Heard that the Han had expressed his determination and was not disappointed, Liu Shui'er's gaze grew a little warmer, and her voice softened slightly as she said: "Since Shi Dao-yi has come to understand this matter, I am confident that with our joint efforts, we will surely achieve a successful outcome." "Heh, I hope so," Shi Kun murmured with a smile. Thus, the three of them discussed for a little while longer before changing direction and taking off swiftly along the coastal route. In a moment, the scene was completely empty, with no trace of anyone remaining. However, not long after Han Li and the others had departed, a streak of light flashed across the distant sea surface, and two brilliant streaks of red and yellow emerged, swiftly moving and settling at the shore within a few flashes. As the light faded, two figures of different attire from distant lands appeared. These two looked remarkably distinctive. One was short and stout, yet wore a peculiar, imposing armor that was entirely black, nearly enclosing most of his head. Another figure was tall and slender, his body shriveled and dry, as though a mummified corpse, yet clad in an unusually bulky robe, making him appear even more strange. These two were among the members of the Tianyun party who remained at the scene after Han Li and the others had departed. However, as soon as they appeared, they were dust-covered, their faces grim and disheveled. The short, stout foreigner even wiped sweat from his face, still trembling with relief: "This is truly odd. We've encountered two ancient beasts of great ferocity at once. Had they not been locked in fierce combat, we would have been completely wiped out. Even now, merely subjected to the combined might of their battle, we had to expel several precious items to escape unscathed." His tone carried clear regret. "Hmph. To have survived the presence of two such ancient beasts—this is already a matter of good fortune and sheer luck." Yet the waters here do seem rather strange. We were trapped by a peculiar mist floating above the sea for over ten days, and only after finally breaking free did we encounter two ancient, fearsome beasts. "Thankfully, we've managed to escape this sea region. I hope this range of mountains is safer," said the slender, foreign man, his tone grave. "I've glanced at the mountain range ahead, but I'm not entirely certain," replied the shorter, stockier foreigner, his gaze fixed upon it. "The compass we used in the sea proved useless. Let's try it again here and see if we can determine our current position." The tall, lean foreigner paused to consider. "Agreed," said the shorter, stockier one, without hesitation. He nodded and then, with a simple gesture, expelled a smooth, crystalline disc from his mouth. As it spun through the air, it instantly expanded to the size of a man's outstretched arms, its surface glowing with a soft white light, and faintly, as if emerging from within, something began to take shape. The dwarf-like foreigner's face flushed momentarily, then suddenly expelled a surge of vital essence that instantly transformed into a dense cloud of blood mist upon meeting the wind. He swiftly pressed hand seals, finally lightly touching the blood mist with his fingertip. Instantly, the blood mist rolled inward and completely vanished into the jade plate. The surface of the plate now glowed with vibrant blood light, making it clearly visible and even revealing some faint outlines of the surrounding scenery. The two foreigners stared at the white jade plate with wide eyes, motionless and fully absorbed. Yet after a while, both of them grew visibly concerned. "What's going on? The positioning disc still can't determine our approximate location," the slender foreigner murmured. "Either this region is unusually special and the positioning disc simply isn't functioning, or the two ancient beasts have stirred the local primordial energies—perhaps even affecting this very spot. Though the disc is quite ingenious, it still falls short when compared to the legendary treasures mentioned in the tales," the stockier foreigner said after thoughtful consideration. "Hmph. If only I had known it was so useless, I wouldn't have spent such a high price bidding for it at the auction house. This item nearly consumed half of our accumulated spiritual stones." The tall, slender outsider looked rather annoyed. "Though it's been unreliable—sometimes working, sometimes not—since its arrival in the Cold Palace Realm, without this device, we simply couldn't have determined our exact location here. Others have bought it too, with the same reluctance. This item is crafted exclusively by the Crystal Clan, and every time the Cold Palace Realm opens, they reap substantial profits. I've heard they can produce even more sophisticated positioning artifacts, but I'm not sure if that's true!" The short, stout elder also seemed somewhat frustrated. "Well, things have come to this. There's little point in discussing further. Since we still can't use the positioning disc, let's just set off and leave this area behind." The short, stout outsider carefully scanned the surrounding mountain ranges with his divine awareness. "That's all we can do," the tall, slender elder said after a brief pause, finally nodding. Thus, the two of them vanished in a flash of light, once again transforming into a vibrant red-and-yellow streak and speeding off toward the distance. A short while later, they disappeared from sight at the far end of the mountain range's sky, and from that point on, these two alien beings vanished completely—never to be seen again. ...Deep within a dense forest, two men dressed in green robes, with skin as dry and yellow as wood, each holding a small red banner, vigorously waved it back and forth at a towering giant tree hundreds of feet high. The tree was lush and verdant, and midway up its trunk bore a grotesque, ghostly face. Yet now it was enveloped in a fierce, roaring blaze, and the monstrous face emitted piercing, agonizing cries, continuously spewing out streams of green liquid to resist the flames. Several unusually thick, root-like appendages, half-way up from the tree's base, were constantly moving and swirling in the soil beneath, carving deep furrows several feet deep—testimony to their powerful force. While ordinary flames might indeed be extinguished by such sweeping motions, the flames surrounding the tree remained unshaken. They passed effortlessly over the roots, as if they were mere shadows, neither wavered nor flickered. After a brief moment, the colossal tree, its green sap flowing sparsely, could no longer withstand the flames surrounding it, and its sharp cry abruptly ceased, turning into a pile of black ash. The two wan men immediately folded their flags and, with a swift leap, crossed the vast distance to reach the ash. Each of them bent down and, with a gesture, plucked out a remarkably emerald-crystalline object from the ashes. Upon seeing this, the two men looked at it with a gaze that instantly transformed into joyful excitement. "Your true objective, I'm sure, all of you are now clear about. To ensure the success of this mission, several elders of our clan have even sacrificed their vital energy, personally using the Heavenly Treasure to create five extraordinary artifacts through their divided essences. Additionally, they have deployed several hidden agents stationed within Tianyun to draw the full attention of Tianyun's senior leadership. Should this mission succeed, the significance it would hold for our clan—how clear that must be to you, without needing me to elaborate further." The young man with the golden horn spoke calmly. "Please, envoy, rest assured—we will do our utmost to accomplish this." Upon hearing everything, the others grew visibly enthusiastic, responding almost unanimously. "Excellent. Though I have been cultivating at the Heavenly Horn Holy Mountain and have only recently come to know each of you, I am confident that all of you will wholeheartedly commit yourselves to this matter—something that will profoundly shape the future of our clan." Although there are over a dozen groups entering the Cold Palace Realm this time, only five of them—those equipped with precious treasures—are specifically assigned to handle this mission. The rest serve as auxiliary forces, providing cover and masking our actual movements to prevent other clans from detecting our intentions. Now, as per the original plan, I shall proceed. Jinjiao, the young man, nodded contentedly and issued a simple command. Immediately, under his leadership, the group of Jinjiao people took off toward the deep interior of the desert. At this moment, the giant whale roared fiercely, its nine eyes fixed intently on the two figures across, displaying a most unwelcoming and aggressive demeanor. Witnessing this, the two foreign beings grew serious, exchanging low murmurs. Then, the female being with fish-tail suddenly had a flash of golden light in her eyes and emitted a sound remarkably similar to the strange whale's roar. Upon hearing this sound—seeming like that of a kindred being—the whale's nine eyes blinked simultaneously, as though hesitating. While the fish-tailed woman appeared more relaxed, her roar continued without pause, even growing louder than before. Suddenly, the giant whale's roar ceased, and as golden light flashed in its eyes, its massive body swayed, circling the two foreign beings several times before settling back in place, whereupon it emitted another deep roar. This time, upon hearing the whale's roar, the fish-tailed woman beamed with delight, her body merely shifting, and she swiftly flew into the air, landing gently upon the whale's back. This colossal, seemingly powerful strange whale proved remarkably docile, showing no sign of annoyance, and with a flash of blue light triggered by the foreign woman, surged forward and shot off toward the distance. The other foreign man, also possessing a fish-tail, naturally followed closely behind. (After a long night of writing, finally managed to complete a chapter—posting it up for everyone to see now. I'm heading to the airport in another two hours or so; I'll need to transfer en route, and should arrive home around eleven or midnight. On the 14th, I'll resume regular updates!)