(Originally intended to combine two chapters into one and submit it in the evening, I found myself in a poor state of mind these past days, with a strange lack of energy. Once Wen Yu recovers and stabilizes her condition, I'll find a way to make up for it!) The place Han Li wished to visit lies within a small basin nestled within the ring-shaped mountain. It is completely enclosed by towering, oddly shaped stones, forming an impenetrable shelter. At the very center of the basin stands an ancient, massive stone pavilion. Though the pavilion is grand in scale, its entrance is surprisingly small—only allowing two people to pass side by side. This contrast creates a rather awkward and incongruous impression for Han Li, who stands on the stone outcroppings, gazing at the pavilion. Han Li furrows his brow, jumps down from the stone, and then walks slowly toward the pavilion's entrance, lifting his gaze to study it carefully. As he observes it more closely, the perplexity on his face deepens. It seems to him, perhaps due to a mere impression, that there is occasionally a faint, gentle glow of blue light flowing across the surface of the pavilion. Yet when he tries to focus After several such occurrences, he murmured to himself, could it be that some kind of spell had been cast here? Han Li lowered his head and scanned the ground around him, finding no trace of anyone having passed by—this made him narrow his eyes. "There's definitely something odd! Though this basin is a bit remote, such a large stone hall shouldn't go unnoticed. Moreover, my own records were provided by Zhong Wu himself—how could he never have come here?" A flurry of thoughts surged through Han Li's mind, and he instinctively sensed something amiss in the place. Yet, he still wasn't ready to simply leave. So he stepped back a few paces, reached into his storage pouch, and drew forth a golden blade. He then tossed it into the air, where it transformed into a beam of golden light and struck a patch of dark green stone on the hall's door with force. "Plink!" A surge of green light erupted from the stone, and it remained undamaged, while the golden blade spun around several times, then bounced out several meters away. Han Li shook his head and turned to leave. "Avoiding unnecessary dangers and living to emerge from the sanctuary is his primary objective. This stone pavilion is so strange—it would be wiser simply to stay outside and not enter." He thought this calmly and steadily. To their relief, no other cultivators were sensed in the vicinity of the basin besides their own group. However, when their awareness swept over the stone pavilion, it was suddenly repelled outward by an unseen force, which startled the young girl—but then quickly turned into joy, a gentle smile spreading across her face. Upon first glance, she had already noticed that the stone pavilion had been sealed with a spell, which was not surprising, as several of the preceding sites cleared of beast creatures had also been subjected to similar spells—nothing extraordinary. But this particular seal, which even her awareness could not penetrate, was entirely new to her. It far surpassed the mere surface-level incantations she had encountered before. Excited by this discovery, the young elf chose not to dwell on the earlier incident. She was confident that even if one or two of her companions had been quietly observing from nearby, they would surely have no impact on the large gathering of Masked Moon Sect members. Thus, she led the group forward toward the pavilion. At that moment, Han Li stood in the hall of the stone pavilion, pacing anxiously, having originally intended to leave. And habitually, he first relaxed his awareness, sensing the surroundings before preparing to make a quick exit. Yet he never expected that as soon as he released his awareness, he immediately detected a large number of cultivators close by—so near that he was startled, his blood seemed about to freeze. Without hesitation, he darted into the stone pavilion. Regardless of which of the six sects the visitors belonged to, once they saw him there, their fate was already clear. In fact, if it weren't for the extreme physical exhaustion he'd been experiencing over the past two days, he could have easily used his swift footwork to glide past them and vanish without a trace. Unfortunately, with his current condition, he simply couldn't summon that style more than a few times—his escape would be short-lived at best. Now, though safe within the pavilion, he was also effectively blocked by the group of cultivators, unable to leave. And how simple the stone pavilion had been constructed! Upon entering the hall and passing through a winding corridor, one arrives at this vast, empty hall—so open and unbroken that there is not even a single spot where one could hide. Given the appearance of the people outside, it's clear they are all heading straight for this stone hall. To hope that they would simply overlook it is pure fantasy. In fact, while it may seem absolutely impossible to find any refuge, that is not entirely true. Right before韩立's eyes, at the very center of the hall, there is a dark tunnel enclosed by jade railings. At the tunnel's entrance, a flight of steps leads straight downward into the earth, continuously blowing out a damp, warm breeze—so it's hard to imagine where it might lead. Yet, without needing to think about it,韩立 can already sense that this tunnel must lead to a perilous destination, fraught with danger, which is why he has hesitated to descend. But as for this hall itself, there is simply nowhere else to retreat to. With that, the cold sweat on韩立's forehead surged forth in a sudden rush. At that moment, a chaotic sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the hall, indicating that the cultivators had already entered the stone pavilion and would soon reach this hall. Seeing this, Han Li sighed deeply, clenched his teeth, and gently crossed the balustrade, stepping into the underground passage. Once inside, the passage was completely dark. He reached into his storage pouch, pulled out the moonstone, and the surroundings instantly brightened. The passage itself was not very wide, entirely constructed of dark green stone, allowing only one person to pass through comfortably. As he reached out and touched the stone wall, he noticed it was slightly damp and smooth. He did not dare to delay, fearing that the others behind would catch up with him, and thus walked carefully downward. After walking several hundred stone steps, the originally narrow passage gradually widened, now allowing two people to walk side by side without any difficulty. However, the breeze blowing against him from ahead grew increasingly hot, causing Han Li to sweat profusely within just a short time, until his entire body was soaked through. After walking another hundred steps, Han Li estimated he had descended over a hundred zhang below the surface, when the stone passageway finally vanished. As he stepped out of the passage, before him lay a strange marsh world. This underground realm was only thirty zhang high, yet spanned several li in width, with mud everywhere bubbling up in dark bubbles. A warm, humid breeze spontaneously formed above the marsh, rushing swiftly out through the passage behind Han Li, then drawing in fresher air from outside, thus establishing a balanced convection. Around the marsh stood tall stacks of dark soil, while along the outer edge grew dozens of rare, colorful flowers and medicinal herbs—some of which were precisely the celestial and divine herbs Han Li needed, and in substantial quantities. Yet none of this could compare with the white jade pavilion situated at the very center of the marsh, which captured Han Li's attention most profoundly. The golden giant chest, seemingly floating mid-air within the pavilion, was one丈two feet long, half a zhang wide, with its lid tightly sealed. A subtle glow of gold flowed within the chest, clearly indicating it was no ordinary artifact. Han Li only glanced at it briefly before shifting his gaze—this was not due to lack of interest in the treasures inside, but because a large number of deadly celestial forces had already arrived behind him. He needed to find a safe hiding place immediately; otherwise, his life would be at risk, and then what good would the treasures be? Han Li flickered slightly, then leapt to a mound of earth farther from the entrance corridor. He immediately unleashed all his concealment techniques—focusing his qi and blending his form—then lay flat on the mound, motionless. Now completely invisible, Han Li had merged seamlessly with the surrounding dark soil, making it nearly impossible to detect from a distance. Just as Han Li had finished these preparations, a figure of a fairy girl materialized on the steps at the corridor entrance. As soon as she appeared, she calmly surveyed the scene. When she saw the golden giant chest within the white jade pavilion, the composed expression on her face finally stirred, and warmth began to shine in her eyes. Though she had heard her disciples describe this golden chest before, she had never personally witnessed it up close—never before had it made such an impact. "Report to the senior master: that great python is hidden within the marsh. It has already devoured over a dozen disciples from various sects who came to retrieve the treasure chest—its reputation is well-established, and now this area has become a forbidden ground, where disciples dare not venture. However, this beast is indeed far stronger than an ordinary top-tier spirit creature. I beg the senior master to take care!" The young disciple bowed respectfully and spoke humbly.