"The Liu brothers by the side of the team leader and his wife—had there not been someone proficient in the Jingang Sectual Technique among them, this would have been a viable option. But now that a more suitable candidate has emerged, in order to increase our chances of securing that item, we naturally need to replace the current choice. After all, once someone attains the third level of the Jingang Technique, they become immune to attacks from ordinary mid-to-low tier spiritual artifacts, and with such immense physical strength, this individual is truly the most suitable assistant for this journey. Should we choose anyone else, the risk of failure would be considerable. Moreover, if we alert the guardian spirit beasts guarding the item, we would lose our second chance entirely. Madam, wouldn't you rather see Pan's younger brother succeed in his Dao Condensation journey?" The man in the brocade robe shook his head. "Master Qin's reasoning is sound. Even if this person truly has the potential to become the next 'Fire Elder,' I still know well what is more important—between his future Dao Condensation and Qing'er's." The woman sighed lightly, appearing somewhat resigned. "Indeed, your decision is the wisest! This surge of the beast tide presents precisely the right The several immortal beasts guarding that object could hardly remain indifferent—by the time things settled, it would be lucky if a few of them managed to make it back. Thus, while the journey for the body-builders would carry certain risks, it was not guaranteed to end in disaster. As long as the mission succeeded, Qin would not overlook his efforts, ensuring he would not harbor resentment toward his wife. The man in the brocade robe sighed with relief and smiled. "Qin Master possesses such powerful spellwork; once he secures the object, I am certain he will surely achieve the Dan Stage. In the future, I shall also need to keep a close eye on the young master." The woman did not directly respond to his words, but instead smiled warmly and suddenly brought up her beloved son. "Heh, my younger brother Pan is exceptionally talented—no less than myself. Should I succeed in reaching the Dan Stage, then with that object, my brother will surely also achieve it. Please rest assured, madam." The man in the brocade robe glanced at the young blue-robed youth, speaking gently. Pan Qing, showing great tact, promptly bowed deeply to his senior and expressed his gratitude repeatedly. The young couple seated at the young man's side exchanged a glance, smiling in mutual understanding. For a moment, the hall was filled with warm, harmonious atmosphere, and everyone seemed to be getting along exceptionally well. Han Li naturally did not expect that, just a few days after arriving in the human realm and having only recently begun to interact with these people, he had already been outmaneuvered. He didn't know whether he was a celestial star with a cursed fate or simply blessed with bad luck—had he known the truth, he would only have been at a loss for words. How could mere ordinary humans and a few Foundation Stage cultivators dare to exploit a cultivator of his level, a stage of Transformation, especially when, even now, with his magical power completely drained, he could easily wipe them out with ease. At present, Han Li was still unaware of all this and was still thinking about staying with the Tian Dong Trading House. Thus, shortly after leaving the courtyard, he went to meet the scar-faced man and others. Soon after, the official appointment naming Han Li as deputy leader was formally issued, naturally drawing some discontent among certain individuals. Yet, when Han Li displayed only a slight manifestation of his power before everyone, all present were stunned and fell silent. As a result, Han Li was assigned a quiet, private room, separate from the others. For several days thereafter, he sat quietly in his room, meditating on the fifth level of the Golden Body Technique. Originally, according to the method of the Ming King's Technique, he simply used his body's internal spiritual energy to aid his practice, which was naturally convenient. But now, adapting to the Golden Body Technique, he had to rely on the method of channeling spiritual energy into his body. This unfamiliar approach required him to first become familiar with it before he could truly begin his practice. However, by the third day, Han Li had left the inn without anyone noticing, journeyed to an unknown destination, and returned quietly half a day later. Aside from a few attentive individuals, most people were completely unaware that Han Li had ever left. But on the seventh day, while Han Li was habitually sitting on his bed with his eyes slightly closed, a tremendous bell sound suddenly rang out from outside the room, resonating deeply and clearly, echoing all the way to the ninth heaven, shaking the inn slightly. Han Li was startled and opened his eyes. The bell sound continued without pause, one after another, in a steady stream. At the same time, the city echoed with vibrant horn blasts—some distant, some close, rising and falling in rhythm, as if blown simultaneously throughout the city. Han Li furrowed his brow and, without hesitation, pushed open the door and stepped out. He found the entire western wing in disarray; the guards and knights had also emerged from their rooms, some holding weapons, others donning armor, their expressions varied—some filled with excitement and anticipation, others visibly anxious and concerned. "What's the fuss? Even if the beast tide arrives, the first wave hasn't reached us yet. Just go back to your rooms and rest well." "It's finally our turn," a deep, resonant voice declared from one of the courtyards. Soon after, Zhang Kui stepped out, his gaze sweeping over the disarrayed guards, and loudly reprimanded them. Upon hearing the scar-faced man's outburst, the guards instantly straightened up and returned to their quarters with quiet obedience. Han Li smiled at this development. Now that they have been able to broaden their horizons, they surely won't refuse this matter. When the two reached the street outside the inn, they found that the outside world had also changed dramatically. The once bustling street had now grown quiet, with only a sparse number of pedestrians hurrying about, each looking anxious and hurried. Numerous beast-carriages had appeared—several times more than before—racing furiously along the streets. In addition to these, there were also riders on giant one-horned wolves, a feature common to the Tian Dong merchant house, now mingling among the others. However, these riders wore uniforms identical to those of the An Yuan City guards, and as they galloped along, they loudly proclaimed the orders: that, except for body-builders and city soldiers, all ordinary residents must remain at home and refrain from leaving without permission. Anyone found venturing out without authorization, thereby disrupting the defense against the beast surge, would be executed without mercy. Just as Han Li and Zhang Kui were also riding their two giant one-horned wolves toward the nearest city wall, a man dressed in purple stood at a window in the tower-like structure at the southern end of Anyuan City. One hand rested on the window ledge while the other was behind his back, silently gazing toward the distant horizon, his face deeply somber. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and a soldier completely encased in green bone armor hurried in, stopped halfway to the man in purple, and knelt down, speaking in a low voice: "Report to the city lord: the invading herd has now been confirmed to consist of three waves—first, the green wolf beasts from the Jade Grassland; second, the red serpent beasts from Black Ling Mountains; and third, the leopard-fowl beasts." "Indeed, it's these three groups that have launched the attack. This is quite troublesome. If it were just other groups, it would still be manageable—both the green wolf and red serpent beasts have not seen a surge in over three hundred years. Now, their numbers must be unprecedented. The leopard-fowl beasts, however, present an even greater challenge." The city's aerial defenses were precisely its weakest point. Although they had borrowed a batch of strong bows and sturdy crossbows from other cities and quickly procured another, ordinary crossbow arrows proved ineffective against the leopard and bird beasts. "I'm sure you ordered a batch of explosive crystal arrows from Tian Dong Trading, correct?" the man in purple robes sighed, his brow showing a touch of anxiety. "With these specialized arrows, the sky should be well protected. Moreover, there are the arriving cultivators who can soar through the air—this adds significant aerial strength. With their assistance, the leopard and bird beasts should pose no real problem," the soldier reassured. For now, that was the best course of action. Arrange the cultivators together, assigning them specifically to monitor the movements of the leopard and bird beasts. The Seals and the common soldiers can handle the leopards and serpents. Also, get the newly recruited, scattered forces organized promptly and integrate them into the garrison, rotating their duties. "Understood, sir!" "The officer nodded and stepped back, carrying out the order. The purple-robed man—the magistrate of Anyuan City—turned his head toward the window, his expression growing even more somber. ...Han Li stood on a section of the city wall of Anyuan, gazing at the scene beyond. Though his demeanor appeared calm, he was deeply moved within. He saw that, dozens of li away from the city wall, the originally yellowish soil had transformed into a vast expanse of deep green, stretching as far as the eye could see—like an endless sea of green that seemed to engulf everything. Upon closer inspection, these green hues revealed individual wolf-like creatures of varying sizes, each with bright emerald eyes, a pale green body, and slightly exposed fangs, exuding a fierce and menacing presence. The sheer number of these green wolves was staggering—so numerous that it was impossible to determine the exact count, with most remaining silent. Only a few emitted continuous howls, rising and falling in rhythm, as if exchanging information among themselves." "Fortunately, this is still just a common qing-long beast. If we encountered hong-long or yellow-long beasts, let alone the rare silver-long beasts, the entire An Yuan city would certainly have been overwhelmed by sheer numbers alone." Zhang Kui, standing beside Han Li, had a pale complexion, his hands tightly clenched as he murmured softly. "Silver-long beasts!" Hearing this from the scar-faced man, Han Li immediately regained his focus from the astonishing number of wolves and gave a distinct, slightly surprised "Ah." "Have you never seen a silver-long beast before, Han brother? Among the various types of wolves, the silver-long is the most difficult to contend with. A single ordinary silver-long can match ten or more qing-long beasts. During one of the previous wolf surges, I managed to witness these creatures firsthand. Their terrifying nature remains vivid in my memory." The scar-faced man spoke with a touch of surprise, offering a brief explanation. (Second update!