After several days of travel, the massive vessel finally broke free from the wilderness and emerged into a vast range of hills. One after another, black and green hillocks rose up, stretching as far as the eye could see. The vessel plunged into the sky above the hills, then, after a few flickers, vanished into the horizon. A month later, deep within a basin surrounded by hills, a colossal city made of yellow stone suddenly appeared—spanning over a thousand li in area. Half of it was built directly into the mountains, while the other half was enclosed within a high wall over a hundred zhang in height. A soft, golden glow enveloped the entire city, like a broad, inverted dome, clearly indicating the presence of an exceptionally intricate and powerful large-scale seal. Han Li stood at the prow of the vessel, gazing distantly at the towering city, his expression thoughtful. "Brother Han, this is the Xuan Ye City, where my family, the Bái family, resides. Though it cannot compare with the grand cities of the Sacred Realm, it is quite substantial for a settlement so remote. There are already over a dozen beings of Magistrate Rank or higher here." Our Bai family is one of the four foremost clans in this city. Should your friend wish to purchase goods or encounter any difficulties, merely mentioning the name of our family will surely earn them a measure of favor from the locals." Bai Yunxin stood beside Han Li, smiling lightly as she spoke. "Thank you, Lady. In fact, I have indeed been considering purchasing some items in your city." Han Li's expression brightened slightly, and he replied with a gentle smile. "Since Brother Han is also a single traveler, why not simply reside at our Bai family's guest pavilion? With your cultivation level, I'm certain the senior elders of the clan would not object," Bai Yunxin's eyes sparkled with a touch of hesitancy as she asked with a few tentative questions. "The Guest Pavilion! Lady, you haven't yet abandoned your efforts to invite me?" Han Li blinked, smiling slightly in surprise. "Your cultivation has already reached the peak of the Late True Void stage, only half a step away from entering the Consolidated Form stage. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to effortlessly defeat those groups of magpie bats." Such an astonishing cultivation level, combined with being a free-standing cultivator, would make any family eager to recruit him. Our Bai family will certainly not be an exception." Bai Yunxin smiled warmly, with no hesitation. "However, my reply remains the same as before. I currently have no intention of aligning myself with any particular family. My cultivation is currently facing a bottleneck, and I need to travel widely for some time before I can hope to advance to the rank of Magistrate Sovereign. Therefore, for the next few centuries, I will not join any established faction. That said, I can promise that should I eventually decide to join a family, I will certainly consider the Bai family first." Han Li yawned slightly, speaking somewhat vaguely. "Your words, Brother Han, I shall remember and keep in mind. Our Bai family will always be open to you. As for the matter of visiting the ancestral hall of Fu Tian family, I will immediately inform you upon returning. Given your invaluable assistance to us in the Wasteland, I believe this should not pose any difficulty." Bai Yunxin sighed, expressing a touch of regret. "I've heard that to traverse the Phantasm Desert, it's best to have an eight-legged magical lizard as a companion. Does the Bai family keep such a creature?" Han Li smiled, then suddenly changed the subject and asked as though it were merely a casual inquiry. "An eight-legged magical lizard! How does Master Han intend to find one to enter the Phantasm Desert?" Bai Yunxin was momentarily startled, expressing some surprise. "Indeed, that's exactly my intention. Otherwise, walking across the Phantasm Desert would take far too long. So, does the Bai family not have such a creature?" Han Li's gaze flickered, and he calmly replied. "We do have them, but it's unlikely that Master Han would be able to secure one. Not only do we, but other families as well, rarely sell eight-legged magical lizards to outsiders." Bai Yunxin furrowed her brows, somewhat hesitant. "Ah, then why is that? If it's a matter of price, I believe I still have sufficient funds to contribute a substantial portion toward acquiring one." Han Li was not at all surprised and calmly asked, "Even if we had more magical stones, none of our major families would sell their magical lizards to outsiders. The rarity of these creatures is one reason, but the primary reason lies in the fact that, in a very fundamental sense, these lizards are the very foundation of our families' presence and standing in the City of Phantom Night—how could we easily offer them to others?" Bai Yunxin hesitated before delivering her words with deep significance. "Ah, so it seems that if I wish to obtain the eight-limbed magical lizard, I shall still need to seek guidance from Master Fu Tian," said Han Li, thoughtfully. Bai Yunxin nodded and said no more. At that moment, the great vessel, speeding forward, finally arrived near the outskirts of the city of Huan Ye. It then gently descended, coming to rest at the entrance of a city gate several dozen zhang high. There were already several magical beings moving in and out of the city. Upon seeing the yellow giant vessel coming to a stop nearby, they immediately stepped back, expressing deep reverence—seeming to recognize the vessel's origins. When Han Li and the other members of the Bai family stepped down from the vessel, Bai Yunxin raised her hand and chanted a spell. The vessel flashed with light and shrank dramatically, becoming a slender beam of yellow light that swiftly vanished into her body. With excitement, the group—including Bai Yunxin—rushed toward the city gate. After all, having been away from home for so long, their safe return naturally stirred a strong sense of homesickness. Han Li maintained a calm, composed smile, blending seamlessly into the crowd and going unnoticed. At the city gate, several guards in armor immediately approached Bai Yunxin and the others, bowing respectfully and greeting them warmly before clearing a path, allowing Bai's family to enter the city with ease and dignity. Passersby from the magical race showed no surprise, clearly accustomed to such scenes by now. After a brief nod, Bai Yunxin followed the group into the city. As soon as they passed through the gate, a dense array of earth-yellow buildings—square or circular—rose up around Han Li, clustered closely together, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Several wide streets crisscrossed among these buildings, though fewer in number than in typical city layouts. Occasionally, among the buildings, a few stood notably taller—some resembling towering spires, others massive pavilions several stories high. Han Li merely glanced around briefly before turning away. This city not only has prohibitive aether barriers, but also seems to be equipped with exceptionally powerful seals that restrict divine awareness. Even with his strong divine perception, he could only detect a few miles around—beyond that, the images grew increasingly blurred. Of course, this wasn't due to Han Li being genuinely unable to extend his awareness further; rather, doing so would inevitably trigger these seals, thereby revealing his true cultivation level. As soon as the Bai family and others stepped onto a nearby street, they immediately halted at the roadside, standing still. Han Li's brow furrowed slightly, but he ultimately chose not to inquire further. A short while later, several vehicleriages drawn by creatures resembling both deer and horses suddenly roared onto the street's far end, arriving like a sudden gale and instantly coming to a complete stop right before Han Li and his companions. On each vehicle, an ancient character bearing a large "Bai" was engraved, and at the front of each, a man dressed in leather robes rode the strange beasts. "May I present myself to the lady. I have come at the lord's command to welcome you home." A tall man with dark, almost black skin stepped down from the leading carriage and bowed deeply to Bai Yunxin, speaking with great courtesy. "I understand. Han brother, you truly don't intend to visit the Bai family first, do you? Even if Master Han decides not to join our clan, securing a place to stay would be a simple matter. Should you reside within the clan, you might even meet the clan's patriarch that very day!" Bai Yunxin waved her hand, then turned to Han Li and smiled gently. "No, thank you. The lady just returned to the clan and likely has many matters to attend to. I intend to take a walk around the city first, and then visit formally at a later time." Han Li smiled slightly and bowed. "Since Master Han has made up his mind, I shall say no more. This jade pendant is my personal token. Please keep it, Master." When the time comes, all your friend need do is hold this decree and go directly to the Bai family to find me—no one will question you." Bai Yunxin expressed a slight sense of regret, then with a single hand motion, suddenly produced a jade plaque glowing faintly with a greenish hue between her fingers. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it forward. Han Li, without hesitation, caught the plaque in his hands and glanced at it attentively. The jade plaque appeared to be crafted not from ordinary stone, but rather shimmered with a translucent quality, subtly interwoven with faint streaks of blood. On its surface, an elegant scene of a lady ascending into the heavens was engraved, and the figure of the lady seemed remarkably similar to Bai Yunxin herself. Han Li's eyes brightened slightly; he nodded in approval and then tucked the plaque away. Meanwhile, the members of the Bai family boarded several animal-drawn carriages and immediately set off along the streets, rolling steadily ahead. Watching the carriages recede into the distance, Han Li gave a swift flick of his sleeve, turned around, and strode briskly down another street, soon vanishing among the throngs of magical beings. Although the city of Huanye lacks a presence of the caliber of the Sacred Ancestor, it has gained notable recognition in the magical realm for gathering over a dozen Dragon Sovereigns within a single city—a feat far surpassing that of ordinary great cities in terms of the number of high-ranking magical beings. Unlike the Blood Crow City where he had previously resided, the variety and abundance of buildings here far exceed expectations. In addition to ordinary shops such as material and weapon-smithing stores, he also spotted a specialized magical academy dedicated to teaching basic magical techniques, where numerous common magical beings frequently came and went. This struck him as particularly remarkable. The academy bore a strong resemblance to the basic spell-training academies found in the spiritual realm—whether such institutions were originally native to the magical race or borrowed from the spiritual world remained unclear. As he passed by a towering spire, he glanced at the plaque hanging above it and immediately expressed a look of astonishment.