"Self-sacrifice of my cultivation! Would you really do such a thing?" Han Li's eyes flickered slightly, showing a touch of disbelief. "If I hadn't sacrificed half of my cultivation, the Flower of the Treasure could never have simply expelled me to the remote wilderness. After all, I was her most trusted person, yet I delivered a fatal blow from behind her back. To have survived this time—this is beyond what I expected." Yuan Sha offered a quiet explanation. "Ah, so it seems you and the Flower of the Treasure once shared a truly special bond. Under such circumstances, she still chose to let you go." Han Li nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Master Han, I once offended you. Now my cultivation level has declined significantly, and I believe I am no longer capable of standing against you. Should we meet again, what would you like to do with me? Shall you seek retribution for that one arrow you once shot at me?" Yuan Sha finally looked at him with a subtle, distinct expression of curiosity. "If Baohua hadn't dealt with you severely before, I'd truly be interested in settling the score from back then. But now, that sense of intent has faded considerably. Not only has your cultivation level plummeted, but your mental state has also collapsed—you're barely maintaining your current level. To hope for a revival into the Great Transcendence stage in this lifetime seems utterly hopeless. Considering your past status as a Great Transcendence Elder, I won't impose any excessive demands upon you. Simply sever one of your arms—this should suffice. With that, I'll consider the old grievances settled." After a moment of silence, Han Li spoke in a steady tone. "One arm? That's quite simple—no problem!" Yuan Sha was momentarily stunned, but quickly smiled wryly in reply. As soon as she finished speaking, she lifted one of her arms and, with a sudden exhalation, sprayed a beam of white light that spiraled around the arm. Instantly, the entire arm fell silently from the shoulder, yet no drop of blood was visible at the wound—smooth as a mirror surface. "Pfft!" Yuan Sha, with her other hand lightly pressing into the air, had her broken arm instantly crushed beneath an invisible, immense force, dissolving into a cascade of blood rain. "May I now be on my way?" Yuan Sha asked, her face paler than before, as if weakened by the self-sacrifice of her arm. "Of course. Go ahead." Han Li nodded, showing no further hesitation. "Thank you so much, Master. I believe we shall have little chance to meet again in the future." Yuan Sha's face slightly softened as she gave Han Li a subtle bow in the air, then her form blurred slightly, transforming into a shimmering blue streak of light that swiftly vanished into the distance. As the blue streak moved, a faint ripple of dark light appeared on the shoulder where she had been injured, and a new arm gradually formed within the interwoven dark energy. Though this arm could now restore itself fully, it was inevitable that her inner vital energy would be further depleted. "Master Han, you truly let her go like this. Won't she have the chance to repay you someday?" "Silver Moon had simply stood quietly on the flying vessel from the very beginning. Now, at last, she could not help but ask, 'If the Flower of Precious Blossoms is willing to grant her a chance at survival, I would not dare to intervene and truly slay her myself. Who knows how much of the old ties between them remain? The fact that the Flower of Precious Blossoms has been so gently lenient toward the past events speaks volumes about the depth of their relationship—far beyond what an outsider could imagine. As for the magical realm, I shall surely return again in the future, and I would not wish to make things too strained with this sacred ancestor of the magical world. Regarding retribution, Yuan Sha’s hope of eventually reaching the Great Perfection realm has grown increasingly dim, and now she is so heartbroken that she may no longer even consider it. Moreover, since her cultivation cannot return to the Great Perfection realm and her lifespan is drawing to a close, I have absolutely no need to worry about it at all." Han Li shook his head and replied. "That's true. Even if she truly harbors such intentions, how could they compare to your own abilities? Still, my younger sister feels a certain sense of nostalgia Back when she was still in the human realm, a fragment of her soul nearly cost both of us our lives in Kunwu Mountain. Yet now, she finds herself in such a predicament. Silver Moon gazed toward the direction where Yuan Sha's light form had vanished, softly sighing. Of course, she didn't genuinely pity this former holy ancestor of the demonic race—only the stark contrast between past and present stirred a touch of complexity within her. "Yuan Sha poses no real threat to us; we needn't worry too much. Still, let's quickly retrieve the Qi Ling Secret Archive before things get complicated," Han Li said calmly. "Your words are most sensible!" Bao Hua naturally had no objections. Thus, as the sound of the flying vessel's hum rose, it turned once more and shot off in the original direction. Half a day later, the vessel carried them into the sky above a remarkably flat expanse of ice plain. Yet strangely, at the very center of this ice plain, there stood a patch of pale green lake—something that should never have appeared there. The small lake appeared no larger than several thousand mu, yet its surface was thick with steam, and from time to time, bubbles the size of a bowl rose up from the water. Along the lake's shore, some low, dark-green shrubs grew, as if presenting a marvel in the midst of the ice plain. The flying vessel blurred slightly and then materialized at a low altitude beside the shore. After glancing at the lake's surface, Han Li suddenly smiled and said, "This is quite interesting." "Brother Han, this is exactly where the secret map indicates. It truly stands out from other areas. Yet after so many years, haven't any passing magi noticed this hidden treasure?" Bo Hua asked curiously. "The Saint Ancestor of Qi Ling, a great master of the magi, would have left behind a treasure that even ordinary high-level magi could not discover. Moreover, even if other great magi masters came here personally, without the secret map, they would likely find nothing of significance." Han Li smiled slightly, then suddenly flicked his sleeve toward the lake surface. With the sound of rushing air, four crystalline slabs shot out instantly, spinning with a shimmering array of five hues, and then hovered motionless above the lake. Han Li raised one hand to chant incantations while with the other, he lightly touched the surface of the lake with a single finger, simultaneously uttering the character "Kai." A loud "boom!" echoed—countless symbols surged forth from the four slabs, spiraling and dancing before suddenly coalescing into a five-hued light array about an acre in size. Without Han Li needing to further cast spells or apply additional force, the array began to spin swiftly. At its center, a deep, resonant sound followed, and a grayish column of light erupted, flashed briefly, and then vanished into the lake. Instantly, ripples spread throughout the lake—what had been merely gentle waves now surged violently, and directly beneath the array, a dark vortex appeared from nowhere, continuously drawing out countless strands of dark silk. "This is indeed the entrance to the Qi Ling Secret Vault—well hidden, no doubt! Yet, to truly obtain the treasures within, we'll likely need to do a bit more than just enter." Silver Moon watched everything unfold, her voice tinged with excitement. "Come on, whatever restrictions lie within, how could they possibly stop us?" Han Li smiled lightly, unconcerned, and with a flicker of light beneath his feet, the floating vessel vanished completely. The two of them moved in unison, drifting directly downward toward the dark hole on the lake's surface. As soon as their forms disappeared into the vortex, the five-colored light array hovering above the lake emitted a resonant boom and shattered into four crystalline slabs, which then plunged into the black hole. After a surge of black mist roiled through the vortex, it settled into a strong wind and vanished. Time passed slowly. The lake surface remained unchanged, as if it would continue in this state forever. Eventually, after an indeterminate length of time, Han Li and Silver Moon walked side by side through a mysterious labyrinth beneath the lake. Around the two, countless thick, cylindrical pillars stood densely packed everywhere. These pillars rose to heights of over ten zhang, their surfaces veiled in black mist, and faint sounds of ghostly wails and howls drifted out. Typically, any cultivator hearing such sounds would immediately feel his awareness dim, growing dizzy and unsteady. Yet the silver moon on Yin Yue's body merely flashed with a gentle glow, and that protective light effortlessly blocked the sounds from reaching him. As for Han Li, he remained completely undisturbed, as if the pillars were nothing at all. Above the pillars, thick, murky fog blanketed everything, obscuring all sight. Suddenly, several of the stone pillars near them had their black mist condense, and from that, several indistinct, ethereal figures emerged—clearly the forms of several fierce, massive wolves. Han Li did not pause in his steps. When the three spectral wolf figures reached his front, a flash of gray light rippled through, and the three great wolves were instantly engulfed and vanished. On the other side, as the two massive wolf specters lunged toward the silver moon's head, they simultaneously emitted a howl, and a colossal silver wolf materialized out of thin air. With a single opening of its massive maw, the silver wolf swallowed both spectral black wolves whole, and then, after a subtle shift, vanished just as mysteriously. The two figures continued moving without pause, steadily passing through several cylindrical pillars and gradually receding. "Brother Han, this is our seventh batch, isn't it?" the silver moon suddenly asked. "The seventh, I believe," Han replied calmly. "Such a renowned master as Qi Ling Elder—her array of seals should surely be far more substantial than this. Indeed, even if these earlier seals were meant to impede a senior cultivator like Brother Han, they would likely prove insufficient against a disciple of my level, a fully integrated cultivator." The silver moon smiled gently. "If you think so, then you may indeed fall prey to Qi Ling Elder's subtle strategy," Han replied, speaking with a composed tone. "What exactly—what does Brother Han mean?" Yin Yue was both astonished and utterly confused. "Do you really think these pillars were simply arranged here to emit some insignificant evil tones and manifest a few phantom beasts no more than Lingxu stage?" Han Li smiled and said. "Then, are these cylindrical structures really just ordinary?" Yin Yue immediately grasped the implication in Han Li's words and asked in surprise. "Just look at this," Han Li said, a gentle smile playing on his lips. Suddenly, he raised his arm and swiftly extended his fingers, sharply grasping the space around him. "Crack!" A surge of silver spiritual flame instantly surged from his fingertips, pulling something firmly from the void, and then, as he closed his fingers tightly, he held it securely in his palm. Yin Yue's eyes widened in amazement, fixed intently on the palm now enveloped in silver flame. Han Li smiled softly, then lifted his hand slightly and slowly loosened his fingers.