Upon hearing the first two questions from Han Li, the young lady's expression remained unchanged. However, when the final question was posed, she paused, her face briefly showing a hint of慌, and managed a forced smile, saying, "Your words are truly interesting. How could I possibly cause any serious trouble? Initially, I was so startled merely because..." "Should Yuan Jiang not wish to speak the truth, then let her simply stop. I do not wish to hear any insincere words!" Han Li, without waiting for her to finish, gently waved his hand and said this with a calm demeanor. "You..." Seeing Han Li's firm yet unyielding attitude, Yuan Yao finally grew visibly annoyed. With a decisive stomp of her jade foot, she departed with a touch of pique. As she walked away, Han Li's face showed no sign of surprise or reaction. Yet, shortly thereafter, he glanced toward the distant Purple Ling Immortal. There, she was calmly conversing with a young male cultivator. When Han Li looked her way, she offered a graceful, serene smile before turning back to continue her low conversation with the man. At this point, Han Li calmly turned his gaze away, yet before he could ponder anything further, a voice from Xuan Gu Shan, the elder, reached his ears. "Your movements have been rather sluggish! I almost thought you couldn't even pass through this modest ghost mist. Have you encountered the Ghost King, then?" The elder's tone carried a hint of both impatience and surprise. Hearing this, Han Li turned to gaze at the distant ghost mist, calm and composed, and replied, "On the way, I did encounter a fierce ghost, but it didn't take long to deal with it. Later, however, I came across a large group of soul-siphoning flying spirits, which required some effort to finally shake off." "Soul-siphoning flying spirits?" The elder's expression revealed clear astonishment. "Indeed, you're a master of the ghost path—how could you possibly be afraid of such creatures?" Han Li asked calmly, subtly probing. "How could I be afraid of them? I'm merely curious—how did your three of you manage to escape this ordeal?" "The Xuan Gu elder skillfully avoided the issue, saying so. Inside, Han Li sneered mentally, yet on the surface, he spoke lightly and calmly: "Actually, I don't have much to say—just fortunate enough to have escaped this ordeal by chance." As soon as Han Li spoke these words, it went without saying that the Xuan Gu elder silently cursed him, mentally muttering, "Little fox!" Yet after a brief pause, he had no choice but to continue transmitting his questions: "Very well! Since you're unwilling to elaborate, I have no further interest in pressing the matter. When we next teleport, we'll act together. I'll first have you capture the 'Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng.' Then, you'll assist me in eliminating the extreme yin rebels." "Absolutely! As long as you truly deliver the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng to me, I'll take the risk and step in." Han Li replied without hesitation. It was clear that he had already made up his mind on this matter. This clear, decisive response pleased the Xuan Gu elder greatly. Thus, he smiled gently and said nothing further. But what he didn't notice was the faint scorn flickering at the corner of Han Li's lips, and the occasional glint of cold steel in his distant gaze. Suddenly, Han Li felt someone watching him, so he casually turned his head. To his surprise, he saw the steady, watchful gaze of Ji Yin Master, tinged with a hint of satisfaction. Han Li returned his face with an expressionless demeanor, and immediately his expression softened into a wry smile. It seemed that no matter how much he wanted to avoid settling matters with this Ji Yin Master, he simply couldn't. The man truly seemed determined to keep pressing him. He had no idea why he had been singled out by this person at all. Yet, Ji Yin Master appeared to have his own reservations—otherwise, he would have taken control of Han Li the moment he entered the hall, rather than holding back until now. Frustrated, Han Li simply sat down on a patch of grass and settled into a meditative posture. Having expended considerable inner energy in the ghost mist, he naturally needed to restore himself to peak condition in order to face the challenges ahead. The black-robed lady Yuan Yao stood at a distance, still somewhat unconvinced, gazing at Han Li. Her eyes carried both annoyance and a sense of loneliness. Although the Purple Ling Lady smiled warmly, responding eagerly to the male cultivator's attentive concern, her gaze would often drift unconsciously toward Han Li, as though she harbored other thoughts. Han Li, however, paid neither of the two women any special attention, merely maintaining his meditative posture, seated cross-legged. Time flew by swiftly, and another full day passed. As many had begun to grow impatient, a brilliant flash of white light suddenly erupted on a bare stone platform at the center, surrounded by several jade pavilions, drawing the attention of the onlookers. Having witnessed the initial event, these cultivators did not seem particularly surprised. Indeed, after the light faded, a teleportation array appeared on the plain—identical in both shape and size to the one seen earlier. This time, it was still those two white-robed elders from the Star Pavilion who came slowly and deliberately. After a brief inspection, the kind-faced one addressed the group gently: "This transmission array is the only way to reach the next stage, the 'Ice and Fire Path.' Everyone has ample time before entering the second stage to gather medicinal herbs and fruits, which will serve as rewards for successfully completing the first stage. Should anyone find the next stage too perilous, they may return to this location and wait. One month later, a direct transmission array back to the hall will appear, allowing everyone to return at their convenience. "However, whether one intends to advance to the second stage or simply wishes to be content here, everyone will have only one full day to collect medicinal materials. If, after this time, anyone remains eager and continues to stay, they will never be able to leave. As far as I know, no cultivator who has been detained here has ever been seen again when the Heavenly Void Hall is reopened." As for the reason behind their disappearance, no one has yet been able to determine it. Therefore, everyone should not be overly optimistic and deliberately leave behind. The white-robed elder spoke softly, yet his voice carried clearly throughout the entire hall, making every cultivator hear him distinctly. Among those present, those who were aware of the matter grew distracted, while those who were unaware looked visibly surprised. Immediately after speaking, the elder resumed his journey with another senior enforcer, stepping onto the transmission array and vanishing without a trace. This time, the other cultivators no longer hesitated—they quickly joined the procession. After all, with time limited, the more time they had to search for rare items, the greater their chances of obtaining valuable treasures would be. Han Li, following an unconscious glance from the pygmy bone-clad cultivator, also blended into the crowd and hurriedly joined the transmission. However, just as he was about to depart, Han Li once again sensed the penetrating gaze of the Master of Extreme Yin. This both unsettled him and ignited a surge of inner agitation within him. His face grew pale and intense at the very moment the bright light surged—indeed, knowing that others held no ill will toward him, yet being utterly powerless against them. This sense of helplessness stirred a fierce, long-forgotten anger within Han Li. After the light subsided, Han Li instinctively stepped out of the teleportation array and walked a few paces before glancing around. The scene before him left him utterly stunned. A clear blue sky, fluffy white clouds, an endless expanse of lush green grassland, distant mountain ranges just faintly visible, and the refreshing scent of flowers and grass wafting in the breeze. This was no longer the interior of the Xitian Hall—it was clearly a beautiful, serene location on solid land. Han Li stared at the scene for a long time, silent throughout. Yet at that moment, the Xuan Gu Bone Immortal also stepped out of the teleportation array. Seeing Han Li's visibly astonished expression, he gave a cold smile and said, "Are you surprised?" When I first came to this place, I certainly didn't expect to see anything outstanding. Yet this isn't merely a vision—it's a real, tangible realm. It seems unlikely to be merely a location somewhere outside. The atmosphere here is not only rich in spiritual energy, but also carries a fresh, invigorating scent that's hard to describe. After saying this, he took a deep breath and slowly savoring the air, continued. "This must have been a small spatial realm established by ancient, highly accomplished cultivators during the primordial age. Unfortunately, though, we later generations have yet to witness any such extraordinary feats of grandeur." Xuan Gu Shan, unable to help but sigh, gazed at the ancient masters with a touch of admiration and longing. "Establishing the heavens and the earth alone!" Hearing this, Han Li's face fell, as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Perhaps sensing Han Li's thoughts, Xuan Gu Shan calmly added, "Isn't that quite ordinary?" The marvels of the ancient cultivators far surpassed what we younger generations could even imagine, let alone compare to. We simply didn't know why, during a certain period, all of them vanished without a trace! Only then did our cultivation realm begin to show its frailties. Han Li didn't offer any further rebuttals; his eyes instead settled on a small path before him. The path was overgrown with unfamiliar wild grasses, somewhat blurred and indistinct, winding steadily into the distance, where it eventually disappeared. To him, the astonishing abilities of the ancient cultivators and the mystery of their disappearance held no direct relevance to his current circumstances. He would first attend to the matters at hand, and then worry about the ancient cultivators. (A new week begins—please help vote for this book! Hehe, hoping it can climb back onto the homepage recommendation list!)