"Not good. Hurry! We wouldn't be safe even if we stayed here." At this sight, Liu Shui'er's countenance changed instantly, then without hesitation, pressed her palms together in a series of gestures, transforming into a streak of azure light that surged through the air. Without needing her reminder, Han Li and Shi Kun realized that once the two ancient beasts began to fight, their power and reach would far surpass the mere sound waves they had previously encountered. The two men followed swiftly, each transforming into a separate streak of dazzling light and darting off toward the horizon. The three streaks of light vanished at the far edge of the sky. Just as the three had departed from their original location, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted on the distant seashore. The thunder and gale winds surged together, their booming sound overwhelming the cries and calls of the sea ape and the unknown giant bird. At the same moment, a wall of waves over a thousand paces tall surged from the shore, completely submerging the very spot where Han Li and his companions had stood just moments before. At that moment, Han Li and the other two had already soared hundreds of li away, then changed direction, tracing a vast circular path before once again heading toward Lu Di's location. "Indeed, the Guanghan Realm seems just as described—there are so many ancient, legendary beasts that have long since vanished from our spiritual realm. If this continues throughout our journey, not only will we struggle to locate the ruins and seals, but we might even perish halfway through," Stone Kun murmured as soon as they safely reached the land, slightly easing his breath. Though his voice was soft, Han Li and Liu Shui'er, with their refined cultivation levels, heard it clearly. "While there are some ancient beasts here, they're not abundant enough to be encountered everywhere. Most likely, our luck has just been poor—we've stumbled upon a battle between two of them," Liu Shui'er replied, shaking her head. "Unlucky? That's hardly a promising start," Stone Kun shrugged, unconcerned. "From the very beginning, cultivators have always been beings who defied the heavens." "One must not doubt omens and portents like these, yet one need not take them as absolutely certain." Liu Shui'er smiled lightly. "Heh! I hope so." Shi Kun chuckled softly. Seeing the big man remain unconvinced, Liu Shui'er decided not to press further, and instead turned to Han Li and said, "Brother Han, we now need to establish our positions within the spiritual realm. Would you kindly offer protection to us both?" After the previous incident, Liu Shui'er had clearly become a bit more courteous toward Han Li. "That's no problem at all," Han Li replied, somewhat curious about how the two would perform their rituals, and simply nodded without hesitation. Then, he transformed into a streak of jade-green light, rising straight upward until he reached over a hundred paces higher, before settling back into his original form. With his spiritual awareness spread out, he now monitored nearly the entire area spanning dozens of miles. "Brother Shi, let's begin," Liu Shui'er nodded contentedly, then turned to Shi Kun. "Heh, Brother Shi has been ready for this all along." Shi Kun immediately nodded and settled down. Thus, Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun suddenly parted ways, shooting out to either side. After several swift movements, their遁light abruptly halted several dozen paces away. The two formed a large triangular formation with Han Li. Unlike Han Li, the cloak-wearing woman and Shi Kun each flicked their sleeves into the air. Instantly, a white circular disc and a yellow scroll flew out from their hands. Liu Shui'er and the other two each held a hand seal and murmured incantations. As the disc swayed, it rapidly expanded to over ten times its original size, transforming into a vast, moon-like disc. Meanwhile, the yellow scroll slowly unrolled, revealing a hazy yellow glow within, with faint images emerging from its folds. Then, as the yellow glow curled down, the entire scroll vanished. At that moment, a hundred paces in diameter, the space was dotted with yellow light points, which then burst forth in brilliant radiance, instantly merging into one seamless, vast yellow light curtain. Shi Kun saw this, and with a low exhalation, pointed at the bright moon floating in the void. The moon's clear light rippled and, with a sudden "whoosh," seemed to vanish into the yellow light curtain. At the same time, the incantations from both Li Shui'er and Shi Kun rose sharply in volume. "Though we can't claim to have encompassed the entire Guanghan realm, the map does record about seven-eighths of its territory," Li Shui'er said with a pleasant tone. "Still, we must verify whether we truly find ourselves within the mapped region. Should it turn out we're not among them, we might end up facing some complications." Shi Kun added, then once again pointed with his single hand toward the void within the glowing screen. Instantly, the entire map brightened, but beneath the yellowish glow, a small sphere of white light—only the size of an egg—slowly emerged from one corner of the map and hovered motionless at a height of about a zhang above a certain square section. "Found it! We're actually at the edge of the Wanqin Territory. That means the sea we just crossed must have been the Jiuxiong Sea," Li Shui'er said, her voice trembling slightly as she observed the region illuminated beneath the white sphere. "Wanqin Territory, Jiuxiong Sea! We've ended up right here." Shi Kun's face also suddenly grew pale. Han Li was gazing curiously at the white orb below, now drawing in a sharp breath upon hearing the news. Since they were preparing to enter the Changhuan Realm, they had already studied numerous classic texts detailing its famous and perilous regions, to avoid accidentally stumbling into one and perishing without realizing it. The Wanqin Ridge and the Ba Xiong Sea were among the most renowned. By name, the Ba Xiong Sea was the sea they had just passed through, home to eight legendary ancient beasts said to be fearsome. The Wanqin Ridge, in turn, hosted tens of thousands of various immortal birds, including three ancient beasts whose reputations rivaled even that of the famed Zhunhai Yuan—the sea-taming ape. These two regions were also adjacent, and thus, any outsiders from the Lei Ming Continent who stumbled into them might face a dire fate if their luck were poor. Now, not only were Han Li and Shi Kun frowning in concern, but even Liu Shui'er was staring in quiet astonishment at the vast screen, silent and motionless. "I really don't want to force our way through the Ten-Thousand-Bird Mountain Range. Just think of those three ancient, deadly birds dwelling within—it's enough to make us perish even if a few other spiritual birds spot us." Shi Kun spoke with a gloomy expression. "The Ten-Thousand-Bird Mountain Range is indeed extremely perilous. Though we've safely emerged from the Eight-Dead-Sea with no mishaps, that doesn't guarantee the same fortune when we enter the mountain range. Let's just avoid it, then." Han Li's eyes flashed several times, clearly expressing his own stance. "We can only do that." Liu Shui'er also sighed lightly, glanced at Han Li and Shi Kun, and finally nodded in agreement. Seeing that Liu Shui'er had also accepted Han Li's suggestion, Shi Kun's expression brightened slightly, yet upon glancing once more at the vast light screen, the furrows on his brow remained firmly etched. "The regions adjacent to both sides of the Ten-Thousand-Bird Mountain Range are the Blue-Yang Desert and the Dark-Beast Forest." As for the Xurì Desert, we simply cannot speak of it—compared to Wanan Ling, it's even more terrifying for us, unadvanced Saint-blooded beings. According to the ancient texts, the strange sunlight there would drive us to ash within just half a day of exposure. As for the Dark Beast Forest, it's said to be home to the Dark Beasts—an ancient lineage that has long since vanished from the Spirit Realm. At night, their strength reportedly multiplies several times over, making it equally perilous. Yet, we have no choice but to select this region." Liu Shui'er pointed to the display screen and spoke slowly. "No way. Although the texts provide only limited descriptions of the Dark Beasts, they clearly indicate that these creatures are exceptionally difficult to contend with. The risk of entering the Dark Beast Forest remains too high. We should still avoid it." Upon hearing this, Shi Kun firmly disagreed, repeatedly expressing his opposition. "How can we avoid it? The site of the sealed sanctuary is already quite distant from our current position. Even if we travel without interruption and with full effort, it will still take at least three or four months to reach it. Should we encounter any further obstacles along the way, the journey will Yet merely circumnavigating Wanqin Ridge would take nearly a month, and passing through the larger, more extensive Dark Beast Forest would consume at least two months. On top of that, we still need to allocate another one or two months to break through our own personal bottlenecks. Under such circumstances, how could we possibly arrive in time to dismantle the seal?" This time, Liu Shui'er showed no intention of retreating, speaking coldly. Upon hearing Liu Shui'er's words, Shi Kun's expression shifted, revealing a hint of hesitation. "Although the Dark Beast Forest presents some strangeness and danger, it has not been without passage in the past. After all, our ancient texts provide us with established methods for dealing with the Dark Beasts—our chances of success should be greater than those of earlier travelers. Moreover, if this journey ends in complete failure, with nothing to show for it, wouldn't Shi Daojun be afraid of severe reprimand from Duan Senior?" Liu Shui'er fixed her gaze on Shi Kun, her eyes icy. Shi Kun's face was filled with thoughtful contemplation, but after a moment, he suddenly raised his head and asked the air-born Han, "Han brother, what do you suggest?" "Han has been invited by the two senior masters to assist you two, and has already received considerable benefits. As long as the two of you are in agreement and see no differences, and as long as the destination is not a certain death place, I am quite unconcerned." Han's eyes flashed several times as he replied calmly. "Very well. Since both Han brother and Lady Liu are unafraid of the Dark Beast Forest, then why not? I shall also go and witness the legendary creatures of that forest." After further reflection, Shi Kun suddenly burst out laughing and agreed.