The three demons heard the woman's confident words and found themselves unable to offer any further advice. "There's nothing to think about. If I stay here, my injuries will never heal. Should the major adversaries from the Sacred Realm break through the sky and arrive, we shall be utterly defenseless. Moreover, I have other arrangements for you all—my own tasks here are no less demanding." The woman shook her head, clearly resolute. "What instructions does the Sacred Ancestor have? Please state them plainly," the Many-Eyed Demon asked promptly and respectfully. The other two demons also grew serious. "During my period of slumber, has the interface channel leading to the Sacred Realm ever reopened?" the woman suddenly inquired. "For several years, it remained stable. However, recently, there have been subtle fluctuations on the channel side. Though faint, it seems the Sacred Realm has taken new actions." The Many-Eyed Demon replied honestly. The Iron-Wings and Blood-Arms Demon also grew grave at this. "Ah, let me calculate the timeline." They too should return to their former state and take decisive action. I will leave you with a method for establishing a grand magical array. This will greatly enhance the interface power of the channel temporarily. With this in place, even if someone truly wishes to open the channel, it will no longer be an easy task. However, this array demands substantial manpower and resources, and only if you three oversee the work separately can it be completed swiftly. While I am away, focus entirely on this matter." The woman spoke calmly. "Yes, we shall diligently carry out the Holy Ancestor's command!" The three demons were overjoyed and responded in unison. "By the way, while I am asleep, have there been any other significant events that need to be reported to me?" The woman seemed to recall something, and gently added. "Indeed, there have been several occurrences within the mountains over the years. Most are minor matters that we three can manage. Only two events have been particularly significant and must be reported to the Holy Ancestor." After exchanging glances, the Iron-Winged Demon began to speak softly. "Oh, do tell me," the white-robed woman said lightly. "The first point is that, when the Grand Master fell asleep, he entrusted us three with the remaining fragments of the Xuan Tian Rui Ri Blade that had been damaged. However, the fragment under my care was stolen by a Saint-Rank magical ape and escaped beyond the mountain range—its current whereabouts are now unknown." The iron-winged demon hesitated before finally speaking in a hesitant murmur. "One fragment of the Rui Ri Blade has been stolen? Then, what is this magical ape's origin, and how did it end up within the mountain range?" the woman's voice carried a slight tremor. "This ape was likely one of the pursuing forces accidentally swept into the interface channel when the Grand Master broke through it. It already possessed Saint-Rank cultivation, yet remained concealed so well that we had not noticed it for many years. Finally, during one of my absences, it suddenly launched an attack and seized the remaining fragments stored in the inner chamber. I have lost a precious treasure, and I humbly request the Grand Master's censure." The iron-winged demon bowed low, offering his formal apology. "Hehe, back then, after the如意blade was destroyed, its inherent power had already diminished by half. Plus, it was divided into three parts. Even I couldn't restore it to its former state. Such fragmented remnants of the Heavenly Origin—there's simply nothing we can do to repair them. They're just lost, and that's that. As for the other matter, what would that be?" The white-robed woman paused slightly, then smiled gently, showing no concern. "Thank you, Grand Ancestor, for not holding any blame against us. The other matter concerns Lord Ming Luo's mount—the black abyss crocodile that just recently achieved enlightenment and has now become a Saint-tier being. If that's the case, we can no longer simply neglect it and leave it to wander in the mountain range. So, what would your thoughts be?" The iron-winged demon exhaled deeply, and as he spoke of this second matter, his tone became noticeably more relaxed. "Ah, so the young crocodile has also attained Saint-tier status—that's indeed a pleasant surprise. Then, since I already have someone who serves as a messenger, I'll have him accompany me on my travels." Upon hearing this, the white-robed woman smiled warmly. The laughter was delightful and enchanting, like celestial music, drawing listeners deeply into its charm and leaving them unable to tear themselves away. The three demons naturally nodded in agreement. "Lord, the fragments of the如意blade we hold..." the blood-robed figure asked gently. "Nothing of great use to me, so keep them for your own defense," the lady replied casually. "Thank you so much, Grand Ancestor!" Both the blood-robed figure and the multi-eyed demon were delighted and bowed deeply in gratitude. With these fragments of the Heavenly Treasure safeguarding them, their powers could grow by half simply through their very presence. As for the iron-winged demon, he naturally felt envious, but then remembered something and bowed again to report, "By the way, Grand Ancestor, a Zhixian has recently been discovered within the mountain range—equal in status to a transformed Magician Spirit. Would the Master be interested in it?" "Zhixian! A transformed Magician Spirit? We actually have such beings in our mountain range? This is truly an excellent resource for cultivating a body beyond one's own and for housing one's spiritual essence." But it requires considerable effort to nurture and accompany it. With my current condition, I simply don’t have the energy to focus on anything beyond this. You three just go ahead and secure it. The woman was somewhat surprised, yet soon shook her head and didn’t take it seriously. Upon hearing her words, the silver-robed elder was first startled, then gradually brightened with a pleased expression. The Iron-Winged Demon and the Blood-Arm exchanged glances, as if they had something to say, but ultimately said nothing. "Alright. I’ve just woken up, and will remain seated for another month before I leave the mountain range. As for the various matters here, you are to manage them yourselves—there’s no need to report anything to me." Upon seeing the three demons finish their remarks, the woman issued a single command and, without turning around, simply shook her white robe backward. The three demons felt a surge of soft pink light all around them, and in the next moment, they found themselves suddenly standing in the grand hall outside the stone gate—as if they had never moved a step at all. They were not at all surprised by this. "It seems that although the Saint Ancestor's cultivation has not yet fully recovered, his mastery of the celestial transfer technique has grown increasingly profound. In that case, the Ancestor's departure will indeed be uneventful." The Iron-Winged Demon, exhaled deeply, as though finally at ease. "Indeed so. Moreover, the Saint Ancestor has made up his mind. How could we possibly obstruct him? We shall proceed exactly as the Ancestor has instructed." The Blood-Arm also paused and replied. Upon hearing this, the silver-robed elder first nodded slowly with his eyes half-closed, then smiled faintly, with a hint of dryness in his tone: "It appears that the Immortal Spirit is on par with the fully-formed Demon Wraith—thus explaining why both of you have been so attentive. Now that the Saint Ancestor has decided to bestow this precious artifact upon us, who among the three of us shall claim it will depend entirely on our own merits. With that, I shall take the lead and depart first." "As soon as he finished speaking, the Many-Eyed Demon didn't even wait for the other two demons to respond. With a single hand gesture, a surge of dark magical wind erupted from his body and roared forth, sweeping out of the hall, vanishing without a trace. "That old fellow really is eager!" The Iron-Winged Demon remarked, shaking his head with a touch of disdain. "He must feel his arrangements are falling behind, so he naturally wants to dispatch someone immediately. However, I suspect the Zhixian hasn't even reached us yet—otherwise, we would have heard word of her by now. Plus, Iron Brother's attached avatar has been destroyed, so that item is likely now in the hands of outsiders. It seems the outsiders this time are no ordinary visitors." Blood-Arm Demon's eyes flashed with a glint of blood, then spoke slowly. "Whether or not it truly ended up in the hands of outsiders remains to be seen. Still, if the Many-Eyed Demon goes to make further arrangements now, it's probably too late. After all, outsiders can only stay within our mountain for a month—by now, they're likely already near the exit." Even if we now personally set out, we cannot make it in time. Had we known this earlier, we should have sent more people initially." A flicker of regret passed over the Iron-Winged Mage's face. "Hah, it's not that Iron Brother doesn't want to move more of his troops—it's just that he's afraid of overextending our forces and drawing the attention of both myself and the One-Who-Sees-Many." The Blood-Cloak Man listened, then chuckled softly. "Whatever Blood-Arm Brother thinks—myself, I'll be off now. I'll return to wait for news." The Iron-Winged Mage smiled gently, showing no concern. Then, with a swift movement, the mage glided several dozen feet away, and after two such steps, vanished at the entrance of the hall. The Blood-Cloak Man stared silently at the hall entrance for a long while, finally letting out a cold laugh. Suddenly, his body dissolved into a shimmering glow, as if a candle had melted, and he sank into the ground, becoming a pool of blood. In the blink of an eye, the entire hall was empty. ……Han Li transformed into a streak of azure light, nearly indistinct, blending seamlessly into an ordinary black cloud. He gazed toward the exit of the Magic Golden Mountain Range, several miles away, his eyes slightly narrowed, glowing with a faint blue luminescence, his face deeply contemplative. His figure instantly became completely ethereal, vanishing entirely. Then, Han Li's ethereal form rose into the air and floated out from among the clouds, drifting gently forward. Having already confirmed that there were no Saint-stage beings nearby, he naturally had little concern about being detected by any wild beasts, and thus proceeded with confidence, making his way directly toward the exit. The surrounding beasts, concealed on either side, showed no signs of disturbance and remained motionless. Han Li felt a surge of relief, and within just a short while, he had closed the distance to the exit's void, barely over a hundred paces. Yet at that very moment, a seemingly small creature, no larger than several feet, suddenly flashed without any prior warning. A brilliant, vibrant stream of lustrous light erupted from its body, instantly enveloping everything within a radius of over a thousand paces. Han Li felt a sudden warmth on his surface, and his ethereal form instantly regained its solidity—his Taiyi Huaqing Seal's effectiveness had been completely disrupted.