A dozen days later, suddenly a clear, resonant long howl echoed from outside the ice hut. Though the sound was not loud, Han Li's brow twitched, his eyes snapped open, and his gaze flickered. After tilting his head slightly and thinking for a moment, he straightened up, pushed open the ice door, and stepped out. Already several or eight figures stood beneath the ice platform—clearly Master Ying and the elderly Li master, and others. Upon hearing the long, resonant cry, those who emerged from the ice pavilion were not merely Han Li alone; others also stepped out one after another. In a matter of moments, nearly twenty cultivators had gathered on the entire mountain peak. All of them were at the stage of Spiritual Transformation or above, each with distinct expressions, and all proceeding toward the grand hall. Han Li, maintaining a composed demeanor, followed quietly and entered the hall. As soon as the cultivators entered, many immediately approached the men and women on the ice platform, bowing respectfully: "May I greet Master Zhù and Master Qing!" "Both of you have arrived! It is a pleasure to meet you, esteemed elders!" ...Han Li simply chose an unobtrusive spot and stood there calmly, motionless. The very ones who had personally come to invite him to join were precisely these two well-known cultivators within the Golden Guard of Tianyuan City. Though this was their first encounter with these two, their reputations were quite good, and both had ascended from the lower realms. Otherwise, even with the most generous promises, it was far from certain whether they would agree to participate. The man named Zhu had finished his long, resonant exhalation and now smiled warmly in response to the greetings of others, finally declaring with a loud, clear voice: "Most of the guests have arrived. Please sit down, everyone. We shall now carefully discuss how to eliminate that colony of true toads with green eyes." As soon as he finished speaking, the beautiful woman standing beside him immediately raised one hand and cast a seal downward. Instantly, white light flashed along both sides of the ice hall, and one after another, exquisite jade chairs emerged, each supported by a simple magical array. The cultivators, following his instructions, settled into their seats and then turned their attention back to the couple seated on the ice platform, both at the Lingxu stage. After glancing sideways, the silver-haired man smiled and said, "It seems quite close to what our couple had anticipated. Of the guests who were originally invited, only about four out of ten have actually arrived. Others are either occupied with their duties and unable to make it, or have encountered unforeseen circumstances that prevent them from making the journey across ten thousand miles. Nevertheless, as long as we work together, we are confident in successfully eliminating the group of green-eyed true toads. Then each of us will receive what we need—our guests will take their share of the true toads' spiritual blood, while our couple will secure several thousand-heart flower plants protected by these ancient beasts. All of this has been communicated in advance, and no objections have been raised. Of course, the distribution of the spiritual blood will depend on each guest's performance and cannot be perfectly equal. We kindly hope that those with other intentions do not expect to reap rewards without effort." As the young man spoke, especially in the final sentences, a subtle yet powerful spiritual pressure of Lingxu level emanated from him, and his expression grew solemn. The other cultivators listened attentively and remained seated, as though there were no further remarks to be made. "Very well. Since everyone is in agreement, let us now discuss the specific steps of our action. These true toads with green eyes were first discovered by Miss Ying and her companions. It is therefore Miss Ying who shall begin the explanation." Seeing this, the handsome young man smiled pleasantly and turned to the masked woman seated below. "May the elder have good health. How could I possibly refuse?" With a graceful smile, Miss Ying stood up, glanced briefly at the faces of the other cultivators, and then began to speak calmly: "As for how we discovered the lair of these green-eyed true toads, I shall not go into greater detail. What I can share is that there are nearly ten of them. Two mature adult female and male true toads possess the strength of cultivators at the Mid-Transcendent stage, while the younger ones are equivalent to those at the Yuan-Ying level. These true toads have always lived deep underground in their lair, rarely venturing out into the open." If we wish to defeat them within the lair, the difficulty will surely increase significantly, as the environment around the lair is highly unfavorable for our coordinated attacks." At this, the woman paused briefly before continuing: "Were it only these challenges, we wouldn't necessarily need to summon so many of our esteemed companions. The key issue lies in the presence of two powerful cohabiting creatures near the Jade-Eyed True Frog's lair: the Black-Blood Ants and the Shadow Insect Beast. Though individually perhaps not imposing, both are highly social species, each numbering approximately a hundred or so. To successfully eliminate the Jade-Eyed True Frog, we must simultaneously address these two cohabiting insect beasts." "The Black-Blood Scorpions?" "The Shadow Insect Beast?"... Hearing the masked woman's words, most of the seated cultivators stirred, and several even began whispering to their neighbors. Indeed! These two creatures are no ordinary ones. Should the swarm of insects encircle them, even a cultivator at the Liangxi level would likely face serious danger. After speaking, the masked woman nodded slightly to the handsome young man and then settled back into her seat. "Needn't be nervous?" Since I've invited all of you here, I already have a plan in mind. All that's required is your strong cooperation," said the young man calmly. "Master Zhù! It's not that we don't trust your words, but the situation appears truly perilous. Could you kindly elaborate on the specific measures we should take?" One elderly man, wearing a hat, rose and bowed slightly to the figure on the ice platform. This elder was one of the few cultivators at the Hua Shen late stage among those seated below. "Ah, it's you, Youu. Please sit. Even if my brother hadn't mentioned it, I, Zhu, would have explained this a bit more in detail anyway," the young man smiled, showing no particular concern. Upon hearing this, the elder said nothing further and bowed again before taking his seat. "Actually, it's quite simple." Although these accompanying insect beasts prove somewhat troublesome, our couple have already acquired the Tan He Xiang incense, which exerts a strong attraction on the black-blooded mosquitoes. As long as it is lit from a distance, the mosquitoes can be easily drawn out of the ground, where they can then be eliminated together. The shadow insect beasts, however, are more difficult to handle. Nevertheless, we have borrowed a set of Xuan Qing Tian Lei Flags from our good friend. With eight of our friends holding this treasure and forming the Tian Du Huan Lei Array, these shadow insect beasts can be effectively contained. Additionally, we have specially invited two friends—Han, whose cultivation technique specifically counters shadow insects, and Xiao, the immortal lady—who will assist in supporting this array. With these two friends aiding the array, the outcome should be absolutely secure. As for the remaining companions, we will join forces with our couple to focus on confronting the true turtle beasts. What do all of you think? The young man named Zhu spoke in a clear, flowing manner, though his voice was not loud, it carried distinctly and clearly to every listener. Han Li, upon hearing his name mentioned, glanced toward the hall, and suddenly his eyes met those of a young woman facing him diagonally. She wore a long silver-white gown, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with an exceptionally delicate appearance. When Han Li looked at her, she offered a gentle, warm smile. "Is this indeed the 'Xiao仙子'? What kind of divine ability does she possess that allows her to control the shadow insect beasts?" Han Li smiled instinctively, yet his mind was filled with curiosity. Throughout the time that followed, other cultivators occasionally asked various questions, which the young man named Zhu answered with great courtesy and thoroughness, leaving everyone present thoroughly satisfied. However, Han Li noticed that throughout the entire time, the beautiful woman standing beside the young man had never spoken a word—she only smiled and remained silent. This observation struck Han Li as somewhat unusual. If he didn't misremember, when that couple brought others to the abode to find him, it seemed only the handsome young man had spoken—never once did the woman utter a word. Could it be that she had mastered a peculiar cultivation technique common among Buddhist monks, such as "silent meditation"? Otherwise, if she were naturally deaf or mute, then with their level of attainment, she would surely have been able to resolve these lingering ailments simply through a single thought. Han Li silently pondered this. After one hour passed and no further questions arose, the young man from the Zhù family began assigning personnel. To be clear, among the invited cultivators, apart from Han Li and the Xiao-family woman—specifically chosen to counteract the shadow insect beasts—many others specialized in rare lightning-based cultivation techniques, assigned precisely to support the Xuanqing Heaven Lightning Banner, forming the Heavenly Capital's Great Lightning Array. These individuals, including Han Li himself, were either cultivators who had achieved transcendence or direct descendants of such transcendents. Not a single native cultivator from the region had been included. Thus, although the group was numerous, they were generally satisfied with the tasks assigned. Once the assignments were finalized, the young man named Zhu and the others had no intention of lingering. They issued a single command, and the group of twenty-some individuals immediately took off, transforming into streaks of light and heading westward. After flying continuously for three days and three nights without incident, they finally arrived before a vast lake. To the eye, the lake was shrouded in thick mist, damp and humid, exuding an air of profound mystery. Many of the cultivators paused, their brows furrowed. In the wild frontier realms, such seemingly strange locales were typically avoided by most cultivators. Who knew whether powerful ancient beasts might be hidden within the mist or beneath the lake waters—should they be ambushed and perish, they would surely have sealed their own fate. Almost without anyone needing to remind them, all the light streaks slowed and came to a halt before the mist.