Thus, with a single gesture, the young man in green armor, several attendants swiftly stepped forward from the ranks. With a flash of light in their hands, the wooden tablets glowed brightly, and two beams of purple light shot out, vanishing in a flash. After a few such flashes, they plunged directly into the center of the formation. Instantly, the silver array resonated with a hum, then suddenly vanished as a surge of unusual light flowed through it, revealing a massive silver gate beneath the great wall. The gate stood over fifty paces high, radiating a cool, cold light, appearing as though entirely forged of metal. The young man in green armor murmured softly, then brushed his sleeve across the gate. A loud "boom" echoed, and a wave of jade-like mist surged forth, gently unfolding the massive gate. "Thank you, dear friend!" Jin Yue smiled warmly and offered her thanks. Then, she, together with Han Li and the two others, swiftly vanished through the gate, transforming into three streaks of brilliant light that pierced through it. A short while later, they were completely gone, leaving only the distant echo of their passage behind. The young man in green armor stood before the great silver gate, gazing at the retreating figures of the three, his expression softened with a quiet contemplation—seeming as though something still lingered in his heart, unresolved. "Well, perhaps I'm being overly cautious," he murmured softly. "Though there's a certain oddity about it, the guard appears to be fine. After all, Jin Yue is the senior elder of the Tianpeng Clan—she would surely not act against the Feilin Clan's interests." With that, he issued a simple command, had the massive silver gate sealed once more, and then settled back into his original position, closing his eyes again. Even when he moved backward and encountered that surge of black icy wind, he merely had a flash of azure light on his body, effortlessly deflecting the black winds and keeping them at arm's length. As for Lei Lan, under the deliberate care of Jin Yue, her situation was naturally no issue at all. Not long after, they all reached the wide, funnel-shaped entrance of the great underground chasm. Gazing down at the dark, turbulent vortex of wind swirling within the massive crater, Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly and immediately descended without hesitation. This time, however, Jin Yue's two female companions exchanged glances and then followed right after. Once inside the chasm, the gales roared around them, and the sensations were nearly identical to those Han Li had experienced when he first entered the chasm. After a cup of tea's worth of time, his descent suddenly ceased, and he finally reached the first layer of the underground chasm. Yet, upon surveying his surroundings, he could not help but furrow his brows slightly. He was suddenly hovering above a hazy marsh, with a thin layer of pale green mist drifting gently above it, and a faint scent of decaying vegetation wafting in through his nostrils and mouth. Clearly, this was not the same location where he had initially entered. "Jin, do you know where we are, and how close this is to the entrance of the second level?" Han Li turned to Jin Yue and asked. "According to the map, this appears to be the Poison Orchid Marsh. It's neither far nor close to one of the entrances of the second level—reachable within half a day. Just be cautious, though. While the toxic air beneath poses no threat to us, there's a particularly aggressive colony of bees that thrive alongside the deadly poison orchids, which are quite unfriendly," Jin Yue said, after a brief observation and thoughtful consideration. Now that the entire underground realm has been taken over by the Fei Ling clan, their maps have vastly improved from the initially vague and blurry ones. Thus, this senior elder of the Tian Peng clan immediately recognized the location. Hearing this, Han Li, known as the "Poison Bee," smiled slightly and dismissed it with no further concern. The three then exchanged a few more words to confirm their direction and immediately launched forward. ...After half a day, the brilliant streak of light formed by Han Li and his companions appeared above a range of mountains. They continued flying for another half hour, eventually arriving near a peculiar peak at the heart of the mountain range. This peak was unusual because, starting from its midsection, it split into two parts, resembling a massive "person" character. The entire peak was bare and uniformly gray and white. This was precisely the location indicated on the Jin Yue map as the entrance to the second level. The journey ahead had been remarkably smooth—aside from encountering a group of Poison Bees in the initial marshland, which Han Li easily cleared with a few sword strokes—there had been scarcely any encounters with other creatures. Their progress had been uninterrupted throughout. It seemed that most of the lower-level beasts from the first level had already been driven away. It was no surprise at all that the lower-tier creatures of the first layer generally held little value, and the Flying Spirits naturally had no need to retain them. However, as everyone seemed to be suddenly flying down to the base of the mountain, preparing to swiftly enter, Han Li's expression briefly shifted—only to immediately return to its usual composure moments later. Yet, a little while after, Jin Yue suddenly halted her flight light, stopping abruptly at the "person" entry point beneath the mountain peak, her face darkening as she sharply commanded, "Whoever is hiding there—come out now!" "Ah, the Senior Elder and the Thunder Sovereign! Mingshen bows to the Senior Elder!" At the same time, somewhere in the nearby space near the mountain's entrance, the spatial fabric momentarily blurred and warped, and then a figure with wings appeared unexpectedly, bowing respectfully to Jin Yue. The figure's aura clearly indicated he was also a man from the Tian Peng Clan, dressed in a light blue battle armor, and possessing the cultivation level of late Lingxu stage. A similar scene unfolded in several nearby voids, with five additional figures materializing one by one. Yet these individuals merely offered a slight bow to Jin Yue, saying nothing, each displaying a distinct expression. All of them possessed cultivation levels at or above the Lingxu stage. "Jin Yue didn't elaborate much, merely offered a few calm remarks. "Now I understand. With that, my junior won't disrupt the Grand Elder's or the Saint Master's schedule. However, should the Grand Elder encounter that thief during his journey through the lower levels, I hope he would take the initiative to capture him. Currently, the entire second floor has been sealed off by the enforcement squad, so the thief is likely still hiding somewhere in the lower levels." The man from Tianpeng Clan nodded solemnly, speaking respectfully and urgently. "Heh, if I encounter anyone suspicious, I'll certainly secure them. You take good care of this area—I'll be off first with Lady Lei Lan." Jin Yue nodded briefly, saying no more, and immediately took off with Han Li and the two others toward the "person" entrance. After a brief, almost imperceptible flash inside, she vanished mysteriously. "Brother Mingzhen, this is the noble Grand Elder—indeed, as described, his cultivation is profound and beyond measure! With Jin Elder's presence, the noble house will be secure for tens of thousands of years." "But who exactly is that other person—someone whose cultivation level is similar to ours, yet whose face seems unfamiliar, someone I've never seen before?" After the golden joy and others had vanished through the layer, a second flying spirit with gray feathered wings, who had remained outside the peak, suddenly exclaimed to the sky-prowling man. "Master Jin's remarkable progress is indeed a blessing for our clan. However, the most significant development is that we now have two Saint Masters once again. With that, the other clans no longer have any grounds to challenge our Tianpeng clan. As for the person who just accompanied Master Grand Elder and Saint Master Lei—well, I haven't seen him either. Yet, isn't that quite natural? Even though our Tianpeng clan may be relatively small, we still have hundreds of millions of members. Shouldn't it be somewhat surprising that a few newcomers with unfamiliar faces would raise any doubts among you?" The man named Ming Zhen glanced at his companion, his expression darkening slightly, and said with a touch of displeasure. "Indeed, Ming Zhen brother, you've overthought it!" "I merely asked casually—my confidence in the Golden Elder and the noble Saint Master is absolute," the gray-feathered figure chuckled, quickly changing the subject. "Now, this isn't exactly a place for chatting. We're still on duty. Everyone, stay hidden—don't reveal any traces anymore." At that moment, the woman with a single white short horn on her head and purple feathers on her back spoke up. The male from the Tianpeng clan, who had intended to add more remarks, immediately swallowed them. The others nodded eagerly, clearly intimidated by this woman. Thus, the six individuals each chanted their incantations and, with a subtle movement, vanished once more into the distance. Meanwhile, Han Li and Jin Yue found themselves enveloped in a dense, dark mist, descending downward. "It seems the man who plundered the mining veins truly possesses remarkable abilities. Even this exit is guarded by six spiritual commanders." "It seems this person, though not a Saint-level being, certainly possesses神通 that wouldn't fall far short." Jin Yue suddenly spoke from within the stream of light beside him, her tone subtly carrying a hint of irony. "Oh, from the sound of it, Jin brother seems rather unconcerned about this ore vein." Han Li thought for a moment and asked. "Why should I care? Though it's claimed that this ore vein has been jointly divided among our Flying Spirit clans, in reality, the majority of the mined materials have been seized and held by the top few clans. What we, the Tian Peng clan, have received is merely a small fraction." Jin Yue chuckled dryly. "Ah, so it seems even after escaping the threat of clan extinction, the Flying Spirit clans still find themselves in a rather difficult position." Han Li replied thoughtfully. "Indeed. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't have so readily agreed to your request—to exchange for your cultivation technique. With just your technique and a few ten thousand years of time, my Tian Peng clan will surely grow strong enough." Master Han, I'd best confirm that the latter portion of this technique is indeed without flaw. Jin Yue said calmly. "Master Jin need not worry. As soon as I arrive at my destination, I will immediately deliver the latter portion of the technique for you to examine on the spot. Otherwise, Han will submit himself to the disposal of the Senior Monastic." Han replied with a slight smile. "That's reassuring, Master Han!" After saying this, Jin Yue fell silent. In the span of this brief moment, the dark mist began to fade, and the group finally appeared at the second level of the Deep Earth.