A vast city, enveloped in a soft yellow aura, stands outside with over a hundred silver war-ships of varying sizes. These silver war-ships range from several thousand zhang in size to over ten thousand zhang in height, towering like small cities above the great city. Within the largest of these war-ships, there are several dozen individuals of the Jiaochi race at the Liangxi level, standing on a pavilion-like structure at the highest point, gazing upon the city below. Behind them, seated on a chair, is a young woman with silver-white skin and golden-purple eyes. While some of the group are whispering among themselves and others are pointing toward the city below, the young woman appears deeply contemplative, as though pondering something. Suddenly, a flash of luminous light appears at the entrance of the pavilion, and a streak of red light arcs through the air, spiraling before reaching the young woman. The young woman raises one eyebrow and extends her hand, summoning the red light, which then transforms into a vibrant red flame and descends. The woman held the beam of light and her awareness flowed into it. "Such a thing! Truly, a group of useless ones!" After a while, she suddenly grew stern, her voice cold and sharp. The others, hearing this, immediately fell silent, turning their gaze toward her. "Respected Elder, what has happened to cause such displeasure?" asked a man with a slightly hunched posture, speaking with care. "Hmph. A group of senior-level elders from the upper clan went to capture the Jia Tian Wood, only to have their entire party wiped out upon transmission—while another group failed even to initiate the transmission." The woman's eyes flashed with a deep purple glow, and she emitted a sharp sigh of annoyance. "How is this possible? Though the Jia Tian Wood is skilled in automaton techniques, he is merely a mid-level elder of the upper clan—how could he have defeated the pursuing forces?" The woman with a long, narrow face expressed disbelief. "According to survivors, it wasn't the Jia Tian Wood who did it—it was someone else." The young woman shook her head. "Another person? Does this region, aside from the current 'Hengshui City' we see, have any other noble clans stationed here?" The man who had spoken first was startled. "Not a combined-tier being! Just a Seventh Rank of the Upper Clan. That's why I called those people waste! So many of them, all falling to opponents of the same rank!" The young woman's purple-glowing pupils flickered, and her voice grew cold. Others, witnessing her growing anger, fell silent, hesitant to speak up. "Immediately send a message to the messengers from Tu, informing them of the incident. From now on, let them take charge of the affairs at Jia Tianmu. We will focus our efforts on attacking Hengshui City!" The woman spoke with a voice as sharp as a blade, delivering each instruction precisely. "But Tu's messengers have other duties—will they be willing to come?" one added cautiously. "Just tell them that the one who intervened is precisely the person they had intended to intercept. Then they will willingly take on this responsibility." The woman glanced at the one who had spoken, and spoke calmly. "The one who rescued Jia Tianmu is exactly the person the envoy has been seeking!" Everyone was startled, exchanging surprised glances. "That's all for now. What remains is to capture this city within three days! Once this city falls, the remaining Jin Jia City will be isolated—effectively just as if it were already in our hands. Proceed as planned," she instructed. "Understood," the senior members of the Jiao Chi clan responded, bowing respectfully. Shortly thereafter, these individuals departed the pavilion, each flying back to their assigned large war vessels. One hour later, at the woman's command, the war vessels shimmered with luminous light, emitting a thunderous, resonant roar. Numerous angular-chi infantrymen, double-headed giant eagles, and hundreds of feathered dragons surged out from the warships, forming an exceptionally neat formation in the sky, encircling the massive city from all directions, completely sealing it off. Following this, a number of colorful puppets rose into the air from the warships. Most of these were humanoid—some the size of ordinary people, while others reached over ten zhang in height. Among the animal puppets, only three were present, each towering over a hundred zhang. One resembled a giant turtle with three heads, its shell adorned with thick, sharp spines. Another had a tiger's body and a monkey's limbs, crowned with massive golden antlers. The third was a puppet beast resembling a flying ant—both the largest and perfectly white, as if forged from crystalline stone. At the sight of the angular-chi forces launching such a sweeping assault, the city protected by the light shield instantly came alive with activity. Through the vast light shield, it is possible to see numerous magical arrays lighting up across various parts of the city, from which massive beams of light surge and pour into the upper shield. Originally appearing tangible, the shield now glows more translucent and brilliant, with individual characters, each several zhang in size, bursting forth in clusters along its surface. At the same time, in several buildings within the great city, countless figures take flight, many immediately riding streams of light toward the activated arrays. "Commence the assault!" commanded the Yin-family woman aboard the massive war vessel. A short while later, the three largest automaton beasts launched their initial attacks. The giant turtle's shell shimmered with a rapid flow of light, instantly projecting countless sharp beams. The tiger-headed, ape-bodied creature opened its mouth and expelled a golden column of light, within which the sounds of wind and thunder could be faintly heard. Meanwhile, the crystalline giant ant automaton emitted a broad, dense green mist that rolled out steadily. Almost immediately after the three puppet beasts, all the war vessels simultaneously emitted brilliant luminescence from their bases, launching towering columns of light that surged forth in a vast, overwhelming display. Roaring sounds erupted instantly, continuous and unceasing—like surging waves or thunderclaps! "This place is extremely secluded—it was built by our Wangu Clan centuries ago as a teleportation array, meant to be activated only in times of crisis. Few even know of its existence. It's now far removed from the territory controlled by the Jiaochi Clan, and only a few days' journey from our third major city, Yun City, as the crow flies." Jia Tianmu glanced around with a smile. Then, with a single hand motion, he channeled a spell that caught a crystal embedded in the wall near him. Instantly, the entire hall shimmered, and several spots along the walls glowed brightly, illuminating the entire chamber clearly. Han Li also took a moment to survey the hall. Though the hall itself was only about a hundred paces in size, constructed entirely of large, pale and silvery stones, it appeared unremarkable at first glance. Yet, the interior was remarkably clean, spotless and pristine. Nodding slightly, he remarked quietly, "Indeed, it seems this place hasn't been used by anyone in a long time. Still, how far is Yun City, as the Daoist friend mentioned, from here?" Is this city well known? I heard that even the senior elder of your Wangu Clan has arrived here. "Oh, Brother Han is aware of this as well! That's nice. But don't worry. Yun City is only a half-month's journey from here. It is the third-largest city among the Thirteen Yun Clans. Its construction is quite unique, so naturally it has a solid reputation—it's also the closest major city to the direction of the Angle Chi Clan's advance. Once the great battle officially begins, Yun City will likely become the central hub for all the Thirteen Yun Clans." Jiang Tianmu chuckled. "Hmm. That's exactly what I hoped for. This city's fame is certainly impressive. I've been looking for a large city where I can settle and handle some affairs." Han Li replied calmly. "I actually have a temporary dwelling in Yun City—considered a de facto host. Should you need anything, feel free to come to me. While I may not be able to assist with major matters, I'm confident I can help with smaller ones." Jiang Tianmu said with a warm smile. Having witnessed how effortlessly Fan Li eliminated several peers of equal rank, Jia Tianmu naturally knew that Fan Li was no ordinary upper-clan member. Though he had already escaped danger and held a special status within the Wangu Clan, he still harbored some intentions to cultivate relationships and make connections. "Thank you, Jia brother, for your kind words. At that point, Fan Li might actually find himself in need of your assistance." Fan Li's expression brightened, and he did not hesitate to accept the gesture. "Currently, in Yun City, it's not easy for other friends outside the Thirteen Clans to enter. Especially someone new like Brother Han—such as yourself—can face considerable difficulties. However, I personally witnessed you defeat a peer of the Jiao Chi Clan. I can certainly vouch for you. Heh, by the way, what if Brother Han joins our Wangu Clan as a guest scholar? I'm sure I can still make some headway within the clan and personally introduce you to the elders. With your abilities, you will surely be highly valued here." As for serving as a guest advisor of the clan, the benefits are far greater than most people can imagine, and handling affairs throughout Tianyun becomes significantly more efficient. Jian Tianmu blinked and smiled lightly. "Thank you, Jian brother, for your kind offer. However, I cannot yet be certain how long I will remain in Tianyun. This matter shall be discussed later." Han Li paused thoughtfully before replying gently. "That makes sense! We can certainly discuss this later. Let us head straight to Yun City now. I have several close friends there, and I can introduce Han Daojun to them." Jian Tianmu spoke with great enthusiasm. Upon hearing this, Han Li's expression brightened slightly, but he merely nodded without adding anything further. At that moment, the two had already stepped out of the teleportation array and were heading toward the main hall's entrance. Pushing open the hall doors, they found themselves on a winding stone corridor ascending upward. Han Li and Jian Tianmu instantly transformed into two streaks of light, vanishing swiftly into the corridor. After a brief moment, a sphere of white light and a streak of azure虹 shot forth from the waist of a great mountain, then flashed several times before breaking through the sky toward a specific direction in the horizon.