The colossal blue vessel and three streaks of brilliant light appeared almost simultaneously in the valley sky, facing each other across the expanse, both parties momentarily surprised. "Indeed, quite coincidental. I didn't expect my Dao-friend from the Ling lineage to arrive at this very moment. Allow me to extend my greetings," said the elder of the Long family, stepping into view as his light faded, and smiling warmly at the other side. "Qi-Qiu thought Brother Long had already reached the valley by now, but it seems he only just arrived," replied the Saintess Qi-Qiu, her voice emanating from the great vessel. As she spoke, her figure materialized at the prow of the vessel. Behind her stood four figures. Among them, three were the same spiritual beings who had previously appeared on the vessel, but the fourth—a young man with an unusually pale complexion—was new. A faint layer of blue mist drifted around his body, and his expression remained utterly still. "Ha! I should have arrived two days earlier, but I encountered some difficulties along the way, which has cost me some time." "Indeed, it's quite admirable that you all have made such a journey and still managed to arrive on time—truly thoughtful of you," said the elder of the Long family, laughing as he glanced at the five faces across from him. His gaze paused slightly on the figure glowing in the white light, and a subtle expression of surprise flickered across his face. "Any difficulties encountered? Won't that pose any significant hindrance to our journey, I hope?" Upon hearing this, the woman in yellow silk stiffened, asking with cautious concern. "Lady Qianqi, rest assured—only encountered a few high-ranking magical beings en route, but they've already been dealt with by my companions. We shall ensure no word of our arrival leaks out," replied the elder of the Long family with a smile. "With that assurance, I feel much more at ease. It seems there are already some noble guests who have arrived earlier. Let us meet them down below." The Lady Qianqi relaxed visibly. "Indeed, the presence of the Master Han and the Lady Ye is detectable. Let us go down and join them," said the elder of the Long family, instantly recognizing the presence below the valley with a sweep of his spiritual awareness. Thus, both parties swiftly descended toward the lower valley, while the green giant vessel of the Ling clan, which had previously hovered motionless in the air, suddenly vanished silently at the mere nod of the elderly scholar. Several holy spirits followed the elders of the Long family, gently settling at the heart of the valley. As their feet touched the ground, a clear, resonant male voice suddenly rang out: "Finally, all of you have arrived. I and Lady Ye have been waiting for you for some time now." Immediately upon speaking, a flash of light appeared at the far end of the valley, and two streaks of brilliant light emerged, swiftly arriving at the two groups' side. With a gentle shimmer, the figures of Han Li and the young woman in flowing robes materialized without a sound. "Indeed, it is you two! Now, everyone has gathered." Upon seeing Han Li and his companion, the elder of the Long family's face brightened with a smile. "Besides Master Qianqiu, the other several immortal clan elders are quite unfamiliar to us. Might you be so kind as to introduce them to us?" Han Li nodded in response, his gaze sweeping over the several noble maidens of Qianqiu's sect before speaking calmly. "Master Han has already reached the late Consolidation stage!" In contrast to Han Li's composed demeanor, upon scanning his spiritual awareness, Qianqiu's goddess suddenly gasped, her face pale with astonishment. After all, when Han Li first met her at the Ten-Thousand-Spirits Platform, he had only just reached the early Consolidation stage. Now, after barely several centuries, he had advanced so significantly to the late stage—this naturally came as a great surprise to her. "Indeed, I have been fortunate enough to advance to the late Consolidation stage, and I hope I haven't embarrassed Master Qianqiu." Han Li smiled gently in reply. With his current cultivation level, facing a peer at the late Consolidation stage, he could hardly conceal his true stage of attainment without deliberately employing secret techniques to mask it. The other several Saint-Spirits glanced at Han Li instantly, their eyes widening in surprise as they unconsciously assessed him, their faces likewise expressing astonishment. These spiritual beings, having thoroughly studied the profiles of the human cultivators they were collaborating with prior to departure, naturally recognized Han Li at once. Yet, the human cultivator who was expected to be at the earliest stage of Consolidation, had suddenly advanced to a later stage of cultivation—so formidable that it left them all equally stunned. "Ah, Brother Han—your cultivation talent is truly rare among our human cultivators, something we haven't seen in ten thousand years. That's why you've progressed so swiftly. With your remarkable enhancement, our journey is now even more assured," said Long's elder patriarch, smiling slightly, with a hint of amusement. "I've indeed heard many tales of Brother Han's exceptional cultivation aptitude, but I never imagined that after entering the Consolidation stage, he would achieve such extraordinary advancement." But as Long brother mentioned, this indeed proves beneficial for our journey through the realm of the demons. By the way, allow me to introduce some of our fellow disciples from our clan. These are all dedicated practitioners of our Ling lineage—often little known to outsiders. This is Elder Jin Gu, from our Jin lineage, who specializes in sonic techniques and excels at handling large numbers of enemies..." As the Saintess Qianqiu swiftly organized her thoughts, the initial surprise on her face gradually faded, and she began introducing the slender gray-robed man. The young lady in feathered robes and others listened attentively, simultaneously observing the other Saint Spirits to match their descriptions. From the yellow-robed woman, we learn that besides Elder Jin Gu, the elderly scholar is named "Cang Xing," an expert in array and ritual magic. The divine being whose form remains indistinct in the white light is known as "Bai Qi." In addition to mastering several powerful techniques that counter demonic arts, this being also possesses a solid understanding of various matters concerning the demonic realm. The young man, who appeared pale at last, was merely described by the yellow-robed woman as a newly promoted senior spirit-essence elder of the Instrumental Spirit race, named "Zhi Shui," renowned for a unique secret technique in traversing shattered voids. Among these holy spirits, only the Thousand-Autumn Princess and the figure in white light had reached the late consolidation stage. The elderly scholar and the slender man were both at the mid-stage level, while the young man named "Zhi Shui" himself was only at the initial stage. On the surface, if it were not for Han Li's unexpected attainment of late consolidation rank, the Spirit race would indeed have demonstrated a clear superiority over the human side. After observing the scene, the elder of the Long family showed no visible surprise, instead smiling warmly and greeting each of the holy spirits in turn. On the Spirit race's side, while the elderly scholar and the slender man offered only polite smiles, both Bai Qi and the young man named "Zhi Shui" remained cold and expressionless, showing no reaction at all. How astute and well-prepared the elder of the Long family truly was, he paid no heed to these matters and merely offered a brief introduction of Han Li and the others to the spiritual race. The holy spirit named Bai Qi clearly radiated a later-stage spiritual pressure that surpassed even that of the thousand-years-old holy maiden. As a result, the human cultivators instinctively focused their primary attention on this enigmatic holy spirit. Yet, Bai Qi's true nature—what exactly formed the basis of his spiritual essence—remained unclear. His body emitted a shifting, flickering white light, constantly dimming and brightening, so that even after Han Li had gazed at him several times, he found himself feeling dizzy and astonished. Without further formalities, both parties immediately settled themselves cross-legged beneath a nearby massive tree and began discussing the specific details of entering the realm of the demons. Having prepared for this journey to the demon realm for many years prior, they had already meticulously planned every step. At this point, all that remained was to make minor, context-specific adjustments. Thus, within just two hours, all matters were settled to everyone's satisfaction. Everyone once again rose into the air and boarded the great green vessel that reappeared in the sky. After a soft hum, the vessel's surface shimmered with seven hues of light, and it swiftly transformed into a faint green glow, racing toward the horizon. In a short while, the green glow vanished completely at the sky's edge, having traveled hundreds of miles. Yet the passengers aboard the vessel were unaware that, just a few dozen miles away, at an altitude of ten thousand feet, a nearly invisible white luminous sphere was silently and swiftly pursuing the green vessel, maintaining a close and steady distance behind it. Within this ethereal sphere, a tall, dark-armored man with an unattractive face was intently asking a surprised, rosy-hued lady dressed in imperial robes: "Master, you said that among these foreign peoples, even you have found some who command your respect—how is that possible?" Though the Master, due to his injuries, is fundamentally unable to fully manifest the divine powers of a Sage Ancestor, with a bit more time and effort, he should be able to resolve each of these combined beings without much difficulty." The palace-dressed woman's face was partially obscured by a soft pink glow. With one hand, she was continuously rubbing a purple-gold copper coin between her fingers, and only after a while did she reply softly, "I'm not particularly afraid of these combined beings. Rather, my 'Heavenly Fate Coin' suddenly activated just now—indicating that among them, someone possesses a rare treasure capable of posing a threat to me. I don't want to make a single oversight and end up worsening my condition." The coin in her hand bore one side with a smiling, kind-faced human and the other with a fierce, ghostly figure, alternating in luminous flashes, creating an especially strange appearance. "What kind of treasure could possibly threaten the Master himself?" the black-armored man asked, his expression growing serious and astonished. "When my powers were still intact, aside from the Heavenly Treasures of Xuan Tian, I could hardly think of any other treasures that truly posed a genuine threat to me. But now, with my spiritual strength greatly diminished, that's another matter altogether. Some of the specially endowed, celestial treasures might now have a certain degree of advantage over me." The lady in imperial robes slowly said, her gaze shifting thoughtfully. "Did the master sense any signs of medicinal herbs among these people just now?" The black-armored officer's face changed several times before he carefully asked again. "As for the whereabouts of the herbs—I have a somewhat vague sense of them from one of these individuals, though it's rather strange..." The lady frowned, her eyes flashing with a faint sense of bewilderment, as though something had caused her hesitation. The black-armored officer, watching this scene, remained utterly puzzled, gazing at the lady in silence, unable to ask any further questions. The azure giant vessel surged forward, flying steadily for a full three months, carefully concealing its presence and cautiously navigating around numerous human and magical race strongholds, until it reached an endless expanse of coastline.