"This time, I'm not sure whether to say you're unlucky—having stumbled upon the rare, century-long eruption of the Supreme Spirit Qi! This has made the spatial rift far more extensive than usual. Even those with the most exceptional abilities find themselves utterly helpless once caught. Precisely because of this, the shadow beasts that normally dwell deep within the mountain have largely evacuated the area. Otherwise, as soon as you fell through, they would have completely devoured you." The lean man turned back to gaze at the two of them, speaking calmly. Upon hearing this, Han Li felt a slight weight settle in his heart, yet he maintained a composed expression and asked, "Forgive my boldness—could you kindly tell us exactly where we are? From your tone, it seems this place is quite perilous." "Perilous? Heh! Can the word 'perilous' truly capture what's going on? No matter what you two have been doing outside, or what distinguished status you may have once held among mortals—here, in this realm of shadows and gloom, there's no room for mere survival by passive consumption. Anyone who can move must actively engage and make their own way." "Then we'll have to settle for feeding the shadow beasts." The man studied the two again, clearly noticing that neither of them was an ordinary person, and then scoffed. Han Li furrowed his brows, wanting to ask more questions, but the man waved him off impatiently. "It's a critical time now. I simply don't have the time to go into details for two strangers. Everything will be explained once we return to the village. Soon, a large number of shadow beasts will be heading back to their lair. Hurry and seal this secret passage—leave it for future use." The last words, however, were shouted firmly at the others nearby. Immediately, the men and women each picked up stones from around and quickly piled them up, sealing the entrance tightly. "Come on. If everything goes smoothly, Tiger and the others should meet us halfway. If we don't move now, when the wind of shadow blows, we might never make it back." The lean man looked up at the dark clouds in the sky, his expression grave. Then he turned and walked off. Others men and women followed silently without a word, paying no attention to Han Li or the woman. Seeing this, Han Li's eyes flashed with unusual light, and he expressed a moment of thoughtful contemplation. "Shall we go with them?" the graceful woman who had been traveling with Han Li asked, her voice tinged with slight unease as the group gradually receded and Han Li remained in place, gazing down thoughtfully. As a woman whose magical abilities had faded, she simply saw Han Li—calm and composed—throughout as someone dependable. "Go, why not? Let's first visit that supposed village. Perhaps there we can find a way to restore our magic," Han Li replied calmly, then turned and walked steadily forward, no longer hesitating. The woman breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to follow him. "By the way, I haven't yet asked you your name. I'm Han, a freelance practitioner," Han Li said casually as they walked on. "My name is Mei Ning. I came with my elder brother. I clearly inhaled the ghost mist along with him, yet where is he now?" This graceful woman, the more reserved of the Mei siblings, now turned to her brother with a subtle concern on her face. "That's quite normal," said Han Li, his expression steady. "Those black lightning bolts clearly possess the ability to randomly transport people. We've been brought to the mountain's core, while your brother may have been transported elsewhere. Otherwise, with so many cultivators present at that moment, it would have been impossible for only us two to end up here. Keep looking, and eventually we'll reunite." Hearing Han Li's words, the woman immediately felt reassured. Yet, her curiosity about him grew stronger. He was ordinary and unfamiliar—she had never seen him before. Could it be that he had entered the island from a different direction? She mused to herself, slightly puzzled. The woman had a host of questions she wished to ask Han Li, yet felt they were not particularly close friends, so after some hesitation, she finally decided not to speak. Just as she was wavering in uncertainty, the two had reached the end of the group ahead. Though lacking magical power, these cultivators, having undergone the refining process of cultivation, were far superior to ordinary mortals. The lean man, noticing that the two could keep pace with them without falling behind, flashed a glance of surprise. Yet he said nothing, merely kept his head down and increased his pace by a third. The steps of the other men and women likewise grew faster. Han Li was momentarily taken aback by this. Their movements and gait were noticeably more agile than those of ordinary people. Though they did not appear to possess particularly refined internal energy, it was clear they had trained in some basic external cultivation techniques. It seemed that in this place, only martial skills would prove useful. Still, reflecting on it, Han Li had always harbored some doubts about this mysterious fog. Among the classics he had read, the ghost mist had always been formidable, yet never so terrifying as today—leaving absolutely no chance for escape. It was especially remarkable that even before making direct contact with it, some had already been affected, their magical abilities sealed and immobilized. This was truly astonishing. If every instance of the ghost mist were as severe as this, even Yuan Ying-stage cultivators might not survive. Yet there were numerous accounts—some even involving lower-tier cultivators—of individuals who had witnessed the mist and successfully evaded it. However, the sudden eruption of "Absolute Vitality Qi" mentioned by the slender man just now had clarified several points for Han Li. The very name implied that the phenomenon of their magical and spiritual faculties being severed was directly linked to it. It seemed they had simply been unlucky enough to encounter a particularly intense episode of the ghost mist, which had thus captured and transported all of them at once. He presumed that among the surviving cultivators, others must still be scattered throughout the rest of the area. As Han Li was pondering this, the slender man ahead suddenly paused, then sharply turned his head to gaze toward one side. Others paused and turned to look as well. In the distance on one side of the desert, a yellow dragon emerged, its dust trail swirling and rushing steadily toward them. "It's Ahu and the others!" exclaimed a young man, still youthful and full of freshness, in growing excitement. The others stirred in response. The lean man nodded, a touch of satisfaction lighting up his face, but it quickly faded as he saw something else. At that moment, sharp cries of distress rose from within the dragon. "Everyone, hurry over and assist them—they're being pursued by shadow beasts!" the man shouted, his face pale with alarm, drawing his long white sword from his waist and charging forward with great speed. The other men and women quickly realized what was happening and drew their swords and spears, rushing toward the dragon as well. Han Li remained still in place, watching the distant dragon with a look of mild surprise. In a moment, the men and women had surged into the dragon's body, where the roar of the beasts grew louder. The dragon suddenly halted, then dissolved into a swirling mass of yellow mist, dispersing in all directions. Amid the dense smoke, the voices of men and women—shouts, gasps, and unfamiliar roars—interlaced and blended. It wasn't until well past a cup of tea's worth of time that the clamor gradually softened, eventually settling into quiet. A moment later, cheers rose from within, followed by the emergence of these figures from the yellow mist. Each carried splashes of fresh animal blood on their garments, though it was unclear whether anyone had been injured—yet all bore joyful expressions, as though something unexpected had befallen them. Soon, they resumed their original route, now accompanied by several tall men whom韩立had previously encountered deep within the mountain. These men still bore large leather sacks slung over their shoulders. Upon seeing韩立and梅凝, they expressed a moment of surprise. However, after the lean man whispered a few words beside them, their expressions of wonder settled into clarity, and they no longer seemed out of place. With the addition of these new members, the pace of the procession quickened. After walking for a full hour, they finally emerged from the desert, now facing a dark, scattered pile of rocks. Like the desert, Han Li could not gauge the extent of this stone formation—only that it stretched on without clear end. Yet each stone within the pile was oddly shaped and a deep, black color, giving Han Li a sense of eerie gloom that made him feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the group immediately breathed a collective sigh of relief, their expressions now calm and reassured. As the words were spoken, the group immediately rushed forward, charging ahead with great urgency. Han Li and Mei Ning exchanged glances. Though they didn't know what was about to happen, they could not afford to lag behind, and thus kept close to one another. Under their guidance, Han Li wended his way through the scattered stones, turning here and there, until suddenly the view opened up—before them rose a towering stone wall, dark and imposing. These walls were constructed from massive stones, each measuring several zhang in size, rising to a height of twenty or thirty zhang. The distance between the two ends of the wall spanned over a thousand zhang. At intervals of several zhang, sharp, sturdy wooden projections jutted out from the wall, appearing fierce and threatening. Directly facing Han Li and his companions stood a large wooden gate, suspended high and solemn. On either side of the gate, several dozen men armed with long white spears stood on guard, alert and attentive. Upon seeing the lean man and his party return, the guards immediately brightened and called out enthusiastically. Then a tremendous roar echoed, the great gate descended, and they were welcomed inside.