Han Li slowly rose to his feet. At that moment, a large hand of jade green materialized in midair, grasping the colorful cloud firmly in his hand. A low chant began. Han Li stared intently at the hand, forming an odd hand seal with both palms and murmuring words of incantation. The hand trembled slightly, then suddenly clenched its five fingers, tightly enclosing the crimson cloud within. A brilliant jade-green glow surged forth, and in moments, the hand transformed into a brilliant, radiant orb of intense light. Yet, as Han Li opened his mouth, a slender stream of jade-green infant flame shot out and gently wrapped itself around the orb, swiftly engulfing it in a surge of flame. The orb was now completely enveloped. Han Li then uncurled his hand seal, maintaining a composed expression, silently gazing at the orb. After an indeterminate length of time, Han Li's lips twitched slightly, and then, with a swift motion of his sleeve, he shook it toward the flames above. A wave of霞light swept across, extinguishing the flames and revealing a smooth, pale red orb. "It seems the truth has finally been confirmed!" Such an elegant technique of concealing and transforming form—indeed, it was truly something only ancient cultivators possessed. Yet even among the ancient cultivators, how many had mastered this kind of array? Fortunately, among the scriptures gifted to him by Xin Ruoyin in his youth, there was one that contained a similar restriction. Otherwise, he would have genuinely been at a loss as to how to break through the array. It seemed he would need to further strengthen the power of his spiritual vision. If he could continue using the Ming Qing Ling Ye for another hundred years or so, he should be able to penetrate this top-tier illusionary technique. Han Li sighed, somewhat frustrated that his current spiritual vision could not yet discern this kind of array. He paid no further attention to the red orb floating motionlessly in the air, and instead scanned the surroundings, fixing his gaze on a cluster of blue cloud formations. With a single hand, he grasped it and then expelled a stream of infant flame. Instantly, the mist dissolved into nothingness within the flame. Han Li showed no sign of surprise, immediately reaching out for another blue cloud. After two consecutive failures, he finally succeeded in transforming a blue orb. Thus, after spending half a day, he successfully refined three pearls—yellow, green, and golden. Then, Han Li solemnly raised several of the pearls with a gesture, and the floating orbs instantly shot toward him. Following a series of rapid finger movements, the orbs began to slowly revolve around him, gradually accelerating until they formed a shimmering five-colored ring, dotted with luminous glimmers and appearing profoundly mysterious. "Go!" Han Li raised his eyebrows and issued a low command. As his finger motions ceased, the five-colored ring dissolved, and the orbs burst forth in an extraordinarily intricate pattern, suddenly flying out in all directions. In a moment, the pearls had arrived at five seemingly unrelated locations nearby, spinning continuously while simultaneously undergoing a strange, rhythmic expansion and contraction. At the very instant Han Li narrowed his eyes, several thunderous booms followed, and the five spherical beads burst simultaneously, revealing five luminous orbs of varying colors that shimmered with brilliant, piercing radiance—seeming as though five strange, majestic suns had suddenly appeared in the space. Even Han Li instinctively closed his eyes, unable to bear the intense glare of the five hues. As the five radiants converged and spread throughout the entire space, the surrounding scenery shifted abruptly, and Han Li felt a sudden flash of vision—then found himself suddenly standing on a familiar stone staircase. Not far off, the massive stone that had once been covered with magical herbs stood clearly visible. "Han friend!" "Han brother!" A man and a woman's exclamations rang out beside Han Li. Only upon turning his gaze did Han Li notice Bai Yao Yi and the wealthy elder now standing several zhang away, both appearing weary but now radiating genuine delight. "Both of you have also escaped!" Han Li said calmly. "Must be Han brother who broke through this strange seal!" "I've never seen such a terrifying spell array before—I truly thought I'd be trapped alive within it!" the elder named Fu said, visibly shaken. Clearly, the Nine-Yuan Sect's senior monk had suffered significantly under that mysterious restriction, with both his magical power and mental focus noticeably weakened. "My situation is quite similar to Brother Fu's. I was equally at a loss within the spell's confines. This time, thank you, Brother Han, for breaking through the array." Bai Yaoyi smiled faintly, a subtle expression of gratitude appearing on her delicate features. "It's nothing—I merely happened to have heard of a similar kind of restriction before, which enabled me to unravel this array. Indeed, such an ancient spell is quite rare. The spirit herb Brother Fu retrieved—I believe it was transformed into a piece of magical artifact. I suspect you may have been quite deceived." Han laughed heartily. "Transformed into an artifact? Really? I clearly remember… Ah, what is this now?" The wealthy elder was stunned by Han Li's words, speaking with both doubt and hesitation while simultaneously withdrawing a jade box from his storage pouch. To his surprise, the box contained no rare herbs at all, but instead a simple jade如意. The elder stared at it in utter amazement. "In fact, as soon as our three of us stepped onto that massive stone, we had already activated the illusionary spell embedded within it. The herbs you've gathered merely triggered the most powerful aspect of this spell. Please take a look there!" Han Li's eyes flashed as he casually pointed toward the stone. Upon hearing this, the elder and Bai Yao Yi turned to gaze at the stone, where they saw a rare herb now bearing a cluster of purple berries. "These ancient cultivators are truly cunning—they've set up such a subtle and deceptive trap right here. How did they think of this?" the elder exclaimed, now visibly furious. Bai Yao Yi also opened her mouth in surprise, her expression one of astonishment. "Neither of you need be surprised. This ancient seal originally requires a specific artifact to be actively triggered by the person entering the array, in order to fully unleash its power. Naturally, it will manifest in this manner. Moreover, I have only temporarily dispelled this seal—I have not completely destroyed it." Han Li said calmly. "This Kunwu Mountain doesn't seem like a holy or spiritual mountain at all—it rather resembles a dragon's lair or a tiger's den!" The elder sighed, disappointed that the precious herbs he had just secured were now gone. "From now on, be more cautious. This place is no ordinary ancient cultivation site. Should anything unusual occur, it's best not to act hastily—otherwise, you might find yourself in trouble. This time, I happened to succeed in breaking through the seal, but next time, I can't guarantee I'll have the same success. I believe you understand my meaning, don't you?" Han Li's gaze flickered several times, and his voice slightly deepened, then grew cold. "As for that? Fu, I shall certainly be more careful in the future." The elder named Fu managed a somewhat embarrassed, dry chuckle. This time, he had indeed been rather hasty. Bai Yaoyi nodded thoughtfully as well. "Since both of you have understood, let us go. The sounds from the mountain have ceased. We've delayed these several days—others may have already reached the summit by now." Han Li turned his gaze toward the summit, then stepped forward first, resuming his journey up the stone steps. Bai Yaoyi and the other followed naturally. This time, they encountered no obstacles. After several hours, the three of them flew past a series of massive mountain ridges and finally arrived at the stone pavilion where the Ye family cultivators had first entered—the very spot where Xiang Zhi Li had vanished into thin air the day before. Upon seeing the pavilion, the elder and Bai Yaoyi remained still, but Han Li suddenly paused, murmuring lightly as he focused on a particular spot on the ground outside the pavilion. The two elders followed his gaze and soon noticed the same anomaly. On that soft ground, there was a faint, shallow footprint. If one doesn't pay close attention, it's easy to overlook the past. "Indeed, others must have come here!" Bai Yao murmured, her delicate teeth slightly visible as she exhaled softly, her dark brows furrowed. "Not only that—look at the stones over there!" The elder, after a soft murmur, also glanced at a particular stone beside the pavilion. On that stone, there was clearly a groove several zhang long, narrow and deeply incised—obviously the mark of powerful sword qi. This was precisely the yellow sword qi that had been unintentionally left behind when Ye Family's seventh uncle had shot forth from the scene that day. "This sword mark is fresh too. It seems someone else has fought here, perhaps even with something. Could it be that silver-winged night warrior?" Bai Yao said, her eyes sparkling. "Possibly," the elder replied. "It appears those people also ascended the stone steps. That's excellent—someone has already cleared the way for us. We'll thus avoid some unnecessary trouble." Han Li spoke with remarkable composure. The wealthy elder smiled, intending to say something, when suddenly a flash of white light erupted from a nearby translucent screen, and a pale, ethereal figure shot out. Since the figure emerged directly in front of Han Li and Bai Yao Yi, they saw it clearly at once, and both were immediately delighted. They had never expected that the exit they had been searching for would be right beneath their very eyes. However, upon seeing the white figure, the wealthy elder's face instantly turned pale. "The Five-Hearted Harmony Demon—this is the avatar of the Dian Elder Demon!" Han Li was startled by this. Though he had heard of the Five-Hearted Harmony Demon before, he couldn't immediately recall who the Dian Elder Demon was. Bai Yao Yi, upon hearing this, also turned pale. At that very moment, several soft "puff" sounds followed one another, and four more figures, identical to the first, emerged from the white screen. Five faint, slightly indistinct silhouettes of pale figures stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a line, their ten blank, unblinking gazes fixed upon the three figures across from them. "Ah, the Grand Elder of Yin Luo Sect!" Seeing this strange sight, Han Li finally recalled their identities, his expression instantly turning serious. "Indeed, it's a great coincidence! I must have been searching everywhere for you, yet you arrived here before me. This young lady's attire is so unusual—perhaps she is a disciple from the Bei Ye Xiao Ji Palace. I've known Lady Liu of your palace for some time. As for the last one—ah, well! Could it be that esteemed guest from the southern heavens, Brother Han? Brother Han, you've truly made it difficult for us at Yin Luo Sect and Tian Lan Temple to locate you!" The old demon's voice began with astonishment, then turned into enthusiastic laughter.