At first glance, the once lush vegetation is entirely gone. Between the two mountain peaks, white stones dot the landscape—each oval and smooth, some as large as a human head, others only about the size of a fist. Further out, vast patches of gray mist spread, hazy and indistinct, making it difficult to see what lies within. Yet these gray mist patches remain confined within a width of about a hundred paces, while blood-red light halos on either side surge like tides, constantly advancing toward the center, pressing against the mist. Once they reach the edges of the mist, however, they seem to encounter a barrier, unable to progress further. "Is this the passage Master mentioned?" Lu Weiying exhaled and asked slowly. "Yes, it should be right here. Does Master find anything amiss?" Nan Long Hou paused, and remarked. "Those blood-colored light halos must indeed be the valley's magical seals. Yet these misty veils appear to be no ordinary phenomenon. Does Master's late teacher, Cang Kun, mention anything about this mist in his will?" Lu Weiying gazed into the distant gray mist and asked calmly, "No, nothing has been mentioned about this mist. Perhaps they consider it unimportant." Nan Long Hou hesitated before responding. "I always feel this gray mist is different from ordinary ones. It would be better to be cautious." The elder with the Lu surname shook his head, his expression growing serious. "As for any issues, isn't it just a matter of trying?" Han Li suddenly spoke up from beside. "Your words are most insightful. I happen to have several thousand-mile orioles trained under my care, usually used for locating medicinal herbs. Now, they can be put to the test." Nan Long Hou nodded in agreement. Lu Weiying, upon hearing this, did not object. Immediately, Nan Long Hou removed a small, delicate spirit-animal pouch from his waist and tossed it into the air, murmuring a low chant. A small bird with golden-yellow feathers shot out of the pouch like an arrow, then spiraled gracefully in the air. Nan Long Hou raised his hand, and a green seal flew from his palm, precisely striking the bird. As the bird spread its wings, a delicate blue glow suddenly appeared on its body. With a mental command, the southern land marquis nodded, and the little bird chirped sharply, transforming into a beam of golden light and shooting swiftly toward the distant gray mist. Before the bird even touched the mist, the blue glow in Han Li's eyes flashed rapidly as he focused his spiritual perception, gazing intently. However, as his gaze casually swept toward one side, his expression subtly shifted, and a faint, unusual hue appeared in his eyes. The southern land marquis and Lu Weiying had fully concentrated on the thousand-mile oriole and had not noticed Han Li's subtle change. The thousand-mile oriole had now plunged deep into the gray mist and vanished completely. Though Han Li could not see what was happening within the mist, he chose not to immediately use his spiritual awareness to probe, merely turning to observe the southern land marquis's expression. The marquis's eyes were slightly closed, deeply engaged in maintaining contact with the spirit bird. His demeanor appeared calm, indicating that the bird had not encountered any immediate difficulties upon entering the mist. Han Li thought thus. At that moment, the southern Langhou's body trembled, his face suddenly paled, and his eyes widened. "What's happened?" Lu Weiying, equally attentive to the southern Langhou's expression, quickly asked. "There seemed to be some creature in the gray mist—something that swallowed the thousand-li oriole whole. It looked like a... " The southern Langhou's expression was strange, as though uncertain. Han Li and the elder Lu exchanged surprised glances. "It looked like a giant serpent—yes, that must be it. These gray mists were probably exhaled by this giant serpent." After a moment's reflection, the southern Langhou finally confirmed. "A giant serpent? That's rather unusual. If such a creature existed, why didn't Master Angkun mention it in his will? Unless..." "Unless the giant serpent came here later," Han Li picked up Lu Weiying's hesitant words. "Exactly," Lu replied. "Both of you are right." Yet the colossal serpent that has thrived undisturbed within this Valley of Fallen Demons appears no ordinary beast—it must be some ancient creature. Unless we eliminate this beast, we shall be unable to enter the inner valley. Now, things have become rather troublesome!" Nan Long Hou nodded in agreement, as if this explanation made perfect sense. "We need not be overly concerned about these gray mists; they are merely the vapors of spirits, not any kind of seal. A single ancient beast—we three working together should be able to handle it. After all, can it possibly be harder to defeat than that fire-toad creature?" Lu Weiying flashed a cold glint in her eyes, speaking with calm assurance. "Whether the fire-toad is particularly formidable remains to be seen. But at this point, we must eliminate the great serpent. Let us all act together." As Nan Long Hou spoke, he exhaled, and a slender sword of golden light shot forth from his mouth. Meanwhile, the Lu elder rubbed his hands, and a brilliant white magical banner materialized in his palms. Han Li watched this, a faint wry smile playing at the corner of his lips. These two were remarkably resolute—upon seeing that escape was impossible, they immediately decided to act, showing not a single moment of hesitation. "Both of you intend to eliminate this beast," said Han Li, "and I have no objections at all. However, before we proceed, might we not first invite the third guest to step forward? You've been quietly observing from the side for so long—perhaps it's time you had your fill of the spectacle." With these words, Han Li turned sharply toward an empty spot on the side, his expression growing stern. At the same time, he flicked his fingers, sending several waves of jade-green sword energy shooting out. In an instant, those sword energies burst into splendor at a distance of several dozen paces. Suddenly, a figure emerged—radiating a yellow glow and wielding a massive shield—appearing out of nowhere. Nan Long and Lu Weiying were both left speechless. "It's a misunderstanding! Please, the three elders, do not be angry. I've only just arrived here, and now I must be leaving immediately," said the figure, a wiry man in his forties, who quickly bowed and curtsied to the three, though his eyes betrayed "Huang Tianming—it's you!" The older man with the Lu surname gasped upon seeing him. "How is it, Lu brother, that you recognize this person?" Nan Long Hou's expression darkened, and he asked in a low, stern tone. "This man is a cultivator from a minor sect of our Tian Dao Alliance. We may not speak of his cultivation level, but it's said he once obtained an ancient cultivator's invisibility seal, allowing him to remain hidden with extraordinary subtlety. We never thought it was true. He's been here all along, and we've never noticed him." Lu Weiying's demeanor was not favorable; he stared coldly at the thin man. "The three elders, I truly just arrived here. I came over out of curiosity, seeing that you were performing rituals and spells." Upon hearing the unkind words of Nan Long Hou and his companion, the thin man's face paled instantly, turning ashen. "Hiding behind us like this, what could possibly be good? Lu brother, he's one of your Tian Dao Alliance's cultivators—what do you think?" Nan Long Hou sneezed, then turned to the elder. Lu Weiying listened silently, her expression unchanged, yet her eyes narrowed slightly. "My opinion... is to eliminate them entirely," the elder said calmly. As soon as the words left his lips, his figure suddenly flickered, and he vanished into the white light. The elder Lu nodded calmly, then waved at the gale, and as the white magical banner reformed, it shot back into his hands. "Well done, Lu brother. With this, we needn't fear the channel from leaking." Nan Long Hou clapped his hands and smiled lightly. "Nothing remarkable. A mere Ju Dan cultivator dares to pursue and conceal us—quite a fate indeed." Lu Weiying said indifferently. He then reached out, palm upward, and from the bloodied ground, two items floated up into his hands: a withered cultivator's storage pouch and a pale yellow jade seal. The elder Lu didn't hesitate, glanced at them briefly, and then placed them neatly into the pouch himself. "This time, it truly was thanks to Friend Han. Otherwise, we would have surely stumbled in the mud. Yet, Friend Han has even managed to penetrate the ancient concealment technique—no wonder he has gained such a distinguished reputation." Nan Long Hou turned to Han Li and smiled warmly. "Nothing special. Just a bit of luck. Both of you managed to uncover their movements as well." "It was merely a momentary oversight that allowed him to take advantage," Han Li smiled lightly, showing no great concern. Nanlong Marquis listened to Han Li's humble words, shook his head slightly, but said nothing further. At that moment, Lu Weiying also returned. "Let's act quickly. We don't want to waste more time on endless deliberations!" The elder's expression was somewhat serious, though his words did hold some merit. Han Li nodded, then flipped his hand, and a stack of shimmering, radiant array flags appeared in his grasp. "During the battle to eliminate the giant serpent, the commotion will surely be significant. I'll first establish an isolating array to contain the impact within the seal. That way, we won't disturb other cultivators passing by." Han Li said, offering his suggestion as he stroked his chin. "Brother Han truly is a meticulous planner. This is indeed the best course of action," the elder smiled, and offered a commendation. Han Li immediately transformed into a streak of jade-green light, laying out each array flag between the two peaks. A few moments later, the large-scale magical array was fully in place. The primary function of this array is simply to suppress and dampen both sounds and fluctuations of spiritual energy as much as possible. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to complete such a setup within such a short time. When the azure虹 formed by Han Li reappeared before the two officials of Nanlong, the elderly man with the Lu surname gently waved his magical banner and calmly stated, "Since Master Han has finished setting up the array, I shall use this Hurricane Banner to disperse those spectral mists, leaving the giant serpent with nowhere to hide." Upon saying this, he launched the banner into the air and began reciting incantations. Seeing this, the official of Nanlong raised his finger to the golden small sword before him. Instantly, the sword transformed into a golden rainbow that rose upward from the heavens, spinning once in the sky before radiating an intense golden glow that rapidly expanded. In a moment, a massive golden sword several or six zhang long materialized above the official of Nanlong.