Han Li's expression shifted slightly, then quickly returned to normal. Miao He Zhuang and another elderly figure in yellow robes glanced at Han Li, noting his lean, elderly appearance and surprisingly high cultivation level, yet neither was deeply impressed—merely continuing on with the other four Dan-stage cultivators toward the city center. Han Li, too, walked straight ahead without turning back, appearing as if he had merely passed by the six-aisle pavilion shops. However, at this moment, Miao He Zhuang and the yellow-robed elder exchanged brief, silent words through inner communication. Han Li paused slightly at their back, then resumed his steady pace, gradually distancing himself from the group. After the final turn, he entered a grand-looking pavilion building. It was not until one full hour later that he emerged, escorted by a cultivator dressed as a store manager. Yet he did not immediately depart; instead, he walked into another nearby shop. When Han Li stepped out of the fifth store with a satisfied expression, he had already accumulated over a hundred high-tier spiritual stones exchanged for divine artifacts, ancient treasures, and rare materials. However, upon this time stepping out, he suddenly noticed several unidentified Jiandan cultivators had appeared nearby—seemingly at ease, yet each clearly displaying a subtle, unusual glint in their eyes. Han Li sneered, promptly abandoning his original plan and strolling grandly along the street, eventually walking out of the marketplace and then stepping entirely out of the stone city. Most of these cultivators employed concealment techniques to follow Han Li as he passed through the city gates, only to exchange puzzled glances among themselves. For Han Li, who had been clearly within their spiritual awareness just moments before, had inexplicably vanished in full view, leaving behind no trace of any magical light or movement. The group of cultivators were naturally thrown into a state of confusion. Some of them were sent secretly by the merchant establishments, while others had noticed the frequent visits of Han Li to several shops, each time accompanied by the respectful greetings of the store managers, prompting them to follow him on their own. Though Han Li appeared as an elder cultivator in the late Jin Dan stage, under sufficient incentive, these individuals were not hesitant to take action. Indeed, some had even discussed a joint alliance beforehand. However, Han Li's sudden and mysterious disappearance now left these cultivators utterly stunned. After searching the surrounding area fruitlessly, they eventually returned to the Stone City with growing frustration. Just as these visitors were departing, a flash of emerald light appeared in the sky above the spot where Han Li had vanished. A vague figure emerged, then stabilized as the surrounding aura settled, revealing none other than Han Li himself, now restored to his original appearance. Han Li glanced at the Stone City and a faint smile played at the corner of his lips. Had it not been for his sudden change of plans and his desire not to alert the Yuan-Enlightened cultivators of this city to his presence, he would never have allowed the disciples who had followed him to survive and return. They had managed to miss the hidden spell that concealed Han Li—something truly fortunate. Otherwise, once Han Li made up his mind, he would have no hesitation in eliminating all these Jie-Dan cultivators with a mere wave of his hand. After surveying the surroundings from above, Han Li settled on a particular direction and transformed into a streak of jade-green light, moving forward. A short while later, the light landed in a valley nestled between two small hills encircling the town. The place was lush with flowers and birdsong, profoundly serene, and thick layers of mountain mist gathered and remained undispersed. Han Li merely glanced around and gave a slight nod. Raising his hand, a stack of colorful array flags materialized and emitted several beams of light, which then vanished into the surrounding area. Immediately, a layer of white mist rose swiftly from beneath the ground and blended seamlessly with the existing mountain mist, making the two indistinguishable. The figure of Han Li was completely absorbed into the mist. Han Li, having laid out a concealment spell, struck his waist where a spirit-beast pouch hung. A resonant hum erupted, and thousands of gold-devouring insects surged forth from the pouch, forming a golden cloud that hovered before him. Han Li settled into a meditative posture, softly chanting to himself, and a shimmering blue light began to radiate from his body. With a thunderous "boom," the insect cloud transformed into blossoms of gold, scattering in all directions. Almost at the same time, Han Li suddenly opened his eyes—first glowing with an extraordinary clarity, then abruptly dimming to an eerie stillness. This was precisely the divine awareness-transformation technique Han Li had employed during his descent into the Valley of the Fallen Deities—a power he had independently mastered through his Great Derivation Sect's teachings—allowing him to divide his consciousness into thousands of fine, individual awarenesses, each temporarily attaching itself to one of the gold-devouring insects, as though suddenly gaining thousands of additional senses. This technique of dividing one's consciousness into myriad subtle awarenesses, while seemingly similar to the earlier method of projecting one's spirit awareness onto spiritual objects that Han Li employed, is in fact fundamentally different. The first involves splitting most of one's consciousness into countless fine threads of awareness, relying on the sensory capabilities of the golden-feeding insects to conduct searches and investigations beyond what the spirit awareness itself can achieve. It must be personally directed by the immortal soul and cannot exceed a certain range; otherwise, the awareness threads will automatically retract. The second method, however, involves independently projecting and anchoring a separate spirit awareness onto a spiritual object, allowing that detached awareness to flexibly direct the object according to prior instructions, without interference from the immortal soul. Indeed, one can directly command trained spiritual insects or beasts to attack enemies, making it somewhat analogous to the technique of embodiment. Moreover, as long as the duration of attachment is not exceeded, the projected awareness can operate regardless of distance from the caster. The technique of dividing consciousness into myriad threads is rarely used unless the spirit awareness is inconveniently constrained, and thus often feels rather underutilized—almost like a mere afterthought. As for the technique of attaching spiritual artifacts, it is a grand mastery rarely mastered even by cultivators at the late Yuan婴 stage, far surpassing ordinary abilities. Now, once all the gold-devouring insects broke free from the white mist, some immediately burrowed into the ground while others ascended into the sky, and within moments, all the spiritual insects vanished without a trace. Yet, Han Li, seated within the magical array, closed his eyes once more, his face cold and expressionless. Time passed slowly, the sun gradually sinking below the sea surface, and eventually night fell, plunging the entire Biling Island into darkness. Meanwhile, the Stone City remained brightly lit, its moonstone blocks infused with spiritual energy glowing steadily, illuminating the city as brightly as day. This contrast made the surroundings of the Stone City appear even darker, with the sea wind howling ceaselessly, as though countless demons were concealed in the shadows. Although cultivators, regardless of day or night, could clearly see their surroundings with only a slight expenditure of spiritual energy in the evening, their vision remained significantly less sharp than during the day. But on the outer sea, it doesn't work at all. There are numerous aquatic beasts dwelling there. Even when traveling across the sea surface during ordinary days, or simply staying overnight on the island, one is vulnerable to stealthy beasts that approach undetected and launch sudden attacks. After all, ordinary cultivators cannot maintain their awareness constantly on high alert. Each year, the number of cultivators who perish due to such unnoticed attacks exceeds those who fall during official campaigns against the beasts by several times. Therefore, unless there's an urgent matter or a high-level cultivator with exceptional abilities, all island cultivators strengthen their vigilance once night falls. At gathering points, the protective seals are fully activated, and all cultivators who haven't ventured out retreat indoors. Meanwhile, within the stone city nestled among the mountain ranges, eight stone towers light up simultaneously, forming a layer of pale blue light shield that encloses the entire city, safeguarding it from any stealthy incursions. Yet, on this very night, several figures wearing cloaks quietly arrive at a particular city gate. A group of cultivators, one at the Dan stage and several at the Foundation stage, stood guard. The leader merely slightly unfastened his cloak to reveal his true form, and upon seeing him, the guards immediately hurried to open a crack in the city's protective seal, respectfully escorting the group out of the stone city. As soon as the group stepped beyond the city limits, they swiftly transformed into several streaks of light, vanishing into the dark night sky within moments. Their speed was swift, yet none of them spoke a word—only silently pressing forward. However, just beyond a hundred li from the city, a soft "Hm?" sounded from one of the streaks of light. The streak paused, and a slender white thread shot forth from it, vanishing instantly into the void behind. The other cultivators were momentarily startled, halting their progress and turning to gaze back. Suddenly, far in the distance, a brilliant golden flash erupted in the black sky. The white thread seemed to strike something, and then, a strange, eerie cry echoed—followed by a golden glow the size of a fist, plummeting straight downward. "What is that?" one of the cultivators exclaimed in surprise. Meanwhile, the cultivator who had initiated the attack waved his hand, and the white thread instantly shot back from afar, spiraling before transforming into a slender, snow-white needle that settled into his hand. Only then did he speak slowly: "I don't know—seems to be some kind of spiritual insect, either wild or cultivated. But it hasn't been pierced by my 'White Grief Needle,' which speaks volumes about its resilience. You go fetch the body of this insect; I'll try to determine exactly what kind it is." The last sentence was spoken as he turned around and addressed the two cultivators behind him. Immediately, the two nodded respectfully and swiftly transformed into streaks of light, racing toward the distant black underground to search for the slain golden spiritual insect. Yet after a full cup of tea's worth of time, they returned with evident frustration. "Report to the Master, that the insect seems to still be alive—no body has been found there!" one of them said, somewhat anxious. "Still alive?" Are you telling me your White Mourning Needle is merely a embroidery needle? To eliminate a mere spirit insect and return empty-handed! The cultivator who stepped forward lowered his tone, clearly annoyed. "Brother White, perhaps the thing is indeed unharmed—I haven't even spotted the trace of that spirit insect." At this moment, another cultivator, draped in a cloak, suddenly spoke with serious gravity. "If this truly happened, let me see!" The cultivator who had previously released the fine needle was startled and immediately extended his awareness toward the distant area, conducting a meticulous search. Moments later, his face beneath the cloak grew deeply troubled—the region showed absolutely no sign of the golden spirit insect. Startled, he murmured a few words in transmission, and then, without further words, another cultivator raised his hand, releasing a small green hammer, while simultaneously, countless delicate white filaments unfurled from another's gesture. The two treasures swiftly encased them both in protective layers. "Who is the master behind us? Don't hide—come forth and show yourselves!" The cultivator who had released his white silk roared, his eyes flashing with brilliant light as he swept his gaze around. Suddenly, a mighty, thunderous aura surged from his body. (Second chapter!