Half a day later, in a remote area deep within the Wàn Dú Gǔ, densely populated with venomous insects, a sudden flash of silver light appeared. With several "pff" sounds, the fiery balls did not burst but instead transformed into dozens of vivid, living fire serpents, which then landed upon the ground. A surge of intense heat spread out, instantly forming a small sea of flames that consumed all the insects on the ground within moments. Han Li glanced toward the distance, his expression shifting as he suddenly halted in his steps. The toxic mist opposite the raging fire was unusually thin, faintly suggesting the presence of something distinct. Yet before he could extend his awareness, the leading Han suddenly pointed his jade如意 at the sky. The artifact instantly burst into a surge of silver light, then shot forward. Among these, except Han Li and Bai Yao Yi, everyone else had previously visited this place. Thus, after the elder spoke, all of them moved without hesitation toward the great gully and stood beside it. Though the阴wind spewing from the gully was fierce and powerful, each of them remained calm and composed, gazing steadily downward. The gully appeared as deep and unfathomable as a chasm, with dark, eerie winds swirling in various sizes of strange vortices. Within these vortices, faint sounds of ghostly wailing and howling could be heard. Han Li glanced at the two sides of the gully walls and noticed that they shone with a clear, sparkling radiance, as though thick layers of cold ice had condensed upon them. "What we are currently observing is merely ordinary阴wind," he said. "It will only transform into the terrifying, awe-inspiring阴wind once we descend hundreds of zhang deeper. Without adequate preparation, even our Yuan-Enlightened cultivators would not be able to withstand it for long. However, now that I have brought the Zi You Pearl, the threat posed by this wind has been significantly reduced." However, the strength and nature of the yang and yin winds varied across different parts of the Yin-Yang Caverns. As these several Daoist friends were all seasoned and experienced, they naturally required little explanation from Fu, the elder with the Fu surname. After everyone had carefully examined the vast gully, Fu lightly cleared his throat and spoke. Then, with a gesture, he suddenly produced a round, purple-hued orb of about fist-size in his hand. As soon as the orb appeared, Han Li carefully studied it. Immediately, he felt a series of swift flashes of purple light dancing before his eyes, and his consciousness grew hazy, as though his spirit were about to drift out of his body. He was startled, yet at that very moment, the Daxian Sect's internal technique began to run automatically, and a refreshing coolness spreading through his mind restored his composure. Though outwardly calm, Han Li was still deeply impressed inside. Indeed, this object truly lived up to its reputation as the magisterial treasure of the demonic sect—most extraordinary. With this thought, he glanced toward Yuan, the tall Han, and Bai Yao Yi. The two figures had their eyes darting constantly, their faces not looking very pleasant. It seemed they, too, had been caught off guard and suffered an unseen disadvantage from the effects of this pearl. They didn't know yet how the two had managed to escape the pearl's mesmerizing influence through some secret technique. Then, his body shimmered with green light, drifting slowly downward. Han Li and the others, unwilling to leave the purple glow's range, likewise released protective artifacts and followed into the deep ravine. The large Han man produced a jade plaque of jade-green hue, rotating above his head; Bai Yaoyi wielded a blade of crystalline ice, encircling her body; the black-clad beauty held a dark shield pressed firmly before her. Han Li only expelled a few golden flying swords, shielding his entire form. After a short while, their figures vanished completely into the black vortex below, as the surrounding light flashed rapidly. Peace returned to the ravine. Meanwhile, as Han Li and his companions entered the Yin-Yang Cavern, several to eight cultivators floated above the surface of an unnamed small lake in the southern region, listening attentively to a black-robed cultivator speaking. These cultivators included both laypeople and monks, among whom were several members of the Ye family who had gathered at the imperial palace several months prior. The tall, lopsided figure also wavered slightly, standing at the center of the crowd, with beside him the mid-Stage Yuan-Enlightened, broad-faced cultivator. A young man, resembling Han Li in appearance, stood not far behind him. As this ancient demon listened intently to the mid-level cultivator's account, his face remained expressionless. The black-robed cultivator was at the Jie-Dan stage, yet he maintained an unusually respectful demeanor before these Yuan-Enlightened clan elders. "Four hundred years ago, upon discovering the approximate location of the 'Kunwu' Immortal Mountain from a fragment of an ancient stele in our Ye family's ancestral site, we have been steadily planning this endeavor. This once-renowned immortal sanctuary from antiquity was mysteriously sunk beneath the earth by ancient cultivators through great feats of magic. Not only did it boast numerous ancient cultivators' abodes, making it absolutely worth exploring, but the stele also revealed that when the ancient cultivators sealed the mountain, they had left behind two celestial immortal treasures within its depths. If our Ye family secures these two treasures, our strength will immediately multiply, enabling us to command the major sects of both the orthodox and martial traditions. After spending over a century dispatching numerous disciples and nearly exhausting our efforts across half of the Great Jin realm, we finally discovered the location mentioned on the stone tablet beneath this lake. We promptly sent our master array engineers to begin dismantling the seals. Given the significance of this matter, it has always been specifically managed by the previous Grand Elder, with only a handful of other elders—perhaps just two or three—being fully aware of it. The black-robed cultivator paused here, then continued: "Yet this ancient seal is far more profound than we had imagined, layered one after another, extending almost throughout the entire area beneath a hundred-mile radius. Even after a century and a half of dedicated efforts by more than a dozen array masters, they only finally uncovered the method to unlock the seal. It must be achieved through the combined power of heaven and earth, using one array to break another, in order to completely remove the sealing barriers." However, the sheer volume of materials required to establish and dismantle the array, coupled with the extensive number of arrays to be laid out, makes this an exceptionally massive undertaking. Most importantly, many of the materials used in the array are exceedingly rare, and we must collect them carefully and methodically, ensuring that our movements remain undetected. Otherwise, all our efforts would amount to nothing but a mere performance for others. Thus, the process of setting up the dismantling array has been fragmented and interrupted on several occasions. It is only now, after all this time, that this grand project is finally nearing completion. Currently, the array mages within the clan are laying the final array at the lakebed, and it is expected to be finished within another month. At that point, we will activate a powerful concealment array to fully suppress the extraordinary phenomena that will occur during the dismantling, allowing the senior elders to enter Kunwu Mountain at ease and retrieve the treasures without disruption. After delivering this explanation, the black-robed monk immediately stepped back silently, saying nothing further. "Kunwu Mountain? Then our journey has truly been aimed at this mountain all along!" "Indeed, nothing short of astonishing!" "I always thought it was some ancient immortal's abode!" "Hmph! Only a celestial mountain like Kunwu could possibly harbor a heavenly treasure of such magnitude." ... For a moment, aside from the odd man, the square-faced cultivator, and the ancient demon, all the other cultivators couldn't help but whisper among themselves, their faces glowing with excitement. "Hmph! Don't be too cheerful yet. Breaking the seals is merely the first step in retrieving the treasures. If the treasure-hunting journey were truly that simple, why would our third brother have gathered us all here and summoned his seventh uncle to lend us support? Moreover, as the Grand Elder, he would have deliberately avoided the attention of other sects, arriving only a month later to join us in entering Kunwu Mountain." The square-faced cultivator said, his expression now serious. The other cultivators fell silent upon hearing this. "Based on what Erge has just said, is there something amiss within Kunwu Mountain?" asked an elder from the Ye family, dressed in traditional robes, unable to hold back his curiosity. "It's not just unsuitable—this time, once we enter, we may never come back, and that's not impossible at all." The middle-aged man with a square face spoke in a gloomy tone. "How could that be? We have two senior cultivators here, my uncle and third brother. Even if there are powerful seals in place, they should be able to withstand them without issue." One of the scholars expressed surprise. "If it were truly that simple, then why haven't you thought about it? This Kunwu Mountain is a pristine spiritual sanctuary, a place of great antiquity. Why would ancient cultivation sects choose to seal it off, and even leave behind such heavenly treasures? There must be some astonishing secret hidden within. The dangers must be immense." The square-faced cultivator said, his voice low and measured. Upon hearing this, the others exchanged glances, puzzled. "Now, this is merely the worst-case scenario. Perhaps there's some unforeseen reason—some necessity—that has led to the sealing of this mountain. You needn't be overly concerned. But vigilance is essential. Should anything truly go wrong, I won't remain passive." "The odd man chuckled and said so. At that moment, everyone else's expressions returned to normal. But just then, the man with the broad face turned around and suddenly said seriously to the ancient mage behind him: 'Master Han, you are well-versed in the ancient texts and have greatly relied on our assistance in this journey into Kunwu Mountain. Rest assured, we have already discovered two magical artifacts. Once this matter is settled, I will personally deliver them to your friend.' "