"The Great Yanshan wasn't something I went all the way to the western lands to seize," said Han Li, his eyes flashing slightly, speaking calmly. "Rest assured! The Thousand Bamboo Sect is no longer under the control of my disciples. Even if it were seized, I wouldn't mind at all." The Divine Sovereign of Great Yanshan said with indifference. "As long as it doesn't interfere with our mutual agreement, how you see it is entirely up to you. Nevertheless, I'd like to ask you one more time—can you truly not break that soul-sealing spell?" Han Li asked, his tone now serious. "I'm not unable to break it. My lifespan is finite. I simply don't have the time to do so. Otherwise, even if this spell were the most exquisite, how could it hold me back?" The Divine Sovereign of Great Yanshan said with disdain. Though Han Li had anticipated this response, he still felt a deep sense of disappointment. "Then it's settled. Since you also cannot break the spell, we'll have to make the journey down to the Valley of the Fallen Demon," Han Li said, his expression calm. Unexpectedly, the Divine Sovereign of Great Yanshan remained After a while, his voice came again. "Han, you shouldn't have gone to the Valley of the Fallen Demons! When I was nearing the end of my life, I once seriously considered making the journey there. But later, after establishing the Spirit-Transmitting Technique, I decided to stay. Still, I know this valley well. You must think that since a few people occasionally survive, the valley can be safely entered and exited. Even without mentioning the ancient seals within, the terrifying nature of the spatial rifts—those who have never seen them simply cannot imagine them. Moreover, these rifts sometimes... " The Great Divine Sovereign paused, and his voice fell silent. "Sometimes how?" Han Li stirred, asking immediately. "Sometimes, by chance, these spatial rifts directly connect to channels across other realms, releasing various demons and monsters. When you encounter them, you'll have to rely entirely on your luck." "By connecting to other realms—what does that mean?" Besides the spiritual realm, the realm of the underworld, and the immortal realm, is there any other realm? Han Li was startled. "When I was young, I once obtained an ancient and rare scripture. Within it, there are references to the concept of realms. As for the immortal realm, it's fundamentally inaccessible to our human realm. The spiritual realm, being an upper realm, rarely connects with ours. Likewise, the underworld realm is filled with spirits and ghosts of lesser rank—few great spirits or ghosts would willingly cross over to our human realm. Only the ancient demons of the ancient demonic realm, which is most similar to our human realm, have a strong inclination to visit us. Should they have the opportunity, they would never miss it. Indeed, even if only a portion of their essence comes over, the renowned senior ancient demons would be truly formidable. I suspect you would not stand a chance against them now..." The elder's voice suddenly grew cold. "Ancient demons? What are they? I've never heard of such a thing before." Han Li's face was filled with astonishment, and he asked with growing curiosity. "What exactly ancient demons are, that's hard to say. But certainly not us humans nor the beast-folk. Their forms are as varied as they come, each unique. It's said that during the ancient times, the ancient demon realm once opened a passage to our world and sent a contingent of high-ranking ancient demons to plague the human realm. For years, the ancient cultivators fought them fiercely. By sheer numbers, they eventually defeated each of the invading ancient demons. However, the ancient cultivators suffered massive casualties and were left severely weakened. Many of their ancient cultivation techniques and spiritual beasts perished as a result. The decline of the ancient cultivators was greatly influenced by this very event." The solemn words of the Grand Sovereign of Daxian revealed several ancient secrets unknown to Han Li. "So the ancient cultivators fought these ancient demons?" Han Li's face grew pale. While Han Li didn't know just how formidable the ancient demons were, he was well aware of the ancient cultivators' capabilities through the numerous relics and ruins that had been left behind. From the tone of the old being, it seemed the ancient demons' powers surpassed those of the ancient cultivators. This left Han Li utterly astonished. "Not only that. In fact, many of the ancient magical techniques currently practiced by the magicians of the Magician School were established only after they learned of the existence of the ancient magical realm. These techniques emulate the divine powers of the ancient magicians. Some of the founders even employ secret arts to temporarily borrow the magical essence of renowned ancient magicians, allowing themselves to greatly enhance their own abilities. Though such techniques are truly extraordinary, it is said that when perfected, practitioners may not ascend to the legendary Spirit Realm, but instead journey to the ancient magical realm itself, becoming one of its ancient magicians. Of course, this remains merely a rumor, never confirmed by anyone. Nevertheless, many magicians in the Magician School still aspire to master these ancient techniques, willingly taking on the risks of cultivation. After all, ascending to the ancient magical realm is a feat reserved for those who have reached the Huashen stage—something so distant that it hardly needs to be considered. Still, the probability of the Magician School's magicians successfully opening a spatial rift and establishing a cross-realm connection remains relatively low." "Perhaps you all had a smooth journey when you entered the Valley, and I have merely been overworrying," the elder said, his voice slowing down. Yet, recalling the various magical techniques he had witnessed previously—some of which revealed monstrous transformations and strange apparitions—Han Li took a deep breath and found himself convinced by about seven or eight tenths. "If ancient demons truly had traversed the space rift into our realm through the Valley, wouldn't our celestial realm in the southern heavens have been in chaos long ago? Yet, over these many years, we have never heard of any such ancient demons making an appearance." Han Li's face remained serious, and he still had questions. "Do you know what I mean? This space rift is not a true interface passage. The demons and spirits that can pass through are only those who have taken on a form or are of lower rank. However, because of their insufficient cultivation, they cannot withstand the natural laws and celestial principles of our realm. As a result, they either perish spontaneously or return along the same rift route." "How could we possibly burden you with our southern realm's troubles?" the Daxian Immortal King sneered, as though rolling his lips. "It seems you can only send low-tier demons, and even then, with time constraints." Han Li's tense expression eased, and he exhaled in relief. At the same time, he recalled the ancient lamp summoning the mythical bird used by Mu Lan, the spiritual master—similar circumstances, indeed. "Han, don't get too optimistic yet," the Daxian Immortal King cautioned calmly, though this was still only a conjecture. "True, ancient demons and other rare creatures have recently appeared within the valley. Even if they are currently weak, they are far from insignificant. Their cultivation techniques are utterly strange—such that even when matched with human cultivators of equivalent levels, the human practitioners invariably fall to their power." Han Li frowned, deep in thought. "Since you've never entered the valley yourself, how do you know all this so clearly? Might this not be an exaggeration?" Han Li took a deep breath, then smoothly shifted to a composed tone and asked. "I have never entered the Valley of the Fallen Demon, but several of my close companions did enter together. Unfortunately, their luck was poor—they encountered an ancient demon arriving across realms right upon entering the valley. After a fierce battle, only one of them managed to escape with his consciousness intact and made it to my abode. These individuals, like myself, have never achieved great renown throughout the southern realm of cultivation. Consequently, few in the southern cultivation world are aware of their journey into the valley. Well, I have spoken enough today. Go forth and seek your fortune in the Valley of the Fallen Demon—may fortune favor you. Here is the fifth-level technique of the Daxian Sect, along with two methods for crafting Shengdan puppets—part of the compensation I promised you when we first met. Take them, and proceed." As he finished speaking, a white, misty jade scroll shot forth from a bamboo canister behind him, spiraled once above his head, and then settled gently. "I thought, perhaps, you had completely forgotten this!" Han Li, though still absorbing the impact of the ancient demon's encounter, could not help but brighten at this sight. With a simple gesture, he grasped the jade scroll in his hand and immersed his mind into it, swiftly scanning through its contents. "Below, I must rest and recharge my spirit to continue studying the puppet technique within the 'Dongfu Heaven.' Unless there's an urgent matter, please do not disturb me." The Daxian Sovereign spoke lazily, and then his voice abruptly ceased, with no further words emerging... After a while, Han Li stored the jade scroll, glanced around, then raised his eyes toward the sky. Suddenly, he transformed into a streak of azure light and shot straight toward the city's outskirts. By now, the sky had grown dark. High above a stretch of forest outside the city, Han Li slowed his flight and landed within the trees. Nearby, beneath a large tree, something seemed vaguely visible. Han Li approached without changing his expression. It turned out to be a massive human head, its hair flowing wildly and disheveled. To an ordinary person, this would have been startling at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one would see that the entire body was buried in the earth, with only the head exposed. This head bore an unusually long, strange green mane, tangled and obscuring the face. As Han Li drew near, the head immediately sensed his presence, and its eyes—deep, cool, and eerie—glimmed into focus. Yet once he was clearly identified, the cold gaze softened, and a calm, obedient expression settled upon the face. Han Li smiled slightly and took a few steps forward, circling the skull several times with genuine interest. "Good. It has already developed a basic spiritual awareness. It should prove useful in the Valley of the Fallen Demons." He murmured these words to himself, a look of satisfaction evident on his face. Then, immediately setting up a seal in the vicinity, Han Li settled into a cross-legged posture. He did not close his eyes right away, but instead reached into his storage pouch, feeling around, and then pulled out a yellow token, handling it thoughtfully. Gazing at the token inscribed with the characters "Heavenly Extremity Gate," Han Li half-closed his eyes, his bright, luminous gaze shining steadily in the darkness.