While Han Li was silently pondering, the precious flower at the center of the hall suddenly arched her brows and said, "Pay close attention, they have arrived." The flower did not specify what exactly had come, yet the composed expressions of the other Senior Masters all stiffened, some even immediately casting their divine awareness outward toward the giant vessel. Han Li, likewise, felt a sudden sense of alertness and followed suit. As the surrounding sea of insects stirred, a number of large, fiery red creatures suddenly emerged—like surging balls of flame. Though not particularly large, each measuring about one zhang in size, these insects were adorned with numerous delicate golden spiritual patterns running across their bodies, and their eyes shimmered with vibrant jade green, pulsing with ever-shifting hues of five colors. As soon as these creatures appeared, several Senior Masters stationed at either end of the vessel immediately grew pale and, without hesitation, activated their respective master techniques. Instantly, beams of swordlight, sharp blades, and swirling masses of fiery black energy surged forth, rushing toward the intruders with great momentum. The ordinary stem-borer insects nearby were instantly reduced to ashes under such fierce assaults. Yet the crimson, strange insects, when enveloped by these attacks, merely vibrated their wings and then blurred into existence, vanishing seamlessly from the onslaught. The very next moment, seven or eight of these crimson borers flashed into view, appearing directly beside the several great cultivators, and then, with a sudden movement of their hind limbs, surged toward them. The great cultivators were immediately startled—some rapidly flicked their fingers, sending out countless sharp spear-like attacks that interlaced and struck; others had their bodies shimmer with luminous energy, causing multiple protective artifacts to manifest simultaneously. Even one cultivator from the other realm raised a low voice and, with a single reach, seized one of the borers directly in front of him. Nevertheless, regardless of the attacks or defenses deployed, these insects merely flickered once again, as if passing through solid matter, and materialized right beside the great cultivators, mere inches away. Then, their crimson flames flared brightly, and they emitted piercing beams of light. These Mahayana elders all paled, murmuring in alarm, "This is bad—only our physical strength can hold against these self-explosion powers." Yet at that very moment, a clear, composed voice from the surrounding void suddenly resonated: "Need not fear—these creatures shall be handled by me." As soon as the words were spoken, a luminous, misty beam surged forth from the great vessel's cabin hall, flashing once before splitting into several slender beams that struck the red-bodied insects preparing to self-explosion. The insects were instantly thrown back, rolling and rebounding several dozen feet away. Following a series of thunderous explosions, several clusters of crimson suns materialized in mid-air. Then, as the surrounding void hummed with resonance, deep fissures began to appear—cracks that seemed ready to tear the very space asunder. The power unleashed by these insects upon self-explosion was truly astonishing. The Mahayana elders, witnessing this, were equally struck with awe. These self-explosion moths indeed proved as formidable as rumored. Should they truly withstand the full force of the self-explosion in such close proximity, while they might not perish instantly, they would certainly suffer catastrophic injuries. A series of deep, resonant explosions echoed, and several clusters of sunlight flashed like fireworks in the river of stars before vanishing—leaving no damage at all to the surrounding void. As numerous stars in the river suddenly coalesced, they transformed into a banner several zhang long, its surface shimmering with silver star patterns—exactly the Falling Star Banner! Meanwhile, the continuous stream of light emanating from the great vessel was due to a group of another dozen senior cultivators, who, unable to rest, broke through the air from the hall of the ship’s cabin. When one streak of jade-green light condensed and vanished, a figure in green emerged—none other than Han Li. Han Li stood with his arms folded, observing the flower’s actions with keen interest, eager to see how it would use its two-tiered treasures to handle the myriad pests. The successive failures of the red-bodied pests to self-explode had clearly roused the entire insect swarm. Soon after, the sea of insects stirred, and more and more red luminous orbs surged forth, numbering nearly a thousand. Yet with so many self-explosive moths appearing simultaneously, even the precious flower could not help her complexion grow still. Without a word, she once again unfurled the banner in her hands, instantly transforming it into a vast expanse of starry phantom imagery that completely enveloped the entire great vessel, along with Han Li and his companions. At the same time, her jade finger gently touched the small mirror floating in the sky. The mirror, originally no larger than a palm, emitted a resonant hum, swayed gently in the wind, and then expanded into a clear, cold, full moon. As golden, misty light waves rolled out from within, hundreds of beams of light burst forth, flashing briefly before precisely piercing through the crimson moths, leaving them in shreds. Instantly, the hundreds of crimson moths cried out in distress, then burst into splendor with a single flash of red light, their bodies exploding into waves of crimson flame that engulfed and reduced countless ordinary moths around them to ashes. However, the remaining self-explosive moths began to tremble their wings and gradually faded into a blur, vanishing instantly through a sudden, seamless teleportation. The precious flower's eyes flashed briefly, yet in her heart The seemingly tranquil silhouette of the starry river surged violently, countless stars swirling and shifting out of alignment, waves of spatial tremors rippling continuously. In this moment, the red light flashed wildly in the space near the great vessel, forcing the crimson moths to emerge one by one, their movements now sluggish and stagnant, as if the void itself had suddenly become thick and viscous. At the corner of her mouth, Baohua's lips curled into a cold smile, and her deeply concealed inner power surged forth, pouring power directly into the high, round moon. Instantly, the moon's surface glowed brilliantly, golden beams erupting in succession—each beam causing the trapped crimson moths within the star river to burst and vanish, though at the same time dimming the moon itself slightly. After a dense, rain-like cascade of golden beams, though most of the crimson moths were eradicated, the moon's final spark of luminous essence was completely dispersed, and it finally fell, quietly transforming into a small mirror. A figure flashed across the star river, and the blossom surged forward, catching the small mirror in her hands. She glanced at the remaining mire insects lingering within the ethereal image of the star river, then pressed a single finger against a specific spell. At once, the silver gale dispersed, and a silver banner materialized from within, moving on its own to be gently handed into the hands of the precious flower. Clearly, the very essence of the Falling Stars Banner had been somewhat weakened after the astonishing feats just performed. After all, a divine power of such magnitude as a temporal-spatial storm is generally beyond the capability of even meticulously replicated holy treasures; thus, the banner must have employed a self-sacrificing secret technique to achieve this feat. Having collected the two treasures, the precious flower did not linger in the sky any longer, merely offering a quiet remark to the other great cultivators—“The self-destructing pests have been completely eliminated; there is no need for you all to worry anymore”—before gently descending toward the great vessel. Upon seeing this, the other great cultivators, including Han Li, exchanged glances and each expressed a different expression before taking off to return to the vessel as well. Once inside the vessel, the precious flower immediately settled into a meditative posture in a corner of the hall, appearing reluctant to speak further. Others in the Mahayana sect murmured among themselves, clearly discussing the magnificent display of prowess just witnessed. Han Li merely smiled faintly and settled back into his original seat. With no obstruction from the self-sacrificing lesser insects or the high-tier giant insects, the entire party surged forward unimpeded. Half a day later, before the insect armies from other regions could rally to their aid, they finally broke free from the encircling throngs and spotted the distant site of the First Seal. However, after enduring such fierce combat, the tens of thousands of elite magical beings had suffered heavy losses, and only around ten thousand remained, clinging to the great vessel and making it all the way to the site of the First Seal. At this point, Han Li and the other Mahayana cultivators finally stepped out of the vessel, while several interdimensional masters who had never before visited this place were curious, gazing intently at the surroundings. What was visible at the edge of the initial sealing site was an unusually desolate range of hills, between which, occasionally, one could spot pavilions and halls—yet now they stood utterly still, silent, with not a single figure in sight. Strange, however, was that the swarm of insects, which had been closely pursuing them from behind, suddenly halted as if encountering a dam when they reached the vicinity of these hills, as though something within the hills itself were terrifying to them, compelling them to watch the distant ranks of the demonic forces without daring to advance another step. "This is indeed the power of the ancient seal—profoundly effective against these insects. If so, we shall allow the others to remain here and observe the swarm, while we, the elders, proceed immediately to the deeper reaches of the initial sealing site." The bronze raven elder glanced toward the center of the hills and remarked coldly. "Your words, Brother Copper-Raven, are most accurate. We must make every effort to act swiftly." According to the original plan, Qiao, Brother Feng, you two will stay here with your disciples to repair the damaged seals along the outer perimeter. These seals are connected as one with the ancient seals; repairing even a few of them will undoubtedly contribute significantly to restoring the strength of the ancient seals. Upon hearing this, Bao Hua nodded in agreement.