(Haha! The book will go live starting August 1st. Readers who enjoy it—don’t forget to subscribe and pledge a monthly ticket then! After launch, Wen Yu will strive to deliver a chapter of around 6,000 words every day. If time allows, there might be some special bursts as well. We sincerely hope you’ll continue supporting the story!) In the western part of the central district, within a shallow valley known for producing rare medicinal herbs, three cultivators are fiercely battling a three-eyed fire wolf. A middle-aged man dressed in the attire of the Giant Sword Sect is wielding a large blue sword, successfully deflecting most of the wolf’s attacks. Meanwhile, an elderly man in yellow robes and a young man in gray robes provide supporting assaults from the flanks. Not long after, the disciple from the Giant Sword Sect withstands a fiery ball attack and then delivers a decisive blow, severing the wolf’s head with a single sword stroke. He then withdraws his sword and laughs heartily. "Brother Meng truly possesses profound cultivation prowess—capable of defeating even this three-eyed fire wolf with just one strike!" No wonder he is such a distinguished disciple of the Great Sword Sect...” Seeing this scene, the yellow-robed elder immediately hurried over, overflowing with flattery, his face never once turning red. If Han Li were present, he would recognize this elder as Xiang Zhi-li, who had originally invited him to form a coalition of the weaker members—yet the young fellow who had traveled with him back then was absent, likely having gotten separated during the teleportation. “Hehe! Without the assistance of Brother Xiang and Master Li, I wouldn’t have secured this victory so easily!” The middle-aged man in black, holding a massive sword, was surprisingly humble. “Brother Meng, how could I possibly be anything but grateful? Removing this beast is truly your greatest achievement—this is entirely deserved!” The younger Daoist, though not yet old, spoke with a steady, composed tone, neither overly deferential nor arrogant. Upon hearing this, the man in black smiled briefly, then added a few more modest remarks. “Speaking of it, those others still engaged in fighting and killing—how truly foolish they are!” "If we, representatives of three different sects, have managed to unite and work together to drive away demons and gather medicinal herbs, I'm certain they would be so astonished they'd drop their chins!" The black-robed figure suddenly changed the subject and said this. "Indeed! All this has been made possible thanks to Brother Xiang's persistent efforts. If it weren't for Brother Xiang's clear and thorough analysis, I and Brother Meng would still be fighting each other to the very end!" The Taoist nodded vigorously in agreement. "Not at all, not at all! You two are truly brilliant. I'm merely speaking the truth. There was no need for us to sacrifice our lives for things that were never even within our grasp. Instead of fighting, we could have simply cleared all the rare herbs outside the central area. And now, with all of us working together, these demonic beasts are nothing but a breeze!" Brother Xiang smiled pleasantly, smoothly deflecting the praise with a series of humble remarks. The other two, upon hearing this, immediately exchanged enthusiastic compliments with one another. "Alright, let's hurry and gather the 'Fire Dragon Grass'!" said the black-robed disciple first, his voice eager and impelled—then he moved swiftly toward the clusters of red small plants behind the fire wolf's body. Upon hearing this, Xiang Zhi-li and the Taoist exchanged a significant, knowing glance, and both readily agreed, walking over to join him. Neither of them noticed that, as he turned away from them, a faint, stern expression briefly appeared on the black-robed disciple's face before fading away. "Once I find her, I'll extract her eyes!" The female disciple, with her graceful beauty and floral charm, spoke with a cold, venomous intensity that sent a shiver down every man's spine. "Sister, perhaps we should just let it go! The agreed-upon time with the monastery is nearly up. If we don't move soon, we'll be late!" The male disciple, visibly timid, spoke hesitantly, clearly afraid of the female disciple. "Hmph! All your fault, you useless one! You couldn't even keep a novice with just ten levels of cultivation from slipping away right under our very eyes! If this gets out, how will people not mock our reputation as the twin beauties, Mei and Yan? Truly, how could the monastery allow such a clumsy, spineless person as you to be my cultivation partner?" Though the male disciple had not listened to him at first, upon hearing this, the woman immediately turned furious, pointing directly at him and scolding him sharply. The male disciple flushed deeply, yet remained helpless. Nevertheless, the female disciple glanced at the sky’s brightness and shade, and still dared not truly pursue further. After all, she had delayed the entire sect’s affairs—though her status and powerful connections were exceptional, the matter was far from trivial. Yet, she felt reluctant to leave in such a meek manner. After much hesitation, she clenched her teeth and drew forth a blue scroll. With a sly smile, she suddenly threw the scroll behind her and leapt forward, reaching several dozen zhang before stopping to look back. The male disciple, witnessing this, sighed in quiet frustration but did not hesitate, swiftly following close behind. Instantly, the scroll expanded into a massive black cloud, spanning several dozen zhang, completely obscuring the sky. Then, the weather around the area suddenly turned sharply cold, becoming bitterly chilly. Not long after, countless luminous, massive ice spears, first slow then increasingly rapid, began to plunge from the clouds, densely embedding the small area—so thickly that it resembled the spines of a cactus. Only after a cup of tea's worth of time did the clouds gradually part, leaving the entire sand expanse glistening. The female disciple widened her eyes, surveying the sand that had become nearly impassable, yet detected no unusual signs. Her expression darkened with annoyance, and she impatiently called out to the male disciple, then reluctantly took the lead in departing. Naturally, his supposed training companion followed close behind. The departing female from Yanyue Sect failed to notice that, in a corner of the sand where ice spears had spread, a faint, deep-red liquid was seeping out—so subtle that it escaped the disciple's notice. Half an hour later, as the redness began to spread, the yellow sand suddenly swelled into a small, circular mound, rising steadily taller and more distinct. In the end, the sand heap surged violently, and from within it rolled out a young woman dressed in green robes, her shoulder pierced by a slender ice spike, blood gushing steadily and soaking half her body. In her hands she clutched a yellow silk handkerchief, glowing with a radiant light, clearly no ordinary item. But fearing to draw attention from others, she kept her sobs very low. As the meal passed, the female disciple of the Spirit Beast Mountain finally stopped weeping. She lifted her head to gaze at the empty sand, and involuntarily shivered. She bit her lips, then struggled to stand again, hesitating before finally deciding on her direction and stumbling toward the central area. Though a faint trace of tears still lingered on her delicate face, a strong determination contrasted with the emotion. This young woman was precisely the one who had been sold to Han Li for the "Jin Zhu Pen." After her injury, walking alone on the quiet sand, she appeared especially fragile and endearing. A short while later, the girl, holding her wound, gradually faded into the yellow sand.