"The spiritual energy here is abundant. Though I don't know what the outside world is like now, I'm certain the human realm couldn't find a more suitable place for cultivation than this. I'll cultivate right here until my ascension." Upon hearing the Silver-Winged Night Stalker mention his soul tablet, the plain-looking woman's face tightened, and her tone grew more rigid. "Gui, you know the seal has already broken—staying here to cultivate is simply impossible. Yet you persist in holding on to this pretense. Moreover, we have a long-standing connection; surely, we should work together to face this crisis together?" The Silver-Winged Night Stalker frowned. "Indeed, we do share some roots. You, a human cultivator who has transformed your physical body into spirit, and I and the Lion-Beast were the spirit birds and beasts nurtured by that person in the past. We were all sealed together in the Confining Spirit Array by the cultivators." The woman with the Gui surname didn't deny it, merely nodded slightly, her expression softening. "That is precisely why we three can unite. Yet the Kunwu Hall has specific restrictions that counteract us—normally, we are unable to approach it at all." Now that human cultivators are paving the way for us, all we need to do is quietly follow them and enter unnoticed. Once we strike simultaneously, securing our life seals will be a breeze. "Hmph! That sounds easy for you to say. But as I heard from the lion-fowl beast, these two groups of cultivators are quite numerous, led by late-stage cultivators. By the way, the cultivator you mentioned—said to be exceptionally difficult, possibly possessing a transcendental spiritual treasure—seems to be among them as well. Be careful then: don’t just fail to obtain your life seal, and end up getting caught in the process. I’ve been so afraid of being imprisoned lately. If necessary, I’d rather forgo my life seal altogether and simply sink deep into the mountain’s spiritual veins, sleeping for over a thousand years. Then, even if they manage to secure theirs, I’ll never meet them again. What can they do against me?" The ugly woman’s mind stirred, yet she remained resolute on the surface. "Friend Gui, don’t forget—I’m equally skilled in earth-dwelling techniques." The silver-winged night warrior seemed slightly impatient, his expression darkening. "What do you mean by that?" "The woman narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp and cold, fixed firmly on the silver-winged night-dragon." "It's simple. If my essential card is taken by these humans, I'll have no choice but to reveal everything about you when questioned. Consider a single ten-tier pyroclastic turtle's spirit essence—do you think these cultivators will easily let you go? When that happens, I'll certainly be sent to hunt you down!" The silver-winged night-dragon replied calmly. "Then, why not just hide together with me?" The woman huffed, her face showing a touch of irritation. "I won't let this opportunity to seize my essential card slip by, nor do I intend to stay confined here forever. After all, without absorbing the shadow moon essence from beyond the mountain, I'll never evolve into a golden-bodied moon corpse." The silver-winged night-dragon said with unwavering composure. "Hmph! You're trying to pressure me!" The woman suddenly leapt several feet high, pointing at the silver-winged night-dragon and shouting angrily. "Heh—heh, whether this is a threat or not, Guí friend can judge for himself. Don't forget that." You still haven't repaid me one personal favor. Back then, those ancient cultivators inscribed the Blood-Draining Spell upon us, leaving us mentally blank and foolish—utterly incapable of thought. Had it not been for the single Qingxu Pill I secretly sent you, you would have become a mere blood-thirsty madman, never able to take shape as you are today. With a cold tone, the silver-winged yin-xia flicked her silver wings. "As for this favor, I most certainly won't forget it," the woman replied, her demeanor noticeably subdued upon hearing of the Blood-Draining Spell. "But you mustn't forget either—there should be a fourth being affected by the same transmission. We've yet to meet this one personally. We don't even know whether it's a ghost or a spirit. If we can unite with it, I'd be willing to consider it." After a moment of silence, the woman finally exhaled, easing her tone. "I've already searched far and wide, and found neither the fourth Ling-Entrapment Array nor any trace of other ghosts or spirits. Perhaps the fourth one is rather unfortunate and has already passed away." After all, without the Qingxu Dan to sustain its consciousness, it was hardly conceivable that such a bloodthirsty creature could still exist after so many years. And even if it did exist, there simply wouldn’t be enough time to search for it thoroughly.” The silver-winged yaksha shook her head. The hag listened intently, her expression shifting between gloom and uncertainty. After a while, she finally sighed deeply and said firmly, “Very well. Since you’ve brought up the Qingxu Dan, I’ll lend you one more time. But make this clear—once we secure the soul tablet, we’ll leave immediately. I won’t stay in this crumbling mountain any longer. I’ll simply go somewhere quiet and unremarkable, and from then on, I’ll retire quietly, never to return.” “That’s exactly what we’ve been hoping for. As long as we have our freedom, where in the world can we not go, with our current attainments?” The silver-winged yaksha smiled with relief. Though her powers—manifested as a woman of stone—were even stronger than his own, she now proved to be a truly powerful ally. “But before we take action, we must first plan thoroughly.” Since the cultivators have already become aware of the two friends, we must be cautious—not risk falling into the trap laid by the human cultivators. Upon agreeing, the ugly woman suddenly became remarkably composed. "Of course!" The silver-winged night monkey immediately nodded in full agreement. The lion-like beast also raised its head and roared softly. Then, the three creatures quietly discussed their plans beneath the great tree, continuing until the time it took for a full meal. Only then did they suddenly rise into the air and swiftly dart toward the stone steps. In the space of a moment, the area beneath the great tree grew profoundly still, with only the gentle rustling of the breeze heard. After an unknown length of time, a seemingly ordinary large tree near the great tree began to tremble, then suddenly shrank rapidly—from large to small. As a green glow enveloped it, a section of the tree's surface swelled out, and two large, vivid green eyes appeared suddenly. The eye of this creature shone with an unusually clear, jade-green luster, and as it slightly turned, coldly gazing toward the direction where the silver-winged night-fury and others had vanished, it seemed utterly devoid of emotion. How could it be that this tree had been formed by an unknown beast—despite the three beings, each possessing astonishing powers, having failed to detect this creature just steps away? Truly astonishing. After staring straight into the sky for a long time, the creature suddenly flashed a green glow around its body, and with a swift "whoosh," the tree it had become instantly sank into the ground, vanishing completely. Only then did the area truly become quiet and empty. At another location, after the lion-fowl creature failed to appear, the group led by Han Li no longer intended to linger in the stone pavilion. Instead, they swiftly withdrew from it. As soon as they stepped outside the pavilion, they naturally encountered the same sky-bound restrictions as the Ye family cultivators had previously faced, and all of them fell from the air. This both surprised and delighted them—naturally knowing that they had now reached the heart of Kunwu Mountain. "What was that?" Bai Yaoyi gasped softly, her bright eyes fixed on the distant stone steps, her face filled with astonishment. The others paused, quickly turning to look. Then they realized that several miles away, the stone steps curved and disappeared into a vast grove of towering bamboo. The bamboo here were massive, each one as thick as a person’s torso, densely packed and stretching across nearly the entire area visible from afar. The once-present white jade plaza ahead had now been completely swallowed by the bamboo grove. A subtle purple aura drifted through the forest, and the rising, powerful spiritual pressure emanating from within sent a chill through Han Li and the others. "This array seems far more impressive than the Ice-Fire Dual Pole Array. Yet it must be the final seal laid down by that group. As long as we break through this barrier, we can catch up with them," said Hu Tianqi, carefully observing. "Then, what are we waiting for?" Qian, the Elder Demon, burst into laughter. The Five Demons instantly transformed into a radiant glow and surged upward, sweeping directly toward the bamboo grove. Hua Tianqi hesitated slightly, then also led several members of the Toxin Saint Sect toward the Purple Bamboo Grove. "Let's go too. Wait—Han brother, what's wrong with you?" The wealthy elder called out, just as he was about to lift his foot and move, when he suddenly noticed Han Li's face looked unusually pale, as though something were amiss. His heart immediately leapt with concern. "No matter. Let's go," Han Li said, taking a deep breath and instantly regaining his composure. Then, with a subtle shift of his form, he simply drifted several zhang ahead without further words. The elder stroked his chin, though still puzzled, decided to keep his thoughts to himself and followed closely behind. Unaware of this, just moments earlier, Han Li had felt his dozens of flying swords within him suddenly tremble without cause. This sudden realization made him realize that the ancient demon must indeed be among the mountains. How could Han Li's face possibly look calm now? Could it be that the ancient demon was among the very cultivators ahead? How had this demon managed to blend in and come all the way to this mountain? Could there be something ancient and precious of this old demon's, or perhaps some hidden scheme at play? A cascade of thoughts surged through Han Li's mind in an instant, completely disrupting his composure and leaving him unable to maintain even the slightest sense of calm. This wasn't because, despite now possessing the Three-Flame Fan and a late Yuan-Stage Puppet, Han Li still felt exceptionally afraid of this ancient demon—rather, the timing of this demon's appearance was simply too strange. With such a powerful state of the Great Jin, Han Li had encountered this demon repeatedly, and the memory of the Wanzhang Magic Abyss in Tiannan remained vivid. Deep within him, an uneasy feeling had taken root. At this moment, the old demon Qian, driving his Five Magical Sons, had now reached the bamboo grove, and waves of gray, cold air surged forth from the white form, rushing toward the bamboo forest. And suddenly, a resonant hum rose from the Zizhulin, seven shimmering purple columns of light bursting skyward from various points within the bamboo grove. Immediately, the purple aura within the grove came alive, transforming into waves of purple that surged forth and instantly countered the gray cold air, the two forces intertwining and violently clashing like two colossal beasts. When the four elders of the Du Sheng Sect and other arriving cultivators saw this, they did not hesitate—they each unleashed their own divine techniques, causing a myriad of treasures to radiate into colorful light showers, fiercely sweeping toward the grove. Even as Han Li silently expelled several swordspells, mindlessly joining the assault, a new wave of unexpected visitors arrived at the sealed underground passage—originally sealed off due to the collapse of the illusion array.