"I've taken this course, and yet, wouldn't Purple Ling be afraid to take even this slight risk if she truly wished to obtain the spiritual fruit?" Han Li gently arched his lips, speaking with a half-smiling, half-serious tone. "Given my understanding of Brother Han, he would never undertake any venture without being absolutely certain of success. It seems, therefore, that Brother Han must possess some secret technique capable of avoiding those invisible spatial fissures. In that case, I shall gladly follow your lead." Purple Ling was momentarily startled, then her eyes sparkled as she suddenly smiled lightly. With a swift movement of her white robes, she stood gracefully on the wind-carriage. Han Li glanced at her with a touch of surprise, but then silently followed her into the carriage. Instantly, under Han Li's urging, the wind-carriage transformed into a brilliant white streak, soaring through the air. Clearly, Han Li's assessment was correct. Only a few days later, after pursuing them steadily, they finally caught up with the members of the Ghost Spirit Sect in a vast, unbroken stretch of barren land. Meanwhile, the senior monks from the Zhong family had been caught off guard by a momentary oversight of a disciple from Gui Ling Sect, which triggered an ancient, minor seal nearby. They were now scrambling desperately to stabilize the situation. Under the careful vigilance of Han Li, whose awareness was fully extended, the Zhong elder remained undetected. Instead, Han Li, relying solely on his powerful awareness, silently observed the scene from a distance. He clearly sensed the subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy within the ancient seal—though not particularly strong—it would only temporarily detain the disciples from Gui Ling Sect and could not truly imprison the Zhong elder, who possessed mid-Stage Yuan Ying cultivation. Nevertheless, this brief delay proved to be a rare and valuable opportunity for Han Li—enough time to completely distance himself from the Zhong family. With determination, Han Li took the risk of deviating from his original route and deliberately veered off, tracing a large circular path. Not long after, having passed several spatial fissures along the way, Han Li finally left the Ghost Spirit Sect and others far behind, and brought Zi Ling close to a lush, verdant mountain range. Upon seeing the range, Han Li gently slowed his wind carriage. "Exactly here. Look at that peak resembling a flying bird—the mark is accurate," Zi Ling immediately identified one of the mountain peaks that resembled a large bird, her voice filled with excitement, and she instinctively glanced at Han Li. Honestly, although Zi Ling had been confident throughout, seemingly fully trusting Han Li, her heart had been constantly racing whenever she saw him maneuver the wind carriage with such swift, effortless grace. She had never expected that the route Han Li had chosen would prove so safe—avoiding every spatial fissure and even triggering none of the ancient seals—reaching this very location without a single incident. Han Li himself, meanwhile, was equally relieved, silently marveling at the fortunate outcome. If avoiding the spatial fissures was a marvel of his Ming-Qing spiritual sight, yet after veering off course just now, no hidden ancient seal had been triggered—this truly seemed a matter of good fortune. Thus thought Han Li, though his face remained composed. At present, he merely narrowed his eyes, silently gazing at the distant, unusual mountain peak. The bird's beak should have pointed toward the location of the final marker. "Han brother, shall we not proceed now? Shall we not destroy this mountain peak and move on?" Zi Ling waited a while, growing increasingly anxious as Han Li remained contemplative. "According to the jade scroll, the final marker should be in the desert region, and it should be within a thousand li of this mountain peak—have we not made a mistake?" Han Li suddenly asked. "Indeed, that's exactly what you meant," Zi Ling began to understand. "It's quite simple." Once we eliminate this mountain peak, the other party will naturally recognize this location as the next marker simply by seeing the newly destroyed peak. The final marker lies in a desert region. Such a conspicuous site—so easily visible—will only require a little extra time for them to locate and strike nearby. It's exactly the same way we were able to trace our way here. The only way to delay them further is to set up another illusionary array to conceal this mountain peak, hoping to confuse the other party and cause the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators to overlook this marker. Han Li said this calmly. "Your reasoning is sound," Zilin replied, with a touch of surprise, "but how can any array of illusions completely conceal such a large mountain and still deceive the divine essence cultivators' awareness? Have you perhaps also mastered the art of illusion?" "Ah, well—I'm not particularly skilled in illusions myself, but there is someone who is." Han Li smiled and spoke calmly. Then Han Li shook his robe, and a beam of white light shot forth from within it, flashing brilliantly upon landing. Out of the light stepped a graceful, beautiful young woman dressed in white. "At your service, Master!" she bowed respectfully to Han Li—she was Yin Yue. "Who is she?" Zi Ling gasped upon seeing Yin Yue, her voice rising in surprise. "This is Yin Yue, my attendant. Yin Yue, can you set up a magical array in a short time to conceal that mountain peak?" Han Li gave a brief explanation before pointing toward the mountain a few steps away and asking about the magical array. "With the master's several sets of array tools and my own magical techniques supporting them, it would indeed be possible to shield this mountain. However, I'm not certain whether the array will be able to completely conceal the mountain from the awareness of a Yuan婴-period cultivator. Moreover, my magic is not a formal array or seal—it only lasts for two days and will then naturally dissipate." Yin Yue said respectfully. "Very well, go ahead and do it. Do your best—whatever you can achieve, achieve it. Two days should be more than enough. Han Li thought for a moment, then decisively tapped his waist pouch. Two sets of array tools flashed with various hues of spiritual light and appeared in his hands. He handed them over casually to the young woman. "Yes, Master!" Yin Yue took the tools and immediately agreed. Though she knew that Han Li's current abilities were far beyond what a Jiedan cultivator like herself could possibly fathom, the sheer power he exerted merely with his sword qi—without even deploying his primary法宝—left her genuinely stunned. Although she had often heard people praise Han Li, the newly established Yuanjing cultivator, as nearly unrivaled among those below the three great cultivators, she had always remained somewhat skeptical. After all, Han Li had only recently advanced from her own level of Jiedan cultivation, and it was only a short time since he had achieved Yuanjing status that he had already gained such a prominent reputation—something that truly astonished her. She had originally believed that Han Li must have relied on some clever, perhaps even opportunistic, strategy or charm to achieve such a remarkable name. While quietly marveling at his performance, Yin Yue had already flown to the nearly half-cleaved mountain peak, carrying two sets of array tools, and began setting up the magical array. Yin Yue acted swiftly, completing both sets of illusions within the span of a meal. Gradually, waves of white mountain mist rose, partially veiling the peak. Only the summit remained exposed. After finishing her work, Yin Yue suddenly transformed into a shimmering silver glow and ascended to the peak's highest point in the sky. Then, she opened her mouth suddenly, and vast streams of pink mist surged forth. As soon as the mist emerged, it vanished without trace, and Yin Yue continued to emit the mist unceasingly. Soon, an astonishing sight unfolded. The entire mountain suddenly underwent a twisting and transformation—within moments, the mountain seemed to vanish entirely, replaced by dense groves of trees appearing in its place. Han Li nodded in satisfaction at this sight. …in a vast underground hall thousands of miles away, Nanlong Marquis and Lu Weiying were seated cross-legged in a corner, directing their divine artifacts to launch relentless assaults upon the golden aura that had shrunk to a thin, yet now brilliantly radiant layer. The Buddhist characters, once the size of soybeans at the beginning, had now grown into silver calligraphic symbols the size of fists, flowing continuously across the aura's surface with an imposing solemnity. Outside the golden shield, a white, misty dragon wind, a golden streak of lightning, two blue ice serpents, and a large, emerald ring were constantly striking the aura. Each impact caused the shield to tremble slightly and its luminous glow to flicker erratically. Both Nanlong Marquis and the elder Lu were now pale, with scarcely any trace of color in their faces. It was no surprise—anyone who had been continuously expending their spiritual energy, even at the cost of depleting their vital essence, would appear thus. Having long criticized the small, miraculous Xumiyi Golden Array as being unusually demanding, the two had now given their utmost efforts to break through the Buddhist sect's magical formation. Though both had sustained significant exhaustion, the Jade Shield now stood at its final stage—clearly vulnerable at any moment and likely to be breached. This fact, which had caused both to silently groan with worry, finally enabled them to persevere, gritting their teeth through the relentless onslaught. Amid the thunderous bursts of attack, it was unclear how much time had passed until suddenly a tremendous roar echoed through the hall, followed immediately by the elder's voice, filled with exhilaration. "It's broken! It's broken! After all this effort, it hasn't been in vain!" The elder sprang to his feet, beaming with joy. The golden aura that had obstructed them for nearly two days near the offering table was now completely gone. The faintly glowing incantations on the walls around them vanished instantly. Although the southern official, Nan Long, who sat in the corner, appeared visibly pale, a surge of excitement shone brightly in his eyes. Their gazes, at the same time, without any prior coordination, settled upon the precious herbs and round bowls, now completely exposed and unprotected before them. Even though these two were as seasoned and shrewd as ever, their hearts suddenly quickened in pace.