Not long after, when the other cultivators who had gone to investigate the remaining array sites returned, they reported exactly the same situation—the arrays had all been destroyed. This time, everyone was deeply concerned. The cultivators from the Ye family fell silent. "Within a hundred li of this area, there are no other cultivators besides our Ye family members. If someone had come later to carry out the destruction, the timing of their actions would have been too precise. Just as we had just lifted the seal, others immediately intervened and made alterations to the protective arrays. It seems the issue lies within our own ranks." The scholar suddenly sneered. "Among our own!" "Impossible! All of these people are from the Ye family—how could they have done such a thing?" "All Ye family members? That's not certain. Isn't there also one who doesn't bear the surname Ye?" After a moment of discussion, someone immediately remarked this. Upon hearing this, most of the cultivators turned their attention to one particular person. The man had an ordinary appearance and a calm demeanor—exactly the human cultivator in the form of the ancient demon. "Master Han was personally invited by me and has been living with my seventh uncle. Don't make up any suspicions," said the senior elder of the Ye family, cutting in firmly. "Indeed, Master Han has always been with me, and our conversations have been most pleasant," replied the portly man calmly. Upon hearing this, the other cultivators naturally placed full trust in the senior elder, and their doubts were completely dispelled. At that moment, the scholar then instructed the man with the square face: "Brother, go down to the lake bottom and check—besides the missing disciples, are there any other people missing?" "Understood!" the man with the square face promptly agreed, then transformed into a streak of light and disappeared beneath the lake surface. "Senior elders, let us prepare as well. Though the phenomena here are remarkable and cannot be concealed any longer, we won't face any immediate threats from external powers in the near term." The Nanyang region didn't have any particularly prominent sects. It took other cultivators considerable time—far beyond ten or twenty days—to reach here. Although we didn't know the exact situation within Kunwu Mountain, we had to act swiftly to uncover its hidden treasures, especially those two transcendental spiritual artifacts—definitely securing them within a short timeframe. Only then would we have the strength to defend ourselves even if our plans were discovered. Otherwise, all our centuries of careful planning would be rendered meaningless, and the Ye family would face a complete extinction. Such an outcome must absolutely be avoided. The white-robed scholar then spoke firmly to the others. "Yes, Senior Elder!" The other elders of the Ye family, upon hearing this, were struck with serious concern and responded in unison. A moment later, the middle-faced cultivator and the white-robed elder both emerged from beneath the lake. As soon as the middle-faced cultivator reached the white-robed scholar, he said with a grave expression: "Third brother, indeed, two of the array cultivators are missing—offspring from the Fifth and Twelfth families. Could it be that these two have dared to betray their families and collaborate with the enemy?" "Hmph! It's not necessarily betrayal, but perhaps they've been searched soul and spirit, even killed. When exactly did they vanish?" the scholar coldly inquired. "Two days ago, now. These two were responsible for the distant array circuits, and no one had ever suspected them. Only now, with all the disciples gathered here today, have we realized they're missing." This time, the white-haired elder flushed with cold sweat. "It seems the issue truly lies with these two. Nevertheless, regardless of the actual circumstances, that now matters little. Once we enter Kunwu Mountain, all array specialists and internal disciples should immediately evacuate. By the way, have we confirmed the location of the seal breach?" the scholar calmly asked. "Yes, we've located it using the array. It's underground, twenty li to the north of here. At approximately one thousand zhang below ground level, there should be a fissure stretching several zhangs in length. The elders may simply descend and enter directly." The white-haired elder quickly replied. "Then lead the way—we're setting off." "The scholar said without hesitation. "Yes, Elder!" The white-haired elder bowed respectfully. Immediately, a line of nine cultivators took to the flight, and in a short while, they arrived above a dense forest twenty li away, where the trees were lush and thriving. The white-haired elder halted their flight, surveyed the surroundings, then flipped his palm, bringing forth a pale silver disc that appeared in his hand. With a series of incantations, he pressed a seal onto the disc, and instantly, the surface shimmered with luminous light, subtly revealing faint patterns of runes. "Indeed, it's here!" The elder confirmed with great confidence after only a brief inspection of the disc. "Excellent! Ninth sister, release your spirit beast—we'll descend now." The scholar turned to a senior nun standing behind him. The nun nodded and, with a tap of her waist pouch, a beam of yellow light burst forth, rapidly expanding in the wind until it transformed into a thousand-legged centipede several dozen zhang long, exuding a fierce green aura. No one needed to say another word. Except for the white-haired elder, all the Ye family cultivators swiftly ascended onto the centipede's back. The old nun issued a low command, and a faint yellow light aura enveloped the giant centipede, instantly enclosing all the cultivators within. Then, the centipede tilted its body and began to descend straight downward. As the massive body of the centipede touched the ground, it sank silently and seamlessly into the earth, vanishing without a trace within moments. It turned out to be a creature proficient in earth-walking technique. The white-haired elder remained suspended in the air for a while, only exhaling a long breath once he saw no signs of the Ye family cultivators emerging, and then turned to head back along the way. Almost at the same time, in the sky some two hundred li away, several cultivators dressed in blue robes with red headwraps gazed at the seven towering, milky-white light pillars rising into the heavens, each one looking at the others in astonishment. "What is this? Such an extraordinary celestial phenomenon," said a young man in his twenties, speechless. "Whatever it is, it surely isn't something My junior brother, hurry back to the temple and report what has happened. I'll take the others and go see for myself!" The leading cultivator, with dark complexion, delivered the words with serious gravity. Upon hearing this, another cultivator immediately nodded and took off on his flying vessel. The rest followed the middle-aged cultivator swiftly toward the small lake. At a greater distance, atop the peak of a lofty mountain, hundreds of cultivators of various attire gathered closely. Most of them were at a low level—mostly Qi Stage cultivators, with only a few reaching the Foundation Stage—and thus, they were holding a small gathering. Though their cultivation levels were modest, the radiant beams of light were so striking that everyone clearly saw them. Now, each person either stood on a large stone or floated in the air on their own vessel, all staring in astonishment toward the beams. At the foot of an unknown mountain, an elderly, slightly plump cultivator stood at a half-open stone gate, gazing at the several beams of light in the sky, his expression thoughtful. The same scene unfolded, with the small town where Ye family cultivators resided at its center. Cultivators within a thousand li were all startled and awakened by the magnificent, sky-reaching light pillar. Whether from nearby noble families or secluded independent cultivators, they swiftly took flight toward the source of the light. Soon after, the news of a rare treasure emerging spread rapidly throughout the southern region. Within a few days, even neighboring prefectures and provinces became aware of the event. The entire southern region soon stirred with excitement and activity. At this moment, the rings have shattered, yet the silver-winged night-axe is completely gone—its outcome is thus entirely uncertain. As he pondered this, Han Li turned his gaze to his waist. There, a green jade scroll was affixed, emitting a gentle glow. The pattern of this scroll was somewhat familiar to him, though it was an exceedingly rare type of teleportation scroll. He had seen similar scrolls during his travels across the Chaotic Star Sea, though back then they had been mere paper scrolls. Han Li furrowed his brows, then flipped his hand, revealing a blue-tinged token—his early-acquired Great Relocation Seal. When he was first teleported out, he had no idea where he would end up, fearing that the destination might be too distant and that the spatial pressure would completely tear him apart. Thus, he immediately drew out the seal and held it tightly in his hand. Yet he had never expected, at the very moment the teleportation light appeared, for this scroll to materialize spontaneously at his waist, leaving him no chance to evade it. It was either a special feature inherent to the massive teleportation array itself, or a clever arrangement made by the master who originally set it up. Nevertheless, this ancient teleportation seal must be quite different from today's modern ones—definitely worthy of study. As he pondered this, Han Li reached out and grasped the jade seal with his hand. Yet before his fingertips even touched it, the seal suddenly burst apart with a soft "pffft," dispersing into scattered beams of luminous energy. He was momentarily stunned, then broke into a wry smile. The craftsmanship of this teleportation seal truly was meticulous—the embedded spiritual energy seemed sufficient only for a single transmission. It appeared that the other seals, too, would likewise be unable to retain their potency. By "other seals," Han Li meant the ones affixed to Ti Hun, who stood nearby, and the two gray cocoons still suspended in the air. At the very moment he raised his head to observe, these jade seals indeed vanished as he had anticipated. As for the corpse wolf, it had now transformed into a true corpse, and the啼魂 beast, growing to a size of several zhang, was continuously leaping and pounding its chest upon the wolf's body, filled with excitement. Indeed, this wolf had been rather unfortunate—when it emerged from the teleportation array, it had just happened to be directly adjacent to Han Li, who possessed a far more refined consciousness than the wolf. Han Li recovered from the dizziness of teleportation first and, naturally, delivered a powerful Bixie Divine Lightning strike that dealt a severe blow, leaving the wolf seriously wounded. Moreover, the啼魂 beast immediately emitted a shimmering yellow aura, swiftly absorbing all the corpse energy from the wolf's body, thus easily ending the giant wolf's life. The silver-winged night warrior, on the other hand, seemed indifferent to this wolf, showing no intention of continuing the battle with Han Li over it. Finally freed, the wolf seized the opportunity and immediately activated the Feng Dun technique, vanishing into the wind and leaving the scene.