"Master Han has already refined a feather from the Kungpeng, and with our assistance, he has further integrated the genuine Kungpeng blood and relics. Though we are indeed members of the Heavenly Peng Clan, it's better to keep matters simple—on this point, you two should refrain from making any public mention of Master Han. Simply state that he is a clan member cultivated overseas. Understood?" The young lady said, delivering the instructions with a tone of assurance. "We shall abide by the Grand Elder's instructions," the two companions replied simultaneously, bowing their heads in unison. A sudden "whoosh," and the object was instantly captured, landing directly into the maiden's palm. Now, not only Han Li, but all the others also turned their attention to it. Jin Yue remained calm, brushing several jade fingers across the leaves on the box. Instantly, a vibrant green glow surged forth, and with a graceful motion, she lifted the leaves. "Pffft!" With several of the enchanted leaves removed, the crimson wooden box suddenly flared up, blazing into a bright red ball of flame. Jin Yue held the flame in one hand, yet remained completely composed, merely giving it a gentle shake. As the flame subsided, a crimson scroll about half a foot long emerged, its ends secured by two ghost-like heads—one green, one red—seeming lifelike and as if breathing. While murmuring softly, she tossed the scroll forward, and it gently floated in mid-air. Then, as one of the wings behind the maiden fluttered, a golden streak of feather shot out, swiftly vanishing into the scroll. "Master Shi, you as well should release the seals now." The young woman finished her spell and turned to the man in black robes, saying. "This matter concerns the very survival of our clan, and we must surely give our best efforts." The man in black robes smiled gently, and from the back of his dark wings, a streak of black light shot out, inserting a black feather into the scroll as well. As for the red-haired elder and the graceful woman, they did not wait for the young woman to speak—they performed the exact same actions. Together, they drew in the scrolls of the four senior elders of the Tianpeng Clan. Suddenly, a transformation began in the air. Upon a flash of radiant red light, the scroll swelled to several times its original size. At the same time, the two ends of the scroll, which had been tightly closed, opened up, revealing bright, blood-red eyes. When the two ends relaxed, the scrolls, previously locked in place, finally unfurled downward. Red, hazy light shimmered across the scroll, with countless symbols of varying sizes swirling and dancing about. Han Li's eyes flashed blue, and he clearly saw the contents of the scroll. In the glow of red light, dense rows of small characters emerged, mostly individual names. At the top of the scroll, in the script of the Feilings, the four golden characters "The Oath of the Heavenly Pheasant" were inscribed. Below that, in pale silver script, the contents of the oaths were written, matching precisely with the records of the Tianpeng clan's ancient texts. Further down, a series of blackish-blue names followed. Han Li carefully scanned the scroll with his divine awareness. As soon as his consciousness touched the radiant red hue on the scroll, a long, clear resonance burst forth from it, followed by a surge of light and movement. From the scroll, a large, azure-bodied pheasant silhouette emerged—initially only a few feet tall—but immediately radiated a brilliant luminescence, expanding rapidly to a mountain-sized form that filled half the hall and completely shaded Han Li and the others beneath it. Han Li and Bai Bi were startled, while the senior monks, including Jin Yue, remained calm, as though this remarkable sight were not unfamiliar to them. "Retreat." Jin Yue raised her hand, producing a bronze mirror veiled in a faint green hue. She merely flicked it at the spectral figure of the bird. Instantly, the phantom emitted a low cry and began to fragment, inch by inch, until it dissolved into a stream of green mist and merged into the scroll. "Use your own vital blood to sign here," Jin Yue said, folding the mirror back. "It must be your true name. Otherwise, should the oath turn against you, no one will be able to save you." "There's nothing special about it. Brother Han probably practices a unique cultivation technique or has consumed certain rare fruits, otherwise his refined blood wouldn't appear in this hue." The black-robed man hesitated, then spoke slowly. "Indeed, golden blood is quite rare—most often appearing once a cultivator's physical strength reaches a certain level." The elder glanced at Han with thoughtful eyes. The black-robed man smiled, choosing not to add anything further. At that moment, Han approached the scroll and quickly wrote his name with his finger on a blank section. As the pale golden blood touched the scroll, each character immediately sank into it, then flashed and reappeared as dark, ink-like characters—dry and dull, as though written there for many years. Meanwhile, Han faintly sensed that his spirit seemed briefly observed by something, before the sensation vanished completely. Han Li was taken aback—seemingly, the oath of the Sky-Peak Clan indeed carried some weight. The more the Dan Yi demonstrated its strength, the more confident Han Li felt. With this binding in place, it would be quite difficult for the Sky-Peak elders to betray them later on. While Han Li silently pondered these thoughts, Jin Yue, upon seeing him finish writing her name, immediately cast a spell, touching the scroll with her magic. The scroll trembled slightly, then swiftly coiled upward, transforming back into a scroll. With a subtle movement of her two ghostly heads, the ends of the scroll were firmly secured. With a single hand gesture, the scroll shrank and floated directly into the sleeve of the young girl. "All right," she said calmly, "since this matter is settled, let Elder Xu now explain the details of the Underworld Trial and the precautions you should take during the period. Please pay close attention—some of these words might just save your lives during the trial." "The Deep Earth Trial is a trial held every three centuries by our Feilin clan's seventy-two main branches..." the elder with red hair spoke slowly, unfolding the tale. Han Li and his two companions listened intently. Several days later, several massive white birds took flight from the gates of the Sacred City, breaking through the magical barriers and soaring toward a specific direction. On one of these great birds, Han Li sat prominently. With each flap of their wings, the white birds swiftly covered over twenty paces; after a few such flaps, they reached the far horizon, transforming into mere black dots, then vanishing completely. Three months later, atop a towering mountain peak, a vast green complex featured a grand plaza surrounded by over a hundred Feilin clan members with wings. In the center, a crane-sized bird and a strange, vividly colored bird were engaged in a fierce aerial duel, each displaying their unique powers. The immortal crane moved in an utterly unusual manner, each grasp and peck emitting a sharp "shush-shush" sound as if slicing through the air—clearly sharp and incisive. The splendid, multicolored bird bore a single horn on its head and four wings along its back, its entire body enveloped in a radiant aura of colorful mist. No matter how fiercely the crane attacked, the light aura absorbed each blow as though untouched. Furious at this, the crane suddenly reeled backward, flying several dozen paces before flapping both wings simultaneously toward the splendid bird. Instantly, dozens of long feathers shot out, then flickered and transformed mid-flight into dozens of gleaming, sharp blades. As they vanished in a flash, they struck the luminous aura at once. Though the beautiful aura was marvelously resilient, it could not withstand the combined impact of so many sharp blades. It shuddered violently, emitting a deep, resonant hum, and began to visibly tremble, as though about to be forcibly split apart. The crane was delighted upon seeing this, just about to cast another spell to stir the blades when suddenly, a sharp cry erupted from the strange bird across the way. It opened its mouth, and a surge of yellow wind burst forth, sweeping through the area and sending the blades spinning wildly, tumbling and rotating in mid-air, completely out of control. The crane was startled, and in turn opened its own mouth, launching a beam of milky-white light that instantly pierced through the rushing wind and reached the strange bird. The strange bird's purple eyes flashed with unusual brilliance, and its black, single horn atop its head glowed red, then emitted a beam of red light that precisely collided with the white beam. A thunderous roar followed, and both beings were engulfed and destroyed. "Xun, what other powers do you possess? Go ahead and demonstrate them. If you have none, I shall have to intervene." A man's voice emerged from the strange bird's mouth. "Hmph. Your horned eagle clan doesn't possess much more than these few abilities. What can you possibly do to me?" "A cold remark also issued from the crane's mouth. "Very well," the strange bird said without ceremony, "then allow me to demonstrate the new divine skill I have recently cultivated." With a decisive shake of all four wings, the figure shimmered into a towering, ancient-looking yellow bell, about one zhang high. "Unbelievable!" Many people immediately stepped back in surprise upon seeing this. Only a few of the more seasoned, taller individuals remained motionless. The yellow bell merely swayed gently, and then a deep, resonant chime rang out. Everyone who heard it experienced a sudden buzzing in their minds, feeling significantly affected. The crane, which had directly faced the full force of this powerful display, suddenly collapsed without a sound from the sky. A flash of white light passed through it, and the figure transformed into a man in his thirties from the Flying Spirit Clan, dressed in a white robe. A fellow member of the Flying Spirit Clan swiftly rose from among the crowd, caught the man, and gently settled him to the ground. The yellow chime shimmered, and instantly transformed into another young official in a blue robe, who bowed slightly to the lower level and calmly said, "Thank you." Only then did the man who had turned into a crane regain consciousness, his face pale as he looked up at the blue-robed official in the air. (First chapter!)