"Nanlong brother, didn't I get it right? Are we really going to the Mulan Grasslands?" the cold-faced cultivator asked, his brow furrowed. The faces of the other cultivators weren't much better. Yet, the Yuan Ying elders seated here—each of them had weathered countless storms to reach this point—though startled, remained composed, watching Nanlong Hou carefully respond. "My dear friend, I misunderstood. I said we're heading to the Mulan Grasslands, but I didn't mean to go deep into the heart of the grasslands. Just to the edge, about a hundred li away." Nanlong Hou explained calmly. "That's still quite an undertaking. I've heard that over the years, the Mullan people have been refining their strength and are now growing increasingly restless. The very border of the grasslands is now the true danger zone. I suspect many of our peers at the same level have gathered there. Though their artifacts may be less diverse, their cultivation levels and techniques are on par with, if not surpassing, ours. Their spiritual arts, however, are truly formidable—both powerful and exceptionally well-suited for coordinated combat." "If we're discovered, even if we manage to escape, it will be difficult to emerge unscathed," the cold-faced cultivator shook his head, clearly deeply concerned about the matter. "How could I not know the tenacity of a master of the Way? Back then, I fought a Yuan-Enlightenment cultivator for three days and three nights. That cultivator was one level behind me in cultivation and his divine artifacts were far less powerful than mine. Yet after the prolonged struggle, neither of us could subdue the other." South Long Marquis said, his expression growing serious. "Given that, Master, you still intend to go to the Muling Grasslands. It must be something truly remarkable there, otherwise South Long would not have taken such a risk." Wang Tiangu suddenly smiled gently, leaning back slowly and speaking with composed ease. "Hah, indeed, Brother Wang understands my intentions best. Have any of you heard of the name 'Cangkun Master'?" South Long Marquis shifted his tone, introducing a name that sounded familiar to several of the guests. "Cangkun Master! The celestial southern recluse who once dominated both the Celestial and the Demon realms five thousand years ago?" "The elderly woman who had remained silent all along was moved to tears upon hearing this, her cloudy eyes instantly flashing with bright light. 'Lady Tai is correct—the very madman who had caused a great uproar among both the celestial and martial sects. Though no one had officially acknowledged it, this bold and fearless cultivator was undoubtedly the foremost among the scattered cultivators of the southern heavens at that time. His profound and enigmatic powers swept across the southern realm with few rivals. Even the Grand Elder of the Magistrate Sect and the Grand Master of the Celestial Alliance—two universally recognized leaders of the celestial and martial realms—could not claim to have defeated him even slightly.'" South Long Marquis said, his face displaying a touch of surprise. "Now that you mention this, does this matter have any connection to this mad cultivator?" Wang Tiangu asked, his expression puzzled. "Indeed, Brother Wang! The place we are heading to was carefully established by Master Ang Kun right before his passing—his secret abode." South Long Marquis said solemnly. "Impossible!" Wasn't the madman struck down by the collective anger of the multitude, surrounded and killed on the spot by numerous cultivators back then?" The old woman shook her head vigorously, as if drumming it with a paddle, utterly unconvinced. As Nanlong Marquis listened, he offered a gentle smile, ready to explain. At that moment, the middle-period Yuan-Stage elder in white robes suddenly spoke up. "Master Anguang was not killed at all. Instead, he was forced to self-explode his two puppetized bodies, then skillfully escaped through a masterstroke of concealment—what he called 'manning the sky and hiding the truth.' The cultivators who surrounded him at the time were unaware of this and believed they had indeed killed Master Anguang and his one avatar. However, this battle left him severely weakened, and it would be difficult for him to recover his celestial cultivation powers. After several years of recuperation, he simply vanished from his original abode, leaving no trace. It wasn't until I and my colleague from Nanlong discovered his final place of passing that we learned from the remaining records: after his disappearance, Master Anguang had unexpectedly taken an interest in the Duanmo Valley. "He risked his life to enter this valley and became the first person to survive the fall from the realm of demons!" "Surviving the fall from the realm of demons? How is that even possible?" the old woman exclaimed sharply, her face filled with excitement. Everyone else, except Nanlong Marquis, including Han Li, gasped in astonishment. Most of them were both stunned by the remarkable nature of the news and uncertain about its authenticity, and thus exchanged puzzled glances. "Even if this is true, what does it have to do with the Muling Grassland? Does Master Angun truly bury all the treasures he obtained in the demon valley within the secret caverns there?" the dark-faced cultivator asked with a cold smile, clearly unconvinced. "Your statement isn't entirely accurate, but you've hit upon the essence of it. According to the information left behind at the place where Master Qiongkun passed away, he apparently stayed in the demon valley for several years, yet shortly after emerging, he passed away himself." It was either a relapse of an old injury or some fresh severe wound sustained during the fall into the Valley of the Demonic Beasts. Yet he should have brought back quite a number of treasures from that journey. Treasures that even the first independent cultivator of his time would have considered noteworthy. Moreover, he had once achieved such a commanding presence over other cultivators, merely as a standalone practitioner—his own secret techniques and divine artifacts were no ordinary things. So why couldn't the true cultivators from the Mulan Grasslands join us? "The Prince of Nanlong stroked his long beard, his expression remaining calm. "With us being so many Yuan Ying cultivators, ordinary cultivators would hardly be able to stand against us. And even if something unforeseen should happen, we could simply split up and make our way individually. If the risk is still not acceptable, then I shall simply invite the unwilling companions to go their own way. We will find others to accompany us instead. However, there is one matter I would like to clarify first." The elderly man in white robes spoke with steady composure. Hearing the words of Nanlong Marquis and the Elder in White Robe, several cultivators—Wang Tiangu, the old woman, and others—exhibited a look of hesitation. Yet at this moment, Han Li spoke up, asking, "I have one point of confusion. Since both of you are aware of the location of the treasure, why did you specifically summon us? And why must it be cultivators with strong spiritual awareness? Is the treasure difficult to locate here, or is there some connection between the opening of the cave and this matter?" Han Li spoke calmly, expressing thoughts that had been lingering in his mind for a long time. "It is precisely because you did not ask this question that I myself intend to explain shortly. If we could retrieve the treasure on our own, we would certainly not share it with others. However, during our previous covert expedition into the Mulan Grassland to seek out the cave, although the site was quite concealed, we still went to considerable lengths, following the information left behind by the Master of the Sky and Earth. The difficulty arose, however, in that a remarkably sophisticated ancient spell array had been established outside the cave. Despite our utmost efforts, we were unable to penetrate its barrier." Since we were stationed in the Mulan Grasslands, we couldn't afford to stay any longer. We had to record the characteristics of this array and return to the southern heavens, specifically seeking out various texts on arrays to study the ancient array. In the end, we discovered that the seals emitted by this array were actually the long-lost "Tai Miao Shen Jin"—an ancient seal that had been forgotten since antiquity. When Nan Long Hou said this, a touch of helplessness appeared on his face. "Tai Miao Shen Jin! Isn't this one of the Ten Ancient Seals? How could it have appeared there?" Wang Tian Gu's expression changed, and he looked somewhat surprised. Most of the others had never heard of the "Tai Miao Shen Jin," but upon hearing this, they all felt a sense of seriousness. The Ten Ancient Seals! Simply hearing the name conveyed that it was no ordinary seal to overcome. Yet Han Li's eyes flashed with a moment of surprise, which quickly faded, and his expression remained calm. "I've long heard that Brother Wang is a renowned master of array arts. Now I see that his reputation is well-earned—indeed, he even knows about this rare ancient seal." Nanlong Hou was somewhat surprised. After exchanging a glance with the elder in the white robe, he smiled warmly and praised continuously. "Nanlong brother, your explanation is most generous. I've only heard of your name; I'm completely unfamiliar with the specifics of how this restriction is broken." Wang Tiangu seemed to sense something, and immediately became courteous, offering humble concessions. The elder in the white robe, seeing this, smiled with genuine satisfaction and continued: "After years of joint study, we've discovered that to overcome this restriction, one must either gradually wear down the barrier through sheer force, thus forcibly breaking it, or seek eight cultivators with exceptionally strong spiritual awareness, who can use the spiritual manifestation technique to dissolve the restriction. A direct, forceful assault is unlikely to succeed—this ancient restriction is remarkably intricate. Even after our relentless attacks, day and night, for several months, we cannot guarantee a successful breakthrough. On the Mulan Grassland, we dare not freely employ our techniques without restraint. However, if we use the spiritual manifestation technique, as long as each of you possesses sufficient spiritual awareness, the entire array can be dismantled within just one day." "Upon hearing this, all the guests in the hall finally understood why the two marquises of Nanlong had summoned them. Perhaps other Yuan-Stage mid-level cultivators possessed strong consciousness and could likewise assist in breaking the seal; yet clearly, the two marquises deliberately wished to exclude such powerful cultivators, fearing that they might take the lead and become dominant. After all, both were Yuan-Stage mid-level cultivators themselves, and while their combined efforts might not guarantee a decisive victory over Han Li and the others, they could certainly maintain a balanced, well-orchestrated situation—indeed, they had clearly put considerable thought into this. Nevertheless, when it came to the treasures brought out from the Fallen Demon Valley, including Han Li, each of the hall's cultivators was immediately struck by enthusiasm. Although the journey to the edge of Mulan Grassland carried some risks, as the white-robed elder had mentioned, these risks were negligible compared to the treasures themselves. Such an opportunity—others would surely have struggled to secure. Thus, the guests silently resolved their grievances among themselves. When the marquises asked a few more questions and saw that no one wished to withdraw, they finally broke into genuine smiles." "However, there's one point I'd like to make clear to all of you. Should everything go smoothly and we successfully enter the sanctuary, the two of us will each select one treasure item first. Only after that will the remaining items be shared equally. Does everyone agree?" Nan Long Hou presented his condition.