Han Li's mountain-giant ape form, having advanced in cultivation, had long surpassed its state during the Battle of Heaven's Peak. Though the sheer strength of his transformed ape still fell short of that of a true mountain-giant ape, it possessed three or four parts of its full power. Combined with the powerful, surging force generated by the two towering peaks, it was naturally beyond the reach of a mere half-dragon-advanced Qinglong cultivator. Thus, upon first contact, the Qinglong cultivator was suddenly launched off his feet by the concealed divine strength hidden within the two peaks. Had he not swiftly drawn back his hands and expelled a rare artifact to save himself, his ten fingers would have shattered, and both arms would have been snapped clean off. Nevertheless, even thus, his true energy was now reversing within him, his meridians aching intensely, leaving him momentarily unable to mobilize half of his inner cultivation power. At that moment, a flash of fierce light flashed in Han Ju Yuan's eyes. With a sudden stride forward, his body blurred and resumed its ordinary human size. And in that single step, he somehow crossed over a distance of over a hundred paces, appearing just a few paces away from Qinglong Shangren. "Third strike!" Han Li's voice suddenly issued from the giant's mouth, cold and clear. With a slight blur, his arm surged forward and struck the opponent. Qinglong Shangren was startled beyond measure. Without hesitation, he pressed a series of hand seals, preparing to retreat using a specific technique. But at that very instant, a piercing, bone-chilling sneer suddenly rang in his ears! He felt thunderous booms resonating in both ears, accompanied by a sharp, lancet-like pain radiating through his mind. With a stifled gasp, he could no longer summon even the faintest trace of inner energy. A surge of astonishing lethal energy erupted from the giant's body. A massive golden fist surged forward, transforming into a gale of wind, and struck directly toward Qinglong Shangren's head. The golden fist had not yet made solid contact when a tremendous pressure already forced Qinglong Shangren to nearly gasp for breath. With the divine strength of Han Li, now manifesting as a colossal ape, if this fist struck home, even with Qinglong Shangren's half-divine body, his head would surely shatter instantly. Qinglong Shangren inwardly cried out in dismay, yet his body, now out of control, rendered him utterly unable to respond, his face growing pale with fear. Nevertheless, as a fully consolidated cultivator, he naturally possessed several backup defenses. A flash of white light revealed a translucent shield materializing instantly from within his body, now shielding his front. At the same time, his entire body of scales contracted, and he instantly transformed into a seamless, misty-green armor, fully enclosing his form. These two layers of protection were more than sufficient against the attacks of an ordinary consolidated cultivator. Yet under the force of the golden fist from the giant ape, they proved as fragile as paper. A flash of golden light—then the shimmering shield shattered piece by piece with a tremendous roar! The golden fist swung and struck solidly against the jade-colored armor. The armor emitted a resonant hum, and instantly, a spectral green dragon emerged, its jaws agape, charging straight at the golden fist. Yet at that moment, as the golden fist's light dimmed, it vanished into the void, replaced instead by a golden vortex about a foot in diameter. This vortex merely spun steadily, and then a powerful, inexplicable tearing force surged forth from within. The spectral green dragon barely made contact and was instantly torn to fragments. At the very instant the dragon's form dissolved, the jade armor itself also released a hum and dissolved into nothing. The golden vortex then flashed forward, re-forming into a massive fist that struck the head of the Seer of the Azure Dragon. This time, the fist moved silently, yet the subtle sense of lethal intent it carried was clearly felt even by the cultivators stationed outside the light barrier. The Qingle Shangren’s face had long since twisted beneath the enveloping fist shadows, now as pale as paper. “Frater Han, stop!” “Han, stop!” The group outside the stone platform were stunned, all shouting in unison to halt the onslaught. At that moment, a tremendous roar echoed—golden fist shadows swept past the Qingle Shangren’s ears and struck the empty space on the platform. Unnoticed, as the golden fist shadow flashed by, a fine, hair-thin filament shot forth, embedded instantly into the Qingle Shangren’s ear, then vanished without a trace. The entire platform trembled, its protective runes flashing wildly, and a deep crater, several zhang in depth, emerged. The Qingle Shangren had no trace of color left in his face, his pale gaze fixed on the colossal ape slowly drawing back his fist, unable to speak for a long while. Only now, upon witnessing this, did the Qingle Shangren and others outside the light screen finally exhale in relief. A flash of golden light, and Han Li instantly reverted to his human form. Yet, gazing at Qinglong Shangren, whose eyes burned with unmistakable hostility, he said, "Whether you entered Tianyuan City in what manner or have now ascended to the rank of elder—doesn't matter. For the next three days, I don't wish to see you again. Should you still remain within Tianyuan City after that, then by all means, prepare for your demise!" With these words, a shimmer of jade-green light surged over his body, and he surged forward like a streak of jade-green light, appearing beside Ice Phoenix. Han Li carried out all these actions in one go, leaving little to no opportunity for Jin Yue Zen Master and the elderly gentleman of Gu to speak. When the monk and the elder had recovered from their surprise, Han Li and Bing Feng had already departed the space. "Han Daojun has clearly denied us the chance to further persuade him! It seems his words earlier were no mere jest!" said Jin Yue Zen Master, who had stood in quiet astonishment for a while, then finally chuckled with a sigh. "Han Sir's actions are indeed rather excessive. After all, Qinglong Master has already been recognized as one of the senior elders of this city. How could he simply be asked to leave Tianyuan City due to a single remark? Qinglong Master, please don't worry—I will personally go and seek out a few more colleagues to appeal to Han Daojun on your behalf. I'm certain we can persuade him to reconsider." Jin Yue Zen Master shook his head twice in succession, then turned to offer a reassuring word to Qinglong Master, who was still gazing at the stage in bewilderment. "No need to do all that!" Since I have fallen short to Mr. Han, even without his words, I have no dignity to remain in the city. I shall leave Tianyuan City tomorrow at once and no longer serve as a senior monk of the Council. Fortunately, the fact that I have joined your city is known to only a few, and thus will not bring any adverse effects to your city." Qinglong Senior Monk took a deep breath, regained his composure, and shook his head vigorously, his face pale. With a flash of light, he vanished from the stone platform, only to reappear mysteriously on the teleportation array moments later. The Jin Yue Zen Master and the elder named Gu exchanged glances, both of them remaining silent for a long while. "Seems Mr. Qinglong has suffered a significant blow and now feels unworthy of staying in the city!" the elder named Gu remarked softly. "This is quite natural. Since he has a disagreement with Mr. Han and feels himself outmatched in spiritual prowess, even if it were me, I would likely have no choice but to leave." "Master Jin thought for a moment, then replied with a touch of resignation. "Can we truly let such a mid-stage combined-body cultivator leave Tianyuan City unattended? That would be a significant loss to the Council! Although Brother Han possesses greater prowess, he still hasn't expressed any intention of joining the Council." The elder with the surname Gu hesitated and asked. "I'll promptly go find the other cultivators and discuss this thoroughly—see if we can still salvage the situation. Still, considering the current situation, with the demonic army pressing right up to our city gates, Brother Han has undoubtedly provided far greater assistance. Moreover, Qinglong has already developed a sense of apprehension toward Brother Han; it seems unlikely that we'll be able to prevent this now." Master Jin sighed lightly. "No matter what, we will do our best. I'll immediately send messages to the others and invite them to come over right away!" The elder with the surname Gu said slowly, then waved his sleeve, and a stack of sealed transmission scrolls instantly appeared in his hands. Jin Yue nodded, naturally showing no intention of stopping, but instead settled into a thoughtful silence. At the same time, Han Li had already been guiding the Ice Phoenix with a streak of azure light, swiftly flying toward their residence. Han Li stood at the forefront of the light, arms behind his back, gazing forward calmly, saying not a single word. The Ice Phoenix, trailing behind, appeared deeply thoughtful, equally silent. Several hours later, the light flashed and they arrived at the grand hall on the highest floor of the residence. Hai Da, along with the Artifact Spirit, had been waiting there with growing impatience. Upon seeing Han Li return with the Ice Phoenix, they immediately expressed their delight and rushed forward to greet him. "Greetings, Master, and Miss Phoenix! Master's journey has gone smoothly, hasn't it? Has there been any difficulty?" Hai Da asked with evident excitement. "What difficulty could there be? I've brought back your Phoenix sister. You needn't worry—please go ahead and rest. I have some matters to discuss privately with your sister." Han Li spoke calmly. "Yes, Master!" The spirit of the artifact and the sea-sonorous young man both stiffened, immediately bowing respectfully and then paying a courtesy to the Ice Phoenix before retreating from the hall. In a moment, the hall was left with only Han Li and the Ice Phoenix. "He still harbors some respect for my previous reputation; otherwise, he would have acted on you much earlier," Han Li said, utterly unsurprised.