"If Master Han and Lady Shi manage to break through the array, then I'll let the two of you each choose one item first, and we'll distribute the rest afterward." Hu Yue looked slightly embarrassed, quickly drawing in Han as well, thus temporarily smoothing over the current situation. The tall, slender cultivator named Jian had remained quietly standing by, saying nothing at all, which left Han feeling rather puzzled. "Master Hu, why don't you take Han and Lady Shi to the array section first and have them examine whether the array can indeed be broken? Otherwise, if the array remains unbroken, all our efforts would be in vain." Jin Qing suggested warmly. "Exactly! This array is quite unusual. We once spent a full day and night attempting to force our way through it with external attacks, yet we managed to break it not at all—instead, we completely drained our inner cultivation energy in the process." Hu Yue quickly agreed, tapping her own head. Thus, with no objections from others and a touch of curiosity, the group rode their divine artifacts toward the abdomen of the earth mountain, coming to a halt at a modest, unremarkable gentle slope in the middle. "Please observe, both of you," Hu Yue pointed to a specific spot on the slope in mid-air, speaking seriously to Han Li and the others, "the areas shrouded in yellow mist are precisely where the array is located." In fact, Han Li had already clearly discerned this without needing her pointer—just a few yards below, a cluster of yellow mist spread over an area of several li lay like a massive, strange beast, motionless and silent, exuding an eerie, profound stillness that seemed deeply mysterious. "Hmm! It appears to be a dual-natured array of earth and wind—truly interesting," Stone Butterfly immediately brightened, her eyes sparkling with excitement upon observing the array's presence. Upon hearing her words, Han Li turned to glance at her, then focused his attention carefully. Soon, his expression grew serious. Indeed, as the young woman described, this is a terrain-based spell array, and at his current level, truly breaking through it proves to be quite challenging. At this moment, Shi Die suddenly descended slowly from the sky, landing gently at the edge of the array, and with great enthusiasm, pulled out several unusual artifacts to begin testing them. First, she produced a disc-shaped artifact, holding it in one hand and projecting a green light beam toward the yellow mist. However, the beam vanished as if it had disappeared into the sea, leaving no trace. Frowning slightly, she then retrieved a bright red crystal sphere, wiping it gently with her hand before launching it into the yellow mist. Yet this artifact too flashed with red light only to be swiftly swallowed up by the thick yellow fog. Now, the female cultivator's face flushed slightly, feeling her composure beginning to waver, and proceeded to withdraw and test a series of seven or eight different artifacts in succession. As a result, aside from a yellow copper mirror that caused a swirl of yellow mist at the spot it illuminated, none of the others produced any effect. Seeing this, Hu Yue Jinqing and the others exchanged glances and then, unable to contain themselves, flew up the slope and positioned themselves behind the young woman. "Lady Shi, could I have a try?" After observing her for a while, as if still intent on retrieving more artifacts, Han Li finally sighed softly and gently asked. "Hmph! If Master Han has any means, go ahead and demonstrate. I won't stand in your way," the Lady Shi said, clearly now annoyed and unkind to Han Li. Han Li felt a slight irritation. Yet, being accustomed to remaining composed regardless of circumstances, he showed no outward sign of displeasure. Instead, he lightly tapped his storage scroll, and from it, several small flags of varying colors sprang forth, gently rotating around him. "Array banners"—as soon as they saw these small banners, Jin Qing, with his sharp eyes, called out first. The others, however, looked puzzled, unsure of why Han Li, instead of breaking through the array, had brought out these items. Han Li paid no attention to their expressions of astonishment, but pointed directly at the array banners. Instantly, several streams of light rose, carrying all the banners into the upper part of the yellow mist, where they arranged themselves in a certain pattern, gently floating above and forming a subtle arrangement resembling the Dipper constellation. Stone Di, observing the arrangement of the banners, seemed to have noticed something significant, her expression brightening with a touch of surprise. At that moment, the banners began to emit low, resonant sounds, and then, from each banner, dozens of light beams shot upward, converging in mid-air into a single, thick beam that pierced straight into the lower layer of the mist, vanishing without a trace. As this remarkable scene unfolded, the cultivators, including Stone Di, quickly turned their attention toward the yellow mist, yet the mist remained dense and unchanged, showing no visible signs of alteration. "Han brother, this is...," Jin Qing couldn't help but feel puzzled, about to ask a few questions when the unexpected change finally occurred. The once lifeless yellow mist suddenly emitted a deep, resonant hum, and then began to ripple and surge as if boiling, much like a dragon stirring the waters within it—immediately coming to life. Jin Qing's words, already on his lips, were instantly swallowed. At this moment, Han Li's eyes shone with brilliant light, and without hesitation, he cast several more spells directly onto the floating array banners hovering in the air. Instantly, the colorful beams gathered from the dozen banners began to shoot forth continuously. Soon, an astonishing scene unfolded. The originally swirling yellow mist began to rise and fall in a rhythmic, wave-like manner, forming one after another large, rounded, mound-like protrusions that grew steadily taller and taller. It seemed as though some monstrous creature was preparing to burst forth from within. The other cultivators were startled, instinctively stepping back. The Stone Lady, in particular, grew pale and hurried back over fifteen paces before stopping to turn and look back. "Boom!" "Boom!" A series of thunderous explosions rang out from the thick yellow mist. Even though the cultivators had been prepared, a fierce gale that followed sent them staggering and unsteady. They quickly activated their protective barriers to regain their footing and steadied themselves, then focused their gaze upon the mist. To everyone's surprise, except for the Stone Butterfly who had anticipated this, the scene was truly astonishing. The once-dense, impenetrable yellow mist, which had resisted all efforts to disperse, now had completely cleared, revealing everything it had previously concealed. Ruan Yue and the others were overjoyed. Jin Qing hurried over to Han Li's side, beaming with delight and said: "Han brother, I never thought you were quite so capable after all." "Has this array already been broken by you?" "Broken? Jin brother is greatly underestimating the array mastery of ancient cultivators. I've only lifted the outermost illusionary layer of the array." Han Li drew a faint sigh, offering a patient explanation to the others. "Ha! That's nothing. I'm patient—there's plenty of time ahead for us to wait as you gradually unravel this array. Now, I'm confident we'll succeed in breaking it." Jin Qing listened with a touch of disappointment, but before he could speak, Hu Yue stepped forward and expressed her enthusiasm. "Indeed. As cultivators, how could we fear a lack of time? It must be Jin brother who's been overly eager!" Jin Qing was momentarily surprised by this, but quickly nodded in agreement, blushing slightly. At that moment, Shidie approached with all her former pride gone, bowed deeply to Han Li, and spoke to him with genuine sincerity. "Indeed, I've been living in my own little world. I never imagined that a master could so creatively use an array to break another array—what a revelation it has been!" In the future, I hope Master Han can offer me some guidance and support in the art of array formations." Hearing this, Han Li was somewhat surprised and responded with a polite gesture, now greatly impressed by the young woman. "Actually, it's nothing more than a few minor techniques. In truth, my understanding of array formations isn't particularly deep." Han Li spoke calmly. This was truly Han Li's honest assessment! Had it not been for the young woman recognizing this array as one of the terrain-based formations, Han Li himself would have genuinely struggled to know how to proceed—how to break through this illusionary array. After only twenty years of dedicated study in the field of array formations, Han Li's knowledge remains quite limited, and his grasp of the underlying principles of most arrays is still only superficial. His confidence in successfully employing the "Northern Dipper Two Principles Array" flag to break this array stems solely from his strong belief in Xin Ruoyin, the exceptional talent in array formations. Indeed, in her guidebook on array-breaking techniques, she had outlined numerous clever methods for overcoming various types of arrays. Han Li simply didn't bother to deeply understand the method—he took it and applied it directly. Yet this technique proved remarkably effective. Indeed, it left the other several cultivators stunned! However, Han Li's remarks were clearly perceived by these cultivators as humble, and they still maintained a certain level of respect toward him. Han Li merely offered a quiet, gentle smile, neither insisting nor attempting further explanation. Instead, his gaze shifted to the true form of the array, now revealed after the illusion had been dispelled. With the mist cleared, what emerged was a faint yellow glow, forming a protective shield that covered an area of over a hundred zhang.