A soft "pffft." Several bands of purple-gold light surged to the surface of the magical giant, and the celestial essence it had just absorbed immediately rushed in like a tidal wave into the massive blade in its hands. As a row of silver runes on the blade flashed to life, a green sword aura over a hundred zhang long unfurled from it—only to blur slightly and vanish into a crescent shape, appearing as if it had materialized out of thin air. "This is a treasure of the Heavenly Realm—something truly of the Heavenly Realm," the giant form of the King of the Fierce Sovereign sensed the law fluctuations radiating from the deep emerald blade, and was instantly startled. He quickly pressed a series of hand seals, eager to cast a secret technique to deflect the blade. Yet, by now, it was clearly too late. At the very next moment, a sudden ripple of energy surged above the giant's form, and a green, hazy crescent moon emerged among a myriad of radiant light streaks. As it spun steadily, an overwhelming surge of law-based power descended upon it. The Xiong Si Wang suddenly felt the void around him tighten abruptly, his hands, feet, and entire body instantly chilled and locked in place by the power of the laws of nature. His entire form was pressed down as though by a massive ice mountain, and no matter how desperately he struggled, he could not move an inch. The strength of the Xuan Tian Zhan Ling Sword, fully unleashed, far exceeded his expectations. The law-based powers he had previously witnessed in other Xuan Tian treasures paled in comparison to what he now faced. "No, I yield! Release the seal!" The giant form of the Xiong Si Wang finally showed signs of panic, shouting his surrender. At that moment, the two layers of luminous screens that had previously enveloped the entire mountain peak instantly collapsed and dissolved. Yet the green crescent moon paid no heed, continuing to press down with steady momentum within the shimmering green light. "Thousand Ghost Forces! Burst!" In desperation, after repeatedly attempting various secret techniques without success against the overwhelming law-based pressure, the Xiong Si Wang finally made up his mind and resolved to act. In an instant, the thousand ghost faces on its surface suddenly turned a vivid, glistening red, then burst open in a series of explosive flashes amidst a thunderous roar. A surge of blood mist immediately spread out in all directions, effectively neutralizing half of the surrounding law-based force. As the colossal figure of the Fūji-Ō King expelled the blood mist, his body shrank suddenly, as if losing breath, down to ordinary human size, and then shot skyward with a swift "whoosh," breaking free from the law-bound constraints. At a distance, the giant ape emitted a cold snort, and with a sudden tremor, its massive emerald blade flashed forward in a lightning-fast horizontal slash. Though the movement appeared utterly ordinary, the upper half of the blade vanished momentarily as it first struck. At the same time, the Fūji-Ō King, who had just transformed into a blazing red flame and swiftly passed by the green crescent moon, was suddenly struck by a brilliant green light erupting from the void beside him. A nearly translucent, half-appearing blade flashed past and severed the king cleanly in two, right across his waist. The blood-flame shield of Feng Si Wang proved utterly ineffective against the single strike of the half-giant blade phantom. Feng Si Wang cried out, yet did not lose his footing. Instead, without hesitation, he swiftly pressed a series of hand seals with one hand, and his lower half instantly burst into a cascade of blood mist. As the upper half of his body was enveloped by this mist, it emitted a roar and flashed from its current position—vanishing completely. Han Li, now transformed into a colossal ape, glanced at the scene with a touch of scorn, then pointed a single finger toward the empty space. A sharp "thud" echoed. The green-hazy crescent moon spun smoothly and then burst into a similar cascade of mist. A series of sharp "shush-shush" sounds followed, as countless threads of deep green light instantly pierced through the blood mist where the figure had vanished—only to vanish themselves moments later. A sudden, intense ripple surged through the surrounding space. Feng Si Wang let out a mournful cry, and his lower half reappeared, now resembling a tattered cloth—though his body was now riddled with countless holes, and nearly half of his form had completely disappeared. Even so, the Fengsi King had not perished; instead, he surged forth with unwavering determination, launching several shimmering, coldly ethereal treasures from his shattered form, and immediately turned to dash toward another mountain peak. Yet, with the Xuan Tian Zhan Ling Sword now fully activated, Han Li would certainly not allow his opponent to escape unscathed. As the Fengsi King, protected by these treasures, sped forward over a thousand paces, a flash of golden light erupted in the void ahead—there, a colossal, magically transformed ape, towering hundreds of paces high, materialized silently. With a mere movement of one arm, the ape raised a vast, golden palm that crashed down upon him. A thunderous rumble shook the earth. The several defensive treasures the Fengsi King had summoned, along with his own fragmented body, were effortlessly shattered by the golden palm. "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Two dark essences pierced through the blurred flesh and blood, bursting forth in opposite directions, desperately fleeing. The great ape frowned, then swept a finger through the air, making a gesture toward one of the two dark forms. At that moment, a streak of pale jade light flashed, cutting the hidden entity in two—precisely the creature resembling neither monkey nor monkey. As the sound of thunder rolled across the jade light, countless golden arcs burst forth, instantly engulfing and reducing the thin, withered monster to ash. Without the magical support of the Fengsi King, this so-called "second immortal soul" proved unexpectedly fragile and could no longer regenerate as before. Just as another cluster of black mist attempted to flee, a flash of crystalline light from both sides revealed a mournful cry, and from within the black mist emerged a creature with a bull's head and a serpent's body. However, barely taking a few steps, the creature's body shattered into four parts, spewing forth torrents of black mist and emitting a wailing sound like the cries of spirits. At this moment, a flash of golden light appeared above the black mist, revealing a small golden figure. With a simple gesture, the figure drew down a vast, intangible stream of sword energy, clearing all the ghostly vapors within mere breaths. At last, this one of the Ten Kings of the Underworld, the King of Ferocity, truly perished in this battle. ...At the same time, in another world, deep beneath the earth, within a dark hall buried thousands of feet below, one of the ten side-by-side jade coffins suddenly burst open, its lid exploding with force. From within, a dark silhouette suddenly rose, emitting a voice filled with shock and fury: "Who dares to annihilate my true form? Do not let me encounter you again—otherwise, once I have rebuilt my flesh and bones, I will strip you of your skin and sinew, and eternally imprison your spirit beneath the Sea of Haunted Souls." With that, the dark figure swiftly drifted out of the coffin and sped swiftly toward the hall's outer doors. ...Restored to his normal human size, Han Li held in his hands a blood-red orb about the size of a clenched fist, its surface veiled in a layer of black mist, with countless black spots densely clustered across it. To ordinary eyes, these spots appeared unremarkable. But when viewed through a spiritual vision magnified a hundredfold, they revealed themselves to be countless twisted, clustered faces of "Some meaning indeed—this thing is worth pondering carefully." Han Li, holding the orb he had just extracted from the shattered soul of the Foul Sovereign, murmured to himself with a smile. With a slight flick of his wrist, the orb vanished instantly. Han Li then narrowed his eyes and glanced toward the nearby mountain peaks. Aside from the one beneath him, all the others remained fully enveloped in the luminous barrier. Clearly, he was the first to conclude his battle; the other four battle groups were still locked in intense combat. As he thought this, he did not hesitate, gazed deeply at the central mountain peak, and then launched himself swiftly toward the mountain to the left. If his memory served him right, this peak was the one chosen by Wenxin Phoenix. With his assistance, he believed it would not be difficult to overcome the other Foul Sovereign Ghost King stationed there. After several swaying motions, he suddenly appeared above the luminous screen. With a single hand, he reached out into the air, and a dark, misty little mountain materialized in his palm. As his arm swept in a circular motion, the mountain instantly transformed into a massive dark shadow, roaring downward. At the same time, with the other hand, he pressed a series of gestures and then raised it, unleashing a long, jade-green blade of light over a hundred zhang in length, which surged forward with fierce momentum to strike. The golden figure standing beside Han Li remained silent, merely giving a subtle shake of his shoulder, and as a result, countless intangible sword gusts erupted in a series of sharp "shush-shush" sounds. Though the double-layered luminous screen enclosing the mountain peak was quite refined, it could not withstand the full force of Han Li's and the Golden-Insect King's attacks. Within just a few breaths, the two layers of the screen began to crack and shatter, flashing violently, until they were completely torn apart. A thunderous roar erupted inside, revealing the scene below clearly. Han Li focused his gaze, and indeed, the mountain peak was now divided into two distinct combat groups, engaged In one battle group, a small creature that had once been remarkably endearing—resembling a flying weasel—had suddenly grown to nearly a thousand zhang in height, now engaged in fierce combat with a double-headed giant lizard of equal size. The flying weasel's wings vibrated continuously, sending out waves of silver electric arcs that spread across every part of its body. The double-headed lizard's two heads—one red, one black—spewed out red flames and swirling black mist respectively. Both combatants were robust and resilient, either clashing closely or momentarily separating to unleash bursts of lightning, flame, and black vapor. For now, the battle remained evenly matched. On the other side, hundreds of paces away, lay a vast expanse of blood—spanning hundreds of mu—roaring and surging like a tidal wave. At the heart of this blood sea, on a dark lotus platform, sat a complete human-shaped skeleton, perfectly still. The skeleton was covered in blood, with some patches still bearing fragments of flesh not fully removed. Yet it appeared as a normal person, one hand pressing a strange hand seal while the other supported a crimson bowl. Behind its head, a golden glow the size of a mu shimmered, with countless golden flames faintly visible within. Remarkably, just as the Wencxin Phoenix on the opposite side had done—after performing a secret ritual and shielding itself with precious artifacts—the skeleton too remained motionless, seated silently upon the dark lotus platform. Han Li observed this scene, his expression subtly shifting, and his deep blue pupils flashing with a brief luminescence. Then, he suddenly turned his gaze toward a specific point of empty space between the skeleton and the Wencxin Phoenix. Upon focusing his spiritual gaze, the previously seemingly empty void suddenly transformed into two distinct, ever-changing worlds. (Here's a recommendation for a work by a friend—book lovers who are interested might want to check it out.) Title: Hong Lian Bao Jian Author: Deathstate Plot Summary: A scientist specializing in weapon development arrives on the Chinese continent, only to find himself unexpectedly becoming a refined, graceful nobleman in a turbulent age. Science, though, seems to hold little value—his only path forward is to cultivate and become a immortal. Yet, what about his clever and charming maidservants? What about his young sister-in-training? What about his fiancée? Will he achieve enlightenment and see his entire household rise with him? The life of a dedicated cultivator, already demanding with family and responsibilities, simply hopes that everyone will remain harmonious, avoiding rivalry and together building a peaceful society and a happy household.