Han Li's heart stirred slightly at these words, and he merely nodded, saying nothing more. Yet, with a gentle shake of his sleeve, he carefully collected the fragmented jade plaque. Naturally, the items within his golden storage bracelet were not limited to these—besides several seven or eight unidentified, artifact-like treasures, there were also a stack of golden and silver talismans and a large pile of pale golden crystalline stones. However, since he was not currently at his own dwelling, he could not yet take them out one by one to examine them thoroughly. Thus, Han Li simply remained in place, quietly waiting. After about a meal's time, a sudden ripple of disturbance emerged in the surrounding void, and the King of the Gold-Eating Insects burst forth as a beam of golden light, vanishing in a flash into one of Han Li's sleeves. Han Li's gaze flickered several times, and he listened intently to the low, transmitted words the insect king had sent, his expression relaxing slightly. At that moment, only then did a faint hissing sound emerge from the distant horizon, as a streak of black and a cluster of crimson light surged through the air, flashing several times before arriving near Han Li. As the light faded, the forms of the Magus and Huo Xu Zi came into view. As for the things he left behind, neither of us can make use of them—let them remain with our friend. The Mago spoke calmly. "Then I shall take my share without further ceremony. This journey has been quite a bother to both of you, and this place isn't one we can stay in for long. We shall depart now," said Han, after glancing at the shriveled Yuan婴 body. He noticed that though the face was severely distorted, it still bore a striking resemblance to Ming Zun's. With that, he nodded. As soon as he finished speaking, he extended one hand and, with a simple gesture, drew the black storage bracelet toward him, then stored it in a blurred manner. With the other hand, he flicked his fingers, sending a burst of crimson flame that struck the Yuan婴 body of Ming Zun, instantly turning it into ash. The Mago and Hu Xi Zi naturally had no objections. Han then raised his hand again, summoning a seemingly ordinary green flying carriage. With a moment's motion, all three of them stepped onto the carriage. The Xie Dao Person, with a single hand gesture, produced a thunderous roar, instantly transforming into a streak of electric arc that plunged directly into Han Li's sleeve. The azure flying chariot, stretching over ten or more zhang in length, trembled slightly before dissolving into a sphere of shimmering azure light and rushing forward. It wasn't until three full days later that the senior members of several merchant alliances and disciples of other powerful cultivators finally made their slow, hesitant way into the Mingsha region, all of them appearing cautious and anxious. Of course, aside from the earth-shattering transformations that had swept across the entire land, they found not a single living cultivator anywhere. Originally, when Ming Zun had set out to counter the True Immortal Ma Liang, he had not assigned any extra personnel—beyond the essential staff required for the array and the great stage cultivators—to remain behind. These later arrivals, not knowing whether the targets of the siege still lived, dared not linger long at the site of the Shattering Sound. They merely hurriedly inspected the area and then scattered in all directions, reporting back to their respective powers. Months later, word spread across all the clans that their senior members' essential artifacts had shattered—many of them had perished in the battle at the Shattering Sound site. This news rapidly spread throughout the Fengyuan Continent, eventually reaching even the clans on other continents. As for whether the True Immortal who had descended had also perished within the same event, however, there was little solid evidence to confirm it. As a result, the immortal clans grew increasingly anxious, fearing that this Immortal might suddenly emerge and launch a devastating campaign against any one of them. It wasn't until a full year later that the news—originally whispered by an unremarkable human clan—reached that the True Immortal had indeed been consumed in the self-explosion of the Er-You Extinction Array. This news explicitly points to Ming Zun, the Grand Chancellor of the original merchant alliance, who deliberately sacrificed several powerful beings to the great array, thereby enhancing the array's explosive power, and ultimately perished alongside the True Immortal in a shared final collapse. Once this half-true, half-false report spread throughout the spiritual realm, it immediately stirred widespread astonishment. After swift investigations, various powers discovered that indeed one human-originated cultivator had participated in the battle at Mingsha's Land, and remarkably, this cultivator was still alive and thriving within their human clan. Upon confirmation of this fact, numerous races were once again deeply shaken, with many great clans and senior cultivators immediately suspending their own cultivation practices and current affairs, rushing urgently toward the human realm. While some sought to verify the actual events that transpired at Mingsha's Land, many others were primarily driven by the desire to claim the relics left behind by the True Immortal. All other powerful beings perished in the battle, leaving only Han Li unharmed and safely returning to his clan—thus, it was certain that the immortal's precious treasures would come into his hands. The various ethnic groups on the Fengyuan Continent have fared well, as their true elite强者 have already perished. Though they are deeply eager for the immortals' treasures, they find themselves unable to pose a serious threat to Han Li's top-tier figures and thus remain cautious, observing patiently. However, the cultivators of the other two continents have all rushed en masse into Fengyuan Continent. Within just half a year, numerous unfamiliar great cultivators have successively located human clans and easily reached Han Li's residence in Wuyah Sea. Yet surprisingly, no matter what plans they harbored in secret, as soon as they arrived at the shores of Wuyah Sea, they were swiftly repelled upon witnessing the might of the Gold-Eating King and Crab Daoist. This has left many closely monitoring the situation in astonishment—over twenty foreign great cultivators have now returned empty-handed in such a short span. Consequently, the other cultivators have grown hesitant, and those who dare to venture directly to the human clans are all genuine powerhouses. Yet, though these beings were no ordinary Mahayana practitioners, they were easily dispatched one by one under the combined efforts of Xie Dao Ren and Shi Jin Bug King. Throughout the entire affair, Han Li had never truly made an appearance. This naturally sent shockwaves through many Mahayana practitioners, yet it also roused the true elite of the other continents. On one occasion, eight of the most renowned and accomplished masters from Xue Tian and Lei Ming continents gathered together and jointly arrived at Wuyi Sea. This time, Xie Dao Ren and Shi Jin Bug King offered no resistance at all, allowing the eight masters to enter directly onto Yuanhe Island. Suddenly, within the central Qingyuan Palace, a succession of seventy-two bell sounds rang out in rapid succession, radiating a terrifying aura that surged upward, enveloping the heavens and earth. At the palace gates, figures moved swiftly—Han Li, accompanied by Mo Guang, Huo Xushizi, Xie Dao Ren, and Shi Jin Bug King, stepped forth to meet them. Eight of the foremost cultivators from the Other Continent, upon sensing the aura radiating from Han Li and his companions, were instantly struck with astonishment, their imposing demeanor subtly softened. Though they did not feel truly afraid, they now recognized that Han Li's faction possessed a strength far exceeding their initial expectations—something they could not easily overcome. At Han Li's warm invitation, the eight elite cultivators were directly escorted into the Qingyuan Palace. The palace gates then closed firmly, and a shimmering blue light curtain descended from the heavens, fully enclosing the entire palace. Han Li and his companions remained inside with the eight cultivators for three full days and three nights. During this time, the palace resonated with intermittent thunderous sounds, and waves of intense, chilling energy radiated outwards, causing the blue light curtain to flicker and surge constantly. Yet, when the three days ended and the blue curtain suddenly vanished, the eight cultivators stepped out with visibly strained expressions, each of them exhibiting a noticeable weakening of their inner energies. Finally, carrying a group of attendants and disciples, Han Li stepped out, maintaining a gentle, serene smile—unchanged from his earlier demeanor. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have already sold you one True-Soul Pill. As for how to distribute it, that is entirely up to you. But I hope this matter concludes here. From now on, should anyone dare to trouble Han Li or the members of my family, do not expect me to remain patient or kind." "Master Han, please rest assured. Among us eight, we each hold some standing in our respective continents. Once we commit, we will certainly honor our word and make every effort to prevent others from coming to you." One of the elder, unusual-looking elders with a peacock-like face chuckled softly. Together, the eight emitted their respective light trails, breaking through the air just as they had arrived, and soon vanished beyond the boundaries of Yuanhe Island. Han Li only slightly relaxed his expression after witnessing the eight streaks of light finally vanish into the sky, then turned to the golden humanoid figure beside him—the Golden-Feeding Insect King—and the crab-like immortal, saying, "Should any other person attempt to cross the Boundless Sea in the future, there's no need to be polite anymore. Capture them if you can; if not, simply slay them on the spot. For added security, Maguang, and Fire-Needle, you two will also join us in patrolling for the near future." The last two sentences, however, were spoken with a more courteous tone toward the dark-skinned young man and Fire-Needle. "Ha ha, don't worry," Maguang laughed heartily. "This task will be ours—no one will ever manage to pass through the Boundless Sea again." The others nodded with expressions of calm indifference. Thus, upon a simple gesture from Han Li, the four figures cast their spells and vanished from their original positions. Indeed, no other powerful beings managed to enter the human realm afterward, and even those larger cultivators who had previously lingered nearby vanished shortly after the eight top-tier cultivators departed. Soon thereafter, the news of Han Li's decisive victory over the eight leading cultivators finally reached the ears of cultivators from distant continents, sending ripples of astonishment across numerous species within the spiritual realm. Upon learning that Han Li had already sold a true soul pill to these eight top-tier cultivators at a high price, the high-ranking members of these various species completely lost their earlier confidence. For a considerable period afterward, among the cultivators of the foreign races, a growing consensus emerged that Han Li was the strongest cultivator on Fengyuan Continent. Some foreign cultivators who held Han Li in high regard even believed that calling him the foremost among the spiritual realm's top-tier cultivators was no exaggeration.