These colossal formations ranged from grand pavilions resembling palaces, to honeycomb-islands towering like mountains, and even vast, shimmering clouds of emerald light that materialized directly into immense cloud masses. Laden with troops from various allied clans, these formations paused slightly in the sky before, under the escort of flying war-chariots, departed in dense numbers from above the Mucian City, rumbling steadily toward the distant horizon. The departing allied forces carried away nearly half of Mucian City's elite troops, including all three of the great cultivators, and would later join forces with several additional contingents dispatched from other cities at the border of the magical realm, ultimately forming a truly formidable force capable of standing against the magical army. Han Li did not join this contingent. Instead, after standing on the gallery roof and gazing distantly as Mo Jianli and others led their forces away, he calmly returned to his residence to resume his cultivation. Five days later, after having grown quiet, Mucan City stirred once again, with another coalition—composed primarily of forces from the Mucan clan—gathering and preparing to depart. At this moment, Han Li, who had been meditating silently on the top floor of the pavilion, slightly shifted his expression, then paused his cultivation and opened his eyes. A moment later, footsteps echoed down the stairs, and Zhu Guo'er approached, respectfully saying to Han Li, "Master Han, representatives from the Mucan clan have come to invite you to join them." "I know. You still lack sufficient cultivation. For this great battle, you shall remain in Mucan City. After the battle concludes, I will return to take you back to your clan." Han Li spoke with a commanding tone. "Yes, Guo'er will abide by Master's instructions." Zhu Guo'er was momentarily surprised but quickly sensed the firmness in Han Li's words and bowed respectfully to accept. Han Li nodded slightly and then rose calmly, walking steadily toward the lower part of the pavilion. When he arrived at the main hall, the Crab Daoist was quietly seated in a corner, his legs folded, face expressionless. In the center of the hall, a young wood-clan youth with greenish skin stood there, somewhat uneasy. Upon a single glance, Han Li immediately noticed that this wood-clan youth had only just achieved his Yuan婴 stage of cultivation. "Respectfully, I come to invite you to proceed," the youth said, hurrying forward two steps and bowing deeply upon seeing Han Li. "The Grand Elder? Isn't the noble Grand Elder currently resting in the Sacred Tree?" Han Li narrowed his eyes and asked calmly. "Your grace, at present, the position of Grand Elder is temporarily held by Elder Zi Han," the youth explained, bowing slightly. "Ah, I see. Then, please lead the way. Brother Crab, let's go together," Han Li nodded calmly, then greeted the Crab Daoist. The Crab Daoist did not speak, but as his form blurred, he appeared silently behind Han Li. The young wood-clan youth was naturally startled, yet under Han Li's glance, he dared not ask any questions and hurried toward the door. Under his guidance, Han Li and the Crab Daoist stepped out of the pavilion. As Han Li glanced upward, he immediately spotted several dozen large, jade-green cloud masses rising into the sky and hovering steadily. On the surfaces of these clouds, faintly visible were pavilions and towers, with numerous guards from various clans bustling about, moving in and out constantly—seeming to be transporting something from the city of Mucan to these green cloud masses. Han Li only glanced at them briefly before drawing his gaze back, and as his light of flight ignited, he swiftly followed the young wood-clan youth toward the largest of the green cloud masses. The Crab Daoist followed close behind. A moment later, Han Li materialized on a platform entirely constructed from pale yellow trees, rising from within a cloud cluster. At the far end of the platform stood a grand green pavilion, over a hundred zhang in height. At the pavilion's entrance, several dozen fully armed guards from the Wood Clan were stationed there. Even as Han Li passed through them, the wooden-people guards unconsciously bowed their heads in respect. Though their races differed, their sense of reverence when encountering true strength was no less than when facing their own kind's champions. At that moment, however, Han Li suddenly moved his lips and whispered a few words to the crab-bodied monk behind him. The monk's eyes flashed slightly, and he instantly halted, then stepped back with both hands behind his back toward one side of the hall door. The wooden-people guards were somewhat surprised by this, but after exchanging glances, none of them spoke. Meanwhile, Han Li, led by a young wooden-people, passed through a corridor and entered the main hall. As he casually glanced around, he found that within the vast hall stretching over fifty zhang, there were only a few people present. At the main seat representing the host, sat an elderly Mu-clan elder with purple hair flowing down his head, in the late Consolidation stage of cultivation, thin and gaunt, wearing a green robe, but with a waist belt composed of half-silver and half-gold. To the left and right of him, at the lower levels of the seats, sat a Mu-clan man clad in silver armor and a tall black-robed maiden. Both were at the mid-Consolidation stage. The man was notably broad-shouldered, nearly two heads taller than the average Mu-clan, with several deep wrinkles on his forehead and dull eyes, appearing somewhat listless. The black-robed maiden looked about seventeen or eighteen, with a pair of short black horns on her head, her face graceful yet her expression cold and distant. Upon seeing Han Li enter, the three who had been conversing paused, each turning their gaze toward him. "Ah, Han brother—Master has long spoken highly of you, Master Mo. Your prowess is truly remarkable. With your assistance in this great battle, we Mu-clan are truly fortunate!" Upon clearly seeing that Han Li had indeed reached the late Consolidation stage, the elder from the Wood Clan immediately smiled warmly and stood up, extending a distant bow. "Master Han, it is a pleasure to meet you!" "You are Han Li, and indeed, from your cultivation level, you surpass both me and Master Grass by a considerable margin. I am Xiao Xi, the queen of the Naga Clan." The other two, upon sensing that Han Li's cultivation surpassed theirs, also stood up with varied expressions, bowing respectfully in return. "Master Han, I have come a little late, and have kept you all waiting." Han Li replied calmly and gracefully. "Master Han, please sit. I am currently discussing the matter of guarding the array's focal point with the two of you. When the time comes, both Master Grass and Lady Xian will join you to jointly guard the same focal point." The elder from the Wood Clan first invited Han Li to take a seat, then smiled and added. As for the young mage from the Demon Clan, he had already respectfully stepped back and exited the hall at the elder's gesture. "With the assistance of both Master Grass and Lady Xian, Master Han will have greater confidence in successfully guarding the focal point Han Li yawned, already treating Cao Ji and Fei Xiao Xi as his deputies. With his stable cultivation level surpassing the other two, he naturally had no need to be formal—otherwise, he would have felt constrained. Upon hearing this, the wooden-tribe elder's gaze flickered slightly, yet his face showed no change. In contrast, the black-robed young woman's expression subtly shifted, and she lightly sniffed. "Of course not. In fact, the main responsibility will actually fall to Daojun Li, while Brother Han and Lady Fei's primary task will remain simply to safeguard the array's core points." The elder of the Wood Clan explained calmly. "Ah, then, what exactly will Daojun Li be doing? Might Brother Zihan kindly elaborate on that?" Han also expressed genuine interest. "Actually, not much. However, the subtle transformations of the Wood Realm's grand array may require some support from the power of the three core points. At that time, someone will need to operate the core points in coordination with the entire array. The specific techniques for manipulating the core points have already been passed on to Daojun Cai, along with two others. Still, when these core points are activated, additional protection from other companions will be necessary." The elder of the Wood Clan smiled and said. "Ah, I see. That makes perfect sense. The grand array of the Wood Realm has always been a noble family's foundational array, so it naturally requires noble individuals to operate the core points." Han Li smiled slightly, speaking with calm confidence. "I have no concerns at all. The array's focal point shall be entrusted to Brother Zhao." After a moment's thought, the black-robed maiden nodded in agreement. "Excellent. I knew the two of you would generously assist. Once the first-tier array is fully established, the second focal point will truly be entrusted entirely to the three of you." The elder of the Wood Clan was delighted, rising once more to pay a formal bow to Han Li and the two companions. "Please, Elder Zihang, rest assured! We will do our utmost." Han Li and the others naturally rose to return the bow. In the following moments, the elder of the Wood Clan went on to remind them of several key points to observe. Finally, he presented each of them with a jade scroll, containing detailed records of the evolving seals from the great battle of the Wood Realm, instructing them to memorize these carefully. Should a formidable foe indeed arrive at the focal point, they would be able to leverage the power of these seals to defend themselves. After settling all the matters, the elder of the Wood Clan issued another command, summoning three members of the Wood Clan to assign temporary resting places for Han Li and his companions within the other structures on the vast cloud clusters. After all, the journey from the City of Mulian Cotton to the site where the great array had been erected was still quite long. Prior to that, Han Li and his party naturally needed to recover and recharge. Half a day later, the thunderous rumble in the sky once again surged as the several massive cloud clusters shifted, taking off from the City of Mulian Cotton and swiftly heading toward the region currently occupied by the Magian Clan, escorted by thousands of flying war vessels.