"Two hours later, we would reach the peak of yin energy throughout the day. The entire ritual would last approximately two to three days. During this time, everything will depend on Brother Han." Yuan Yao glanced at the sky, then turned to face Han Li with sincere words. Han Li nodded, surveyed the surroundings of the valley, and then furrowed his brows, asking, "Besides this one phantom array, it seems no other protective spell arrays have been set up. Should a strong opponent arrive just when we're at our most vulnerable, and I'm unable to attend to them personally, wouldn't you be in danger?" "Of course I know that," Yuan Yao said, biting her lower lip, a touch of helplessness visible on her delicate face. "But I don't have any particularly advanced arraying tools at hand, nor have I sufficient time to prepare thoroughly. I can only proceed with this risk." "Then, the array matters shall be entrusted to Brother Han. I have several decent arraying tools here. While they may not be particularly powerful, they can still serve a useful purpose. Better than having no protection at all." Huan Yao said this, and Han Li clasped his hands around his chest, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He had truly done his best! "Han brother is also well-versed in the art of array formations! If that's the case, Huan Yao will surely feel much more at ease when casting her spells. Then it will be all your doing!" Upon hearing this, Huan Yao's eyes sparkled with delight. Han Li smiled slightly, said nothing further, and then floated upward into the sky, surveying the terrain of the valley. After a moment, he had a clear sense of what to do, and gently descended. "We don't have much time left. I'll begin setting up the array now!" With these words, Han Li waved his hands, and several large, towering humanoid ape puppets appeared on either side. From his storage pouch, he retrieved several sets of array tools, distributing them one by one to the puppets. Then, standing in place, he used his divine awareness to command the great apes, who began arranging the formations around the valley. Huan Yao watched the movements of these puppet apes with curiosity, but soon shifted her gaze, turning to attend to her own tasks. The Reanimation Technique is no ordinary affair! Some careful preparations must be made before casting the spell, and the massive array beneath our feet should be tested to ensure there are no flaws. Meanwhile, with the aid of over a dozen giant apes, Han Li completed several powerful array formations within less than a single hour. While these arrays cannot stop a Jiandan-stage cultivator, they easily impede any Juzhi-stage cultivator. At the heart of the valley, Yuan Yao also brought her preparations to a close. As she arranged the spiritual stones around the array and cast a seal at its core, activating the spell, the array emitted a low hum, and dark, swirling streaks of black light began to ripple outward, gathering steadily toward the central Han Yu Pavilion. Seeing this, Yuan Yao smiled with satisfaction. She then cast another seal, halting the array's activation. "All is well—everything is functioning normally," she said, stepping out of the array and speaking with genuine enthusiasm to Han Li. "Yuan brother! Have you truly thought this through?" After the fragmentation of the Dan stage, the path of cultivation would be completely blocked—there would be almost no chance of reaching the Dan stage again. Han Li gazed at the woman's serene expression and spoke slowly. Upon hearing Han Li's words, Yuan Yao's smile instantly faded, and she fell silent. "Well, if it's sealed off, then sealed off it is. I've managed to live this long—originally, that's just luck." Yuan Yao said calmly. "Han Li doesn't fully understand the bond I share with my senior sister, so he says this. My senior sister, Yanli, and I grew up together, entered cultivation together, and shared meals and homes for over forty years—our relationship is as close as that of sisters. When the young master of Qingyang Sect was defeated, it was actually my senior sister who absorbed the counterattack meant for me. Otherwise, the one enduring suffering in the Spirit Wood today would have been me. As long as Yanli's spirit remains intact and she regains a physical body, the fragmentation of my Dan stage becomes irrelevant." With a gentle lift of her hand, the woman lightly brushed a strand of dark hair from her forehead, her expression composed and calm. Upon hearing these words from the young lady, Han Li's face briefly revealed a touch of surprise. After a moment's thoughtful pause, he gently nodded, saying nothing further to discourage her. Yuan Yao returned to the spell array and settled herself before the cold jade coffin, silently waiting for the optimal moment. Between them, there was a brief silence, yet soon, the young lady glanced at the sky and slowly rose. "It's time," she declared. "I shall begin my incantation. Whether or not this resurrection ritual succeeds, I am profoundly grateful to Brother Han for your steadfast protection. Please accept my humble bow!" With a graceful bow, Yuan Yao then immediately raised both hands, pressing her fingers together and activating the spell array beneath her feet. Seeing this, Han Li sighed and slowly made his way toward the valley's entrance. Soon, a dense gathering of negative energy would form, and even with his current level of cultivation, he would not wish to remain close. Near the valley's mouth, Han Li paused, turning back to gaze once more at the scene within. A strong, mournful wind had surged from the direction of the spell array, casting a dense, somber black glow over the entire area, with faint ghostly wails echoing from within. The resurrection technique truly appeared extraordinary. But what left Han Li speechless was the sudden appearance of a dark cloud spanning over a dozen miles across the sky above the small island. The cloud was thick with阴 qi, rumbling with thunder, and gradually taking on a funnel shape, its base pointing precisely toward the valley. Such an unmistakable celestial omen surely would have roused the cultivators active in the surrounding seas. After all, such a remarkable phenomenon typically signaled either the emergence of a precious treasure or someone practicing a transcendent cultivation technique—there was no way they would simply pass it by. The question was, would it awaken someone truly remarkable? As Han Li turned to ponder this, a subtle shift in his expression caught his attention, and he suddenly raised his gaze toward a distant direction. ….. Approaching from the southwest of the island, seven or eight beams of various colors streaked through the sky, halting in the upper air some ten to fifteen miles away from the island. Then, their radiant glow dimmed, revealing several male and female cultivators. Among them, aside from the elder with white hair who was at the forefront and had just reached the Foundation Stage, the rest were young men and women in their early twenties, at the Qi Stage, ranging from seventh to eighth layers. Observing their uniform blue silk robes, they clearly belonged to the same sect. The elder now standing ahead of the others gazed with puzzlement at the extraordinary celestial phenomena hovering above the island, his expression shifting between clouded and uncertain. "Master Zhao, shall we go and check out the island now? Perhaps something precious has just manifested!" one of the female disciples, aged around twenty-one or twenty-two, urged, growing increasingly anxious as the elder remained silent. "Huilin, you're too hasty. The signs suggest that whatever has appeared, it's more likely to be magical artifacts or ominous instruments. Moreover, it might be a master here performing a ritual or a secret magical technique—should we rush in without warning, wouldn't we be setting ourselves up for disaster?" the elder replied, glancing at the young woman with a tone both seasoned and firm. The woman, though somewhat unconvinced, lowered her head and remained silent. "Master! Shall we just wait here then?" Another male disciple, slightly older, glanced at the darkening clouds over the island and also hesitated. "Rest assured. With such a commotion, others must surely be arriving as well. Once we've gathered more information, we'll act accordingly. Remember, it's precisely because of the diligence and caution of our disciples that the Taoyang Sect has endured thus far. We never lightly provoke disputes—no matter how great the advantage before us, we must always weigh whether we can actually enjoy it ourselves!" The elder, seemingly leading a group of younger disciples on a tour, observed the island while delivering these words. The younger men and women behind naturally nodded in agreement. Indeed, not long after the elder finished speaking, two streaks of yellow and green light shot across the island from the opposite side. Upon spotting the elder and his party, the figure halted at a distance of over a hundred paces. "Ah, it's Master Zhao from Taoyang Sect. Could you kindly tell me what has happened on this island—why have celestial omens suddenly appeared?" A sweet female voice echoed through the fading light, then the glow dispersed, revealing a man and a woman. The man, in his forties, wore black robes and appeared lifeless, his face rigid as if carved from stone. The woman, in her early thirties, was graceful and dignified, gently inquiring of the elder.