"Um, but just to be safe, someone still needs to go and investigate. Master Hui, this one is entirely up to you." After a moment's pause, the elder of the Long family turned to the black-robed man beside him. "It's nothing. I'll be able to make a round trip within half a day." Hearing this, the man nodded, and as a ripple of dark light passed over his body, he shot off like a streak of long-lasting light. "Now, I still have a few questions for you two. If you answer honestly, you won't be shortchanged. But should you say a single word of falsehood, I'm sure you'll know the consequences." The elder of the Long family finally turned his gaze to the two magi, speaking calmly. "Master, please go ahead. We will speak truthfully, without reservation." The magian youth trembled slightly, immediately responding. The elder magi likewise held his breath, maintaining a respectful and humble demeanor. "How far is the city of Blood Raven from here? And what is the nearest city beyond this one?" By the way, what is your city's magistrate's name, and what is his exact cultivation level?" Llong's elder asked in one breath. Fortunately, although the questions were numerous, they were neither delicate nor required concealment, so the magian from the demonic race was slightly taken aback before promptly responding in full: "Reporting to the elder, Blood-Crow City lies approximately ten thousand miles away from here. The nearest other cities would probably be Ye Xiu City. However, reaching there would take at least two months. Our city's magistrate is Bing Qianren, who currently holds the level of mid-stage Demon Sovereign." "A mid-stage Demon Sovereign—quite a strong cultivation level indeed. How is Blood-Crow City currently faring? Does it have a transmission array connecting to other cities, or is there any alternative means to circumvent the eastern wave of beast incursions?" Llong's elder nodded and continued asking. "To prevent sudden attacks by the Butterfly-Tail Beasts, our city has now been placed under martial alert. However, should any of you wish to visit, there would be absolutely no issue. As for transmission arrays, however, we currently do not have any." The city is too small to establish a permanent teleportation array. While there are certainly ways to circumvent the beast tide, the time required would likely far exceed just a few days. It would be wiser, therefore, for all of you elders to wait until the tide passes naturally and then continue on the upper route. After a moment of hesitation, the magian giant finally replied honestly. "Regardless of how long it takes, first explain to me the method of bypassing the beast tide. As for whether it's suitable, I shall judge that myself. Also, you should each have a map of the surrounding area. Please provide one so I may make a copy." The elder of the Long family spoke calmly and evenly. "Yes, senior, I was just a bit verbose! The beast tide on the eastern side has a significant impact area. To avoid it, one would have to pass through the southern Dry Forest or the northern grasslands..." The magian giant was visibly startled and immediately began speaking rapidly, concluding by producing a dark, translucent crystal from his sleeve and offering it to the elder of the Long family. The elder of the Long family took the black crystal, and without hesitation, also produced a white crystal, copying all its contents. These items—similar to spiritual scrolls—had been specially collected by the Long family before entering the realm of the demons. Their functions and usage were quite similar to ordinary jade scrolls. However, to activate them, a certain amount of demonic energy had to be blended into the magical power. This requirement was insignificant for figures like Han Li, who had long practiced demonic cultivation techniques, and even those possessing pseudo-demonic pearls found no difficulty. To avoid suspicion from the demonic race, the group had already been assigned to various such items from the demon realm. Thus, after copying the map, the elder also threw the crystal to the others, allowing the thousand-year-old princess and others to replicate it as well. With detailed maps of the surrounding area, they could now carefully study and develop effective strategies to avoid the wave of beasts. Yet, after quietly reviewing the information themselves, everyone—including Han Li—found themselves frowning, growing increasingly puzzled. "Han, if there truly is a great surge of Butterfly-Endued Beasts from the east, it seems we won't be able to avoid it. Then perhaps we should stay near here for a few days, waiting for the surge to pass before continuing on. After all, only a few more days' delay—nothing significant for us. As for the Blood Crow City, to be safe, we might as well skip it." Han was quietly pondering when suddenly he heard the voice of the old master of the Long family transmitting through the air. Yet Blood-Crow City is merely a small town, and even possesses a teleportation array—so it's unlikely to have any particularly powerful seals. Our disguises should therefore remain undetected. As for my recommendation to visit Blood-Crow City, the primary reason lies in the fact that we may end up staying in the Magic Realm for decades, possibly even over ten years. Over such a long period, interactions with various magical beings will inevitably occur. Although the Fake-Magic Pearls can mask our aura, mere information gleaned from simple records may still reveal subtle inconsistencies in our speech and mannerisms. Moreover, besides the Spirit-Purifying Pool and the Pure-Spirit Lotus, the Magic Realm likely harbors other rare spirit herbs from the Spirit Realm that would also prove beneficial to us. Wouldn't it be a good opportunity to gather some of these as well, Ling-brother?" Han Li replied calmly through a transmission. "Your reasoning is indeed sound. I will first consult with my fellow Daoist friend, Qianqiu, and then decide on our course of action." After listening, the elder of the Long family hesitated for a moment before finally seeming convinced and responding. "Of course." I believe the immortal maiden and her fellow spiritual race companions would actually be more eager to enter Xueya City than we are. "Han Li smiled gently, responding with evident depth. "Hehe, that's quite true. Indeed, there are several rare materials highly sought after by the spiritual race that can only be found in abundance within the realm of demons." Llong's elder patriarch was slightly taken aback, yet laughed heartily, then paused his conversation with Han Li, turning instead to transmit a message to the Thousand Autumn Princess. Upon receiving the elder patriarch's message, the Thousand Autumn Princess first showed a moment of surprise, but soon brightened and began enthusiastically discussing the matter. Their conversation did not last long—indeed, the Thousand Autumn Princess did not consult with any other holy spirits, and promptly gave Llong's elder patriarch a clear and definite reply. It was indeed clear that the spiritual race had already made their intentions known in advance. When Llong's elder patriarch relayed his response back to Han Li, it was confirmed that, as long as the eastern beast surge remained genuine, the group would temporarily enter Xueya City first. As for this decision, the Maid in the Feather Robe and the bearded man from the Lin family naturally also informed the others shortly afterwards. They had no disagreements, merely appearing indifferent. The Magian giant and the elder mage naturally noticed that Han Li and the others had been discussing something intensely, yet remained utterly still, not daring to move or show any signs of disturbance. After all, with so many "Lord of the Magic" present, it would be a mere matter of ease for any one of them to take their lives. Thus, half a day later, as the sky rang with a sound of breaking space, a streak of dark light shot through, bringing back the black-robed man who had gone out to scout ahead. "Hui, brother, did your journey go smoothly? Have you learned anything about the beast surge?" As soon as the light of his flight touched the ground, the elder of the Long family stepped forward promptly, smiling and inquiring. "Brother Long, indeed, there are countless butterfly-tailed beasts blocking the eastern route, occupying the entire path ahead." "I feel somewhat ashamed, for I dared not approach them too closely. I merely watched from a distance for a while before taking flight back to report to all of you." The black-robed man smiled faintly and began to recount his findings. Although Long family's elder had anticipated this development for some time, he still carefully asked several specific questions about the beast surge. After a moment of thoughtful reflection, he suddenly raised his arm and flicked his finger. "Pffft! Pffft!" Two resonant sounds echoed as two beams of golden light shot out like lightning, swiftly vanishing into the two motionless bodies of the demonic beings. Neither of them could believe that a Magistrate of such stature would suddenly strike them, let alone by surprise attack—almost immediately upon the golden light entering their bodies, they collapsed without any prior defense. Even apart from Han Li, the others' expressions all changed noticeably. "Brother Long, what is the meaning of this? Do we still need them to guide us to the Blood Crow City?" the old scholar, his eyes briefly flashing, asked. "The location of Xueya City—we haven't already known it, have we? Then why do we need these two magical race guides? Moreover, I haven't killed them at all; I merely stunned them." The elder of the Long family spoke calmly. "Oh, so Master Long is perhaps thinking…" Zangxing, too, had awakened his spiritual awareness for countless tens of thousands of years, immediately showed a look of sudden clarity. "Exactly. If we were to suddenly kill these two, the city's lord of Xueya City would surely take notice. Though we needn't fear a mere mid-tier magical sovereign, it's always better to be cautious. I intend to employ the Seal of the Soul to temporarily seal their memories of meeting us, then return them to their original positions. As for ourselves, we'll simply dress as ordinary members of the magical race and blend in with Xueya City. In this way, I believe the city's magical inhabitants won't pay us any special attention." The elder of the Long family said with confidence. "This is indeed a good method, but I'm a bit concerned—will Long brother's spirit seal hold up, or will the Magus Sovereign of Xueya City detect anything unusual?" The bearded man from the Lin family asked with some hesitation. "Heh, this technique was passed down as a secret by a great sage from ancient times. Unless the Magus Sovereign of the Magian lineage personally inspects, no one will be able to notice any difference between the two. Otherwise, I'd be making a complete fool of myself," said the elder of the Long family with a chuckle. With such confidence from the Long family elder, everyone else naturally felt reassured. With a single hand motion, the elder instantly drew the elderly Magian close before him, then exhaled a swirl of purple light that completely enveloped the elder's face. Next, he fixed his golden-gleaming eyes on the elder's eyes, murmuring incantations as he cast his spell.