Master Ji Yin, upon hearing the other party call his words mere nonsense, first saw a flash of dark energy pass over his face. However, the subsequent remarks quickly quelled his inner anger, and he turned to face the bearded man, saying, "Then we shall follow your suggestion and refrain from conflict for now. All matters shall be settled after the treasures are retrieved!" Not long after, Master Ji Yin said coldly to Wàn Tiānmíng. "Very well! This is indeed a wise decision on all of your parts. Then let us all enter together." Wàn Tiānmíng smiled and nodded. Then he stood up and walked toward the massive green stone gate, with Tian Wu Zi and the elderly farmer-like figure following closely behind. "Hmph!" The bearded man, seeing Wàn Tiānmíng and the others move with such confidence and dignity, coldly exhaled through his nose. Suddenly, his gaze swept over Yuan Yao and the Dao-Stage cultivator he did not recognize, and a flash of fierce determination appeared in his eyes. At the same time, both of them sensed the displeasure on the bearded man's face. As their faces paled, they unconsciously transformed into streams of yellow and red light, respectively, and took off toward the stone tower ahead. The bearded man chuckled darkly, "Where are you two going?" With a quick twist of his hands, he then simultaneously raised them, and two golden beams shot forth, striking the two streams of light before they could reach the tower. The male cultivator in the yellow light cried out in pain, stumbling and falling to the ground, only to be instantly engulfed by the golden beams, severed into seven or eight pieces, his splattered, blood-soaked remains scattering across the ground. On the other side, the red light, upon being struck by the golden beams, erupted into several brilliant green flames, momentarily dispersing the golden beams. Then, as though stimulated, the red light instantly transformed into a crimson strange bird, surging forward at several times the speed of before, breaking through the golden light barrier and vanishing completely from its original spot—appearing moments later within the stone tower's corridor, where it flickered briefly before the figure was entirely gone. "Hmm. That's odd," remarked the scholar-dressed elder, who had initially paid no attention to the burly man's actions. Yet upon seeing the red light escape unscathed from his attack, he expressed surprise. His brow furrowed slightly as he murmured. "Man, what's your intention? Why have you slain these innocent outsiders? Do you expect me to stand by and watch, or do you wish to personally test my Heavenly Magic Power?" the elder, Tian Wu, turned sharply, his tone displeased. "I'm not particularly fond of it—kill a few outsiders, is that so very unusual? Do you expect me to seek justice for them? Or perhaps you'd like to personally test my Heavenly Magic Power?" the burly man glanced coolly at the elder, his voice steady and unyielding. "You—well..." "Never mind, Tian Wu!" "These two aren't people of our righteous path—let them die! Let the greater matter take precedence!" Wan Tianming interrupted the old monk without turning around. Upon hearing this, Tian Wuzi glared angrily at the bearded man before reluctantly turning and walking away. Not long after, the righteous sect members passed through the stone gate and entered the inner hall. "Man, how well you've handled this! I truly detest having a few mice scurrying around before a major undertaking begins! Two cultivators at the Condensation stage wanted to sneak in and blend into the crowd—how dull and frustrating that must have been. Still, it seems there's one more person here. Why hasn't Brother Man taken him out?" Master Ji Yin, watching Wan Tianming and the others gradually fade into the distance, suddenly clapped his hands, smiled faintly, and then shifted his gaze to Xuan Gu. Facing this scene, Xuan Gu remained calm and composed, showing no signs of disturbance—seeming entirely as if Master Ji Yin were looking at someone else entirely. "This person has some connection with me—he is a descendant of an elder who has shown me great kindness. Of course, I won't move him. You two won't dare lay a finger on him, will you?" The bearded man spoke with an expressionless face, delivering words that surprised everyone else. "Since this is a descendant connected to Brother Man, I and Brother Qing certainly won't act rashly. In fact, Brother Man himself has also received favors—this truly comes as a surprise to me," said Jiyin, his eyes slightly narrowing as he carefully studied Xuan Gu's expression, confirming that he indeed did not recognize the person in question, and then responded with a few deliberately vague remarks. "Hah! Can Brother Jiyin even question me like this?" The bearded man's face grew stern, fixing his gaze firmly on Jiyin's solemn expression. "Of course not. I merely have a few questions of curiosity! If Brother Man doesn't wish to mention it, then that's perfectly fine. But that black-robed woman who just escaped—her background seems quite significant. Brother Man should take extra care of her!" Jiyin smiled and stepped back with a gesture of concession, yet concluded with a remark that carried "I haven't gone blind in my eyes. When I didn't recognize that young lady using the Qing Fire Thunder of the San Yang Old Demon? Aside from the most intimate relatives of San Yang Old Demon, ordinary disciples of Qing Yang Sect wouldn't possess such a skill. Otherwise, wouldn't you truly believe she could escape my fatal strike?" The bearded man paused, then spoke with a gloomy expression. "Ah, that was me being overly cautious!" Master Ji Yin, seeing the bearded man's demeanor, promptly fell silent and stopped speaking. "It doesn't matter. Even if that young lady is indeed a relative of San Yang Old Demon, Master Man's cultivation would surely make her no less confident. However, now is the crucial period for our Magician Sect and the Celestial Sect to vie for control of the Chaotic Star Sea. This old demon possesses considerable power—though he comes from the Magician Sect, he's often unpredictable, shifting between righteousness and chaos. It would be wise not to create an unnecessary rivalry. Let her go then!" The scholar-dressed elder smoothly mediated from the side. Clearly, the Bearded Man held deep apprehension toward the famed Three-Yang Elder Mage spoken of by the crowd, nodding expressionlessly without further words. The series of unfolding events left Master Han Li, seated behind the extremely Yin Master, deeply perplexed, with a myriad of thoughts swirling in his mind. How could a Yuan Dan-stage cultivator be slain so easily, as if crushed beneath the feet of an ant, yet Yuan Yao manage to escape unscathed? It seemed that the Xuan Gu had forged a connection with the Bearded Man, the foremost magian of the Xutian Hall's Magian School—thus explaining his composure. Yuan Yao appeared to have a certain connection with the Three-Yang Elder Mage, who even showed signs of deference toward such a resolute figure as the Bearded Man. Han Li's thoughts intertwined and overlapped, yet he could not yet organize them into a coherent picture. He could only remain silent, attentively listening to the conversation between the Bearded Man and others, hoping to gather more information to formulate a sound and secure strategy. Unfortunately, their exchange came to a close with a mere quiet remark from the scholarly elder in the silk robe. "Come in quickly! The orthodox ones will lose their connection. We can't let them be quietly dropped behind." Qing Yi Monks glanced at the vast corridor beyond the stone gate, his brows furrowed as he spoke in a serious tone. Upon hearing this, the bearded man also looked toward the stone gate, pondered for a moment, then silently raised his foot and began walking. Ji Yin and the elder exchanged a glance, composedly followed suit. Han Li and the others—Wu Chou, Xuan Gu, and so on—naturally followed the stone gate as well. Gradually, Han Li's group faded into the distance within the stone corridor, eventually disappearing from sight. After two or three hours, the transmission array, which had previously dimmed, suddenly flashed with brilliant white light. Then, two figures blurred slightly before appearing side by side there. They were the two white-robed elders from the Star Palace! Now, they carefully scanned the surroundings, and only upon confirming that no one remained behind did they relax. "Seems like they've all entered." Even these old masters, with their cunning and experience, could never have imagined that the Star Palace had already deciphered this teleportation seal centuries ago. As for when they entered the site, it was entirely at their own discretion. One of them murmured softly, with a gentle smile. "Let's proceed, but we must be cautious. Unless they actually retrieve the Xitian Cauldron, we must never make a move too soon—otherwise, we risk revealing this secret," said the other, his voice cold and firm. "Of course," agreed the first, nodding in assent. As soon as these words were spoken, the two figures transformed into two streaks of white light and shot through the stone gate. The more elaborate and insincere Uu Chou became, the heavier the weight in Han Li's heart grew. "Could it be that the Extremely Yin Elder is subtly signaling to Uu Chou—intending to extinguish himself right after the treasures are retrieved? That's why Uu Chou has changed his demeanor so dramatically!" Han Li couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Though deeply worried, he maintained a smile, engaging in polite exchanges with Uu Chou. The artificiality between them was so evident that even observers seven or eight zhang away could clearly sense it. Yet the Extremely Yin Elder and the Wild Bearded One paid no attention, steadily advancing as if, once inside the inner hall, the three senior Yuan-Ying elders had suddenly grown solemn and formal—no longer displaying their previous ease and comfort. What puzzled Han Li was that, despite their having entered the tower for such a long time, no incidents had occurred, no barriers or dangers had arisen. Could it be that only upon passing through those stone doors would they actually trigger the restrictions? With this thought, Han Li took a moment to scan the surroundings once more.