On hearing this, Lei Lan and Bai Bi's faces turned pale. Instantly, the spiritual carriage transformed into a swirling mass of milky white light and broke through the air. At the same moment, in a deep, dark, lightless region within the third layer of the Earth's Deep, a sound of surprise and astonishment rang out. A remarkably pale arm emerged from the darkness, holding a yellowish ghost-headed wooden plaque. "What on earth? The eight-faced beast's soul flame has vanished! Hmph, this useless creature, the eight-faced beast—can't even manage such a simple matter! Clearly, those who wish to disrupt my plans possess some real talent. Well, I'll deal with these minor matters later. As long as these people haven't left the Earth's Deep, I'll find them all." The woman coldly sniffed, spoke with unwavering confidence, and then her voice faded into silence within the darkness. Two days later, in the first layer of the Earth's Deep. A faint white silhouette passed through a stretch of black grassland, when suddenly, a dozen dark figures leapt out from the tall grass, rising straight into the air. They were fifteen massive mantises, each with a fierce appearance and emerald Three feet high, black as iron. A thunderous sound erupted from within the vehicle, and a dozen silver arcs shot out from the white figure, striking the insect-like creatures with perfect accuracy. The massive mantis remained silent, vanishing into ash, dissolving completely. Four days later, in a dense forest of stone pillars, a cluster of spiritual vehicles soared gracefully through the air, while several stone demons—composed of fragmented stones—jumped and darted swiftly, following closely beneath. A series of sharp crackling sounds echoed as countless golden threads flashed out from the vehicle, instantly piercing several stone demons from head to toe, then being tightly drawn taut. After a brilliant burst of golden light, the stone demons shattered into countless fragments and perished utterly. Seven days later, above a vast valley shrouded in swirling gray mist, Han Li and his two companions floated gracefully just before the valley's entrance, carefully observing the landscape. Lei Lan and Bai Bi could not conceal their joy. The spiritual vehicles beneath them had vanished completely. It was either destroyed by a monster encountered along the way or collected by Han Li. "It seems there's no issue here. Proceed! Head down for one day, and we'll reach the second level. This place is so remote, the exit should be safe—there's unlikely to be any special ambushes set up." Han Li said, then扇动双翼, leading the way into the mist. The two senior princes of the Tianpeng Clan, by now, naturally had no intention of retreating, and solemnly followed behind. The gray mist was not particularly dense, and even as they delved deeper, they could still faintly see the scene several dozen feet ahead. Occasionally, several winged serpent monsters, each about a foot long, would emerge from the mist to attack the three of them, but they were all easily dispatched. After one hour, they finally emerged from the mist and arrived at the far end of the valley. There, on the massive cliff face at one end of the valley, a massive, seemingly spontaneous crack had suddenly appeared. Winding and winding, it extended deep into the earth. Upon seeing the fissure, Han Li smiled, without hesitation, leading the two behind him into it. Three clusters of spiritual light flew farther and farther within the fissure, eventually vanishing after several turns. After one day and one night, a sudden, strange roar emerged near a large downward fissure. A surge of black gusts erupted from the fissure, transforming the nearby stone walls into pale black ice walls—clearly, the air was exceptionally cold. Yet, at this moment, three luminous spheres of different colors burst forth from the wind, flashing several times before appearing dozens of zhang away, revealing three distinct human figures. It was Han Li and his two companions. "Remarkably strong, this underground wind within the passage—it's almost unbearable. I nearly couldn't endure it. Yet, the reports mentioned nothing about this." Bai Bi turned back to where they had entered, her face pale. "Since it wasn't mentioned in the reports, I'd assume this wind has only recently emerged." Otherwise, our elder would not have overlooked this matter at all." Lei Lan's face also bore the signs of significant cultivation depletion, and she glanced at Han Li with a growing sense of helplessness. Han Li, however, stood with his arms folded, gazing around him with a calm expression, showing absolutely no sign of any cultivation fatigue. "Could it be that the difference between a初级灵将 and a senior灵将 in cultivation level is truly this great!" Reflecting on how he had nearly failed to make it through the crack, only to be saved by Han Li's timely intervention, Lei Lan felt deeply frustrated. "We've already spent considerable time at the first level. There's no need to waste more time at the second level searching for the Yin-Yan Fruit. Let's simply head straight for the third level." Han Li turned his gaze back, speaking with unwavering confidence. The air was damp, and the surrounding atmosphere carried a strong scent of fresh vegetation—indicating that they were now hovering above a region resembling a marsh. It was well known that Han Li's abilities surpassed those of his two saintly nephews from the Tianpeng Clan, so naturally he had no complaints. Yet Lei Lan hesitated slightly and still asked with concern: "Going to the third level, my younger sister naturally has no objections. But Brother Han, there are only three entry points from the second to the third level. No matter which path we take, we may encounter representatives from other branches. What if we happen to meet those branches with ill intentions..." Though the sentence wasn't fully completed, the meaning was clear to anyone listening. "It's not just a matter of 'what if.' Those several branches will definitely assign personnel to all three entry points. Their targets aren't limited to us—other weaker branches may well be on their list as well." Bai Bi sighed. "Heh, we'll just have to face them when the conflict arises. This hurdle is unavoidable. However, I suspect that even if the Chirong Clan, a major family, seeks to absorb our clan, they wouldn't be able to deploy all their forces at the three entry points to the third level." The Three-Hundred-Year-Old Trial of the Deep Earth was equally significant for them. They could only manage half, or even fewer, of their current personnel. Should that be the case, defeating the opposing forces would be difficult, but overcoming their defenses—though not impossible—would certainly be achievable. Han Li gave a cold laugh and offered a brief analysis. "If, as Brother Han suggests, the situation is as he describes, then we certainly do have a chance," said Bai Bi, both of them energized by Han Li's words. "However, no one can guarantee the exact circumstances—only after we take the journey ourselves will we know." Han Li replied calmly. "But among the three entrances, which one shall we choose? Two are straightforward, one is perilous." Lei Landa furrowed her brow and asked. "Since every path we take may encounter obstacles, we naturally select the one closest to our current position." Han Li said without hesitation. "Then, we shall have no choice but to take the Way of Ten Thousand Vines," Bai Bi replied after a moment's thought. "The path of a thousand vines is the entrance where many ancient vines connect the second and third floors." Han Li seemed to have a clear memory of it, his gaze flickering before asking. "Correct, that's exactly this entrance. Aside from a few appearances of strange insect-like creatures, the passage is generally safe. If everything goes smoothly, we'll reach it within half a month." Bai Bi confirmed with confidence. "That sounds promising. Then we'll take this entrance!" Han Li's expression brightened, and he immediately decided. Seeing Han Li had settled on their destination, Lei Lan and the other two members offered no objections, simply nodding their agreement. Han Li flicked his hand, and suddenly a blue, glowing disk appeared in his grasp. After a brief flash, he identified the direction and took off, leading the two ahead of him. Just shortly after they had left this location. Amid the muddy terrain, occasionally bubbling with murky foam, a dark, solid silhouette suddenly rose silently, gazing steadily at the fading light of Han Li and his companions, its eyes flickering with a faint red glow. With a sharp "pop," the figure seemed to burst like a bubble, vanishing completely into the marsh. Such subtle perceptual errors are not uncommon for someone as acutely attuned to spiritual awareness as Han Li. Yet, in such perilous circumstances, the occurrence of such an error leaves a persistent shadow in his mind that he cannot easily dispel. However, as long as the beings in question are not significantly more powerful than himself—thus beyond the reach of his spiritual sight—this might simply be a case of mistaken perception. Han Li pondered for a while longer, but ultimately settled on this conclusion, then gestured to the two beside him, Bai Bi and the other, and once again took to the air. Yet his expression had grown considerably gloomier. "Good! Even my earth-bound puppets can sense something. Clearly, spiritual awareness surpasses mere cultivation level. Unfortunately, I'm not particularly interested in refining yin spirits—my six-limbed form isn't suited for that." The blood-robed figure chuckled softly, then waved his sleeve toward the mirror as if to cast a spell, only to pause midway, his eyes flashing with thoughtful concentration. "Ah, almost forgot—seems that ghost nun has been gathering beings with strong souls. This one might be a perfect gift. I'm sure I can trade for one of her bloodfishes!" A new thought formed in his mind, and he murmured to himself. (Second update!）