Han Li now glanced around. He saw that the area still stretched out as a vast ocean, with the sky far away glowing a clear blue, save for a few unremarkable clouds. "We are now only about four or five days away from our destination. Though the node itself is modest and located in a remote corner of the Xuanwu Realm, the region is dominated by the Magi Clan's most bloodthirsty and warlike faction—the Buomagi. These Buomagi are particularly fond of fierce competition and conflict. Currently, the entire Xuanwu Realm is ablaze with battles, far more chaotic than in other regions. Therefore, we must proceed with caution." Long's elder spoke seriously to everyone. "Of course. If the chosen Magi node had been within the Tianyuan City region, we would have faced far fewer risks." The young lady in the feathered robe suddenly expressed a sense of regret. "The node routes near Tianyuan City are simply not viable." The elder had already dispatched agents to investigate, and only through the nodes here could one reach directly the Blood Stone Mountain in the realm of the demons. That mountain, even within the demon realm, is exceptionally desolate, with few demon clans settled there. Thus, their appearance there should pose no real danger. Otherwise, if one entered the demon realm through other nodes, they would either find themselves in a precarious situation—like a sheep among wolves—or would have to travel an excessively long distance, adding several times the usual journey and expenses. The Lóng family elder shook his head without hesitation. "I merely offered that suggestion; could I possibly be less confident in Lóng brother's arrangements?" the young lady in flowing robes spun her eyes, smiling brightly. The elder chuckled, then said nothing further. At that moment, the Thousand-Season Princess flew toward the Lóng family elder, whispered a few words with him, and then summoned the other four to take to the celestial light and begin their journey. After greeting the others, the Lóng family elder also took his black-robed elder, the Hui family member, and ascended into the air. The remaining three members of Han Li's party transformed into faint streams of light and followed closely behind. Over the next four days, Han Li and his companions encountered several patrols of magical guard soldiers. Each patrol ranged from a dozen to over a hundred soldiers. These magical guards differed significantly from the ones seen in Tianyuan City—each was taller than an ordinary magical being by half, and their magical armor bore numerous strange blue magical patterns, making them appear particularly fierce and imposing. With Han Li's and his companions' divine abilities, eliminating these guards would have been a matter of ease. Yet, the group simply concealed their light streams and gracefully passed silently overhead, as if nothing had happened. The highest-ranking among these guards reached only the stage of Transformation, and thus could not detect the presence of Han Li and his fellow beings, who were already seasoned masters at the Consolidation stage. By the afternoon of the fourth day, a dark shape finally emerged at the far edge of the sea. As they flew closer, it became clearly visible. These dark spots were indeed coral islands of varying sizes. Some were no larger than a few miles, while others spanned hundreds of miles, densely scattered throughout the forward sea. "Qianqi, I believe there are high-ranking magical beings stationed ahead—now it's up to you. Meanwhile, the other companions should take the counterfeit magical orbs distributed earlier and consume them. Should your movements be discovered, simply activate the inner magical energy within to blend in and remain undetected," said the elder of the Long family, listening intently to the fading light and speaking cautiously to the nearby Qianqi Saintess and others. "Of course," smiled the Qianqi Saintess, her tone warm and assured. "For this journey, I've devoted over a hundred years of dedicated effort to perfecting this little item." Then, with a simple hand motion, she produced a white, hazy banner. As she slightly waved it, countless white, unusual flowers surged forth from the banner and burst into vibrant splendor with a series of crisp, resonant pops. Whiffs of white mist rose up in the void, then coalesced into a massive, acre-sized sphere, enveloping Han Li and the others. Han Li narrowed his eyes, but remained motionless. In moments, the swirling white mist completely submerged everyone within it. At this point, the Thousand-Age Holy Maiden chanted softly and suddenly shook the banner several more times. A strange phenomenon occurred: vibrant five-colored runes surged forth from the milky white mist, and the figures within gradually blurred and thinned out, eventually fading into complete invisibility. The young lady in the feathered robe and the others were delighted by this development. Han Li maintained a calm expression, yet his gaze flickered as he extended his divine awareness, probing into the mist. After a brief moment, a subtle change appeared in his eyes. This mist seemed to hold some mysterious incantation within it. Even after the powerful divine awareness of Han Li swept through it, he felt utterly empty—as though nothing at all existed. Han Li's mind flashed swiftly, and a subtle blue glow suddenly flickered in his pupils. Under the clarity of his Ming-Qing spiritual sight, he finally perceived the layer of white mist that had taken the form of a protective shield. Yet now, under this spiritual vision, the mist appeared only as a thin veil—extremely faint and delicate. Han Li felt a sense of relief, and the blue glow in his eyes gradually faded away. Such a level of concealment, while not posing a direct threat to him, would likely go unnoticed by ordinary high-ranking magi—except perhaps those magi elders who mastered special arcane techniques. It would surely allow their group to blend seamlessly into the designated channel. Not only Han Li, but also the Lin-family cultivator and the young woman in flowing robes, had all noticed the extraordinary nature of this mist, each of them silently marveling at its subtlety. The elder of the Long family revealed a look of great satisfaction. Suddenly, the Immortal Maiden of Thousand Autumns threw her banner forward, and it instantly glowed white, spiraling and dancing around her. The entire white mist-based seal silently advanced forward. After the Han family members each swallowed a dark, round orb and then calmed their breaths, they too began to drift forward, merging seamlessly with the veiled white mist. In moments, the group had vanished without a trace into the vast coral island archipelago. "Black Ebo, prepare yourself—I'm going to perform a celestial divination here now." The lady's hand, holding a purple bronze coin, suddenly flashed and the coin vanished as she issued a command to the black-armored man. "Master, the counter-effect from your last celestial divination has not yet fully subsided. To activate this divination technique again so soon may not be ideal." The black-armored man was startled and hesitated. "Performing celestial divination twice in succession certainly places a significant strain on my body. But if I miss this opportunity, I may lose the only chance I have to restore my magical strength. Compared to that, a little sacrifice is nothing at all," the lady replied with calm assurance. "After all, these are merely a few human cultivators. Should Master be at ease, all that is needed is to bestow the Zhenyuan Sledge upon them. Black Ebo will gladly eliminate these combined-stage cultivators, retrieve the elixir, and present it to Master." The black-armored man, his initial stern expression momentarily softened, expressed his unwavering loyalty. "Though the Zhenyuan Sledge possesses extraordinary power, at your current level of cultivation, it will only be able Moreover, the celestial mandate coins have issued a warning—this clearly indicates that these people must possess means capable of countering the Zhenyuan Jian. Even if you take them away, they will likely prove ineffective. Otherwise, I would not have come to this decision. Then, please proceed without further words—begin preparations. The individuals ahead are moving swiftly; should we delay any longer, catching up with them will become more difficult. The dressed-in-imperial-gown woman glanced at the tall man and said softly. "Yes, Mistress. I will begin immediately!" Upon seeing the woman's determination, the dark-faced man naturally hesitated to add more, merely nodding and swiftly darting off. With a brief flicker of movement, the dark-faced man materialized at a height of over a hundred paces above the scene, then raised both hands. Eight objects soared simultaneously, spun once, and then settled in a resonant hum, hovering in the nearby void. There stood eight wooden figures, each uniformly dark and solid! Each one stood only half a foot tall, yet their heads were remarkably large, nearly as big as their bodies. Each face displayed a distinct expression—ranging from joy, anger, sorrow, to delight—vividly lifelike, as though the figures were living beings. After releasing eight of these strange wooden figures, the black-armored man did not cease his movements. With a smooth, rotating motion, he suddenly launched hundreds of stone slabs from his body. As these slabs whirled rapidly around him, they swiftly converged and instantly formed a towering green stone platform several dozen feet high. The platform was engraved with countless vibrant, dewy patterns, and a subtle, indescribable wildness emanated from it. With a single hand motion, the black-armored man produced a bright blue crystal sphere and hurled it forcefully into the sea below. The crystal's light flashed briefly before vanishing beneath the surface. Then, he raised a finger and pointed downward. A deep, resonant roar erupted! Below the sea, waves surged violently, and as one surge rolled forth, it lifted a colossal wave hundreds of zhang high, sending a thunderous shock across the heavens. As the surging tide leapt upward, it instantly formed a shimmering, emerald-blue water curtain, fully enclosing the stone platform and the eight towering wooden figures nearby. In every corner, two wooden figures stand closely together.