"Indeed! I didn't know my disciple had offended Master Zheng and Wei to such an extent that our friend had been willing to personally chastise him!" At that moment, a faint voice came from afar, followed by several streaks of colored light rushing in. The speaker, facing the figure glowing in red light, remained expressionless—none other than the flower-named cultivator himself. "Ah, it's truly Master Huā who has arrived. I apologize for my earlier rudeness. I was only jesting with your disciple; I never intended to treat him with any real superiority!" Unexpectedly, the cultivator who had appeared so imposing in red light, now immediately smiled and politely chatted with the elders of the Duosheng Sect upon their arrival, completely transforming from his earlier demeanor—showing no concern for his own dignity at all. "Hehe, this is none other than the renowned Zheng Wei, the Fourth Scattered Immortal, isn't he? Now that I see him, I must say—he truly lives up to his reputation!" A burst of laughter came from the other side, followed by a moment of blur as five pale figures suddenly materialized between the red light and the cultivators of Toxin Saint Sect, standing stiffly like bamboo poles. "Five souls united in magic! It's Brother Yin Luo from the Yin Luo Sect who has arrived!" The cultivator in the red light exclaimed, his voice suddenly transformed, as though greatly surprised. "It's no issue at all, Zheng Brother's reputation isn't any less than mine!" Brother Qian chuckled lightly. That's true enough. This Four-Dispersion True Person is indeed a well-known figure in the Great Jin cultivation world. Yet it's not so much due to his extraordinary powers that makes him stand out, but rather because he's a classic example of a cunning, soft-spoken, and easily intimidated character. When facing cultivators with lower levels of cultivation, he becomes fierce and uncompromising, showing no courtesy at all. But when encountering those with higher cultivation levels, he immediately softens and flatters, completely disregarding his own dignity. Yet whenever he sees an opportunity, he swiftly turns cold and unyielding, often taking advantage of others' vulnerabilities and striking from behind with underhanded tactics. Such a figure naturally offended many cultivators, even some Yuan-Ying stage cultivators who resented him deeply. Yet this scattered cultivator, though only at the initial Yuan-Ying stage and practicing a cultivation method that was easily conducive to advancing stages but lacked remarkable divine powers, had by chance acquired an ancient marvel—the "Four-Direction Flying Heaven Boots"—which enabled him to achieve a flight speed no less impressive than that of Yuan-Ying late-stage cultivators. Moreover, he later mastered several unique life-preserving secret techniques and, having rarely clashed with powerful Yuan-Ying mid-stage or higher cultivators, remained largely unscathed despite being deeply hated by many. Thus, he has become one of the most notorious figures in the Great Jin cultivation world. As for Huatianqi, he certainly does not treat him kindly; on the contrary, the Qian Old Demon appears to be particularly interested in him. Yet upon seeing the senior abbot of the Luoyang Sect appear, the Four-Directional Wanderer immediately began smiling while gradually retreating among the crowd, like a mouse fleeing from a cat. Observing his evident timidity, the Dry Old Demon lost any further intention of speaking to him and instead said to Huatianqi with a half-smiling, half-ironic tone: "Brother Huatianqi, your disciples have stationed themselves here—do they intend to keep you and the rest of us outside as well?" "Brother Dry, you're mistaken. How could our Toxin Saint Sect dare to obstruct Brother Dry? Even among other guests, we have absolutely no intention of blocking anyone. The only reason we've stationed ourselves here is that the current illusion array is obscuring the path. We wish to first resolve this array before allowing all of you to proceed, so as not to leave any guest stranded." Huatianqi paused, his eyes flashing. "Oh, then I must apologize for misjudging your good intentions. However, this modest illusion array—how difficult can it be for me? I would like to enter now. What do you think?" The Dry Old Demon chuckled dryly, advancing step by step "No problem, Master. As long as Master can make it through the array, I will not stand in his way at all." Hua Tianqi seemed completely relaxed, speaking without hesitation, and waved his hand to instruct his disciples to immediately clear the path. Although the other three senior elders from the Poison Saint Sect were somewhat puzzled, they remained silent out of their longstanding trust in Hua Tianqi. The several cultivators at the Dan Stage even promptly stepped aside. "Then I shall go first," Master Qian chuckled heartily, his five white silhouettes flashing past in a single motion, shooting straight toward the white light barrier. In moments, the barrier shimmered with a blue glow, and the white figures vanished. "Are there any other friends who would like to attempt the array? I will not obstruct them either," Hua Tianqi said calmly once the barrier had settled down, his jade patterns on his face twitching slightly. This action unexpectedly caused the group of cultivators, who had initially been full of vigor and determination, to pause and exchange glances, momentarily at a loss. Even the True Master Zheng Wei, who had just scattered among the crowd, now retreated into the midst of the people, remaining silent. Earlier, everyone had assumed that the Toxin Saint Sect intended to monopolize the entrance, naturally growing hostile and eager to enter the seal first. But now, with the sect opening the way and already having a cultivator at the senior stage of Yuan Yin later in the procession, they all became cautious. They didn't know whether the illusion array would prove difficult to break—what if the senior abbot of Yin Luo Sect suddenly launched an attack within the array? Who among them could possibly stand alone against such a threat? Naturally, they hesitated. Seeing this, Hua Tianqi smiled slightly, then turned and instructed his subordinates directly: "You needn't stay here any longer. This illusion array—we can manage it together with a little extra time. Go back to the surface." "Yes, Grand Abbot!" The seven or eight Toxin Saint Sect cultivators at the Dan Jin stage bowed and accepted the orders, then turned and flew upward without looking back, disappearing from sight within moments. Then, at a single call from Hua Tianqi, four senior elders of the Poison Saint Sect also stepped into the lower illusion array one after another. A glow of霞light followed, and they too vanished. The remaining cultivators were left in a state of agitation. Most of them were independent travelers; even those who came in pairs usually consisted of no more than two or three Dan-stage cultivators, and thus dared not venture into the array. The several Yuan-Stage cultivators who remained also settled in separate spots, each appearing thoughtful. With the entrance now unobstructed, the scene grew unexpectedly still and quiet. "My good friend, how about we join forces and go in together?" A scattered True Immortal, appearing shyly among the crowd, approached a tall man and smiled warmly. "To go in with you? That's quite unnecessary. I've long admired your name, and I'm truly eager to meet you!" Upon hearing Zheng Wei's suggestion, the Yuan-Stage man immediately rolled his eyes, showing clear displeasure. "Why should you keep us at arm's length?" I glanced around and noticed that among the Yuan-Ying cultivators here, besides you and me, the other three appeared to be strangers—each one a separate, independent practitioner. If we could pool our efforts and work together, we would have no need to fear the old demon magistrate, Qian, nor the representatives from the Poison Saint Sect." Zheng Wei remained unconcerned, speaking calmly. "Hmph. You first convince the others, then come find me." Upon hearing this, the big man felt a spark of interest, though he still believed Zheng Wei's reputation was quite poor, and thus spoke out his own terms without hesitation. "Very well. That's all I need. The rest shall be handled by Zheng Wei." With confidence, Zheng Wei pledged. Then, under the surprised gaze of the big man, he took off toward an elderly figure glowing with deep purple light in the distance. "Esteemed cultivator, would you like to join us in exploring further inside? I've already discussed this with the one over there, and we're planning to invite three more companions. Would you be willing to join us?" Before the elder could even react to the unexpected visitor, Zheng Wei had already smiled warmly. The elder furrowed his brow, coldly glanced at Zheng Wei, then lifted his head to look at the tall man on the other side—meeting the man's curious gaze directly. After a brief exchange of eye contact, the elder's expression softened slightly, a gentle smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. Not long after, five originally strangers among the Yuan-Stage independent cultivators also entered the illusionary array. As a result, all the higher-ranked cultivators remaining outside were now completely gone. … Meanwhile, as all the Yuan-Stage cultivators entered the array at the same time, Han Li continuously blinked with a steady blue glow, intently observing his surroundings. Now he stood alone in a space that seemed like a dream—a realm filled with ethereal, colorful clouds, neither sky nor earth visible, floating weightlessly in mid-air. "This place is truly strange," he mused. "No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get out. Neither any seal nor any clear illusion appears. It feels more like a genuine trap—perhaps I'll have to be stuck here until I die. Han Li murmured to himself, his expression clearly troubled. Several days ago, by chance, the three of them had discovered a rare spiritual herb growing on a stone beside the staircase. Immediately, the elderly man named Fu rushed over to harvest it. But as soon as he pulled the herb free, a hidden restriction was triggered, and Han Li found himself suddenly appearing here alone—his eyes blurred with the sudden shift. Bai Yao Yi and the elderly man were completely gone. Facing the magical array, Han Li, though not yet a master of array techniques, had a solid understanding of ancient, extraordinary formations and initially did not feel intimidated. Yet soon, he began to feel uneasy. For he could no longer be certain whether everything around him was an illusion—only knowing that no matter how long he flew, the scene before him remained exactly the same. Moreover, he had already fully employed the powers of Qing Ming Ling Mu, yet found no trace of any anomaly. As for attacking with flying swords and other divine artifacts, he had tried them all. Yet after each strike was launched, they flowed smoothly and traveled far before gradually dispersing and vanishing, never making actual contact. Thus, no matter how sharp his attacks, they proved entirely ineffective. After drifting through this space for so long without any success, Han Li finally came to a halt. After a moment of thoughtful contemplation, he suddenly settled into a meditative posture, gently closing his eyes and beginning to carefully review all the ancient, extraordinary arrays he had ever studied throughout his life, seeking whether any of them might be capable of breaking through the current seal and allowing him to emerge. Time passed slowly, and Han Li remained motionless, as if carved from wood. After an unknown length of time, Han Li finally stirred, slowly opening his eyes and directing his gaze toward the colorful clouds surrounding him. "Ah, now I see it. Indeed, it is as such," Han Li murmured, his expression revealing a distinct sense of realization.