"Since the spirit-disc has issued an alarm, if we don't go check it out, most of the foreign scouts won't be particularly strong in combat. As long as we remain cautious, we should be able to handle them smoothly," the elder in green armor frowned slightly and issued the command. Upon the elder of flower-spirit rank speaking, even though the other Black Iron Guards were reluctant, they had no choice but to remain silent. Following a series of commands from the elder, the group immediately divided into several squads and moved toward the direction where the spirit-disc had signaled. After changing course and flying only a few dozen li, they suddenly appeared above a seemingly ordinary pile of stones. Around this stone heap lay a marsh bubbling with purple bubbles. "Here it is," the elder glanced at the spirit-disc in his hands, nodded firmly, and then waved his hand to issue the next instruction. At once, the十余 Black Iron Guards behind him remained silent, each expelling their treasures to shield their bodies, and only then extended their spiritual senses downward. After a cup of tea's worth of time, all the cultivators—including the elder—faced a subtle change in expression. "Even at this close range, our spiritual senses can't detect anything! We'll have to descend a little and search personally. Qin, friend!" The elder took a deep breath and suddenly turned to address an agile middle-aged man with small, keen eyes. "Don't worry, I know what to do." The man responded promptly, then raised his hand and tapped his wrist-mounted storage bracelet. Suddenly, a cluster of strange, dark, round objects appeared in his hands. He lifted his hand, and the objects cascaded downward, while simultaneously murmuring softly to himself. A series of crisp crackling sounds followed, and as the blue electric glimmers flashed across the surfaces of the orbs, they suddenly expanded rapidly, transforming into iron bees each encircled by electric arcs. Each bee was about the size of a clenched fist, dark in color, and emitted an eerie hum as its wings vibrated. The others remained suspended in the air, motionless, while only the middle-aged man with keen eyes gradually settled into a lotus position, pressing his palms together in a series of gestures. As soon as the百余 iron bees descended to just over ten dozen feet above the ground, they immediately scattered in all directions, shooting out with great vigor. It appears that this patrol team has already learned from past experiences—never willingly landing on the ground, especially when navigating complex terrain, where they might otherwise become entangled with the foreign scouts. Otherwise, given the foreign forces' ever-uncanny and unpredictable tactics, even if they managed to eliminate their opponents, they themselves would inevitably suffer casualties. In such a case, it would be far better simply to dispatch some puppets to investigate on the ground. Yet, just as the iron bees had begun to disperse, the hetero-spirit discs held by the group suddenly trembled, then emitted sharp, high-pitched cries simultaneously. Some even burst forth with brilliant, radiant spiritual light, appearing astonishingly intense. "Unfortunate! This foreign scout is approaching us—already within our hundred-foot radius—and continues to draw nearer." The tall, imposing man, upon seeing the strange appearance of the scroll in his hands, immediately cried out. Not only he—everyone else, too, upon noticing the unusual state of their own scrolls, grew agitated, eyes wide, rapidly scanning the surroundings. Yet within a hundred paces, every direction, every corner, was utterly empty, as if nothing at all existed there. "Cast your spells now and quickly dispel its concealment technique," the elder shouted, his voice resonating powerfully, making every attendant feel a ringing in their ears. He then stepped forward, swiftly flipping his hand, and suddenly a bronze mirror appeared in his grasp. He tossed the mirror upward, and it instantly transformed into a bright, full moon. A shimmer of light flashed across its surface, and a thick, jade-green beam of light, as wide as a bowl, erupted forth. As the moon rotated smoothly, the beam swept outwards, illuminating all directions—yet at every point where the green light touched, no change or anomaly was detected. The other cultivators also纷纷 unfurled banners and other special artifacts designed to reveal hidden entities. Everywhere the luminous glimmers passed, no trace of the hidden beings was found. Yet the humming sound emanating from the strange spirit discs in their hands grew increasingly sharp, indicating that the extraterrestrial scouts had now come within mere steps of them. Everyone's faces grew pale with alarm, and the elder's complexion had turned noticeably pale as well. Given that such a clear presence remained undetected, it was certain that these one or more extraterrestrial spies were among the most formidable types mentioned in the legends—far from fleeing, they seemed determined to advance and eliminate the cultivators. "Quick! Set up the Five Elements Luminous Light Array! Ordinary defenses will not suffice!" The elder shouted, the words nearly bursting from her throat. Immediately, she disregarded the bronze mirror resting atop her head, flipped her hand, and suddenly produced a red-tinged, banner-like artifact. She threw it toward the sky, where it instantly transformed into a swirling, flickering mass of red light. The other Black Iron Guards, inspired by the elder's reminder, suddenly realized and纷纷 drew out similar artifacts from their bodies, aiming to summon them into the air. Yet, though now awakened, they were a bit too late. A few sharp cracks echoed as the heterogenous spirit discs held by three of the guards burst simultaneously. Then, the three guards stepped into the void, and suddenly several faint, shadow-like spectral forms materialized in mid-air. As soon as these shadow forms appeared, they flickered and surged forward, stretching out to envelop the cultivators. "Ah!" The three guards finally noticed these gray shadows and gasped in surprise, yet their protective talismans and spiritual radiance offered no resistance—within moments, the shadows penetrated their bodies. They immediately emitted piercing cries of agony, clutching their heads and collapsing straight downward, seemingly unconscious and lifeless. "Shadow puppets—originating from the Shadow Clan! Quickly summon lightning-based techniques and artifacts!" The elder's face grew pale as he saw the shadows, urgently shouting. Then, immediately, he opened his mouth and expelled a silver-white flying sword. As soon as the sword emerged, it instantly transformed into a silver-white arc, shielding the elder within. Just as the strange gray shadow that had appeared behind the elder surged forward, it was suddenly blasted back several paces by a thunderclap, unable to draw near at all. The renowned Shadow Clan of the Great Ming was well known among other unharmed cultivators. Yet, aside from the two who had also released lightning-based treasures, the rest of them felt a deep chill, silently cursing their misfortune. Lightning was not only the most powerful but also one of the rarest elemental attributes—how could every single one of them possess such a treasure? Moreover, the Shadow Clan itself was an exceptionally enigmatic foreign lineage; aside from their lightning-based treasures and certain special techniques that could counteract them, most of their other cultivation methods and spells proved largely ineffective. And precisely at this moment of hesitation, gray shadows identical in appearance began to rise from the feet of these several cultivators. At this moment, several Black Iron Guards exchanged startled glances, then suddenly roared aloud, transforming into streaks of vibrant light and shooting off in all directions, striving to break free from the gray shadows beneath their feet. Yet those shadows seemed to have truly become their own reflections, flowing seamlessly with them and turning into streaks of gray light that never faltered, constantly following close behind. In moments, several cultivators' flight lights and their shadow puppets had already drifted dozens of feet away, leaving only the Qing-Jia Elder and two other Black Iron Guards, each protected by lightning-infused treasures, standing in place. However, now, gray shadows began to emerge steadily before the Elder and the two guards, totaling seven or eight, continuously darting toward them. Each time, they were repelled by the thunderous crackle of their lightning-protected treasures, yet the gray shadows showed no sign of discomfort, persistently repeating their attempts. The young elder took a deep breath, momentarily forgetting the fate of his subordinates, and with a flash of red light on his wrist, suddenly produced a stack of unfamiliar scroll seals. "Damn creature! You're dying!" he snarled, glaring fiercely at the gray shadow that had surged forward again. His face tightened, and with a series of sharp puffs, the scrolls instantly transformed into dozens of blue electric arcs that surged outward, intersecting and striking the gray shadow. A thunderous roar erupted as the arcs exploded, and the gray shadow emitted a series of wheezing sounds. Under the relentless barrage of the electric grid, its body began to disintegrate, layer by layer, turning into a mist. Seeing this, the elder was filled with relief—his previous investment, made at great cost, to prepare these lightning seals, had clearly proven effective. He then flicked his hand, producing another stack of lightning seals, and with a swift motion, unleashed another dozen blue electric arcs. Just as these arcs were about to strike the gray shadow nearby, a sharp exhalation suddenly resonated simultaneously from all around. At the same time, a large green hand suddenly appeared before the gray shadow. With a mere flick of its five fingers, it caught all the lightning strands in its grasp. After a deep, resonant burst, the lightning vanished completely, leaving nothing visible. "Green Shadow!" The elder's eyes widened instantly, as if he had gasped aloud. "You all are going to die!" A cold, emotionless voice emanated from the green hand. Then, as the hand trembled, it twisted and transformed into a shimmering, green-hued light form. At first glance, this form resembled a human, yet its head was astonishingly large—nearly three times the size of a normal person's. On its face, glowing in the green light, two eyes burned with vivid, almost blood-red intensity, making the sight utterly strange and eerie. Seeing truly the high-level Shadow Clan member he had anticipated, the elder's mouth twitched slightly, his face turning noticeably pale. Although lightning power can control most Shadow Clan members, when it comes to beings like Green Shadow—whose level is comparable to that of human cultivators who have reached the Perfected Immortal stage—their resistance to lightning becomes notable. In past one-on-one encounters between Perfected Immortal cultivators and such beings, human cultivators have typically suffered decisive defeats or even perished. Moreover, observing this Green Shadow managing to command so many Shadow puppets with just her own presence, it appears she is among the highest-ranked among her peers. This alone deeply unsettles the elder. At the same time, explosions echo from afar on the horizon, clearly indicating that other Black Iron Guards have been caught by the Shadow puppets, forcing human cultivators into fierce struggles. Yet Green Shadow pays no heed to the elder's growing astonishment, stepping forward without a word. Her body suddenly appears a few paces ahead of the elder, and then, with a single raised hand, she charges directly at the thick, protective lightning arc shielding the elder. He竟然 intended to directly pluck open the elder's protective artifact with sheer force! The elder was startled, yet the attacker's movements were so swift that he barely had time to react—even a fraction of the mountain wall. He could only emit a low cry, channeling all his inner qi into the protective artifact. The silver arc before him hummed, then suddenly thickened by one-third. Upon seeing this, the green figure's bloodshot eyes flashed a touch of disdain. His grasping palm did not waver, and indeed, he managed to seize the thickened arc in his hand. A thunderous roar echoed as the thick arc burst and flashed violently within the green palm, eventually transforming into a small sword whose surface was adorned with shimmering arcs. This small sword glowed erratically, trembling throughout, yet it could only struggle helplessly within the green hand—unable to break free. The elder's face instantly turned pale. Meanwhile, the green figure chuckled softly, then shifted his stance once more, as if preparing to strike again immediately. But at that moment, suddenly another thunder roared above the elder, and then a flash of jade-white arc appeared, instantly manifesting a figure with wings on its back. As soon as the figure appeared, it immediately raised both hands straight downward.