"It's surprising that Master Han still dares to show up here," said the young man with the Xu surname, sneering as he raised his hand and sent a streak of silver light that shattered a stone figure facing him, speaking first. "Why shouldn't he come? With the divine treasures now at hand, does Master Han still have the time and energy to bother me?" In reply, Han Li remained calm, his gaze steady. He noticed that the remains of the shattered stone figure, upon a flash of white light from the altar, instantly reformed and resumed its movements—once again wielding his golden blade, sending out waves of blade light toward the sky. He found this rather surprising. As Han Li spoke, the great celestial master of the Tianlan Grassland's face darkened with anger, ready to add more words when suddenly, the silver-winged night guard, from afar, spread its wings and softly remarked, "Have you forgotten our mutual grudges? Even though the treasures are now in your possession, I'm not averse to settling some personal matters first." As soon as these words were spoken, the lion-like bird creature at his side also emitted a low growl, clearly conveying its sense of threat. "Indeed?" Hán Lì heard this and instead of being startled, broke into a smile. By the side, Guí Líng sighed, stepped forward, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Hán Lì. This scene caused the silver-winged night warrior to pale slightly. "Master Guí, what do you mean by this? Why are you standing beside this human cultivator?" "What do I mean? Either you truly don't know or you're simply pretending to be unaware. We've been ruthlessly exploited by you—so focused on our own life essences that we completely neglected our own well-being. Now, my life essence has fallen into the hands of others. If I don't want to see my spirit scattered and vanish, I have no choice but to follow suit." Guí Líng's eyes flashed with fierce intensity, and suddenly she pointed at the distant silver-winged night warrior, launching into a passionate outburst of anger. This development left all the cultivators in stunned silence. The silver-winged night warrior, meanwhile, looked slightly embarrassed, and the lion-bird that had been roaring nearby immediately fell silent. Indeed, these three immortals had once shared a deep connection and mutual acquaintance. If they could, the two immort But the situation at that moment was truly exceptional. It was already a great stroke of luck that they had managed to secure their own life plates. They simply could not afford to pay attention to Gui Ling's. Moreover, Han Li was exceptionally slippery—once the treasures were in his hands, he immediately slipped away, while they were left trapped under the power of the Four Elemental Scales, helpless to watch him go. "Gui friend, please don't worry. We will certainly recover your life plate for you," said the Silver-Winged Night Monkey, his expression instantly regaining its composure as he fixed a solemn gaze on Han Li. "By now, what good does all this do? I have no choice but to follow your lead. Should we face you directly, don't expect me to hold back." Gui Ling, however, was entirely ungrateful, her eyes blazing with indignation. Upon hearing this, the Silver-Winged Night Monkey sighed and smiled, saying nothing further—yet he kept a sharp, intense gaze on Han Li. Han Li, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, paying no attention to the exchange. At the same time, he had firmly resolved in his mind: if the Silver-Winged Night Monkey "Friend Han, I wonder how the battle against the old demon Qian went. He hasn't shown up yet—could it be that he fell at your hands?" The wood lady of Hua Xian Sect suddenly smiled gracefully and warmly. This remark startled the other cultivators. "Indeed, it was you who observed our battle from the North Polar Light. I'm truly sorry to have asked so directly. Might I know your esteemed name?" At the woman's seemingly unkind question, Han's eyes flickered slightly. Then, after glancing at her and the beautiful young woman beside her, he composed himself and asked calmly. "Of all the people here, only you, Friend Han, might not recognize either of us. I am from Hua Xian Sect in the southern region—perhaps I can be considered a local resident. Yet your face seems quite unfamiliar. Might it be that you are not one of our great Jin dynasty cultivators?" The wood lady's graceful figure trembled slightly, her ordinary features now glowing with charm, though her gaze remained icy and distant. "My background seems unrelated to the current affairs here." As for Han Li, he had indeed received considerable care and attention from the two senior friends during his stay at Kunwu Hall. As for Qian, he merely exchanged a few words with me—after all, they naturally parted ways afterward. How is it that Qian didn't come here? I thought he had arrived earlier. Han Li spoke this with calm composure, weaving a plausible excuse on the spot, which only made Gui Ling beside him roll her eyes, utterly unimpressed. Although the Wood Lady harbored some doubts, she simply didn't believe that Han Li had truly defeated the renowned Qian Elder Demon. Thus, upon hearing Han Li's rather unconvincing explanation, she merely smiled gently and said nothing further. The other several unfamiliar cultivators, seeing so many people now paying close attention to the newly arrived Han Li, exchanged glances and then stepped back slightly, ceasing their attacks on the stone puppets within the array. Among them, a white-robed scholar in the late Yuan-Stage of cultivation, his gaze flickering briefly, murmured to Han Li: "This friend appears to have some grievances with the others here." I am the senior elder of the Ye family, in charge of the imperial lineage of the Great Jin dynasty. Would you be interested in forming an alliance with us? We merely ask for this Eight-Spirit Ruler's staff—everything else within the palace shall be yours. How do you find this proposal? Han Li was slightly taken aback by this statement, yet his expression remained calm, with no visible signs of surprise or hesitation. The scholar, seeing that Han Li possessed strong cultivation and could command such a high-tier spirit beast as Gui Ling, grew increasingly eager to forge a partnership. Han Li's brow furrowed slightly, and finally spoke up, transmitting his words: "As the foremost family of the Great Jin dynasty, how could you possibly need assistance from an outsider like me? Moreover, you have two senior cultivators who have entered this mountain, correct? I wonder where the other one is currently located." As Han Li's gaze shifted, he clearly assessed each of the unfamiliar cultivators with sharp attention. There was no apparent ancient fantasy embodiment inside, which brought a sense of relief—but at the same time, deepened his caution. "I didn't expect that Brother Han would know exactly who had arrived at our Ye family. To be honest, my elder relative should also be within this tower. Though I haven't personally contacted him, I'm certain he will step in at the crucial moment. Perhaps he has already infiltrated the palace!" The scholar's expression grew serious, yet he chuckled softly. "Indeed? If the palace were entirely empty, wouldn't that make my efforts in vain, and even cause me to offend others entirely?" Han remained silent for a moment before replying. "That's quite simple. Earlier, while exploring other areas of Kunwu Mountain, I acquired several powerful artifacts. Should you not have obtained any, I am willing to present them all to Brother Han. If Brother Han is concerned about offending others, our Ye family may, upon the matter's resolution, appoint you as a guest senior elder, or offer you a reward of one million灵stones at once." The white-robed scholar, seeing Han Li showing some interest, hurriedly presented all the conditions he had prepared. After all, due to the mysterious disappearance of the big-headed stranger and several other Ye family cultivators, he had been deeply anxious, feeling that the situation was slipping out of his control—thus, he was willing to make significant sacrifices to secure Han Li, a cultivator seemingly from beyond the Great Jin realm. "The matter of the guest elder is quite acceptable. As for the one million spirit stones, Han Li, I find that particularly appealing. Should things not work out, I can simply depart from the Great Jin immediately." After a brief thought, Han Li smiled lightly and readily agreed. "That's perfect. I'll convey this arrangement to my lord. You just need to act accordingly once the time comes." The white-robed scholar appeared extremely delighted. "Wait—your lord truly intends to give these eight spirit measuring rods to someone else?" As the spiritual companion linked to Han Li's consciousness, Yin Yue listened intently to the entire conversation between Han Li and the scholar and couldn't help asking. "Give them away? Of course not. We've only reached a verbal agreement so far." As for this agreement with no guarantees, neither of us will treat it seriously. Only now does the Ye family feel somewhat weakened, and I need someone to help me keep the others in check. That's all." Han Li said calmly to Yin Yue. "I completely agree. Once the great array is broken, who ultimately gets the Eight Spirit Rods will depend entirely on each person's own abilities." Yin Yue sighed. Han Li smiled slightly and said no more, for at that moment the white-robed scholar raised his spiritual power and spoke loudly to the others. "Ladies and gentlemen, since this Han Daojun has also arrived, we should now have a much greater chance of breaking through this ancient array. Shouldn't the earlier agreement also apply to Han Daojun?" "Hmph! With us already here, we are more than sufficient to dismantle this array. What need is there to bring in anyone else and capture them?" The Xu-family youth sneered. "Capture? Brother Xu, are you jesting? If Brother Xu can personally accomplish that, then I have no objection at all." Moreover, the seal outside is constantly weakening. Do you think we still have time to linger here? The white-robed scholar frowned, speaking in a solemn tone. "That's true. Already, Xuanqing from the Taidan Sect has arrived, and it's said that the Seventh Master of the Tianmo Sect is also coming. We have at most one more day to retrieve the treasures. Otherwise, when the leading sects of the Zheng and Mo factions arrive, do you think this Eight-Spirit Ruler will still be ours?" The wood lady brushed a strand of her dark hair, stating it with such composure. Taidan Sect! Tianmo Sect! All the cultivators, including Han Li, were stunned—especially the eldest elder of the Ye family, whose face had turned pale. Even the Xu youth and Lin Yinping exchanged glances, their expressions no longer confident. Though their Heavenly澜 Temple and the Tianmo Sect had had some interactions, neither could have imagined they would share these Kunwu Mountain treasures equally. "Very well. Let him join the ranks of those breaking the seal as well." Indeed, once the great array was broken, whoever could claim this heavenly spiritual treasure would rely solely on their own prowess! The Xu youth, truly a great cultivator, swiftly made his decision. Though others—such as the silver-winged yaksha and various beasts—each harbored their own hidden intentions, none challenged the matter further. Seeing this, Han Li smiled slightly, then shook his sleeve, and十余 golden flying swords shot forth, immediately launching a relentless assault toward the stone automata below. Others, too, quickly resumed their attacks on the array without delay. The stone automata, which had previously remained motionless, instantly came alive, vigorously wielding their golden blades to meet the attacks from above. The clash of blades surged once more, echoing with renewed thunder! (First chapter. Wishing everyone a joyful Christmas! It's nearly the end of the month, and the monthly ticket rankings are fiercely competitive. We kindly urge you to support us now, especially during this crucial time. Please help us secure your monthly tickets! Hehe—don't hold back anymore, everyone!)