With a sudden, single-handed gesture, a surge of black mist erupted from his back, gradually taking shape into a golden, three-headed, six-armed demonic form. As the four arms of this form flickered slightly, four massive golden blades instantly materialized in his hands and swiftly slashed out, each emitting a brilliant streak of golden blade light. Once these streaks of light emerged, they stretched out to ten zhang in length, creating an overwhelming display of power. Even the magi, women, and magical beasts, each employing their own defenses, were momentarily stunned and forced to retreat. Seizing this moment, Han Li swiftly retracted his divine form and the silver fire phoenix, then transformed his body into a brilliant streak of jade-green light and burst forth outside. As the leopard-mane beast absorbed its ethereal form, it too condensed into a sphere of golden light and followed closely behind. Upon witnessing this development, the male mage and the young woman in green silk robes immediately realized the situation had grown dire. The man quickly transmitted a brief message and then led his magical bird in pursuit. Meanwhile, the woman hurried toward the core disciples' quarters. A moment later, when the woman appeared before a side pavilion, her face instantly darkened. Not only was the main gate shattered, but several layers of protective spells surrounding the pavilion had been completely dismantled. Moreover, several green-armored magical guards lay scattered and unsteady at the entrance, leaning or falling over. The woman cursed loudly, then without hesitation opened her mouth and let out a piercing, long-winded roar that soared straight into the heavens. Instantly, the entire Xuanxiang Village erupted into activity. Lower-ranked Qingyi people quickly sealed their doors and windows, while higher-ranked magical beings, astonished, stepped out of their homes and flew toward the source of the roar. At the same time, Han Li had joined forces with the Bao Lin beast and immediately sped off toward a remote corner of the village. Behind him, the magical man mounted the white magical bird and furiously pursued, striving to keep up. Upon hearing the woman's prolonged cry, Han Li's brow furrowed slightly, and the male mage behind him grew stern, drawing a deep breath and preparing to emit a long, resonant roar as well. Yet at that very moment, Han Li suddenly reached back and threw hundreds of golden and silver talismans forward, which shot upward with great force and instantly vanished into the void. A thunderous roar! The celestial and elemental energies in the heavens trembled, and a magnificent hall-shaped phantom emerged in vibrant hues of five colors, then descended steadily toward the ground. The mage was startled, no longer able to attend to anything else, and with his white fan, he wildly waved it through the air, sending gusts of hurricane-force winds surging upward, sweeping the phantom hall toward the heavens. Under the swirling sand and flying stones, the hall seemed destined to be torn apart by sheer force of wind! Yet from afar, Han Li merely sneered, pointing a finger toward the lofty phantom hall. Instantly, a cascade of radiant beams erupted from the heavens, and the five-colored light waves surged downward, effortlessly sweeping away all the winds as if they had never existed. And as the palace's spectral form roared, it enveloped the startled mage-king within. The mage-king felt a flash of vision and found himself immersed in a hazy mist, where distant, indistinct silhouettes of pavilions and terraces blurred into view, leaving him disoriented as to his exact location. The Qingyi Clan's magus king's face tightened in surprise, instantly hurling his fan skyward, which instantly transformed into over a dozen gray wind-serpents that surged forth, darting toward the distant spectral forms. Deep within his mind, he knew clearly that even if he managed to free himself, he would surely be unable to catch up with Han Li. Indeed, that proved true! Upon seeing the mage-king momentarily ensnared by seals, Han Li immediately raised one hand and chanted a spell. A thunderclap echoed, and instantly, a pair of silvery-white feathered wings emerged behind him. With a gentle flap, the wings unfurled into a streak of luminous silver-white light, which flashed several times before vanishing into the darkness. A moment later, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted from the milky mist spanning the three mountain peaks. A colossal sword beam, thick as a man's body, suddenly surged forth from the mist, cleaving the entire expanse of fog in two with its cold brilliance. The mist scattered wildly in all directions, as if the entire town's sealing spell of Xunxiang Village had been shattered by the single blow of the sword light. Yet, as the jade-green sword light faded, two streaks of brilliant light burst forth from one corner of the mist, spiraling upward before shooting toward the horizon. Soon afterward, several roars echoed from beneath the mist, and several colorful flying lights surged out, swiftly pursuing the two leading streaks. Among the two leading streaks, the graceful figure was the young lady in flowing robes, while the one in the green robe was Han Li. The young lady turned back and glanced at the five or six Magi-Kings of the Qingyi Clan, closely pursuing her from several miles behind, a faint smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Han brother, it's about time." "We'll wait for them to fall behind," said Han Li. "Good, begin your spellcasting," he replied. Upon hearing this, Han Li subtly scanned backward with his divine awareness, then nodded without a word. His light trail momentarily paused, and from within him surged countless silver arcs of electricity, coalescing into a massive silver thunder phoenix measuring a zhang in height. The phoenix suddenly spread its wings, and as electric light spiraled around its body, it roared, expanding tenfold in size to reach ten zhang in length. With a final flap of its great wings, it surged forward as a bright silver arc, vanishing completely from sight in a single flash at the horizon. "They actually managed to escape! Looking at their transformations, could it be those old masters from the Beast Sovereign Hall?" A senior elder with crimson hair and beard suddenly stomped his black cane, speaking with growing frustration. "The ability to transform doesn't necessarily mean they're from the Beast Sovereign Hall. After all, why did these two come all the way to our camp? As the first to raise the alarm, Qing Elder, what have you discovered?" The other elder, whose entire figure was dark and obscured, asked coldly to the woman dressed in green. "A true-blood disciple from Qing Ling Hall was taken by them!" The woman hesitated slightly before responding with a touch of embarrassment. "Indeed, it's once again about the Qing Luan true blood! Is there any other disciple affected besides this one?" The dark-mantled magus snorted, not particularly surprised, and added a follow-up question. "All the other disciples are unharmed—they were merely stunned. However, the one taken is among the top five in potential among the true-blood disciples!" "The woman shook her head. 'For the past five years, this can't be ignored anymore. Once we return, we must immediately contact the Sage Ancestor. These two are truly formidable—only the Sage Ancestor himself can intervene and stop them.'" The Black Magus spoke with a grave tone. "That's the only way. If we fail to capture these two, our clan's reputation will be utterly ruined. The last time true blood was stolen was over ten thousand years ago. It seems many have already forgotten that Master Lingyuan has been steadfastly overseeing our clan. We must remind them once again." The red-haired elder agreed. Thus, after murmuring among themselves, the three Magi turned their light and retraced their path back. At that moment, Han Li and the young lady, having transformed, flew continuously for half a day and finally settled in a secluded cave, taking temporary refuge. "It's possible that the core disciples have been tampered with, and their true blood has been extracted. We must leave this area immediately." "As soon as Han Li stepped into the cave, he immediately said solemnly to the young lady in the flowing robe. 'Of course, Brother Han. All I need is half an hour, and I'll be able to extract the true blood.' The young lady smiled gracefully in reply, then flicked her sleeve, and instantly a blue silk cloth flew out, spinning gracefully before landing, revealing a young man of the Qing Yi clan unconscious on the ground. 'Good! Miss, hold on a moment—I'll protect your spell from outside the cave!' Han Li knew such a secret technique was hard to disturb, so after saying this, he quietly walked toward the entrance. The young lady laughed softly, naturally agreeing, then flipped her palm and immediately produced a stack of array flags and discs, beginning to set up a mysterious magical array. Half an hour later, Han Li, who had been standing at the cave entrance with his hands behind his back, heard a light, brisk footstep approaching. His expression brightened, and he promptly turned around. The young lady was approaching with a joyful expression. 'From the look on your face, Miss, the true blood must have been successfully extracted.' Han Li's eyes flashed as he asked, "Not only have we secured the Qing Luan true blood—its purity far exceeds what my sister had expected. It seems the mage we captured is no obscure figure among the core disciples of the Qing Yi clan. Yet the more prominent he is, the more urgent our departure becomes. Here is Han's share of the true blood—please take it, friend!" The young lady with flowing robes smiled, raised her hand, and tossed a small white bottle toward him, then settled into a serious expression. Han Li's eyes brightened as he extended one hand, palm open, and effortlessly caught the bottle in his hand. He twisted the lid open and scanned the contents with his spiritual awareness. "Indeed, it is genuine Qing Luan true blood. Excellent. Then we shall depart immediately—right now, from the Iron Sand Ridge." A touch of satisfaction spread across Han Li's face as he closed the bottle and promptly declared. Thus, the two of them instantly vanished into streams of light, once again transforming into two slender streaks of luminous energy and speeding off in the same direction. Two days later, a delegation of Qing Yi clan mages discovered the young mage unconscious within the cave. Though his life still held, the true blood within him had completely vanished. This naturally stirred considerable unrest among the various Qingyi clan settlements. However, not long after, a more astonishing development quietly spread among the higher-tier magical clans. The embodiment of their revered elder, Lingyuan, who had long been regarded as their pillar, returned to his residence after a recent journey bearing severe injuries, and immediately announced his seclusion, refusing to receive any visitors. Some senior magi who were well-informed about the circumstances, upon verifying the details, were left utterly stunned, and almost unanimously fell silent—prompting them to issue strict orders forbidding their people from discussing the matter further. Thus, what should have drawn significant attention from numerous magical power centers was suddenly suppressed, and remained largely unpublicized. It only circulated within the Qingyi clan settlements of Jiesha Ridge for a few days before fading into silence entirely.