The man was in his forties, with a square, dignified face, holding a thick white jade volume in one hand, his expression calm and composed—none other than the Azure Dragon Elder who had once fought alongside Han Li against the demonic army. "I'm sure you're well aware," Ice Phoenix said, gazing steadily at the Azure Dragon Elder, "that if you insist on using firm measures rather than my willingness, you won't achieve what you desire. And do you not even consider the sentiments of the other elders in the city?" "If you'd said this a few days ago, I might have indeed been somewhat hesitant. But now? I've cultivated a new divine technique that allows me to make you fully cooperative, without any resistance. As for the other Daoist friends in Tianyuan City—there's no hope for that. I officially joined the city as a senior elder yesterday. Do you think they still can't tell which of us holds greater importance—the one who's still alive or the one who has already passed away?" By now, the Azure Dragon Elder no longer needed to feign or conceal his intentions; he spoke with quiet, unwavering clarity. Upon hearing this, Ice Phoenix's face changed instantly. With a light sigh, she suddenly swiftly slashed a jade bowl before her. A flash of white light revealed a translucent spatial rift. As her form blurred, she vanished like a ghost into the rift. Her series of swift movements was as lightning-fast, leaving nearby beings such as Xiao Hong utterly unable to react. When they grew furious and attempted to intervene, the pale, shimmering crack had already mysteriously closed. Seated observer, the Dragon Sovereign, remained calm, merely gently shaking his jade scroll toward the void. A silver flash sent an ancient script flying out, which condensed into the size of a human head and struck precisely where the spatial rift had vanished. A loud "thunderous boom" followed—the void where the silver script burst opened, then distorted and blurred like rippling water, before fracturing into fragments. After a deep exhalation, Ice Phoenix stumbled out of the air, retreating several steps before finally steadying herself and lifting her head. Though her expression remained as cold as ever, her complexion had grown noticeably pale. "Hmph. If you manage to escape me before I've finished speaking, then I shall reverse my name entirely. As it stands, shall you allow the other elders to seal your inner power, or shall I do it myself?" Qinglong Shangren glanced at her with an air of dignified authority. Xiao Hong and the others swiftly moved in, surrounding the woman tightly. Ice Phoenix stood motionless, yet her heart sank with each passing moment. "Oh, I wonder how Qinglong Elder would pronounce his name when reversed. Why don't you demonstrate it for Han here?" Just as Xiao Hong was about to advance, a cold, resonant male voice suddenly echoed through the hall! At that moment, the woman's face turned as pale as paper. At the same time, a thunderous roar erupted—something truly astonishing! The great gate, previously shimmering with a soft glow and firmly sealed, suddenly burst open from the outside inward! As the gate cracked and shattered, a violent surge of energy rushed in from outside. The two cultivators at the forefront, already at the Lingxu stage, were struck by this overwhelming force and seemed as though violently rammed by a great beast—shoved like sandbags, they soared through the air and crashed hard against the opposite wall. Remarkably, this wall itself had also been protected by a seal, making it as solid as forged steel. These two human cultivators were not dual-physique practitioners, and under the impact, they suffered severe head wounds and blood loss—yet they didn’t even utter a single gasp, simply collapsing to the ground. The force of the impact had even knocked their inner immortal embryos unconscious. The others, witnessing this, instinctively froze, darting back like rabbits to a safe distance. Upon hearing these words, Qinglong Shangren himself also grew pale with shock. As for Bing Feng, she was both surprised and delighted, quickly turning around and fixing her beautiful eyes on the entrance. To her sight, the ominous aura outside subsided, and a young man dressed in a green robe stepped in calmly. Not Han Li, who else could it be! "Brother Han, you've finally returned," Bing Feng said, though she was usually so cold, her voice now filled with excitement and a touch of crimson on her face. "Indeed, though I encountered some difficulties, I managed to emerge unscathed," Han Li replied, smiling gently as he glanced at Bing Feng's face. "It's truly wonderful that Brother Han escaped the hands of the Magian Sage. I am certain that with my fellow Daoists, we shall host a banquet to welcome and comfort you." Master Qinglong, a mid-stage Consolidated cultivator, had initially been somewhat startled, but quickly regained composure and immediately brightened up, smiling warmly. Han Li paid no attention whatsoever to Qinglong Shangren, merely narrowed his eyes and cast a sharp, blade-like gaze over several figures—including Xiao Hong—speaking with utterly emotionless precision, "Excellent. Excellent!" Aside from the two cultivators already unconscious on the ground, all the others—especially Xiao Hong—now looked pale and shaken. Even those who had never met Han Li before instantly recognized him as the person of utmost importance, their sense of dread palpable. The primary reason they had been persuaded by Qinglong Shangren was that Qinglong had personally assured them that Han Li had already perished. Without that assurance, even if they had dared to muster a few more courage, they would never have dared to intervene in such a matter. Now, here stood Han Li, the Convergence-stage cultivator—not only alive, but precisely where he had been expected, blocking their path completely, leaving them no room to defend themselves or explain. Their fate, therefore, was certain. "Master Han, congratulations on your return to the city. My master is..." A large man, appearing rough and unrefined, bowed his hands to speak, but Master Han's expression darkened. Without a word, he suddenly shook his sleeve. A loud "thud" echoed as the man felt a sudden warmth in his chest, his body then launched like the other two, crashing into the wall and collapsing, spewing out a thick stream of blood and falling unconscious. The others gasped, turning to see the man's chest garments completely gone, revealing a smooth, silvery armor. Though the armor appeared unchanged, a sharp crack rang out moments later—each piece of it shattered, cascading down like fragments from the man's body. Master Han's seemingly effortless strike not only severely injured the man but also completely destroyed his precious armor. This result sent even those who had still harbored a sliver of hope gasping in shock, their bodies growing cold, unable to utter a single "no." Seeing this, Master Qinglong's facial muscles twitched slightly. Yet recalling the scene when Han Li had single-handedly fought several cultivators at the Consolidated Stage, he found himself equally hesitant to speak any harsh words, and could only clear his throat, offering a forced, polite smile and saying: "Han brother, why are you so angry? The one you just injured is Gu Elder's favored disciple. If you treat him so severely, it might be difficult to explain to Gu Elder, won't it?" "Explain? What needs to be explained? If Gu Elder feels my actions were too severe, he may come to me directly. As for you, isn't it time you gave me an explanation?" Han Li sneered, then turned to face him squarely and spoke with unwavering firmness. "Coughing, the situation has turned out this way—not exactly what I had intended. I had originally planned to invite Ice Phoenix back precisely because I believed Han friend had already passed away." Since Brother Han has no pressing matters, I shall personally visit your abode at a later time to offer my apologies." Master Qinglong displayed a composed demeanor—capable of both taking and letting go—making no strong verbal objections, but instead gently conveying his willingness to yield. "To personally visit and apologize? How could Han be so humble! I risked my life to assist you in the city of Yitian days ago, and now, merely a few days later, you have done such a thing. If I do not make some gesture, how shall I face the crowd in the city?" Han fixed his gaze on Master Qinglong, speaking each word with a solemn, grave tone. "With all that has happened now, what exactly does Brother Han wish to do? Does he intend to physically confront me?" Hearing this, Master Qinglong grew increasingly indignant, his tone growing firmer. "Since you have spoken so firmly, I shall follow your lead. You have come so boldly to challenge me, surely confident in your own powers. Then, I shall have to make my own efforts to address this matter." Han Li chuckled, and without hesitation, smoothly took over the words. The Qinglong Elder's face naturally grew increasingly grave. Han Li showed no intention of further delaying, merely flicking his sleeves—within, a clear resonance echoed—and as the jade light flashed, a dense stream of small, emerald blades surged forth. At the same time, a golden glow rippled over his body, radiating a surge of spiritual pressure that was even more powerful than before, pressing directly toward the Qinglong Elder. Seeing Han Li advancing steadily and relentlessly, the Elder could no longer suppress his rising anger, his face turning ashen. He raised his hand, and the jade scroll in his grasp instantly unfurled, its various hues of light shimmering, as though countless characters were about to burst forth from within. Xiao Hong and the others, upon seeing the two combined-stage cultivators seemingly about to engage in combat right here, were naturally extremely alarmed. Yet, having witnessed the earlier example of the three others, they dared not simply slip away without a fight, and thus hurriedly retreated to the periphery of the hall, clearing space. Though they knew that this sheer force meant little against the clash of combined-stage cultivators, their hearts nonetheless found some comfort. Han Li paid no attention to the others' movements, his gaze growing colder toward Qinglong Shangren, and at that very moment, he prepared to activate his sword technique. Just as the situation reached this critical point, a streak of white light suddenly flashed from outside the hall, entering the space and then curving through the air like a dragon before settling steadily upon the ground between Han Li and Qinglong Shangren. In the shimmering light, a figure materialized and immediately smiled, speaking with cheerful confidence: "Do the two of you really intend to fight right here, and dismantle White Elder's pavilion?" "May I offer you a face-saving gesture, temporarily set aside hostilities, and serve as mediator for a while?" The figure, with a face etched with deep wrinkles, a shining head, and a golden monk's robe draped over his shoulders, radiated an exceptionally kind and gentle demeanor—none other than Master Jin Yue!