Hearing her sister say this, the elder named Fu hesitated briefly, then finally nodded in agreement: "Since the Scroll of the River of the Underworld has no effect on you, I would like to leave a mark upon you. As long as you remain within the southern region of Nanjiang, this mark will vanish on its own after six months. Does Master Han object to this?" "Very well. My movements are not particularly concealed. Please go ahead and cast your spell." Han smiled, and immediately agreed without hesitation. Upon hearing this, the elder did not hesitate either. With a single hand, he chanted a few incantations and projected a beam of blue light. Han focused intently and observed—the spell indeed created only a simple mark. He then raised his arm, allowing the blue light to fade and disappear within him. The wealthy elder of the Fu family smiled satisfactorily, folded the scroll of the River of the Dead, and then added to the group: "I've now explained everything. Since White Brother still needs three days to consider, I and my sister will remain on this mountain for another three days. Yuan Brother and Han Brother may now leave and prepare for your journey. Though the toxic flowers and plants throughout the Valley of Ten Thousand Toxins—where the entrance to the Yin-Yang Cavern lies—pose only a minor threat to us, I hope Yuan Brother will bring a few items that can ward off toxins. This way, we won't have to expend too much of our inner energy before entering the Yin-Yang Cavern." Transformed into a streak of azure light, it surged forward, breaking through the air! While half a year might seem tight, he managed to at least complete the three-flame fan. As for treasures to combat spirits, he already possessed the Divine-Defying Thunder and the Cry-Soul Beast—so he didn’t need to make any special preparations. His eagerness to first perfect the magical fan stemmed from a mindset of being prepared for the unforeseen: should any unexpected perils arise beneath his feet, having both the fan and the humanoid automaton would surely provide him with peace of mind. With this in mind, Han Li steered his means of swift travel southward toward the central region of the Southern Provinces, specifically toward Yin She Mountain. After over ten days, Han Li appeared above a unique range of mountains. This mountain range was substantial, stretching several hundred miles, yet slender and winding, curving like a great serpent. Yet the trees growing here were mostly peculiar, with leaves of a pale silver hue. From a great height, one could truly see that the name "Yin She Mountain" was well-deserved. Han Li did not linger at any other place; he flew directly toward the end of the "Silver Serpent" at its head. Even before he reached close, he felt waves of warm wind rushing toward him, carrying with it a sharp sulfurous scent. A little while later, several volcanic peaks came into view, each conical in shape and distinctly unattractive. What struck him as remarkable was that these volcanoes occasionally emitted deep, resonant rumblings, and some even spewed out plumes of ash, appearing quite dramatic. Yet, despite this, the volcanic craters were aglow with various streams of ethereal light, and numerous cultivators were moving in and out of them—there were already over thirty such practitioners gathered here. Most of them were at the Foundation Stage, with a few at the Condensation Stage. This was quite normal: once cultivators achieved Condensation, they typically developed their own inner flame and naturally focused on refining their own treasures, thus no longer needing to come here. As for cultivators at the Yuan Ying Stage, there were none at all. Han Li halted his flight, surveying the area below. Suddenly, a blue glow flashed in his pupils, and the fire pulses in this region instantly came clearly into his awareness. After a moment, he identified the location with the strongest fire essence, then with a flash of inspiration, his flight path headed straight toward a spot between two volcanoes. At a height of one hundred zhang above the ground, his flight stopped again. He shook his sleeve, sending out seven or eight golden small swords that spiraled around him before his body. Then, he pressed two hand seals and issued a low command. The swords emitted a clear ringing sound, transforming into a massive beam of golden light several zhang long, which struck the ground with great force. Immediately, thunderous cracks erupted below, and the areas struck glowed brilliantly with golden light. When Han Li's expression shifted and the swords spiraled back, the light gradually receded, revealing a massive crack stretching over twenty zhang in width—deep and dark, its depth unknown. The nearby cultivators who were engaged in alchemy elsewhere were naturally startled by Han Li's grand actions, with some even rushing over to him. Upon sensing these movements, Han Li immediately grew serious and suddenly radiated a powerful Qi aura characteristic of a Yuan婴 cultivator. A remarkable surge of spiritual pressure rose instantly, spreading outward from Han Li in all directions. Cultivators within a few dozen li of him were all taken aback by this aura. Those who had come to observe closely quickly turned and fled. Some of the closer ones even hurried to leave their original alchemy sites and dispersed throughout the surrounding area, fearing that they might unintentionally offend this senior master and invite unforeseen misfortunes. Seeing that all the nearby cultivators had wisely stepped aside, Han Li was highly satisfied. He then directly descended toward the fissure below, vanishing into it with a flash of light. But soon thereafter, every cultivator who came to Yin She Mountain to refine artifacts learned that there was a cultivator at the metagene level stationed here, and all of them became increasingly cautious, striving to avoid the area. As a result, the region within ten li centered on the crack became a kind of sanctuary, with no one daring to enter. At first, the crack remained silent, but after a month, intermittent thunderous roars began to echo within it. After another month, the thunder grew sparser, giving way to clear, resonant sounds—like phoenix calls echoing across the heavens. Gradually, these sounds faded, and eventually, the area fell into complete silence. Meanwhile, in a side pavilion of the imperial palace in Jinjing, a group of over a dozen male and female cultivators from various sects gathered. Among them were nuns, priests, and Confucian scholars—each possessing astonishing achievements at the Yuan Ying stage or beyond. Two of them stood out: a well-built cultivator in a brocade robe and a elderly woman holding a golden cane, both at the mid-Yuan Ying level. The elderly man with the black crown was clearly among them. The elder smiled faintly and replied, "Brother, don't worry. Whether it's true or not will become clear in just a moment. With so many of us here, could we possibly miss it? Indeed, it's truly the seventh uncle's favor that has helped us the Leaf family. If it's false, no matter how powerful a late-stage Yuan-Stage cultivator he is, he won't be able to step out of this hall again." Yet another elderly woman at Yuan-Stage mid-level spoke with a solemn tone. "It's true as you say, but it's always wise to remain cautious." The man with a square face seemed to agree, sighed, and said nothing further. After a full hour had passed, when faint bell sounds began to drift from afar, a sudden flicker of figures appeared at the entrance—someone tall and slender, who had appeared without any apparent reason. Then, with a light step, he instantly materialized at the center of the hall. Now, everyone could see his face clearly. His eyebrows were yellowed with stress, his eyes small, yet his head was astonishingly large—almost half again the size of an ordinary person, wobbling precariously on his neck, as if it might snap at any moment, an utterly strange sight. Yet upon seeing this, the group of cultivators in the hall all rose in astonishment. "Are you truly my seventh uncle?" asked the plain-faced cultivator, taking a deep breath and speaking with cautious inquiry. "Ha! Younger brother, it's been several hundred years—so much so that even I don't recognize myself anymore. That's understandable. After all, I've risen from the dead, which naturally raises questions among you. But here, I have a sealed transmission scroll from the third young one. Just take a look and you'll see what's going on." The strange man chuckled, then raised his hand and tossed a green jade scroll toward them. The plain-faced cultivator looked deeply puzzled, yet still accepted the scroll and immersed his consciousness into it. In mere moments, the square-faced cultivator's face changed several times. Upon withdrawing his awareness once more, he immediately beamed and bowed deeply to the stranger: "It turns out that the passing of our esteemed seventh uncle back then was a well-planned move by the previous Grand Elder. I was somewhat impolite earlier; I hope you'll forgive me." "Your carefulness is truly admirable. I'm so pleased that I hardly know what to say—how could I possibly blame you?" The stranger waved his hand, showing no concern. The other cultivators also inspected the jade scroll, and soon, one after another, they approached with expressions of surprise and bowed in greeting. "Indeed, it is our seventh uncle!" "Greetings, Third Elder!" Cheers and greetings flowed continuously. "Hah! All of you—please don't bother with formalities." The stranger was overjoyed and sat comfortably in the main seat without hesitation. "Third Elder mentioned in the scroll that our seventh uncle had already reached the late Yuan Yin stage two centuries ago. This is truly remarkable," the elderly woman said respectfully. "Indeed, when the major sects secretly targeted me, they believed I had a strong chance of reaching the late stage—so they went to great lengths to set traps and eliminate me. After I escaped that crisis according to the family's arrangements, I managed to fulfill everyone's expectations and successfully advanced. According to the plan set by the previous generation of elders, I was not supposed to meet or appear before you until the Ye family faced a critical moment of survival. However, the only young disciple who knew of my existence recently visited me, informed me of your plans, and, acting as the current head elder of the family, requested my assistance. After careful consideration, I concluded that this matter truly concerned the very survival of our Ye family, and thus I decided to come and lend my support to you." The stranger's expression grew serious at once.