Han Li's brow flashed with a shimmer of light, a cascade of crystalline filaments shooting forth and nearly vanishing into the giant creature's body. Yet at that very instant, a loud "pop!" echoed as the creature's body suddenly burst like foam, dispersing into scattered points of white light. The shimmer flashed once! The crystalline filaments spiraled back into Han Li's brow, yet his expression instantly brightened with sudden comprehension, only to grow slightly somber shortly thereafter. In the void beside him, countless pink floral silhouettes spread across the sky, their inner silver arcs flashing incessantly. The precious flower had arrived beside Xie Dao Ren at an unknown moment, unfolding its spiritual domain and working in tandem to firmly encircle and contain the other monstrous creature. That monstrous creature, evidently wielding its powers primarily through an elusive spiritual aura, proved powerless against Xie Dao Ren, who remained unaffected. Moreover, the flower, situated within the domain, seemed entirely unimpeded. Though its innate, deadly thunder powers were formidable—even harboring a hint of destructive law-force—these were sufficient to shatter even the Heavenly Perfection treasures. Yet Crab Dao人 and Bao Hua were both exceptionally cunning. At first, they neither directly confronted nor engaged the opponent with force, allowing him to rage and growl in frustration, though he found himself powerless to act. Once Bao Hua, at the cost of her vital energy, unleashed the Xuan Tian Ling Yu once more, unexpectedly ensnaring this strange creature within it, the situation immediately reversed. Seeing the threat mounting, the monster desperately summoned waves of gray-white deadly lightning, striving to break through and escape. However, the Xuan Tian Ling Yu was renowned for its prestige—said to be a true celestial technique only fully mastered by true immortals—and thus, for this creature to escape proved exceedingly difficult. Layer upon layer of pink petals, urged by Bao Hua, tightly sealed the monster at the heart of the realm, as if the confinement would never end. Though the monster fought fiercely against the power of the realm, its movements gradually slowed down, imperceptibly. At this moment, it transformed its divine awareness into a layer of crystalline light, shielding its entire body. Gray electric arcs surged and exploded continuously around its form, yet under the combined assaults of Crab Dao and the precious flower, it was now riddled with wounds and trembling precariously. Upon seeing this, Han Li's face briefly registered a look of surprise. Suddenly, he shook his sleeve, and his emerald-long sword reappeared, then, with a swift motion, twelve green lines sliced forth. Instantly, within the precious flower's Xuan Tian Ling Yu, a continuous series of sharp cries resonated. The twelve green lines materialized simultaneously beside the strange creature, swiftly gliding past its body and vanishing. The strange creature, along with its protective crystalline shield and the surrounding electric arcs, was instantly severed and dissolved into shimmering white light, as if it had never existed at that place at all. The precious flower was startled by this, yet after carefully probing the spiritual awareness within her domain and confirming that the creature was indeed no longer there, she furrowed her brows and raised her hand, withdrawing the Xuan Tian Ling Yu. At that moment, a ripple of disturbance surged around, and Han Li materialized vaguely nearby. Immediately afterward, a thunderclap echoed. Crab Daoist also withdrew his golden giant crab form, appearing as a streak of lightning behind Han Li. Han Li glanced at him, noting that though there were several scorched spots on his body, he was otherwise unharmed, and thus felt reassured. "Brother Han, your skill is truly remarkable! Had I faced that strike directly, even with my spiritual realm protecting me, I would have found it impossible to withstand." The precious flower looked at Han Li with a slightly different expression, speaking slowly. "Daoist Precious Flower greatly overestimates me! That strike was primarily due to the power of the artifact, and the creature had already been weakened by the attacks from the two of you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to land such an easy blow." Han Li smiled gently and spoke with ease. "Far from simple!" Precious Flower shook her head, but said nothing further, instead turning her gaze toward where the strange creature had vanished, her face now showing a touch of puzzlement. "It seems that you've also noticed the oddities. Clearly, our recent skirmish has not truly eliminated them. Not only is the mother spirit of the grain-eating insect still intact, but these two strange creatures themselves appear not to be fully corporeal—far from being easily vanquished." Han Li said, his gaze sweeping over them, his expression growing increasingly serious. "Indeed, when these two strange insects first appeared, I too felt something unusual. One might say their abilities are formidable, yet they seem rather extreme. One possesses an overwhelmingly powerful spiritual awareness, so strong that we have had to admire and retreat in awe. The other boasts an unyielding physical strength, capable of forcing us to temporarily withdraw merely with a single claw strike. Yet their other capabilities seem rather limited—this very lack reveals their vulnerabilities, allowing us to defeat them easily." Han Li nodded in agreement. "If these strange insects were nurtured by that mother grain-eating insect, then it seems rather strange indeed." "How cunning this insect mother is—how could she make such an unwise move?" Bo Hua said, thoughtfully. "But have you noticed something, my friend? Individually, as long as we put in a bit of effort, we can still defeat either of them. However, should they unite, or if both of these strange insects possess the same divine abilities simultaneously—then..." Han Li suddenly chuckled. "Indeed. If all those abilities were concentrated in a single creature, we might truly find ourselves in danger of having to flee." Bo Hua's face paled, and she drew in a sharp breath. "Moreover, have you observed this, Bo Hua? Not only do the original spirit manifestations of the stem-feeding insect mother and these two strange insects appear to be at odds from the start, but even between these two strange insects themselves, there seems to be a subtle rivalry. Otherwise, if they had shown even the slightest intention of cooperation at the beginning, they would not have been so easily defeated by our targeted weaknesses." Han Li's expression carried a thoughtful depth. "It does seem rather unusual." If these creatures were nurtured by the mother of the stem-borer insects, why do they not obey her spirit's command, and even show hostility? Bao Hua tightened her brows, finding it increasingly difficult to comprehend. "I too cannot fully grasp what's happening. However, the way those two strange insects vanished just now bears a strong resemblance to the form created by projected power." Han Li suddenly said, his tone calm and composed. "Projected power... Brother Han means that someone from another realm has directly intervened in the mother of the stem-borers' affairs! With merely a projection of power, they have been able to hold us off for such a prolonged period—could it possibly be a true immortal from the Immortal Realm?" Bao Hua's expression changed dramatically, her face now pale with dismay. "This is hard to say; I only have a few doubts. Perhaps my assumption is incorrect. Still, if this is indeed the case, then the situation here becomes quite complicated. Why don't you try to communicate further with the sealing spirit and see if it can provide any clues?" Han Li stroked his chin and sighed. "Because the power has waned, the spirit of the seal is now extremely frail. Even I, at this moment, cannot manage to summon it. Unless our friend wishes for the ancient seal to completely fail right now." The Bao Hua smiled faintly, with a touch of sorrow. "Then the situation will indeed become quite serious." Han Li's face slightly darkened. "No matter what, we have come this far and there is no turning back now. Neither of the two friends we sent has any word of news—clearly, something has gone wrong. We must go down there personally and investigate." Bao Hua's expression shifted between gloom and hope, and then she firmly stated. "Ah, so you, Bao Hua, are willing to take some risks. As per our mutual agreement, I will naturally accompany you. But let me be clear—should we encounter something truly extraordinary and beyond my capacity, I will not hesitate to retreat." Han Li nodded, his expression calm and composed. "That is entirely understandable. Should the situation truly become insurmountable, I too will not be willing to sacrifice my own life." Moreover, I don't think that without the Fengling Disk, my friend would truly be at a loss to leave this expanse." The precious flower smiled gently. "If my friend understands this matter, that would be even better. Then let us go." Han Lin nodded expressionlessly and immediately activated his light, taking the Crab Daoist first and plunging them downward into the water. After scanning the surroundings, the precious flower noticed no unusual signs and then transformed into a translucent form, descending as well. Beside the bones, several broken objects hung motionless, emitting only faint glimmers of light. One was a jade plaque, now missing half of its original form. The other was a short spear, its surface cracked and blackened. These two items—once treasured as lifelines by the ancient elder and the black-robed woman—now lay here as though discarded trash, clearly indicating that the two formidable stage-attaining masters, once dominant in their realm, have long since passed from this world. As waves of energy surged from the bones' tips, two hazy white lights simultaneously emerged. The white light coalesced into a thick, robust creature, while the other solidified into a strange, nearly translucent insect. These two were precisely the two monstrous insects that韩立and the Flower of Splendor had previously defeated. Yet now, their bodies appeared significantly more blurred, and their vitality greatly diminished, existing only as ethereal shadows. Suddenly, within the vast eye socket of the skeletal remains, the magical flame surged powerfully. From the midst of the flame, a woman clad entirely in silver silk robes drifted forth. She was graceful in form, her face expressionless, and her features bore a striking resemblance—about seven or eight parts—to the young girl who had been consumed, though now more mature, as though the girl had grown into the appearance of a young woman of seventeen or eighteen. Upon seeing the silver-robed woman, the two vague, strange insect-like shadows simultaneously bowed low, paying her a formal homage. The woman scanned the two spectral forms with a cold gaze, then frowned and murmured coldly: "Useless! They couldn't even manage to defeat a few lower-tier great cultivators. Fortunately, they wounded the mother of the mire-flies' spirit; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to fully absorb them now. Since my spirit strength has now recovered to half its former capacity, you two are no longer needed. Return your power to me." After uttering these words without any emotion, the silver-robed woman immediately raised a finger and gently pointed it at each of the two ethereal forms.