The wooden gate of the cottage glowing with white light, since the woman and the young girl had departed, now saw heightened vigilance on Fireyang Island several times over. Not only did the Fireyang snake people cease leaving the island for hunting or gathering materials, but over a hundred thousand of them had all retreated into the earth fortress. Several large sealing arrays within the city, even at the cost of precious spiritual stones, were opened one by one. What had initially seemed vulnerable to attack was now completely enveloped by a layered shimmer of red, yellow, and green light. Within the fortress, thousands of elite snake warriors, fully equipped, took turns patrolling throughout the city. At the center, all the Fireyang clan priests gathered together, seated in meditation and resting under the guidance of the woman and the young girl. This hall itself was also submerged beneath a radiant aura of five colors, suggesting an even deeper mystery. The source of this five-colored glow emanated from the conical artifact situated at the heart of the plaza. As for the ordinary Serpentfolk within the earth city, they had all been instructed in advance by the senior members of their clan, remaining largely indoors, staying at their homes with little movement. Under such vigilant watchfulness, the earth city began to exude an astonishing aura of ominous energy. That day, while the women, young girls, and various priests were quietly meditating within the hall, a soft, clear voice suddenly pierced through the protective seal and resonated gently throughout the hall: "Master Fire, I have completed my elixir and have now emerged from my retreat. I kindly request that you open the seal so that I may enter." This voice was none other than Han Li's. Upon hearing it, the white-robed priests stirred with excitement, while the woman's face lit up with genuine joy. Though she had initially expressed some concern about whether Han Li would fulfill his promise to come, that concern had been somewhat feigned. Under the immediate threat of the entire clan's extinction, there had been no alternative—offering the elixir could secure a powerful ally; failing to do so would mean losing even the slim chance of salvation. Clearly, she had guessed right—Han Li was no one to change his mind. Overjoyed, the woman raised her hand and, in a single motion, suddenly found a bright red jade plate appearing in her grasp. With a few swift points on the plate, she gestured. The five-colored light aura protecting the hall flashed once, momentarily parting to reveal a narrow opening. Yet within just a few breaths, the light shimmered again and seamlessly closed the gap once more. "The Yang-Flame Pill, though remarkable, could not fully restore the injuries I have sustained—only about seven or eight parts have been recovered. The remaining portion, however, cannot be healed by the pill alone. Nevertheless, if the noble opponents are not too strong, I believe I can still contribute my share," said Han Li with a gentle smile. Upon hearing that Han Li had not fully restored his divine abilities, the woman's expression slightly changed, but upon hearing his confident tone afterward, she grew pleased. It seemed that Han Li's abilities were still on par with or even exceeding expectations—otherwise, how could he speak with such assurance? Several of the Yang-Flame clan priests seated on either side of the hall had previously encountered Han Li, while others had seen him for the first time. Han Li's arrival naturally sparked a quiet conversation among them. Unaffected by the various expressions of admiration and surprise from the surrounding attendees, Han Li was warmly welcomed to a seat beside the woman. After a few polite exchanges, he closed his eyes and remained silent. After the woman scanned the two sides with a stern gaze, the snake people who had been murmuring instantly froze and fell silent. The grand hall once again settled into quiet. Yet at that moment, Han Li sensed a gaze still carefully directed toward him. He raised his eyebrows slightly and suddenly opened his eyes, meeting a pair of unusually dark pupils. It was Bai Zhu'er, seated on the other side of the woman, who had been quietly observing him. Upon seeing Han Li look her way, the young girl's eyes flashed with a touch of fear, and she quickly shifted her gaze away. Clearly, the incident when Ti Hun nearly absorbed her spirit during the initial delivery of the medicine had left her deeply unsettled. Han Li smiled gently, closed his eyes again, and quietly pondered the scene before him. The Lingyang Divine Pill, after he had drawn out all the fire spirit energy within it using the Spirit-Burning Phoenix Flame, had been easily swallowed and transformed by him. The woman did not greatly exaggerate the efficacy of this elixir. While it did not restore him immediately to his former self, it was indeed no ordinary elixir in his body. Remarkably, within a short span of time, both his vital essence and spiritual awareness had recovered to a significant extent. As for the restoration of his magical power, even without the aid of the elixir, it had already been thoroughly restored over these past days. Since the elixir truly proved so effective, Han Li naturally would not break his promise and deliberately fail to arrive. He had now advanced to the Lingxu stage, with numerous divine techniques greatly refined, giving him sufficient self-defense capabilities even against beings of the Hétǐ level. Thus, he had no fear of the enemies of the Huoyang Clan. Curiously enough, just half a day after Han Li arrived, the enemy forces finally made their appearance. A resounding rumble of earth tremors erupted simultaneously from all four sides of the walled city, as though countless massive creatures were rushing toward it. The fire-yang clan priest, who had been sitting quietly in the hall, immediately rose to his feet at the same moment, most of them displaying intense anxiety. Though the woman had not revealed specific details about the uluo clan or others, the strength of the invading forces was evident to them. Indeed, the woman remained exceptionally calm—only furrowing her brows slightly when she felt the ground tremble. "Panicking? Our clan has already prepared a complete strategy. With three layers of protective seals, even if the enemy is powerful, they will not be able to breach the city in one go. Let us first identify who these invaders are and how many there are!" The woman displayed her leadership with clear authority, loudly instructing. Han Li's eyebrows slightly lifted, and he opened his eyes, yet his expression remained unchanged. Having witnessed such grand-scale events before, this current situation could not stir any emotion within him. At that moment, the woman merely shook her sleeve and suddenly produced a red seal from her hand, then gently waved it toward the center of the hall. At once, the surface of the token flashed with a crimson glow, and a beam of red light shot out, vanishing into the ground of the hall. A low hum rose, and the ground shimmered with crimson light, revealing a red magical array at its center, where flames surged and danced. The woman swiftly shook her token several times, then focused the flames toward the center, and suddenly a luminous crimson orb of about one zhang in diameter floated into view. The orb was clear and translucent, rotating gently within the flames. Eight white-robed serpent people suddenly stepped out from either side and took their seats along the edges of the array. Then, one after another, they recited incantations, channeling a series of spells into the orb. Immediately, the array burst into vibrant flame, countless flame tendrils thick as fingers surged forth and spiraled into the orb. To everyone's astonishment, a remarkable scene unfolded! To the observer's surprise, the originally shimmering red crystal sphere suddenly flashed violently several times, then, amid the flames, vivid scenes emerged—scenes so lifelike that they were instantly recognizable. These were precisely the events unfolding across the various parts of the earth city. In the scenes, waves of fully armed serpentine people poured toward the city's four fortified walls, while others riding lizard beasts gathered near various city gates. Among these groups, some of the more senior serpentine figures shouted orders constantly, their faces radiating fierce determination. In a matter of moments, thousands of serpentine people had assembled. Seeing this, Han Li's eyes flashed with a touch of astonishment. The effects of this spell and the crystal sphere were remarkably similar to those of his Wanlong Pearl. A small clan like the Huayang had such refined capabilities—indeed, this was more than he had anticipated. "Shift the scenes outside the city walls!" the woman said, her expression grave. The sound of the earth trembling had grown ever louder, clearly indicating that those immense beings were drawing near to the Earth City. The eight white-robed serpent people responsible for activating the crystal orbs swiftly summoned their spells. As a result, the images within each orb briefly blurred before being engulfed by waves of crimson light. A moment later, fresh scenes emerged—clearly showing the landscape outside the four city walls. It was now late afternoon, and the sky had grown dusky. From a distance, the scenes on the orbs appeared notably dim. Yet, upon close inspection, the serpent people could not discern any immediate signs of concern. Nevertheless, every serpent in the hall instinctively held its breath, their breaths momentarily suspended. Only Han Li remained calm, his expression unchanged from before. Their patience did not last long. Suddenly, the ground tremors ceased abruptly, and the deep, resonant rumbling vanished entirely. Not long after, most of the white-robed serpent people exhaled in surprise, while a smaller group's faces grew visibly alarmed. Suddenly, from the previously dim and still night, a number of colossal creatures emerged—each towering seven to eight tens of feet high, stretching over ten to fifteen tens of feet long, their bodies covered in dark scales like those of great oxen. On the backs of these creatures, there were massive frames, the size of houses, each filled with figures of varying heights, densely packed, one to a full complement per great ox. Though these oxen were immense, they moved slowly and silently, as if ghosts, making no sound at all, steadily approaching the walls of the earth city. "...The other white-robed serpents nearby also stepped forward, speaking in eager agreement. Yet, as the colossal bulls fully emerged into the night and the human figures upon their backs became clearly visible, the serpent priests who had been speaking one after another suddenly fell silent, their faces growing increasingly grave and displeased."