"Master Han? You mean..." Mu Peilin was momentarily startled. "Yes, the Purple Ling Daojun I mentioned to my younger sister. She once accompanied Master Han when they ventured into the Inner Valley together, so she's well aware of this stable route." The woman with the surname Song smiled gently. "I've seen the young lady Purple Ling before, some decades ago. Indeed, she is a beauty of heavenly grace—so stunning that even I, as a woman, couldn't help but be enchanted. I've heard that many accomplished male cultivators have been passionately pursuing her, often engaging in fierce duels and clashes just to vie for her favor. Some even call her the first beauty in the realm of cultivation in the southern lands. Yet her background remains rather mysterious, and she has known my master for a long time—she has a number of close female companions. My dear sister, you might want to be a bit more cautious!" Liu Yu's eyes twinkled, and she chuckled lightly, her tone laced with a hint of teasing. "What need for caution do I have?" Mu Peilin's face, like jade, flushed slightly as she lightly spat. "Master Sister Liu, please stop teasing me. We should focus on our main task. Are you two planning to venture into the Inner Valley?" asked the Song-named sister, her expression now serious. Mu Peilin and Liu Yu exchanged glances, then showed signs of hesitation. "Master Sister Song, is the route map given to you by the Purple Spirit actually the one followed by our master years ago? If so, it's certainly worth a try. After all, the Phantom Spirit Herb is crucial to overcoming our future bottlenecks. To return empty-handed would be deeply unsatisfying." Liu Yu raised her fine brows, speaking slowly. "If we only need to search for herbs near the entrance of the Inner Valley, I can certainly go," Mu Peilin said after a moment of fluctuating her expression, finally yielding to the allure of the medicinal preparations. "Very well. Since both of you have made your decisions, then let's take this risk." But let me make it clear in advance—we will only operate within a few hundred miles of the entrance. Should we still fail to locate the Spirit-ghost Herb, we will immediately retreat from the inner valley, absolutely no further risk taken. No matter how valuable the elixir, our lives come first." The woman with the surname Song nodded and first offered a few instructions. "Of course. If we venture too deep into the inner valley, even with a detailed map, our mere Ju-Condensation stage cultivators would be setting ourselves up for certain death. It's said that some ancient beasts within the valley are so formidable that even Yuan-Ying cultivators have to flee at the sight of them." Liu Yu smiled gracefully. "Those ancient beasts usually dwell deep within the valley. Near the entrance, we should have no trouble. Let's move without delay—let's set off now." The other two women were eager to avoid further delay, and the three of them transformed into three streaks of light, rising from the cave entrance and shooting off in a straight line toward a specific direction. Five days later, near the edge of Neigu Valley, amidst a vast expanse of snow and ice, three women emerged into the biting wind. Not far behind them, a massive ice fissure stretched out—exactly the passage that Han Li and Zilin had once used, together with the members of the Gui Ling Sect, to enter the valley. The three women had already activated thick, luminous shields, making them unafraid of the cold wind. They whispered among themselves for a while before slowly ascending, only a few dozen feet above the ground, and gently drifting toward the distance, hesitating not to move even slightly faster. The snowy terrain was not vast, and within just half a day, the three women had traversed the entire area, now coming upon a mountain of unusually lush green hue. Overjoyed, they gracefully parted ways, each of them beginning to search for rare herbs around the mountain. After one full day and night, they gathered once more at the summit. Gazing at one another, they could not help but exchange a wry smile. "This mountain indeed boasts many medicinal herbs not found outside the valley," one remarked, "yet strangely, there is not a single trace of the Huan Ling Grass to be seen "Li Yu was unusually distressed and spoke first, "I'm exactly the same—failed to find the Huanying herb. However, we managed to gather all the herbs needed for the other prescription. So we're not completely empty-handed." Mu Peilin looked both amused and helpless. "It seems we've truly been无缘 with the Huanying herb. Then, let's return to the main hall." Song Yu sighed lightly, her tone somewhat melancholy. "Perhaps we should go through the entire area once more—maybe we've missed something somewhere." Li Yu, clearly unwilling to accept this, proposed with determination. "No need. What's destined to happen will happen—there's no point in forcing it. Moreover, the inner valley is too perilous. Even near the entrance, if we stay too long, we might encounter trouble. Let's leave right away." Song Yu shook her head firmly and spoke without hesitation. Upon hearing this, Li Yu's delicate expression showed a touch of reluctance, and she was about to say something more when suddenly, a deep rumbling thunder echoed from the distant horizon. The three women were startled and all turned their heads toward the sky. To the sound of the thunder, a dark mass loomed in the distance, swiftly advancing as if a vast expanse of gloomy cloud were hurtling toward them at incredible speed. In a moment, it had grown noticeably larger, and as it drew nearer, its form became clear—turbulent, with thunder rolling continuously, its presence truly impressive. "We can't just force our way through!" Song Yu cried out in growing panic as the dark clouds drew nearer. She slammed her hand on her waist pouch, and a round, milky-white orb appeared in her hands. As she chanted, the orb shimmered and instantly transformed into a thick veil of white mist, enveloping all three of them. Suddenly, the white cloud trembled and shot forward like a streak of light, its speed surpassing even that of the dark clouds trailing behind. "A mere trick? You dare to perform it before me!" came the cold, solemn voice from within the dark clouds. The clouds surged and coalesced into a massive black hand, which then vanished in a flash, leaving behind a long streak of deep black light—its speed suddenly doubling. Within just a few swift movements, it had closed half the distance. "The one behind is a Yuan-Emperor stage demon cultivator. Think fast and hold him off for a moment," came Song Yu's voice, now filled with urgency. "I'll send out my spirit insects. I'll sacrifice these several centipedes and hold him off at all costs," said Liu Yu, clearly agitated. As soon as these words were spoken, several soft puffs of sound followed, and seven or eight snow-white, half-span-long centipedes shot forth from the clouds, lunging with their jaws agape and limbs outstretched toward the figure behind. "Ah! Six-winged frost centipedes!" exclaimed the figure in the dark glow. "Hah! I didn't expect it—how could it be, Li Yu, you young lady? You dare send these mere little creatures to challenge me?" Upon seeing the centipedes, the figure did not flinch but burst into laughter instead. Suddenly, several slender black threads burst forth from within the dark glow, flashing swiftly and piercing through the bodies of the white centipedes before vanishing. Meanwhile, the figure in the dark glow shifted slightly, gliding smoothly through the midst of the centipedes without pause. Yet the centipedes remained motionless, suspended in the air. After a while, they each exploded in a sudden burst, enveloped in thick black flames that instantly consumed them, turning them into ash and vanishing completely. This black flame—some strange and mysterious technique—proved utterly impervious to the six-winged frost centipedes, who could The three women among the white clouds were stunned to the point of being spellbound—especially Liu Yu, who was deeply startled and bewildered, unable to comprehend the origin of the demonic cultivator behind her, who had seemingly recognized her identity merely from a few centipedes, despite the voice sounding entirely unfamiliar. The obsidian light moved with such astonishing speed that before the three women could devise any strategy to repel him, he had already reached the white clouds. After a swift spiral, he reappeared with a massive black hand, reaching down with unrelenting force and grasping the clouds with a powerful pull. The three women all gasped in unison, and simultaneously, three beams of swordlight, a long staff, and a set of jade如意 shot forth from the clouds. The obsidian hand flashed with light, capturing all the treasures in its grasp. Then, with a simple spread of fingers, the flying swords and other magical items vanished mysteriously, as though drawn into the hand. Yet, even this brief pause proved decisive—the white clouds erupted with a thunderous "boom," bursting apart, and three streams of flight light shot off in different directions. The three women now resolved to flee separately. But an astonishing scene unfolded! Suddenly, a cascade of black mist surged forth from the black hand, sweeping toward the three women's glowing lights. In a single flash, it completely enveloped all three, hurling them backward. The three women were instantly seized and captured by the same hand. Song Yu and her two companions were thus taken prisoner. They were both shocked and terrified, their protective luminous aura still flashing wildly as they desperately struggled to break free from the hand's grasp. At that moment, a cold exhalation resonated simultaneously in each of their ears. Black vapors rose from the hand, and as they surged directly against the women, their consciousness scattered, their eyes darkening—each one fell unconscious. Only then did the black hand release them. With a swift movement, it dissolved into a broad expanse of black mist, which then gathered at the center and spun smoothly, revealing a tall figure. The figure was entirely black, yet his eyes glowed with a vivid green light, radiating an impressive chill. "I never expected it to be these three women." This is also good—once they're restrained, the man will surely feel a bit hesitant, as if afraid to act. Hah! These three women all have some connection to you. You might hesitate to sacrifice yourself to save them, but if you apply a little pressure, you'll find that it won't go unnoticed at all. The shadowed figure spoke in a hoarse voice, gazing intently at the three women shimmering in the black mist, his lips curling in quiet scorn. After an indeterminate length of time, the most accomplished among the three—Lady Song—was the first to slowly regain consciousness. As she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a cool, solid surface, surrounded by stalactites glowing with a soft white light. Her heart leapt with surprise as she sat up, then pressed her palms together to summon a protective aura. But immediately, she gasped, her body growing weak and collapsing once more to the ground. (Second update!