The Hua Xi fairy suddenly twisted her body, having anticipated the move, and in a single turn, her hand—wrapped in crystalline sand—shot out to meet the other. With a sharp "thud," their palms collided. After the golden flame of the sand burst forth, both figures trembled and stepped back several paces. "I knew you'd come up with this old trick," she said, her usually vibrant face now slightly distorted and pale. As she spoke with growing intensity, her expression suddenly shifted to one of profound alarm. Her body shivered, and from her chest, a slender, withered green palm emerged—her fingers tightly clutching a small figure struggling desperately. The figure's face and demeanor were identical to that of the fairy, yet his expression was one of intense suffering. The Old Master of Purity blurred into existence like a ghost before the Yuan婴 of Hua Xi's Immortal Maiden, coldly gazing at her without a word. At that moment, a ripple of movement surged behind the young woman, and a faint, nearly invisible green silhouette emerged. Simultaneously, in the golden sea of flames on the other side, the golden flame beings that had been relentlessly attacking Ji Shan vanished suddenly with a soft "pffft." Undeterred, Ji Shan pressed down with overwhelming force, and the entire golden sea of flames collapsed and extinguished in a thunderous roar. "You've finally achieved the art of spiritual substitution—otherwise, I would never have met such a fate. Don't think you're in any better position. As husband and wife, we're bound by fate; if I am to perish here, you won't survive much longer either. Don't forget the shared fate seal that binds you." Hua Xi's Yuan婴 struggled desperately, but ultimately could not break free. With all hope gone, she ceased her efforts entirely, yet her voice remained fiercely venomous as she spoke to the Old Master of Purity. "Yes, if that's how you see it, then go with confidence. Years ago, I had already broken the seals you placed—yet I've held back until now, all for that item in your sleeve." The venerable elder's eyes flickered with a strange expression, yet his voice remained expressionless. "That can't be! Ah—!" Huaxi Immortal, her Yuan婴 startled, cried out wildly, but barely managed a single cry before the silvery figure "puffed" and completely transformed into a blazing golden flame figure. With a forward lunge, the flame engulfed both the Yuan婴 and the young woman, instantly reducing them to ashes. The elder's pupils narrowed slightly, then quickly regained composure, raising one hand and gesturing into the air. A sharp crack of air broke through the golden flames, and instantly, a dark, ink-black array disc shot out and landed in his hand. The elder examined the disc carefully, then exhaled gently. A deep, resonant sound followed immediately. The turntable gradually weathered, visibly at a rapid pace, until it finally transformed into a dense, unbroken stream of black smoke hovering in place. The Elder of Unsoiled Purity drew in a deep breath and, with a single inhalation, absorbed the entire stream of smoke into her abdomen. After a moment's internal inspection, a look of weighty concern passed over her eyes. The golden flames, after coalescing, then once again solidified into a faintly greenish humanoid figure, standing motionless in place. "Now that you're the only one left, are you still going to act?" "Of course not. In my current condition, Tianding True Man's cultivation technique holds no special advantage for me at all. Moreover, until now, you haven't even drawn out half of your strength. I certainly won't go so far as to truly anger you. Then, I shall take my leave first." With these calm words, the elderly master gently nodded. At that moment, a green-robed figure surged toward him and instantly merged into his form, vanishing. Then, with a swift motion of his sleeve, a radiant glow spiraled from his body, transforming him into a streak of brilliant light that shot off toward the horizon. Within just a few flashes, he was gone, fading into the far reaches of the sky. Han Li was slightly surprised, not expecting the old master to depart so decisively—there was no need for him to intervene. On the other side, a thunderous roar shook the very heavens. Han Li turned, and upon looking, saw the blood-colored mist sea far off suddenly uncurling and dispersing, revealing once again the Buddhist golden form and the nine-eyed blood toad within. The two stood far apart, a hundred paces off, facing each other. One, however, had dimmed golden light and was missing one head and two arms. The other was covered in body wounds, with only five of his nine eyes still able to open; the rest gushed blood uncontrollably. Both appeared utterly battered and defeated. As for the other two battle sites, thunderous explosions continued to roar, still raging fiercely. Han Li smiled to himself, his giant ape form shifting slightly, preparing to move straight toward the nine-eyed blood toad. At that moment, however, the nine-eyed blood toad sighed deeply: "Brother Han, there's no need for further combat. In this clash, we three have already lost. We will no longer insist that you remain our companion." As soon as he finished speaking, fresh plumes of blood rose from his body, and his wounds healed rapidly—visible to the naked eye. Then, with a swirl of radiant light across his surface and a roll on the ground, he resumed his human form. After a brief pause, the great ape he had transformed into roared once and swiftly shrunk, restoring itself to its original form within the golden light. The others in the two other battle groups naturally observed the entire scene unfold. Though deeply reluctant, Qingping the Daoist and Wanhua the Lady were forced to reluctantly withdraw their divine powers and treasures, stepping out of the combat zones. With a flash of light, they appeared beside Xiao Ming, their faces visibly displeased. "Xiao Brother, shall we truly just give up?" Wanhu asked, her expression full of reluctance. "There's no other way. Old Master Wugui and Lady Huaxi have both perished. With only us three, we have absolutely no chance of victory." Xiao Ming said slowly. Qingping's face remained uncertain, shifting between expressions, yet he ultimately said nothing to propose continuing the battle. "Master Han, this time we admit defeat. We have no dignity to remain here any longer. We shall now depart." Xiao Ming bowed to Han Li, his body shimmering with a faint glow of霞light, as if he had already decided to simply carry Qingping Daoren and Wanhua Lady away on his flight. "If Brother Xiao wishes to attack, or to depart, then so be it," Han Li suddenly said with a cold smile, "but isn't that rather dismissive of me?" Han Li single-handedly reached out and grasped the jade box, then with a mental sweep, nodded with a satisfied expression. A flash of spiritual insight, and the jade box vanished completely from his hands. At that moment, Xiao Ming bowed to Gao Han Li, then transformed into a swirling glow of blood and ascended into the air. Qingping Dao人 and Wanhua Lady also followed without hesitation. Though they had not secured the true treasures of Tian Ding Daoist, there was still ample time before the Tian Ding Palace closed, and with timely action, they could still gain benefits from other areas. Naturally, Xiao Ming and the others would not delay any further. "Thank you, Brother Han, for your great kindness," said Bing Po, exhaled deeply, and paid a deep bow to Han Li. Her gratitude was evident and unreserved in every word. "There's no need for your ice-spirit to be so formal. Even if we didn't speak of our shared history, merely as fellow human cultivators at the Great Perfection stage, I would ensure your safety," Han Li smiled slightly and waved his hand in reply. As for the crab cultivator, he remained expressionless, saying nothing. After a few more words exchanged between Han Li and the ice-spirit, the three of them together surged forward in the direction of a certain point. ... Several hours later, in the space beyond the central region, a ripple of energy surged, and suddenly a luminous array materialized. Han Li, the ice-spirit, and the others appeared silently. After taking in their surroundings, the ice-spirit's expression changed, and he immediately spoke: "I sense the general location of Xue Ling. I'll immediately cast a spell, drawing upon the array's power to transport us there." Hearing this, Han Li naturally did not hesitate. At once, the ice-spirit flipped his palm, producing a circular array plate in his hand, and quickly tapped it with his fingers. After a brief moment, the woman threw the array into the air, and it instantly transformed into a shimmering magical formation. When the three of them stepped back into it, a humming sound resonated, and their forms vanished completely. Several hours later, inside a pavilion, she was carefully retrieving several dozen artifacts from a pale yellow wooden stand into her sleeves, drawing upon the blood essence. Suddenly, her expression changed, and she stopped attending to the remaining few items. Instead, she pressed a hand seal, her body's glow taking flight, and surged forth as a brilliant streak of light from the pavilion. After a single flash, she came to a silent halt at some point in the sky. At the same time, a subtle ripple spread through the surrounding space, and a glowing array materialized there, through which Han Li and the others stepped out. "At last, you've emerged?" the blood essence in her eyes flashed with wonder, gazing at the woman beside Han Li who bore a face identical to her own, and spoke with a complex expression. "These years have truly been taxing for you. It's no small feat that you managed to bring Brother Han here; otherwise, I suspect we might never have met again." Ice-Purity gazed steadily at the Blood Spirit embodiment before her, a gentle smile playing on her face.