Only then did they realize that the figure appearing beside the white-bearded elder was a young man in his twenties. Not Han Li, who else would it be? Yet before the high-ranking magical beings could regain their composure and reclaim their treasures, a surge of energy erupted above their heads. A golden beam shot forth, spiraling around them at an astonishing speed, and then materialized as a blurred form several dozen paces away in the void. As the light faded, a yellow creature about a zhang in height stepped into view. The creature was slender and resembled a leopard, with two fresh, dewy green horns adorning its head, giving it an air of mystery. As soon as it appeared, it lifted its head and swept a glance over the four magical beings. Its eyes, unusually human-like, expressed a clear sense of scorn. Strangely enough, the four magical beings remained motionless in place, yet each of them wore a strange, expressionless countenance. But at that moment, countless fine streaks of blood suddenly appeared on the bodies of the four demonic beings. Then, under the astonished gaze of the white-bearded elder, their bodies dissolved into heaps of shredded flesh, and a downpour of blood cascaded from the sky, splashing into the gathering demonic clouds below. The lower-tier demonic beasts within the clouds, upon touching this magical blood, instantly went berserk, roaring and tearing at one another. The demonic infantry soldiers, meanwhile, stared in shock, unable to believe what was happening—suddenly, one of them cried out, and within moments, hundreds of them turned sharply and fled backward in panic. The chaotic beasts now paid no attention to anyone else. Han Li saw this and frowned. Having already intervened, he would not let these demonic beings escape. Immediately, he sent a message to the leopard-mountain beast: "Take care of the demonic beasts. I'll handle the demonic soldiers personally." Upon hearing Han Li's words, the yellow beast nodded gently with its furry head, then leapt forward, its form momentarily blurring into dozens of faint golden phantom silhouettes that surged like lightning toward the lower-tier magical beasts. Han Li remained motionless in place, yet with a simple lift of his sleeve, a single palm emerged glowing. With a seemingly ordinary motion, he merely curled his five fingers inward toward his palm. After a roar, the magical creature's body along with its armor turned into ash, dissolving in golden light. With a flash of lightning, the nearby magical clouds and winds were likewise swept away. At that moment, under the onslaught of the dozens of phantom forms manifested by the leopard-mane beast, the lower-tier magical beasts were swiftly eliminated, just like the several high-ranking magical queens, their bodies turned to blood and reduced into scattered chunks of flesh. The entire sequence—from onset to conclusion—had taken no more than a few breaths. Even the white-bearded elder had not had time to react; the pursuing forces that had nearly killed him were now all gone. "Reporting to the elder, we are cultivators from the Fire-Departure Sect. Our sect's hidden sanctuary has been discovered by the demonic race, and we were forced to relocate the entire sect here. Yet, we hadn't expected to be ambushed at the transmission array ahead—nearly all of us have perished on the spot." The elderly man with white hair spoke respectfully and without delay. Upon hearing this, the elder's face slightly darkened. At that moment, the disciples who had just returned from the living flames gathered around him, now under the guidance of an oddly unattractive old woman, each displaying a mixture of expressions as they all flew toward the elder, gazing at Han Li with profound reverence. Before any of the cultivators could utter a word, Han Li had already extended a single hand toward the yellow creature. A flash of green light rippled across his body, and instantly, he surged forward like a streak of jade light, racing deep into the mountain valley. After the leopard-mountain creature's feet glowed with an intense, brilliant golden radiance, it too transformed into a golden beam and swiftly followed. In a matter of moments, both figures flashed several times and vanished without a trace at the horizon. "Master Brother, what shall we do now?" The old woman hurried to join the white-bearded elder, her face serious, and asked with urgency. "How could we possibly ask anything else? Naturally, we follow this senior. With his lead, we should have no difficulty entering the City of Heavenly Depths. Everyone, follow closely—our safe arrival there depends entirely on this." The white-bearded elder replied without hesitation. "Good! I'll go with you!" The elderly woman nodded in agreement. At that moment, disregarding the fact that his inner qi had nearly depleted, the elder quickly produced several pills, swallowed them, and then, with one hand, swiftly tapped his body several times. As a result, a strange, unusual flush of crimson appeared on his face, and he drew upon a fresh supply of qi from his dantian. Under the guidance of the remaining two Xuangui-period cultivators in the gate, a group of dozens of Huli Sect disciples, their light trails glowing, took off together toward the valley. Unlike the previous time when everyone had been filled with anxiety, these Huli Sect disciples now radiated hope and excitement. With a distance of over a thousand li, the journey naturally didn't take long for them! In just a short while, they reached the vicinity of the valley. But before they could even approach, a tremendous, earth-shaking roar suddenly erupted. Several streaks of jade-colored sword qi rose from within the valley, flashed briefly, and then vanished without a trace. Then, a piercing, agonizing cry rang out, and a thick, black magical wind surged forth from deep within the gully, carrying with it a faint silhouette of a dark shadow with a single horned head, panicking and fleeing in another direction. At this sight, the elderly man with white hair and the elderly woman exchanged glances, both clearly seeing joy on the other's face. It seemed the elder had decisively eliminated the remaining magical forces with remarkable ease! A clear, resonant sound echoed from the elder's body—his twin swords, one green and one yellow, instantly sheathed themselves and shot forth. The elderly woman straightened, then exhaled a thin, silvery blade of extraordinary delicacy. Both of them naturally harbored the intention of finishing off the infant demon, determined to block it firmly. Yet, before they could fully unleash their treasures, a cold exhalation came from within the gully. A swordlight stretching over ten dozen feet flashed, instantly transforming into a broad expanse of shimmering, jade-green sword energy that swept the black magical wind and ensnared the infant spirit within. As the cold light danced, the infant demon did not even utter a sound—merely vanishing And as the astonishing azure swordlight faded, it transformed into a slender, sword-like blade about a foot long, shooting straight back into the depths of the valley. "Should you wish to enter the Tianyuan City, you'd better move quickly. The magical reinforcements might arrive at any moment," said Han Li's calm voice, drifting gently from within the valley, after which there was silence once more. "Quick! Hurry over there!" The white-bearded elder was overjoyed and immediately barked orders to his disciples. At once, the various cultivators poured forth their full strength, blazing into dozens of streaks of brilliant light, racing straight toward the valley. ... Within the Tianyuan City, inside a grand transmission hall encircled by numerous protective seals, two cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage were chatting casually at the entrance. Suddenly, one of the several adjacent transmission arrays burst forth with a brilliant white glow, accompanied by a sudden series of resonant hums. "Unfortunate—someone is arriving via transmission!" "Open all the seals immediately, and at the same time, quickly report to the Senior Guard!" One of the Yuan-Infusion guards gasped in alarm. Meanwhile, another guard, without a word, waved his hand once, and a blue array disc the size of a palm instantly materialized. With his other palm, he pressed firmly upward. A deep rumble followed! The disc immediately burst forth with a radiance of five colors, causing waves of energy to rise spontaneously throughout the hall. Layer upon layer of colorful light screens, along with dense rows of golden and silver characters, surged outward in a rush, sealing the entire hall completely, making it impervious to wind or rain. In a pavilion nearby, over a hundred guards who were meditating suddenly leapt to their feet without any prior sign or notice, transforming into streaks of brilliant light and shooting outward toward the pavilion's outer edges. The transmission array, which had been humming, suddenly emitted subtle spatial ripples, and as white light flashed, a figure in green materialized silently. Han Li opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw were the dozen guards at the gate, all acting as if facing a major threat. At once, a slight smile played at the corner of his mouth as he said, "How is it that after only two or three years away, you no longer recognize me?" "Heard this, the golden guard, though still confused, immediately bowed deeply and nodded in affirmation at once upon being glanced at by Han Li's gaze."