"Looking at the traces left here, it seems there were quite a few people involved. So, the message I received when I broke through the opposing array must have been genuine—the magical lizards taken from Zhao's family are also connected to this group." The other elder immediately erupted in anger. "I believe this is very likely. If these people are indeed companions of the two mentioned, their cultivation and abilities are undoubtedly beyond what our junior disciples can withstand. It appears Zhao's family has long been under observation; our actions yesterday were deliberately designed to draw them out of their fortress. The several magical lizards must have been their primary targets. Otherwise, they wouldn't have so swiftly retreated into the Phantom Whistle Desert." The first elder sighed, somewhat resigned. "Who are these thieves, daring to target our Zhao family? We cannot simply let this pass—this grudge must be avenged! Otherwise, how could our Zhao family ever establish itself in the City of Phantom Night?" The other elder spoke with growing determination. "Avenging this injury? That may not be an easy task." The two who brought us out may have only displayed the Qi of Lingxu stage, yet their true attainments might well be higher. "The elder said, shaking his head. "So you mean those two are also beings of the Magistrate's rank? Could it be that the one who breached our Zhao family's stronghold is of comparable attainment? Then it makes sense that they treat our Zhao stronghold as if it didn't exist and dare to even target the Mag-Lizard. Yet, how come we haven't heard a single word about such a development? When so many ancient beings have recently arrived in our Huanye City?" The other elder paused, then drew in a sharp breath. "That's hard to say! My colleagues might merely be their junior subordinates. Still, even if that's the case, these two alone surpass us in cultivation. And they've already penetrated deep into the Phantom Whistle Desert's vessel—our Zhao family alone may find it difficult to recover justice. As for the lack of any prior news, that's quite understandable. They either concealed their true abilities and appearances, or simply remained outside the city all along, having never entered the City of Huanye before," the elder who spoke first said after a moment's pause. "Is it really that simple?" the other elder replied, regaining his composure with renewed anger. "According to the latest reports, the allies of those two individuals did not launch a full-scale assault on Zhao Family Fort—they only eliminated a few minor disciples. While the loss of several magical lizards this time is significant to us, it does not threaten the very foundation of our Zhao family. As for the reputational damage, we can easily find a few unsatisfactory members to eliminate. We'll simply treat them as the allies of that group and publicly display their downfall." The first elder spoke with a gloomy tone, as though he had already carefully considered this course of action. "Such a course of action feels like self-deception! I cannot bear to carry this resentment any longer," the other elder said, after a brief pause, then stomped his foot firmly. "It's not something we can bear, so we must endure! You and I are the last two pillars of the Zhao family. Should either of us fall, the Zhao family might well begin to decline. For the sake of the Zhao family's prosperity, we have no choice but to swallow this grudge. However, if my younger brother truly cannot let go of his resentment, he need not rely on us to act—he can simply use the strategy of 'letting others do the killing'." The first elder's face darkened as he spoke. "Brother, don't worry—I know exactly how to proceed. Hehe, if the monsters from the Beast Sovereign Hall make their move, even if these people don't die, they'll surely lose a layer of skin. And with this magical stone, Zhao Family will surely face some serious financial strain." The elder first expressed great joy, then voiced a sense of reluctance. "We've already decided to make a significant sacrifice—another bit more won't matter. Let's set a hundred-year term. If these people remain in the desert for a full century without leaving, then the magical stones will have truly been wasted. What's more, we shouldn't delay any further. Let's immediately return to the city and take action right away." The first elder cast a deep, thoughtful gaze toward the distant sands and then spoke without hesitation. The second elder, naturally, had no objections. At once, both elders rolled their magical auras, transforming once again into two brilliant black streaks of light, and shot off toward the city of HuanYe at full speed. The expanse of HuanXiao Desert, since the arrival of Han Li and his companions, remained untouched for four months—only after a disciple from another prominent family in HuanYe City, the Fang family, carefully led several magical lizards back into the desert did the area regain activity. Meanwhile, the disturbances in HuanYe City caused by the loss of the Zhao family's magical lizards had gradually subsided. After a thorough investigation, the two Magi-Emperors of the Zhao family linked the incident to Han Li's disappearance in a somewhat indirect way, but without solid evidence, they naturally remained silent on the matter. Thus, time flew by swiftly, and year after year passed, with the Four Noble Families still standing firmly as pillars of the city of HuanYe—yet the events that once unfolded within the Zhao family had long since faded from memory and were no longer mentioned. It was precisely decades ago when Han Li and others entered the Huaxiao Desert from the direction of Huanye City. However, the original ten Magi Lizards had dwindled to just five after this long journey, with most of them now sharing a single lizard. In appearance, Han Li and the old master of Long family looked as they did decades ago, their faces now bright with excitement. "At last, we've escaped this miserable desert! For decades, we've seen the same scene over and over—there's simply no way to bear it anymore. Even during one century-long meditation retreat, I never felt so weary." The young lady in the feathered robe exhaled deeply, her eyes shining with relief, as if finally freed from suffering. "Traveling through the desert for decades without end is indeed a trying task. Moreover, we've encountered nearly all three of the desert's great calamities several times each, and barely managed to preserve half of our eight-legged Magi Lizards." "The young lady seated behind the feather-robed maiden, however, remained calmly composed, speaking softly. These decades had passed by, yet seemed to have made no mark upon this holy maiden of the spiritual race. 'Yet the most perilous challenge has been the sand-shade beast in its late fusion stage. It has stubbornly trailed us for several years, constantly launching surprise attacks. Had it not been for my friend Han, who finally summoned his divine powers to annihilate it, we might have found it difficult to make our way through this desert at all,' said the young lady. Suddenly, she glanced at Han with a touch of unusual expression. 'Your words are most gracious, Lady Qianqiu! Had it not been for my friend Zhi-shui, who managed to hold that sand-shade beast at bay, I would never have had the chance to intervene,' replied Han, casting a glance toward the young spiritual maiden nearby. 'Indeed, that sand-shade beast has been elusive and unpredictable. Its eventual defeat is truly a shared achievement between you and my friend Zhi-shui,' he added, with a smile." Now that I've finally emerged from the Phunxiao Desert, I'll begin carrying out our originally agreed-upon plans, moving out separately as planned." After gathering the several magical lizards, the elder of the Long family laughed heartily. "I have no objections!" Han Li turned back to gaze at the gray, swirling sand behind him, then smiled slightly. A year ago, while still within the desert, they had already discussed in detail all the arrangements for what would happen once they stepped out. Though the Phunxiao Desert was considered a sacred sanctuary for ordinary magical beings, it posed only moderate challenges for them—merely a few hazards—for the combined cultivators among them. The only thing that had bothered him was during the latter part of their journey, when, in order to defeat a particularly skilled, elusive beast, he had slightly revealed his true powers—only for others to witness it. This had made the elder of the Long family and the others, as well as the spiritual race representatives such as the Thousand-Season Saint Maiden, not only more courteous but also increasingly cautious and reserved toward him. Han Li naturally paid no attention to the subtle shifts in the others' attitudes toward him. At this point, the Immortal Clan members, including the Thousand-Age Maiden, also readily accepted the elder of the Long family's proposal. As a result, all the parties involved instantly rose into the air, dividing into several groups and taking off toward different directions. Their agreed-upon plan was surprisingly simple: to prevent any determined pursuers from tracking them, the group split again during their journey from the Phantom Whistle Desert to the Magic Source Sea. Although their routes diverged, their ultimate destination remained the same—the Magic Source Sea. While this strategy dispersed their combined strength, it made them less conspicuous to the Magi, significantly reducing the risk of detection.