"The true reason behind the magical race's current invasion seems to be known only to the Holy Ancestors; ordinary magi elders merely follow orders. Otherwise, it would have been surprising that, during the daring attempt to capture and extract the souls of such elders, we managed to gather not a single piece of relevant information." The elderly woman in her white robe spoke slowly, as though deeply frustrated. "Hmph. Regardless of the reasons motivating the magical race, our several clans will by no means allow them to succeed. We have already activated several reserve strategies, many of which are now in full swing. Indeed, two of them have already made significant progress—these should be sufficient to seriously weaken the currently arriving magical army, even if several of their Holy Ancestors materialize in the spiritual realm. The only complication is that we have confirmed the arrival of the three founding ancestors of this magical race. Should they all arrive together, even if our senior cultivators unite their efforts, we may well find ourselves outnumbered." It was said that each of the Three Primordial Deities of the Demon Race were ancient beings who had lived for over half a million years, mere steps away from achieving true Demon existence through ascension. The young man with the feathered hair furrowed his brows, delivering a statement that sent a ripple of concern through the others. "The Three Primordial Deities of the Demon Race are all ancient, upper-tier Demon Immortals who have weathered the Trials of Destiny. Not only do we, the several clans, lack the strength to challenge them—few in all the Spirit Realm might dare to claim victory against them. Even then, only the true spiritual beings enshrined within the great clans could possibly stand a chance. As it is, our clans are already considered relatively weak within the Spirit Realm. Where would we find such true spiritual beings to come to our aid? And even if we manage to repel the Demon Army through the measures we've already taken, should we still not face inevitable defeat without a strategy to overcome the Three Primordial Deities?" The elder woman murmured, her tone reflective. The others exchanged glances, their expressions now somewhat grave. "There is no need for all of you to be so concerned," said one. After all this time, there might now be a solution. Suddenly, the pale man who had remained silent throughout spoke softly. "Xun, friend, we've never heard of this matter before," exclaimed the feathered-clad man, startled, and quickly asked. The others also displayed a mix of surprise and delight. "This is something only I and Lu brother know. When Mo elder specifically instructed us not to disclose it easily, we never mentioned it to our friends. Now, however, it seems we can no longer keep it a secret." The pale man sighed and explained. "Lu brother, is this truly so?" Before the feathered man could ask further, the elderly woman turned to the white-haired elder and asked eagerly. "Indeed, Xun friend. When Mo elder departed, he did specifically entrust us with this matter." The white-haired elder smiled gently and nodded in agreement. "Excellent! With Mo elder's words, it seems he must already have a plan in place." "It seems our chances of triumphing in this magical calamity are still quite promising." For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall lightened, and the attendees exchanged quiet murmurs of relief. "Before we proceed to discuss the specific arrangements, I'd like to announce one more matter. The Black Rain Daoist, who had recently departed the Sacred Island to retrieve the Yellow Rice Stone Spirit, has now perished. According to the Tian Chan sent to assist from the Sacred City, they had successfully obtained the Yellow Rice Stone Spirit before parting ways. Yet, upon Black Rain's departure, his life plate was completely destroyed." The man named Yingyu shifted the topic, speaking with serious tone. All present grew more solemn. "Black Rain is a mid-stage Consolidated Body cultivator—his abilities are truly formidable. How could he have simply vanished without a trace? Is there perhaps some hidden circumstance?" The clean-faced man fixed his gaze, expressing some doubt. "The circumstances are likely not concealed. Although the Yellow Rice Stone Spirit is rare, it holds little significance for most ordinary cultivators." Moreover, Tianchan mentioned a witness. At the time they were assisting in capturing the Shilin, another Daoist who happened to meet them during the process was also involved. It seems without this individual's help, they would not have been able to secure the Shilin so easily. "Li Yun, shook his head. "A witness! Which Daoist is it? Could it also be someone from the Sacred Emperor's City?" The elderly woman furrowed her brows and asked slowly. "Actually, no. As for this person, most Daoists have likely heard of him. He is Han Li, the Daoist who recently attained the Consolidated Stage hundreds of years ago." Li Yun replied seriously. "Han Li! That name has indeed been heard before. It's said that Han Li is a rare cultivator of exceptional talent among the Human race—only one such talent appears every ten thousand years—and yet, after several hundred years, he has progressed all the way from the Huashen Stage to the early Consolidated Stage." The elderly woman was surprised and responded with some astonishment. "Ah, good news—your information seems a bit outdated. Currently, Han Li has already reached the mid-Consolidated Stage." The white-haired elder suddenly smiled and interjected. "What? An intermediate stage advancement? That's rather fast. It seems the saying of once in ten thousand years might be an understatement." The old woman was visibly startled. Not only he, but several other senior immortals of the same level, who were previously unaware of this matter, also stirred with agitation, all expressing astonishment. "Perhaps so. Had it not been for the timely occurrence of the magical calamity, Brother Han likely would have already become one of our holy island's members. As for Brother Han's matter, we can discuss it later. Brother Ying, have you confirmed this with Brother Han?" The white-haired elder smiled calmly and asked the man named Ying. "I originally intended to do so, but after finally establishing contact with the Tianyuan City, I found Brother Han completely missing. His disappearance appears to coincide precisely with the days when the Black Rain Cicadas were active." The man named Ying sighed, speaking with a touch of resignation. "He has gone missing." "How could something like this happen!" The white-haired elder's face changed, his expression now somewhat displeased. According to the reports from Tianyuan City, when Han Daojun was rescuing Yitian City, he encountered the avatar of the Magian Sage who had descended from the realm of the Mages—thus going missing. However, after carefully verifying the information from Tianchan Daojun and Tianyuan City, I believe Han Daojun must have escaped the Magians' grasp before meeting Tianchan and Black Rain Daojuns. Yet, after the three of them parted ways with Shilin, only Tianchan returned safely to the Sacred Capital. The other two seem to have encountered unexpected mishaps. "Lingyu" the man continued. "Given Han Daojun's talent, he may well aspire to reach the Great Perfection stage in the future. If he truly perishes, that would indeed be a great loss. Nevertheless, our very existence is inherently against the natural order—early demise is not unusual, especially now, during the peak of the Mage's Cataclysm." The elderly woman sighed, clearly feeling the depth of the loss. "If Han Daojun truly meets with an unfortunate fate, then perhaps his fortune simply wasn't sufficient." But this is different from the case where Black Rain's life essence artifact has been destroyed. Master Han had not left behind any of his life-affirming relics in Tianyuan City, so it's difficult to truly assess his fate. Nevertheless, regardless of how Black Rain has perished, the more crucial point is that the Yellow Rice Stone Spirit—already secured—has vanished entirely. Without this vital item, the careful preparations we've made for this critical step will fall short. This matter directly concerns the very survival of our two clans, and we must resolve it immediately." The man named Yingyu glanced at the group and said. "Indeed, there's no room for delay!" "Is there any possibility of finding another Yellow Rice Stone Spirit elsewhere?" "Besides the Yellow Rice Stone Spirit, could we use something else as a substitute? Was there no contingency plan prepared in advance?" … The members in the hall stiffened, then after a brief moment of thought, began to speak one after another. "A celestial and spiritual treasure of this magnitude—the Yellow Rice Stone Spirit—is rarely found. Even this one was already known about, which is why Master Black Rain personally traveled to the island to handle this matter." As for substitute items, we did indeed prepare a few at the outset. However, with that, the potency of the method would inevitably be weakened by one-third, and it remains uncertain whether the desired outcome will ultimately be achieved." The man with the feathered sleeves shook his head first, then nodded. Upon hearing this, the others reacted with varied expressions, and no one spoke for a while. The hall fell into an immediate silence. "The Huangliang Stone Spirit is merely a minor matter—something I can handle myself. I have more pressing matters that require the assistance of each of you." A calm, gentle voice suddenly resonated throughout the hall, instantly capturing everyone's attention. "Master Ao Xiao, you've arrived! The man with the delicate plum-feathered demeanor suddenly stood up from his chair, his face filled with exhilaration, and cried out excitedly upon hearing the words. Almost at the same time, the grand doors of the hall, which had been tightly closed, pushed open inward from the outside, and two figures entered step by step from outside. The one in front wore a silver robe, his long, straight black hair flowing down to his waist; he was a man in his thirties with a youthful face, smiling gently. Behind him came a graceful figure with porcelain-like skin, her back adorned with a straight, long hair that shimmered with a silvery glow, as if crafted entirely of pure silver—she was an exceptionally beautiful woman with silver hair. "Respectfully bowing to Master Ao Xiao, welcoming Master's arrival upon the Sacred Island!" The white-haired elders seated in the hall were first startled upon seeing the man in front, then their expressions brightened as they leapt up with excitement, respectfully bowing deeply to the man in front. The other several elder beings, initially skeptical, now found themselves completely reassured, and likewise overjoyed, paying their respects to one another. This man was none other than the sole Great Transcendence-stage existence of the demonic race—the famed "Ao Xiao Elder" whose name had long reverberated throughout the demon realm.