When the morning light parted, a young girl clad in a robe of five colors suddenly appeared on the mountain peak. Her skin was as white as snow, and her face was graceful—she was precisely the combined cultivation disciple of the Ye family. "Indeed, you are the Ye Lady. Yet you've just arrived now—did you not reside in the city of Huanye before?" the elder of the Long family smiled gently and inquired. "I only arrived here half a month ago. I have never practiced any magical or demonic cultivation techniques, and even with the false demonic pearls concealing my presence, I dared not enter the city easily. I intended to observe the city for a few more days before deciding whether to enter. However, judging by the looks of Master Long and Friend Hui, it seems both of you have only just arrived as well. And Friend Hui's condition appears rather unwell," the girl with the feathered robe blinked, glanced at the man in black robes, and expressed her slight confusion. "To be honest, my journey has been full of delays. I only reached here yesterday—so I came later than the Lady. As for Friend Han, it seems he has already been here for some time." Master Hui, during the journey through the swarm of ants, he just happened to encounter the queen ant and, in his initial oversight, was poisoned by her. Fortunately, he had already taken the antidote, and along the way, I assisted him in continuously cultivating and refining the poison, which is why the delay has been so prolonged. Fortunately, Master Hui now has no serious issues. Elder Long sighed and replied. "Poisoned by the queen ant's venom—indeed, it explains why Brother Hui has taken on this appearance. As for me, I arrived late because I accidentally stumbled upon a perilous area in the wilderness and was trapped there for several months before finally managing to escape safely." The young lady in the feathered robe first seemed momentarily puzzled, then added with a sense of lingering apprehension. "Master Han, I didn't encounter any major difficulties on the journey. I reached the City of Phantom Night several months ago and have been residing there. However, besides these three companions, I have not seen any trace of the Ling clan or Master Lin! They have not yet arrived—could it be that something unforeseen has occurred?" Master Han frowned slightly. "It should not be so." Master Lin is also a cultivator at the Consolidated Stage and proficient in several top-tier elusiveness techniques. Even if he encounters a powerful opponent and is defeated, he will certainly be able to escape without any issue. As the Lin clan members travel together, it is even less likely that anything untoward will happen." Elder Long's expression grew slightly serious as he thought for a moment and then said. "That's not so certain. At first, I thought the same way. However, in practice, the wilderness of the Mire Realm proves far more dangerous than the remote, untamed regions of our spiritual realm. In fact, I myself have been trapped in one place for several months. It is certainly possible that they encounter difficulties beyond human capacity in the wilderness." The young lady in the feathered robe straightened her expression and expressed her disagreement. "Well, now that we've come to this point, further discussion will do no good. The agreed-upon time has not yet passed, so we shall simply continue to wait. By the way, since Master Han has already arrived so long ago, I assume he has already become familiar with the city's affairs. Could he kindly share some insights with us? Perhaps we can first secure that eight-legged magmatic After a moment of silence, the elder of the Long family said this to Han Li. "Of course, that's perfectly feasible!" Han Li immediately agreed without hesitation. "Currently, the City of Huanye is jointly controlled by the four great families and other powers such as the Ten-Thousand-Slaves Tower. However, the eight-legged magic lizard is a possession unique to the four great families. To obtain such a creature, one must engage the four families directly. Yet, these eight-legged lizards are of great significance to the four families, as they are crucial to their standing and stability within the city. Therefore, acquiring them through ordinary means is simply impossible. Fortunately, my circumstances have been favorable—when I first arrived, I established a connection with the Bai family and helped them resolve a pressing matter, which enabled me to secure two eight-legged lizards from them. However, it would likely be difficult to obtain more lizards from the Bai family. That said, the three of you may wish to visit the other families and see if you can exchange some rare treasures for a few lizards of your own." As far as I know, the Ning and Fang families seem to be...” Han Li didn’t hide anything—he simply laid out all the information he had. It took him a full meal’s worth of time to cover the current situation in Huanye City and the status of the major power factions. Initially, upon hearing that Han Li had secured two eight-legged magic lizards, the elders of the Long family and others brightened, showing clear signs of satisfaction. However, after listening more closely to the details of the city’s situation, they all grew thoughtful again. When Han Li finally stopped speaking, the elder of the Long family said with a thoughtful tone, “Congratulations, Brother Han, on resolving the issue with the magic lizards ahead of schedule. But I heard that these eight-legged lizards are the very foundation of the four major families here—why is that? Could you elaborate a bit more? And approximately, how many such lizards do these families have?” “As far as I know, each family possesses only a few dozen of these eight-legged lizards. The families value them particularly because these lizards can freely enter and exit the Huanxiao Desert.” As long as these magical lizard creatures are available, the several great magical clans can penetrate deep into the Phanxiao Desert to locate various rare material sources and continuously transport them out. Think of the immense stakes involved—how could these clans easily yield such a valuable asset to outsiders, especially when they themselves perceive the number of such creatures as insufficient? Han Li spoke calmly. The three elders of the Long family listened intently, their expressions growing increasingly somber, as if they too found the matter particularly challenging. After a pause, the young lady in flowing robes gently asked Han Li: "What specific matter did your esteemed clan resolve for the Bai family, that prompted you to gift them two magical lizards at once?" "Nothing remarkable—only that I was invited by the Bai family to resolve a single magical beast issue in the desert. However, such an opportunity arises only at the right moment and is not easily replicable," Han Li replied with a gentle smile. "It seems your fortune truly is exceptional!" the young lady expressed with evident admiration. "It's merely a matter of luck," Han Li said, smiling faintly, with a composed and understated demeanor. "Then, let it be. My lord has himself once practiced the magic arts, and should I use them to animate the counterfeit magus pearls, I believe we shall not be detected within the City of Phantom Night. I shall join Brother Han and enter the city shortly. For caution's sake, however, Brother Hui and Lady Ye shall remain outside for now, finding a suitable place to settle and staying in constant contact with us. In the meantime, I and Brother Han shall see if we can secure a few more magus lizards. Should all else fail, we may have to infiltrate one of the families—either by force or stealth—to obtain a few more. Though this course of action may attract strong opposition, it would be our last resort." After a moment's reflection, the elder of the Long family finally settled on this course. "That sounds good. The City of Phantom Night differs from the City of Blood Hawks, which boasts many magus lords. Should someone indeed be practicing a unique cultivation method, relying solely on these counterfeit pearls for concealment, I would feel uneasy. Then, I shall remain outside with Brother Hui." The matter of the magical lizard will largely rest with Lóng brother and Hán brother. The young woman in the feathered robe nodded in agreement. The man in black also had no objections, merely giving a slight bow. Then, the elder of the Lóng family and the others began to discuss specific plans and steps, carefully considering all possible contingencies and ultimately deeming everything manageable. The four of them eventually each took off on their respective means of teleportation and departed from the mountain. Hán Li, however, did not move alongside the elder of the Lóng family but entered the city of Huàn Yè one after the other. Half a day later, the Saint Spirit Academy within the city welcomed a middle-aged man at the stage of late True Immortality. This was the elder of the Lóng family, whose cultivation level had been suppressed. Not only did he conceal his Body-Unity stage, but he also rented a separate pavilion located away from Hán Li’s residence. No one could have imagined any connection between the two. Day after day, life passed by. Besides occasionally exchanging messages with the old patriarch of the Long family and others through magical artifacts, Han Li remained deeply immersed in his studies, day after day, refining his understanding of the magic technique of the magical crystal automaton. During this time, the Long family's old patriarch thoroughly explored the entire city of Huanye, attempting to exchange for rare treasures with several prominent families in order to secure some eight-legged magical lizards—yet he consistently faced disappointment. Undeterred, the patriarch remained confident, believing that in both the spiritual and magical realms, no item was inherently unexchangeable; it simply depended on whether the value of the offering was sufficient. Thus, he not only did not give up but also seized the opportunity to establish a close relationship with a high-ranking disciple of the Zhao family, becoming increasingly active in their interactions. Han Li, through his regular communication, was well aware of all these developments, yet he chose to remain passive, simply observing whether the Long family's strategy could truly prove effective. But before the results had materialized, news arrived that the various Holy Spirits had finally reached the city of Huanye. Upon hearing this, the elder of the Long family was naturally overjoyed and once again accompanied Han Li outside the city to meet the spiritual race, where they reconvened and saw once more the thousand-years-old Holy Maiden and the other Holy Spirits. Although the spiritual race arrived slightly later than the Long family elders, all the Holy Spirits were present and appeared in perfect health. Yet, during the meeting, Han Li found himself glancing repeatedly at the Holy Spirit named "Zhi Shui." He couldn't help but wonder if it were merely his own impression—there was a subtle sense that this pale Spirit of the Instrumental Race seemed to have a more cold and damp aura than before. Even at a slight distance, he felt a sense of unease and restlessness. Han Li cast his spiritual awareness upon the figure several times, only for it to vanish instantly upon touching the Spirit’s body, as though absorbed into the very essence of the being—leaving no trace at all. This observation only deepened his frown. Moreover, the talks between the Long family elder and the various spiritual clans proceeded exceptionally smoothly. Immediately, aside from the thousand-year-saint maiden and the elderly scholar known as "Cangxing," who had concealed their cultivation level to blend into the city, all the other spiritual clan members gathered with the feathered-dress maiden and remained outside the city, awaiting further developments. With two allies now at his side, the Long family elder continued advancing his plan, ultimately firmly locking onto the Zhao family as his target. He gradually increased the exchange terms while simultaneously employing various methods to probe the locations of the magical lizards raised by the Zhao family and the defensive seals at their residences. Clearly, the Long family elder and his associates were preparing for the contingency that the final exchange might fail, and thus taking decisive action.