Among the present cultivators, the two with skull faces and the refined young man, as well as the elder, seemed to have known each other previously. In fact, upon seeing that there were five of them, the refined young man immediately bowed to Han Li and the others, saying, "My name is Ke Yu. I have been assigned to deliver the mission to the three elders and guide them. Please examine this token of mine." After respectfully stating this, he drew out a black token from his waist and presented it to Han Li. Clearly, he regarded the three as a group, and since Han Li was the most accomplished among them, he naturally took the lead. Han Li kept his lips tightly closed, took the token, glanced at it briefly, and then casually tossed it aside to one of the skull-faced figures. The skull-faced figure looked at it for a moment and then returned it to the refined young man, lazily adding, "What's there to examine in a token? If it weren't for the teleportation array allowing passage, how could a Foundation Stage cultivator like you possibly reach this location?" "Our identities don't need to be verified. At this gathering, besides us—the enforcement officers who have been summoned—there simply can't be any outsiders. Just state your tasks plainly." The skeleton seemed very familiar with this routine, spoke with composure, then showed clear impatience. Upon hearing this, the well-trained man on the other side, who had introduced himself as Ke Yu, hesitated slightly. Then, with a somewhat awkward smile, he made no mention of verifying the identities of Han Li and the others. Instead, he cleared his throat and introduced the elder standing beside him. "This senior, Ding, is the guardian of Qingyang Sect. The actual mission is for the three of you to assist Ding in capturing one of Qingyang Sect's fugitives. The specific details are for you to discuss among yourselves. I merely serve as the introducer." After finishing his introduction, Ke Yu gracefully stepped back, allowing the elder and Han Li to take the lead in their interactions. "Qingyang Sect? Is that the one under the Three Yang Master?" The skeleton's eyes flashed blue light, revealing genuine surprise. Upon hearing this, the two accompanying men also slightly frowned. "Ah, well then—no further explanation from me is needed. All of you are already familiar with the reputation of our master. This time, it is our master himself who has personally requested assistance from the Sixth Dao Alliance's Grand Master. The fugitive in question is not only a Ju-Dan stage cultivator but also possesses several treasures of the Qingyang Sect, having evaded pursuit for many years. We only recently, by chance, learned of his whereabouts. Originally, had our master personally taken charge, the capture would have been a matter of course. However, due to other pressing matters, he is currently unable to spare his time. That is why we have invited you all here to lend a hand. I believe that with our four Ju-Dan cultivators working together, we will surely be able to capture the female cultivator." The elder from Qingyang Sect smiled slightly and bowed to the three of them, though his expression grew noticeably stern as he finished his last sentence. "Is she a female cultivator?" the man asked, puzzled upon hearing the word "female cultivator." Han Li frowned slightly, as if recalling something. "Indeed." The female spirit is Yuan Yao, originally intended to be a concubine for the young master of our sect. Yet, unexpectedly, this woman proved both ruthless and cunning, leveraging her exceptional beauty and fox-like charm to conspire with another woman, ultimately orchestrating the murder of the young master and seizing all his precious treasures and rare elixirs. She then used these assets to cultivate her own golden elixir. The Third Yang Patriarch has only this one direct heir—the young master—thus, he holds deep resentment toward this woman. Should the three of you assist Ding here in capturing her, our sect will offer a most generous reward—far beyond what any of our friends could expect. Indeed, we will not allow our companions to labor in vain. As the elder spoke of this matter, he seemed to bite his teeth in frustration, yet hesitated to elaborate further, only briefly introducing the situation before shifting the conversation. The skeleton and the brutish man exchanged glances, each displaying an air of indifference. Han Li, meanwhile, rubbed his nose, silently puzzled. Indeed, it was Yuan Yao after all! This enigmatic beauty has such a remarkable origin—quite beyond Han Li's expectations. He had originally been puzzled as to why this young lady had achieved a golden elixir so swiftly, and why she had remained so enigmatic ever since their encounter. It turned out that she had been robbed of all her treasures by a young master from Qingyang Sect, and was now being pursued by them. Clearly, the young master of Qingyang Sect must have possessed a great many rare elixirs, all of which had now been secured by Yuan Yao. However, as the young lady now seemed destined for misfortune, should he intervene and disrupt the situation? This made Han Li hesitate. Though they were not particularly close, they could at least be considered acquaintances. At that moment, the skeleton beside him spoke up: "Since this is an order from above, and with no reward promised, we brothers will certainly give our full effort. Could you tell us where this young lady currently is? Since you summoned us to gather here, I assume she must not be far from this location." This young lady, though her appearance is intimidating, is actually quite thoughtful. "Indeed, my friend is correct," Han Li replied. "The demon maiden resides on a remote island located north of Huangming Island." Had it not been for a chance shopping trip when one of our disciples accidentally recognized her and followed her all the way to her stronghold, we might still have no word of her at all. This woman is exceptionally cunning, and her treasures possess extraordinary power—indeed, even our own secret treasure, the Qingyang Thunder, may be at risk. I therefore urge all of you to remain vigilant. "The elder said this, deliberately bowing to Han Li. Naturally, given Han Li's late Juand stage cultivation, the elder held him in high regard. Yet Han Li had never anticipated that, though he merely nodded with a composed expression, his inner thoughts were already set on eliminating the entire group. However, upon hearing that Yuan Yao was nearby, a spark of interest stirred within him, and he immediately resolved to meet her. Once she was rescued, he would use the opportunity to claim a particularly valuable item. At that moment, the well-trained young man, Ke Yu, having observed the group's discussion, respectfully asked the others for their approval, and then proceeded ahead to guide them toward the entrance. ...Inside a stone cottage on another island, a disheveled cultivator stared at the transmission array beneath him, puzzled. When he first entered the cottage, the array had been glowing normally with vibrant spiritual light. But as soon as they attempted to activate it for transportation, the array inexplicably failed. This left him rubbing his temple, feeling increasingly frustrated. "The demon maiden must be hiding within one of these small hills!" The elder's eyes flashed with cold light as he momentarily halted his flight, speaking in a cold tone. Han Li and the others followed suit, pausing mid-air and gazing afar at the island. Aside from a sparse patch of grass and trees, the island was dominated by only a few small stone hills, and the ambient qi was extremely thin. "Ding brother, have we perhaps made a mistake in location?" the tall, unattractive man, who had been observing for a while, asked, his expression now filled with doubt. "Rest assured—there is no mistake. It is definitely this place," replied the elder with unwavering confidence. Then, he pressed his palms together in a series of hand seals, and with a single upward motion of his hand, a brilliant yellow glow surged skyward. A moment later, a similar yellow glow rose from the opposite side of the island. Seeing this, the elder smiled, and quickly turned to Han Li and the others, saying, "Let's go. There, our disciples have been continuously monitoring the maiden's movements." It seems the demon maiden has not left the island yet." As he spoke, the elder showed no intention of moving, and soon afterward, a streak of red light shot forth from where the yellow glow had been. In a moment, it arrived before the group. The light faded, revealing a middle-aged man in gray robes, around forty, at the foundation stage mid-level. On his sleeves, there was also a mark of a green flame, though smaller than that of the elder. "Disciple bows to Master Ding and the other elders!" The man immediately recognized the Ding elder and hurried forward with due respect, speaking formally. The elder waved indifferently and asked solemnly, "Has the demon maiden remained on the island, not left this place?" "No, indeed! Since I followed her back to the island, she has not left her dwelling once." The middle-aged man affirmed confidently. "Good. You've handled this well. After this matter is settled, I'll promote you to an internal hall disciple. Now, follow me ahead." The elder nodded in approval and said solemnly, "Thank you, Senior Master, for your guidance! I shall lead the way." Hearing this, the middle-aged man beamed with joy and exclaimed enthusiastically. Then he turned around and, with the group, swiftly vanished toward the small island. In moments, they arrived above the island. The man pointed to one of the stone mountains and respectfully said to the group, "When the female demon returned last time, I was too inexperienced to approach and watch closely. Yet I noticed that as soon as she drew near this mountain, she vanished completely. I believe her dwelling must be within this mountain." The skeleton listened intently, his eyes flashing with interest as he studied the stone mountain carefully, then slowly nodded, "Indeed, the mountain's surface has been enchanted with a refined spell. It is only upon approaching closely that we can detect this anomaly. From afar, as we pass by in the sky, the island appears entirely ordinary. That explains how she has remained undisturbed here for so many years."