As the sudden voice echoed, Han Li materialized at the entrance of the hall. "Brother Han, you've finally emerged from your meditation—what a relief!" While the other cultivators bowed to greet him, Lü Luo rose with a warm smile. "I haven't quite achieved complete success yet. I had intended to continue my meditation, but I've been concerned about certain matters concerning the Mu Lan people, so I came out to take a look first. It seems this visit has indeed been timely." Han Li chuckled lightly. "Heh! It sounds like you've heard the conversation of your younger siblings just now. In fact, quite a few people have been eager to see you recently. Aside from that, there's one thing you absolutely must attend to—tomorrow's high-level gathering, chaired personally by the three senior cultivators. Our Luoyun Sect is fielding nearly half of our strength, and I don't want our disciples to suffer too heavily. You should listen closely to the key figures and find out how they're planning to handle this battle, so I can have some confidence in the outcome." Lü Luo said with a serious expression. "Yes, now that I know about this matter, I'm certain I'll visit tomorrow. I've long admired the three senior cultivators, and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's gathering." Han Li readily agreed. Lü Luo was pleased with Han Li's response and then continued chatting with him about some recent developments over the past two months. "The legal cultivators have already begun sending forces to attack several of our key defensive arrays!" Han Li furrowed his brows in response to this news. "Indeed, this happened just three or four days ago. Though no casualties have been incurred yet, it clearly marks the beginning of the Mulan people's final preparations." Lü Luo's smile faded, and he spoke solemnly. "The Mullan people are nearing full readiness. How about our own troop arrangements? Shouldn't they also be nearly complete?" Han Li's eyes flashed with interest as he asked slowly. "We are quite different from the Mullan people. While the Mullan legal cultivators are composed of various tribal groups and thus somewhat disorganized, we in Tiannan have far more numerous and diverse sects." Organizing personnel based on their cultivation techniques, the power of their divine artifacts, or even their level of attainment is far more complicated than what the Muling people have to manage. Moreover, the Muling people have been well-prepared for this invasion for a long time. We have only just begun our preparations, so we are indeed a bit behind. Nevertheless, the four major factions have remained united, and now their preparations are progressing steadily. Even if battle breaks out immediately, they still possess a strong chance of victory." Lu Luo explained as he spoke. "So, it seems the great battle is truly imminent." Han Li rubbed his nose, his expression somewhat gloomy. "Most likely. Otherwise, the three senior cultivators wouldn't have gathered so quickly and convened an urgent meeting tomorrow. Yuan-Stage mid-level cultivators are among the very elite of our Tiannan region." Lu Luo sighed, speaking with a touch of resignation. As he and Han Li, two senior elders of Luoyun Sect, discussed, the other cultivators in the hall found their expressions growing increasingly serious. But then, Han Li suddenly changed the subject, asking about the recent arrangements of the disciples from Luoyun Sect. Lyu Luo and the others reported everything in detail to Han Li. When Han Li heard that most of the Luoyun disciples had been scattered and assigned into several groups of cultivators, spending their days practicing team-based combat skills, he merely nodded silently, saying nothing. Such an arrangement was quite normal. After all, this wasn't a scenario of individual cultivators engaging in one-on-one duels. Even the most skilled cultivators would be overwhelmed and defeated if attacked simultaneously by thousands of well-trained peers. Of course, under normal circumstances, these senior cultivators would not willingly place themselves in such perilous positions. As long as they weren't surrounded by large groups of cultivators, they could freely deploy broad-range techniques to wipe out large numbers of lower-level cultivators at once. Therefore, maintaining a balanced presence of high-level cultivators remained equally crucial. The current battle between cultivators and fashis was no different in this regard. The duels between the senior cultivators and Master Mulan would already mean a decisive defeat for either side if they couldn't counterbalance each other. While speaking to Han Li about the Luoyun Sect, his mind was already pondering the true intent behind the three senior cultivators of Tiannan gathering mid-stage Yuan婴 cultivators. Beyond merely arranging the movements of the cultivator army, there would likely be specific strategies devised to counter Master Mulan's grand influence. Han Li smiled coldly as he thought this through. Over the past two months, he had not only completely eliminated all the green-flame spirits on the Qingzhu Fengyun Sword, but also used the Bixie Divine Thunder to refine the green-flame mixed with Qingyuan sword energy into seven or eight luminous thunder pearls. The rest, however, failed to cohere and simply dispersed. Seeing this, Han Li could only chuckle—this was indeed a brilliant method to extinguish those green-lit flames. After chatting with these few individuals for a while, Han Li excused himself and left the hall, returning to the specially prepared pavilion where he settled to recuperate and restore his strength. The constant effort of driving out the green flame of his flying sword night and day, followed immediately by the rapid crafting of lightning pearls, had truly taken a heavy toll on him. … The next morning, Han Li departed from his base with calm composure, making his way steadily toward the central area. Soon, he caught a glimpse of the massive stone hall. Since the entire Tianyi City had been constructed on a temporary basis, even the grand halls specifically designed for the senior leaders of the four major powers were ordinary, somewhat rough in construction. Aside from being slightly larger than the council hall of the Tian Dao Alliance, they were nearly identical in design. Nevertheless, the attendants at the gate were several cultivators at the Ji Dan stage. As soon as Han Li approached, they immediately recognized him and welcomed him with their awareness scanning. One of the Dan-stage cultivators bowed first, then respectfully said, "Esteemed master, today's council meeting is open only to cultivators at the Yuan-Ying Mid-Stage or above. You are—?" But upon getting closer, one could notice that whenever this young man's gaze shifted, a sense of maturity occasionally surfaced, and subtle fish-eye wrinkles, incongruent with his outward appearance, became faintly visible at the corners of his eyes. Thus, his age seemed to have increased by over a decade. Yet strangely, upon first sight, others felt an indescribable softness and delicate femininity emanating from him—almost as though he were a woman dressed as a man—making it utterly peculiar. At the very moment he saw this man, Han Li felt a sudden sense of gravity settle upon him, his expression growing serious. This man was a mid-stage Yuan'ing cultivator, likely one of the attendees of the current gathering. Given his unusual demeanor, he was probably a magian cultivator. Han Li wasn't sure which sect he belonged to. As he quickly pondered, his gaze shifted slightly and settled on the woman standing half a step behind him. "Hmm!" Han Li murmured in mild surprise. The young woman was beautiful and graceful, dressed in a vibrant crimson gown. As she moved with elegant, fluid steps, her figure was slender and poised, exuding a captivating charm and an endless sense of grace. However, upon closely examining her face, Han Li first displayed a strange expression, which then gradually softened into a faint, wistful smile. Dong Xuan'er! It was indeed her. Now, without any doubt, Han Li knew. The seemingly elderly figure before her—appearing like a seasoned master—was undoubtedly a cultivator from the Héhuān Sect, the foremost sect of the magical path. It was surprising, after so many years, that Dong Xuan'er had achieved the Mid-stage of Condensation cultivation, especially considering her relatively mediocre spiritual root quality. Han Li stood motionless at the entrance of the hall, his gaze fixed upon the two figures, naturally drawing the attention of the other Condensation-level cultivators stationed there. Upon seeing her, however, most of these cultivators grew pale. One of them, particularly uneasy, murmured softly: "I didn't expect the ancient magical cultivator from the Héhuān Sect to have come as well." "An ancient magical cultivator?" "Upon hearing this, Han Li immediately recalled a certain individual. Besides the Yuan Ying period Huahuan elder-mage, the Cong family elder—known for his considerable reputation—was also notable. Born with a unique aptitude, he embodied both yin and yang, and practiced the most advanced magical cultivation method of the Huahuan Sect, excelling particularly in the art of gathering and replenishing essence. He referred to himself as the 'Yunlu True Person,' though others commonly called him the 'Yunlu Elder-Mage.' Whether due to the nature of his cultivation or his inherent passion for beauty, this elder-mage frequently undertook expeditions to capture and extract essence from those he found attractive—men and women of any stature. Once chosen, they were rarely spared. As a result, he had naturally incurred the displeasure of numerous sects and great clans. Yet, his cultivation was profoundly profound and elusive, and with the Huahuan Sect as his steadfast backing, others found it difficult to challenge him. Moreover, he was not particularly bloodthirsty; after successfully gathering essence from his captives, he would invariably release them. Thus, the affected sects and their senior mentors were often compelled to quietly conceal the truth and endure the Yet within the celestial cultivation realm of the southern lands, this young man was renowned—fearful even to those who met him. Upon hearing his name, young cultivators invariably fled at the first sign, and even those who managed to stay were visibly shaken, pale-faced, dreading being noticed and struck down. Could this very young man be the ancient monster they had long spoken of? Though not intimidated by him, Han Li found himself quietly uneasy, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. To his surprise, the handsome young man had also noticed Han Li standing at the entrance of the hall. With a narrowed gaze, he studied Han Li from a distance, then suddenly broke into a warm smile, revealing a subtle grace and charm. At this sight, Han Li felt a chill run down his spine. He managed a polite smile, then, without glancing at Dong Xuan'er's stunned expression upon seeing him, turned and strode confidently into the grand hall. He showed absolutely no intention of engaging with this ancient being. "Do you know that person?" Han Li asked, noting the sudden acceleration of his own heartbeat. Gazing slowly toward the young man walking toward the hall's entrance, his smile suddenly faded upon seeing韩立's figure disappear, and he gently inquired of Dong Xuan'er behind him.