"This person, if my guess is correct, is deeply accomplished—perhaps even on par with Master Muran. Ordinary cultivators would find it difficult to match him; in fact, they might even provoke his fierce temperament. Moreover, he possesses the means to lift the Seal of Soul Preservation. I certainly don’t want to alert him prematurely." Han Li shook his head and spoke slowly. "On par with Master Muran! Then he must be a late Yuan-Ying stage cultivator? If so, my younger brother absolutely cannot go alone. This would be too dangerous. We should invite Master Long Han and Lady Feng Bing to assist us." The silver-haired elder exclaimed in astonishment. "Although Masters Long Han and Feng Bing are capable of handling this individual, it will take them at least three or four months—one way or the return—making it too late. The person in the scroll only allotted me two months, clearly estimating my return date. Yet he did not anticipate that I would return so swiftly. I shall need to carefully consider this matter before deciding on the best course of action." Most importantly, we must find a way to lift the soul-sealing spell. After taking a deep breath, Han Li spoke calmly. "Very well. If my younger brother needs any assistance, just let me know. All the disciples within the sect can be freely assigned to him." The silver-haired elder could only nod in agreement. "Thank you, elder brother. According to Wan'er's scroll, the technique she employs should theoretically delay the onset of the soul-sealing spell by nearly a century. However, no one has actually tested its effectiveness yet. I'm genuinely concerned about the results." Han Li gazed at the lifelike young girl depicted on the ice wall, murmuring softly, his face showing clear concern. "You needn't worry so much. From the way Nan Gong looks, she doesn't seem like someone who would perish. This ordeal will surely pass. Then, starting today, I'll search through some ancient texts to see if I can find a method to counteract this poison spell. Perhaps I won't even need to seek out the black-robed man." After a moment's thought, the elder offered a reassuring smile. "Thank you, brother. If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here alone for a while. I hope you won't think it odd." Han Li suddenly managed a weak smile. "Of course. Then you go ahead to the Library. I'll stay and accompany my sister for a while." The silver-haired elder was momentarily surprised, but quickly understood and replied. Then, after watching Han Li's gaze, he stepped out of the chamber and closed the stone door behind him. The room was now left with only Han Li and the young girl frozen within the ice wall. Han Li turned to gaze at the ice wall, his face expressing a sense of quiet loneliness, and sighed deeply. For the entire day and night, Han Li had not left the chamber. When the silver-haired elder returned from the Library and saw Han Li still inside, he grew somewhat concerned. After waiting another half-day, feeling increasingly uneasy, he was about to break through the door when Han Li finally emerged, his expression calm and composed. "Han brother, are you all right?" "The elder couldn't help but ask, his face filled with surprise. Seeing the elder waiting outside,韩立 felt a warm surge of gratitude and apologized, saying, 'It's nothing. I've just been thinking inside about my strategies for defense. Thank you, brother, for your concern. From now until the deadline mentioned by that person, there are still another fifteen days. I plan to enter meditation and prepare myself. Unless there's something urgent, brother, please don't bother me.'" "Closing off now? With such a short time frame—will that make any difference?" The silver-haired elder was momentarily stunned, looking puzzled. "I've recently gathered some Jing Qi and intend to reforge my original artifacts. This way, when I face opponents in the future, they'll be a bit more powerful. It shouldn't take very long,"韩立 replied vaguely. "Ah, I see. Then, brother, go ahead and meditate. I'll instruct the other disciples in the sect to avoid disturbing you." The elder now understood clearly and readily agreed. "Also, since this ice wall has already taken shape, I won't simply move away without cause—otherwise, there might be some harm caused. However, I'll set up several magical arrays around the inner chamber to ensure Wan'er remains safe. I'll be greatly obliged if Brother could keep an eye on her a bit longer." Han Li said seriously. "Rest assured, Brother. The incident involving Nan Gong Daojun at our Luoyun Sect—my position as Grand Elder already makes me accountable. I've already designated this area as a sacred precinct, restricting ordinary disciples from entering. Wan'er's safety is absolutely guaranteed." The silver-haired elder spoke without hesitation, clearly having also considered this matter carefully. "Then I shall feel at ease. The sooner, the better. I'll immediately begin setting up the arrays and then close myself off for meditation." Han Wen said, his eyes flashing with a glint of brightness. ... Half a day later, Han Li returned to his abode after speaking with the elder. To his surprise, Mu Peilin had somehow learned of his return and was already waiting for him outside the pavilion. Han Li's face flashed with a moment of surprise, yet he still invited her in. "Nan Gong sister is all right, isn't she? I heard she was injured, but I haven't received any definite news. I've been worried ever since." As soon as Mu Peilin entered the hall and hadn't even taken her seat, she asked with some anxiety. "How is it? You and Wan'er have been getting along well?" Han Li asked calmly after settling himself in the main seat. "Yes, we've been getting along very well. Nan Gong sister is so kind. During the time when the young lord has been away, she has given me several valuable pieces of advice on my cultivation, which have greatly benefited me," Mu Peilin replied without hesitation. Han Li remained silent for a moment before breaking into a wry smile: "Hearing this, I should be delighted. Yet Wan'er is now under the Seal of the Soul, trapped in a seal. I simply can't feel joyful. Yet in just a few months, your cultivation has clearly advanced. It's clear you haven't slackened in your practice at all. This fills me with genuine satisfaction. Now, I shall be closing myself off for the next month. "Let's see if we can unravel the poison curse on Wan'er." "An immortal-sealing spell? It's actually a magical toxin of this kind. That's quite troublesome. Master, shouldn't you have some way to handle it?" Mu Peilin was surprised and asked immediately. "There's not much I can do—only by targeting the one who cast the spell. Once he's in my hands, I'm certain I'll be able to coax him into revealing the method of the cure." Han Li said, his expression suddenly stern and intense. Mu Peilin remained deeply concerned, her brows furrowed. At that moment, Han Li's younger disciple, Liu Yu, also arrived. Besides coming to pay his respects to Master Han, she had come to inquire about Nan Gong Wan's condition. Given her sharp instincts, she had already made a point of cultivating a close relationship with Nan Gong Wan, the future mistress of the household. Upon seeing Liu Yu arrive, Han Li decided not to conceal anything and briefly recounted the details of the immortal-sealing spell once again, which moved her no less than it had moved Mu Peilin. Yet, given her level of cultivation and experience, she too found herself at Han Li had no intention of lingering and chatting with the two women. After a brief conversation, he simply began to see them out. The two women, naturally, did not wish to create any disturbance at this moment, and thus promptly stepped out of the pavilion. As soon as they stepped outside the pavilion, Li Yu’s eyes sparkled, and she suddenly smiled gently at Mu Pei Ling, saying, “Master Friend, though you are the mistress’s attendant, you still seem to be a virgin, don’t you think? That’s why Master treats you like a guest. Given your graceful appearance, does Master not find you appealing at all? Or is there some hidden reason? The newly arrived Nan Gong mistress, in terms of beauty, even surpasses you. Go ahead and make your own way.” “What does this mean…” Mu Pei Ling was taken aback, her face slightly flushed as she tried to respond, but before she could speak, the woman merely smiled lightly and then vanished into a beam of light, drifting through the air. Mu Pei Ling stood motionless, stunned, for a long while, before finally stomping her foot and taking off into the sky on her own vehicle. As soon as the two women had departed, Han Li took the time to inspect the herb garden and the insect chamber. Everything appeared normal. He immediately proceeded to the inner chamber with several crafting materials, intending to use his Yuan婴 fire to infuse the Jing Gong into the thirty-six flying swords. In fact, his Jing Gong—besides what he had obtained from the Supreme Yang Master and the contributions from the Mulan people—had, upon returning from Tianyi City, been further supplemented by Long Han, who had leveraged the strength of the Heaven's Way Alliance to secure an additional small piece. Thus, there was more than sufficient Jing Gong to incorporate into thirty of the flying swords. Incorporating the materials into the already-crafted artifacts was not particularly complex. However, accomplishing all this within just over a month proved rather hurried. Han Li could only give his full attention to the task. Only when he had mastered half of the Da Jing Jian Array would he be able to stand a chance against a Yuan婴后期 cultivator. As for the black-robed man who had cast the Sealing Soul spell upon Nan Gong Wan, he was almost certainly the Master of Yin Luo Sect. He had to obtain the method to dispel the curse directly from the other person's mouth—this half-completed Great Geng Sword Array was precisely his trump card. Thinking of this, Han Li reached down and removed a storage pouch from his waist, then raised it toward the sky. After a flash of霞light at the pouch's opening, several pieces of varying sizes of Geng Essence material materialized on the ground beneath him. He then extracted another set of auxiliary materials from a different storage pouch and placed them as well on the ground. Han Li settled into a meditative posture and immediately pointed at the smallest piece of Geng Essence. The pale golden original stone instantly floated upward and gently drifted toward Han Li. Han Li kept his eyes fixed, watching until the stone hovered three feet in front of him and remained still. Then, he pressed two hands together in a series of gestures and exhaled a bright, jade-green infant flame. A soft "pffft" sound echoed. The green infant flame struck the Geng Essence stone precisely, instantly enveloping it completely. The incantation in Han Li's mouth gradually rose, and the jade infant flame instantly grew more vigorous, its glow intensifying steadily. The original stone floating within began to gradually melt. Han Li's expression grew serious, his gaze fixed on the object without blinking. After half an hour had passed, most of the impurities had transformed into a milky liquid that dripped onto the ground. The Jingjing original stone had now become semi-transparent, and its volume had shrunk considerably. Seeing this, Han Li swept his sleeve casually, lifting a jade box from the ground. The lid of the box opened instantly, revealing a shimmering powder inside. The powder immediately transformed into a silver serpent, which shot into the transparent liquid in the air. A bright green light radiated out, and the semi-transparent liquid emitted a silvery glow. Then Han Li consecutively cast several hand seals, which vanished into the liquid.