"What has happened, friends, that you all are so alarmed?" Qian, the Elder Demon, was taken aback. The white figure, which had just assumed an attacking stance, flickered and returned to its original position, then suddenly turned halfway around to face backward. For behind the light screen, the cultivators who had just emerged were all in disarray, yet each of them was a Yuan-Infant stage cultivator—no one could afford to treat them as ordinary, even if Qian were supremely confident. Moreover, the explosive sounds that had just come from within the screen had stirred in him a growing sense of unease. "Brother Qian indeed displays astonishing prowess, arriving here ahead of us all. Oh! Isn't that Fu, from the Jiyou Sect? And these two—?" These cultivators were clearly the Four Elders of the Toxin Saint Sect, along with five other Yuan-Infant stage cultivators. The Elder, who had been quietly observing, seemed hesitant at first. But as soon as Huatianqi saw Han, Li, and their companions, he immediately grew puzzled. "Ah, it's Brother Hua—what a pleasant coincidence! Though, what exactly happened during that explosion just now?" The wealthy elder, however, remained anxious about the matter at hand and could not pause to explain, quickly turning to inquire instead. "Hmph! This issue—we still have a few questions for you fellow cultivators. Since you arrived earlier, I assume the outer illusion array must have been laid by you. Just now, when the array burst and once again blocked the passage, that too must have been your deliberate arrangement," said one of the Yuan Ying cultivators, a sturdy man, with a cold tone. Upon hearing this, the others also grew visibly uneasy, fixing their gaze on Han and his companions, each of them now expressing displeasure. "Do not misunderstand, esteemed guests. As soon as we arrived at this location, there were already other cultivators present. The illusion array you speak of has nothing to do with us three. If you've suffered losses, surely you intend to blame the wealthy elder, haven't you?" The elder responded, his expression darkening, speaking with firm and unyielding courtesy. In such a complex situation, one must not easily show weakness, or else one risks being perceived as vulnerable and easily overwhelmed. "Are there still people here?" This surprised not only the four senior masters of Du Sheng Sect, but even the old dragon demon, Qian. "Hmph. We three were accidentally transported here by an ancient magical array. At the time, we heard the sound of the mountain's seals being broken. However, we were later trapped by another seal for several days and thus failed to locate these people in time. I suspect the phantom array you mentioned must be connected to them." The elder named Fu, far from being an ordinary figure, explained the situation clearly and concisely in just a few words. "Indeed true?" The large man hesitated, and the other cultivators grew increasingly doubtful. "Brother Fu is the chief enforcer of Jiyou Sect—he could not possibly deceive us on such an obvious matter. Moreover, if it is indeed Jiyou Sect that has lifted this seal, then their ancient friend would surely have come personally to oversee the event." The expression on Huatianqi's face softened, and he seemed fully convinced by the elder's words. "That's quite reasonable!" The large man pondered a moment, and then agreed. "However, when we just arrived, there seemed to be some tension between the three of you and Master Qian. Has Master Qian perhaps offended Master Fu in any way?" Hua Tian suddenly asked, his eyes twinkling slightly. After all, he had clearly seen the tense posture and raised swords of the three Han disciples toward the old demon earlier. "This matter..." the elder hesitated, his face showing uncertainty. While the elder was pondering how to respond, deep within the upper halls of Kunwu Mountain, in a grand hall far away, a large-headed stranger held a small golden mallet in his hand. With a single swing, a brilliant silver-white arc of electricity surged forth, instantly shattering a stone tiger automaton that had been close to him. Behind him, the various cultivators from the Ye family each activated their own treasures, relentlessly striking their various stone automatons before them. These automatons were all shaped like animals—both land and flying creatures—and not only were they exceptionally sturdy, but they could also emit simple spells, making them remarkably formidable. Surging forth from the four corridors surrounding the palace, seemingly without end. Yet each Ye family cultivator remained calm, steadily channeling their divine artifacts, as if confident in their course. Moments later, a sudden, resonant crash echoed from one distant side—the corridor there collapsed entirely, and the stone automata on that side ceased their flow. Upon hearing the sound, the Ye family cultivators all brightened with relief. Soon after, the corridors in the other three directions also collapsed one by one, each accompanied by thunderous sounds, with no new automata joining the flow. In the span of a few moments, the remaining automata within the hall were swiftly cleared by the Ye family's efforts. "What on earth are these things? They seem quite different from the current automata," the Ye family cultivators remarked, finally relaxing. Though the immediate threat had not been severe, their prolonged, full-force use of their divine artifacts had significantly drained their inner energy. At that moment, a streak of luminous light burst forth from the last corridor that had been destroyed, arriving before the group in an instant. As the light faded, a young scholar in a white robe stepped into view. "Master Han, you were absolutely right—the end of each corridor indeed features a side pavilion. The puppets all emerged from there. Following the method suggested by my companion, I broke through the seal and entered. I've already destroyed the central structures of several pavilions," the scholar said with a smile, addressing one of the present guests. "It's nothing. The origin of this puppet array—I recall reading about it in ancient texts during my youth—and only then did I learn how to handle it. Otherwise, merely standing there, stubbornly enduring, even a cultivator of boundless attainment would eventually be drained to exhaustion." The one responding was clearly composed, a venerable ancient demon. "Ah, I see! It seems my insistence in bringing Master Han here has indeed proven most useful. There will surely be many more occasions when I'll need to rely on him in the future," the scholar said with a warm, pleasant tone. "Master Grand Elder, you're being most generous. Even if you didn't say so, The ancient mage smiled gently, offering a polite remark that pleased the scholar deeply. At that moment, the large-headed creature beside them suddenly chuckled and said, "Let's see—since we've set our reserve moves within the illusion array, it's time for them to take effect. If our luck holds, we might be able to secure some additional time for our Ye family." "Indeed, by now someone should have entered the array. As soon as anyone steps inside, the reserve moves will be triggered, causing the illusion to explode within a short time. However, the resulting obstruction will fade within no more than five or six days, after which the entrance will once again become accessible. Moreover, even without this disruption, the seal itself will begin to loosen eventually if we wait any longer." The scholar said, his expression growing serious. "The seal will still be weakening for some time before it truly collapses—there will be ample time for us to retrieve the treasures. But now, where exactly are we located on Kunwu Mountain? I believe we're not far from its main buildings." "The large-headed monster then asked the scholar, "Yes! It should be about right. However, the seals we're encountering are becoming more frequent, which suggests we're approaching the vital core of Kunwu Mountain." The scholar thought carefully and replied slowly. "That's good. But there's one more matter—rather troublesome. That silver-winged night-demon spirit has been constantly hovering behind us, restless and uncertain. What does it want? Does it intend to strike us unexpectedly at some point?" After saying this, the large-headed monster turned his head toward the entrance at the far end of the hall, showing a touch of concern. The others, upon hearing this, instinctively followed his gaze. To their relief, the area appeared empty, as though nothing at all were there. Yet the Ye family cultivators were well aware that somewhere behind that entrance, the silver-winged night-demon spirit was quietly concealed, watching them from a distance. This sudden stillness left the cultivators feeling uneasy and unsettled. Otherwise, ordinary cultivators would indeed be hesitant to remain under the watch of such high-level creatures, let alone scatter in panic, when they had two late Yuan-Stage cultivators accompanying them. "This flying corpse is certainly a challenge. If we had more time, with my and my uncle's capabilities, we could certainly design a strategy to seriously injure or even eliminate it. But unfortunately, we're pressed for time and must act swiftly. In this situation, a hasty assault might provoke its fury. For now, we'll have to assess whether there's any existing seal or restriction ahead that can be leveraged to draw it in and ultimately trap it." After pondering for a while, the scholar settled on this explanation. The others, upon hearing this, also found it convincing and promptly agreed. After all, given the night monkey's extraordinary ability to move through the air, it would be extremely difficult for them to rely solely on their own strength to escape this creature. Thus, after regaining some of their inner strength, the group immediately stepped out of the stone pavilion and arrived at the exit. Yet, upon a brief glance at the scene beyond, the Ye family cultivators were suddenly struck with astonishment—each of them then stood motionless, as if frozen. Before them stretched a broad expanse of stone staircases, ranging in size and shape, totaling over a dozen, each leading to different parts of the mountain. Yet, at a distance, every staircase was veiled in the same white mist, making it impossible to discern where each one ultimately led. How could they not be puzzled? "What shall we do? Even if we send one cultivator to explore each location, we simply won't be able to cover them all." An elder sighed gently and turned to the scholar, offering a wry smile. "Do not worry—this indicates that we have now entered the heart of Kunwu Mountain. The presence of so many branching pathways is a sign of progress. It is indeed a positive development. We cannot afford to operate in isolation." Once the manpower thinned out, they even lacked the strength to protect themselves. "Shall we proceed along this path, or shall we first go to that platform over there and check whether there are any markers before making a decision?" The scholar, truly worthy of being the senior elder of the Ye family, quickly regained composure and proposed a solution. The platform he referred to was a vast white jade plaza where all the stone stairways converged, located only a few miles away from them and impressively large in scale. Upon hearing the scholar's suggestion, no one else could offer a better alternative, so they all agreed to first visit the plaza. Thus, the group swiftly took off on their respective means of flight and headed straight toward the platform. However, as soon as they lifted off, they all began to fall from the sky with a series of "plonk," "plonk" sounds. "A spatial barrier! There's actually a spatial restriction in place here?" the large, odd-looking man exclaimed. Fortunately, the Ye family's group had not ascended very high; though they were somewhat disoriented, no one was injured, which left everyone astonished. Although the restrictions on emptying had greatly delayed their actions, it also demonstrated that they had truly entered the significant territory of Kunwu Mountain.