Upon hearing this, Han Li felt his heart sink, yet he did not lose his composure or grow angry. Instead, he forced a smile and explained, "Senior, our Li family has settled in the Snow-Connected Peaks. Should you wish to visit, of course, but would it be possible for me to first inform Lord Long of your arrival?" "Lord Long? Do you intend to use him as leverage against me? Whoever is unwilling, let them come straight to me. But should there still be anyone here on this mountain half a day from now, do not expect me to be gentle with my spirit or hands." With a sharp glance and a stern expression, Han Li said. As Han's face grew pale and he was about to speak further, Han Li merely waved his sleeve, and instantly a surge of clear, misty wind burst forth from within the folds of his robe. Startled, Han felt his protective spiritual glow flicker, yet was overwhelmed by a tremendous spiritual pressure pressing upon him—his words, just about to leave his lips, were forcefully pushed back by the sheer force. Yet the two elder masters, who had only managed to ascend thanks to their magical implements, were utterly unprepared—unable even to activate their protective shields—being instantly swept off their feet by the gust, spinning wildly in midair, their forms completely unstable. Filled with fear, they naturally reached for spells to shield themselves, but their magical energy, strangely, could not be summoned at all, as though directly sealed and immobilized. In that moment, these two elders truly felt as if their souls had been carried away to the heavens. Fortunately, the wind dissipated and vanished within an instant. When the two elders finally stabilized their forms, pale-faced and breathless, and turned to gaze forward, they found the distant landscape empty—Han Li had vanished without a trace. "Master, when exactly—?" One of the black-robed elders, trembling with fear, reached out to ask the gray-robed elder. "Order all members of the clan to pack up immediately and leave this mountain within two hours," the gray-robed elder said, his face grim, taking a deep breath. He also noticed precisely when Han Li had departed. "What? Really leaving the Xuelian Peak? Our Li family fought hard—after all, we only managed to defeat the Seven Friends of Xuelian and secure this spiritual site through sheer perseverance. It's barely been a century now. Moreover, this person is so domineering; wouldn't Lóng Senior be willing to overlook such behavior?" One of the black-robed elders exclaimed, voice rising. Though the other elder remained silent, his expression betrayed clear hesitation. Clearly, he too was reluctant to part with the hard-won foundation. "Hmph. You two are both mistaken. This person's cultivation is truly incalculable! To act so boldly and openly, he must have strong backing. The spiritual pressure he exerts on me surpasses even Lóng Senior's—likely a Yuan婴中期 cultivator. With such a powerful cultivator at his side, Lóng Senior, despite his past connections with us, would surely remain silent. How could he possibly champion the interests of our modest Li family?" Moreover, though this person is domineering, he finally granted us enough time to retreat—otherwise he would have wiped us out without mercy. Do you think anyone would have stepped in for us? Don't forget, the immortal realm has always been one of the strongest triumphing over the weaker. Back then, when we first occupied this mountain, we only gained recognition from other factions because our strength slightly surpassed that of the Snow-Connected Seven. As long as our core disciples of the Li family remain, we would merely have to move to another location and seize another sacred mountain. That would be far preferable to enduring a confrontation with a Yuan-Stage cultivator and risking the entire family's extinction. The gray-robed elder grew stern and launched a sharp reprimand at his two younger nephews. The two elders only then suddenly realized their situation and nodded in agreement. Immediately, the three of them descended swiftly toward the lower parts of the mountain, vanishing into the hills and mountains without a trace. Within just one meal's time, the mountain came alive with activity. Figures moved here and there—some running on foot, others riding through the air on their vehicles—darting through the various pavilions, halls, cave residences, and mountain paths. Everyone looked pale with alarm, yet their actions remained generally orderly, without causing major chaos. After more than an hour, two squads of repair cultivators departed from the mountain in a grand procession—by air and by land—numbering well over two hundred, though most of them were only Jin Qi cultivators. Only about twenty could fly on their own vehicles. The group moved swiftly, soon distancing themselves from the mountain and heading steadily toward the outer reaches of the mountain range. The scale of this departure naturally drew the attention of other nearby cultivation factions, who were all astonished and promptly dispatched messengers to inquire about the situation. The Li family members showed no hesitation, openly revealing the truth. Upon hearing that the Xuelian Mountain had been seized by a Yuan Ying cultivator, the other cultivators were deeply surprised, and hurriedly returned to discuss their next course of action. The sudden arrival of such a senior, highly accomplished cultivator was indeed a matter of profound uncertainty—both a potential blessing and a looming challenge. But when it came to the other side forcibly occupying Xuelian Peak, the latter clearly held the upper hand. While several nearby cultivator factions were each trembling in fear, thrown into a state of chaos and agitation, Han Li had silently appeared on a massive stone at the summit of Xuelian Mountain, extending his awareness to carefully inspect whether any cultivators remained hidden within the mountain. After a while, he reopened his eyes, a satisfied expression now visible on his face. Without speaking, he flicked his hand, and a stack of array scroll flags materialized in his hands. Then, he shifted his form, transforming into a streak of azure light, swiftly circling the mountain before returning to the summit moments later—by then, all the array flags and discs in his hands had vanished. At that very moment, thick veils of white mist suddenly rose all around, quickly engulfing the entire spiritual mountain, turning it into a vast, blank expanse of white. Looking at the seal formed by the spell array before him, Han Li nodded. This array was taken from the storage bag of Qian Lao Mo, a relatively advanced spell-setting tool. While it was no great challenge for a Yuan Yin stage cultivator, it would certainly pose a significant difficulty for a Jie Dan stage cultivator who accidentally entered. Moreover, he had not yet rested content. Reaching down, he removed a bag of a spiritual beast from his waist and tossed it into the air. With two hands pressing on a series of spell gestures and pointing at the sky, the bag's opening instantly expanded, releasing a surge of cold energy, accompanied by over a dozen translucent, snow-white, winged centipedes—precisely the six-winged frost centipedes. As these centipedes emerged from the bag, they spiraled around Han Li's head, emitting soft murmurs and displaying great joy and excitement. Seeing this, Han Li smiled slightly. It seemed the current cold weather had greatly excited these spiritual creatures. With a mere mental command, twelve six-winged frost centipedes immediately shot out toward the surrounding mist and vanished within moments. With this illusionary array and twelve six-winged frost-serpents of the Jie Dan stage concealed within, even a Yuan婴初期 cultivator would find it difficult to penetrate the mountain easily. After truly committing himself, Han Li no longer delayed. He immediately used his spiritual sight to locate the spot within the mountain's core where the qi was most concentrated, then employed earth-transcendence technique to enter that point, creating a space and releasing the Tianji Fu there, gently stepping into the abode. After arranging the spiritual insects and beasts, Han Li promptly led them into the sealed chamber for meditation, settled cross-legged, slowly closed his eyes, and began to enter a state of stillness. This meditation lasted for one full day and night. When Han Li opened his eyes again, his expression was calm and composed, his mind serene and undisturbed. With a single hand pressing on his waist satchel, a crimson gourd appeared in his hands. Pouring it over, a pill the size of a thumb rolled out—emerald green, exuding a fragrant aroma—exactly the primary objective of his earlier journey: the "Pei Ying Pill." According to the wealthy elder from the Jiuyou Sect, it would take at least six months to fully absorb this pill. Naturally, Han Li would not delay any further. The earlier he absorbed the pill, the more beneficial it would be for his future cultivation and combat capabilities. As soon as he took the green pill into his mouth and swallowed it, he immediately felt as though he had swallowed a warm and cool mass, yet soon afterwards, a steady stream of heat began to radiate from its surface. Han Li did not hesitate, closed his eyes, drew the gourd close to his body, and simultaneously pressed his palms together in a series of gestures, beginning his meditation once again. At that moment, if any other cultivator were to internally observe Han Li’s body, they would notice that his Yuan婴—over two inches tall—had now opened its eyes within him, and was gently exhaling streams of pale blue infant flames that wrapped around the lush, jade-green pill, slowly absorbing and transforming it. The entire chamber remained utterly silent, as if no one were present at all. Day after day passed, and without realizing it, six months had already elapsed. The chamber remained as quiet as ever. Yet during this period, several waves of visitors arrived at Snow Linked Mountain. Among them were Jiadian cultivators from nearby sects, as well as high-level independent cultivators who had come in pursuit of fame. There had even been a single elderly figure in silver robes who visited once. He was the only one among the visitors with a Yuan Yin stage cultivator's rank. Nevertheless, regardless of who it was, upon seeing the boundless, hazy mist, and after shouting several times without success, everyone had to return in resignation. The silver-robed elder, however, seemed somewhat dissatisfied. He had once managed to penetrate the white mist, only to be forced to retreat shortly afterward, accompanied by a sharp, piercing chorus of insect cries. One of his arms had turned translucent, seemingly encased in a layer of ice. Though the injury was not severe, he was now hesitant to attempt the barrier again and simply sighed in quiet disappointment, returning empty-handed. He was well aware that the impressive spiritual insects deployed within the spiritual array clearly indicated the other party's desire not to appear aloof or indifferent to outsiders. Moreover, the sheer strength of these insects demonstrated that the other party was indeed a Yuan-Stage cultivator far surpassing his own in prowess—thus, there was no reason to commit any foolish actions that might provoke them. Soon thereafter, all the smaller and medium-sized cultivator factions within a radius of ten thousand li centered on Xuelian Peak learned that a senior master of great cultivation skill had arrived. Even the long-standing, dominant "Long Elder," who had ruled this region for several hundred years through the realm of Lingxu, now seemed hesitant to engage or challenge him. As a result, all the factions looked on with growing admiration and attention. A zone of automatic exclusion now formed within a thousand li of Xuelian Peak—every cultivator passing through naturally took a wide detour, fearing any disruption to the senior master's quiet cultivation and thus risking significant complications for themselves. Fortunately, over the course of half a year, Xuelian Peak remained as tranquil as it had been at the outset. The senior master appeared entirely uninterested in intervening in local affairs. This steadiness brought a measure of Yet on that day, no one knew that Han Li, who had been in seclusion within the inner chamber, finally perfected the Pei Ying Dan, opening his eyes. His face shone with a radiant glow, appearing vastly more accomplished in his cultivation.