"Regardless of whether he is a cultivator from the Great Jin dynasty, since he was able to take away the Xitian Ding, if it weren't for our two of us cultivating the Yuanmagnetic Divine Light—which repels the Five Elements treasures—and if it weren't for the fact that the Xitian Fragments were utterly useless to later-stage cultivators, how could our later-stage cultivators have entered this hall at all, let alone allow outsiders to obtain such a spiritual treasure!" The man said, expressing a touch of regret. "Once the Yuanmagnetic Divine Light is fully perfected, it can harness the Five Elements forces and surely command the Five Elements artifacts. It's merely a matter of luck that we two were not fortunate enough—our efforts ultimately fell short." The woman heard this and only managed a wry smile. "Indeed, if I had known this earlier, I would never have invited you to cultivate this half-understood Yuanmagnetic Divine Light together. To be honest, I've been rather unkind to you." The man remained silent for a while, his voice now tinged with apology. "It has nothing to do with you. Unless we find another path, we shall never be able to advance to the Chrysanthemum Imm Indeed, had it not been for the final mishap, we would surely have successfully advanced to the Immortal Stage, at the very least gaining an additional thousand years of lifespan. The woman shook her head with quiet composure. "Yes, I never expected that the final stage of cultivating the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light required one to possess the Five Elements Spiritual Roots. Yet, how many truly possess such a chaotic blend of roots? Not only would they struggle to reach the Foundation or the Condensation Stage, but even qualify to begin cultivating this very technique. It's no wonder that, despite its early establishment, no one has ever truly succeeded in mastering it. I, Ling Tian Lei, have personally cultivated for five centuries and reached the late Yuan-Ying Stage, boasting a talent in cultivation that surpasses that of the previous Star Palace Masters. I even resolved all three seemingly insurmountable challenges claimed by the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light. Yet, despite all this, I ended up with precisely this outcome. The ancient cultivator who founded this technique must have deliberately set a trap—intending for us later generations to fall into it. I truly have no idea what this person's intentions are. He never mentioned at all that this cultivation technique had reached its full maturity, and instead demands such contradictory conditions. Otherwise, he would never have said back then that he wouldn't choose to cultivate this technique. As the man spoke, his voice grew increasingly excited, clearly harboring deep resentment toward the ancient cultivator who founded the Yuanmagnetic Divine Light technique. Another woman sighed deeply, and only after a long pause did she gently suggest, "Well, regardless of whether this technique is truly a jest by the ancient cultivator. How could one's spiritual root easily change during cultivation? Fortunately, we discovered this early and were able to stop cultivating in time. Otherwise, if we had continued to reside on the Yuanmagnetic Mountain, the five elemental energies within us would have erupted simultaneously, likely causing us to burst apart. In fact, we must thank Lu Dào and Wan San Gu and the others. It wasn't for their persistent urging that we would have been able to recognize these internal changes earlier." "Hmph. Lu Dào and Wan San Gu were merely my defeated subordinates back then—they were nothing special." If it weren't for the limitations imposed by Yuanmagsan Mountain, I would have already reached their stronghold and wiped them out completely. Moreover... this issue... is not absolutely unchangeable!" The man hummed, but his voice took on an unusual tone. "What exactly do you mean? Have you truly found a way to alter one's spiritual root?" Upon hearing this, the woman, who had previously been calm and composed, grew visibly excited. "Since I first identified this problem, over the past hundred years I've diligently studied various classical texts in search of a solution. I've discovered an ancient secret technique that can be utilized—though it doesn't truly add a new spiritual root, it allows a purely elemental artifact, after a series of blood sacrifices, to serve as a substitute, enabling the wielder to channel the five elemental forces." After a moment's hesitation, the man finally voiced it. "That's it? So simple!" This time, it was the woman who expressed surprise. "Of course, the process of cultivation and the selection of treasures require certain considerations, but for us, this is entirely manageable. The real issue lies with this method—it can at best grant us better control over one type of energy, yet it cannot allow us to sacrifice a second treasure. Otherwise, the Yuan Ying would be unable to endure, and the physical body would likewise suffer a reversal and collapse. Unless we were originally born with four spiritual roots, this method offers us no real advantage." The man said, with a sigh. "Ah, now I understand. Indeed, this makes no difference to us two, who are both naturally endowed with celestial spiritual roots." The woman listened, her heart sinking, and the spark of hope she had just kindled was once again extinguished. "Well, then, let us set aside our aspirations for the full development of the Yuan-Magnetic Divine Light. Even if there truly exists some alternative solution, with our remaining lifespan of no more than a hundred years, we simply won’t have time to implement it. Instead, let us focus our efforts on Yu Ling. After our departure and full cultivation efforts, she has finally succeeded in forming her Yuan Ying." Once her foundation is further solidified, after several decades she will use the anointing method to forcibly advance into the mid-stage. Then, with her mid-corporeal stage cultivation, she should be able to manage the Star Palace. Of course, before then, there is absolutely no room for the two nuisances—Liu Dao and Wan San Gu—she must eliminate them without fail. The woman's voice suddenly turned icy, charged with sharp intensity. "As long as we are willing to sacrifice our lives, eliminating these two will not be difficult," the man replied indifferently. "What about the cultivator named Han? Since he possesses the Xitian Ding and may himself be a mid-corporeal cultivator, should we both be gone, he could become a major disruption in the Luan Star Sea. However, from the tone of Yu Ling's message, it seems he has a favorable impression of him." The woman hesitated. "Indeed! A mid-corporeal cultivator with such strong cultivation potential—truly worth engaging. Let's see whether he is willing to join our Star Palace." If you're willing, we'll simply make the arrangements quietly—seal off the necessary restrictions, take the Xitian Ding to use when Yu Ling advances to mid-stage, and provide him with some other treasures as compensation. If not, then we'll eliminate him outright, avoiding any future complications! The man's tone grew increasingly stern. "That's exactly what we'll have to do!" the woman sighed softly, showing no resistance. "However, the set of notes has already been destroyed once—clearly, the other party has noticed. Ordinary elders may not be able to handle him. It seems we'll have to step in personally." The man spoke calmly. "Even with a spiritual artifact, he's merely a mid-stage cultivator. How could two of us be necessary? I myself am more than sufficient. As long as he's within the protective sphere of Yuanmagnetic Mountain, even if he were a late-stage Yuan婴 cultivator, he wouldn't stand a chance against me." The woman spoke with unwavering confidence. "Agreed. Just be careful—this Xitian Ding has circulated through the Chaotian Sea for so long. Its power must be formidable." "The man didn't object, merely adding a note. 'As long as the treasures belong to the Five Elements, their power will be significantly diminished beneath the Yuanmagnetic God's might—what could you possibly worry about?' The woman smiled lightly. This time, the man in the cave remained silent, clearly accepting her words without further comment. Of course, whether these two figures, long rumored, could actually hold their ground against him remains to be seen. To avoid drawing attention, he deliberately chose a modest inn, only slightly revealing his stage of mid-Jie Dan cultivation. Naturally, the Qi-Stage innkeeper, a mere cultivator, treated Han Li with the utmost respect, immediately assigning him the finest single room, fearing he might offend this "senior." By three in the morning, Han Li quietly activated his elusiveness technique and slipped out of the inn without a trace. The location of the Star Pavilion remained vividly clear in his memory, and he swiftly flew toward it, ascending the great mountain. Along the way, the patrol cultivators he encountered were mostly at the Qi or Foundation Stage, and occasionally a few mid-Jie Dan cultivators—none of whom seemed particularly noteworthy to him. With a simple application of his concealment technique, he passed them by, almost imperceptibly. In the span of moments, the sacred mountain's fifty levels were reached, and before him rose the grand palace. No trace of time had been left upon this grand hall—everything remained exactly as it had always been! Han Li felt a subtle sense of nostalgia, just as he was about to unceremoniously employ his secret technique to break through the seal and enter, when suddenly his expression changed, his form flickered, and then he dissolved into a thin vapor, dispersing and vanishing from the space above the hall. A while later, several faint, indistinct figures emerged silently from a lower direction, drifting in from afar without a sound. Their forms were blurred, nearly merging with the night sky, so that without the use of divine awareness to carefully scan, one could hardly detect their presence at all. So stealthy and cautious—could these be the members of the Inverse Star Alliance? Han Li was surprised, watching them with curiosity. These individuals were no ordinary cultivators; among them were four Foundation Stage cultivators and two Consolidated Stage cultivators. Yet, surprisingly, one of them was only a low-level Qi Stage cultivator, at the third or fourth level. Each of them wore a layer of gray mist over their faces, as if afraid that anyone might recognize them. However, the two Dan-stage cultivators leading the group clearly appeared to be one male and one female. Upon seeing that none of the present cultivators had reached the Yuan-Ying level, Han Li's interest waned, and he no longer bothered to use his divine awareness to scan their appearances, simply hovering motionless in the air with his arms folded. Within moments, the group approached the entrance of the Star Pavilion, and all of them halted at once. One of the taller Dan-stage cultivators suddenly flipped his palm, producing a palm-sized jade-like array disc in his hand. With a gentle hand seal, the disc flashed with a faint glow, emitting a subtle white light. Meanwhile, the slender Dan-stage female cultivator swiftly flipped her palm, suddenly producing a small yellowish banner in her hand. As she shook it, a swift stream of yellow mist surged out from the banner and quickly enveloped several nearby figures, who then vanished instantly, swallowed by the mist. Upon seeing the yellowish banner, Han Li paused slightly, his eyes widening with mild surprise. (First update!)