After the ethereal figure with three heads and six arms solidified, it revealed itself as a Buddhist holy demon god, though notably shorter in stature. At that moment, the other three-headed, six-armed demon god dissolved into mist within the magical flame. It had merely been a shell formed by the condensation of the Buddhist holy form—just like the earlier one that shed its outer layer like the golden insect king and then vanished, drifting upward to the heavens, where it seized the opportune moment to wield the Heavenly Heaven Treasure and slay the true immortal. Han Li could clearly sense that the immortal's embryonic essence within his body was extraordinarily powerful, yet after the overwhelming force of the Heavenly Heaven Sword of Spirit Annihilation swept over it, the essence was instantly shattered, with no chance of revival. Regrettably, according to the true strength of this immortal, in the immortal realm, even if his physical body were destroyed, his embryonic essence alone would have been sufficient to ensure his safe escape. However, in the spiritual realm, due to the influence of the interface's power, his embryonic essence moved and responded more slowly—by half a beat—during both spellcasting and evasive maneuvers. If it were just a regular struggle, nothing would stand out—but at this critical moment, when life and death hang in the balance, this is precisely what makes his death so humiliating. "You actually killed him," the dark-skinned young man said, first expressing disbelief, then adopting a strange expression. "Do you know he's a direct disciple of the Ji Yuan Sect, a key figure under the Ji Yuan Dao Patriarch?" "I wouldn't kill him unless he threatened me. If he has such powerful backing, should I just stand by and wait? Besides, even if the Ji Yuan Dao Patriarch possesses great powers, he's currently in the Immortal Realm. As for whether I can actually ascend to the Immortal Realm myself, that's still uncertain." Han Li looked at the dark-skinned young man and spoke calmly. "Remarkable! Someone who dares to disregard the Ji Yuan Sect so completely—Magistrate, I haven't seen such a person in many years, and even more surprising, he's a being from the mortal realm. Hah! I can't wait to see what expression the Ji Yuan Dao Patriarch will have upon hearing this." The dark-skinned young man burst into laughter. "You're quite at ease, aren't you? Surely you don't intend to press on?" Han Li raised his hand, retrieved a golden storage bracelet from Ma Liang's lifeless body, and then spoke calmly. "The person is already dead, and the pact we established has no further use—so why continue? Moreover, without Ma Liang, a senior disciple of the Jiuyuan Sect, even if the魔 joins forces with that clumsy dragon, he has no real chance of securing your allegiance. Naturally, he won't undertake such a laborious and unrewarding endeavor. Rest assured, I won't be able to return to the immortal realm for some time, and I'll keep your matter strictly confidential. The Jiuyuan Dao Master has been in seclusion for years. Even if there are other adept seers at the Jiuyuan Sect, the barrier of the interface force limits their ability to predict events in the mortal realm." The dark-skinned youth replied with little concern. "But I'm not at all confident in you! Though I don't understand why a celestial demon would follow a true immortal, to me, nothing is more secure than a death." Han Li, however, frowned and sneered, saying, "You and this young man, Ma Liang, are just as suspicious as each other. Then, if you're still not convinced, I'll stay with you right now." The dark-skinned youth raised a hand to his forehead, clearly showing a slight headache. "With me?" Han Li paused, startled. "Indeed. I can seal a celestial demon pact with you, allowing me to exist as your shadow—always at your command—capable of performing feats even the most immortal beings cannot achieve. In return, however, you will need to offer me a drop of your vital essence at regular intervals. Should you, by any chance, unexpectedly pass away during the term of the pact, your spiritual essence will be completely absorbed by me, becoming an integral part of my power, and you will never be reborn again. Indeed, just like the nine-element observatory disciple here." As Ma Liang spoke, he raised one hand and chanted a spell, and a surge of black energy erupted from behind him, solidifying into the form of a massive, green-faced, toothed ghost. After a piercing, mournful cry, the ghostly head opened its massive maw and drew in a rush toward the remains of Ma Liang. A strange gray-white gas erupted from the corpse, swirling and coalescing into a dense orb, which was then sucked whole into the ghostly head. The ghostly head vanished in an instant. He had never heard of this celestial demon pact before, so how could he easily agree to it? At that moment, the blood-inked phantom in the sky, without the supporting magical power of its master Ma Liang, finally flashed with a burst of bloodlight and shrank into a small seal barely an inch in size, then plummeted down from the heavens. The three-colored mountain peaks below also hummed and swiftly contracted, their radiance rolling them into a compact sphere that swiftly shot toward Han Li. On the other side, as the great blood-inked phantom vanished, the eight blood dragons flickered out one by one, leaving only faint traces of blood essence behind. Thus, without its favored opponent, the golden giant crab rolled and instantly transformed into a Taoist monk, rushing toward Han Li, while the green jade sword formation, after a sharp cry, dispersed into countless green sword shadows. Han Li raised a single hand, and with a motion, absorbed both the three-hued peaks and the crimson seal entirely into his sleeve. Then, countless green sword shadows surged forth, blurring and wavering before resolving into seventy-two slender green swords, which instantly vanished into his body. "Hehe, this truly wrongs our celestial demon race. Anyone who dares to establish a pact with us is inherently bold—such individuals naturally seek out perilous lands and thus face a greater likelihood of falling than ordinary immortals. Yet, throughout all the tales, there has never been a single instance of a celestial demon race breaching a celestial demon pact. To us celestial demon lords, the obligations of the celestial demon pact are far more stringent than those of any other beings." The dark-skinned young man sighed and added these remarks. "Indeed, no one from the Immortal Realm has ever encountered a case of a celestial demon race violating the celestial demon pact," replied the crab-bodied immortal, expressionlessly. "Then, with your words, the celestial demon pact appears quite reliable. Very well, I hereby accept the pact. From the tone of your speech, it's clear you've spent a considerable time in the Immortal Realm. Should the day ever come when I ascend to the Immortal Realm, the demons will indeed prove of great value to me. Nevertheless, beyond the celestial demon pact, I must impose upon you one additional seal before I can truly feel at ease." After a long pause, Han Li exhaled deeply and said, "A separate restriction? Hehe, as long as this is clearly stated in the contract, there will be no issue at all. Even I can arrange for my friend to plant a few more." The dark-skinned young man replied with a carefree tone. "Then it's settled—have you now have that fire spirit stop its actions?" Han Li said casually. The dark-skinned young man chuckled, turned his head slightly, and whispered a few words to the strange dragon-jelly. A long roar echoed through the air! The crimson flesh sphere that had transformed into the strange dragon-jelly suddenly retracted all its tendrils inward, and as a surge of red light radiated across its surface, it once again became a small crimson figure about a foot tall. Seeing this, the spirit-fire phoenix also surged upward, carrying a rolling wave of silvery flame, spiraled once, and then shrank down to the size of a palm. With a flutter of its wings, it swiftly darted and appeared right before Han Li. Han Li merely waved his sleeve, rolled up the Qing Xia, and the miniature phoenix instantly disappeared within it. "Your fortune is truly remarkable—you've already refined a strand of refined flame in the lower realm, and it has even developed a touch of spirit, transforming into a refined flame phoenix. After all, in the Immortal Realm, it's rare indeed to cultivate such refined flame. That's precisely why, just now, the holy fire beast, Fire-Needle, could barely unleash even a fraction of its full potential." The dark-skinned young man glanced at Han Li's sleeve and smiled warmly. At that moment, a ripple of energy surged beside him, and a small red figure materialized, scanning the nearby lifeless corpses with a quick glance. Frowning slightly, he said, "This one truly perished so simply. It seems my journey to recover my soul crystal will be a matter of months or years yet. Earlier, when I was near him, I sensed no presence of my soul crystal at all." "Fire Brother, if you wish to recover your soul crystal, you may well need to rely on Brother Han. Given his remarkable abilities even in the lower realm, should he eventually ascend to the immortal realm, retrieving your soul crystal will surely be a mere matter of ease." The demon radiated a smile that was both amused and reserved. "What do you mean? Do you intend for me to acknowledge Brother Han as my master?" Fire Mustache replied, his expression suddenly grave. "Heh, if you don't make Brother Han your master, how will you ever return to the immortal realm? You're different from me. Should I have to return to the outer demon realm, I can still remain at ease and free." And if you lack the elixir of immortality to nourish you, not only will you be unable to advance further, but your cultivation level may decline significantly—possibly even retreating back to the mortal realm. Moreover, if you refuse to become his disciple, under the severe constraints on your cultivation, you may not survive the day without leaving this place. Don't count on my assistance—I have already pledged to establish a celestial demon pact with him. In fact, should you pledge your allegiance to Fraternal Master Han, there may be unexpected benefits awaiting you..." As the magic light spoke, its tone suddenly shifted to a whispered transmission.