiences of traversing spatial rifts, the mere magical "nodes" of the demonic race naturally didn't register as anything significant. After all, even ordinary Daimon Sovereigns could breach boundaries—passing through such a node should pose no difficulty. The only thing that made him cautious was the fear that a powerful demonic being might be stationed at the other end of the node, unexpectedly colliding with him. However, for such a modest "node," this possibility was extremely remote, almost negligible. Indeed, after Tianfeng had reversed the flow of the demonic wind and sequentially broken through more than a dozen spatial barriers, a sudden brightening appeared ahead, revealing scattered points of light. Han Li was delighted. With his transformed Tianfeng flapping its wings powerfully, a flash of radiant light rippled across its body, and its form instantly became faint and nearly imperceptible. Beyond the exit at the far end of the node lay an endless expanse of gray desert. Two tall, straight black structures resembling watchtowers stood on the ground facing the node, within which dozens of magical guard soldiers were stationed, occasionally glancing toward the node. After only a few breaths, the spatial force condensed, and Tian Feng silently slipped through the node, then flickered slightly, emerging directly over a hundred paces away, vanishing into the void. The highest-ranked magical guards stationed on the two black buildings were no more than Yuan Ying stage, and having remained on duty for years without any incident, they had grown complacent and failed to notice any anomaly. Tian Feng flickered into view at the far edge of the sky, her body's gentle glow shifting and then suddenly transforming into human form. Han Li exhaled softly, turned back, and glanced at the distant node exit, his expression somewhat unusual. This time, his infiltration of the demonic realm proved unexpectedly smooth—his carefully prepared contingency plans, which he had set aside for just in case, went completely unused. Naturally, he was delighted. Now, with a moment of leisure, he took in the surroundings, a place long renowned among the human race as being as daunting as a sea of blood and mountains of blades. He observed that the sky, though slightly yellowish, was clear with no clouds or mist, and yet three bright crimson suns hung in the heavens. Beyond that, the landscape on the ground appeared remarkably similar to that of the spiritual realm. The only subtle differences were that the ambient spiritual energy was noticeably thinner than in the spiritual realm, and a faint, drifting aura of demonic energy permeated the air. However, this demonic essence was not particularly prominent—unless one paid close attention, it could easily be overlooked. This did surprise him. Yet his mission this time was not merely to study the demonic realm in depth; it had a more pressing and specific objective. Thus, after only a brief pause, he murmured incantations, and his magical armor reappeared on his body, surging forth vast amounts of dark magical energy that instantly submerged his form. Then, with a further hand gesture, the human essence on his body was completely withdrawn. Han Li breathed out a low command, and faint golden scales emerged on his face and limbs. However, as the dark magical energy reversed and flowed inward, it turned into a deep, dark hue, and a flash of black light passed across his brows, revealing a third, glowing black eye. Han Li stretched his arms and legs, a gentle smile forming at the corner of his mouth. Now, his appearance and aura were unmistakably that of a high-level magical race. Unless encountering a magi-king or higher, few would easily discern his human origins. After completing this transformation, Han Li did not wish to linger any longer. As the surrounding magical energy rippled, he immediately took the form of a swirling black wind and rolled steadily toward the distance. After a few moments, he broke free of the desert and appeared above a hilly region covered with gray shrubs. As soon as he entered this area, the thin magical aura grew slightly denser—though the increase was subtle, it confirmed to Han Li that his initial judgment was correct. The purity of the magical energy from the realm indeed depended on the region, much like the quality of spiritual energy. Han Li did not halt his journey; instead, he continued to accelerate the black wind, steering it in the same direction. Thus, he flew steadily for one full day and one night. He not only passed through the hills but also crossed a vast lake and several dark, continuous mountain ranges. Whether due to the inherent desolation of the realm or simply because he had taken the wrong path, he encountered no magical beings along the way—only occasional lower-tier magical beasts. This lack of encounters brought Han Li a sense of relief, and at the same time, it prompted him to heighten his vigilance. On the fourth day, Han Li finally encountered several mid-level monsters with horse-like faces and human bodies, engaged in fierce combat at the foot of a small hill. These creatures wielded wooden staffs, wore animal hides, and leaped up to fifteen zhang high, displaying fierce aggression and evidently possessing a certain level of intelligence. Nearby, a black beast resembling a saber-toothed tiger lay motionless. Clearly, the monsters were engaged in a life-or-death struggle over this prey. Upon seeing this, Han Li was overjoyed. He allowed his black wind to settle and, with a simple gesture, released several golden electric arcs that instantly knocked the mid-level monsters unconscious. Then, with a broad hand movement, he summoned one of the creatures into his grasp, pressing his five fingers firmly against its crown. Narrowing his eyes, he activated his soul-searching technique, allowing the black glow of his fingers to ripple as he began probing the monsters' spiritual awareness. Indeed, it matched his expectations perfectly. These beasts had only just begun to awaken their spiritual awareness, and were largely confused about most matters, offering little in terms of searchable information. Fortunately, the information he sought was limited to local regional details, and he managed to find a suitable spot not far away. Han Li exhaled gently, and as the golden arcs in his hands resonated, the magical creatures instantly turned to ash under a surge of electric light. Moreover, when the golden arcs launched forth, thunder roared, and the other unconscious beasts, along with the slain魔兽, were all reduced to nothing. With the black wind sweeping past, Han Li turned and rolled swiftly toward the side. Several hours later, the mountain range vanished, revealing ahead a vast gulf stretching to the horizon at both ends—endless and unbounded. As the black wind dispersed, Han Li materialized above the valley, glancing downward. Below, the gully stretched hundreds of paces wide, with roaring winds sweeping across it, sand and stones whirling in the air, creating a hazy yellowish haze that seemed to stretch far into the depths. Han Li shook his sleeve, and as a faint gray glow shimmered across his body, he stepped forward without hesitation, heading straight toward the gully's base. The wind instantly dissipated upon touching the gray glow on his skin, yet as he descended deeper, the temperature dropped sharply. The cold grew so intense that even the gully walls began to form a thin layer of white frost. Han Li, undeterred by this chill, breathed steadily, descending over a thousand paces before finally reaching the gully's bottom. There, a stretch of blue light spread across the floor—revealing a long, narrow river of blue ice. One would expect such extreme cold to have completely frozen a regular river into a solid mass. Yet this river's surface remained perfectly clear, gently reflecting a soft blue glow. Meanwhile, the banks were entirely crystalline, thickly coated with a solid layer of blue ice. Yet at a height of several dozen paces above the ice river, the wind roared fiercely, as if the world had split into two distinct realms. Hanging motionless at a few dozen paces above the river, Han Li's gaze swept downward, penetrating the entire length of the river, his face expressing a touch of astonishment. "Hm, this river indeed seems unusual—so tranquil above, yet turbulent and roaring below, as though flowing directly into the depths of the earth. The cold energy here must also be quite remarkable." After a while, Han Li drew his gaze back and murmured to himself. At that moment, suddenly, a piercing cry rang out in the gusting wind above, and two streaks of blue light shot forth with astonishing speed, reaching Han Li's side in a single flash. They were two shimmering blue serpents, each with a triangular head and black comb-like crests on their heads—clearly among the most venomous creatures. Han Li's face darkened, yet his body remained still. With only a vague motion of his arms, he caught the two blue flying snakes in his hands and, without hesitation, firmly pressed his fingers against their vital points. The two snakes died instantly, making no sound at all. With a simple shake of his arm, Han Li tossed the bodies into the water. A flash of inspiration, and suddenly a pure, jade-like wooden box floated into his palm. Han Li gazed at it with lingering affection, but ultimately bit his lip and threw it downward. The same scene unfolded once more. Instantly, a layer of blue ice enveloped the surface of the box, and it sank into the water. Han Li then turned his gaze to the depths of the river, silent and still. Only after half a hour did he gently exhale, drawing his gaze back, his expression lightening noticeably. By then, the wooden box had already been carried away by the underground river and vanished deep beneath the surface. Though a little regretful, he decided it was best to discard the two old demons inside the Sealing Lock early. Though he didn't know whether the two old demons would ever see the light of day again, from now on, they would have no further connection with him. Still, the demonic realm wasn't a place to linger—he would need to return to the immortal realm as soon as possible. Han Li thought this through and immediately decided to act. With a smooth spin of his body, gray mist surged outward from his surface, and he shot upward into the turbulent wind. At the same time, in the wooden box space drifting gently within the deep underground ice river, Xiqi Gong sat calmly in a stone-chambered room, hands forming seals, his body radiating alternating black and white glimmers, concentrating on his cultivation. In another part of the space, Feng Xie sat on a mat, performing the same actions. Neither of them was aware of what was happening outside the wooden box, otherwise they would have been furious and likely stormed out to berate Han Li. After all, Han Li’s careful maneuvers had unintentionally disrupted their carefully laid plans to secure the other half of the Chaotic Dual Qi.