The last rare fruit. This young lady proved remarkably decisive, pulling out a remarkable quantity of precious materials from her own person and dividing them into four equal portions based on value, allowing everyone to choose freely. The young lady's generosity was such that even the young wives of Longdong and Heifeng clans could not match her offering, and thus they reluctantly yielded the fruit to her. This short segment of the ten-thousand-year-old Biling Wood—was one of the materials chosen by Han Li. This wood is exceptionally light, resistant to both water and fire, and is among the finest materials for inscribing magical array seals. Moreover, as it ages, it gains inherent protective capabilities aligned with the Five Elements. Therefore, it is typically used for crafting large-scale magical artifacts and is considered the ideal material for constructing high-quality magical vessels such as floating ships, flying carriages, and beast-drawn vehicles. Han Li held the piece of wood in his hands for a while before placing it aside, then looked around at the gathering. This flying carriage was still provided by Longdong, though it fell short of the Lingyun Boat in terms of comfort and concealment, it surpassed it in speed. After all, when encountering powerful ancient beasts, even the Lingyun Boat's concealment array might prove ineffective. In that case, using this faster carriage would be far more suitable. Should minor difficulties arise, they could simply use the carriage's speed to swiftly distance themselves. At present, the carriage has transformed into a faint green silhouette, gliding forward with remarkable speed through the sky. The others, aside from Longdong who was currently operating the carriage, sat quietly in the corners of the carriage, silent and still. Han Li focused his gaze, and suddenly turned his attention to the white-robed young woman nearby, his eyes narrowing slightly. Among the group, he found this woman—appearing to have a similar level of cultivation to himself—to be the one he most feared and least understood. This girl appeared younger than the others, and her speech was unusually simple. Yet, Han Li, who had refined the Daxian Decision to its utmost perfection, possessed a sensitivity and awareness of such an extraordinary nature that he consistently sensed her as the one exerting the greatest pressure upon him among the four. Indeed, she even seemed more enigmatic than the young man from the renowned True Spirit family, whose birthmark was said to be significant. As Han Li was quietly pondering this, the girl seated in the corner across from him, who had been closed-eyed, suddenly opened her eyes and met his gaze directly. Han Li was startled, and before he could react, the girl offered a light, subtle smile. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Han Li cleared his throat and immediately turned his face away. Thus, he failed to notice the faint spark of amusement that briefly flashed in her eyes. Over the following half-month, their journey unfolded with remarkable smoothness, encountering not a single obstacle or complication. This unexpectedly eased the breaths of both Longdong and the young lady, who only hoped the journey ahead would unfold as smoothly as it was unfolding now. A few days later, the scenery around them changed, and ahead lay a vast expanse of golden sand, with a scorching wind rushing toward them. "Desert," remarked the young man with a look of surprise in his eyes. "Indeed, this is the Nangeng Great Desert—the most accessible route to the Mu people." Longdong's tone grew serious. "I've heard of this place before. Is it truly as rumored—impossible to bypass this desert? After all, the Mu and Ying clans frequently pass through here, so it seems quite perilous." The young lady glanced around, her dark brows furrowed. "Miss Xiao, although the environment here is less favorable, it is far more stable than the other two routes. As for bypassing it—quite impossible. The desert stretches out on both sides." On one side lies the renowned Tai Shou Mountain Range, home to countless high-tier ancient beasts—even transcendental immortals often find themselves going in and never coming out. On the other side lies the even more perilous Jiao Yuan Grand Canyon, where dozens of evil jiao dragons of transcendental rank or above dwell, and there are no fewer than several dozen jiao kings at the combined stage. To mention the lower-ranked jiao dragons is to add further danger. Regardless of our own clans or other foreign tribes, we have long avoided provoking this group of fierce jiao dragons. How could our several Cheming-level immortals dare venture across? These three regions span an immense expanse; beyond them, it would take us years to navigate around. With the war looming at any moment, Tianyuan City cannot afford to have Wun delayed for so long." Longdong smiled sadly and explained briefly. "Ah, I see. I've also heard that this desert appears to serve as a trial ground for both of our clans." The white-robed young lady suddenly interjected. "Indeed, when I departed, my elders had specifically reminded me of this." The young man with a white brow likewise grew more cautious. "If it's indeed the case, then we should not take advantage of this flying chariot now. It's too conspicuous—its presence is rather noticeable. We'd better remain concealed and proceed quietly. Even if everything goes smoothly, I'd estimate it will take about a month to truly traverse this desert." Longdong paused to think, then said so. "Then I agree with your suggestion." The young woman thought for a moment, exchanged a glance with the white-haired youth, and nodded her assent. "I have no objection either. Though, it is true that the flying chariot is rather conspicuous." Han Li smiled and added. Only the young lady in the white robe appeared indifferent. Thus, after discussion, they all stepped out of the chariot. The blood-stained youth retrieved their items, and the group cast spells to conceal their forms, entering the desert with care. Not long after entering the desert, Han Li began to sense something unusual about it. The temperature was astonishingly high—far exceeding what he had previously encountered in other deserts. Even as he flew at a low altitude, he could still feel waves of intense heat radiating from the ground, as though he were not above a desert at all, but rather standing atop a vast volcanic crater. Han Li raised his head to gaze at the seven shimmering suns high in the sky, then looked down at the ground again. With a single hand motion downward, a lance of ice shot forth. However, before it reached the ground, the ice cone melted into a cloud of white vapor and dispersed into nothingness. Seeing this, Han Li sighed lightly. "Friend Han, haven't you realized yet? Beneath the Nan Gen Great Desert, there used to be an extensive expanse of volcanic craters!" A flash of white light, and the white-robed maiden materialized beside him, smiling warmly. "Indeed?" Han Li replied calmly, admitting he wasn't entirely aware of this. "It's said that once, a celestial phoenix possessing both wind and soil attributes fought for over a month against a true spirit-level fire crocodile dwelling beneath these volcanoes. By summoning endless gusts of wind and sand through its divine powers, the phoenix ultimately submerged the entire volcanic region, thus forming this vast desert." The young woman seemed very familiar with this tale, speaking calmly and composedly. "I always found this desert so strange. Now I understand! Yet, the divine capabilities of a true spirit-level being truly astonish me." Han Li murmured, as if answering the young woman's question, yet also as if speaking to himself. "Indeed, even among human cultivators, when we reach the Great Perfection stage, we may manage to compete with ordinary true spirits. But when faced with powerful true spirit-level beings such as true dragons or celestial phoenixes, we still find ourselves only able to look up in admiration. I wonder what it would be like for a single individual to master such true spirit-level powers!" The young woman smiled lightly, uttering these words, then turned and swiftly vanished ahead. Han Li gazed at the girl's back, a fleeting oddity passing over his face before it settled back into its usual composure, and he resumed walking without a word. After more than ten days, Han Li and the others continued their flight at a low altitude. Even though all of them had reached the stage of Divine Spirit cultivation, the prolonged journey under such intense heat had begun to weary them. "Just a little more time, and then we'll find a place to rest," said the one at the forefront, turning slightly to address the group. "Yes, we should take a break and restore our inner energy," agreed the young woman, her voice carrying a clear sense of fatigue. "Hm? What is that?" Suddenly, a soft exclamation came from one side, filled with surprise. The voice belonged to the white-mustached young man. Upon hearing this, Han Li instinctively turned to look as well. But to his surprise, the area ahead was completely empty—nothing at all. With a slight lift of his brow, he immediately extended his vast spiritual awareness, scanning the space, and then his face fell into a look of bewilderment. At that moment, Longdong and the others also sent out their divine consciousness to probe the area, and to their surprise, everyone's expressions were just as strange as Han Li's—remarkably alike. "Indeed, there seems to be a town here, even human settlements. Have we not mistaken anything?" Han Li's voice sounded rather odd. Just moments before, as their divine awareness swept across the area, a substantial oasis appeared some thirty to forty miles away. Within it stood a small settlement—part village, part town—where numerous human beings and cultivators could be seen. "Given how remote this place is, and how close it is to the non-human races, how is it possible that there are actually human settlements here? Is there something amiss?" The young wife's eyes flickered with doubt. Upon hearing this, Longdong raised an eyebrow, but his face remained uncertain, and he did not immediately respond. "Let me use my embodied form to blend in and observe from a distance," said Bai-Mei Qingniu, gazing steadily toward the direction of the oasis. Then the young man reached up with one hand, brushing his brow, and a faint outline shimmered—followed by a small hawk, about a foot in size, bursting forth into the air. The hawk was sleek and lustrous black, spiraling once before heading straight toward the distant small city. Closing his eyes, the white-mustached youth fully connected his spirit awareness with the hawk, ensuring no unforeseen mishaps would occur. Upon hearing this, everyone else naturally looked utterly astonished. "We needn't worry about the city at all. We'll simply proceed as originally planned. No need to complicate matters," Han Li said calmly. "That doesn't seem right! This situation is rather suspicious. Perhaps something significant has happened in the desert. I think we should carefully inquire before continuing forward. Otherwise, we might end up plunging straight into danger." Longdong shook his head and said so. (Second update!