"Not good!" Han Li murmured under his breath. He had originally intended to stay clear of the commotion, but now trouble had found him right where he stood. The three figures behind him radiated an impressive presence, clearly all cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage or above. Yet the gray mist ahead fluctuated in strength, appearing weak and wounded—just a unfortunate victim being pursued. With no choice but to face the three behind, Han Li decided to make a bold move. He shifted his body slightly, activated his artifact, and glided to the side, hoping that the three would simply pass him by without noticing the small, Jian Ji-level cultivator he was. However, just as he had moved out a dozen paces diagonally, his flight suddenly halted. He stopped mid-motion, his expression filled with surprise and uncertainty, constantly glancing back and forth. At that moment, the gray mist behind them roared past Han Li, brushing by him swiftly. A cultivator wearing a high crown, with a pale face and no visible blood, remained concealed within the mist, coldly glancing at Han Li before a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. The mist then surged forward, shooting out several dozen paces. Just then, however, a sudden rumbling sound echoed simultaneously from all around the distance. Suddenly, a yellow gourd, about one zhang in size, materialized from a hundred paces away. As the mouth of the gourd trembled, a surge of yellow, sandy wind erupted and rushed toward the gray mist fleeing in the opposite direction. "Sands of Soul-Drain!" the figure within the gray mist gasped, startled and deeply alarmed, immediately turning a corner to evade the wind. "Hah! Xuanye, now is not the time to hurry!" With a burst of laughter, the bearded man in yellow robes instantly materialized before the gourd. Then, with a swift gesture of both hands, a deep yellow sand mist surged forth from all directions, roaring and billowing, until the desert stretched vast and skyward, with banners occasionally flickering within the haze. The cultivators in the gray mist were startled, quickly glancing downward and seeing a similarly yellow-tinged haze spreading across the lower atmosphere—now encompassing an expanse of several miles. The Xuan Ye Wang, concealed within the corpse energy, paused his flight, his face pale, fixing a venomous gaze upon the yellow-robed scholar atop the great gourd. Behind him, the white whirlwind and black magical clouds swiftly converged, flanking him on either side and neatly enclosing him between them. "Brother Xuan Ye," said the cultivators, "you were already struck by the Supreme Yang Sect's Song Master's 'Most Yang Scroll' earlier, and your still-developing Heavenly Corpse Body likely bears significant injury. Now, with us three surrounding you, what reason do you have to resist?" As long as you sincerely yield the Heavenly Corpse Pearl and allow me to establish the sealing spell, I'm certainly willing to spare your life. After all, I've known Brother Xuanye for some time now; should we simply see you vanish in spirit, I'd truly find it hard to bear. The yellow-robed gentleman spoke calmly and evenly. "Master Kuangsha, I've known it was you from the very moment I stepped out of the ancient tomb. I've always felt uneasy since then—clearly, you've been watching me closely. You must have carefully planned this trap over a long period. Indeed, you've shown remarkable patience, maintaining your vigil for ten years straight. Such meticulous preparation—now that I've fallen into your scheme, I truly feel it's no injustice to me. Yet, do you truly believe that a mere yellow sand array will be enough to hold me?" Xuanye the King remained composed, his expression utterly calm and unflustered, speaking with quiet resolve. "Then, it seems my earlier words were in vain. Brother Xuanye, I shall not hold it against you—my actions may have been unkind." But this time, we truly did not expect that you would carry such an important artifact—the Heavenly Corpse Pearl—with you at all. Otherwise, we could never have managed to bring you all the way here. Also, I nearly forgot to mention: in order to ensure the success of this plan, I have borrowed half a gourd of Blue Crystal Divine Sand, which the Heavenly Stone Elder has painstakingly gathered and refined over more than a hundred years, and have already mixed it into the surrounding fallen-soul sand. Should you rely on earth-element teleportation to escape, you would be utterly deluded. It was strange. Whether the three were afraid that, in their desperate efforts to save the King Xuanye at the moment of his death, they would be overwhelmed, or whether they had some other plan, the three had clearly gained the upper hand and managed to block the old demon—yet they remained encircled, motionless, refusing to advance. Seeing this, King Xuanye grew even more pleased. During his retreat, he had already dispatched a series of urgent transmission scrolls for help. He was certain reinforcements would arrive soon. Naturally, he would make the best of the delay. For now, the four of them stood in a tense, silent standoff. "The young disciple is getting in the way here. It would be better to settle him before we can proceed with the main matter." Even an unnamed elder mage hidden within the magical cloud had suddenly developed murderous intentions toward Han Li. "That's fine. Then we won't have to worry about him interfering later!" The yellow-robed magistrate atop the gourd merely glanced at Han Li with neutral expression, showing no interest at all. Han Li heard this and was furious. It seemed that even this final sealing ritual would have to be carried out—otherwise, his life was at stake. This truly was an unforeseen misfortune. As he watched, a faint, excited laugh emerged from within the cloud, followed by a gentle ripple as the cloud seemed to prepare itself for an attack. Han Li no longer hesitated. He immediately pressed two hand seals and murmured a low incantation. A glowing green ghostly face then appeared on his face, swiftly transforming several times before five luminous green orbs, each the size of an egg, shot off from his body and vanished into thin air with a flash. At that moment, the elder demon on the opposite cloud also launched an attack. A portion of the magical cloud suddenly coalesced and transformed into a massive, dark serpent, which then opened its maw and shot forth with great force, charging directly at Han Li. Neither the yellow-robed scholar atop the gourd nor the Tianfeng True Man concealed within the hurricane showed any interest in the fate of the young foundation-level cultivator being mercilessly assaulted. However, when the scene of the great serpent striking Han Li at the very apex of his head was witnessed, Xuanye Wang's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and a subtle expression of surprise appeared on his face. As the serpent reached Han Li's head and bit down, Han Li, without hesitation, raised his hand and launched a golden arc that precisely struck the serpent's open mouth. The creature shuddered, rolled over with its massive body, and then instantly dissolved into mist. Subsequently, Han Li subtly regulated the flow of his inner energy, radiating an impressive and overwhelming aura, his entire body shimmering with a vibrant jade glow and brimming with vital qi. "The four of you, go on fighting as you see fit." "Why indeed must we involve Han Li? I was merely passing by." After casually dispersing the great serpent, Han Li calmly looked at the three elder demons, his expression steady. The yellow-robed elder demon and the other two were startled, their faces pale as they fixed their gaze on Han Li. Now they could no longer see that the cultivator who had accidentally become trapped in the array was actually of the same level as themselves. They had simply failed to notice him earlier, despite some secret technique that had concealed his presence. What was his true intention? Was this mere coincidence, or was he deliberately following them? Each of the three elder demons harbored his own thoughts, momentarily at a loss. Even the Xuan Ye King was deeply moved. Though he had immediately recognized Han Li as the one who had taken the Jade Dome and assumed he must possess certain abilities, he had not expected Han Li's actual cultivation level to be so high—his expression now grew increasingly uncertain. Han Li, meanwhile, quickly scanned the nearby sand-based seals with his divine awareness, his brow slightly furrowed—these sand seals proved to be quite ingenious. If they force the array, it will certainly require considerable effort. With this thought in mind, Han Li calmly addressed the Han official standing atop the gourd. "Should your companions have understood my previous words? I shall not intervene in your disputes, but kindly clear a path so that I may pass through." "Could you tell me your name, and why you have come to the Snow Ridge Mountains?" The official hesitated slightly before asking. "My name is Han. I have merely passed through this mountain range. Is this satisfactory?" Han Li's tone grew colder, and a touch of impatience surfaced. His time for unsealing was limited—he had no room to waste time on formalities. "Opening the seal and allowing you to depart—this may not be feasible. Our Yellow Sand Array is intricate to establish; once we loosen the seal, the other party may take advantage and escape. Why don't you wait a while? Until we have eliminated the old demon, we shall then release you." The yellow-robed man frowned, his eyes flickering slightly before speaking. "Heh! If Master Han believes these three, he's setting himself up for certain doom. Should they be eliminated, to prevent exposure of their own shortcomings, they'll surely turn on you the very next moment. Should you be wise, then, join me in breaking through this array. Our location is quite close to my abode. As soon as we succeed in dispelling this spell and reach there, these people will pose no threat at all. I can make a solemn vow to my heart demons—most certainly, I will reward you generously!" The XuanYe King suddenly spoke with a serious demeanor. Master Han's expression remained unchanged, his eyebrows slightly raised. Upon hearing this, the yellow-robed man's face instantly darkened. "Master, I strongly urge you to carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages before making your decision. Should you choose to act against these three elders, you will be directly opposing us. And then, don't be surprised if we treat you with unwavering severity—should we have to, we shall not hesitate to eliminate you as well." Look clearly at the strength of both parties. Within our Yellow Sand Array, even if you two combine your efforts, you will still inevitably meet defeat and perishing. Would you not rather avoid sharing this fate with this old sage? My conditions are quite simple: as long as Han Daojun stays with me for a brief while—doing nothing at all—and then I will ensure his safe departure. I, too, can make the same solemn vow to my heart demons! The yellow-robed gentleman said this, half-threatening, half-enticing.