"Such powerful physical strength—indeed, I'm not sure whether it's superior to that of Ming Er." The previously eerie voice suddenly expressed astonishment. At this moment, Han Li finally focused his attention downward and saw that a strange creature, resembling a crystalline, liquid-formed cicada, had appeared on the water's surface. This creature was over a dozen zhang in length, its entire body composed of various-sized eyes, arranged in a way that immediately caused a deep chill to spread through the observer's body. The eerie voice had originated from within this creature's mouth, and as its two exceptionally long appendages brushed against each other, a continuous rumbling sound emerged, accompanied by shimmering gray-white electric arcs that twisted and flashed wildly—exactly the devastating thunderbolt that had nearly injured Han Li moments earlier. Han Li gazed intently at the creature and the gray-white electric arcs hovering above its head, his mind rapidly processing the details. Then, suddenly, he lifted his gaze toward one of the side lotus blossoms. What was now evident was that the treasure flower was continuously chanting incantations, and under her incantations, the colossal pillar formed from the Earth Sovereign Nail was now engaged in a fierce struggle with the giant claw floating in the sky. Though the giant claw had been wreaking havoc on the other side, its master remained hidden within the swirling gray clouds above, completely invisible. Facing off against the pillar conjured from the Treasure of Xuan Tian, the giant claw seemed to gain a subtle advantage. As Han Li observed the form of the giant claw, images of several broken weapons he had seen earlier in the Hall of the Array's Center spontaneously came to mind. Aside from their vastly different sizes, the weapons appeared identical to the claw. It seemed these items were likely the masterwork of the giant claw. Where the yellow pillar stirred, the void trembled and fierce winds surged. Where the giant claw slashed, shimmering white traces appeared out of nowhere, and the two engaged in a battle that proved equally intense and indecisive. However, judging by the gradually paler hue of Bao Hua's face, it was clearly evident that the strain of activating the Earth Sovereign Nail had exceeded her capacity. Though she currently appeared to hold her own, it was obvious that her endurance was limited. "Brother Crab, this one here—I'll entrust him to you. I'll go to the other side to assist Bao Hua in dealing with that threat over there first," said Han Li, his expression shifting swiftly before suddenly issuing a clear command to someone behind him. "Since you've made that request, I'll take care of him. Though this creature's divine awareness techniques and deadly lightning arts are impressive, they don't pose much challenge to me." A colossal golden crab, radiating streaks of lightning, materialized in the air, spanning an area of a thousand mu. Its two great claws lifted suddenly. Thunder roared! Dense, rapidly coalescing lightning spheres plummeted like a torrent of rain, crashing down upon the transparent strange creature below. These spheres differed markedly from ordinary electric arcs—each was remarkably voluminous, and on their surfaces, countless shimmering silver glyphs subtly pulsed. Upon witnessing this, the strange creature grew furious, emitting a strange cry. Its two long tendrils trembled violently, launching out countless gray-white electric arcs that transformed into sharp electric streaks, piercing through the lightning spheres and colliding with them. At the point of intersection, the two types of light—gray and silver—exploded in bursts, their powers now seemingly equal. The gray electric light and silver arcs intertwined, causing the entire void to vibrate and grow subtly scorching hot. The golden crab was astonishingly large in stature, yet with its several limbs swiftly shifting, its form blurred and drifted erratically through the air, constantly hurling out lightning spheres without ever making direct contact with its opponent. The transparent giant insect likewise appeared and vanished mysteriously, flashing in and out, and from its movements, waves of gray-white electric arcs surged forth, each one striking and shattering the lightning spheres. As for its most proficient spiritual techniques, they had already been fully deployed, yet for a puppet, they proved utterly ineffective—no discernible impact at all. Meanwhile, Han Li brightened his jade-green sword, roared loudly, and once again revealed his triple-bodied, six-armed form. From that moment, a cascade of immense sword beams coalesced into a towering mountain of sword shadows, rushing straight toward the giant claw. Upon witnessing this, Bao Hua was instantly energized. With a clear, resonant cry, the dome of her celestial crown split open, and a large pink blossom, bearing a small pink figure, surged forth. As soon as this young woman spoke, a pink glow radiated out from her mouth, expanded under the wind, and then transformed into a luminous, crystalline ring that surged upward, pressing directly against the swirling gray mist in the sky. The master of the giant claw must have been concealed within it all along. With Han Li's assistance, she finally succeeded in enabling the fully matureed Yuan婴 to manifest and launched a direct attack on the master of the giant claw. After carefully observing from the high reaches of the abyss, the cloaked woman finally hesitated and murmured, "It should be correct! Aside from that insect mother, I can't think of any other remains that would still carry such a dreadful aura. Even the shell we saw earlier, though worn, paled in comparison." The ancient man took a deep breath and replied slowly. "The true body of this insect mother has already passed into stillness—by the traces left on the bones, it seems this has been a matter of considerable time! This is truly amusing. As for the one that just appeared—what could have happened to it? Has it perhaps attained the realm of True Immortal, allowing its spirit to roam freely without a physical form, eternal and unchanging?" The cloaked woman chuckled dryly. "I myself have no idea. Nevertheless, no matter what, this is surely a fortunate development for us. We have accomplished our mission without having to take any action at all." As for why its immortal spirit is still lively and active—perhaps it has something to do with this skeletal frame," the ancient elder smiled wistfully. "Ah, that makes sense. It's said that some ancient secrets allow one to condense their vital essence into a specific part of the body. If the mother of this humble creature had done just that before her passing, her immortal spirit might well have survived for a longer time. Then, let me destroy it completely." The black-robed woman seemed to suddenly grasp the idea, but immediately her expression darkened, and she growled fiercely. As she spoke, she extended her hand and, with a flash of black light, a short spear of deep, ink-black hue materialized. "Hold on!" The elder suddenly remembered something, his face changing, and he hurried to intervene—but it was too late. The black spear roared, then surged forward as a bolt of black lightning, striking the massive remains with a powerful blow. With a loud crash, a black lightning bolt struck directly at the skull of the skeleton, instantly bursting into countless fine filaments that exploded outward—its force surprisingly modest! Yet, once all the black arcs faded, the skeleton's skull remained perfectly intact, untouched by a single mark. "This is impossible!" the cloaked woman exclaimed, her voice filled with astonishment. "Though my Celestial Gun may not be a divine treasure, even a first-tier artifact should have crumbled like paper under its power." The elder swiftly pressed a series of gestures with one hand, and instantly, countless beasts roared in unison as the great gate swung open, spilling forth countless spectral creatures in a dense, surging tide. At the same time, the black-robed woman felt a sudden surge of alarm, lifting both hands suddenly—behind her, a spectral nine-headed serpent emerged, its body jet black and its core deep purple. As she opened her mouth, vast waves of purple magical flame surged forth, coiling around the bones. Wherever these purple flames touched, a pungent, foul odor spread, and the surrounding space instantly darkened to a pale black, as though the flames had directly tainted the very essence of the air. Unable to destroy the bones with her current treasure, she changed her technique and summoned her reserve technique, "Yellow Springs' Putrid Flame." This flame was forged from the most toxic eighty-one elements of impurity drawn from multiple interfaces. For ordinary people, merely inhaling even a faint scent from a distance of a hundred li would be enough to cause immediate death. As for the beings directly engulfed by this impure flame, it is said that not only will their physical bodies dissolve into污水, but even their spiritual essence and soul will be corrupted, effectively erasing their eligibility for rebirth and preventing them from entering the Gates of the Underworld. The black-robed woman relies most heavily on this flame, yet unfortunately, it is a consumable force—each use diminishes its strength. Unless faced with a life-or-death crisis, she would never consider summoning it. This is precisely why the skeleton appears so extraordinary, and because she had already witnessed the formidable power of the Mother of the Blight-Infesting Insects during her encounter with the young girl. As the surging purple flame and countless animal forms completely submerged the skeleton below, the previously motionless bones suddenly twitched at the chin, emitting a series of creaking, gurgling laughs. At the same time, the two arms moved, and an invisible potential surged forth powerfully. Whether it was the magical flame or the animal forms, once they approached the skeleton within a few dozen paces, they immediately halted, unable to advance an inch—seeming to have encountered an impenetrable, transparent wall. No matter how many beast shadows exploded and surged forth, their putrid flames swelling and roaring, they could never reach the vicinity of the skeleton. On the contrary, the skeleton emitted a steady, deep chuckle, and with just a steady support of its two hands, it wavered and managed to stand upright.