The figure seated on the ground was Han Li, who had been in seclusion for a long time and had not left his chamber. At this moment, his eyes were closed, motionless as he sat, yet his expression suggested a clearly less-than-ideal state. Around him, the strange luminous points spiraled and danced, occasionally gathering and dispersing, sometimes transforming into fierce beasts or malevolent spirits, and at other times coalescing into spectral images of men, women, children, and elders. Regardless of their forms, once these images took shape, they surged fiercely toward Han Li's seated position, only to be repelled effortlessly by the formidable power emanating from the precious treasures such as the Extremely Green and Pure Lotus Mountain. Outside the protective aura of these treasures, the spectral entities continued to hum, their sounds growing increasingly sharp and piercing as they were repeatedly driven back—signs of mounting fury. Yet Han Li remained motionless, his eyes never lifting, seemingly indifferent to all this. Sweat poured down his temples in steady streams, more profuse and indicating greater strain than before. Indeed, the situation was exactly as it appeared. Within a mysterious realm within his own spiritual consciousness sea, a green-robed avatar of his immortal soul was engaged in a crucial struggle with another figure. The opponent wore a long, black robe, wielding seventy-two dark, ethereal flying swords. His face was strikingly identical to Han Li's. Yet this black-robed "Han Li" had blood-like luminescence flashing in his eyes, a thick aura of dark energy enveloping his brows and face, and a strangely sinister smile. With every movement, waves of malevolent magic surged forth, as if a demon had descended from the heavens. Han Li raised both hands, forming seals, simultaneously summoning seventy-two small green swords and launching a continuous stream of golden electric serpents. However, the black-robed "Han Li" effortlessly transformed his black flying swords into blooming black sword lotuses, easily deflecting Han Li's attacks. As he merely shook his robe, thick black lightning—wider than Han Li's golden arcs—sparked forth and struck him with force. Han Li's face darkened, and as thunder roared across his body, a hundred golden arcs erupted simultaneously, shattering the black lightning in one decisive blow. "Hehe, you're quite useless. This catalyzed heart demon is actually just a copy of your own essence. Not to mention, under the full strength of my true demonic nature, it should be three parts stronger than your original form—after all, we've been battling for such a long time. You must be well aware of that by now." A voice of exquisite sweetness suddenly resonated through the void. But don't forget—you still have to endure the late-stage celestial calamity. Though I don't know what preparations you've made, under the current situation where most of your immaterial spiritual power is being drawn off, I doubt you can manage to survive unscathed. If you wish to avoid the complete annihilation of your divine essence, it would be wise to hand over that magical armor to your true self. As soon as you do, I will immediately withdraw from your consciousness sea, ensuring your smooth progression into the late stage of consolidation. The woman spoke with a tone full of allure. The voice belonged to the very entity that, on the day in Yun City, had been shattered by Han Li's assault on its interdimensional spiritual aura. Unbeknownst to Han Li, this entity had managed to infiltrate his consciousness at the very moment of his critical ordeal, catalyzing a heart-magical demon that sought to consume his immortal spirit. Had Han Li not acted swiftly and, with his spiritually concentrated awareness far exceeding that of ordinary cultivators, been vigilant from the start, the demon would have surely succeeded in its assault. "If it's a celestial demon from beyond the heavens, then even the sun can rise from the west I fear that as soon as I show even the slightest sign of yielding here, there it is—my heart-mage strikes, and my spirit is swallowed whole. I've long heard that celestial demons excel at manipulating the human soul, killing insidiously, without a trace. Now it seems, indeed, to be true. Han Lin remained impassive, untouched by the situation. "Hah! You're quite alert. Then, I shall simply wait for you to fall on your own. When both your spirit and body are reduced to ash in the heavenly storm, my magical armor shall remain firmly in my hands." The celestial demon's voice suddenly grew thick and strange, as though he had once again transformed into a man. With a flick of his heart-mage's robe, a second black, swirling staff emerged, its surface shimmering with countless dense black staff-shadows that absorbed every attack Han Lin had launched. Seeing this, Han Lin's expression grew even more stern, and now he could clearly sense the information flowing from the other half of his spirit. At this moment, it seemed the heavenly calamity was reaching its critical phase. With only the faint remnants of his spiritual power and awareness left, he likely wouldn't be able to withstand the next wave of its might. He had to immediately eliminate his inner demon to fully focus on meeting this crisis. With this thought in mind, Han Li no longer hesitated. With a low roar, he pressed a hand seal, and as golden light flashed, his form surged and expanded suddenly—transforming into a colossal golden-hued giant ape, towering a hundredfold. "Your techniques and treasures may allow you to imitate, but I doubt you can replicate my transformation. Let's see how you hold up against my first punch!" The giant ape roared loudly, and as he swung his two fists, they surged straight toward the inner demon. Before the punches even landed, two powerful golden waves of light surged forth, crashing outward as if determined to crush the inner demon into pulp. The black-robed heart-mage flickered with an odd expression. With a flash of black light, his arms suddenly revealed layers of black scales, and he lunged upward with a powerful grasp. With a series of thunderous roars, the golden-mane giant ape was knocked back several steps, while the demonic creature formed by the heart-madness sank its legs, being forcefully slammed to the ground from the sky and leaving a massive crater in its wake. In this single encounter, Han Li realized that although the physical strength of his transformed opponent still fell slightly short of that of his mountainous giant ape, it was certainly not far behind. Even if he could triumph in this state, it would take him a considerable amount of time. Yet, under the current circumstances, how could he afford such delays? With mounting urgency, Han Li's thoughts raced through his mind until, at last, he made a firm decision. Though the spell he would now cast would consume a great deal of spiritual energy, proving highly unfavorable for his subsequent ability to withstand the heavenly calamities, he could no longer afford to consider such drawbacks at this moment. As soon as his body settled, he raised his head and let out a long, resonant roar, and instantly, a golden form with three heads and six arms materialized behind him. With the six eyes tightly closed, as soon as one opened, the figure surged forward like a phantom, leaping upon the giant ape's body. A shimmering golden light flowed continuously over the ape's form, then flashed once on either shoulder, revealing two furry heads and an additional four arms. The golden giant ape instantly transformed into a three-headed, six-armed form. As all six hands simultaneously pressed their seals, the body swelled dramatically, expanding several times over—almost touching the earth beneath with its feet and rising to meet the sky above. At the same time, the giant deeply inhaled, and as the six hands flashed with golden light, clusters of golden radiance suddenly emerged, spinning swiftly. Instantly, the light became as brilliant and radiant as the noon sun, blurring slightly before suddenly taking the form of six luminous, hazy golden halos that rapidly expanded in concentric circles. Within just one breath, these six golden halos seamlessly merged into a single, massive halo stretching over a hundred zhang in diameter. At the same instant, all three of the giant ape's heads opened, and the obscure incantation resonated in three distinct, overlapping tones. Instantly, countless characters shimmered into being within the golden aura and began to spin rapidly. A massive, golden vortex formed in the void and was gently lifted upward by six colossal hands held aloft at a distance. As the golden characters flashed, a powerful, irresistible suction surged forth from the center of the vortex. Enveloped by this force, the ox-headed creature stumbled, its body being forcibly drawn toward the vortex. It roared in fury, its face for the first time displaying genuine alarm. Though it had been duplicated from Han Li's essence, the true spiritual lineage of the creature made the "Awakening of the Stagnant Spirit" transformation its unique, uncopyable ability. Thus, when confronted with Han Li's dual transformation—combining the "Awakening of the Stagnant Spirit" and the "True Divine Magic of the Buddha"—the creature found itself completely at a loss. In a state of great urgency, the monster launched seventy-two small black swords, two towering peaks, a series of black short measuring rods, and various other treasures from its body, all rushing toward the immense vortex with powerful strikes—yet none of them made any difference. As soon as these treasures approached the vortex, they were instantly engulfed by a dazzling radiance composed of countless golden characters spewing forth from within, and were then violently drawn and pulled into the vortex, losing all control. Only after a series of thunderous rumblings inside, did they vanish completely. At this moment, the monster itself was drawn by the immense suction to a distance of no more than thirty or forty zhang from the center. With a flash of black light, it raised a crimson blood-halberd, thrusting it firmly into the ground—so deeply that it sank nearly to the level of its base. The once-mobile form of the heart-mind monster now hesitated, barely able to move. The monster's face immediately lit up with great relief. However, just then, the giant ape moved all six of its arms simultaneously, exhaled a low command, and the golden vortex descended with the weight of a great mountain. The heart-mind monster cried out in agony