Han Li naturally had no knowledge of what was unfolding deep within the temple grounds, but once the strange sensation had subsided, he couldn't help but feel a little more at ease. At that moment, the four of them stepped out of the garden and arrived at a seemingly ordinary small plaza. Opposite the plaza stood a hall spanning several acres, quiet and still, with not a single sound emanating from it. "Something is off—our divine awareness cannot penetrate into the hall. Could it be that the defenses here are still being activated?" Green Stone said, his expression slightly serious. "It's not the defenses at work. This hall is constructed from a special material unique to our Sacred Realm. Known as 'Minghe Sand,' this material naturally possesses the ability to block divine perception. It's entirely normal that Green Stone cannot detect what lies within." The precious flower, carefully observing the hall, chuckled lightly. "No—that's not right. There's a distinct scent of insects, like those of the rice stem borers, emanating from inside!" "Yet the Green Stone Elder did not truly settle down at all, despite the words of the Evil Lotus. Instead, his nostrils suddenly twitched, and his expression darkened as he said, simultaneously reaching out with one hand and summoning a short blade veiled in green mist, which appeared silently. 'Mild insect aura! Won't the Green Stone friend have mistaken it?' The Evil Lotus was startled by this and quickly drew a finger through the air before him, forming three faint silver rings that materialized in front of him. 'Hmph,' the Green Stone Elder sniffed, with great confidence, 'My cultivation technique, the Hundred-Life Uninterrupted, allows me to perceive and distinguish the aura of even those distant by dozens of li, as long as I focus. What could this possibly be, then?' Upon hearing this, Han Li furrowed his brows, gazed at the hall across from him for a moment, then rubbed his hands together before suddenly spreading them out. A thunderous crack followed by another, and two thick golden arcs shot forth, then rolled down to transform into two golden serpents each over ten dozen feet long. One of them darted swiftly through the main gate and into the hall. A thunderous roar erupted instantly within the hall, with countless flashes of electricity bursting forth. "Divine Protective Lightning!" Seeing the astonishing power of the golden lightning, Xie Lian's expression slightly tightened. While, generally speaking, Divine Protective Lightning should not pose a significant advantage over her as a magical race saint-ancestor, when wielded by someone of equal rank such as Han Li, it certainly presented a notable threat. At that moment, amid the thunderous clamor, several sharp, hissing cries suddenly rang out, followed by a series of "pffft" sounds. Five dark forms flashed through the air and shot out, then swiftly aligned themselves in a line upon the small plaza, directly facing Han Li and the other senior cultivators. "Indeed, these are the very pests!" Green Shi, upon clearly identifying the true forms of these dark shapes, remarked with a cold expression. The five dark forms were five colossal creatures with human faces and insect bodies, each towering three or four zhang high, their slender necks bearing grotesque human heads. And their forelimbs held several crude, rod-like weapons. However, except for the largest of the five standing in the center, whose exoskeleton was a pale blue, the others had dark, black bodies—very similar to the one they had previously seen among Han Li and his companions. Upon seeing Han Li and his party, the leading blue-faced creature immediately displayed a fierce expression, chuckling in a strange, human-like voice: "Qua-qua... Excellent! They are outsiders! Now we can feast on a rich, succulent meal... Qua-qua..." "Indeed... I remember the taste of blood so well... The last time I enjoyed it, I had completely forgotten how long it had been... Qua-qua..." The other face-creatures also showed clear signs of hunger and greed. Han Li and the others naturally observed these face-creatures closely. Upon hearing this, Xie Lian's expression darkened, and with a single gesture of his hand, the three silver rings before him suddenly emitted a brilliant glow and began to hum loudly. Han Li glanced at the five human-faced insects and then smiled at Xie Lian and Lun Shi, saying, "To encounter five at once isn't exactly outstanding, nor is it particularly unfortunate. I'll take care of three with Crab Brother, and the remaining two shall be handled by you two—shouldn't be a problem, right?" "Of course not. Crab Brother and Han Brother are no ordinary stage of cultivation—this truly is a case of 'those who are capable bear the greater share.'" Xie Lian chuckled and readily agreed. Lun Shi, of course, had no objections. With a slight wave of his short blade, a surge of green energy immediately coiled into a dragon, charging straight at one of the human-faced insects. That insect, however, showed no fear. As it opened its mouth, it expelled a stream of gray-white gas. A tremendous roar! The two streams of gas collided, instantly swirling and spiraling upward in a straight, powerful surge, as if two dragons—one green, one gray—were intertwining and constantly tearing at each other. The three silver rings before the Xie Lian flashed and vanished instantly. At the next moment, a ripple of disturbance appeared above another colossal insect, and the three silver rings emerged faintly, then plunged downward with force. On the face of the humanoid insect below, a fierce expression flashed as it suddenly swung its two thick staffs upward in a powerful arc. A loud burst of air roared nearby, and two immense, white-turbulent forces crashed against the three silver rings like waves of a tide. The rings shimmered wildly, momentarily held fast and unable to fall. The central blue-faced insect heard this and let out another strange, grating laugh. It merely flicked its dark staff slightly, and with only a slight movement of its posterior legs, its entire body blurred and sank into the surrounding void. Seeing this, the Crab Dao-person's eyes flashed, said softly, "It's mine," and then a silver electric glow rippled over his body before he vanished suddenly with a thunderous crack. At that very moment, in the lofty void above, a deep thunderclap resonated, and suddenly, both the Crab Immortal and the blue giant insect emerged from the swirling, explosive surge. Without a word, the Crab Immortal raised both hands, and as silver arcs spiraled and coalesced, they transformed into two brilliant silver blades. Then, his body surged outward, expanding to over fifteen zhang in height. With a single decisive step forward, he charged straight at the giant insect, his advance accompanied by a series of thunderous crashes. The blue giant insect let out a roar, its body swaying and swelling several times in size, and with a powerful swing of its massive staff, it met the Crab Immortal head-on without showing the slightest fear. A continuous series of earth-shaking impacts reverberated through the air, as both combatants maintained steady positions, engaging in a fierce, unyielding exchange of blows, their weapons dancing in a dynamic, face-to-face clash. The Crab Immortal's expression remained utterly unchanged, his two silver blades moving in a fluid, circular motion—like twin silver wheels—constantly circling and rotating around his opponent. Yet the blue humanoid giant insect continued to emit strange, gurgling laughter, while the black massive staff in its hands transformed into a thick, swirling black vapor that circled and danced around its body, its grotesque face now radiating a near-frenzied fervor. For a moment, the two seemed evenly matched. At that instant, a green giant flower phantom emerged behind the evil lotus, flashing wildly before instantly unfolding into hundreds of shimmering cyan blade streaks, which surged forward in a surging tide of blade waves, sweeping directly toward the opposing giant insect. Meanwhile, the elder of green stone had seemingly produced a magnificent golden seal in his hand at an unknown moment; with a single pointing gesture, the seal instantly expanded into a mountain-sized golden peak, crashing down in a relentless barrage upon his opponent. Though the humanoid giant insect he faced was exceptionally strong, it could only now repeatedly evade these astonishing attacks, unable to meet them directly. As soon as Han Li saw that the other two had also summoned their powers to tightly ensnare the two human-faced insects, he glanced at the last two human-faced insects remaining. At this moment, the two insects displayed a hint of hesitation, clearly undecided whether to immediately assist their companions or first deal with the only opponent currently idle before them. Han Li smiled slightly, said nothing, and merely pressed a hand seal. Countless golden symbols danced across his body. But as soon as the thunderous sound erupted, the symbols instantly transformed into bright, glaring golden arcs, completely enveloping his figure. Then, changing his hand gesture, he swiftly reached out and grasped the space with his hand. The golden arcs spiraled toward his palm, gathering together and suddenly coalescing into a brilliant golden sphere that thrummed with constant thunderous resonance, radiating an overwhelmingly powerful aura. The two humanoid insects instantly sensed Han Li's threat. Almost simultaneously, they emitted a low hiss, then flapped their wings with a sudden motion, charging directly at Han Li with a series of trailing shadows. One of the insects opened its mouth wide, immediately spewing forth a pungent black liquid. The other insect, meanwhile, spun its two arms sharply, and with a loud cry, launched two thick staffs that flew directly toward Han Li. Before the staffs even reached him, two powerful gusts of wind, still nearly suffocating, rushed toward him. Han Li arched his eyebrows slightly, gave his shoulders a gentle shake, and instantly vanished—his form dissolving into a shimmering light. The two staffs and the black, foul liquid fell to the ground empty. Yet the two giant insects proved remarkably agile; upon seeing this, they immediately flapped their wings, and their bodies likewise blurred before vanishing. At the very next moment, ripples spread out from both sides of the square, and the two insects appeared silently at the edges. Then, an even more strange phenomenon unfolded. At the spot where Han Li had previously vanished, the faint green glow coalesced once more, and a figure gradually reappeared, delicate and clear. Han Li had never actually left the area—he had merely employed a simple illusionary technique, easily deceiving the two creatures. Upon seeing this, the two massive insects immediately sensed something was amiss, roared in unison, and charged toward Han Li. Yet at that moment, Han Li swiftly activated a series of spells, gently throwing the lightning orb into the sky. A flash of golden light revealed the orb vanishing into the heavens, followed instantly by a thunderous roar. As countless golden characters scattered in the sky, a golden lightning column, thick as a water cistern, surged downward and struck one of the humanoid insects with perfect precision. This was precisely the lightning ritual Han Li had only recently mastered! A piercing, agonizing cry rang out—the fierce insect, barely able to react, was instantly vaporized in a brilliant flash of gold, completely extinguished. This Thunder Ritual was indeed astonishing—even this humanoid, ferocious creature could not withstand a single blow! The other colossal insect, startled and furious, before it could even charge, suddenly emitted a piercing cry. An intangible sound wave surged directly toward Han Li, sweeping toward him. But at that moment, the humanoid insect, appearing ghostly, swiftly materialized near Han Li and, without hesitation, shook several sharp forelimbs. Instantly, a cascade of black luminous streaks surged forth, directly piercing Han Li. Seeing this, Han Li narrowed his eyes but uttered a low cry, then gently pointed his hand at the vortex before him. The vortex suddenly swelled and contracted, then exploded into a burst of golden light. At once, countless strands of green silk shot out from the golden radiance, rushing toward and piercing the humanoid insect. The massive, fierce creature, its grim expression momentarily flickering, neither retreated nor dodged—instead, it seized the opportunity to accelerate the dense stream of black streaks. These black streaks, endowed with some incomprehensible and profound power, surged forward with such force that even as they blurred into motion, they spanned over fifteen zhang, closing in mere inches from Han Li. With its fierce nature now fully ignited, the insect resolved to fight for a mutual stalemate—both of them to be severely wounded. Yet, what sort of person was Han Li? Though the face-feeding insects were formidable, could they truly bring this about? He merely narrowed his eyes slightly, then with a sudden motion, extended one hand and swept it through the space before him. A series of "pffft" sounds followed, and instantly, several layers of gray light screens materialized before him. Then, the black streaks plunged straight into these screens. A sharp crackling sound erupted! These streaks seemed remarkably sharp, piercing through all the light screens in one breath, and still maintaining their full strength, driving straight into Han Li’s protective spiritual aura. A sharp metallic scraping sound resonated. Han Li’s body surface instantly turned a deep purple-gold hue, with countless silver patterns subtly shimmering and faintly visible within. Upon first contact, the black streaks dimmed and rebounded sharply, unable to penetrate even a fraction of his spiritual aura. This defensive spiritual aura, forged from the integration of the Buddha-Saint True Demon Technique and the Hundred Meridians Treasure Cultivation Method, under Han Li’s full exertion, was likely beyond the reach of even an ordinary stage of a Great Perfection cultivator for a time. Moreover, though this human-faced insect was fierce, it still fell short of a great vehicle entity. At that moment, the azure crystalline filaments struck the insect's dark exoskeleton simultaneously, like rain hitting a hedge, and instantly pierced through. The insect emitted a piercing cry, with countless streams of deep green liquid jetting out from its body. Yet immediately, a grim expression flashed across its face, and upon a low roar, a shifting glow of gray and white rippled through its form, rapidly sealing the fine pores on its surface—visible to the naked eye. Within mere blinks, the insect seemed to recover its wounds as if none had been done. Han Li chuckled, then pressed a hand seal and uttered the character "Zhǎn" (to cut). Instantly, the crystalline filaments that had pierced through the insect's body suddenly intertwined and solidified, forming a shimmering green blade. This blade spun swiftly and unexpectedly encircled the insect's head before passing through it. The head on the giant insect's neck immediately rolled down with a gurgle, and then the jade swordlight flared once more, engulfing the remaining body of the creature. Amidst the cold, brilliant swordlight, the humanoid insect's form was instantly torn into a shower of blood, its immortal spirit barely having time to escape. These two fierce giant insects were utterly eliminated within a blink of an eye. After a quiet smile, Han Li drew back his jade flying sword and then cast his gaze toward the other combat groups. As soon as his eyes fell upon them, a piercing cry came from the direction he was looking—originating from the giant insect opposite the Xie Lian. Unaccountably, it had been tightly ensnared by three silver rings, completely immobilized. A flash of white light from the woman then sliced the insect's body in two. Indeed, the Xie Lian, as the sister of the precious flower, proved to be no ordinary great cultivator—her abilities were truly exceptional. Han Li's eyes flickered, and his mind seemed to be pondering something. At almost the same moment, a tremendous roar, like the earth shifting and mountains trembling, erupted in the sky on the other side, causing the entire void to tremble several times. Han Li and the recently victorious Xie Lian both stiffened, rushing toward the source of the sound. Two colossal blades instantly transformed into two broad, silver arcs, converging and merging in a single flash to form a long, silver spear blazing with electric light. With merely a movement of one arm, the Crab Daoist hurled this lightning spear from the heavens down with great force. The spear blurred momentarily, then vanished into thin air with a thunderclap. Yet at the next instant, a deep rumble echoed from the crater, and the spear materialized, piercing the giant insect's body with a tremor, then bursting into fragments. Layers upon layers of silver electric filaments poured down, completely filling the entire crater. Though the blue giant insect was strong, it could only gasp and emit a few strained cries as it swiftly dissolved under the full force of the Crab Daoist's lightning technique. At that moment, the Crab Daoist took a single step, his form shimmering and then vanishing from the sky. As a ripple of energy passed through Han Li's vicinity, the Crab Daoist appeared calmly in his place. "Brother Crab, excellent technique." The beast you've been dealing with—though its strength may not be much behind that of an ordinary Great Stage cultivator—is still capable of being swiftly eliminated. "That's impressive," said Han Li, turning his head and praising with a smile. "While it may not quite match the level of a true Great Stage cultivator, even a typical Great Stage cultivator would likely find it difficult to gain the upper hand." The Crab Daoist's expression remained calm, yet added softly. "Indeed, regardless of the strength of these fierce beasts, their unyielding courage and willingness to fight to the end—this is something even ordinary Great Stage cultivators simply cannot match," Han Li said, his smile slightly deepening with seriousness. "Correct. The Green Stone Daoist clearly held the advantage, yet could not manage to overcome the opponent despite employing a strategy of mutual exhaustion. Had it not been for our joint efforts to dispatch it, the outcome might have been different," said the Xie Lian, glancing at Han Li and the Crab Daoist, then at the remains of the three giant beasts that had fallen. Suddenly, she smiled gently. Han Li glanced over and noticed that the elder of the green stone sect, who had been struggling to subdue the final human-faced insect, seemed momentarily unable to make progress. At that moment, he smiled and prepared to lift his head and respond. But suddenly, the green stone elder roared loudly: "Without the assistance of the three noble friends, how could I possibly fail to subdue this mere insect? Chengtian Qing Yin!" Seeing that all others had easily defeated their opponents while he still remained in a prolonged struggle, the elder felt embarrassed and immediately bellowed. With a swift motion of his sleeve, nine identical jade seals sprang forth, spinning gracefully in the air before merging seamlessly with the golden great seal previously used, forming a massive jade seal. Golden runes spiraled around its surface, pressing down firmly upon the insect. A resonant hum echoed throughout the heavens, and the laws of the cosmos within a radius of several li stirred to life. The human-faced insect instantly felt its entire body grow heavy, completely immobilized. And as the azure giant seal rolled down, it struck the colossal insect with a power so overwhelming that it was instantly crushed into a mass of flesh and pulp. Seeing this, Lao Zi of Green Stone finally relaxed, exhaled gently, and with a single hand gesture, pointed at the seal, drawing it back into his sleeve. Yet at that moment, the green aura swirling around him had grown slightly thinner, and the vitality in his body also weakened a little. Clearly, the power he just displayed had been no ordinary feat—it was not something he could easily summon. "This is indeed the Heaven-Supporting Azure Seal. Its reputation is well-earned. It's said this treasure, though not a celestial spiritual artifact, possesses power nearly comparable to that of the Heavenly Realm. Now, seeing it in action, I can confirm—its name truly lives up to its promise!" said Xie Lian, her eyes gleaming as she smiled lightly. "Allowing the three of you to be amused. Without drawing upon my most cherished techniques, I truly fear I wouldn't be able to subdue this fierce creature in the short term." The Green Stone Elder smiled bitterly, quickly responding with a sense of self-awareness. Clearly, by now he had realized that among the four of them, he was the weakest, and a slight unease had settled in his heart. "With these four eliminated, there should be no other hidden threats left. Let's go in," said Han Li, glancing toward the pavilion a short distance away, as if pondering something. "That's a sound suggestion, Brother Han!" said the Xie Lian, smiling slightly and remaining noncommittal. "Then, Brother Xie and Elder Green Stone, let us go ahead and take a look," he added. Naturally, the Green Stone Elder had no objections. Thus, the four instantly drifted through the air and flew toward the pavilion. As soon as they stepped inside the pavilion's entrance, however, both Xie Lian and Green Stone exchanged slightly concerned glances. There, behind the entrance, lay a pile of white bones, scattered like wreckage, while beside them, various items shimmered faintly—some incomplete armor and weapons. "Xie Lian Elder, what are these?" the Green Stone Elder asked, naturally. "They must have been the guards originally stationed in the palace. When the mother of the insects broke free from her seal, they surely didn't have time to escape the palace and thus became food for these monstrous creatures." Xie Lian sighed softly, murmuring a few words before gently shaking her fragrant sleeve, and instantly a series of crimson fire balls shot forth. Under the flashing red light, the skeletons were instantly reduced to ashes.