"The token! I clearly saw it go into the storage bag." A moment later, he gasped. Then, still unsatisfied, he tipped his storage bag onto the ground. A swirl of white mist erupted from the bag's opening, revealing a heap of subpar magical artifacts and a sparse number of low-tier spiritual stones scattered on the floor. Upon seeing the items on the ground, the man's face instantly turned pale, his green glow surging all at once. Without a word, he transformed into a streak of astonished light and sped toward the hall's entrance. A long sigh echoed through the hall, followed by a sudden ripple of silver light along the walls. One after another, waves of silver light surged upward, forming a vast, shimmering dome that enveloped the man. The man snorted, his streak of light showing no sign of slowing. Instead, he raised a hand and struck the storage bag at his waist, and instantly, a black, mountain-climbing spirit beast leaped out, crashing directly into the outer barrier. A deep, resonant crash echoed as the silver enclosure swayed not at all, simply rebounding the spirit beast. The human felt a chill at this sight, but then clenched his teeth and exhaled a blue flying spear that instantly fused with the glow of his artifact, forming a broad, radiant blue arc that struck the enclosure with force. Another thunderous "boom" followed, the blue light being forcefully reflected several paces away, spiraling before nearly falling to the ground. "Brother Gu, there's no need for you to worry. This hall is actually the heart of the entire Huanglong Mountain array—the most powerful section of the seal. Once you've entered here, you'll never be able to leave." A calm voice spoke from within the hall, so familiar it sounded exactly like that bearded man's. "You're not truly dead, are you? The person who appeared to have died was merely a flesh puppet, wasn't he? I've long heard that among the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, there's a mysterious cultivator skilled in crafting blood-and-flesh puppets that are indistinguishable from the original." "To our surprise, it's all true." The glow within the blue dome dimmed, revealing a figure—Gu Duipu of the Yuling Sect. Though now pale with a沉郁 gaze, he still managed to remain composed. "Gu brother indeed knows a great deal about the Nine Kingdoms Alliance's affairs. Even the matter of the substitute puppets is familiar to you. Indeed, the one you just eliminated was merely a puppet I myself just activated. Even a Yuan-Ence cultivator of your caliber failed to notice the difference—undeniably, from an external perspective, it is truly indistinguishable." Moreover, I should have anticipated this all along—after cultivating the double-tailed jade serpent for several centuries, it may indeed be extraordinarily toxic, yet it could hardly easily eliminate a Yuan-Infant cultivator. Originally, I had only intended to severely injure you with it. It was only after the first strike that I mistakenly believed I had underestimated the serpent's potency. It seems I have indeed been overly confident." Gu Duipu spoke with a face as still as water, a subtle trace of regret visible in his eyes. "Heh! Lu, I commissioned this body-double merely out of spontaneous enthusiasm. Of course, I never truly believed such a mere inanimate object could compare to a true outer-embodiment. Yet, even this simple puppet has revealed Gu brother as a traitor secretly collaborating with Mulan—so it wasn't entirely wasted on me in terms of spiritual stones." The Lu-named Han man spoke without anger, but with a smile. Gu Duipu's face tightened slightly, and he fell silent for a moment. Yet after a while, he coldly asked, "From your tone, it seems you already knew I would come to you. Then you must have prepared this body-double in advance." "Could it be that as soon as I arrived at the Flame Dragon Mountain, you noticed something amiss?" "This isn't the case. How could I suddenly doubt the elders of Yuling Sect without reason? I only received a hint from someone else. Initially, I was still somewhat skeptical, but now I am certain. Please, let us have both Han and Ma join us." The bearded man shook his head and then shouted to the left and right. Upon hearing this, Gu Duipu could no longer maintain his gloomy expression; his face turned pale with shock. As a result, a yellow glow flashed on either side of the hall, and two figures stepped forward—one composed and calm, Han, and the other solemn and serious, the elder Ma. "It's truly surprising," said the elder Ma, his face full of sorrow and regret, "that you, Gu, would go so far as to do such a thing. What benefits must have been offered by the Mulan people to make you act so utterly desperate?" "Hmph! Desperate? I myself am of Mulan origin—what could be more desperate than that?" Gu Duipu stared at the elder, coldly retorting. "Are you from Mulan?" This surprised the bearded man and the others, who were all taken aback. "Of course. What benefit could you possibly offer to secure the allegiance of a Yuan婴 cultivator like me? How do you, the southern cultivators, know about the scarcity of cultivation resources in our Mulan grasslands? Each year, countless low-level cultivators who were poised for advancement fail to reach their potential due to the lack of pills and spiritual stones—without these essential aids, they simply miss their prime cultivation windows and eventually wither into dust after a century or so. How can it be that your cultivators occupy such prime locations, while we, the Mulan cultivators, are forced to count each spiritual stone meticulously? Simply provide us with the cultivation resources from the south, and within a century, our number of cultivators will double. With such strength, we shall be able to defeat the Xianshi of the Tutu people and dominate the entire Mulan grasslands." As Gu Duipu spoke, a streak of wildness flashed in his eyes. Upon hearing this, the bearded man and the others exchanged glances, stunned. "Defeated the 'Sudden People.' How did I hear this? It seems that your main forces, the Mulan, suffered a crushing defeat in the final battle against them, and now most of the Mulan Grasslands have fallen into their hands. That's why you're now so determined to make a bold move against us in the southern heavens." Han Li spoke suddenly, his expression impassive. "You... how do you know this?... You eavesdropped on my private conversation with Le Shang Master." Upon hearing Han Li's words, Gu Shuangpu was first startled, then quickly grasped the implication. Immediately, her face turned stern, her eyes blazing with intensity, as if she wanted to devour him whole. "Indeed, Gu brother has grasped the situation swiftly. This is no fault of mine. After all, you and that concealed master have been freely using private transmission techniques in front of me, without restraint. And my awareness is just slightly stronger than that of peers. Thus, your whispered words have naturally reached my ears, and I've been able to alert Lu Master accordingly." Han Li maintained his expression, speaking calmly. "Good. Very good! A hundred measures, one flaw! It's a pity that after my long stay in the southern heavens, I've made such a critical oversight just before the decisive moment. I truly didn't deserve this. But your awareness is only slightly superior to that of a peer? Hmph! Isn't that a bit too modest on your part? Do you really think my inner-communication technique is ordinary? Besides the powerful awareness of a late Yuan-Ying stage cultivator, I can't recall any other method that would allow someone to eavesdrop on our conversations without being detected." Gu Du Pu fixed his gaze firmly on Han Li, his face pale, yet still coldly insisted. "Late Yuan-Ying stage?" The elder with the surname Ma was instantly startled. The bearded man also reacted with surprise, staring at Han Li in astonishment. Han Li, however, furrowed his brows slightly—unaware that his awareness's strength had been inadvertently revealed. Yet soon after, his brows relaxed, and his expression remained neutral, making it difficult to gauge the depth of his insight. This反而 made the bearded man and the elder named Ma somewhat doubtful. After all, a cultivator at the initial stage of Yuan婴 could possess a consciousness no less than that of a late-stage cultivator—how could that be anything short of extraordinary? Gusu Pang saw these silver blossoms and immediately felt as if confronted by a venomous scorpion, his expression growing increasingly displeased. Without a single thought, he quickly slapped his body several times, causing multiple colorful light shields to rise around him. At the same time, he pointed at the blue flying spear before him, which spun rapidly and then darted upward, transforming into a blue luminous screen that shielded his head. "Let's go. There's nothing more to see now. No matter how high his cultivation level, he won't be able to withstand this seal for long. Soon, he'll be utterly annihilated by lightning and fire. We should now discuss the aftermath. Though he is a spy of the Mulan people, he is still a senior elder of the Yuling Sect, and we must carefully explain the situation to the other members of the alliance. Otherwise, there may be further complications." After the silver blossoms burst and filled the entire light shield, the bald man seemed uninterested in lingering, turning his gaze seriously to Han Li and the other two.