"Yes. The young maid will still remain hidden in the shadows as before, stepping in at the right moment to assist." A flash of white light passed through the fox's body, and after a roll, she transformed into a beautiful young widow, bowing gracefully to Han Li before revealing her fox-like charm. "Indeed, that's exactly how it has been. Your timing during the confrontation with the Grand Master of Yan Yue Sect last time was particularly well-chosen." Han Li nodded, offering rare praise. "Thank you, Master, for your kind words. I will do my best." With a gentle smile, she gathered the two treasures in her hands, then brightened with a yellow glow, vanishing silently before Han Li, becoming formless. Observing this, Han Li's eyes flickered several times, and then he raised his gaze, scanning the distance, his expression briefly hardening. A flash of green light carried him into the mist on one side, and he disappeared. At the same time, as numerous cultivators ventured deeper into the mist, the residual seals within the mist sea began to activate one after another, revealing waves of deadly threats. Fortunately, most of the cultivators were following closely behind the massive rhinoceros leading the way, and this great beast bore the various restrictions with complete indifference. Whether it was fiery balls, icy spears, lightning-infused soil spikes, or attacks of any other nature, they struck the creature's body only as if gently scratching—it had no effect at all, merely being deflected effortlessly by the dark, armored hide of the rhinoceros. The great rhinoceros itself paid no heed to these assaults, simply charging forward steadily and vigorously. Whenever a barrier or restriction appeared before it, the immense body of the beast simply crashed through, breaking through with unstoppable momentum, and in one breath, it reached the open space where a fiery meteor had previously shattered the fog. This space stretched over a hundred paces wide, and all the mist had vanished completely. At this moment, the cultivators trailing behind the rhinoceros remained unharmed. Yet strangely, among these cultivators, only four were at the Jie Dan stage—the senior master at the Yuan Ying level was entirely absent. It was unclear whether the three green-robed women had vanished into the mist after entering, or whether they had some other, more mysterious intention. At this spot, where the mist had entirely vanished, the cultivators slightly relaxed, and several Dan-stage cultivators gathered together to discuss their next move. Yet at that very moment, two long, shimmering spears of silver suddenly shot forth from the dense mist ahead, wreathed in lightning arcs and emitting a continuous roar. The cultivators were startled, and two Dan-stage cultivators immediately raised their hands, releasing one blue and one red streak of brilliant light to meet the spears head-on, aiming to deflect them. Unexpectedly, the two silver spears did not collide directly with the cultivators' divine artifacts, but instead spun once and then surged forward at increased speed, slashing diagonally toward the massive rhinoceros beast. The Dan-stage cultivators were first taken aback, but soon reassured themselves—how could ordinary divine artifacts possibly wound such a resilient creature? What surprised them even more, however, was that the two spears did not strike the rhinoceros directly. As they flew upward and approached the beast, they suddenly paused. Then, without warning, the two silver spears suddenly crossed and struck each other with a sharp impact. A thunderous roar erupted, followed instantly by a remarkably thick electric arc that burst forth from the point of impact, plunging straight down and striking the giant beast's head with full force. The azure protective glow on the giant rhinoceros flickered and was instantly shattered by the silver arc, which struck solidly against its dark armor plates. A deep rumbling sound echoed as the electric light faded, and the rhinoceros stood unharmed. Yet, clearly agitated, the beast roared skyward and then suddenly opened its mouth, launching a snow-white ice spear several zhang long toward the silver spears in the air. The two spears, showing no intention to linger, slightly sidestepped to avoid the ice spear, released another arc of silver energy, and then swiftly darted back into the dense mist. Seeing this, the rhinoceros' eyes grew even more intense in hue, and without a word, it raised its hooves and charged after them at full speed. Several Dan-stage cultivators were startled, quickly summoning their fellow cultivators behind them and rushing forward to pursue. However, before they could even move, sudden flashes of various colors emerged from the dense fog, and hundreds of cultivators materialized from all around, deploying numerous artifacts and launching a relentless assault toward the central group. The Mu Lan cultivators were naturally furious and enraged; those casting artifacts did so, those employing spiritual techniques did likewise, and the scene instantly became chaotic. In this brief delay, the giant rhinoceros beast had already vanished into the thick fog. The several Dan-stage cultivators were momentarily blocked by a few senior cultivators, who held them firmly in place, leaving them completely helpless. Naturally, they were incensed, intending to leverage their numbers to rally their fellow cultivators and overwhelm these senior figures. Yet, at that very moment, the senior cultivators simultaneously withdrew their artifacts and turned, calmly retreating into the misty sea. Witnessing this, the cultivators exchanged glances, uncertain whether to pursue or not, hesitating somewhat. "There are too many of them, all acting separately. Most of the nearby seals have already been compromised. As long as we stay alert, nothing major will happen. Since they've come to bother us, we should pursue them and eliminate these cultivators in one go. As for the great beasts, even the Juandan cultivators simply cannot harm them. After we've eliminated these cultivators, we can still go back to retrieve the beasts." A senior Juandan cultivator, clearly the leader among them, calmly instructed after a moment's thought. Then he himself transformed into a streak of brilliant light and shot directly into the mist ahead, pursuing a Juandan cultivator who had taken flight. Upon hearing this, the other cultivators immediately grouped in small units and scattered in all directions, rushing off to follow. The thick mist rolled and churned, then settled down within a short while, leaving the scene completely empty of figures. Yet a few moments later, a figure emerged from the green mist, walking in with hands behind his back, calm and composed. Looking at his erudite and serene bearing, it was clearly the elderly Ma-family master. Though his complexion was slightly pale, his eyes shone with brilliant vitality, showing no sign of diminished inner power. After reaching the center of the open space, the master glanced around, then suddenly adopted a puzzled expression. "Since I've already emerged, why does my companion still hide? This level of concealment technique is simply beyond my detection." He spoke calmly, his gaze fixed on a spot where no one stood, his expression utterly composed. "Hmph! I didn't expect your awareness to be so sharp. I had originally planned to surprise you with something. It seems that plan has fallen through." A sharp male voice issued from that spot, followed by a flash of dark mist, revealing the tall, slender monk. As soon as he stepped into view, he immediately moved without a word, rubbing his palms together and then suddenly thrusting them forward toward the elder. At once, dozens of black streaks, as thick as thumbs, burst forth like a sudden downpour, completely enveloping the elderly man named Ma. ... Amid the thick mist, only a few hundred paces away from Ma and the slender monk, the bearded man stared impassively at the figure before him, now engulfed in a blazing fire. The intensity of the flames around this figure had gradually transformed the surrounding mist into nothing, clearing the area within thirty or forty paces to a bright, crisp clarity. "Hmph. You think by blocking my path you can save your companion? Master Wen's spiritual arts are indeed formidable—how could you, as cultivators, possibly know this?" Kuo Yao had originally intended to slip around the elderly man to join forces with the slender monk for a coordinated assault, only to be unexpectedly intercepted midway by the bearded man, leaving him deeply frustrated. "You take the time to care for others—why not focus first on your own survival? Though Ma's friend has yet to recover from yesterday's battle, I suspect you've also expended considerable spiritual energy." With just a single night's rest, combined with the substantial spiritual energy expended during the just-concluded spiritual array ceremony, you should be quite weak, right? The large man remained unmoved, instead gazing at the viewer with half-closed eyes. Then, as he opened his mouth, a short, white-hazy staff shot forth from his lips. After spiraling through the air and gently trembling before him, the staff emitted a brilliant white glow, becoming increasingly dazzling. Upon witnessing this display, the other person displayed a look of disdain, preparing to summon his own powers to meet the challenge. Yet suddenly, his expression changed dramatically. He noticed that the light on the opposing side began to shift—from the original white-hazy hue gradually transforming into a golden-yellow tone. Simultaneously, a faint golden creature's silhouette materialized upon the staff, resembling a massive golden monkey. Though not as towering as the great rhinoceros, it stood at a height of five or six zhang. Moreover, upon closer inspection, this monkey was born with four fluffy ears, appearing grotesquely ugly and fierce. As soon as it emerged, it raised both hands to its chest, heaved a thunderous roar toward the sky, then lowered its gaze and fixed it fiercely on the Kuyao across the way. "Spirit of the artifact! Your divine treasure is actually a spirit of the artifact!" Kuyao, now clearly seeing the form of this monster, finally gasped aloud. "Heh! This is the first time since I've captured the Four-Eared Golden Monkey spirit that I've revealed it before a human audience. Should you perish here, there will be nothing to complain about." The land-dwelling Han man flashed a glint of murderous intent, then pressed his palms together in a series of gestures. The giant monkey's form grew ever more distinct, and the short staff instantly swelled to over ten zhang in length. The giant monkey, now resembling a genuine mythical beast, reached out without hesitation, seized the staff firmly in its hand, and then leapt into the air, transforming into a blazing sphere of golden light, charging straight at the Han man. … The green-robed woman was not with the tall, slender priest or Her objective was simple: to rely solely on her own divine abilities, rush directly to the heart of the array, and destroy its central hub—once that was done, the great array would naturally fall. Of course, before that, she had to eliminate one cultivator first. Since entering the thick mist, she had clearly sensed a faint, intermittent trace of spiritual awareness lingering upon her own, one that even her nearly late Yuan-Enlightenment-level spiritual perception could not fully block out. This observation filled her with alarm and intensified her resolve to eliminate the young cultivator. A cultivator possessing such unusual and mysterious powers, if left unremoved, might unexpectedly cause unforeseen complications during the coming great battle. Fortunately, the young cultivator seemed confident in his own abilities and did not conceal his presence—he openly invited her, a Yuan-Enlightenment stage cultivator, to approach him. Upon hearing this, the woman gave a quiet chuckle and swiftly took off toward him. When she sensed the young cultivator approaching within less than a hundred paces, the green-robed woman gently withdrew her white light, slowed her flight, and came to a halt. Though confident in her own abilities, she showed no intention of engaging the unknown opponent abruptly, without first assessing whether there might be any hidden traps. With one hand, she lightly tapped her storage belt, and suddenly, a round orb of jade-green hue floated into her hands.