After a full cup of tea's worth of time, the orb of crimson blood slightly contracted, then suddenly trembled, and from within came a voice of an unusually elderly woman: "Earth-blood, I didn't expect you to come at this moment—do you have some urgent matter that concerns our grand plans?" The voice seemed deeply dissatisfied with the blood-robed figure's visit. "Ah, ever since we laid out our grand strategy, it's been over several decades now. It's rare that I've managed to reach out to my friend lately—can't even manage a few words of conversation?" The blood-robed figure replied with a gentle chuckle. "Let's cut to the chase—what exactly is it you have to say? Otherwise, don't be surprised if I cut off your secret technique altogether," the old woman's tone grew firm and impatient. "Indeed, since we first set our plans in motion, we've each taken our respective roles: Mu Qing has been gathering blood offerings for sacrifices, the six-legged one is responsible for collecting the power of shadow spirits, and I have been crafting a large number of puppets. As for you, my esteemed friend, you are to cultivate the most crucial eight thousand Shadow Armor Ghosts as outlined "Hmph! You're asking me something I already know! You must be aware of how many eyes and ears I've planted under your roof—how could you possibly not know the progress?" The old woman paused, then replied coldly. "Ha! Mutual matters, then. My own workshop for crafting puppets has also seen your disciples visiting quite often. But now, I'd like to hear it directly from you." The blood-robed man chuckled. "This isn't exactly a secret, is it? The eight thousand Yin-Jia Xuan Gui are quite straightforward—provided the six-legged beings supply sufficient Yin spiritual energy, they'll eventually grow into the desired form. That's just a matter of time. The only difficulty lies in the eight Yin-Jia Ghost Kings who command these Xuan Gui. Only a soul of exceptional spiritual awareness can successfully be used to craft them. Such rare, top-tier soul materials aren't easy to find," the old woman said calmly. "Ah, how many of those eight Ghost Kings have you successfully crafted?" the blood-robed man asked with genuine interest. "Three!" "The success rate is simply too low," the woman said, her tone deepening, with a touch of embarrassment. "Ah, that's exactly it. I contacted you precisely to offer such a premium spirit-material." The blood-robed man gently brushed his palm, smiling. "Master Earth-Blood Wandering Spirit, you weren't even eager to gather enough puppets—when did you suddenly develop an interest in shadows and ghosts?" The old woman was momentarily startled, somewhat surprised. "I'm not like Master Six-Legged, who's not particularly well-versed in ghost-related matters. But just now, I discovered a flying spirit cultivator who could sense my divine consciousness infused into the earth puppets. Though only a faint trace of spirit awareness, it's clear this person possesses an exceptionally strong mind. Shouldn't that be sufficient as material for your ghost king's cultivation?" The blood-robed man said calmly. "A flying spirit cultivator? Is it perhaps the trial season for their clan again? Since they can detect my spirit presence, must it be that the elders themselves have descended?" The old woman's voice grew steady, her tone now more serious. "Rest assured, a mere junior spiritual general won't cause any major trouble," the robed man said with ease. "A junior spiritual general, then—no worries. Yet your ability to detect my spiritual awareness and consciousness is truly remarkable. Very well, I accept this gift. But you won't simply tell me this news without expecting something in return, will you?" The elderly woman paused slightly before responding. "Hehe, I particularly enjoy working with someone as clear-minded and practical as you. It's simple: for each specific piece of information I provide, I offer one thousand-year-old blood fish. If you'd allow me to personally capture and deliver it to your gate, then two such fish will suffice." With a quick glance, the robed man opened his offer generously. "Hmph. Do you think my thousand-year-old blood fish is just some ordinary spirit? Even a mere shade would want to trade for two. Right now, I'm too busy to spare time—so, either you send me your essence, or I'll send you one thousand-year-old blood fish. That's a real bargain for you," the elderly woman said coldly, without hesitation. "Very well, one matter at a time. Ten days from now, his spirit will deliver it to you." The blood-robed figure accepted promptly, clearly also feeling that he had secured a significant advantage. "By the way, regarding the trial prince of the Fei Ling clan—what are Mu Qing and Liu Liu's opinions? Should we eliminate them both entirely, or continue as before, allowing them to roam freely among the first three layers? Will they pose any hindrance to our overall strategy?" the elder woman suddenly asked. "At this critical juncture of our affairs, we must not draw the Fei Ling clan's attention. As long as they remain unaffected and do not enter the layers below the fourth, we can let them operate as they please. I'm certain both Mu Qing and Liu Liu understand this well." The blood-robed figure replied without hesitation. "Then let it be as you say!" With a soft utterance, the elder woman's voice on the round orb suddenly faded away, and the orb immediately ceased its rotation, its red glow vanishing completely. With a single hand motion, the round珠 instantly flew into his grasp and then vanished in a flash. "Merely a high-ranking spiritual general, plus two initial-ranking spiritual generals, and three initial-ranking blood-wood puppets—this should be more than sufficient," the robe-clad figure murmured, shaking his sleeve. "Puff, puff, puff"—three blood-shaped silhouettes shot out from his sleeve, then flashed into place on the ground ahead. Amid the gloomy bloodlight, three distinct yet blurred figures emerged, motionless and bowed low. The robe-clad figure's eyes blazed with blood-glow, three fine blood threads radiating from his brows—barely visible to the naked eye—flickered and vanished into the three blurred blood forms before him. Instantly, the bowed figures lifted their heads, their eyes now glowing with an eerie green light. "Go," the figure said, pointing at the scene on the bronze mirror with a calm, emotionless tone, "and slay those three. Recover their essences!" A flash of bloodlight passed, and the three blood silhouettes instantly transformed into three blood-arcs, spiraling around the area before vanishing into the Only then did the blood-robed figure lean back against the wooden chair and slowly close his eyes, as though all that had just happened to him were but trivial matters. The two women were also pale. One was petite with a round, sweet face, delicate and charming, evoking in the men a desire to embrace her. The other, though graceful in form and with skin as white as snow, carried an unusually cold demeanor. Scattered throughout the deep pool were numerous small, varying-sized magical arrays, their black glyphs continuously flowing out and drifting into the cold waters. At the center of the pool, several indistinct figures in dark, strange armor floated motionless within the black water. The black glyphs split into several streams, and as they approached these figures, they flashed and instantly merged into the dark armor, vanishing within moments. Yet the figures remained completely still, as if lifeless. Upon seeing this, the white-haired woman grew increasingly grave, her brows furrowing. "Activate the冥fire!" she suddenly spoke coldly, her voice surprisingly frail—clearly the elderly woman who had previously spoken with the blood-robed figure. "Yes!" Two graceful women simultaneously murmured their agreement, then each took a step forward. In a flash of inspiration, one produced a small black bottle, while the other raised a black jackfruit fan. With serious expressions, they both raised their respective treasures at the same time. A strange cry echoed as a fire-jacal, its body blazing with black flames, burst forth from the gourd and plunged into the pond. Immediately, thick waves of black flame rose up throughout the deep pool. On the other side, the petite woman, struggling, slowly waved her fan, which was densely inscribed with characters. From the fan, vast streams of black flame surged out and rushed toward the pond. The two flames seemed to originate from the same source; as they intertwined, the black flame surged several times in intensity, fully enveloping several indistinct figures. The white-haired beauty remained composed, though a subtle spark of anticipation gleamed in her eyes. … Meanwhile, Han Li, flying through the second floor, had no knowledge that he had been noticed by some formidable beings. Yet, after experiencing that strange chill earlier, he moved with much greater caution. While swiftly flying ahead with Lei Lan and Bai Bi, he continuously expended his spiritual energy, periodically using his spiritual sight to monitor the surroundings. As a result, Han Li promptly detected the locations of lower- and mid-tier spirit creatures, slightly altering his route to easily avoid these minor disturbances. Ordinary beasts, already extinct by the second floor, naturally no longer posed any threat. Since Lei Lan and Bai Bi had suffered considerable spiritual energy losses upon entering the second floor, the trio's flight speed remained moderate, and the two had to steadily draw on the spiritual essence from their jade stones to recover their修为 along the way. After a day of uninterrupted flight, they encountered no obstacles at all. On the second day, once Lei Lan and Bai Bi had fully restored their spiritual energy and no further incidents occurred, Han Li decided to stop frequently employing his spiritual sight. Thus, the three of them proceeded at a normal flight pace into a vast expanse of dark green mountains. In the afternoon, after they had climbed over a large mountain, an unexpected event occurred. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the opposite sky, followed by a sharp cry. A jade-green glow surged forth and shot directly toward them. Immediately afterward, another glow flickered behind the jade-green light, and three clusters of yellow light emerged far ahead, pursuing them at a speed no slower than the jade-green glow. These streaks of light appeared so strangely sudden that even as Han Li and his two companions tried to swiftly evade them, they were momentarily unable to react. Han Li furrowed his brow, then gently slowed their flight, bringing the trio to a halt. (First chapter!