"Perhaps this person truly possesses some extraordinary abilities; otherwise, how could a late-stage cultivator only recently advanced stand so composed before me?" "Then indeed, this becomes quite troublesome. If we cannot easily eliminate him, we must strive to win him over. Yet, given his cultivation level, once he joins the Star Palace, how could Yu Ling possibly contain him? Should either of us pass away, he would surely take the initiative and ultimately seize control of the entire Star Palace." The man's voice grew cold, sharp with sudden, lethal resolve. "Your intention, then, is to remove him entirely! But what if he proves unexpectedly formidable—should our first attempt fail, we shall have forged a mortal enemy for Yu Ling, one who could threaten the very foundation of her life. The consequences would be dire." Wen Qing hesitated. "Hmph. This person has already emerged as a force in the Chaotic Star Sea. If we fail to act, he will inevitably disrupt the established order. With our own Dao prospects fading, we cannot allow the lineage of the Star Palace to be lost in our hands." "This man must be eliminated if we cannot make use of him—despite the risks, we must attempt it," the man snorted, speaking without hesitation. "Though your reasoning is sound, this matter is far from trivial. I still believe we should consider it carefully," Wen Qing shook her head, clearly disagreeing with her partner. "Are you really that apprehensive? I doubt it. I don't believe that, with us joining forces and summoning Yuanmagnetic Mountain, he will truly escape our grasp!" the man said with confidence. "Should we combine our efforts and invoke Yuanmagnetic Mountain, we would have about seven or eight out of ten chances to annihilate him. Yet this man is exceptionally cautious—he likely won't come willingly to our sacred summit. Yuanmagnetic Mountain, as a defensive stronghold, is unmatched throughout the realm. However, if we need to activate it to pursue the enemy actively, it would indeed seem rather clumsy. To truly leave him utterly unprepared, we must act precisely at the moment he arrives from the outer seas—by enveloping the entire Star Palace with Yuanmagnetic Mountain, sealing him in with no escape." Otherwise, as soon as the other party unfolds their movements and avoids direct confrontation, it will become exceedingly difficult to eliminate them." The woman said softly. "I fully understand this. I've heard that you've granted this person one of your guest credentials. That's a sound move—should the other party utilize this credential, we can trace their movements, deduce their return timing, and thus, it would indeed be feasible to set an ambush specifically at the Star Pavilion." The man said coldly. We once secured our position as masters of the Star Palace in just this way. But now, among the Yuan-Ying cultivators in the palace, few are of comparable age to Yu Ling—only a handful, and none of them seem to have caught Yu Ling's eye. This is indeed a matter of concern! How about Han, the young man? If he agrees to marry Yu Ling, why not simply entrust the Star Palace to him? In that case, whether or not Yu Ling actually holds the reins would make little difference. With his astonishing cultivation pace, he has every chance of advancing to the Chariot Stage. And under his protection, Yu Ling might even have the potential to achieve great enlightenment. Wen Qing pondered this carefully, laying out the strategy that had been forming in his mind for some time. "Have him marry Yu Ling? That would be a truly advantageous arrangement. Yet, given that he has already reached a late-stage cultivator so young, he may well already have a partner in mind—perhaps even several concubines." The man hesitated slightly, his expression softening. "Even if he does, what's the matter?" How could he possibly compare to Yu Ling? We've handed over such a vast inheritance—the Star Palace estate—as a dowry. He should clearly know which is more valuable. If necessary, we can simply dissolve our marriage and make him a concubine instead. Such arrangements are not unheard of in our immortal realm. Wen Qing smiled calmly. "Agreed. You may begin with this approach. Should he refuse, we'll then unite our efforts to remove him." The man nodded, speaking seriously. "Even if he refuses, we need not resort to conflict. I have another plan—one that will gently bind him, so that he becomes trapped, unable to even lay claim to the Star Palace's influence, and ultimately, will gradually undermine himself from within." Wen Qing's eyes flashed with an odd expression, and she spoke with a quiet, amused chuckle. "Such a method? Don't let me down. He has already advanced to the late stage—far from easy to deceive." The man was somewhat surprised. Wen Qing smiled softly upon hearing this, then stopped speaking in clear words and instead transmitted her message through a subtle murmur. "Exactly like this! No, I won't agree to it—definitely not!" After hearing only a few sentences, the man suddenly gasped, his expression darkening. Wen Qing paid no attention, simply continuing her transmission as if nothing had happened. After listening to a few more sentences, the man's expression shifted, and his growing anger gradually faded, settling into quiet contemplation. When Wen Qing finished her transmission after a while, the man narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. Wen Qing merely smiled and said nothing. After an indeterminate length of time, the man raised his eyebrows, a firm determination flashing across his face: "Then it shall be done as you've suggested. Should that fail, we shall resort to other measures. In any case, before my seat of stillness is achieved, this person—and also Liu San, and Wan San—must be eliminated. We must not allow Yu Ling to take control of the Chaotic Star Sea with such lingering threats!" "Of course. We still have over a hundred years of life ahead of us, more than enough to handle Hehe, as long as he truly desires to break through to the Immortal Spirit stage, he will surely fall into this trap." As she said the last sentence, she spoke to herself with unwavering confidence. At the very moment the celestial couple, Tianxing, had concluded their discussion within the sacred mountain cave, Han Li was alone in a quiet wooden cottage on Yinsha Island, gently holding the wrist of a slender young girl and using a thread of spiritual energy to probe through her body, moving it back and forth. This young girl was the daughter of Wen Siyue, named Tian Qin'er. She sat cross-legged on a wooden bed in the room, her cheeks slightly flushed, her half-naked arm raised. Han Li sat by the side of the bed, his face expressionless. A little farther away, Wen Siyue and the composed man stood motionless, breathing only in hushed, steady breaths, yet their gazes upon the young girl were filled with deep warmth and earnestness. As for the four disciples at the Foundation Stage, they had remained outside the cottage, vigilant to ensure no outsiders disturbed the people inside. Indeed, it was quite challenging. This poison seems alive, constantly devouring the spiritual energy within her and flowing freely through her meridians! That's why you and your wife have been unable to find a solution—have you not given her numerous pills? If not, she would have succumbed long ago. Yet, all this has only been a temporary relief, like drinking poison to quench thirst! The more spiritual energy the poison consumes, the stronger it grows. Should this condition persist without removal within the next three months, her vital energy will inevitably fade away. Finally, Han Li released the girl's wrist and delivered these words. Upon hearing this, Wen Siyue and her husband both turned pale, the refined man's voice trembling as he asked, "Master Han, does it truly seem beyond your capabilities to expel this poison?" "I only said it's challenging—when did I say it's utterly impossible?" Han Li glanced at the man coldly. "Then, perhaps I have been overly presumptuous. I sincerely apologize." The man from the Tian family finally realized that before him stood a great cultivator—one he could speak freely to. Instantly, a cold sweat broke out on his back. Han Li said nothing further, turned his head and glanced at the young woman lying on the bed, his eyes flashing with surprise. Since Han Li had entered the room, the girl had remained silent. The only time she showed any emotion was when her wrist was caught earlier, when her cheeks flushed slightly—yet she otherwise remained remarkably composed. This was truly unlike ordinary people! Most cultivators could hardly maintain such calmness in the face of life and death. What surprised Han Li even more was that he sensed a peculiar, familiar feeling emanating from the girl—an elusive sensation that was both familiar and unfamiliar, subtle and indistinct, like a memory half-remembered. If it weren’t for the fact that he had recently advanced to the late Yuan婴 stage, with his spiritual awareness now significantly sharpened, he might not have detected this delicate, faint presence at all. As for the rare poison affecting the girl, it was merely a minor matter to him. Han Li felt puzzled, gazing intently at the young woman's unassuming face, and found himself lost in thought. This time, while Wen Siyue and the man of the Tian surname felt curious, they exchanged glances and ultimately decided not to disturb Han Li any further. Suddenly, Han Li's body stirred as if remembering something, and he fixed upon the young woman—referred to as "Tian Qin'er"—with a strangely unusual gaze. "Do you understand the principles of array magic?" Unexpectedly, Han Li asked a question entirely unrelated to the topic of detoxification. Upon hearing this, the young woman looked at Han Li, her eyes widening with surprise, while Wen Siyue and her husband both expressed astonishment. "Master Han, how do you know my daughter understands the principles of array magic?" Wen Siyue could no longer contain her curiosity and gently inquired. "It's nothing. Once, I had a close friend who was also well-versed in array magic. My daughter bears a resemblance to her, so I merely asked casually." "Han Li replied as usual, but no graceful image came to mind. It was the spirited woman named Xin Ruoyin whom he had met during the early stages of his cultivation journey. Though their appearances were entirely different, the unique aura and the feeling she exuded were strangely, eerily similar. Was it merely a coincidence? Yet an intuitive sense deep within him suggested otherwise. His gaze flickered, and suddenly he grasped the girl's other palm firmly, turning it over to reveal the palm. There, clearly centered on the palm, was a red mole the size of a bean, glowing a vivid, blood-like crimson. "Impossible!" Han Li exclaimed, his voice rising and his face instantly pale!