Han Li glanced at Zhu Guo'er beside him, his expression shifting between somber and uncertain. "Master, I have no memory of being examined at any point. During that period, I was unconscious the entire time." Zhu Guo'er grew increasingly uneasy and quickly offered an explanation. "Given your divine capabilities, it's no surprise that you didn't notice anything at all. I have no intention of blaming you—there's no need to worry." Han Li shook his head, gently reassuring the young woman. Yet suddenly, his tone deepened, growing colder as he turned to Bao Hua and asked sharply, "How can I be certain that the matter you've described regarding Xiao Ling Tian is genuine? If you cannot present evidence that convinces me, your request for me to now step in and risk my position—like retrieving a treasure from a blazing fire—is nothing short of a dream. I would rather seek solutions gradually in the future, rather than commit such a significant risk based solely on your words." After delivering these words, Han Li cast a calm, brief glance at the Blue Pu Water Sage and the young woman. At that moment, the two women, seeing that Bao Hua had spoken to block Han Li and had immediately begun discussing a deal with him, both grew visibly concerned. Yet neither of them was an ordinary magical race; knowing that Han Li had not yet fully committed to staying and assisting Bao Hua, they remained calm and merely watched the exchange between them with a serious,沉郁 expression. "Since I've stated this, there must be solid evidence," Bao Hua said, her eyes sparkling with clarity. Her lips moved slightly, yet no sound came out—she had simply transmitted her words directly through telepathy. Han Li was first momentarily stunned, then suddenly a ripple of energy surged before him, and a strange, delicate pink glow materialized, swiftly moving toward his face. Upon scanning the glow with his consciousness, he found it merely a regular spiritual awareness encasing an object. With a gentle motion of his hand, he caught the glow in his palm, then rubbed his hands together, focusing intently to examine it. “This is…?” A short staff emerged in his hands, dark as ink, yet faintly shimmering with a golden luster on its surface. Han Li spun his thoughts rapidly, yet found himself utterly unfamiliar with it—never having seen anything like it before. “Ah, isn’t this the Tai Xuan Gang Wood?” Alu Guo, upon seeing the staff, gasped in surprise. “Do you recognize this?” Han Li narrowed his eyes, asking calmly. “Master, the Tai Xuan Gang Wood is a unique spiritual tree of our Xiao Ling Tian. It grows only half an inch in a century, produces a single leaf every thousand years, and blooms once every ten thousand years—making it one of the rarest materials for crafting treasures, artifacts, and flying devices. It’s long been regarded as a divine tree in our realm. I’ve only seen small pieces, like a bean-sized fragment, before. Such a large piece of Tai Xuan Gang Wood—this is the first time I’ve heard of it.” Alu Guo stared at the staff in Han Li’s hands, her eyes wide with astonishment. “Unique? Are you certain there isn’t another tree of the same kind outside of Xiao Ling Or perhaps you've mistaken it for something else, taking another similar material and confusing it with this one?" Han Li furrowed his brow, expressing some doubt. "According to our elder human cultivators from Xiao Ling Tian, this Tai Xuan Gang Wood did not come from outside—it naturally evolved through the blending of several types of spiritual woods within Xiao Ling Tian, combined with various fortunate circumstances. There is absolutely no other identical specimen outside of our realm. In fact, the competition for this wood has been one of the primary reasons for repeated wars between our human cultivators and other ethnic groups. Therefore, it would be impossible for me to misidentify the Tian Xuan Gang Wood." Ju Guo'er replied seriously. "Ah, I see!" Han Li gently stroked the spiritual wood in his hands, his eyes reflecting thoughtful contemplation, yet his expression grew increasingly serious. "Friend Han, if you still wish to proceed, know that the passage won't remain open for long." At that moment, the young woman finally spoke softly. A streak of fury flashed across the blue-robed woman's eyes, and with a sharp cry, she declared, "If you truly wish to stay, then you shall never leave." At the same time, the massive green banner before her emitted a resonant hum, and the passage began to tremble, as though it might collapse at any moment. "Go!" Han Li, witnessing this, had his pupils suddenly contract, and without hesitation, uttered a single word. Instantly, the carriage beneath his feet emitted a clear chime, then surged forward as a radiant sphere, flashing several times along the passage before vanishing into the opening at the far end, completely disappearing. Seeing this, both the blue-robed woman and the young woman beamed with relief, while the Buddha Saint's gaze flickered slightly, yet his expression remained unchanged. Then, the blue-robed woman pointed her finger forward once more, and immediately, powerful green electric arcs surged across the banner's surface. With a thunderous roar, both the passage and the void opening crumbled, inch by inch. The entire realm of thunder and lightning instantly returned to its original state. Upon seeing this, the young woman smiled gently and said to Bao Hua, "Bao Hua sister, it seems you were unable to win over that young human boy. Indeed, if it were me, I'd hardly take such a great risk either. Well, now that your spiritual strength is beginning to wane, let me and you personally escort you on your way." With a soft smile, the woman quickly raised her jade hand and struck it firmly against the silver Buddha statue. Instantly, a thousand streaks of silver light burst forth from the statue. As the space trembled, a silver phantom of ten zhang in height rose up, solidifying into a magnificent, tangible giant silver Buddha. Meanwhile, the Blue Cascade Sage opened his mouth and expelled several clusters of refined qi, which swiftly vanished and merged into the remaining five banners. At that very moment, the five small banners roared simultaneously, each swelling into a towering banner over ten zhang high. After spinning round and round like the one before, they each transformed into six serpents of water-bucket thickness, glowing jade-green and coiled with thunderous power, charging straight toward the yellow glow where the precious flower bloomed. But at that moment, Guangbaohua's expression darkened, and the short jian she was holding suddenly trembled. A sharp, piercing cry rose, and waves of golden halos surged forth from the jian. The azure lightning dragon charging forward was halted by the hazy golden aura, its movements slowed by hundreds or even thousands of times, momentarily frozen in the vicinity of the glow. Upon seeing this, the young woman coldly exhaled, then pressed her palms together in a series of gestures. Before her, the towering silver Buddha silhouette emitted a resonant hum. A large silver hand, merely probing outward, somehow spanned hundreds of paces and appeared above the golden aura, then, as the silver light expanded, pressed down with the weight of a small mountain. Even before the massive silver hand fully descended, a terrifying force surged downward, causing the golden aura to waver and instantly flatten and distort into a circular shape. Guangbaohua's eyes flashed with brilliance. With a sudden motion, her jade hand darted out, catching the short jian in midair, and then, with a swift wrist flick, she launched it straight toward the heavens. This strike appeared light and unimpressive, lacking any evident force—yet in a single flash, the short saber struck precisely at the center of the silver palm phantom. A deep rumble echoed first, followed by a burst of brilliant light that exploded beneath the massive palm, sending out waves of golden whirlwinds that surged outward, tearing and shattering the phantom palm, along with nearby azure lightning dragons and other electric arcs, into fragments. The force then continued to surge violently in all directions. "Unbelievable! She has just self-explosioned her Sheng Yuan saber!" "She's clearly determined to fight to the end—she's even sacrificed her treasured artifact, which she has nurtured for so many years!" Both the Blue Cascade Sage and the young woman were deeply startled, retreating rather than advancing, each swiftly stepping back and vanishing into the mist behind them. Yet neither of them grew overly panicked. For them, even if the precious bloom self-destructed, it would not allow them to escape the Liu Jie Qing Lei Array. In fact, the very explosion would drain their final reserves of inner energy. Thus, when the two finally launched their attacks, they could effortlessly capture this formidable adversary. However, just as the two women intended to patiently wait for the full force of the self-explosion to dissipate, a thunderous roar, like the collapse of heaven and earth, suddenly erupted in the sky. The entire misty sea trembled, and an overwhelmingly powerful aura surged downward in a sweeping wave. Even with the divine capabilities of the blue-robed woman and the young maiden, they could not remain composed—upon first contact with this terrifying aura, both instantly turned pale and, without hesitation, transformed into streaks of brilliant light, racing swiftly toward more distant areas. As the sky above the Thunder Sea surged with intense vibrations, a golden sun suddenly burst through the void, then instantly split into two massive beams of light that plunged downward. A flash of golden light revealed that the very spots where the blue-robed woman and the young maiden had stood were instantly pierced by these beams. When the light subsequently contracted, two large, perfectly circular openings appeared in the air, seemingly forming out of thin air. The precious flower glowing in the aura smiled slightly, drawing upon the last remnants of her inner qi. With a swift motion of her sleeve, a cascade of pink light burst forth, instantly enveloping and vanishing the black giant crocodile. At the same time, the ethereal image of the pink flowering tree behind her flickered and disappeared, and she herself vanished without a trace into the shimmering pink light.