The woman guided the white cloud to halt before a small courtyard, then turned to smile at Han Li and asked, "Master Han, what do you think of this place?" Han Li took a deep breath, feeling the thick aura rushing toward him, and nodded with a satisfied expression. Seeing this, the woman was delighted and immediately summoned the white cloud to stop at a small courtyard, then raised her hand to gently push open a wooden door, intending to bring Han Li straight inside. But at that moment, Han Li suddenly smiled and said, "No need for your assistance below—I can enter on my own." As he spoke, his figure flickered, and he stepped out of the cloud, then drifted down gracefully. "Ah, Master Han—you—" the woman was momentarily stunned, deeply impressed. "Though my injuries remain, my movements and actions now seem quite unimpeded," Han Li smiled. "Congratulations, Master. I had originally planned to send several disciples to attend to you. It seems, however, that they are unnecessary. I believe you'd prefer to be undisturbed." "The woman's expression remained calm. 'Actually, I'd prefer it if no one were present while I'm healing. This location is quite suitable, so I'll stay here for a while. As for the Split-Yang Divine Pill you mentioned, I'd appreciate it if it could be sent over as soon as possible. If it truly proves effective, I'll need to recover my magical abilities and powers as quickly as I can, so that I can protect your entire family.' Han Li spoke with a serious demeanor. 'Of course, Master,' the woman replied promptly, explaining, 'The Split-Yang Divine Pill has been kept in the earth-fire furnace throughout the refining process, and I'll need several days to retrieve it. I hope you won't mind.' 'With several days, I'm quite willing to wait. As soon as you have it, simply deliver it to me. You may now go—my rest will begin immediately.' Han Li nodded, speaking calmly. Upon hearing Han Li's request to send her away, the woman naturally did not linger any longer, and immediately bowed before taking off on her cloud-borne flight. Han Li stood motionless, gazing upward at the sky, until the clouds had completely vanished at the horizon, when he turned and walked toward the house, its wooden door now open. The house was modest in size, with simple furnishings—mostly wooden furniture. Han Li paid no attention to the surroundings and walked directly to a wooden bed in one corner of the room, settling into a meditative posture with a slight shift of his body. He exhaled deeply, his face now showing a hint of weariness. "Unaccountably, just standing here for a while has completely drained the strength I had gathered earlier. It seems my lost vital essence has truly been substantial," Han Li murmured, then gently touched his storage bracelet with one hand. A soft white glow flashed, and four or five small vials of varying designs appeared in his hands. Without hesitation, he poured a few pills from each vial into his mouth and swallowed them all at once, then closed his eyes quietly, allowing the medicinal effects to settle within him. After a brief moment, he felt a surge of warmth in his dantian, followed by several streams of cool energy immediately beginning to circulate along his meridians, continuously nourishing and restoring the various deficiencies in his body. Han Li was pleased. These pills truly were the healing masterpieces specially crafted from ten-thousand-year-old immortal herbs—remarkably effective. Just a short while later, a faint golden glow began to emanate from his body, and a subtle, slightly blurred golden shadow appeared above his head, flickering intermittently between light and darkness. Silence settled over the wooden cottage. At the same time, the woman guided the white cloud back to the earth city, landing it before the grand hall on the plaza. Numerous low-ranking priests, dressed in white robes, remained quietly waiting there. "Yan Wu, follow me. Also, summon the first group of hunters that discovered Mr. Han—bring them all here. I wish to inquire carefully," the woman instructed on her first words. "Yes, mistress!" "...Among those white-robed serpents, someone naturally stepped forward to take charge, while the beautiful serpent woman who had brought Han Li here obediently followed the woman and entered the hall once more. 'You have accompanied this person all the way thus far. Now, recount your impressions of him and everything you've observed—do not omit any detail!' the woman said, her expression serious. 'The disciple will faithfully report everything. At the time, the disciple was stationed at the port...' Innately nervous, yet Yan Wu recounted in full detail all the observations she had made during her journey with Han Li. Though all the events sounded rather mundane, the woman listened intently without blinking. Several hours later, the Han men who had first spotted Han Li, along with the rest of the serpent group, rode their lizard beasts straight into the earth city and arrived before the hall. After only a brief exchange with the white-robed serpents stationed outside, they hurriedly entered the hall. But once this group entered, it wasn't until nearly half an hour later that they emerged together with Yan Wu, the serpentine woman. Now, the woman sat in the principal seat of the hall, back against the chair, her expression shifting between gloom and brightness, as though she were struggling to make a decision. "Is there something troubling you, Mother?" a clear, melodic voice suddenly echoed softly throughout the hall. "Jú, have you returned? When did you arrive back at the clan?" The woman paused, startled by the voice, then beamed with delight and asked. At that very instant, a flash of white light appeared before her, and gradually, a slender figure of a serpentine being emerged into view within the radiance. This was a young girl of about sixteen or seventeen, exquisitely beautiful, with long, flowing black hair. On her hairdo, she wore a series of silver rings, each about the thickness of a thumb. She carried a large yellow bow diagonally across her back, three white bone arrows resting beside it, a black leather satchel at her waist, and a pale banner held in her hands. The young woman's lower body is also serpentine, yet her skin is so fair that the scales are almost imperceptible. Standing gracefully, she beams at the elder woman with a cheerful smile, her cheeks naturally forming two sweet, wine-like dimples. "Indeed, Zhu! I never expected, after so many years, to see you have advanced your cultivation to such a refined level." The elder woman is overjoyed, quickly rising and embracing the young woman tightly, her face glowing with maternal affection. "I was actually startled myself. Mother, only a few years have passed, and you've already reached the stage of transformation!" The young serpentine woman named Zhu chuckles lightly. "How could I possibly break through the bottleneck that has resisted me for hundreds of years? I merely consumed that 'Lianxian Fruit'." The elder woman's smile fades slightly, and she gently exhales a sigh. "Really? Mother consumed the 'Lianxian Fruit'? Then doesn't her lifespan suffer greatly?" The young woman's expression turns pale, seizing the elder woman's wrist with both hands, using her spiritual energy to probe deeply—her face then turns completely ashen. "If our lives are gone, then how valuable will any number of lifespans be? By the way, didn't your master come back with you?" The woman smiled sadly, then suddenly remembered something, and asked with renewed hope. "When I received the letter sent by my mother, my master was just visiting friends off the island. Fearing that something might have happened in the clan and that I might not make it in time, I took several of my master's key relics—items that stabilize the island—and returned alone. When I came in just now, I saw my mother asking others about a certain 'Mr. Han,' so I decided to stay out of sight for now." The young woman expressed concern, yet spoke clearly and logically. "Your master cannot make it. That's rather unfortunate." The woman's face slightly darkened upon hearing this. "Mother, is the clan truly in such a state? I've brought my master's 'Sky-Shattering Bow.' As long as the people coming here don't possess a power level ten times greater than mine, they should all be able to be eliminated with a single arrow." The young woman blinked, half reassured, half confident. "Juer, though your cultivation has greatly advanced, you still stand at roughly the same level as I was before. Even if your cultivation increases tenfold, I doubt you'd be able to withstand this great crisis. Should your master personally descend, there might be a chance for some relief." The woman gently stroked the girl's hair, speaking softly. "I came here in a hurry, yet the great calamity my mother spoke of remains vague and unclear. Indeed, what specific disaster has befallen our clan, causing her such deep concern, and even prompting her to consume the Immortal Fruit and recruit an unknown master from another noble lineage?" The girl lay her head against her mother's chest, lifting her gaze to meet her mother's eyes, her face still etched with sorrow. "You have already returned to this island. I believe it would be more dangerous to send you away now. I shall share with you what I know." The woman paused, then finally settled on the girl's shoulder with a reassuring pat. "As for the fates of the other two clans, I assume you are already aware of that." "Yes, the letter from our mother mentioned something, but even then, surely our mother doesn't need to be so alarmed. The two clans were already weaker than ours, and the High Priest's cultivation level even fell short of our mother's before she consumed the Immortal Fruit." The young woman's face tightened slightly, yet she spoke with deliberate calm. "But do you know what exactly extinguished those two clans?" the woman said slowly. "Mother didn't mention any traces, did she?" the young woman asked, startled. "Entirely two clans wiped out—how could there be absolutely no traces left, no matter how well concealed? If I'm not mistaken, it was likely the ancient enemy of our Wawa lineage—the Wulo clan—that carried out the attack." The woman's expression briefly showed a hint of fear. "Wulo clan! That's impossible. According to the records, this clan has long since been completely eradicated by our Wawa lineage, many tens of thousands of years ago. How could they appear here in this sea region now?" "The young lady clearly also knew the name of the Wulo clan; her face paled instantly, and she spoke in a trembling voice. 'Indeed. According to what should have happened, when the Wulo clan and our Xua family fought on the Leiming Continent, all the Wulo people should have been completely eradicated. However, if some of the survivors managed to flee and take refuge overseas, that would certainly be possible. Moreover, besides the Wulo clan, which other clan has shown such a predilection for enslaving our male members and consuming the flesh of our women? The only thing that still puzzles me is that our three clans have established a solid presence here for several thousand years. If the Wulo clan has always lived in the vicinity, why have they only now suddenly launched this attack?' The woman's expression remained gloomy, yet a flicker of surprise appeared in her eyes as she concluded her last sentence. ------------ The month's end is approaching—please help me secure a monthly subscription!"