Two days had flown by! In the gray-white mountains, atop an unnamed colossal peak, stood a vast structure spanning hundreds of paces. At the periphery of the array, eight elevated platforms formed, each bearing a towering banner. On each banner, golden and silver characters shimmered continuously. At the heart of the array, Han Li remained motionless. Outside, a few figures stood—precisely the elderly man of the Jiang surname and the two beautiful women, Yuan Yao. The elder now gently drifted in his robe, lifting his gaze toward the hazy sky. High above, a long, luminous white streak, stretching over a hundred paces, floated subtly, appearing and disappearing. "Master Han, although I can utilize the spatial fissures of the Minghe region and the power of this array to transport you to the outside, I cannot guarantee exactly where you will end up. Rest assured, however, you will not be suddenly sent to another continent. Most likely, you will land within the vicinity of the Feilin clan," the elder said after a pause, lowering his head to speak to Han Li. "Thank you, elder, I've taken your advice." Han Li bowed deeply, speaking with respectful tone. "Very well, the time has come. I'll now cast the spell to send you away from the Yinhe realm. By the way, keep this item. When you wish to return here again once you've gathered sufficient items, simply follow the method described above to re-enter the Yinhe realm. This item is quite rare—I only have one of these, and it's a one-time consumable." The elder raised his hand, and two objects shot into the air. Han Li quickly reached out to catch them, then stared in astonishment. "The Inverse Star Disk! Elder, you actually possess this?" In his hands lay a circular basin glowing with a pale light, and another blue jade scroll. "Hm, you know of this item as well—quite impressive. However, this is not the genuine Inverse Star Disk, merely a replica. The materials used to create it are extremely hard to find. I originally crafted several, but most of them have already been consumed. Now, only this one remains." The jade scroll contains the method by which you may use this item to enter the realm of the River of the Underworld. You may review it carefully at a later time. Also, please retrieve the golden-munching insects you used to explore the path that day as well... Upon hearing this, the elder's face briefly expressed surprise, then calmly spoke a few words before his sleeve stirred once more. Instantly, a shimmering, jade-like object shot out from his sleeve—revealing a verdant wooden tower, lush and vibrant. As the tower spun gently, two golden blossoms burst forth from its base. These were precisely the golden-munching insects the elder had previously collected. Seeing this, Han Li was delighted and immediately extended his hand, summoning the two insects, which promptly spread their wings and shot back toward him. "Master Han, your ability to cultivate mature golden-munching insects is truly a rare and fortunate circumstance. However, I would like to offer you a piece of advice: although mature golden-munching insects are formidable, they are inherently social, group-living spiritual insects. Only when they reach a sufficient number can they fully unleash their true power." A few such insects are easily contained by advanced cultivators using wooden or stone artifacts, and can only be effectively deployed as a surprise tactic. The effort you've invested in cultivating these gold-devouring insects might be better spent on your own cultivation. Of course, if you can nurture thousands of mature, fully developed gold-devouring insects and command them as if they were extensions of your own arms, then you would surely dominate most of the spiritual realm—ordinary wooden or stone artifacts would be powerless against such a force. However, even such a large number of mature insects would consume an immense amount of spiritual energy, far beyond what even our senior cultivators can sustain. He chuckled, adding, "Heh, if you succeed in cultivating the legendary Gold-Devouring Insect King, not only will I—such a senior cultivator—be impressed, but even the true immortals in the heavens would likely retreat in awe." "Gold-Devouring Insect King!" Han Li was momentarily startled. He had never heard of this name before. "Really? You didn't know? Well, that makes sense." Only a few of the Firefly clan's allied races, particularly those with close ties to insects, knew of the Golden Insect King. It was no surprise at all that others were unaware. As for this matter, I shall not elaborate further. Should you ever have the chance, you may go and seek the relevant records yourself. This tale of the Golden Insect King is merely a tradition passed down over an indeterminate period of time—no one has ever truly cultivated or brought it to life. You need not worry about it at all. The elder smiled, then paused, deciding to say no more, and with a single hand gesture! A tremendous roar echoed through the sky, followed by a thunderclap. Suddenly, dense clouds gathered overhead, and strong winds began to blow. Through the gusts, the incantations from the elder's mouth were spoken in a steady, though soft, stream—clear and distinct. A remarkable scene unfolded. Without any further movement from the elder, the eight towering platforms simultaneously trembled. As the great banners on each platform swayed in the wind, the entire magical array began to hum. Luminous threads of spirit energy emerged around the array, forming radiant streaks of light that surged Eight towering banners, shimmering with luminous light, gradually unfolded into myriad radiant streaks, radiating an ever-growing sense of profound spiritual pressure. The various sections of the spell array also brightened one after another, with one after another of the seal characters leaping out from the array. Standing at the very center of the array, Han Li could clearly sense the terrifying potency contained within each of these characters. Should they all burst simultaneously, even with his now unyielding, iron-sturdy frame, he would surely be unable to withstand the force. Han Li's face subtly changed, and he took a deep breath. Yuan Yao, stationed outside the array, also noticed the shift in the scene, her gaze on Han Li now tinged with a hint of concern. At that moment, the elder suddenly uttered a low command. The eight banners spun smoothly, and from each, simultaneously erupted eight beams of light as thick as large bowls, vanishing instantly into the sky. Immediately, the white streak in the sky brightened dramatically, becoming several times clearer than before. Seeing this, the elder then waved his sleeve vigorously toward the heavens. A deep resonance echoed in the air above the legal array, followed by a brilliant, vivid green light. A long, shimmering green sword, several dozen feet in length, materialized. "Cut!" The elder spoke with calm composure, extending two fingers and lightly tapping the sword. The green sword instantly rose upright, striking the ethereal white trace in mid-air. Suddenly, a loud hum surged around the vicinity, and the air tightened as if the very essence of heaven and earth had been drawn into the sword. At the very moment of impact, the sword swelled dramatically, expanding countless times its original size, its form now resembling a celestial weapon that blocked half the sky. A sharp tearing sound, "crack," resonated throughout the heavens. The massive green sword cleaved through the white trace. Within the trace, a long, dark fissure appeared. The elder raised his hand, and the sword instantly dissolved. At the same time, eight towering, room-sized characters glowed with golden light, rotating continuously, emerging around the dark crack. Han Li only felt the air around him tighten, and then the characters within the spell array at his feet drifted toward him simultaneously. Startled, he grew increasingly uneasy. Suddenly, the characters transformed into vibrant streaks of colored light, swirling rapidly around him. For a moment, the surroundings blurred, and he felt himself spinning wildly. A strange, piercing cry rang out, followed by a beam of five-colored light shooting upward from the center of the array, vanishing instantly into the black fissure. At the same time, the entire array dimmed and ceased to function. The center of the array was now empty—Han Li had vanished completely. "The elder of the Jiang surname chuckled and replied. It seems this old man has also noticed something—there's a touch of teasing in his tone! Yuan Yao's face turned slightly pink, and she didn't bother to argue, merely glancing upward once again. Now, the dark fissure in the sky had gradually begun to heal, transforming back into a pale streak that was slowly fading and blurring. "Sister, let's go back," she said. "Master Jiang mentioned that if fate aligns, we'll surely meet again. Though currently Yuan Yao's cultivation and powers still fall short of Fraternal Friend Han's, with Master Jiang's guidance, I believe within a few centuries, she will surely surpass him in both attainment and mastery." The graceful one stepped forward, resting her delicate wrist gently upon Yuan Yao's fragrant shoulder, and smiled. "Heh, that girl speaks quite well. Even though Han's young companion seems quite accomplished, under my direct assistance, Yuan has already secured her entry into the Transcendent Realm—almost certain. Even reaching the Consolidated Body Realm, I'd say I have a solid four or five out of ten chance." "The elder of the Jiang family spoke with great confidence. "With such a great master, Yao'er will certainly devote herself to cultivation!" Yuan Yao, no ordinary woman, immediately gathered her composure and bowed deeply in gratitude to the elder. The purple-blooded puppet expanded a thousandfold under the impetus of the blood-robed warrior, golden arcs swirling around its body, six blood-colored beams of light erupting continuously from its eyes. The white-haired beauty had donned her black battle armor once more, and the strange mallet she was relentlessly driving at her head had turned her immediate surroundings into a vast expanse of green flame, shielding the monstrous insects beyond. Clearly, the six warriors had gained the upper hand—yet each of them appeared increasingly furious. For no matter how many insects they slew, fresh waves of them surged forth from all sides, seemingly endless. Beyond the battlefield, stretching over ten miles, a humanoid insect resembling a mantis floated in midair, its two cold eyes fixed upon the fray of the six warriors, radiating an intensely cold, piercing glow. Above this creature, a semicircular object, spanning a hundred zhang in diameter, hovered, its silver light flickering irregularly. From its surface, countless monstrous insects surged forth, continuously pouring toward the six warriors in the distance.