The elder of the Long family merely paused, then instantly shot forth in a beam of light toward Han Li. After a few flashes, she appeared nearby, her face now stern. At the other end, the young lady in the feathered robe quickly flickered her eyes several times, then suddenly stamped her jade foot. With a flap of her pair of flaming wings behind her, she too vanished into the void with a single motion. A moment later, a ripple of energy from Han Li's side caused the young lady to appear silently. As for Bai Qi, she only glanced at Han Li before continuing to remain unmoved. "Brother Han, I have entrusted my life and all my strength to you. I hope Master has any further reserves to counter this Magian Saint-Founder. Otherwise, we shall truly be striking an egg against a stone," the young lady said with a wry smile as soon as she appeared. "Reserves? Can either of you possibly hold back anything?" Moreover, have either of you noticed that although the Magistrate Saint-Founder initially launched a truly impressive assault, his subsequent attacks have relied entirely on that black magical dagger in his hands, without summoning any other magical techniques or powers?" The giant ape shaped as Han Li stared intently at the young man in black robes, continuously murmuring without turning around. "What exactly does Brother Han mean?" The young woman in flowing robes felt her heart leap, slightly startled. "Miss Ye, don't forget—we are in the Spirit-Refining Pool region, a place where the spiritual energy is especially potent. Indeed, this may be the purest source of spiritual energy in the entire Magian realm. Even a Magistrate Saint-Founder, when engaged in combat here, would surely be constrained by the natural, earth-bound spiritual energy of this very place." The giant ape emitted a sharp, cold exhalation. "Brother Han is absolutely right. Even when he activated that black magical dagger earlier, he had to first break through the spiritual energy barrier of this locale before being able to draw upon external magical energies to attack us." If I haven't miscalculated, this old demon's magical power cannot fundamentally replenish his internal magical essence here—each time he uses it, he loses a portion of it. His precious heavenly artifact in hand is likely in the same condition. As long as we prevent this item from continuously drawing in external magical energy, relying solely on the inherent strength of the Black Demon Dagger, our combined efforts should be sufficient to withstand the assault for a while." The elder of the Long family, seemingly touched by Han Li's words, had his previously gloomy expression slightly eased, then calmly replied. The young lady in the feathered robe, after quickly pondering their words, found them convincing and felt her fear gradually subside. At this moment, the young man in the black robe, upon hearing Han Li and the others' remarks, gently smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Indeed, indeed! To discern such qualities so swiftly within such a short time—among the combined cultivators of the human race, you three must surely rank among the very highest tier. My cultivation indeed has faced some constraints on this bitter spirit island, and certain techniques and treasures are not yet fully available for direct deployment." But what do you think the treasures of Xuan Tian are? How can you possibly obstruct my use of them to draw in the true demonic qi from outside? Ah, and that young spirit from the Ling Clan. I've never touched you yet, despite my constant awareness of the lingering aura of a long-ago friend within you. The Ling King sent you here—what was his intention? Was it not deliberate that he would present you as merely a pretender to the rank of immortal, a mere shell of a true immortal? After finishing this remark, the young man in black robes turned his gaze calmly to Bai Qi, then coldly inquired. Upon hearing these words, the elder of Long family and others felt a sudden stir in their hearts, instantly shifting their focus to Bai Qi. From the very beginning, this Ling Clan saint had exhibited an unusual demeanor. Since the group had decided to unite and oppose the young man in black robes, they naturally needed to first understand Bai Qi's true intentions. Amidst the hazy radiance of dawn light, though White Qi could not clearly make out the features of the figure, upon hearing the young man in black robe's words, his body surface shimmered gently several times before he finally spoke in a low, resonant tone: "When I arrived, the elder of our clan indeed gave me several instructions and planted a fragment soul seal within my body. Why not have that elder speak directly with the senior ahead?" As soon as he finished speaking, the white glow around him subtly receded, revealing his true form. To his surprise, he was a middle-aged man dressed in fine silk robes! Though his face was unremarkable, his eyes shone with a brilliant silver luster, and there was a faint purple spiritual spot glowing softly on his forehead and brows. His silk robe was clearly no ordinary one—adorned with numerous silver spiritual patterns, which shimmered and danced with subtle movements whenever he shifted, standing out vividly. "Hmph. That ancient creature of your spiritual clan has lived far longer than I have. I shall see what he has to say," the young man in black robe remarked calmly, not at all surprised, as he exhaled a long, steady hum. Bai Qi smiled slightly, then gently tapped his forehead with one hand. With a soft sound, his heavenly crown suddenly opened, and a silver scroll soared out. The scroll swayed in the wind and rain, radiating myriad beams of light, and gradually transformed into a translucent figure several zhang tall. Han Li gazed at the scene intently, taking in the figure clearly—revealing an elderly man in a white robe with snow-white hair. The elder of the Long family and the young lady in the feathered robe exchanged glances, their minds racing with various thoughts, yet neither moved. After all, even if the situation grew dire, they would merely have to fight fiercely against this Magian Sage. Now, with the situation appearing to shift, they naturally welcomed this development. Once the figure appeared, it hovered calmly above Bai Qi, surveying the surroundings before settling its gaze firmly upon the black-robed young man across the way. "Master Yuan Yan, it's been a while since I last saw you. I didn't expect to encounter you here, one of the Three Founding Ancestors." "Why have the two Daoists in charge of guarding the island—the Xieqing and Wu Chang—vanished?" The ethereal figure of the white-haired elder clearly carried a trace of a soul presence, and after bowing respectfully to the young man, he asked as if a real person. This great cultivator of the spiritual lineage seemed to know the Yuan Yan Sage Ancestor well. Upon hearing the word "Primordial Ancestor," even though Han Li had always remained composed, his expression subtly changed. Liang's elder and the young woman in the feathered robe both felt their hearts sink again, as if plunged to the very depths. "Xieqing and Wu Chang have other matters to attend to. For nearly a thousand years, I have personally overseen the island. Your noble Lord of Spirit has suddenly dispatched several junior disciples to venture deep into these parts—clearly still deeply committed to those two spiritual treasures. Yet you should know well that mere Consolidated Stage cultivators arriving here are essentially courting certain doom. But if your Lord of Spirit personally accompanies them, then it would be quite a different matter altogether," said the dark-attired young man, his eyes briefly narrowing as he saw the figure of the white-robed elder. "If it weren't for your magi clan storming into the spiritual clan's territory with such fervor, I might have actually been inclined to make the journey myself. It's been so many years since we last saw each other—I'd truly like to know whether Yuan Yan's Nightmare Magic Technique has made any further breakthroughs. Now that my divisions are preoccupied, I can only send these younger members out with some risks. Yet looking at the current situation, aside from Bai Qi, everyone else has already met with misfortune. Isn't it a bit too swift for you to intervene?" The Spirit King spoke calmly. "I've managed to keep one of your spiritual clan members alive thus far—this is already a gesture of courtesy. If you continue to dawdle, don't be surprised if I don't give you another chance and simply extinguish him with a single palm strike." The young man in black robes grew stern, as though he were only a moment away from taking decisive action. "Master Yuan's temperament hasn't changed much since the time of ten thousand years ago. Very well—then I'll keep my remarks brief. I wish to exchange something with you in order to secure a single lotus of Pure Spirit and one entry into the Spirit Pur Originally, I had intended to make this arrangement with my two esteemed companions, Mo Qing and Wu Chang. Yet, I never expected it would end up being your turn! The spirit form of the Ling King sighed, expressing a touch of resignation. "Hah! I never thought the Ling King would be so playful. You believe this kind of talk, Yuan? Even if Mo Qing and Wu Chang were here, they wouldn't engage in any transaction with the inhabitants of the Ling Realm. Well, that's all I have to say. Now, I'll see you off. As for your fragment of spirit essence, I won't hesitate to claim it with a smile." Upon hearing this, the young man in black robes remained utterly unconvinced, burst out laughing, and then raised his massive sword once again. The elder of the Long family and the young lady in flowing robes immediately frowned, their faces turning pale, and instinctively drew upon their inner qi. The giant ape formed by Han Li also fixed his gaze, and golden light began to ripple across his body. Yet at that very moment, the ethereal image of the Spirit King calmly opened his mouth to utter a remark that startled the black-robed young man: "Is it possible, Yuan Yan, that you no longer desire the Stone of the Fallen Realm?" "What? The Stone of the Fallen Realm? Do you actually possess it? Wait—how much do you know, then?" The black-robed youth gasped, then suddenly recalled something, his voice instantly turning cold and sharp, his face hardening with growing astonishment. "Hehe. What I know surpasses what you might have imagined. After all, unlike the other great cultivators of the Spirit Realm, I have lived through many more years—far exceeding their own. Naturally, I am aware of things they themselves never even know. With this stone, your clan's looming crisis could be postponed by at least ten thousand years. Its value, I need not elaborate further, do you agree? Master, take your time to reflect, and then reply to me." The Spirit King smiled with deep intent, speaking with confident assurance. The young man in black robe had a fluctuating expression, remaining motionless above the pond. Hearing this exchange, Han Li and the elder of Long family, as well as the others, were equally puzzled, each pondering the true meaning behind the words just spoken.