When the several puppets scattered and fled, the three behind—Han Li and his companions—though Han Li spoke with great confidence, it remained uncertain whether their words actually proved effective. Indeed, even Han Li himself was not entirely certain. After all, his knowledge of the Ten Absolute Poisons came entirely from ancient texts; he had never personally conducted such a test himself. However, within moments, their doubts vanished entirely. This strange attack seemed not aimed at his spirit awareness, but directly at his internal true energy instead. No matter how powerful his spirit awareness was, it proved utterly helpless against this unusual assault. Indeed, the purple-spotted scorpion possessed such an unusual innate talent—what a surprise! It appeared that the records in the classic texts could not cover every detail. As Han Li silently pondered this, thirteen or fourteen streaks of dark purple, thunderous light burst forth from the mountain peak, swiftly flashing toward and chasing after the several giant apes. Han Li promptly sent a mental signal to urge them on, and the apes' subordinate spirit presences immediately activated their maximum flight speed, transforming into several streaks of white light and racing off into the distance. Even for just an instant, thanks to his strong spirit awareness, Han managed to catch a general impression of these dark purple streaks. Besides their imposing size—each measuring several zhang in length, shining dark purple with a pair of transparent wings—each one was otherwise entirely indistinguishable from a common scorpion. However, the scorpion leading the group was notably larger than its peers, measuring nearly two zhang in height—clearly the leader. Seeing its fierce, menacing appearance, with yellow mist exuding from its mouth, Han Li could not help but have his pupils contract slightly. Although the giant ape's speed was clearly inferior to that of the purple-hued ones, it managed to successfully draw them away during the brief period of escape and pursuit, eventually reducing them to mere small black dots. Suddenly, a loud command rang out from above: "Move! Several puppets have already triggered a seal and are being pursued!" As soon as the words were spoken, Han Li's aura flickered, his concealment spell dissolving instantly, and he shot forward through the air. The other two followed suit, transforming into golden streaks of light and rushing toward the mountain peak. All three knew that these purple-striped scorpions moved with the speed of the wind; if they did not swiftly pass through the mountain ahead, the situation would quickly become dire. Fortunately, all three of them were able to move swiftly. Even without employing his Wind-Thunder Wings, Han Li, thanks to his deeply refined cultivation surpassing that of peers at the same stage, instantly flew past the mountain peak. At that moment, the several giant ape puppets he had sensed suddenly lost contact. Han Li was immediately startled and could not pause, rushing on at once, covering over ten miles from the Purple-Striped Scorpion's lair. Only when they came to rest at another mountain peak did the three of them finally feel at ease. "This time, it truly comes down to Brother Han's Blue-Pheasant toxin and the mechanical puppets. Otherwise, we would have struggled immensely to pass this stage—truly a headache!" Nan Long Marquis smiled warmly and praised repeatedly. "Nothing special—just a fortunate coincidence," Han Li glanced at Nan Long Marquis but remained composed. Although the Blue-Pheasant toxin had originally been one of the treasures bequeathed by Cangkun Master, Han Li saw no need to elaborate, merely brushing it off casually. The Lu-family elder, equally impressed by the ease with which the matter had been resolved, praised him wholeheartedly, expressing genuine admiration. Han Li smiled, exchanged a few words, and then the three of them resumed their journey. The terrain below gradually returned to the flatness they had encountered at the beginning. After flying steadily for half a day, the air grew steadily warmer. The lush vegetation on the hills, once dense, thinned out progressively until it became sparse and eventually bare, appearing strangely unusual. By the end, even the rocks on the hills took on an eerie, deep crimson hue. On several mountain summits, fissures of molten rock could be seen, glowing intensely red and emitting scorching, hot winds laden with gray-white ash. The scene resembled that of a furnace or a blazing inferno. Han Li and Lu Weiying looked on in astonishment, but since Nan Long Hou remained composed, they knew the route was correct and said nothing further. Not long after, a towering red peak rose ahead of them, rising several thousand zhang into the sky and piercing directly through the fiery clouds above. Compared to the smaller hills surrounding it, this towering peak stands out remarkably. When the southern Langhou Marquis, leading the way, first spotted it, his glow of light momentarily faded and he came to a halt. Seeing this, Han Li and his companion exchanged glances, both instantly feeling a surge of renewed energy. "Ladies and gentlemen, the cave beneath that mountain peak is the fire-toad beast's lair. The remains of the ancient cultivator are located within this lair. I hear that this creature possesses quite sharp senses—perhaps we should pause and discuss our next steps before proceeding," said the southern Langhou Marquis, taking a deep breath and turning to speak with solemn gravity. "Beneath the mountain peak?" Han Li asked, his eyebrows slightly raising, then quickly extending his awareness toward the location. Indeed, at the base of the great peak, there was a large, vividly red cave opening, occasionally releasing warm gusts of wind. To avoid disturbing the fire-toad beast inside, Han Li withdrew his awareness and did not immediately probe further. "What could there possibly be to discuss?" "With Han Dao-you's ice-based cultivation technique as the main approach, and me and the other two as supporting forces, we can directly eliminate that fire tortoise beast," Lu Weiying said without hesitation. "Lu brother! It's not that simple. As Master Ang Kun explained, nearly half of the fire tortoise beast's lair is built within molten rock. Regardless of how severely wounded the beast may be, as long as it jumps into the molten rock, it will instantly recover to full strength. Fighting it within this setting will undoubtedly be disadvantageous. The best strategy is to first set up a magical array and then guide it out of its lair to eliminate it. For this purpose, I've specially prepared the tools needed to erect a water-based magical array." Nan Long Hou said, well-prepared. Upon hearing this, the elder named Lu did not express any objections, and Han Li also found the plan sound. Immediately, the three agreed on the strategy and began preparations. In addition to the large array mentioned by Nan Long Hou, Han Li also arranged several supplementary magical arrays outside the main one, as a precaution. After completing all this, the three finally decided to remain invisible and step aside, allowing Han Li to use the puppet beast to guide the fire-toad ancient creature out of its lair. With a single tap on his waist pouch containing the spiritual beast, the remaining white wolf puppet beast instantly flew out. Then Han Li settled cross-legged near the magical array, controlling the puppet beast and flying it directly toward the cave beneath the great peak.