Han Li, with an astonishing speed of flight, seemed to be approaching his destination within just a few days, drawing wide-eyed admiration from several cultivators. Yet, instead of maintaining his crimson cloak, he switched to ordinary flight. The sea region now must be crowded with dragons and serpents—indeed, even a Yuan婴 cultivator present would not be out of the question. Han Li did not wish to draw attention from such high-ranking figures, so he naturally kept his movements subdued. Fortunately, he had not yet heard of any members of the Inverse Star Alliance appearing nearby, suggesting he was not too late—his heart thus grew more at ease. Ahead lay the final relay island en route to Tianxing City—the "Nanming Island," though modest in size, housed a substantial contingent of Star Palace cultivators and served as a frontline outpost of the city. Normally, the island's harbor would be bustling with vessels of all sizes and a constant flow of human and cultivator travelers. Yet, as Han Li surveyed the scene from above, he observed only a sparse number of about a dozen small boats. The cultivators themselves only occasionally flew in and out. It seems that both ordinary people and cultivators engaged in trade have come to realize that a great conflict is imminent and have thus stayed away during this period. Currently, the cultivators who dare to enter or leave the island are mostly representatives from various regional powers coming to gather information. After such a long journey, Han Li felt somewhat weary and decided to pause here on the island, taking the opportunity to replenish supplies needed for his journey to the extraterrestrial sea. He didn't know the current condition of Tianxing City, so it would be best to complete his resupply here, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances that might catch him off guard. As soon as Han Li landed, he noticed that the level of vigilance on Nanzheng Island had noticeably increased compared to before. As soon as he entered the range of the port's defensive array, he felt at least three cultivators at the Dan stage of cultivation simultaneously scanning his consciousness, and even one that had been tracking him for a considerable time finally faded away, having found him utterly unremarkable. This clearly indicated that the Star Palace's forces were equally vigilant against any sudden attacks from the Inverse Star Alliance. At this moment, Han Li calmly proceeded toward the island's marketplace. The marketplace of Nanzheng Island was located in a small town not far from the port, established specifically to serve the convenience of passing cultivators and merchants. Han Li had visited this place once before. While perhaps not as renowned or expansive as those of several larger islands, the goods available here were as comprehensive and of equal quality as anywhere else—indeed, slightly cheaper than those in Tianxing City. This was because many shipments destined for Tianxing City were simply offloaded here and then picked up by merchants from the Star City. Han Li had no time to waste, so as soon as he entered the city, he carefully went through the nine-curved spirit ginseng recipe provided by Xuan Gu Magistrate. After memorizing the required ingredients and medicinal herbs, he began actively searching through the various shops, both large and small. Han Li furrowed his brow, sitting on a wooden chair in front of the middle-aged cultivator, gently tapping the chair arm with a finger, and said with some dissatisfaction. The middle-aged cultivator, upon hearing Han Li's words, flushed slightly with embarrassment. Though he truly had no solutions for what Han Li sought, he could only continue to smile politely. After all, the man before him was a rare Ji Dan-stage master—someone he dared not offend lightly. Seeing the掌柜's demeanor, Han Li realized the man genuinely had no such items. He sighed and stood up, stepping toward the door. It seemed that the final two rare herbs missing for the Nine-Curve Spiritual Root would have to be arranged elsewhere. However, even with these herbs, the Nine-Curve Root would only be usable when Han Li reached the peak of his Ji Dan stage and began forming his Yuan Shen. Thus, there was no urgency at the moment. Yet, as the middle-aged cultivator was escorting Han Li to the door, he seemed to recall something, hesitated, and then suddenly added, "Actually, the 'Thousand-Leaf Dew' might not necessarily be something our shop hasn't carried—it might simply have been renamed." "Oh! What does that mean?" Han Li's eyes flashed with interest as he paused, curiously asking. "Not at all an exaggeration on my part. I've been working in this ingredient shop for over a hundred years. I've seen countless unusual and strange materials. If there were any ingredient or elixir I hadn't encountered, then indeed—such a thing would be rare. In fact, the name of this particular substance may have originated from ancient cultivators, and today it has been renamed. I've encountered this very situation several times before. Perhaps the 'Thousand-Leaf Dew' the senior mentioned is merely a common elixir now." The middle-aged man spoke sincerely. Hearing this, Han Li felt a spark of insight, finding the man's explanation highly convincing. After all, the Nine-Curve Ginseng itself was legendary, a celestial elixir of the highest order, and its preparation formula was likely passed down from ancient times. It seemed only by consulting some ancient texts could he possibly uncover the true nature of Chiba Ru. With this thought, Han Li nodded gently, his expression easing, and then silently stepped out of the shop. For the rest of the time, Han Li collected every possible formula available to Jin-Dan stage cultivators, preparing thoroughly for future alchemical work. As for other auxiliary materials needed for alchemy, any items that couldn't be stored in small bottles, he ensured would be available in ample quantities. This trip to the Outer Stellar Sea would likely take him away for a long time. Han Li didn't want ordinary raw materials to fall short, risking the collapse of his alchemical endeavors and, consequently, the swift advancement of his cultivation. Now, with several ancient treasures at his disposal and some additional array support, he should be able to handle six- or seven-tiered beasts without much difficulty. Of course, should an eighth-tier beast encounter him, he would still have to flee in panic. After all, once a beast reaches the eighth rank, it's said that certain parts of its body can transform into human form, and its intelligence becomes no different from that of ordinary people. Due to its exceptional talent, it even surpasses fellow cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage by a third. Han Li didn't want to encounter such a truly refined beast! Just half a day later, he had gathered everything he needed and left the marketplace, immediately taking off toward the port. By then, the sky had turned dusky, with the night gradually blurring into a hazy veil. As Han Li had just flown a short distance out, a shimmering glow suddenly burst forth from ahead, followed by a series of thunderous sounds coming from the port direction. Han Li's expression instantly changed, and he quickly unleashed all his inner energy, transforming into a streak of jade-green light and rushing forward. Before he even reached the port, his light trail suddenly halted. He stared at the scene before him, his face pale with concern. High above, countless beams of various colors—emerald, crimson, and others—rained down upon the great array at the port, occasionally exploding with thunderous roars and shattering impacts. The sheer scale of this assault suggested at least a thousand cultivators had mobilized simultaneously. Beneath the array, a shimmering veil of red light rose, effectively deflecting the majority of the attacks. Within this radiant glow, several white-robed cultivators also wielded their artifacts, fiercely countering the skyborne assailants. Han Li sighed with growing frustration. The Inverse Star Alliance had indeed acted swiftly—he had rushed tirelessly, yet the great battle had erupted right before his eyes. Now that the conflict had begun, the Tianxing City must have received word through a special channel immediately. Even if he hurried back to Tianxing City now, he would likely be too late. Deeply disheartened, Han Li's expression shifted between gloom and irritation. Suddenly, he stomped his foot once, and his form twisted and dissolved completely, vanishing entirely. He didn't want to get drawn into the conflict between the two major factions. Yet, his spiritual awareness gradually extended outward, slowly releasing itself. If his guess was correct, the port area would soon become lively. Indeed, not long after, numerous streams of ethereal light shot out from Nanzheng Island. But as soon as they arrived near the area, they all vanished silently, settling down quietly and observing the battle from a distance. Most of them were cultivators at the Foundation Stage, numbering well over a hundred, with several dozen braver Qi Stage cultivators also joining in. As for cultivators at the Consolidated Dan Stage—like Han Li—there were only about five or six. The highest-ranked among them was a mid-Consolidated Dan cultivator, stationed just a few miles away on a nearby hill. This man remained completely concealed, silent and undetected. Han Li’s spiritual awareness surpassed his, so he hadn’t noticed Han Li’s subtle observation. Han Li, having cultivated the Daxian Technique, though his spiritual awareness wasn’t as powerful as that of the extremely Yin cultivators, still came close to their level. Even with a Yuan-Infant stage cultivator hidden nearby, Han Li could still sense a few subtle traces. According to Han Li's knowledge, most Yuan-Infant cultivators remained stuck in the initial stage for their entire lives, never advancing further. Seeing no such Yuan-Infant elder beasts nearby, Han Li finally exhaled in relief. However, since the Inverse-Star Alliance had dared to launch an attack on Nanming Island, it seemed that at least one Yuan-Infant cultivator must be in charge. Han Li didn't want to rush out and meet this person face to face. He would simply have to wait patiently until the great battle concluded, then quietly depart.