The dawn glow seemed ordinary, yet upon a flash, a myriad of radiant beams surged forth, carrying the old demon's startled and furious roar through the dark mist. The magical aura around him dissolved, revealing his crimson true essence and the ghostly Luo Fan banner. Now, both were tightly ensnared by countless strands of jade-like dawn light, unable to break free despite their intense green glow and blazing crimson flames—truly captured. "Pfft," "Pfft"—two scrolls, one golden and one silver, adhered to the Yuan'ing, causing its internal qi to solidify completely and cease all circulation. As a result, the venomous secret techniques that the Yuan'ing had been about to expel dissolved instantly. At that moment, a glow of silver light emerged, and a middle-aged cultivator in yellow robes stepped out from behind the old demon's Yuan'ing. This was precisely the other mid-level cultivator who had allied with Han. Han had only just realized that this figure had appeared silently and without any trace of movement. Han's expression relaxed slightly, now displaying a half-smiling, half-ambiguous demeanor. The pale-faced, expressionless cultivator—naturally—was the human-shaped automaton that Han had painstakingly crafted. From the very beginning, Han had stationed this automaton at the entrance of the hall. Should the old demon truly prove exceptionally cunning and choose to retreat without battle, he would surely take this route. Indeed, the automaton was not a living person at all, and thus managed to conceal its presence so perfectly that it was virtually undetectable. Unless one witnessed it directly, its movements would remain entirely invisible. Thus, when the old demon, mid-stride in his attempt to flee, was unexpectedly struck by a human-shaped automaton stationed nearby—using his thunder-fire bow and golden thunderwood short arrows—he was forced to retreat. However, since the goal was to capture the old demon's immaterial essence alive, after employing the magic-diamond dagger crafted from the rare magic marrow and other precious materials to shatter the Blood Demon Pearl, Han Li immediately summoned the Divine-Exorcising Thunder to drive the infant demon back, causing it to panic and flee. As it did so, the automaton quietly advanced, gaining the upper hand without the old demon realizing it. Then, Han Li deployed a magical eye made of Luminescent Crystal to perform a **hypnotic illusion**. Having witnessed the astonishing power of the Luminescent Crystal, Han Li was confident that even if the old demon's consciousness were exceptionally strong, it would be momentarily stunned. Indeed, as he had anticipated, while the old demon was disoriented, Han Li calmly activated the Virtual Sky Cauldron, effortlessly sealing the infant demon's immaterial form. Thinking of this, Han Li glanced again at the small cauldron in his hands. Since he had only mastered the first level of the Treasure Decree, he could currently only control the scattered radiance emitted by the cauldron. To truly open the lid of the cauldron, it would likely have to wait until he reached the late Yuan婴 stage. "Han friend, what shall we do with these five demons?" As Han Li was happily pondering, footsteps came from behind. Gui Ling extended a ball of black and white energy with one hand, trapping the five pale, skeleton-like figures that had shrunk to the size of a footspan, and then pulled them forward. At the very instant the elder demon's Yuan婴 was subdued, the five junior demons instantly lost control, falling to the ground motionless—only to be ensnared by the plain woman's spell. "These five demons..." Han Li glanced at the five junior demons, who stood there blankly, as he prepared to speak. Yet, as he tightly held the five dark skulls of the elder demon, they unexpectedly released their grip and simultaneously opened their mouths. Turning his head, he faced the five human-shaped skeletons nearby, and instantly emitted a piercing, mournful cry. This sound was not only loud and intrusive, but also stirred the vital energy within listeners, causing their spirit and mind to tremble. Trapped within the black and white mist, the five previously calm skeletons suddenly sensed the disturbance, their eyes flashing with blood-like brilliance, radiating an intense hunger and fury. As they opened their mouths, five deep emerald-colored magical flames struck the very same point of the black and white mist. With a thunderous "boom," the ugly woman, unprepared, had the binding spell formed by the mist shattered instantly. Five streams of white vapor shot out, rushing toward the black skeletons, as if aiming to converge and unite. Yet, seeing this, Han Li could not allow these demonic forces to gain easy ground. With a cold exhalation through his nose, he gently waved his small cauldron. A surge of azure light expanded, instantly forming a barrier that blocked the five streams of white vapor. Then, with a subtle shift of his consciousness, a portion of the light surged and rolled over, encircling the five white vapors and trapping them in a new location, thus reappearing the five skeletons, each about a foot tall. These demonic beings now appeared to be Though tightly ensnared by the dense tangle of silvery hair, they struggled ceaselessly, their bodies constantly struck by shimmering green phosphorescent lights that danced upon their hair, as if trying to burn through and free themselves. "No!... You... You release them!" The elder demon with the Yuan婴 stage was visibly shaken, suddenly shouting with a strained voice, as though terrified beyond measure. Clearly, due to the great depletion of the old magic, and now being restrained by his own powers, the five young demons, who had previously bowed obediently, suddenly erupted in fury, causing a reversal of the host's spiritual essence. Yet, how could Han Li allow the old demon's true essence to be completely consumed? Without hesitation, he swiftly raised his hand and struck the small cauldron resting in his palm. A clear, resonant chime echoed from the cauldron, and from the shimmering radiance outside, countless strands of green silk burst forth, tightly wrapping the several skulls and forcibly pulling them away from the true essence. The skulls, their mouths gnashing wildly and their movements frenzied, looked utterly chaotic, leaving the onlookers deeply impressed. Han Li paid little attention to these black skulls and instead focused intently on examining the old demon's true essence. Though the true essence had shrunk by nearly half within just a moment, appearing critically weak, he felt a sense of relief—after all, as long as his consciousness remained intact and undiminished, it mattered little. Taking a deep breath, Han Li reached out with one hand and retrieved the Yin Luo Fan beside the Yuan Ying, glanced at it briefly, then tucked it into his storage pouch. He then swept his gaze toward a spot in the distance. The humanoid automaton shifted slightly, darted several times, and returned with a black leather sack, which he delivered to Han Li. This was naturally the storage sack of Qian Lao Mo, which had fallen out when the Blood Demon Pearl shattered. Han Li did not immediately begin exploring its contents. Instead, he turned to the ugly woman and said, "Gui friend, please keep an eye on these five demons for now. I'll go handle this Yuan Ying first." He didn't want anyone watching him during the soul extraction. "Please go ahead—everything is under my care," Gui Ling replied calmly, opening her mouth and expelling a strong stream of black and white energy, which enveloped the skull and the five skeletons. She took over Han Li's seal. Han Li nodded, raised one hand, and reached out toward the ethereal light, forming a large green hand that instantly grasped the blood-red Yuan婴 and the five skeletons in his palm. A streak of green light sped off and vanished into the distant Northern Polar Luminescence. The humanoid automaton remained motionless, standing in place. As far as I know, once these demonic beings are forged, it's extremely difficult to make them vanish completely from this world unless they are slowly refined by the most yang fire. "Refined? No need for that. These five sons of the demon serve me another purpose; I shall temporarily seal them away." Han Li paused slightly before speaking calmly. "Very well, that shall be entirely at your discretion," Gui Ling said, somewhat surprised yet fully agreeing. With a gentle sweep of his sleeve, a dense stream of talismans shot forth and swiftly adhered to the skeletons and dark skulls, encasing them each in distinct glowing orbs. He then rubbed his hands together, fingers rapidly tapping out, sending golden arcs that burst into fine golden filaments, layer upon layer, wrapping around the orbs. Gui Ling found himself somewhat astonished by this display. Under the shimmering golden light, ten large golden spheres came into view. Han Li then chanted incantations, striking several spells upon the spheres, which rapidly contracted and brightened in response. In a moment, it had shrunk into a sphere the size of a fist. Gazing at these radiant golden orbs, Han Li furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, then opened his mouth again, spitting out a cluster of shimmering seven-colored Buddhist light. Within this light, there floated a precious object resembling a bubble—exactly the Dharma Shield that Han Li had been cultivating within his body all along. With a gentle touch of his hand, Han Li drew the seven-colored radiance, and in a single motion, the golden orbs were drawn into the shield. With this Buddhist treasure and the divine, pest-wardening thunder strike in place, the sub-magi, no matter how fierce, should be unable to escape. Only then did Han Li feel at ease, reaching into his storage bag and retrieving a jade box, placing the Dharma Shield inside, and carefully sealing it. "Let's go," Han Li said, glancing toward the hall doors, his eyes half-closed as he spoke to Gui Ling. "You know something about the hidden secrets of this mountain. We'll stay for a few days, waiting until the seal's crack heals properly, before we venture out." "Indeed," "No one else knows this." Guiling heard this and instantly brightened, responding without hesitation. (First chapter!)