"What that means is clear—act first, seize the initiative." The giant ape buzzed, raising both hands in the air. Instantly, two clusters of shimmering, dark and vibrant light coalesced in his palms, solidifying into two small mountains several zhang high. With a swift motion of its arms, the ape hurled the mountains forward with great force, and as they struck the ground, they exploded into two massive orbs of light, rushing directly toward the two elder figures. At the same time, a flash of crystalline light shimmered above its head, and a third mountain materialized out of thin air. The other two palms suddenly turned dark and luminous, then surged upward with a frantic, gust-like expansion. At their fingertips, ten green spines sprouted instantly, radiating a thick, pungent black vapor. As for the third elder, upon seeing the invisible sword aura enveloping the surroundings, he flipped his hand once, producing a half-foot-tall statue with a fox's head and human body. He then tossed it upward. The statue emitted a clear chime, glowing brightly before transforming into a five-tailed red fox puppet. With a swift sweep of its five tails, the red fox instantly projected a crimson light curtain, fully enclosing the space beneath. At that moment, the four palms struck solidly against the two luminous spheres formed from the extreme mountains. Two thunderous crashes echoed, causing a sharp ripple of disturbance in the surrounding space. The two spheres trembled, then abruptly halted, revealing their original mountain forms. Yet the two lean elders who had launched the attack suddenly frowned, their bodies shaking as they were thrown backward. When both of them, faces filled with shock and anger, steadied themselves again at a distance of several dozen paces, their four arms raised, now streaked with blood, as if their skin had shattered completely, with not a single inch remaining intact—each of their fingers snapped and broken. At the same time, the intangible sword aura surged and struck the red light shield of the third elder. Instantly, the shield flickered wildly, and within moments, fine cracks began to appear across its surface. Startled, the third elder opened his mouth, expelling a cluster of refined qi into the statue in his hands, then swiftly intensified his spell. The golden glow radiated from the red fox automaton atop his head shimmered, and the five long tails, transformed into light screens, changed color to a pale gold; the cracks that had formed rapidly healed, restoring the shield’s original state, thus fully withstanding this wave of intangible sword aura. Yet, despite having fought against three opponents, Han Li still clearly held a slight advantage. This caused the three elder figures, who had arrived with great fury, to hesitate and pause in their tracks. After exchanging several stern words, they gradually advanced toward the giant ape formed by Han Li. It seemed clear that these three great-accumulation elders were truly determined to overwhelm the lone opponent and engage in a decisive struggle. Upon seeing this, Han Li let out a quiet chuckle within himself. Suddenly, the giant ape slammed both palms against its chest, then roared upward with a long, resonant cry that pierced the heavens. Instantly, a magnificent Buddhist-Vanadha image materialized behind it and surged forward, merging seamlessly with the ape's body. At that moment, the purple-gold radiance on the ape's surface intensified, its body slightly bowed, while brilliant golden light erupted from the shoulders and rib areas. Two additional giant ape heads and four thick, golden arms sprouted from these locations. Han Li had simultaneously activated both the Jingze Technique and the True Demon Power of the Vanadha. Now, in terms of physical strength, his body had reached nearly the level of a Nirvana-Body. It became evident that even facing three opponents of equal rank, Han Li could not afford to be overly careless. Just as the four of them were about to deploy their greatest powers and engage in combat, a ripple of disturbance suddenly surged in the void some hundred zhang away, and another shimmering array materialized out of nowhere. As a wave of霞light rolled through it, three figures of varying heights and statures materialized instantly. The three elderly figures who had just been approaching Han Li immediately stiffened, halting their advance at once. Han Li's three-headed, six-armed giant ape swiftly turned its three heads, and its six eyes flashed in unison, scanning the same direction. These three figures were an elderly woman, a Taoist monk, and a man wearing a mask—none other than Xiao Ming's Lady of a Hundred Flowers and her companions. Upon arriving and seeing clearly the three elders and Han Li's three-headed, six-armed giant ape, the three were equally startled, exchanging surprised glances. "It's truly a coincidence," said one, "that we have all gathered here at the same place." The giant ape laughed loudly, then its golden glow faded, and its body rapidly shrunk, restoring itself to human form within moments. "I didn't expect to meet Mr. Han here—indeed, it's quite a coincidence," said Xiao Ming, who, upon clearly seeing Han's restored appearance, exchanged a glance and managed a smile. The Lady of Ten Thousand Flowers and Qingping the Daoist could only sigh with quiet amusement... As for the three thin, elderly figures, they were even more hesitant, merely gazing at the newly appeared trio with a solemn, watchful gaze. Xiao Ming, after glancing at the three elders, thoughtfully asked, "Your faces are quite unfamiliar. Might you be the Daoists residing in the Black Yān Forest in the western region?" "Hmph. You certainly have a broad perspective—your keen eye immediately recognized our identities. Indeed, our three holy beings, the Wuzheng, have long resided in seclusion within the Black Yān Forest," replied the elder who had been commanding the red fox automaton, his tone clearly tinged with reserve and hostility. "The Three Sacred Wuzheng Masters? So you three are fellow cultivators specializing in Wuzheng techniques, I suppose. But I wonder—what dispute do you three have with Brother Han that has prompted such a decisive intervention?" Xiao Ming asked, his gaze shifting thoughtfully. Though he hadn't personally witnessed the actions of Han and the others, the lingering fluctuations of spiritual energy in the air and the tense posture between them had clearly revealed the recent confrontation. According to his original plan, he should have already reached the heart of Tianding Palace or located the central control mechanism by now. Yet he had never imagined that the second set of restrictions they had encountered upon entering was far more intricate and surprising than expected—trapping the three of them until now, only just breaking through. As soon as they emerged, they faced two formidable opponents, both of whom were of exceptional strength, led by Han Li and Wu Ling, the Three Sages. Naturally, this only made matters more difficult. If possible, he would have preferred to engage them in a decisive battle, allowing Han Li and Wu Ling to effortlessly advance through the final section of the route. However, if Han Li and Wu Ling truly lacked any strategic thinking, such a scenario would be impossible. And should they remain in this stalemate, it would certainly not be favorable for him. It wasn’t just them among the Great Achievers who had entered the Tian Ding Palace—who knew what would happen if they delayed a little longer? With that thought, Xiao Ming straightened his expression and spoke again: "Respected friends, our purpose in entering this place is merely to seek treasures. Why should we begin arguing before we even secure the true treasures? Clearly, the most valuable items lie in the areas behind us. If we have the strength to fight, let us instead use it to search those trailing regions. The barriers ahead have already proven so difficult to overcome. Even if we spend all our time there, we may not necessarily succeed in bringing back any real treasures." "As for me, I don’t mind at all—so long as no one starts making a fuss first, I’ll naturally remain passive." Han Li blinked his eyes, responding with a half-smiling, half-serious tone. "Very well. Since Brother Xiao has put it so clearly, let us set this dispute aside and proceed!" Upon hearing this, the elder who had been commanding the red fox automaton paused to think, then flashed a glint of determination in his eyes before nodding in agreement. Then three elders exchanged a few words among themselves, and with a simple movement of their bodies, truly turned and flew off toward a nearby area. Xiao Ming, upon seeing the areas chosen by the three, seemed slightly taken aback, but quickly regained composure and smiled at Han Li: "Brother Han, have you also settled on a destination? If not, perhaps we three will take off first." "There's really nothing to choose, I'll just go... to that place and take a look," Han Li said casually, shaking his head slightly and pointing a finger in a certain direction. However, as he moved forward, his pupils suddenly narrowed, and his fingertip slightly adjusted, pointing instead toward a neighboring area adjacent to the original one. The Lady Wan Hua and Qingping Dao Ren, who had remained silent until then, immediately grew pale upon seeing the area Han Li had selected. At that moment, Han Li had already surged upward like a streak of long-lasting rainbow, and after a few flashes, plunged headlong into the pale blue light barrier. Instantly, within the barrier, shimmering light streaks danced and faint rumblings of wind and thunder could be heard.