After the luminous column vanished in the void, the十余 fleeing fire lions instantly flashed with crystalline light and turned into massive ice blocks. The young man in white robes frowned slightly, and as his back's gossamer-like fabric trembled, he materialized as a translucent figure before one of the ice blocks, then gently raised his hand and lightly tapped it. With a resounding "thud," an astonishing scene unfolded! The fire lion within the ice block suddenly shivered, fracturing inch by inch into blood mist. Only a crimson glow formed by its essence surged back and forth within the mist, yet it could not break free from the ice block. At this moment, the young man in white robes remained calm and calmly opened his mouth again, spouting out a wave of white mist that immediately submerged into the ice block. As the mist surged, the blood mist and the fire lion's essence were swept up and swallowed whole with a soft "gurgle" sound. The young man in white robes had his body continuously shifting, employing the same technique to successively absorb the flesh and essences of several other fire lions, only then revealing a satisfied expression. He turned his head toward the distant woman in silver robes and asked, "Master Ice Phoenix, these blood-fed creatures are quite delicious—would you care to try a few as well?" The woman in silver robes was none other than the Ice Phoenix who had left the human realm many years ago. Yet her aura now was notably stronger than before, seemingly only a single step away from the Condensed Stage. "I never consume blood-fed creatures," she replied, her expression unchanged. "You are welcome to enjoy them as you please, Sixth Wing Master." It was truly a pity. The flesh of these ancient beasts contained a substantial amount of intense yang energy. When absorbed and combined with our yin-based true essence, this yin-yang interaction proved beneficial in refining and nourishing our bodies. The young man in white robes chuckled warmly. Then, with swift movements, he instantaneously shifted his form around, swiftly transforming all the remaining fire lions into blood mist and completely absorbing them. After one more shift, he appeared beside the Ice Phoenix. "Master Ice Phoenix, let us continue on our journey. I've heard that the nearest remaining clan from here has strong ties with a major family on the Thunder Continent—certainly, they must have established a cross-continental super teleportation array. We can surely make use of it!" The young man in white robes spoke a sentence that slightly surprised the Ice Phoenix. "Master with Six Wings, are you truly planning to go to the Thunder Continent?" The Ice Phoenix's expression changed several times before she spoke with serious determination. "Of course. But had it not been for recently learning from the voices of other ethnic groups that my original master has attained the stage of Great Perfection, I might have actually returned to the Human Clan earlier. Now, however, the Thunder Continent is absolutely essential. Otherwise, with my current capabilities, I simply wouldn't have the confidence to hold my own against my original master." The young man in white robes sneered, and at the same time, the gold and silver patterns on his face twisted slightly, his expression now strikingly similar to Han Li's. "If I'm not mistaken, Han brother never treated you poorly. In fact, it wasn't for his continuous administration of elixirs that you would have been able to overcome your illness and awaken your spiritual consciousness—let alone reach the stage you're at today!" Ice Phoenix said after a brief pause, her tone somewhat unusual. "The reason I have chosen to slay Han Li has nothing whatsoever to do with how he treated me in the past. When he first employed the blood sacrifice ritual, he implanted a subtle bond of master-servant within my spirit. Though his secret techniques have largely erased its strength, as long as Han Li remains alive, I will inevitably feel his influence. Hah! Since I have awakened my spiritual awareness and attained a human form, destined to pursue the grand path of cultivation, I cannot allow such a vulnerability to remain in the hands of others. Therefore, the Thundering Continent—this is settled." The young man in white robes said coldly. "Even so, do you truly think you can find what you're seeking on the Thunder Continent? After all, it's merely a rumor. I'd say your chances of finding it are no more than one in ten thousand!" Ice Phoenix narrowed her eyes and spoke slowly. "That part, I won't worry about. Since I've decided to go there, I naturally have a solid reason for doing so. And indeed, the Su Yin clan is rarely seen firsthand on the Thunder Continent. It's said they can directly commune with the Yin Chen Star and condense Su Yin star qi. Hehe, as long as I absorb this star qi through my reverse spirit cultivation, I can achieve true spirit form and stand on par with other powerful true spirits. Then, when I defeat the original master, Han Li, it will be a breeze." The white-robed young man replied with complete indifference. Upon hearing this, Ice Phoenix's expression grew slightly troubled. "Even if you intend to cause trouble for Brother Han or plan to journey to the Thunder Continent, why must you absolutely bring me along?" "If you truly intend to kill me, why wait so long?" Ice Phoenix fixed her gaze upon the white-robed youth, and after a moment, spoke with a strained, biting tone. "To kill me, you must act so deliberately. As beings of the utmost yin, who have achieved human form, we are already rare. And as a male and a female of complementary natures, we are perfectly matched by the cosmic harmony. Once I have eliminated the young man Han Li, you shall willingly become my partner in dual cultivation." The white-robed youth burst out laughing, uttering such words with such confidence. "You, having attained the stage of a senior cultivator at the Great Perfection level, are not merely demanding that others become your dual cultivation partner—do you not find this rather excessive?" Ice Phoenix said, her face turning pale. "Hmph. Precisely because I have reached the Great Perfection stage, it is exceedingly difficult to find a partner of the same yin nature and with potential equal to or surpassing mine. That is why I hold such a firm grasp on you. As for titles and status—what use are they to me, in my eyes?" The white-robed youth replied, with a look of disdain Ice Phoenix listened intently to these words, her eyes flashing with a mix of embarrassment and indignation. Yet she knew deep down that she was no match for the other, and that there was no chance of escape before his very eyes. Thus, she simply remained silent. The white-robed youth, too, had no further words to add. With a sudden flourish of his sleeve, a spectral image of a snow-white centipede with six wings surged forth above his head. Then, with a decisive downward plunge, he enveloped both of them within its form. As soon as the centipede's six wings stirred, they transformed into a beam of crystalline light and shot forth. After a few swift flashes, the two figures vanished at the far horizon. "Master, Hai Da Shao, and the others respectfully nodded and then gradually withdrew from the hall. Only Bai Guo'er remained, still standing quietly and motionless. 'Guo'er, do you know why I've kept you here?' asked Han Li once everyone else had left, speaking calmly. 'I daresay it has something to do with my upcoming journey,' Guo'er replied after a moment's hesitation. 'You're quite perceptive—indeed, that's exactly what I meant. Do you remember what I said when I first took you as my disciple?' Han Li smiled gently and spoke at ease. 'The words my master spoke back then...did he mean the matter concerning my ice-mist body? I have always kept those words firmly in mind and never forgotten them,' Guo'er said, her expression suddenly serious as she quickly responded. 'Ah, now you've reached a solid level of cultivation, and you're about to journey to the wild frontier." "This matter, I can explain it to you in some detail." Han Li smiled and said. "Please, Master, instruct me." Bai Guo'er naturally replied with due respect. "In fact, it's not particularly difficult for you. All I ask is that, while you're traveling, you assist me in seeking a certain item—known as the Stone of Hao Yin. This stone is typically found deep beneath ice glaciers, several ten thousand feet down, where the surrounding cold atmosphere masks its presence so effectively that even with a divine awareness scan, it remains completely undetectable. The only way to locate it is through someone who possesses the power of cold essence—their inner cold essence can then remotely sense its presence. I require a substantial amount of this material, and I would like you to begin gathering some of it during your travels now. If you can collect a sufficient quantity, I will surely reward you generously upon your return." Han Li spoke slowly and clearly. "Back then, it would not have been possible for me to reach this point without Master's great sacrifice of true energy to save me." Master, don't worry—Guo will do her very best." After hearing this, Bai Guo immediately bowed low and spoke without hesitation. "You're not at a high enough stage yet, so don't push yourself too hard. Just go on your travels and gather this item along the way, as a side task." Han Li waved his hand, gently urging Bai Guo to rise. Upon rising, Bai Guo nodded in agreement, though in her mind, a firm determination had already taken root—she now felt she must fully seek out the Stone of Haoyin. After giving Bai Guo a few more instructions, Han Li then allowed her to leave. In a moment, the hall was once again left with only Han Li alone. He sat by himself on the chair, gently patting the armrest on one side with one hand, while the other hand rested on his chin, deep in thought. To recall, when he first obtained the crafting method from Yuanhe Wuji Mountain, he had originally believed that this post-natural, celestial treasure would never truly be perfected. Even if he could only produce one or two of the Wujis, it would already be of great benefit. Yet he had not expected his fortune to be so favorable—he had successively forged the Yuanmagnetic Peak, the Taiyi Qingguang Peak, and the Yin-Yang Five-Element Peak during his later cultivation. Should Bai Guo'er truly find a sufficient number of Haoyin Stones and succeed in creating the Haoyin Cold-Phantom Peak as well, he would then have four such peaks in total. As for the remaining North Yuan Guang Peak, he already had some traces of information from the Human World. While it would naturally be impossible for him to personally journey there with his current capabilities, it would certainly be feasible to dispatch a fragment of his divine awareness through the aid of one or two transcendent boundary artifacts. However, at this moment, the endeavor carried considerable risks, and he would need to carefully plan and deliberate before truly committing. Once he successfully gathered all five peaks and forged the Yuanhe Five-Peak, not only would he be secure against the subsequent great celestial calamities, but he would also possess a genuine chance of directly surmounting the flight-to-heaven ordeal. Han Li pondered, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips.