Hearing the elder of the Jiang clan ask thus, it seemed clear that they had indeed remained within the realm of the River of the Afterlife and had not yet left this space. With this thought in mind, Han Li paused briefly before responding, "Report to the elder. We were compelled to follow them here under duress. Now, as we seek to escape their company, we dare not even meet them face to face." While Han Li's words were somewhat vague, the elder of Jiang clan merely nodded casually and said, "Do not worry about this matter troubling me. I have chosen to reside here through a mutually beneficial arrangement with a few Supreme Elders of the Fu-You clan. As long as this space remains undisturbed and intact, I shall never intervene. However, it is surprising that these outsiders have discovered another entrance to this realm and have successively defeated the Fu-You clan's divine spirit puppets. This indeed piques my interest. These visitors must be no ordinary individuals." "The elder's insight is truly remarkable!" These individuals are indeed late-stage immortal kings, each possessing extraordinary powers. Han Li chuckled. "They brought you here, clearly eyeing your Divine-Purifying Thunder. Since they've already broken the seal and show no intention of letting go, it seems they not only desire the Divine Milk but also intend to lay claim to those magical artifacts. Hah, truly, they've sealed their own fate." The elder named Jiang sneered, a touch of scorn playing on his lips. "From the way the senior speaks, does it seem the magical artifacts are in any way problematic?" Han Li was now somewhat puzzled. "It's far from problematic—once these people enter the realm where the artifacts are hidden, they will surely face severe hardships. There, a single artifact recently achieved human form and has already consumed all the others, fully attaining the supreme state of magical being. Even I, when I encountered it, found myself unable to do much against it. As for these individuals, though they possess some abilities, whether they can even escape with their lives remains to be seen." "The elder of the Jiang clan spoke with a smile that was half-pleased, half-ambiguous." "An Unsurpassable Magus Body!" Han Li's lips twitched slightly. This seemed to be the most coveted realm for practitioners of magical techniques. "That entity resides deep within the most profound layers of the ten-thousand-zhang surge of magical qi on that side. Should it remain focused and dedicated to its cultivation, without your divine, pestilence-clearing thunderbolts paving the way, even the king-level beasts would likely struggle to locate it. Of course, if they refuse to yield and provoke it to the point of fury, then that would be another matter entirely. By the way, do either of you have another companion?" the elder asked gently. "Indeed, I have a younger sister who originally traveled with us both. How did you know about her?" the graceful listener, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, was startled and quickly responded. "Nothing remarkable. Besides you two, one more person has also been drawn into this location by my Seven-Gate Sealing Yin Array. However, she is not with you—she is located elsewhere. I have brought her here as well, and you will be able "The elder of the Jiang family spoke calmly. "Thank you, senior. I was deeply worried about this all along," the beautiful woman expressed with great delight. "Senior Jiang, why did your Seven Gates Sealing Yin Array capture all three of us here?" Han Li hesitated, then asked this question. "Ah, I simply made minor adjustments to the power of the array at various locations in the Yin River region where the Yin energy tends to surge most easily. This allows me to easily monitor the intensity of Yin energy fluctuations throughout the entire Yin River region, preventing excessive accumulation or severe imbalance that might otherwise cause the space to collapse. As for why you three were drawn here—well, it simply so happened that you were near the spirit-consuming mist when the spell was cast, so you couldn't avoid it." The elder smiled slightly and explained. "Ah, now it makes sense, Han Li felt a sudden clarity. In fact, according to his original intention, he naturally wanted to inquire about the black mist, this space, and its connection to Luo Hua. But after thinking it over, he decided to let it go." This matter had no direct concern to him, so he naturally didn't bother asking many questions, lest it offend the elder. As they were speaking, suddenly a stone wall on one side of the hall flashed with a shade of green light, revealing a passage entrance. Then, a flash of black light followed, and a cluster of阴 qi carried a graceful, beautiful woman who entered the hall. She was Yuan Yao. At the moment she appeared, her face was filled with alertness. But upon seeing Han Li and the lovely figure beside him, a look of surprise brightened her expression. "Brother Han, Sister Yuan, it's wonderful that you're both here!" she said with evident delight, and moved swiftly to stand beside them. "Another practitioner of the Ghost Path cultivation technique. Hm, that's odd..." The elder, who had seemed composed, now glanced at Yuan Yao and appeared somewhat puzzled and uncertain. "This senior... " Yuan Yao glanced at the elder, though she couldn't discern his level of cultivation, yet knew he was no ordinary person. Still, she found herself utterly confused upon hearing what he had to say. Han Li and Yan Li exchanged glances, also puzzled. Given the elder's seemingly formidable cultivation, what could Yuan Yao possibly have that would cause such a noticeable reaction? Had he truly known he was no match for the other, he might have been furious and launched an immediate attack. Yet Han Li merely narrowed his eyes, remaining still in place. If the elder named Jiang had truly harbored ill intentions, he would have acted upon releasing his seal on Han Li's flying sword earlier. At this moment, Han Li sensed no hostility from the elder. Nevertheless, for caution, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the spirit beast ring and the lightning pearls in his sleeve. Indeed, the elder spoke calmly, "Both of you need not be alarmed. What I have released is merely a testing spell, intended only to verify my own thoughts. This guest will experience no discomfort or harm at all." "A test? What exactly would the elder like to test? I've never met you before!" Though Jiang's words reassured him, Yuan Yao remained deeply anxious. At that moment, however, Jiang raised one hand and chanted a spell, and suddenly Yuan Yao felt a surge of warmth spreading through his dantian, causing him to gasp in surprise. But before she could utter any words of astonishment, a deep emerald glow suddenly appeared on her face, followed by a series of leaf-like patterns forming on her forehead, eyebrows, and cheeks. "What is this?" exclaimed the beautiful woman, Yuan Yao, as she gazed at the unusual appearance on Yuan Yao's face. Yuan Yao, though aware of the earlier strange sensation, had no knowledge of these emerging patterns on her forehead and brows, and thus found herself puzzled by the beauty's sudden surprise. Indeed, my intuition was correct—she truly possesses the Heavenly Yin constitution. I had searched for so many years without encountering anyone, and just as I was about to give up, heaven itself has presented me with a perfect match now. Fortunately, it's not too late—there's still enough time! The elder beamed with joy and spoke with heartfelt excitement. Seeing the elder's visibly shaken demeanor, both Yan Li and Yuan Yao felt a sense of apprehension, and took several steps backward, turning their eyes toward Han Li for reassurance. Han Li's eyes flickered several times, his brow furrowed as he began: "The Heavenly Yin constitution!" The junior has seen and heard much, yet never heard of such a special constitution before. With Master Jiang so delighted, could you kindly share a few details? "For many years, this has been my heartfelt aspiration—now finally realized—and thus, I am a little overwhelmed, to the point of making the three of you feel embarrassed. The so-called 'Heavenly Shade Constitution' does not originate among our human lineage, but rather is a term used by the Changyuan Clan to describe a certain rare constitution. It is no surprise that you are unfamiliar with it! This constitution offers no particular advantage when practicing ordinary human cultivation techniques, but when one seeks to master a grand divine ability unique to the Changyuan Clan, only individuals with this constitution can achieve it. Indeed, even within the Changyuan Clan, such individuals are rare. Among other clans, those possessing this constitution are even more uncommon. In fact, I personally spent nearly ten thousand years searching specifically for such individuals, without success. This fellow friend is from the Yuan family, is it not? Might Yuan friend be willing to join my discipleship?" The elder spoke with a warm smile, directly addressing Yuan Yao. Hearing the words of the elder named Jiang, Yuan Yao was still somewhat puzzled—until she heard the part about taking on a disciple, at which point she froze. "Master intends to take Yuan as his disciple!" Even the beautiful woman seemed momentarily stunned. "That's correct. I have indeed made up my mind. But please rest assured—there is absolutely no ill will. I must be honest with you all: I have indeed taken a strong interest in Yuan's Tian Yin body, and intend to have him cultivate a great power specifically related to it. With such a power supporting him, I believe I will have at least a seven-out-of-ten chance of surviving my next celestial calamity. Should fortune favor me, even the one after that might be surmountable. With two such calamities to endure, I am confident that I can advance my cultivation by two more stages, reaching the late Great Mastery stage, and eventually entering the stage of celestial trial—this is quite possible." The elder Jiang folded his smile and spoke with sincere earnestness. "The Celestial Trial stage—Master, are you not already a Great Mastery cultivator?" Yuan Yao drew in a sharp breath, her voice now noticeably different. "Hehe, ever since over ten thousand years ago, I've been a cultivator at the initial stage of the Great Perfection. As for how many high-level cultivators have come to me, eager to become my disciples—well, I've had more than my fair share of applicants, each one vying for a spot!" the elder said with pride. The beautiful woman's eyes widened in astonishment. Although Han Li had already anticipated this, hearing the elder confirm it personally left him momentarily speechless, his mouth dry and his eyes suddenly fluttering with excitement. This was the first Great Perfection cultivator Han Li had ever encountered since entering the spiritual realm. "Being your junior disciple, especially with your esteemed status, is truly an unparalleled honor! However, this development has come rather unexpectedly. Might I kindly ask that you allow us a moment to discuss this with Yuan Sister and my friend, Han Daojun?" Yuan Yao, no ordinary female cultivator, suppressed her inner turmoil and hesitated before speaking. "Hehe, I suppose I've been rather impetuous. It's certainly appropriate that Yuan Daojun should take the time to carefully consider this matter with you all." How about this: you all take a brief rest at my abode, and after three days, give me your reply. Of course, if Yuan Dao-friend has already made up his mind beforehand, he is welcome to come here to see me at any time." The elder with the姜 surname gently stroked his short beard, speaking with confidence.