"I'm surprised that you've already reached the late-Deity Transformation Stage in such a short time, Guo'er; looks like your Ice Essence Body is living up to its reputation," Han Li said with a smile.

"It's all thanks to your guidance and pills, Master. Otherwise, there's no way I would've reached this level so quickly," Bai Guo'er replied with a respectful duck of her head.

"Qi Lingzi, you've also reached the late-Deity Transformation Stage bottleneck, right?" Han Li asked.

Qi Lingzi's heart jolted slightly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly replied, "I am indeed only one step away from reaching the late-Deity Transformation Stage, but I'm unable to take that step no matter what I try."

"Looks like it's about time you two ventured into the primordial world. Your cultivation journey has progressed very smoothly thus far due to your exceptional aptitude and the pills I provided you with, but if you want to reach the Spatial Tempering Stage, cultivation alone won't allow you to get there. As is the case with a flower in a greenhouse, there's no way you can develop to your full potential without experiencing hardships; only in the primordial world can you find the opportunities that belong to you. I can bestow upon you my experiences and insights, but they may not be suitable for you," Han Li said in a meaningful voice.

Qi Lingzi was elated to hear this, and he replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Master. I had also been considering whether it was time for me to venture into the primordial world; now that I've received your approval, I can make a decision. Junior Martial Sister Bai and I will being preparing for the journey right away!"

Bai Guo'er also agreed with an unchanged expression, clearly having already anticipated this.

"The primordial world is an extremely perilous place, and it's not uncommon to see even Body Integration Stage beings perish in there. You two are only at the late-Deity Transformation Stage, so that risk is naturally only heightened for you. As such, I have some treasures for you to use when your lives are under threat," Han Li said.

"Thank you, Master!"

Qi Lingzi and Bai Guo'er didn't know what treasures Han Li would bestow upon them, but they were still very grateful in advance.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face as he swept a sleeve through the air, releasing two storage bracelets, one for each disciple.

"I've already prepared the treasures, and I had originally intended to wait for a few years before giving them to you, but it looks like I'll have to change my plans. There aren't many treasures in those storage bracelets, but if you use them wisely, you'll be able to save yourselves several times even against the average Body Integration Stage being," Han Li said in a confident manner.

Qi Lingzi and Bai Guo'er injected their spiritual sense into the storage bracelets, and they were ecstatic with what they saw as they extended another grateful salute.

"Master, Senior Martial Brother Qi and Junior Martial Sister Bai are both going to the primordial world; can I also..." Hai Yuetian was already becoming rather fidgety upon hearing Han Li's instructions for Qi Lingzi and Bai Guo'er to go to the primordial world, and now that Han Li was presenting them with treasures, he couldn't but step forward as well.

"Hmph, you're currently only at the early-Deity Transformation Stage; even if I give you a life-saving treasure, you won't be able to unleash much of its power. Besides, even though you've temporarily weathered the storm stirred up by your recessive lightning spiritual root, who knows whether there are still people watching you from the shadows? Perhaps you'll be abducted by some old monster as soon as you leave the holy island to be used as a tribulation transcendence tool. Stay on the island and continue to cultivate for now. As long as you stay on the holy island, even the Grand Ascension Stage beings of the foreign races wouldn't dare to come after you. This will be your punishment for not being able to keep your mouth shut," Han Li harrumphed coldly in response.

Hai Yuetian shuddered upon receiving this scolding, and he hurriedly said, "Please just pretend like I never said anything."

"Once Qi Lingzi departs for the primordial world, you'll be in charge of his disciples until he gets back. Hopefully, the added responsibility will help you become more steadfast and mature," Han Li said with a smile.

"Yes, Master!"

Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian both gave affirmative responses, but the latter was still rather displeased by this arrangement.

After that, Han Li turned to Zhu Guo'er, and his expression eased slightly as he said, "Your cultivation base has also improved; looks like you haven't been slacking off during your time on the holy island. Come to my room tomorrow at noon; I have some things that I want to ask you."

Zhu Guo'er was quite elated to hear this, and she immediately replied, "Yes, Senior."

"By the way, have you received any news about Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix?" Han Li asked.

Qi Lingzi replied, "We haven't received any news from Senior Ice Phoenix yet, but her soul lamp has remained lit this entire time, so we presumed that she was still exploring the primordial world."

"It's about time she came back; could it be that she's encountered some trouble? Even if her soul lamp is fine, she could still be trapped somewhere," Han Li mused with a contemplative expression.

"Senior Ice Phoenix is a Spatial Tempering Stage being, and with her Ice Phoenix Body, she should be able to ensure self-preservation even against the average Body Integration Stage being, so she should be fine," Hai Yuetian said.

"I certainly hope so," Han Li replied with furrowed brows.

Meanwhile, in the air above a certain body of water on the Tian Yuan Continent, a white-robed young man with golden and silver patterns on his face was facing off against a pride of fiery lions.

The young man's appearance was very ordinary, and he bore a slight resemblance to Han Li.

Several hundred feet behind the young man stood a beautiful silver-robed woman, looking on at the confrontation with a cold expression.

"What a bunch of idiots! I only concealed my aura for a brief moment, and they immediately rushed out to attack me. So be it, I haven't had any live prey in a long while; you'll suffice as a meal," the white-robed young man harrumphed coldly as he appraised the pack of Deity Transformation Stage lions.

He then made a hand seal, and six identical wings appeared on his back amid a flash of white light.

The six wings were only around a foot in length each, and they were extremely thin, to the point that they were virtually transparent.

The fiery lions facing him weren't very intelligent, but their ruthless instincts were triggered by the young man's actions, and the largest lion that was leading from the front immediately let loose a ferocious roar.

All of the lions immediately released a scorching heatwave toward the young man, and a few of them had even blasted fireballs out of their mouths.

In the face of their collective attacks, a cold smile appeared on the white-robed young man's face, and he suddenly flapped his six wings, upon which he instantly vanished on the spot.

The fireballs instantly exploded in mid-air, sending ferocious waves of flames sweeping in all directions, encompassing even the silver-robed woman, who was standing not far away.

The silver-robe woman's expression darkened slightly, and she remained on the spot, but a translucent white phoenix projection that was over 100 feet tall suddenly emerged behind her.

The projection flapped its wings, and a burst of white glacial Qi swept forth to envelop her in a secure barrier.

The barrier made a sizzling sound as it came into contact with the flames, but remained resolute and kept the flames at bay.

Right at this moment, a six-winged projection appeared among the pride of lions in a wraith-like manner.

The white projection traversed through the scorching flames as if they didn't even exist, then plunged an arm into a nearby fiery lion like lightning.

Translucent light swept forth from the arm, and a formidable glacial aura instantly snuffed out the flames burning on the lion's body, then sealed it into a massive block of ice.

The other lions hurriedly retreated in a panic upon seeing this, then pounced toward the white projection again, but at this point, the projection had already vanished.

Meanwhile, the lion that had just been sealed in ice exploded into massive chunks amid an anguished wail.

In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted beside a few other fiery lions, and the six-winged projection re-emerged before plunging an arm through another lion's body.

Thus, one lion was quickly felled after another, and once most of the pride had been slain, the remaining fiery lions were finally struck by a sense of fear.

Their leader let loose a low roar, and all of them immediately fled as giant fireballs.

"You're not getting away that easily!"

The white projection reverted back into the white-robed young man, who cast his gaze toward the fleeing lions with a cold expression.

Immediately thereafter, around a dozen identical arms sprouted out of the young man's abdomen, and he thrust those arms toward the fleeing fiery lions from afar, then released around a dozen pillars of translucent light.