A moment later, with the light now spreading, Han Li could see things farther away. Nearby, the ground was covered in a thick layer of fish and shrimp, white and piled high. He and the woman were precisely situated atop a higher mound. In the distance, however, the area remained dark and featureless, barely visible at all—only known to be vast, with no walls or structures in sight. The four men had stopped about twenty to thirty paces away. They quickly set their leather bags down on the ground, then, while three of them bent over, busily loading fish and shrimp into the bags, one man stood guard, scanning the surroundings with alertness. Seeing this, Han Li was somewhat surprised. The woman beside him also murmured softly in mild astonishment, though her voice was so quiet that the men did not notice. Unconsciously, Han Li turned his gaze toward her face. In the faint, intermittent glow of red light, a delicate and beautiful face gradually emerged, faintly visible against the darkness. The woman immediately noticed Han Li's bold gaze and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Twisting her neck slightly, she once again concealed her face within the shadows, leaving only a pair of bright, slightly shy eyes gleaming. Han Li found himself chuckling inwardly. The woman indeed had a certain presence—when they couldn't see each other's faces, she was direct and even a bit impetuous. But now that she could see him clearly, she instantly became timid and shy. The earlier impression of her being stern and aloof vanished entirely. At that moment, a cry of alarm rang out from afar. "It's bad! Quickly retreat—we have fire-scale beasts approaching!" The sentry suddenly turned and shouted urgently to the others. Immediately, the men who had been packing fish quickly fastened their pouches and dashed off in a different direction. Only two torches, planted in the ground to provide light, flickered unevenly. Almost at the same time, several long, low cries rose from the distant darkness, as though something had sensed the presence of these two. Then came a rapid succession of heavy thuds as objects fell. Several red, figure-length forms shot suddenly from the darkness, then vanished as swiftly as they had appeared. In that brief moment, Han Li clearly observed the so-called "fire-scale beasts"—they were fierce, leopard-headed creatures covered in red scales, their sharp teeth exposed as they snapped their jaws, revealing a fearsome array of pointed fangs. The scene then settled back into quiet. Han Li exhaled in relief; the beasts had not detected them—this was indeed a fortunate turn of events. A little while later, Han Li gently clenched his fists and then lifted the woman in front of him, cradling her across her waist, and slowly rose to her feet. His body had now fully recovered, and he could move freely once again. "You... you set me down, and I'm almost recovered." The woman spoke softly, her face flushed, as she lay in Han Li's arms. "You're afraid of getting your clothes stained with the fishy scent, but I don't mind at all," Han Li said, gazing at her calmly. Upon hearing this, the woman looked down at the scattered fish and shrimp scattered across the ground, her expression hesitating. Finally, she decided wisely to remain silent. At that moment, Han Li gently lifted the woman and leapt down from the pile of fish, moving toward the torches. Though he didn't know where exactly they were, if there were no light at all, things would indeed become troublesome. Bending slightly, he pulled up one torch, then looked around before his face settled into a thoughtful expression. "Set me down now," the woman whispered softly, her cheeks still flushed, after a while. Hearing this, Han Li immediately released her hand, and the woman landed gracefully on the ground. After slightly adjusting her dress, she picked up the other torch and likewise surveyed the surroundings. Meanwhile, Han Li suddenly raised his leg and strode steadily toward the direction of the men. "Where are you going?" the woman exclaimed, startled, and quickly asked. "I don't want to wait for those beasts to turn around—I need to find a safe spot first," Han Li replied without looking back. Upon hearing that the beasts might return, the woman grew a little fearful, hesitated briefly, and then hurried to catch up, following Han Li. Han Li said nothing, simply walking ahead without further comment. After walking over a hundred paces, the ground no longer held any fish or shrimp, but instead yielded a soft, dark sandy soil beneath his feet. However, after only a few steps, Han Li stopped, shining his torch on the ground, revealing clear footprints—precisely those left by the men as they had approached. The woman, unprepared, nearly collided with Han Li's back, and thus grew somewhat startled. "What's happened?" she murmured. The two saw this and were instantly energized, hurrying forward. In a moment, they reached the exit. One after another, they stepped out. But as Han Li emerged, a flash of white light swept before him, and seven or eight slender, jade-like swords and spears simultaneously came down to rest upon his neck. A cold voice echoed in his ears. "Who are you people? Where are Ahu and the others? Have you just arrived from outside?" Though the voice was somewhat hoarse, it stirred something within Han Li. At that moment, twenty or so young men and women surrounded him, each holding a strange, glowing weapon, dressed in the same odd green robes as the earlier men, their expressions varied and fixed upon Han Li. The one who asked the question was a lean man in his forties, his eyes gleaming with unusual intensity. As for the graceful young woman who followed closely behind him, she was now surrounded by others and could not move an inch. "I think," Han Li said, "we must be the newcomers you've been talking about." "But do you often have outsiders coming here?" Han Li rubbed his nose, offering a slightly wry smile. "You didn't have to tell me—your rather unusual attire is something only people from outside would wear. Still, you've certainly been fortunate to meet us. Most outsiders, in fact, haven't even figured out what's going on here before they've become meals for the shadow beasts." The middle-aged man listened to Han Li's words, his expression slightly softened, though his tone remained cold. Then, with a wave of his hand, the men and women gathered and returned all the white swords and spears. Han Li ran a hand along his neck, then glanced at the weapons, his expression now filled with mild surprise. Just moments ago, through skin contact, he had sensed an astonishing heat emanating from each of the weapons—so intense that they seemed like red-hot iron plates, which was truly odd. At the same time, he glanced around and realized he now stood before a small stone hill, where he had been staying all along within its body. In the distance, stretching out before him, lay a vast expanse of deep yellow desert, its width unknown. As he lifted his gaze toward the sky, he was struck once more. There, a dense mass of black clouds covered the heavens, dark as ink, with no visible edge. Among the clouds, several streaks of deep blue lightning constantly leapt and flashed, casting the area in a soft, pale blue hue—strange and otherworldly. Han Li had barely finished observing when the lean man across from him furrowed his brow and asked, "Have you seen any others when you came out? Were they among our companions?" "We spotted a few, though they appeared to be being chased by some strange beasts and had fled in the opposite direction." Han Li replied without hesitation. "Strange beasts? What kind?" The lean man's expression immediately tightened, instinctively gripping his weapon tighter. "I heard them call them 'fire-scaled beasts.'" "Fire-scaled beasts! That's fortunate." Hu, his team should be able to handle these shadow beasts without any issues. For added safety, Fan Li, you take a few people to the next nearest exit and provide some backup. The lean man relaxed immediately and gave clear, well-organized instructions. At once, a towering black-clad man took several men and women and hurried off without further words.