Mo Jianli was naturally startled, and upon issuing a low cry, her protective aura surged suddenly, striving to forcefully push against the flaming chain and break it. Yet as the aura expanded, the chain's crimson flames rolled and surged with equal intensity. Mo Jianli repeatedly summoned her aura, but could not yet break free from the chain's grip. Her human cultivator's face finally showed signs of concern. At that moment, the bald spiritual race cultivator once again activated his back-form, causing the seven-colored seal to shimmer once more. A thunderclap roared, and the surface of the seal momentarily distorted and blurred before spewing forth a large, seven-colored glyph. This glyph spun swiftly, then suddenly expanded, transforming into a vibrant, handleless blade of light. Stretching over a dozen paces in length, the blade's surface shimmered with flowing crystal light, subtly suggesting the emergence of oral and nasal organs—giving the impression of a living entity. After Mo Jianli's divine awareness swept over this radiant blade, he suddenly felt an eerie, bone-chilling sensation rise within him, despite his attainment of the Great Stage of cultivation. At that very moment, the blade, manifest as a seal, emitted a loud hum. "Unfortunate!" Mo Jianli's pupils constricted sharply, and he suddenly roared aloud. Immediately, a cascade of霞glow spiraled around his body, and several defensive artifacts of different forms detached from him, simultaneously forming glowing halos to shield the space above. These were already the fastest defensive items he could summon under the current constraints of the fire chain binding him—though he had other more powerful defensive techniques at his disposal, they were now too late to be employed. At that instant, the radiant blade in the sky blurred and vanished completely from its original position. Meanwhile, the vibrant glow above Mo Jianli's head flickered, and the several defensive artifacts he had summoned silently split into two halves each, as if effortlessly sliced through soft tofu. With no further obstruction, the blade shone brilliantly and descended with a fierce strike upon Mo Jianli's head. Before it truly landed, a sharp, unusual cold surged forth. If this had occurred at any other time, Mo Jianli could have easily evaded the blow with a simple flight. But now, bound by his current condition, his body remained immobile, and he could only be stunned and enraged as the splendid blade descended upon him. Suddenly, a look of determination flashed across his face. A radiant glow surged from the top of his head, and within the light, a small figure, indistinguishable from his true form, emerged and rose into the air, holding a silver short sword in each hand. Facing such imminent peril, Mo Jianli, a human cultivator of the Great Achievement stage, unexpectedly released his fully matured Yuan婴, preparing to absorb the seemingly terrifying light blade directly. A heavy thud echoed, and a figure seemed to vanish like a faint mist through the vibrant blade light. With what appeared to be a mere casual punch, he shattered the blade light outright, then materialized a dozen paces to the side of Mo Jianli, his form solidifying in the light. To everyone's surprise, it was a young man in a light blue robe, smiling gently—none other than Han Li himself. Having observed Mo Jianli in peril from a distance, Han Li had silently and swiftly teleported over, intercepting the attack with barely a ripple. "Thank you so much, Master Han!" Mo Jianli was naturally delighted, and as his small figure blurred slightly, he remerged seamlessly into the space above his forehead. Now finally able to catch his breath, the human Great Transcendent raised one hand, murmuring incantations while the glow around him dimmed. Then, with a sudden exhalation, he expelled a stream of pure white vapor—seeming to emanate from a mysterious technique. As soon as the blood chain made contact, it immediately emitted an odd hissing sound, and under the astonished gaze of the two Elven men, the surging crimson flames suddenly contracted, revealing fine cracks spreading across its surface. At that moment, Mo Jianli's laughter surged powerfully, and with a sudden motion of his arms, he pulled them tightly against his body. "Crack! Crack!" came a series of crisp sounds— the fiery chain shattered into fragments, inch by inch. Though this fire chain was remarkably ingenious, it could not truly imprison a senior cultivator; given only a brief moment, Mo Jianli effortlessly broke free. As for the radiant blade that had shattered, though it was restored to its original form under the urgent prompting of the bald Elven man, the seven-colored token now dimmed significantly, clearly having only enough power to execute a few strikes. The bald man glanced at Han Li and Mo Jianli on the ground, and only then was he certain that both were indeed senior cultivators, his expression shifting between worry and uncertainty. The Elven lord who bore a surge of crimson flame, at the very instant the fire chain shattered, suddenly expelled several clots of refined blood, his vitality waning noticeably. "Junior Elven disciples, Ling Yin and Ling Zhi, bow to the two elders! We were unaware the elders had arrived, so we acted prematurely—please forgive our impertinence!" The bald man, his expression shifting rapidly, rose swiftly and bowed deeply to the ground. "Though he had assumed the status of a great Mahayana cultivator, he had nearly suffered a serious defeat at the hands of two combined cultivators. Even though the attack was a surprise and the two opponents carried extraordinary treasures, it still left him deeply embarrassed and annoyed." "The elder's pardon, we too have been instructed by the Lord of Spirit to act thus," the bald man's face slightly changed, quickly bowing and explaining. "It was the old Lord of Spirit's idea. Tell me, why did he bestow such a precious treasure upon us, and why does it seem specifically tailored to counter our level of cultivation? Otherwise, how could I have been defeated at all?" Mo Jianli's expression remained as stern and unyielding as ever. Mo Jianli witnessed the scene, his eyes slightly narrowing, with a faint glint of danger flashing through. A flash of insight! Six Liang-people, dressed similarly to the bearded man, suddenly appeared simultaneously. All of them had reached the same combined cultivation level, and a subtle aura of precious energy shimmered through their bodies, as if each was also protected by a unique treasure. Upon seeing Han Li and Mo Jianli, and after briefly sensing their profound cultivation levels through their spiritual awareness, the six Liang-people exchanged a subtle change in expression—though not much surprise was evident. This observation did, however, catch Han Li's attention. "The six of you have come at the perfect time," said the bearded man, remarkably composed. "I was just about to go and inform them that two senior cultivators of the Great Multiplication stage have arrived to visit our sacred mountain. We were momentarily unprepared and have thus had to apologize to the two esteemed elders for our unexpected intrusion!" Though relieved internally, his tone remained deeply respectful. Han Li smiled slightly at this. But Mo Jianli's expression grew even more somber. Upon hearing this, the spiritual race man found himself unable to deliver a true reprimand to the two spiritual cultivators at the combined stage—otherwise, when he next met the Spirit King, he would surely be seen as favoring the strong over the weak, which would be difficult to justify. At the same time, the six spiritual cultivators at the combined stage stepped forward to pay their respectful greetings to Han Li and Mo Jianli. Among them, an elderly man with white horns smiled warmly and said, "It is truly a privilege for the two elders to grace our sacred mountain with your presence. The Spirit King himself had known that you would arrive soon and had thus been waiting in the Purple Qi Hall for some time." "He's been waiting for us all along!" Mo Jianli paused, startled by this. Han Li, raising a brow, also expressed a moment of surprise. "Didn't the two of you have an appointment with the Spirit King long ago? Then, surely, you must be the esteemed elders, Xueran and He Lin, from the Di Jiao Island!" The elderly man finally realized something from the unusual expressions on Han Li and Mo Jianli's faces and exclaimed in astonishment. Clearly, he also realized that his party had apparently created quite a mix-up. The other several combined-tier Ling race elders exchanged glances, looking equally puzzled. "Xue Ran, He Lin! I've heard of these two before—they're said to be exceptional senior cultivators from a unique region in the central part of the Xiongbang Continent. Their reputations are strong, and their powers are renowned. But unfortunately, we've never had the chance to meet them. Hehe, that's not a problem at all! I am Mo Jianli, and beside me is my fellow Ling race comrade, Han Daojun. I wonder if you've heard of either of us?" Mo Jianli chuckled lightly and spoke in a noticeably different tone. "Ah, so you are esteemed elders from the Human race, Mo and Han—my apologies for the misunderstanding earlier. I truly appreciate your patience. But may I ask, what brings you both to visit our sacred mountain? Is there any way our clan can assist you?" The elder's face changed several times as he silently groaned inwardly, yet he maintained his utmost courtesy and quickly asked the question. "There's nothing particularly urgent. We've come simply to meet with Ling Wang Daojun Now that the Lord Ling has already been waiting above, this is truly the best possible arrangement. We needn't worry about coming all this way in vain!" After smoothing out his previously serious expression, Mo Jian laughed heartily. Han Li couldn't help but smile slightly at this. It seems that arriving early isn't always better than arriving at the right moment. Originally afraid that Lord Ling might deliberately refuse to see them, they now find themselves needing little effort. The only concern remains: what could be Lord Ling's true intention in suddenly inviting two senior masters from different nations at this very time. "Well... this might not be quite right. Lord Ling has invited the elders from the Blood-Burning sect, but if the two of us also wish to see him, then our juniors may not be able to make the decision on our own—we would have to go up and personally report to him." The elder White Jiao looked slightly embarrassed, hesitating before finally speaking. "What does this mean? The elders from Blood-Burning can see Lord Ling, but we cannot!" Could it be that you truly believe our human race is easy to conquer, that even our great transcendents are of no account to you?" Mo Jianli's smile faded, and with a sudden step forward, he declared, a terrifying spiritual pressure radiating out from his body, as though it were crushing the very heavens and earth around him.