The silver chains shimmered with a translucent luster, seemingly neither solid nor tangible, as though they were not truly physical. Suddenly, the Mother of the Midge insects twisted violently, only to find herself unable to break free from the chains for several consecutive attempts. "These are divine consciousness chains! It's impossible! You— you still possess the technique of refining one's spirit, the Art of Spirit Refinement! How could such a rare and ancient secret have come down to this realm?" With a sharp gaze, the Mother of the Midge scanned the chains, her face finally revealing a look of disbelief, even a faint trace of fear. At that moment, the colossal ape form of Han Li remained impassive, silent, and with each of his six arms pressing a series of hand seals, a deep, ancient incantation resonated from his mouth. In an instant, the silver chains tightened abruptly, binding the Mother of the Midge even more securely than before. "Even if you master the Art of Spirit Refinement, how can your mere spirit strength truly restrain my true essence, which is rooted in the Supreme Purity?" The Mother of the Rice Stem Borer, after all, was no ordinary being—she quickly regained her composure within moments, exclaiming with a delicate cry. Five-colored runes surged across her body, and the two previously closed heads suddenly opened, their eyes gleaming with a cold, eerie intensity. In an instant, two entirely unfamiliar essences emerged on her body. The magical fluctuations that had vanished earlier began to stir and revive once more. Witnessing this astonishing transformation, a peculiar expression crossed the face of the giant ape that had taken the form of Han Li. Suddenly, he spoke a remark that left the Borer Mother utterly puzzled. "I never expected this divine ability to truly reverse the situation and secure a victory. But merely to be held captive for a brief moment—well, that would be sufficient." "What do you mean by that?" the Mother of the Rice Stem Borer asked, her gaze swiftly scanning the surroundings. Yet, aside from the crab sage seated quietly in the distance, there was no one else in sight. But at the very instant these words were spoken, a deep, thunderous rumble echoed from the depths above. A brilliant, resplendent aura flashed, and a five-colored lightning column, composed of countless arcs, surged down with tremendous force. "No! It's the divine judgment lightning! How could He, the old man, still be alive?" The mother of the mire-beetles, who had remained composed until then, now shrieked in sheer astonishment, her face filled with disbelief. Her three heads trembled violently, and a thick, dark flame surged outward from her body, rising like waves. The dark crystalline core within her began to resonate with a powerful hum. In her panic, she resolved to sacrifice the core, determined to give her all. The silver chains that had tightly bound her were instantly engulfed by the dark flame, beginning to melt and soften. The mother of the mire-beetles now seemed poised to break free. But at that very moment, a thunderous roar echoed from the heavens, and a column of five-colored lightning descended with an astonishing speed, striking hard upon the massive body of the insect mother. Instantly, countless electric arcs intertwined, enveloping the insect mother completely in a radiant cascade of five-colored light. A piercing scream! Though seemingly invincible, the insect mother's body began to shatter piece by piece under the assault of the five-colored lightning, vanishing into dust within just a few breaths. The five-colored lightning column flashed several times before suddenly vanishing, lasting only a brief moment. Meanwhile, the large, five-colored cloud that had just opened its eyes on the surface of the water also faded silently into nothingness. The sky once again turned gray and hazy, as if nothing had ever happened. At the same time, on the stone platform within the mysterious stone grove of the underground palace, a deep, resonant sound emanated from the dark, round bowl. Suddenly, several chains connecting the ancient lamps began to tremble violently. The single ancient lamp resting upon the bronze pillar suddenly flickered gently, its light dimming noticeably, as though it might extinguish at any moment. "Truly a tight squeeze! This single strike has drained nine-tenths of my remaining spirit essence. If this young man doesn't assist me, I'm truly in for a loss this time. Still, being able to erase that woman completely—well, that does settle the old grudge I carried from years ago. She probably never imagined I'd still be alive today. Hah! In all this, I must thank this young mortal from the lower realm—otherwise, settling this score might have taken me until the age of monkeys or horses. Indeed, that's a relief." The man's voice erupted into a laugh that was nearly wild, one that carried both strained effort and a deep, chilling sense of sorrow. The immense form, rapidly shrinking as it rolled, transformed its entire purple-and-gold armor into visibly reconstituted purple-gold scales, then gradually faded away. After a full cup of tea's worth of time, Han Li regained his original form, rising with some difficulty and gently swaying his heavily weighted head, feeling drowsy and sluggish. The transformation had not only depleted his true energy significantly but had nearly exhausted his spiritual awareness, as the manifested chain of divine consciousness had been nearly consumed. Such a fierce battle—he hadn't experienced one like this in a long time. Simply recalling it now, he felt a touch of apprehension. "Brother Crab, are you all right?" Han Li glanced toward the distant Crab Daoist, still seated in meditation, and asked, his voice now slightly hoarse. "I'm fine. I just need to rest for a while. However, for the next few months, I won't be able to engage in physical combat. Otherwise, this body will suffer irreversible damage." The Crab Daoist opened his eyes and spoke slowly. "I understand." Well then, you rest for a while within my spiritual beast ring. From now on, I'll handle everything for you." Han Li nodded in understanding and said so. "That's a good idea. Right now, I don't have much strength of my own, and staying outside would indeed be a burden." Crab Daojun only thought for a moment and offered no objection. Immediately, he pressed a hand seal, and his body shimmered with a gentle silver glow, rapidly shrinking until he became a miniature golden crab, only a few inches in size. Han Li shook his sleeve, and a swirl of five-colored mist enveloped the crab, drawing it into his sleeve and sealing it within a beautiful spiritual beast ring. Then, turning his head slightly, he softly said toward a distant direction, "Master Baohua, you've been observing us for quite some time now. It's about time you stepped forward. Though your secret technique consumed a great deal of qi, it shouldn't have left you completely defenseless." "Han brother truly possesses a far more powerful spiritual awareness than any of us." "However, what Lord Jiang has just said truly misunderstands me." A ripple of energy surged from the seemingly empty space, and the young lady appeared, her face unusually pale. As soon as she emerged, she smiled faintly and turned to Han Li with a gentle sigh. "Indeed, my inner strength is now quite depleted. The secret technique I've been using to remain hidden was actually granted to me by a close friend through a special talisman. Though she has offered many explanations, her gaze toward Han Li cannot conceal a touch of astonishment. Clearly, Han Li's extraordinary feats in his battle against the mother of the moth-bee have left her deeply impressed and humbled—she now feels far behind in comparison. Thus, though she maintains composure on the surface, she harbors a deep sense of respect and caution now facing him. "I believe you are well aware that the victory over the mother of the moth-bee was not my achievement—it was accomplished by someone else." Han Li shook his head and withdrew a bottle of medicine from his sleeve, pouring out several jade-green pills. After swallowing them down in one go, he spoke slowly. "Had it not been for the Daoist friend's extraordinary skill in managing to temporarily contain the mother of this plague insect, the penal thunderbolt, though powerful, would have been utterly unable to kill the insect queen. Still, considering that this person who commands such thunder is not only aware of everything unfolding here but also able to directly communicate with us—had it not been for their voice, we would have truly fled in panic just now. Do you have any thoughts on this person's identity, Han brother?" The beauty of the precious flower furrowed her brows, then straightened her expression. "I've never heard of this person before. Yet, given their ability to summon such an astonishing thunderbolt, they must surely not be from this mortal realm. Moreover, this is an ancient site of sealing, and this person seems deeply familiar with the condition of the insect queen. With these points, I believe their identity is now quite clear." Master Baohua, with your sharp mind, you probably have already deduced this point yourself." After a brief silence, Han Li suddenly chuckled and said. "It seems that our thoughts are quite similar. That person is likely one of the two true immortals from ancient times who sealed this insect mother. Otherwise, none of this would make sense. However, the current insect mother appears to be different from the original one—her spirit within seems remarkably well-versed in the celestial realm. Could it be that the spirit of another true immortal from the celestial realm now resides within this insect body?" Baohua nodded in agreement, yet a slight expression of doubt remained on her face as she murmured. Han Li stroked his chin, his own expression reflecting thoughtful contemplation. "If either of you would like to know the full reason, simply come to my abode—then everything will become clear." Suddenly, a gentle, warm male voice echoed from the depths of the abyss, calm and soothing—exactly the one who had previously communicated with them. Huan Li and Bao Hua exchanged glances, their expressions slightly tightened with a sense of apprehension. "It seems that you two still have some reservations about me," the man remarked, seemingly unconcerned by their hesitation. "But that's quite all right. The mother of the insect pests has already perished. With her power gone, the void she created will inevitably collapse. You will soon witness my presence." The man spoke with a light, easy smile. "Senior, what exactly do you mean?" Bao Hua was startled, quickly opening her mouth to ask. Yet the stillness of the surrounding void remained unbroken—the man's voice simply ceased, as if cut off mid-sentence. At the same time, deep within the abyss, a deep, resonant rumble echoed, and the waters around began to surge violently.