The abode of Lu Elder from Tianji Men. After passing through a corridor over twenty zhang long, Han Li arrived at the main hall—a stone room about seven to eight zhang in size. Inside, a kind-faced, gray-haired elder and a middle-aged man in a high-crowned robe were standing, warmly welcoming Han Li. "Finally, you've arrived, Friend Han," the gray-haired elder smiled warmly. "We've been waiting for you for quite some time. Each of us has sent out search parties here, and we've been looking for you for over a month. Unfortunately, you've been elusive—hard to trace at all. We were beginning to think you might have changed your mind!" Nan Long Marquis chuckled, though a glint of genuine delight flashed in his eyes. "Your abode is so secluded that it's no easy task to find. Moreover, I've just recently been in seclusion for some time. It's quite normal that you two couldn't locate me." Han Li sighed, offering a somewhat helpless explanation. Then he didn't hesitate, sitting down beside the two as they spoke. "Han brother's reputation has now reached its peak—his brilliance was truly outstanding in the border campaign, and even a mid-cenarian elder from Jin's Magic Sect is said to have fallen under Han brother's hands. I've been quite vexed all these years, trying to conceal this from you." As soon as Han Li sat down, the Nanzhong Marquis adopted a somewhat unusual expression and remarked. "As for my own abilities, Nanzhong brother has seen them firsthand. If I truly possessed such extraordinary power, I wouldn't have fled in disorder on the Mulan Grasslands back then. My current reputation is merely a matter of luck. Without some fortunate turns of fate, I wouldn't be here before you today." Han Li naturally didn't reveal everything in full, merely shaking his head and speaking vaguely. The Lu Elder and the Nanzhong Marquis exchanged glances upon hearing this, both of them now somewhat doubtful. With their keen awareness, they clearly saw that Han Li's cultivation remained at the early stage of the Yuan'ing stage. They both knew that Han Li was no ordinary Yuan婴初期 cultivator, yet the fact that Han Li had defeated a Yuan婴 mid-stage, or possibly even a top-tier mid-stage, magical cultivator still left them somewhat incredulous. Moreover, the rumors about Han Li circulating outside the valley had grown so widespread and his reputation so impressive that it only deepened their doubts, prompting the very demeanor they now displayed. "Hehe! Han Brother is being most humble," said Nan Long Hou, smiling slightly, though his words carried a touch of insincerity. "The greater our Brother's abilities, the more beneficial it will be to our journey to the Fallen Magic Valley. Indeed, we would be delighted if Brother's cultivation could match that of the three senior cultivators." Han Li nodded and smiled, not pressing further on the matter. On the other hand, Lu Elder spoke solemnly: "Since Brother has taken the initiative to seek us out, it seems he has carefully considered our earlier suggestions. Would Brother be willing to join us in the Valley and assist us in defeating that ancient fire toad?" "Upon hearing the elder's question, Nanlong Marquis also looked intently at Han Li, his face growing serious. "With such a favorable opportunity, I certainly wouldn't want to pass it up lightly. However, before I make my final decision, I'd like to ask one more thing. Once we secure the relics of that ancient cultivator, how will we divide the treasures found within? If this arrangement satisfies me, then I'd be willing to take the risk and make the journey." Han Li replied calmly, without showing any signs of surprise or urgency. Though he was certain he would go to Zui Mo Valley, he deliberately kept his intentions veiled at this moment—aiming to negotiate effectively with the other party. After all, without the guidance of these two esteemed friends, I would never have been able to reach deep into the valley, let alone locate that fire-toad ancient beast to retrieve its treasure. However, I have one condition that I hope you two will agree to. "The Master has a condition—please go ahead and state it!" Lu Elder replied calmly, without any hesitation. Meanwhile, Nanlong Marquis showed a slight expression of interest, yet remained silent, gazing steadily at Han. "The inner essence of the fire-toad ancient beast must remain with me. I shall make use of it for a few minor purposes," Han said, speaking of the inner essence with a matter-of-fact tone, as though merely seeking a small advantage. "Absolutely agree! The fire-toad beast still relies on your assistance to defeat that woman. It is entirely natural that its inner essence belongs to you." Lu Elder felt a sense of relief and readily accepted. "Indeed, even if Master had not mentioned it. As long as Master takes action, the inner essence has always belonged to you by right," Nanlong Marquis added, his expression now relaxed and confident. Han Li smiled slightly upon seeing this: "Since both of you have been so generous in your commitments, I, who am not overly greedy, shall join you on this journey." "With Han Daojun accompanying us, this expedition will surely succeed in securing the precious treasures." "Indeed, we shall greatly rely on Han brother." Upon hearing Han Li's agreement, Nan Long Hou and the elder both couldn't help but express their excitement, speaking eagerly. "You are most kind in your praise," Han Li replied calmly. "I am well aware of my own level of cultivation. This journey should be led by you two, with me serving as a supporting presence. Moreover, only through close cooperation among the three of us can we hope to emerge unscathed." Han Li naturally remained undisturbed by their few words of flattery. "That's entirely true," said the two. "Since we have invited Han Daojun to join us, we must be confident in your abilities. If the treacherous officials from the Gui Ling Sect obtain the Er Yi Ring, I myself shall personally take matters into my own hands and seize the treasures—without hesitation." "Whenever the Nananlong Marquis speaks of the Guilin Sect, he still seems to bite his teeth in frustration. It appears that the previous setback was indeed quite severe. Hearing this, Han Li glanced again at the Nananlong Marquis's face. Though the Marquis now looks in good spirits, Han Li couldn't help wondering how much of his original vital energy had recovered. "Speaking of the Guilin Sect, what do the two of you think about the method the Guilin Sect has provided for entry into the valley?" Han Li smoothly shifted the topic to the Guilin Sect. "Heh, what could we possibly think? This time, we merely disrupted the Guilin Sect's carefully laid plans to monopolize the precious treasures. Now that other cultivators have entered the valley, not only have we managed to conceal our own movements, but we've also avoided the risk of being surrounded and attacked by the Guilin Sect." The Nananlong Marquis said with a cold laugh, his expression briefly turning strange. "From what I hear, Master, doesn't it seem that the Guilin Sect already knows the entry method was deliberately revealed by you two?" Han Li was slightly surprised. "This matter was indeed arranged by us. I had already known, prior to my journey to the Great Grasslands, that the Gui Ling Sect was also researching methods for entering the valley. Since they have suddenly turned against us and launched a covert attack, we naturally will not be shy in our response." Nan Long Prince said, his face dark, clearly with no intention of concealing this matter from Han Li. Han Li did not offer any immediate comment, merely nodded thoughtfully. The Lu Elder, however, furrowed his brows and spoke slowly: "We hadn't anticipated that the Gui Ling Sect would go so far as to issue the 'Fallen Spirit Decree.' By doing so, they not only secure goodwill from each of the other sects but also ensure their dominance within the valley. We suspect they may also be planning to have others lead the way for them. In that case, while they will not be able to claim all the valley's treasures alone, their risks will have been significantly reduced." "There is no perfect situation in the world. Your actions, both of you, are undoubtedly advantageous. I suspect the leaders of the Gui Ling Sect are now deeply resentful of you both." Han Li stroked his chin and smiled. "You're right, Master. Even if we manage to make the Gui Ling Sect suffer a bit without speaking, that would be a great achievement. As for the grievances between us and the Gui Ling Sect, I will settle them one by one once we emerge from the Valley of the Fallen Deities." The Nanzhong Marquis perked up and said so. Yet, it seemed the ancient magic cultivators had engaged in a fierce contest, establishing an intricate network of ancient seals throughout the valley and the sky above—each seal extraordinarily powerful, interlocking with one another in a way that any movement triggered a cascade of effects, making it impossible to penetrate. The only unsealed area was the entrance to the Valley of Fallen Demons, a narrow passway stretching several dozen li in length and spanning a hundred zhang in width. Originally, this passage had been easily traversable, but the clash of the ancient cultivators' powers had reached here, resulting in a dense network of spatial fissures scattered across the entrance. Some of these fissures emitted brilliant white light, clearly anomalous; others were faint and dim, barely perceptible; still others were completely invisible, elusive and hard to anticipate. The fissures varied in size—some were as wide as ten zhang, capable of swallowing dozens of people without issue—while others were mere chi-long in length, appearing like sharp blades suspended in space, constantly causing the passersby to feel anxious. Worse still, these spatial rifts within the Ruin of the Demon Valley not only move and open and close on their own over time, but also follow no predictable pattern—making their appearances entirely unpredictable. Such terrifying rifts have claimed countless cultivators, who never even reached the outer valley, succumbing to them right at the valley entrance. Among them are no less than several senior immortals at the Yuan Ying stage. Thus, the reputation of the Ruin of the Demon Valley as the first perilous locale is largely due to these very rifts. But this time is different. It is said that the Gui Ling Sect now possesses a method to safely transport cultivators into the valley, which has stirred widespread excitement throughout the southern celestial realm. As a result, numerous cultivators who had long coveted the valley’s treasures have swiftly claimed the hundreds of Ruin of the Demon Seals, dividing them among themselves. Even some cultivators without such seals remain hopeful, gathering in large numbers, hoping against hope to stumble upon a chance and gain entry into the valley.