Two other senior fashis gathered together and spoke softly. After a moment of discussion, the taller of the two, swaying slightly, moved into the black-robed man's presence, guided by a swirling band of emerald light. "Master Tian Ku, has the process begun? The cultivation array here seems to be even more powerful than the one we encountered earlier. And it's said there are quite a few Yuan-Infant cultivators here—perhaps we'll need to spend a bit more time." The Yuan-Infant fashi spoke politely and warmly to the black-robed man. "We don't need to intervene first; they're already beginning to emerge. Let's first assess the capabilities of these local cultivators, and then we'll decide." The black-robed cultivator shook his head, his voice hoarse and stiff, almost indistinct—seeming as though he had no tongue at all—making the listeners feel quite uncomfortable. Yet, as soon as these words were spoken, the slender, bamboo-like fashi looked startled, quickly turning toward the misty sea, as if deeply convinced by the black-robed man's words. Indeed, the mist sea below, which had previously remained still, began to surge and roll violently within moments of speaking, suddenly splitting in two to reveal a passage several zhang wide. Then, flashes of light erupted from within, and seven long streaks of floating light shot out, spiraling above the mist sea before coalescing into distinct figures—exactly those recognized by Han Li and his companions. Under the suggestion of the bearded man, no junior cultivators accompanied this group this time, aside from the two Jin Dan cultivators from Yuan Tian Tai Valley, only the Chongxu Daoist followed behind. After settling his stance, Han Li raised his gaze toward the vast expanse of dark cultivators above. Naturally, the leading group of cultivators caught his attention, especially the dark-robed figure with an eerie, spectral presence—so striking was this figure that Han Li's eyes narrowed immediately. The first impression he received was instantly reminiscent of Xuan Gu Shangren, the cultivator he had personally defeated. Could it be that the other party were indeed ghost cultivators? Han Li felt a sudden chill, his alertness sharply heightened. When the Xuan Gu Style master had not yet seized the body of the spirit-bound cultivator, he too exuded a cold, ghostly aura—though it seemed subtly different from this person's essence, and the precise nature of that difference, Han Li could not quite articulate. How shall we compete—one-on-one, or a mixed battle with varying numbers? A faint figure within the ball of fire quivered slightly, and then a thunderous voice erupted suddenly, shaking the space around it so that the nearby figures' faces grew pale. "One-on-one," the bearded man replied coldly, without hesitation, fixing his gaze on the figure within the fire. "Excellent! That's precisely what Master Li intended. Master Li shall be your first opponent. Whomever you choose to send first." The figure within the fire laughed heartily, then launched into a bold and unreserved call for battle. Naturally, the bearded man and the others were furious, and the elder named Ma in particular grew serious, his face darkening with the aura of a warrior as he took flight. The landholder named Lu hesitated slightly, but ultimately chose not to intervene, thus allowing Ma to face off in the first match. After all, in his mind, among the four Yuan-Stage cultivators who had emerged, aside from Han Li, the newly advanced cultivator, he simply couldn't say which of the other three possessed greater prowess. When the fire sphere in the air saw the white light surge forth, Kuo Yao immediately shot upward without a word, retreating swiftly. A short while later, the two of them reached the central position between the misty sea and the army of legal cultivators, halting their flight. Now, each of them could freely and confidently engage in combat, free from the fear of the other suddenly intervening. "Oh! That makes sense. Brother Gu! If I'm not mistaken, the "Decisive Vitality Qi Technique" of Hao Ran Pavilion is known for its invulnerability to water and fire, capable of repelling evil and driving away spirits. Against this master of the arts, it should be able to gain a slight advantage." The man with a balding forehead turned his face toward the other side, asking with some hesitation. "That's harder to say. If it were a typical fire-based technique, the Decisive Vitality Qi Technique would handle it effortlessly. But I observe that the opposing master radiates intense internal fire—clearly having mastered the three essences of celestial and terrestrial spiritual fire. I suspect the Decisive Vitality Qi Technique may not be able to overcome him after all. Nevertheless, among us, only Master Ma is best suited to counter this particular opponent. Even if the Decisive Vitality Qi Technique cannot defeat him directly, it should remain unaffected by his magical fire, and thus, there will be no fear of being overwhelmed by internal fire attacks." Brother Gu, his eyes flickering with hesitation, spoke slowly. Upon hearing this, the man with the balding forehead immediately confirmed his own thoughts, exhaled deeply, Han Li, however, glanced at the fire serpent within the fire ball for a moment longer, his eyes flashing with a blue glow several times. A strange expression briefly appeared on his face, before he calmly resumed his usual demeanor. At that moment, the elderly man named Ma pressed his palms together in a series of gestures, a soft layer of white light radiating from his body. Then, he opened his mouth, and a silver glow the size of a walnut shot out, expanding in the wind until it transformed into a silver-white ruler. The ruler trembled slightly, its silver light shimmering in countless patterns, and a clear, melodic sound rose like a phoenix's call echoing across the heavens. Facing him, Ku Yao, who had initially been bold and aggressive, now remained completely still, making no moves at all—only calmly observing the flames with arms folded, a subtle hint of contempt visible on his face. Seeing this, Ma's elder was deeply annoyed, snorting coldly and intending to move first. Yet at that very moment, a faint inner voice reached his ears—a sound barely audible, yet remarkably clear. The elderly man named Ma was first startled, then looked down with growing suspicion, his gaze sweeping over the several spectators before settling on Han Li, whose face now bore a strange expression. Seeing this, Han Li offered the man a gentle smile. Ma was now deeply surprised, hesitating before lifting his head toward the strange python coiled upon Ku Yue's body, his expression gradually growing serious. "Is your fire python any ordinary spiritual creature?" Ma asked, his eyes flashing with intensity, his tone now grave as he turned to Ku Yue across the way. "Hmm! You do have some discernment. My fire python is formed from the essence of the celestial fire spirit—nothing ordinary can compare." Ku Yue paused slightly, then broke into a fierce smile. Then, as his body trembled, the red glow of the python on his person surged brightly, suddenly soaring into the sky and transforming within the radiance—its head sprouting a single horn, its belly gaining sharp claws—now taking the form of a vibrant, shimmering fire dragon that reared and thrashed proudly above Ku Yue's head. "Fire spirit manifesting!" The bearded man sitting below gasped, his voice rising in surprise. Gu Shuangpu's face also grew pale. The elderly man named Ma felt his heart sink even deeper. The opponent's mastery of the fire-based cultivation technique had reached the level of fully integrating the fire spirit—an achievement far beyond the ordinary Yuan-En pass. This would surely mean a fierce battle. With this realization, the Ma elder's original intention to deploy only seven-tenths of his strength vanished entirely. Instead, he took a deep breath, waved his sleeve, and a glowing five-colored object shot forth from his sleeve, spiraling before coming to rest a few feet in front of him, floating effortlessly in mid-air. Immediately, the nearby cultivators and distant masters turned their attention to the object. After all, any treasure that emits a shimmering five-color glow is typically no ordinary item in rank. Han Li also narrowed his eyes, gazing intently at the object. It was slender and round, and turned out to be a pale yellow scroll several feet long. The scroll, facing the opposite cave's elder, slowly unfolded downward under the solemn incantation of the elderly man with the surname Ma. To everyone's surprise, it revealed a seemingly ordinary Ba-Gua diagram. At that moment, the Ma elder cast a simple spell upon it, causing the scroll to radiate vibrant five-colored light and emit a powerful, unprecedented surge of energy from the diagram. Noticing the unusual commotion, the elder in the opposite cave immediately pointed at the elder across the way without hesitation. The fiery dragon coiled atop his head raised its neck and opened its mouth, spewing forth an endless stream of blazing red flames that instantly engulfed both the Ma elder and the Ba-Gua diagram in a vast ocean of fire.