"Alright,"玄骨的声音冷峻地打断道, "first, I'll retrieve that Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng. Then you can eliminate that young man, and you'll finally have a physical form." "No problem!" the man said with disdain. "With our two 'Spirit-Seeking' abilities, finding a single Spirit Ginseng is nothing short of a breeze." "Then let's begin!" As he spoke,玄骨's expression darkened, and he gave a sharp flick of his sleeve. Two slender streams of black energy shot out from the sleeve, flashed briefly, then instantly plunged into the ground, vanishing without a trace. At the same time, a faint, almost imperceptible green glow flashed swiftly from beneath玄骨's feet and disappeared. 玄骨 himself floated just above the ground, his gaze lowered, eyes closed, his form motionless. Suddenly, he raised his hand, and a beam of yellow light shot out, firmly planting his small flag into the ground. "Though I can't see anything amiss with this array of flags, do you really think I've left absolutely no precautions?" Han Li murmured to himself, a cold smile playing at the corner of his lips. Then, he reached into his storage pouch and suddenly found himself holding several dozen similar yellow flags, each radiating a strong earth qi. Gazing at these shimmering little flags, Han Li's face took on a slightly eerie expression. ...Later, on the other side, Xuan Gu's expression shifted, and suddenly his eyes snapped open. Two streams of black qi and one beam of green light surged upward from the ground, swiftly entering his body. "Found it! That Nine-Curve Immortal Root truly knows how to hide. It's nestled within a depression of a massive stone—hard to notice unless you look closely." The deep-voiced man, speaking within Xuan Gu's mind, said with a touch of pride. "Good. As long as it's found, that's all." Now I'll check whether that young man has properly set up his array flags and has fallen into the trap. You must be careful—not to show yourself too often, or else he'll notice you. "Xuan Gu solemnly advised. "Don't worry. The transformation technique I employ will remain undetected unless it's perceived by a Yuan婴-period cultivator's consciousness. In fact, should you fail to contain him later on, don't expect me to step in! His Golden Thunder Bamboo swords are my greatest weakness—my formless, fierce spirit soul is especially vulnerable to them. I certainly don't want to be completely annihilated by the Purifying Divine Lightning. "The man sounded as though he were saying the least favorable things first. "Hmph! To handle a junior cultivator at the Ji Dan initial stage, I don't even need your assistance. I'll only intervene when I'm absolutely certain of success. And you needn't fear the Purifying Divine Lightning either. Just a few days ago, during our confrontation, those Golden Thunder Bamboo swords had only recently unleashed their power. Their divine lightning reserves were still fresh, and I'd expect them to have been fully depleted by now, especially after passing through the Ghost Mists. His current Jinlei Zhenfeng Sword is no longer a serious threat. What truly gave me pause back then, when we fought, was the swarm of golden and silver insect creatures he released—something I had never encountered before, despite my experience. I find it rather strange that I still don't know what these insects are. Though I have no idea what kind of spiritual insect they are, I'd wager they're more powerful than ordinary ones. "Xuan Gu said calmly. "Ah! Without the Bixie Divine Thunder, he poses no real threat. At that point, I'll decide whether to intervene based on the situation." The man relaxed slightly. Xuan Gu listened to this and gave a slight frown at the corner of his mouth, then said nothing further. Although he still held a thread of the opponent's vital essence, he knew that this alone wasn't enough to fully command him. The opponent had immersed himself in the ghost path for many years, and his techniques in controlling souls were even more refined than his own—perhaps with only a significant depletion of vital energy, the opponent could break free. He didn't wish to pressure him too heavily. Xuan Gu glanced around him. Transformed into a cluster of dark clouds, it flew toward where Han Li stood. A moment later, it located Han Li and settled down. Though the ground remained relatively level, the area was overgrown with wild grass, and behind it stood a small grove of about thirty scattered trees. "All set?" Pyon Gu, just materializing in front of Han Li, asked calmly. "Of course! Right over there!" Han Li leaned against a large tree and lazily pointed behind him. Pyon Gu focused his gaze and indeed observed strong fluctuations of earth qi emanating from the grove behind Han Li. A quiet sense of satisfaction stirred within Pyon Gu's heart. Yet then, he withdrew a jade box from his storage pouch and opened it in front of Han Li. "What is this?" As soon as the box was opened, a most pungent, foul odor filled the air. Han Li, startled, straightened up and immediately closed his breath, stepping back slightly with a serious expression, his eyes filled with curiosity as he watched Pyon Gu. "There's no need to worry—this is the excrement of a Shu Lan beast. Though it smells rather unpleasant, it holds tremendous allure for the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng. As long as we place it within the array, the spirit ginseng's manifestation will surely come to seek it out. Once we secure that manifestation, we can then calmly extract the ginseng's true form, without fear of it transforming and fleeing again." Xuan Guo, the Elder, glanced sideways at Han Li, his expression remaining unchanged. "Excrement of a Shu Lan beast?" Han Li looked at the jade box in Xuan Guo's hand. Now he could see clearly—it was a block of solid material, roughly the size of a thumb, pale yellow, and the strong aroma emanated from it. Han Li was momentarily astonished. He certainly knew of the Shu Lan beast—a rare spiritual creature kept by cultivators, known for its fiery red, unusual horns that emit a distinctive fragrance with calming and soothing effects, highly appreciated among practitioners. Yet he had never imagined that the creature's excrement would be so unpleasantly odorous. Yet such a precious item as the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng seemed to particularly favor this one. This left Han Li somewhat puzzled. However, upon observing Xuan Gu's composed expression, Han Li smiled and said, "Then, please, elder, place this item within the array. I shall go and inspect the array flags once more to ensure they are truly secure. After that, I will remain here to capture the manifested form. As for the true form of the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng, it would be kind of you to retrieve it yourself." With these words, Han Li bowed and then walked silently into the trees behind him, vanishing from sight after only a brief moment. Xuan Gu was momentarily stunned. He gazed at the forest, thick with earth and spiritual energy, and furrowed his brow slightly. Yet after a brief pause, he raised his hand. A strange serpent formed from black qi seized the jade box and flew straight into the heart of the forest, setting it down firmly before returning. Still, Han Li's presence remained completely unseen. This caused a fleeting flash of sternness on Xuan Gu's face, but he immediately took flight without a word. "How is it? You've already manipulated the banner yourself—now you're suddenly afraid?" A deep, mocking voice suddenly rang in Xuan Gu's mind. "Careful, no major issues! I'll first test whether the array truly uses the banner I provided before making any final judgment. Though it's possible the other party also carries a soil-element banner—such a possibility is extremely slim. Still, I don't want to take any risks!" Xuan Gu said with complete indifference. "If you'd been this cautious from the beginning, you wouldn't have ended up in your current predicament. It seems that the major misstep you made earlier wasn't in vain, Xuan Gu!" The man remarked with a series of appreciative sighs. Xuan Gu didn't realize whether the man was praising him or criticizing him, which made him slightly uneasy. He grunted under his breath and ignored the man entirely. Then, floating in the air, Xuan Gu paused mid-motion, spread his right fingers, and a second yellow banner appeared in his palm. The appearance and shape of this flag were exactly the same as the four rods delivered to Han Li, only shorter, making it more compact and refined. Xuan Gu solemnly gazed at the smaller flag and gently shook it a few times. Instantly, a faint yellow glow emanated from it, and as it spun smoothly in Xuan Gu's hands, it then pointed directly toward the forest below. Seeing this, Xuan Gu exhaled deeply, a subtle smile of satisfaction playing on his face. He then folded the flag, glanced toward the main array, and took off directly toward a specific spot on the small stone mountain. At that moment, Han Li finally appeared in the forest. Watching Xuan Gu's retreating figure, a cold gleam flashed in his eyes. But after a slight change in expression, his form blurred momentarily, and then he vanished completely from his spot, leaving only clear wind and dry grass behind. ... As time passed, the foul odor emanating from the jade box on the ground grew steadily stronger. Han Li, who had been concealed on a large tree nearby, furrowed his brows, forced to maintain a steady, closed breath. Yet as time passed, his heart grew increasingly anxious. He didn't have much time left here. Should the Nine-Curve Immortal Ginseng fail to appear, he would have to abandon his current position and return to the others. While pondering this, a subtle movement on his face caught his awareness—his consciousness sensed a small object entering the forest. This brought him great delight, and immediately, he fully suppressed his breath, fixing his gaze intently on the jade box. A flash of yellow light appeared, and a ghostly, awkward wild rabbit materialized on the grass outside the array. The rabbit was entirely white, with blood-red eyes that rolled continuously, constantly glancing here and there, displaying an unmistakable timidity. Yet despite its shyness, its rosy nose kept sniffing persistently toward the jade box, and at times, a deeply human, delighted expression would bloom on its face. That odor, which was truly unpleasant to Han Li, seemed to be thoroughly enjoyable to this little creature.