"We had originally come straight for Brother Xiao, so even if we didn't mention it, we had already planned to stay at your estate for several days." Qingping Daoren smiled and replied. After a brief thought, Han Li also nodded in agreement. "Very well, then it's settled. The friends will follow me to the nearest training arena. The arrangements here will be handled by our disciples." Upon hearing this, Xiao Ming beamed with satisfaction, then glanced around at the city guards now appearing from all directions, and said so. The old woman and Qingping Daoren naturally had no objections. Han Li silently communicated a few words to Zhu Guo'er and Hua Shi the Elder, and then joined the three of them in flying toward a certain location within the city. Zhu Guo'er and Hua Shi the Elder exchanged a glance, then silently departed, quickly vanishing into the nearby streets. Half an hour later, a circular structure with a diameter of a thousand zhang rose in the center, and a pale, misty light screen materialized. In the midst of the screen, Xiao Ming and the old woman stood facing each other. From the stands outside the light screen, Han Li and Qingping Daoren observed the scene calmly. After a moment, Xiao Ming exhaled softly, then said, "First move," and suddenly opened his mouth, spitting out a beam of blood light that expanded in the wind and transformed into a massive white bone blade. At the tip of this blade, several silver circular rings were embedded, clinking and jingling continuously as they swayed in the wind. Holding the bone blade firmly, Xiao Ming murmured a low command and swung his arm sharply, launching it directly toward the old woman. "Pffft!" As soon as the blade was released, countless blood-colored runes appeared on its surface and, after a brief flash, mysteriously crossed hundreds of feet to materialize just before the old woman. "Hmph. That's all?" The old woman hummed lightly, as though slightly disdainful, yet in reality she could not afford to be careless at all. With a swift motion of her palm, she drew a seemingly ancient black wooden hairpin from her head and, with a gentle stroke, deflected it toward the bone-blade advancing from across the way. A clear, resonant sound echoed. At the tip of the black hairpin, a jet of black flame erupted, swirling and then coiling around the bone-blade, radiating a brilliant glow. At that very moment, the old woman's face changed, and suddenly her body twisted, rising into the sky as a streak of jade light. Where she had stood, a ripple spread out, and several silver-hued halos appeared silently, drawing inward simultaneously toward the center. However, thanks to Elder Oeu's timely action, they now fell short. Yet Xiao Ming continued to chant, pointing with his fingers at the halos in the air, repeatedly gesturing in the empty space. A loud "thunderous boom" followed, and the smooth surfaces of the halos shimmered with countless silver arcs, then surged upward toward the towering old woman. Seeing this, Lady Wanhua's expression darkened, and she swung her wooden spear downward once more, repeatedly. Black flames poured down, but only momentarily slowed the halos' advance—otherwise, they were utterly powerless. Though Lady Wanhua darted continuously in the air, the halos too moved with astonishing speed, instantly shifting position and relentlessly pursuing her amidst the wind and thunder. The old woman, after several evasions, finally grew impatient and roared sharply, "Really, is it only because of this extraordinary artifact that you can contain my magical flame? Then, Xiao Lao Guai, prepare to witness the true power of my bone-burning magic fire!" As she spoke, she threw her wooden pole into the air, exhaled a concentrated stream of vital energy onto it, and at the same time, a surge of black light rippled behind her, manifesting a towering black lion phantom several dozen feet high. This lion, its body blazing with swirling black flames, immediately exuded an eerie and startling aura upon its appearance. At that moment, the wooden pole shimmered and transformed into a short sword, dark and hazy, only half a foot long, yet radiating an astonishing heat that made the surrounding space seem as though it were being scorched, emitting a distinct smell of burnt vapor. Taking advantage of this moment, the several halos swiftly shifted and reappeared above Lady Wan Hua, then descended with a powerful, decisive strike. The Black Giant Lion roared low, lifted its head, and spewed forth a surge of black flame that rocketed skyward, effortlessly lifting several glowing rings. Yet the Lady of a Thousand Flowers urged her short sword forward. At once, the precious artifact emitted a clear chime and transformed into a streak of black light, plunging directly into the Giant Lion's maw. Then, the old woman's face tightened into a cold smile, her fingers swiftly weaving a series of gestures like a wheel turning. A tremendous roar erupted. The black flames on the Giant Lion's body flared brightly, and then, with a swift opening of its mouth, it expelled a beam of black light toward the floating rings. That beam was precisely the form of the black short sword, now adorned with countless strange flame-like spiritual patterns. After a long, resonant cry, it surged forward as a brilliant arc of light stretching over ten zhang, piercing straight through the black cloud and flashing past the several rings. "Crack! Crack!" came sharp, crisp sounds. Immediately after the passage of the radiant streak, the several rings were severed in two, their centers split, and then completely dispersed into scattered points of light, vanishing entirely. "Excellent! This is Master Wan's signature artifact—the Blade of the Lion-Slaying Demon, indeed no ordinary weapon. It even withstands my several rings of Taiyue, which is remarkable. However, my final move requires true divine power—Master, you must be on your guard." Upon seeing this, Xiao Ming was not only unbothered but actually delighted. As he spoke these last words with growing gravity, his arm suddenly moved, and with a firm palm strike against his dantian, he pressed down hard. A deep resonance followed. Instantly, countless streams of blood qi surged from his body, forming thousands of spiraling tendrils that rapidly swelled into a thick, rolling mist, completely engulfing his form. The old woman, witnessing this, was struck with awe, her expression growing more serious, yet at the same time she swiftly intensified her spell, causing the black lion silhouette behind her to solidify and grow three additional feet in size. Suddenly, a strange, piercing cry emerged from within the blood mist. Then, a series of heavy, resonant footsteps echoed, as though something massive was emerging from within. When the surging blood mist finally parted completely, a colossal toad, resembling a small mountain, leaped forth. This toad stood a hundred zhang tall, its body gleaming like blood. On its back, there rose several bulges the size of human heads, yet at the front of each head, nine golden, eerie eyes shimmered with a striking cold radiance. "The Nine-Eyed Blood Toad—how could you have truly refined this ancient true spirit's genuine blood?" the old woman exclaimed, her voice rising in surprise as her face grew pale. Outside the light screen, Qingping Dao Ren also slightly frowned upon seeing the Nine-Eyed Blood Toad appear. Yet Han Li, upon observing it, his eyes brightened, a half-smiling, half-serious expression forming on his face. He had long heard of the Nine-Eyed Blood Toad, and even large auction halls occasionally featured this true spirit's essence. However, unlike other ancient true spirits' blood, which were fiercely pursued by numerous high-level beings, this blood was rarely sought after—sometimes even going unsold. Such a situation arises because the nine-eyed blood cicada's essence is actually extraordinarily toxic. Even when a cultivator at the Great Perfection stage attempts to refine and absorb it, ten out of ten would be unable to endure the toxicity, which would ultimately reverse-attack and overwhelm them. For cultivators with lower attainments, even a slight exposure would immediately prove fatal. Under these circumstances, with so many other true spirit essences available, it is naturally unsurprising that few Great Perfection cultivators would be interested in this true spirit blood. Thus, it is truly astonishing that this Great Perfection cultivator from the Blood Bone Sect dares to take such a risk and successfully refines the true blood of the nine-eyed blood cicada. The elderly woman across the way gasped suddenly, her body jerking as if struck by a massive object, retreating several paces before steadying herself with a mixture of shock and anger. Before her, at a distance of about a zhang, a golden, head-sized mass of flesh slammed squarely into a shield of vibrant, jade-green wood. Behind this mass stood a thick, blood-colored column, as wide as a person's wrist, veined with countless blue veins. Just moments ago, the nine-eyed blood toad had expelled its tongue, moving with a speed invisible to the woman's eyes—reaching its destination in a single, swift motion. Had she not, out of caution, already concealed the wooden shield in front of her, the impact would have been impossible to withstand. Even thus, the Lady of a Hundred Flowers appeared quite disheveled. Old Oe roared, and as the black giant lion behind him opened its mouth, a streak of black light shot forth, swiftly coiling around the toad's tongue. Just at that moment, the massive tongue of the nine-eyed blood toad merely twitched slightly, and then vanished mysteriously. At the same time, the colossal body of the nine-eyed blood toad, which had been standing hundreds of zhang away, suddenly exerted a powerful force with both of its hind limbs, and in a flash, "whoosh!"—its entire massive form seemed to rise into the air and vanish into thin air. Yet the halo had not fully settled when the old woman felt the void around her tighten suddenly, her body grow impossibly heavy, and then burst forth with countless thunderous roars.