Not long after, there stood a man in his forties, with a yellowish complexion, who had previously been as timid as a deer before the Supreme Master of Extreme Yin in the hall. At this moment, he wore a uniquely shaped jade green hat and held a white jade bowl in his hands, radiating a subtle coldness even in this scorching climate—clearly, both items were no ordinary ones. As soon as he reached the summit, he scanned the surroundings with constant vigilance, as though searching for something specific. When he realized the area was empty and unremarkable, his cautious demeanor deepened even further. Earlier, when he had gazed afar at the small hill, he had faintly noticed a figure moving on it. Now, upon arriving here, that figure had vanished entirely—this naturally stirred profound alertness in the man. Coldly reviewing the surroundings once more, he immediately inserted two fingers into the jade bowl and then suddenly pulled them out. With the motion, a beam of white light shot forth from the bowl, curving into an arc and spiraling above his head. "Rush!" The man with the yellow face pressed a hand seal and softly murmured. A light "thud," the white light trembled and then burst open, dispersing like petals of a heavenly maiden into countless points of starlight, fully enveloping the area within dozens of zhang. Where the light fell, layers of frost formed on the red ground, yet no unusual phenomena appeared in the surrounding areas. Seeing this, the man's face briefly showed a look of puzzlement. After thinking carefully, he hesitated, suspecting he might have mistaken something earlier. He set the matter aside and turned his gaze seriously toward the black desert. Indeed, this place was quite peculiar. The man gazed at the strange black desert, murmuring softly, equally hesitant. Yet, after only a brief moment of thought, he swept his sleeve aside, and a beam of red light shot out, landing on the ground. As the glow faded, a small red fox-like creature materialized there. With a flick of his finger, he sent a green pill flying. The creature promptly opened its mouth and swallowed the pill, its face expressing delight. "Go," the yellow-faced cultivator pointed firmly toward the black desert and commanded. Instantly, the creature strained its limbs, turned around, and transformed into a streak of red light, racing swiftly downward—its speed astonishingly fast. Within a short while, this fox-like creature had penetrated deep into the black desert, several dozen zhang, and even looped around a yellow dragon, all without any mishap. No unusual phenomena occurred—save for its color, the black desert seemed no different from a regular desert. The man with the yellow face was stunned, clearly surprised by the outcome. He had fully expected the "Red Lynx Beast" to be eliminated. After all, this creature was merely a regular first-rank spirit beast—exceptional only in its agility and keen sense of smell. Even if it perished, he wouldn't have felt the slightest regret. Frowning deeply, he fixed his gaze on the small beast as it dashed back and forth across the desert several times before finally blowing a whistle, summoning it back. The beast then hurried up the small hill and reentered his robe. The man then stared silently at the black desert, his expression uncertain. Yet this time, he hesitated only briefly before stepping down from the hill and carefully making his way toward the black desert. Unaware of this, just a short while after he had descended, Han Li's figure reappeared atop the mountain, materializing from a ripple in the air. Although the yellow-faced man cast a wide-ranging spell search, Han Li effortlessly evaded his attacks thanks to his unnamed cultivation technique's breath-holding skill, combined with the Luo Yan Step, leaving no trace at all. Han Li was confident that even if the man were a mid-stage Jin Dan cultivator, as soon as the nine "Green Bamboo Honey Cloud Swords" suddenly surged forth upon approaching, he would be able to strike him down instantly, eliminating both his body and spirit. This made Han Li hesitate for a long time—should he immediately dispatch the man and seize the two clearly valuable items, or instead let him proceed ahead to scout the path first? When the small creature had searched thoroughly through the Black Desert with no results, Han Li finally abandoned any intention of acting. The unknown is always the most dangerous. He would rather have the man lead the way ahead. He simply didn't believe the Black Desert posed any real threat. Moreover, the white rhinoceros pendant and the cold ice pearl he already possessed were sufficient to protect him from fire—there was no urgent need for the other's fire-defying relics. The man with the yellow face noticed not a single sign of the silent figure of Han Li appearing behind him, and finally stepped onto the black sand, entering the strange black desert. One zhang, two zhang... as the man progressed deeper into the black desert, his expression grew increasingly tense! He had already cast a green protective aura with his hat, shielding his entire body so thoroughly that it was impermeable to wind and rain. Yet, even after walking hundreds of zhang into the desert's interior, he encountered no difficulties at all. His face relaxed slightly, and he grew more reassured. By common sense, having penetrated so deeply into this region, any real danger should have manifested long before now. Han Li, watching the man's figure gradually shrink behind him, expressed a look of astonishment. Had he truly misjudged it? Was the black desert merely intimidating in appearance, yet actually free of any real threat? Had I known this would happen, I should have dealt with him earlier and seized those two treasures instead. Han Li felt a bit regretful now! Just then, a sudden development occurred far away. After the yellow-faced cultivator stepped forward with one high and one low motion, black sand particles near him unexpectedly floated into the air, hovering around the man and forming a dark, ethereal glow. Silent and unobtrusive, the scene was profoundly eerie. The man, an experienced practitioner, immediately raised his jade bowl and cast it skyward, sending out a broad expanse of white light that added another protective layer beyond the green shield. At that moment, the black sand particles instantly transformed into countless black, winged insects, pouring down in overwhelming numbers toward the man, who stared in sheer astonishment. With a fierce roar, the man's white light intensified, and a number of palm-sized ice shields appeared all around him, rapidly spinning to form a powerful white whirlwind that enveloped him completely. At this moment, he had clearly discerned the true nature of these creatures—they were countless black flying ants. Yet their numbers were astonishing, numbering well over ten thousand. The man with the yellow face rapidly spun through his thoughts, desperately trying to recall the specific type of insect beast they were and their vulnerabilities. But before he could settle on anything, the surge of black ants had already collided with the hurricane formed by the ice shield. A continuous series of sharp crackling sounds erupted as every ant was forcefully rebounded, flying out several zhangs away. Upon seeing this, the man felt a surge of relief and a faint smile spread across his face. However, just moments later, that smile froze. For the black flying ants, after tumbling several times, rose again, flapping their wings with no sign of injury whatsoever. This startled him! Without hesitation, he raised his hand, launching a gray flying dagger that arced through the air, transforming into a brilliant streak of light several zhang long, and struck resolutely at the swarm of ants. As the flying dagger was launched, a hurricane surged forth, and nearly ten thousand flying ants emitted a collective hum, rushing forward en masse. Despite the gray light's frantic slashing, the ants remained unharmed, instead instantly climbing onto the dagger, completely encircling and trapping it. The man with the yellow face was stunned, reaching out to retrieve his artifact, but it was too late. After flashing several times, the gray light was gradually swallowed by the black tide. A gush of blood erupted from his mouth, and his face turned as pale as paper. The collapse of his artifact, which was spiritually linked to him, dealt a severe blow to his own vitality. With no further hesitation, he swiftly summoned the white hurricane and dashed off toward the path ahead, hoping that once he emerged beyond the black desert, he might still have a chance of escape. Yet at that moment, after consuming the remnants of the dagger, the black flying ants halted and performed an astonishing feat—they gathered together instantly, and after a flash of dark light, coalesced into a long, black spear several zhang in length. With a piercing shriek, the spear shot forth like a wrathful storm. The man with the yellow face grew panic-stricken, hastily surging his spiritual energy throughout his body, which further intensified the surrounding gales. The black spear plunged straight into the white whirlwind. A series of "thud" and "pffft" sounds echoed as the spear flashed through the storm in a flash. The sharp tip and the long shaft were streaked with fresh, splattered blood.