Han Li and his two companions didn't need to say anything—the magi guards on the black giant vessel were each clad in silver battle armor, with crimson battle robes draped over them. Even the lowest-ranked among them possessed at least the stage of Huashen or above. At the very prow of the vessel, there stood over a hundred such guards, among whom several were magi elders at the Consolidated stage. These magi guards stared at Han Li and his companions with expressions of astonishment and bewilderment, momentarily unsure of what was happening. According to the original plan, the spatial channel had been fully occupied throughout the day, and only their war vessel should have been able to enter and exit. Yet now, how had a flying chariot appeared from the opposite side? As the giant vessel and the flying chariot passed each other, the magi guards remained still, showing no immediate reaction. Suddenly, however, a deeply resonant, elderly voice emerged from within the vessel's cabin: "Hmph. So you are the foreign beings from the Spirit Realm! Since you have arrived here, there's no need to rush back—accompany me back to the Sacred Realm." As soon as the words fell, a tangible wave of murderous intent surged forth from the ship's cabin, followed by a ripple in the air above the flying carriage. A shimmering crack in the space split open—howling like a ghost's lament! A massive white bone claw, several zhang in length, emerged and plunged downward with great force. Before the five white bone fingers had fully grasped their target, five tendrils of gray-white deadly energy spiraled off the tips. The outer light shield of the carriage trembled and shattered instantly upon contact with the gray-white aura, offering no resistance at all. After a thunderous roar, the gray-white aura and the fist shadows collided, being violently dispersed. However, the originally golden fist shadows suddenly shrank nearly in half, their glow dimming dramatically. Standing to one side, Crab Dao Man's eyes flashed with cold light. As he opened his mouth, a golden beam of light erupted and vanished almost instantly, striking the palm of the white bone giant claw at the same moment as the fist shadows. A deep, resonant drumming sound erupted. The golden light burst outward beneath the claw, interwove and merged into a massive, sun-like orb that spun continuously. Though the giant claw itself radiated immense power, it could not help but slightly stabilize in the air under the support of the golden light. At the same time, strong vibrations surged throughout the surrounding void, causing the entire space to hum. In some areas where the impacts had occurred, the space began to warp and blur, and the spatial passage itself seemed to grow increasingly unstable. The magical guards standing on the great vessel instantly grew pale upon seeing this, many displaying clear fear in their eyes. If a spatial collapse truly occurred, they would surely all be trapped. Yet at that very moment, a cold exhalation echoed from within the vessel's cabin. The white-boned claw suddenly clenched its five fingers, and the five bone fingers snapped like blades toward the luminous orb—crushing it with a sharp "pffft!" The golden glow vanished instantly. Han Li gasped in surprise. However, at this moment, the other guards had already drawn upon their utmost inner qi, channeling it rapidly into the flying chariots beneath them. "Whoosh!" The chariots trembled and then vanished from their original position. Moments later, a ripple of spatial disturbance emerged hundreds of feet ahead, and the chariots reappeared, instantly transforming into a surge of bright green light and racing forward. The white-boned claw then trembled and collapsed with a deep, resonant sound. The one hundred and fifty magical beings stared at the scene, utterly taken aback. "After all, let them go—we must press on!" A voice, dry and emotionless, echoed from the ship's cabin after a pause. "Yes, sir!" A commotion broke out at the bow, with many immediately taking up new tasks. As the great vessel's surface shimmered and glowed, its speed surged significantly, and it shot forward toward the far end of the passage. "Master Tian, shall we simply let them go? Should we not send more people to retrieve them?" A young magical being, no more than thirteen, asked the white-haired elder who lounged half-sitting in a high-backed chair, with a tone of growing frustration. "Enough. My affairs are pressing. These minor creatures may well be allowed to pass. Besides, unless I myself intervene, no one else will be able to capture them." The elder, dressed in a deep navy robe, with arms extending well past his knees, spoke softly. Indeed, they must be that formidable. Yet just now, Master Tian had hardly drawn upon any of his true strength. The young man had a refined countenance, with several purple magical patterns on his face, and he looked somewhat surprised upon hearing this. "Heh, even though I haven't summoned my full strength, the two individuals who defended me didn't either. If we were to truly engage in combat, I wouldn't be able to subdue them in a single encounter," the elder smiled warmly, as though deeply fond of the young man. "They possess such extraordinary abilities! It seems these foreign beings must be of considerable significance." The young man blinked thoughtfully. "Those who manage to infiltrate our Sacred Realm and then bravely break through the channel to return—naturally, they can't be mere novices. But if it weren't for their being precisely within the spatial channel, I wouldn't have been able to deploy much of my magical power. How then could they have allowed these people to escape?" The elder's tone remained calm, yet a fleeting glint of sternness passed over his face. "Indeed, outside the channel, these relatively humble foreign beings would only be able to submit and yield before the Grand Elders themselves." The young man quickly praised him enthusiastically. The elder smiled and narrowed his eyes, gently stroking his beard—clearly delighted by the young man's words, though in his heart, a few lingering doubts remained. The young, fair-faced man who had been spouting golden light on the flying chariot earlier had an air that felt familiar, yet he couldn't quite recall where he had seen him before. "Well, then, once we return to the Sacred Realm, we'll have someone look into it. If we can't remember, it mustn't be a particularly important figure," the white-haired elder thought to himself, quietly. Several hours later, at the other end of the spatial passage, several squads of magical guards were patrolling the exit. On the ground below, three colossal triangular towers—each over a thousand paces tall—were arranged in a "character 'pin'" formation. Suddenly, a ripple of energy surged through the passage, and a flying chariot, wrapped in jade-like light, burst forth and swiftly passed through the air, gliding directly above one of the patrol squads. This naturally sent the nearby patrol units into a state of astonishment, as piercing, shrill cries erupted from all directions and surged directly toward the flying chariot. At the same time, the great triangular tower beneath began to radiate a soft glow, and stone gates of varying sizes materialized spontaneously along its side walls. Figures swayed within the gates, and large numbers of magical guards poured out, yet the flying chariot's speed far exceeded anything these defenders could imagine. Behind a series of rushing sounds, the faint outline of the chariot reached the far edge of the sky, and then, with a single flash, vanished completely. At this moment, only a few of the magi-kings from the triangular tower roared and launched themselves into the air. "...Indeed, this is the territory of the Woodfolk. I once visited the Woodfolk many years ago, and I have always found their forest environment particularly unique. I should not be mistaken." "Beyond tens of thousands of miles in the vast expanse of space, the flying chariot continued to rush forward without pause. Yet, within the chariot, Han Li took a deep breath, gazing at the dense forest composed of towering trees, each reaching a hundred zhang in height, and remarked, 'This is indeed the Spirit Realm. The spiritual energy here is remarkably dense—far surpassing that of our Xiaoling Heaven.' Zhu Guo'er, on the other hand, kept glancing left and right, her voice filled with excitement. 'The human inhabitants of Xiaoling Heaven have many who are descendants of Spirit Realm cultivators who settled here. Naturally, when they speak of the Spirit Realm to those who have never left Xiaoling Heaven, they are always filled with deep sentiment, extolling its many advantages.' 'Though the Spirit Realm is indeed excellent, our human cultivators there do not hold a particularly strong presence. We are currently facing difficulties, so it's not as ideal as you might imagine.' Han Li gathered his gaze, shook his head, and said. 'Regardless, the Spirit Realm is undoubtedly more suitable for our human cultivators than Xiaoling Heaven. By the way, Master, when do you plan to return to Xiaoling Heaven After a cheerful smile, Zhu Guo'er quickly added, "Don't worry—even if you don't mention it, I'll definitely bring you along. After all, I'm not very familiar with Xiao Ling Tian, so I'll need a guide." Han Li replied without hesitation. "Then, I shall be deeply grateful to the elder," Zhu Guo'er exclaimed, delighted, and promptly bowed deeply in thanks. Han Li nodded and said nothing further, merely continuing to urge the flying chariot forward at a swift pace. With his full effort driving the chariot at its evasive speed, he naturally had no fear of any pursuing forces behind. However, after the chariot had traveled for half a day, Han Li, observing the scenery along the way, found his expression gradually growing serious. Although the journey passed through dense groves of towering trees one after another, some of the trees were beginning to take on a deep, ink-green hue—distinctly different from the usual fresh green. As more and more regions become accessible for high-speed flight, these deep-green trees have become increasingly numerous, until nearly half of the towering trees in certain forests are of this kind. Within these dense groves, a strange, violet-black gas permeates—though it is only a thin, delicate layer, it still leaves people feeling distinctly uneasy. Although Zhu Guo'er has limited experience, as she witnessed such trees throughout her journey, her initial excitement gradually faded, replaced instead by expressions of wonder and concern. "Master Han, these trees seem remarkably similar to plants from the realm of magic. Moreover, the mist they emit appears to contain a magical essence as well. What could be causing this?" After traveling a bit further, Zhu Guo'er finally couldn't hold back and asked. "I'm not entirely certain yet, but it's likely something the magical beings have orchestrated. Remarkably, despite our prolonged journey, we have not encountered a single member of the woodfolk—this is indeed rather puzzling." Though the Wood Clan may not be as strong as our Human Clan, their strength is by no means to be underestimated." After a moment of varying expressions, Han Li replied seriously.