A short while later, a hum resonated in the void, and a jade-green array disc materialized in the palm of a hand, with a spell gesture vanishing instantly into it. At once, the delighted voice of the wood-clad Han exclaimed: "Frater Han, are you well? I've completed my preparations and can now activate the seal. Now, please bring those incarnations of the Sage Ancestors into the mountain range; I'll use the great array to encase them." "No need to go through all this trouble. Let's hold off on the seal for now and save it for the next wave of enemies. I'm fine here." Han held the array disc in one hand, calmly replying, while the other hand cradled a black axe, which he examined with genuine interest. This axe had been the magical weapon previously used by the golden-armored demonic race. Around the void, aside from Crab Dao-ren and the wounded body, there was no other figure present. The ground within a hundred li, however, lay scattered with craters and damage, with no area remaining intact. Clearly, a more intense battle had just taken place not long ago. "What? Brother Han means to say..." The wooden-tribe Han first remained silent for a moment, then spoke with a voice filled with astonishment and disbelief. "The Saint-Ancestral manifestations I saw just now have already been defeated by me and Brother Ji, along with our companions. Naturally, the seal you're currently controlling must be preserved." Han waved his hand, and his black axe momentarily blurred before vanishing, then smiled lightly and replied. During that great battle, he and Ji had easily defeated the three demons—especially the one clad in golden armor. However, after they managed to escape together, it took some effort before they could finally eliminate them one by one. "Brothers Han and Ji's extraordinary abilities truly surpass what I could have imagined. With that, our second array eye is now absolutely secure," the wooden-tribe Han exclaimed, his voice now carrying a tone of genuine relief and respect. Clearly, Han Li's demonstrated prowess had caused the Wood Clan's Consolidated Stage cultivator to no longer treat him as a mere peer, his words now subtly tinged with reverence. As Han Li smiled slightly, preparing to respond further through the array disc, a series of deep thunderclaps suddenly erupted in the sky. Across all directions, the void flashed with brilliant white light, and waves of disturbance surged from one direction on the horizon, sweeping past him with only a few instants of movement. At the same moment, the array disc emitted a low exclamation from a Wood Clan man. Han Li's smile tightened slightly, and after a moment of shifting his gaze, he slowly transmitted his voice through the disc, asking, "Zhao Daojun, did the unusual phenomenon just also destroy the first array node?" "Han brother is correct," came the somewhat weary voice from the disc. "The reserve Sacred Tree indicates that the first array node has indeed been destroyed. The demonic clan's Sacred Ancestors launched their assault simultaneously on all three array nodes." "This is entirely expected. I believe we'll soon have a second group of guests arriving as well." Han Li replied with a cold smile. "Han brother, you and Crab brother, please rest for a while. If we have to wait for the other Saint Ancestral Avatars to arrive, we may well find ourselves needing Han brother's combined strength to hold the situation. In the meantime, it would be wise to restore as much of your inner energy as possible." The large man from the Wood Clan paused thoughtfully before transmitting the words. "That makes sense. Then I'll go and rest with Crab brother right away." Han Li nodded slightly, expressing his agreement with a pleased expression. Without further words, Han Li folded the array disk in his hand and summoned Crab to rise. The two of them instantly transformed into two streaks of brilliant light, soaring upward and swiftly heading toward the heart of the mountain range. Meanwhile, beneath the space where they had previously stood, the ground suddenly burst into a vibrant green glow. The once-damaged terrain instantly turned lush and verdant, swiftly covered by countless grasses and shrubs. Innumerable trees surged upward at a visible, rapid pace, transforming into towering giants several hundred zhang tall, their dense canopies completely concealing all traces on the ground. ...Half a day later, in the vast expanse of space thousands of miles away from the mountain range, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted. A dark line shimmered briefly at the horizon, and then an endless surge of black mist surged forth, rushing toward the mountain range with overwhelming force. Within this powerful wave of black mist, a dark, ink-black pavilion, resembling a small mountain, subtly emerged. On a platform at the pavilion's summit, seven magi of varying attire stood in a straight line, engaged in low, continuous conversation. Each of them radiated an exceptionally strong aura, clearly not ordinary magi elders. "The old fellows—those so-called elders—are truly useless. While both our groups have achieved success, they've remained completely silent since their departure. As a result, we've had to make an extra trip just to reach them." "A tall magical race man, radiating subtle blue glimmers, was complaining impatiently. "In terms of true strength, I'm certain the five companions of Xue aren't much behind us seven. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been granted their own path and sent separately to handle this array's core. As for their failure to succeed so far, it's likely due to some formidable restriction trapping them." A graceful lady in imperial robes responded with a light laugh. "Hmph. We've easily secured victories on both fronts with Shā's group, yet the side of Xue—the so-called 'old fool'—has encountered difficulties. Clearly, it's their five who are to blame." The tall magical man rolled his eyes, clearly at odds with the term 'old fool' used. "If their five are merely trapped, that would be satisfactory. But what if they've encountered powerful adversaries, and all of them have suffered setbacks? In that case, we seven will need to be especially vigilant." An elderly man with a head of yellow hair spoke coldly. "That simply can't be." With the powers of these five, as long as they didn't encounter beings at the Great Vehicle stage, they would surely be able to protect themselves, even if only barely. As for those who couldn't be reached, it was most likely due to the effects of the local restrictions—nothing unusual at all," the dressed-in-imperial-gown woman said with a light, composed smile, clearly unconcerned. "Regardless, the defenders at the array's core who have been able to hold off the old ghostly figures—there must be some strategy behind it. We'll simply proceed with caution," the elderly man with white hair said, his expression unchanged. "Since Master Ji has emphasized this, we will naturally take extra care," someone from among the demonic clans replied lightly. The others from the demonic clans nodded in agreement. The elderly man with white hair nodded once, about to add a few more instructions, when suddenly his expression changed, and he raised his head sharply, scanning the sky above. "What is it? Has Master Ji noticed something?" one of the taller demonic figures asked, naturally puzzled by this sudden shift. But before the elderly man could respond, an astonishingly terrifying surge erupted in the upper sky. As the emerald light flickered, a strange, misty emerald veil suddenly materialized, only to vanish instantly and transform into a vast, sky-reaching net that swiftly descended upon the lower area. "Not good! Move quickly!" The elderly man's face paled as he roared, rolling to the ground at once and transforming into a great yellow-feathered eagle. With a powerful flap of its wings, the eagle burst into a brilliant yellow glow and soared through the air, breaking free from the hall. The other six demons were equally startled, each summoning their own flight techniques to rise and scatter in all directions. The emerald veil spanned an area of over a hundred mu, descending with the speed of lightning. In a single flash, it swept away the dark mist below, fully engulfing everything within. Even four of the demonic beings failed to escape in time and were trapped inside the veil. The three elders who had escaped hurriedly summoned their flight lights, spiraling back to assist. Without a word, their inner energies surged dramatically, and they immediately prepared to launch an attack to rescue their companions inside. But as soon as the light curtain dropped, it instantly brightened and, in the flickering glow, transformed into a colossal sphere of light. With a long, resonant roar, it shot skyward and vanished in a flash. The three demons outside were first stunned, then swiftly enraged, and immediately launched after it with their flight lights blazing. Just then, as the sky's subtle ripples rippled again, two figures—one in jade and one in jade-green—appeared unexpectedly, precisely blocking the path the three demons had taken. The three elderly demons were startled, and immediately scanned the two figures with a look of cautious alertness. The jade-green figure was none other than Han Li, who, after glancing at the three demons, spoke calmly: "Since you three have managed to escape the seal, then let me send you on your way." Rest assured, once I've settled matters with you three, I'll also send your companions along—never letting you feel lonely." As soon as she finished speaking, Han Li suddenly struck his temple with one hand, and instantly a golden infant spirit shot out from within. Then, a clear, resonant chime echoed through his body, and five golden lights burst forth, swiftly transforming into five ethereal figures—each about one zhang tall—depicting a giant ape, a colorful phoenix, a silver crane, a peacock, and a golden dragon—spinning continuously around the surroundings. The infant spirit immediately extended its small hand, beckoning toward the four directions. The five true spirit forms flashed and vanished, merging seamlessly into the infant's body. A thunderous roar followed—intense golden light erupted from the delicate golden infant, then subsided. When the light faded, Han Li and the infant were gone, replaced by a tall, strange humanoid figure. The figure shone with a brilliant golden glow, his skin and face veiled in a delicate layer of golden scales. A jade-colored single horn sprouted from his head, and an eerie black, supernatural eye emerged mysteriously on his forehead. Han Li directly activated his cultivation technique, transforming into the first-rank Nirvana Immortal Body form. As for the Crab Immortal standing beside him, a thunderous rumble echoed around him, and amidst countless silver arcs, he revealed his original colossal crab form, stretching over a hundred zhang in length. The three demons below stared in growing dismay at this sight. ...Several hours later, at the first array focal point within the Wood Realm's Great Array, the area had been completely enveloped by surging waves of dark magical energy, with countless magical soldiers below arranged in neat, dense formations. Above this army of demons, a group of high-ranking demon cultivators gazed at each other in solemn, gloomy silence. "The Seasonal Daoist and his companions have also lost contact! It appears that the second focal point truly has a problem. Otherwise, with two waves of Daoists having gone there in succession, no message could have been sent back at all." A young magical being clad in a sleek black armor spoke slowly.