Three days later, in the grand hall of the black giant vessel, Han Li summoned the three men and one woman—four human cultivators of combined stage—sitting at the main seat. Nan Gong Wan stood beside him, her expression gentle and attentive. But before that, shouldn't we first make proper arrangements for Xiao Lingtian? I certainly don't want to find ourselves just leaving, only to see the remaining human clansmen immediately enslaved by other ethnic groups." Han Li spoke slowly. Upon hearing this, the elderly white-haired elder and others were struck with serious concern. The blue-robed beauty, after a brief thought, stepped forward respectfully and said, "We shall listen entirely to Master Han's instructions, with no hesitation at all." The other three also nodded in agreement. "Then I shall take on this responsibility myself. After you return, select the most outstanding hundred or so young disciples, and I will take these individuals with you back to the Ling clan. I will also announce that I will send periodic missions back to Xiao Lingtian to retrieve the next batch of the most promising human youths. These matters shall be entrusted to you for execution." Han Li issued the instructions without reservation. "Master Han, please rest assured—we will handle everything with care and ensure you expend not a single extra effort." "The elderly man nodded eagerly." "Very well," said Han Li. "Before I return to the Ling Clan, I'll make a trip to other regions of Xiao Ling Tian, giving the other ethnic groups a lesson so they won't dare to invade the human clan lightly. At the same time, I'll leave several precious treasures with the clan—ensuring that even without a fully evolved master, the clan will be well-equipped to handle future incursions by other ethnic groups. With these contingency measures in place, the human clan need not fear being subjugated by the other ethnic groups, even if their strongest members are absent." Han Li spoke calmly and steadily. The human clan's leading figures, upon hearing this, were naturally both astonished and delighted, and bowed in agreement. With such solid preparations, the human clan in Xiao Ling Tian could truly be said to have no worries about their future. After discussing a few specific matters regarding their evacuation from Xiao Ling Tian, the several human cultivators gracefully excused themselves and departed. Throughout the entire conversation, Nangong Wan remained seated by the side, smiling silently. But once those three had departed, she smiled warmly at Han Li: "My lord, once they've selected suitable junior disciples, it will likely take quite some time. In the meantime, why don't I accompany you to visit other ethnic groups? Though I've been in constant meditation for years, I'm still more familiar with Xiaoling Heaven than you are." "After all, since Wan'er has suggested it, there's no reason why we shouldn't. I'd actually have had the same intention from the beginning," Han Li replied with a light laugh. ……Two days later, Han Li sent Hua Shi the Elder and a group of puppets off aboard the Mo Ling Sacred Boat to gather some materials unique to Xiaoling Heaven, and then took Nan Gong Wan with him to depart from the vessel. After being formally accepted as a disciple by Nan Gong Wan, Zhu Guo'er remained behind on the boat. Half a month later, among several volcanoes scattered with various black circular stones, a strange creature—half human and half nearly transparent—was frantically teleporting through the air, flashing from one point to another. A thunderous roar echoed in the sky, and suddenly, a massive golden hand—almost concealing half the heavens—materialized. As it descended, a stream of sacred chants drifted out, accompanied by a tremendous force pressing down. The semi-transparent, eerie creature below instantly panicked, leaping forward and shooting out hundreds of paces, its speed now nearly double what it had been previously. Yet, though the golden hand descended slowly, its fingers merely parted, forming a faint, translucent being's head, and then striking down with lightning speed. A piercing cry rang out. Despite possessing several rare treasures and an exceptional constitution, the semi-transparent creature proved utterly helpless under the golden hand's assault—vanishing as if struck by a fly's wing. "Crack!" The golden hand vanished in an instant. A mere ripple spread through the sky, and two figures emerged side by side—namely Han Li and Nan Gong Wan. At this moment, Nangong Wan gazed at the semi-transparent Saint Spirit below, her face expressing unmistakable astonishment. "This is indeed the strongest among the Feng Ling clan, nearly halfway to the Great Transcendence stage—yet even one strike from you could not hold him. It seems my husband truly is no ordinary Great Transcendence. Now, I fully believe everything he said earlier." "How could it be, Wan'er, that you didn't initially believe a word of what I had to say?" Han Li replied with a half-smiling, slightly teasing tone. "I never knew that the Great Transcendence you spoke of could be so extraordinary. After all, with your cultivation level, aren't you one of the very top figures in the Spirit Realm?" Nangong Wan gave a light scoff before adding with genuine curiosity. "Hehe, this matter will become clear once you return to the Spirit Realm. Then you'll see. Well, let's go. Our next destination should be the first great warrior of the Jiu Lang clan—Gang Jin." Han Li chuckled, speaking with a touch of amusement. Nangong Wan glanced at Han Li with a look of mild disapproval, and naturally said nothing further in opposition. With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, Han Li instantly rolled up a cascade of golden light, and the two of them then vanished into a brilliant golden glow, soaring through the air. "But this kind of insect swarm tactic has lost all its effectiveness to me." A calm voice from within the light shield spoke. Suddenly, a golden thunderball the size of a house burst forth, swelling in the wind and then exploding with a thunderous roar. Instantly, countless fine golden filaments shot out from the point of explosion, interlacing and solidifying into a vast golden net that descended from the sky, nearly engulfing the entire group of insects below. As the thunder crackled within the net, all the giant insects were instantly reduced to ashes in the electric flash. Yet, the humanoid insect gave a low cry, opening its mouth to expel a globule of dark green liquid, which tore a significant hole in the overhead lightning net, and then swiftly passed through it. "Shh!" Its pair of jade-colored cicada wings unfolded behind it, and with a powerful flap, it prepared to execute its special escape maneuver. At that moment, however, it seemed as though Han Li's arm had moved slightly within the distant light shield. The space near the humanoid insect immediately rippled, and a shimmering blade of jade light shot forth, flashing with astonishing speed to cleave the colossal creature in two right down the middle. Then, the blade light spiraled once more, transforming into a broad expanse of jade-colored sword fabric that fully enveloped the two severed bodies of the insect. When the jade light finally dispersed, the humanoid insect—along with its spirit now reduced to a mist of blood—had vanished entirely. …Two months later, in a marshland ravaged by toxic gases, the senior elder of the Yeshen people—renowned as the most enigmatic of the non-human ethnic groups—voluntarily submitted to Han Li, swearing an oath that throughout his life, his entire clan would never leave the marsh. …Within just a few months, Han Li and Nan Gong Wan had truly traversed every region of Xiao Ling Tian’s non-human ethnic groups. By eliminating the powerful among them and subduing the rest, Han Li instilled such fear and awe among the non-human clans that they trembled as if the end of days had arrived. When these developments reached the Human race, the news sparked widespread jubilation. Now, Han Li—this renowned Human cultivator from outside the realm—was nearly household name, known even to toddlers. At this point, after intense competition, the Human race finally selected over a hundred promising young talents. Three months later, when the black giant vessel descended upon the Green Sea once more, it carried not only Han Li, Nanguan Wan, and others, but also several Consolidated Immortals and a number of younger human descendants. As for the Green Spirit race dwelling in the Green Sea, they had already retreated far away, hiding in fear and utterly unwilling to approach within a distance of ten thousand li of the vessel. Amid the roar of the vessel, it finally came to rest above the canopy of a towering ancient tree. Han Li stood at the front of the vessel, gently swept his gaze downward, then pressed a seal with one hand and lightly pointed at the empty space beneath. Instantly, ripples surged at the base of the tree, and a soft glow enveloped the scene, transforming it completely. The great tree vanished, replaced by a slowly rotating orb of seven hues. "Let's go," Han Li murmured to himself. "Next time we return here, it may be another unknown time altogether." Then, with a gentle step, he lightly planted his foot. The black giant vessel instantly burst into motion, shooting upward toward the luminous spot below, rapidly shrinking in size as it went, and finally vanishing without a trace.