Such an astonishing aura of demonic energy surged forth, naturally heading straight for the entrance of the Chaotic Valley. This caused the human cultivators stationed nearby—many of whom had been closely monitoring the area for some time—to be deeply surprised. Just recently, they had personally witnessed two immortal human cultivators from within the valley defeating a large number of demonic cultivators in a decisive battle, even eliminating several high-ranking, fully-formed demonic masters whose strength far surpassed that of the demonic forces. Now, with the demons suddenly launching such a strong offensive, could they possibly be unable to muster reinforcements? The stone giants were remarkably rough in texture, their massive faces featuring only a pair of pale, luminous eyes—nothing else. The stone that formed the giants varied greatly in type, each unique in its own way. With so many wooden and stone figures now appearing, those who had never witnessed the previous battle between the spirit beasts gasped in astonishment. From a distance, Han Li's expression could not help but shift with the sight. At that moment, a green-hued wooden phoenix and a gray-white stone giant stepped forward simultaneously from the ranks. The wooden phoenix's head flashed with a shimmer of light, revealing a young woman of about a foot tall, dressed in green silk. Meanwhile, the stone giant extended one large hand, which likewise manifested an elderly man of similar size, holding a white stone cane, his face cold and composed as he gazed steadily at the astonishing aura emanating from the other side. "Xiao, are you there? Come forward and speak." The old man suddenly spoke, his voice resonating like the toll of a great bell, clear and distinct to all human and immortal beings within fifteen li. As the gray-white aura on the other side surged and rippled, a crisp phoenix call echoed, followed by a dark, swirling orb of flame bursting forth. After rolling and spiraling, it coalesced into a young noblewoman dressed in imperial robes, her face marked with an aura of stern determination. "Master Huang, what do you want with me? Do you intend to surrender the Valley of Chaos?" the young woman said, her tone direct and unyielding. "Surrender the Valley of Chaos? You truly dare to say that. Do you recall ten days ago, when our two forces defeated and routed the very ones you were fighting? They barely escaped with their lives. A mere Sheng Shen stage immortal—how could such a relatively weak opponent stand against two mid-tier divine generals? I merely urged you to retreat so as not to allow the human cultivators to profit from the situation." The young woman spoke with a clear, melodious voice, both graceful and pleasing. "Oh, you young ladies seem to take us for granted. Then, how shall I proceed?" The aura behind surged and rolled again, and another immortal cultivator drifted out slowly. This figure was slender, with a shimmering moth perched on his shoulder—precisely the young man of refined features named Huan. Huang Shigong and Tian Ying, the two immortal cultivators from the spiritual lineage, were both startled upon seeing him; Huang Shigong even trembled visibly, his voice rising in surprise: "Huan Cangqi! It's you. How is it that you're here?" "Hmm, you two still recognize me. Back then, even before I reached the Lingxu stage, I could have held you both at bay without a single defeat. Now, over ten thousand years have passed, and I have long since attained the Five-Element Body. Yet you remain only two spiritual generals. It seems that beyond their longevity, the spiritual lineage truly lacks the potential to match our human and immortal clans. I suspect they will eventually fade away like other weaker lineages within the Spiritual Realm. In that case, why not settle down and join us now? Our clans still hold great value to each other, and we won't allow you to vanish completely." The young man of the Huan surname spoke calmly. "Hmph. The Grand Harmony Sect speaks with such lofty airs. Though our Ling clan may not be particularly powerful, we have managed to endure and thrive throughout the Ling Realm—there must be reason for that. You, a mere junior elder of the Yao clan, dare to judge the very survival of our lineage? Do you not fear that the wind might blow too hard and even knock out your own tongue?" Huang Shi Gong was deeply incensed upon hearing the young man's remarks about the Ling clan, his initial reservations now completely dissolving. "Indeed, I have no qualification to comment on your clan's affairs. But these words were spoken by our clan elder—my only task has been to relay them verbatim." The young man remained composed, even chuckling heartily. "You're dreaming, then. We have several Saint-Spirits among us—none of whom will ever submit to any single race." Tian Ying, glowing with serene grace in the翠芒, replied coldly. "Then, in that case, I have little more to say. Huang Liang, Blue City Master—please step forward. I am quite certain you both arrived here yesterday. Do you truly intend to sit back and reap the benefits of the situation while the others act?" Huan surname youth coldly smiled, then suddenly turned his head and shouted in a strange, startled tone toward the empty space in a distant direction. This single sentence naturally caused both of the two Ling race figures present, as well as any human cultivators nearby who had been concealed, to be deeply surprised. A faint white glow flashed, as though an invisible veil had suddenly been lifted, and instantly, a colossal jade boat thirty zhang long and four or five zhang wide emerged in the void—glowing softly with a pale white light, floating silently and steadily. On the jade boat stood Huang Liang, along with several other human cultivators. Lan City Governor and the others looked visibly stunned, clearly surprised that their movements and whereabouts had been revealed. "Phantom Flame Moth—was it you who eavesdropped on our conversation in the Sunset City all along?" Huang Liang's gaze swept over the youth's shoulder, his expression growing solemn and composed. "Huang Liang brother only now realizes this? I thought you must have known about it long before." The youth gave a slight, dismissive smile. "You've been hiding in your mouse den all these years, enduring the great celestial calamity, never venturing out—now why have you come here? Don't you fear that your preparations may be insufficient and the ordeal fail?" Huang Liang, the Spirit Sovereign, seemed unusually familiar with the Han family youth, and spoke with a slightly mocking tone. "Cough! If I truly had confidence in weathering the great celestial calamity that occurs once every three thousand years, why would I have the leisure to appear here at all? Han has been stagnating at the initial stage of the Transcendent Realm for over ten thousand years. Even the first great calamity has taxed him to the limit—he has no confidence at all in facing the next one. Naturally, he must come out and seek new opportunities. As for you, Huang Liang, you've only recently attained the Transcendent Realm, having just survived your first celestial calamity—so you have no such concerns." The mid-stage immortal cultivator sighed deeply and said this. Upon hearing the mention of the great celestial calamity, Huang Liang's expression changed instantly, and his demeanor grew noticeably serious. The scene of his first great celestial calamity still fresh in his memory, its terrifying nature leaving him still shivering to this day. "Hmph. If you seek an opportunity for breakthrough, why not go to the wilderness instead? What business do you have here in the human realm? You old fellow—find some excuse, something convincing enough to make others believe." Huang Liang Lingjun's lips moved slightly, yet no words came out; instead, he conveyed his message through inner speech. "Village friend, you've mistaken me this time. I came to the City of the Setting Sun precisely to invite you to venture once again into the wilderness. It so happened that I encountered matters concerning the spiritual clan. As a senior elder of the Qiong Shu clan, I naturally had to get involved." The young man smiled cheerfully, equally unbothered in responding through inner speech. "Venture into the wilderness with me?" Huang Liang Lingjun was momentarily taken aback. "Indeed. Though we are human and spirit beings, respectively, our powers complement each other well. Together, we can navigate the wilderness with greater safety. Didn't we collaborate once thousands of years ago, and return with substantial gains? I truly feel The others, even among the other elders of our clan, I dare not accompany. Your second great celestial calamity is approaching, isn't it? If you don't seize the opportunity to gather some essential items for the ordeal, how confident do you feel about surviving the next one? Even if your cultivation remains unchanged, the power of the celestial calamity grows stronger with each passing time." The young man replied calmly. "Brother Huan has asked this, and I am quite willing to be open and honest. With my current situation, I only have a fifty-fifty chance of surviving my second great calamity. During my last ordeal, I actually destroyed several valuable treasures." Huang Liang, the Spirit Sovereign, stood on the jade boat, pondering for a while before slowly responding. "That's exactly it. As for my own hope of surviving the next celestial calamity, I barely have a quarter of that chance. How about it, friend—would you be willing to accompany me once more to the remote wilderness world?" The young man transmitted his words with solemnity. Upon hearing the formal invitation, Huang Liang's face grew increasingly uncertain, shifting between shades of expression. After a pause, the young man with furrowed brows inquired, "Since you intend to join forces with me to venture into the Wild Expanse, how shall we handle the matter concerning the spiritual clans here?" "This isn't difficult at all. With our joint efforts, we first capture these spiritual clansmen and bring them to the rebellious spiritual clan leader. As for the items he possesses—should there be many, we shall divide them equally between our two clans. Should there be only one, then we shall engage in a display of our respective powers; the one who emerges victorious shall take the item." The young man from the Huan family spoke with evident thoughtfulness, without hesitation. "You're quite shrewd, old fellow. You've entered the Transcendent Realm several thousand years before me, so how could I possibly outshine you?" Huang Liang, the spiritual sovereign, shook his head firmly. "Then what do you suggest, Brother Huang?" The young man remained composed, calmly asking. "We shall see what the item turns out to be. The other party must make a comparable sacrifice before it can claim the item." Huang Liang stroked his beard, saying this. "Understood. I shall follow your "With our two clans working together, let's first deal with these two Ling clan members," the young man of the Huan surname said, his expression sharp, and quietly proposed in his mind. "Heh, excellent! Then it's settled between us," the Huang Liang Ling King nodded, then turned to whisper a few explanations to the Blue Commander and others. Seeing their plans to reap the benefits revealed, and with the appearance of a Ling Xu stage cultivator from the妖 clan, the others could only reluctantly agree. Thus, the Blue Commander, without further hesitation, rubbed his hands together and then spread them out, and instantly a massive, brilliant blue fire ball shot skyward, exploding in the air. Immediately, across the distant mountain peaks and forests, flashes of various colors erupted, and streaks of flight lights shot out, as human cultivators and physical-bodied practitioners driving their spiritual devices emerged one by one. (Second update!)