The wind sensed by Han Li surged forth, reaching a height of over a hundred zhang, carrying sand and dust in a swirling, tumultuous flow—like a monstrous dragon emerging from the earth. He was startled. Yet, with his powerful consciousness, nearly on par with a Yuan'Ying stage cultivator, he could still perceive beyond a hundred li, where others' awareness had to settle at a distance and could only gaze upon the scene. Upon activating a subtle flow of the Daxian Decision within his body and focusing his awareness, Han Li pushed it deep into the wind and dust. However, as soon as his consciousness entered the wind and sand, it grew dim and sluggish, allowing him to only vaguely sense events within a few dozen zhang. Deeper still, the condition remained unchanged—much like being enveloped in a mist. As Han Li stood in astonishment, the cold-faced You-family cultivator, following the elder woman's words, also withdrew his awareness. "Indeed," he said, "this is the Wind Spirit Technique of the Mulan people. The spiritual masters who once challenged me employed this very technique—known as 'Red Dust Stretching to the Heavens.' This spiritual technique, once fully deployed, not only blocks our cultivators' detection but also generates a protective and encircling effect of yellow sand and gale winds—extremely troublesome. Yet, I have never witnessed anything so astonishing—seems as though the range of the technique has been expanded by a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold—somewhat unusual. South Long's expression darkened as he spoke. "The Muling people?" The others reacted with slight alarm. Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan grew pale at once. However, being the lowest in rank and cultivation among them, they dared not interrupt casually. "South Long is correct. Only the spiritual arts of the legalists can produce such a powerful wind and sand effect. Moreover, judging by the strength of this technique, there must be numerous legalist practitioners concealed within it—indeed, even if there are cultivators of our own level present, it is not impossible." The elder in white robes spoke with equal caution. "How could this be? The Muling people have suddenly mobilized so many legalist practitioners—what could their purpose be?" "The old woman asked in surprise. 'Lady Dai, when was the last time we went to war with the Muling people?' Wang Tiangu suddenly asked, his face taking on an odd expression. 'It must have been over a hundred years ago,' the old woman replied, her face suddenly brightening with comprehension. 'A hundred years is about right. That should be ample time for the Muling people to recover and strengthen their forces,' Wang Tiangu said, with a faintly sarcastic tone. 'You're absolutely right. It's time to begin a new phase of conflict. This time, we'll surely lose many more cultivators. Yet how remarkably coincidental it is that we've just happened to encounter the Muling people's vanguard. Nan Long Hou murmured, his face showing a touch of resignation. Everyone else, upon hearing this, also found the situation remarkably fortuitous. 'Coincidences happen all the time. There's no need to be overly surprised. Nevertheless, at present, we have only two options: either to return along our original route without engaging the Muling vanguard directly, or—'" We'll seek out treasures at another time, for treasures don't grow legs—there will surely be more opportunities. However, the attacks by the Mulan people will certainly not cease within the next few years; in the short term, that's impossible. And who knows what the future holds—whether we'll be able to gather all of you again? That remains uncertain." The elder in white robes spoke solemnly. "No need to go on—definitely, the second path will involve direct action, breaking through their wind arrays. Yet the risk seems rather high. What if there are a few powerful elders among them, on the same level as ourselves? Then our success would be doubtful. Can't we find a way to avoid them altogether?" The elderly woman shook her head, expressing her disagreement. "We won't have time to evade them. Once the Mullan forces launch their attack, how could they limit themselves to just this initial wave? Even if we move to other directions, we'll still encounter them. But we can first conceal ourselves and see whether we can slip through from the side. As long as they don't directly collide with the center of the wind vortex, everything should be fine. And once they pass the vanguard of the Mulan forces, they'll have ample time to avoid the main body of the Fashi troops. Just in time to reach the Mulan Grasslands when their defenses are thin—making the treasure retrieval much smoother. After a moment of thoughtful consideration, the elder spoke seriously. Upon hearing the elder's suggestion, the others discussed briefly and agreed it was the best course of action. After all, no one wanted to miss this opportunity and wait for uncertain developments years down the line. Of course, this was also due to the fact that each of the Nanzhong Hou and his companions had reached the Yuan Ying stage of cultivation. Otherwise, even if the treasures were deeply appealing, they would have to return empty-handed and disheartened. In the meantime, however, these individuals had already dispatched several transmission seals, sending them toward the nearest outposts of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance. This way, the Alliance could be better prepared and not caught off guard by a sudden Mulan assault. This, too, fulfilled their duty as representatives of the southern heavens. Then the nine of them subdued their cultivation aura, concealed their forms, and began to move silently toward one side, aiming to skirt past the most turbulent central region and avoid the fiercest winds and sandstorms. Concerned that Wang Chan and Wang Tiangu's cultivation levels might be insufficient, Wang Tiangu had specially erected a large luminous dome, enclosing both of them within it. Under the very eyes of Han Li, the duo gradually faded from sight. While Han Li observed this, a subtle smirk played at the corner of his lips. With his divine awareness, how could he truly have missed the movements of Wang Tiangu and his companions? The distance of over a hundred li was covered in an instant. The wind and sand, hazy and yellowish, surged forth from the monstrous beings seemingly emerging from the heavens, pressing steadily from afar. Though the sand had not yet reached them, powerful gusts of wind rose first, forming towering columns that roared ahead. Fortunately, having earlier shifted their position away from the direct path of the wind currents, they had now reached a more distant side, where only a few scattered wind columns swept past, posing no real threat. These wind pillars ranged from several tens of zhang in diameter to several zhang in size, large enough to house several legal cultivators. Under the invisibility of Han Li, who now stood at such close range, he could clearly sense them through his divine awareness. Faintly, figures seemed to move within the pillars—clearly, cultivators were concealed within. Yet these cultivators had not noticed Han Li or his companions, each continuing to glide forward on the wind, unimpeded. Han Li and his party observed silently, moving with equally quiet grace. As they approached, the advancing sandstorm, sweeping in behind them, seemed poised to engulf them. The foremost figure, Nan Long Hou, suddenly changed expression and sent out a warning voice. "Unfavorable! Be careful to the side!" Upon hearing this, Han Li turned to look—his face instantly pale. A colossal wind pillar, thick enough to span a hundred zhang and stretching all the way to the sky, surged suddenly from afar, roaring directly toward them. Such a massive pillar must have been cast by a cultivator of no ordinary skill. Had this person just detected them? Han Li took a deep breath, and the Qingzhu Fengyun Sword within him stirred with eager anticipation. Though he had long heard of the famed Daoist cultivator, he had never actually seen him in person. Yet, witnessing him now under such circumstances was far from reassuring. The others likewise maintained a watchful, guarded stance, eyes fixed on the towering wind pillar. Some even had subtle glimmers of light pulsing along their hands, already drawing out their talismans. Yet, as the wind pillar passed close by, brushing against them, it seemed utterly unaware. This gave Nanlong Marquis a great sense of relief. In the brief pause, an endless deluge of sand and mist poured down from the sky, swiftly engulfing the group. The surroundings instantly dimmed, turning into a heavy, murky yellow hue that pressed heavily on the minds of all present. "Stay alert," the Nanlong Marquis said calmly. "This wind and sand is unusual—your awareness can't penetrate far. Don't lose sight of one another." Though the group knew it would be a simple matter to break through the veil of sand and mist. But thus, the movements of the group were now exposed. Fortunately, the yellow sand should pass swiftly, so Han Li and the others could only draw closer, continue to remain concealed, and advance with caution. However, after only a meal's time of flight, Han Li surveyed the dull, monotonous landscape around him and began to feel something was amiss. Suddenly, Han Li's form halted, and he floated motionless in the air, his flight light extinguished. Naturally, the southern Lu侯 and the others were all startled, and stopped in surprise. "Han Master, why haven't you moved on?" the old woman frowned slightly, expressing her mild displeasure. "Have none of you noticed anything unusual?" Han Li replied evenly. "What exactly do you mean by that?" The dark-complexioned man darted forward, standing beside Han Li, his expression now somewhat astonished. Upon hearing this, Wang Tiangu and the white-robed elder exchanged glances, and both of them also showed signs of surprise. "Actually, I needn't say it—some of you should have noticed it already. We've traveled this long distance through the swirling sand, yet we've encountered not a single cultivator. Not only that, but all the cultivators seem to have gathered precisely in the central region of the sandstorm. Moreover, the scenery around us has remained unchanged throughout. What does this signify? I'm sure you all understand by now!" Han Li said, his face looking grim.