(Sorry! Something unexpected happened at home—my whole day has been hectic. Now I finally have time to upload this draft!) The grayish-black, decaying ground, the murky water pools bubbling continuously, the twisted, deformed trees, the unfamiliar blood-red grass beneath his feet, and the sharp, strange odor filling the air—all of these were the first impressions韩立 had upon regaining consciousness. Without pausing to question this strange setting,韩立 first scanned the surroundings carefully, checking whether anyone else was present, since the greatest danger still stemmed from his own disciples who had entered the sanctuary with him. It seemed he had been rather fortunate—within a few dozen zhang radius, aside from himself, there was no one else. He exhaled gently. Yet, he did not relax his vigilance. Instead, he held a scroll in one hand and drew forth the set of "Golden Fly Twin Blades" in the other, preparing for any contingency. Only then could韩立 settle down and begin to carefully examine the peculiarities of his surroundings. Han Li did not find it surprising that he had suddenly arrived in a foreign place. Even before their journey to the Sacred Realm, the administrative staff had provided each of them with a detailed dossier on the Sacred Realm. The dossier mentioned that as soon as one entered the Sacred Realm, a certain shifting array still active within would instantly transport them to various parts of the realm—where they would end up depending entirely on luck. Some might be transported to the very core, where a plentiful supply of rare medicinal herbs would be immediately available—considered fortunate indeed. Others might arrive to find several wild beasts watching them closely, requiring a fierce battle before they could even secure a safe passage. The most unfortunate might be sent directly to a dead-end location, where they would perish immediately—though this scenario was relatively rare. The most common fate, however, was like Han Li’s: being transported to a peripheral area of the Sacred Realm, where they would have to proceed cautiously and explore on their own. The reason for these occurrences, as the senior masters have deduced, is that their method of breaking through the restrictions was not the proper one—thus, they inevitably triggered certain minor restrictions and encountered unexpected complications. But it should be noted that deep within the water pond lies a group of first-tier, lower-rank frost蟾 creatures—though they are gentle and docile, they pose no threat unless provoked. After reviewing the records several times, Han Li felt confident about the situation. By general principle, the closer one approaches the heart of the sanctuary, the more likely one encounters rare spiritual treasures and powerful guardian beasts. While the Long Dragon Pond is slightly peripheral—not quite at the outermost layer—it is still well within the core region. With a determined pace, one could reach the central area within a single day. With this in mind, Han Li chose not to ride his vehicle, but instead leapt onto a large, densely leafy tree, scanned the surroundings, and then settled on a clear direction before jumping down again. The pond lies to the south of Han Li, precisely along the route leading to the sanctuary's center—so it would be a convenient stop to make. He activated a concealment spell on his body and then moved forward with light, cautious steps. It might be that Han Li was simply too nervous. After walking several miles, no unexpected events occurred—seemingly, the entire Wulongtan region was just him. Only when he heard the sound of flowing water did Han Li ease the tension in his nerves. Clearing aside several curved branches blocking his way, a deep, emerald-green pool came into view. Even before he had reached it, a crisp, refreshing coldness enveloped him, making him shiver. This was the Wulongtan? Han Li took a closer look. Though the pool wasn't particularly large and was surrounded by a vast grove of snake-crested trees, a visible mist of cold vapor rose from its surface. Even along the edges, a layer of delicate frost had formed, clearly indicating the pool's extreme cold. Han Li didn't pay much attention to these, but what caught his interest was a cluster of several dozen pale, downy grasses growing in a low-lying area by the pond. Each stem bore five leaves, entirely white, and exuded a faint white vapor, as if enveloped in mist—truly resembling a spiritual root. "Yes, this is indeed Hanchen Grass, exactly as described in the records!" Han Li murmured softly, his heart subtly pleased. Though the grass had no direct connection to his Foundation Pill, the fact that it had been so easily obtained from the start was a most promising sign. Habitually glancing to his left and right, Han Li was about to lift his foot and walk over when his expression suddenly softened, his body slightly bowing as he stepped back a few paces, once again hiding himself among the foliage, and then calmly gazing toward the dense forest on his left. Not long afterward, a figure emerged—first a brief flicker, then a blue-robed man stepped out, clearly one of the personnel from Tianque Fort. This man was extremely cautious, stepping with frequent glances back, constantly scanning the surroundings. From the firm grip of his fists, it was clear he had prepared for an attack, and his direction of movement was precisely toward those several clumps of "cold tobacco." Han Li sighed, it seemed he would return without achieving anything. Given the opponent's such careful demeanor, a successful surprise assault was impossible. And Han Li had no intention of engaging him in a direct confrontation—risking such a battle merely for a few inconsequential plants was simply not worth it! Han Li felt both exasperated and amused, watching the blue-robed man fuss and shout for a long while before finally feeling at ease to gather the "Cold-herb Tobacco." This self-important manner of the blue-robed man actually made Han Li hesitate—was he going to seize the opportunity, when the man was distracted, to deliver a sudden blow from behind? Still undecided, the blue-robed man moved with remarkable speed, plucking down three or four white stems in quick succession, clearly understanding the principle that "the longer you wait, the more uncertain things become," and was determined to clear them all before long. Han Li shook his head quietly, deciding instead to withdraw. His primary objective remained the three key herbs for the Foundation Pill, and maintaining his strength at this stage was the best strategy. With this thought in mind, Han Li slowly stepped back, only when he had retreated several dozen paces did he feel confident enough to rush forward, so as not to be caught up by the man after he had gathered the herbs. Yet even before he had fully unfolded his movements, a sharp cry came from the other side of the pond—clearly the blue-robed man's final, desperate cry. Han Li shivered slightly, hesitated, then bit his lip and quietly turned back, determined to find out what was going on and avoid ending up in the same way. When Han Li returned to the vicinity of the water pool, two men with fierce appearances had already appeared beside it. Dressed in colorful garments, they clearly belonged to the Lingshou Mountain. They were now enthusiastically going through the storage bags of the Tianque Fort disciples, with several dozen large blue toads lying at their sides. The blue-clad man, however, had dozens of large holes punctured through his body and was already lifeless. "Yu brother, this plan is brilliant! As soon as we spotted this fool, instead of attacking him directly, we first went to the Wulong Pool, hid there, and then scattered some herb powders into the water. Now, this entire group of icy toads is obedient and listens to us. Hehe!" To his surprise, merely making a little noise had instantly drawn his attention away. With a sudden assault from the monster from behind, a barrage of ice spikes was launched, and the fool was immediately knocked out. This man probably never imagined he would die at the hands of a group of lower-tier monsters. Still, his value was quite substantial! Brother, why don't we stick to our plan and remain here, waiting for others to fall? These cold tobacco leaves can serve as bait for the rest of them!" After dividing up the supplies, the younger man kicked the corpse of the Tian Qu堡 disciple fiercely, speaking with a clear sense of greed. (If you enjoy this book, please don't forget to bookmark it.)