Although his voice remained calm, Nanlong Hou's eyes were fixed intently on the several spiritual herbs placed on the altar, glowing with clear greed. Each of these herbs was precisely what he and the elder needed most—now so close at hand, he could hardly contain his eagerness. When he first entered the hall and saw these herbs, he had immediately intended to claim them all without hesitation. Yet he had not anticipated the presence of an unusually strange and complex magical array and seal that stood in his way, resulting in a rather unexpected stumble, forcing him to patiently wait for the elder instead. Upon hearing the elder, a Lu by name, name the array as "Xiaoxumidi Golden and Jade Array," Nanlong Hou felt a surge of spirits and his heart filled with delight. He had been somewhat concerned earlier when, upon first touching the seal, he realized that this array differed significantly from any others he had previously studied. Now that the elder recognized it, it was truly a great advantage. "Brother Lu," Nanlong Hou said, suppressing his excitement, "do you recognize the magical seal and array here?" "Once upon a time, I obtained several scriptures on Buddhist cultivation techniques. Though I never managed to practice them due to their specific nature, I do remember some of the Buddhist array and seal techniques described therein. This Xiao Xumidi Golden-Body Array is one of the most remarkable among them. Brother Nanlong, if the seals and restrictions here indeed constitute this array, the task will be quite substantial." The elder once again focused his gaze on the altar, his brows furrowing as he spoke. "What do you mean? Does that mean this array cannot be broken?" Nanlong, the Marquis, frowned slightly, expressing some doubt. "This Xiao Xumidi Golden-Body Array is also known as the Golden-Body Entrapping Immortals Array. It may be one of the few seals entirely reliant on sheer force to be broken, with no other specific techniques or strategies required. To overcome this array, one must continuously launch attacks to gradually erode the protective shield it generates, without interruption. Indeed, this seal, while perhaps not among the most formidable in terms of defensive strength when compared to other arrays, demands relentless, uninterrupted assault." Yet in terms of endurance, this array is said to never fade or cease within the Buddhist tradition—so long as the seals are not completely destroyed, it can swiftly restore itself to its original state. After a moment of thoughtful reflection, the elder solemnly stated. To verify his words, the elder with the surname Lu casually flicked his hand, and a fire ball suddenly shot toward the altar several zhang away. "Crack!" The fire ball had barely touched the altar when it burst into fragments, dissolving into nothingness. A thick, luminous aura formed a solid, radiant shield over the altar. The shield shimmered with golden light, ancient Buddhist characters—each the size of a soybean—emerged one by one on its surface, like silver blossoms blooming and spreading across the entire shield. Nanlong Marquis' expression grew slightly serious; he had witnessed this scene once before, so he did not appear surprised. "Huh! What is this?" came a sudden exclamation from the elder beside him. The Marquis paused, turning to glance at him. To the astonishment of Lu Weiying, who was staring in wide-eyed wonder at a particular spot within the golden enclosure, the Nanlong Marquis, equally puzzled, had his eyes flash with insight as he followed her gaze and strained to peer through the wall. The round bowl, the jade token, and the three ritual objects mysteriously flashed into existence on the offering table and then vanished without a trace. Subsequently, a golden, Buddhist-scripted aura enveloped the surroundings, only to fade silently as well. What on earth is going on? When the aura first appeared, these items were not visible at all. How could it be that after the Lu elder's single strike, these items suddenly appeared on the table? Nanlong Marquis kept his lips tightly closed, his eyes still filled with astonishment as the aura disappeared. The Lu elder naturally had no such questions, yet he too paused, contemplating the newly appeared round bowl and the other objects. Anyone could see that, compared to the newly manifested items within the seal, the medicinal herbs were merely secondary. What kind of treasure could possibly surpass these extraordinary, nature-defying artifacts? Simply thinking about it was enough to stir the Lu elder's heart with profound excitement! All his earlier hesitations and concerns upon first seeing the Blood Cursing Gate were now completely forgotten. "Brother Lu, it seems we've truly come to the right place." "If we can succeed in unraveling this Buddhist sect's seal, then our journey has truly not been in vain." Nan Longhou naturally shared the same thought and suddenly smiled at the elder. "Indeed. We never expected there to be so many treasures hidden behind this blood-curse gate. Yet unraveling this seal is no easy task. It will not be possible without investing some time and without sacrificing a portion of our vital energy." Upon hearing this, the elder managed to smile as well. "Heh! Even if we have to sacrifice some of our vital energy, let alone lose it—let alone endure a decade of additional years of life—I would be delighted. As my friend just mentioned, the only method to break this array appears to be sheer force. It seems I shall indeed have to put in some effort! The sooner, the better. Let us act now. Once the seal is lifted, shall we divide all the treasures equally between myself and Lu brother?" Nan Longhou seemed eager to move forward, fixing his gaze on the elder and speaking directly and decisively. "Then, Brother Nan Longhou has spoken. I shall certainly comply." The elder, naturally desiring to claim the treasures, agreed promptly and enthusiastically. On hearing this, Nanlong Hou's face brightened with satisfaction. Yet at this moment, the two of them subtly drew apart, each sensing a subtle sense of alertness in the other. The originally planned schedule of over a day, Han Li had completed in just one-third of the time it took him to arrive. As he was estimating that he could re-enter the cave within another hour, a faint, continuous rumbling sound suddenly emerged from a distance to one side. Han Li's expression shifted slightly, his flight path momentarily paused, and he turned to glance that way. A quick sweep of his awareness revealed unusual fluctuations in spiritual energy. Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly; faint flashes of white light were now pulsing in the distant mountain range. That area—he wasn't mistaken—had once been suspected of housing a seal, possibly even containing ancient cultivator treasures. It seemed that other cultivators had finally entered the inner valley and were beginning to break seals and search for treasures. Han Li thought for a moment, then shook his head. The initial idea of quietly slipping through unnoticed briefly surfaced in his mind, but was promptly suppressed. Moreover, to avoid drawing attention, the divine awareness merely swiftly passed by without truly searching the treasure-hunting cultivators. For Han Li, it was better to have fewer matters than more—Qinghong once again broke through the air ahead, vanishing without a trace within moments, as if from the nearby mountain peaks. At a distance of several dozen li from the direction Han Li had just observed, a group of about fifteen cultivators were actively employing various divine artifacts to launch fierce attacks upon a small mountain head shrouded in white light. Among them, the leading figure was the Zhong-family scholar, a gentleman of refined demeanor, and the Le-family woman—thus, the entire group consisted of disciples of the Muling Sect. As Han Li gradually took flight from afar, the Zhong-family scholar subtly raised his brow and instinctively glanced toward Han Li’s retreating path. "Is there something amiss, Zhong brother?" the Le-family woman noticed the scholar’s unusual behavior and asked immediately. "Nothing in particular. Just now, a cultivator from the Tiannan region used his divine awareness to probe this way." Yet it seemed as though they had no intention of lingering, merely glancing from afar before taking off. As for us, breaking the seals is our pressing concern, so I have no desire to pursue them further. The junior scholar said calmly. "Indeed, what you've said is accurate. The seals here have now been broken to a critical point. I hope that, unlike the previous seal, we don't find only scattered copper and iron remnants—nothing of value—wasting two lives in the spatial fissures along the way." The lady named Le lightened her sigh, expressing a touch of resignation. "This is beyond our control. Those invisible spatial fissures are truly unpredictable. Even the low-level spiritual birds we prepared initially grew frantic the moment they entered the inner valley—wildly thrashing about, unable to be controlled. Otherwise, we could have avoided the loss of these two. The scholar named Zhong frowned slightly upon hearing this. It seems those birds used for exploration weren't merely frantic—they appeared to be deeply afraid of the inner valley itself. So it's completely out of control. Is there something here specifically that suppresses these spirit beasts? The black-winged crane I borrowed is already a fifth-tier spiritual bird, yet since entering the inner valley, it has been equally uncooperative—refusing even to fly out of its spirit beast pouch. It seems this Fumigating Valley truly has some peculiarities. The Lady Lu mused thoughtfully. "Perhaps so. This place is reputed to be the most dangerous in the southern heavens, so naturally it must have some hidden secrets. Still, we're not here to unravel the mysteries of the Fumigating Valley. Our mission is simply to search for ancient treasures and spiritual elixirs on behalf of Mu Lan. Therefore, even without the assistance of spiritual birds, we will continue our search. This opportunity—secured through a high-level agreement with the four major powers of the southern heavens—is truly rare, and we must not waste it." The scholar's eyes flashed with determination, speaking with unwavering conviction.