As soon as Han Li saw the silver giant dragon truly depart from the nearby void, his expression slightly relaxed. Yet, after quietly pondering the words the other had spoken upon leaving, his face grew once again uncertain. A moment later, the small green figure blurred slightly, transforming into a faint green glow and rushing downward. Not long after, within the sealed chamber of the mountain's inner sanctuary, a ripple of spatial disturbance surged, and the green figure unexpectedly materialized. The seated green spirit body and Han Li's physical form instantly rose to their feet as they observed this. At the same time, Han Li's physical body closed his eyes, and his forehead spontaneously cracked open in a golden light. The green figure immediately transformed into a streak of green light, flashing swiftly before vanishing into Han Li's head. In that instant, Han Li's physical form burst with flashes of purple-gold light, while a series of silver spiritual patterns began to emerge on his surface. Han Li's eyelids twitched slightly, and his eyes reopened. The spectral form beside him stepped forward without a word. After a flash of faint, misty light, it dissolved into a shimmering outline and merged seamlessly into the body of Han Li. Han Li remained motionless at the spot, his eyes flickering with a steady, subtle glow. It wasn't until some time had passed that he gently swayed his neck twice and murmured softly, "For the first time, I've experienced the purifying force of the罡 wind. My true embryo has indeed grown more stable than before. It seems that the ability to journey far and wide not only serves as a strategic advantage in battle, but can also be directly applied to cultivation." As soon as he finished speaking, Han Li resumed his meditative posture without any change in expression. He rotated his palm—then the pale silver scale reappeared. Holding it gently, he traced it with his fingers for a while, his face now reflecting a thoughtful expression. The true dragon island mentioned by Fan Paozi—he had indeed heard of it before, from several ancient texts. He heard that this legendary island was quite unique—it did not exist within any of the standard interfaces, but rather in a distinct space separate from several interfaces. Various celestial and terrestrial beings dwelled on the island, mostly of the qiao-long type; however, there were no fewer than十余 true dragons—beings of genuine dragon essence—making it well-deservedly known as the True Dragon Island, and thus renowned among the powerful entities across the various interfaces. Yet, he had never heard of the so-called "Broad Spirit Dao Fruit Assembly." It would seem he would need to inquire further with Mo Jianli and the others, to find out whether they had any details, before deciding whether to attend the gathering at the True Dragon Island. With a plan now formed, Han Li exhaled deeply, and the silver spiritual patterns on his body began to swirl irregularly, instantly coalescing into dozens of miniature array patterns on his skin. Then, waves of milky-white mist surged forth from the silver patterns, swiftly engulfing his entire form. A short while later, the entire chamber was filled with a uniform milky mist, and the crisp, popping sounds continued without cease. Han Li quietly resumed his meditation within the chamber. Two months later, the chamber door gave a deep, resonant crash as it swung open, and Han Li stepped out with a calm expression. Half a day later, the mountain where Han Li's abode stood suddenly flashed with a brilliant glow, and two bright streaks of light shot forth from the mountain's midsection, spiraling before transforming into two long, radiant streaks that sped off into the distance. Then, after another cup of tea's worth of time, a dozen more streaks of varying colors burst from the mountain, aligning neatly and racing off in a different direction. At the same time, in the hall of the abode, Xie Dao, Yin Yue, and Zhu Guo'er had already stood before Han Li. "Let's go back to Tianyuan City," Han Li said quietly. "There, I still have some disciples and apprentices. It's been so many years since I last saw them—I'd like to see how they've been." The others naturally had no objections. Han Li shook his broad sleeves. Instantly, a flash of golden light surged forth from within, sweeping several nearby figures aside and carrying them into the glow. After a brief moment of disorientation, everyone vanished completely from the hall. Clearly, although the magical calamity has passed, the guards of Tianyuan City, who have endured such a harrowing battle, still show no sign of relaxation. In a grand stone tower hall at the heart of the city, seven or eight combined elders from the human and demon clans have gathered to discuss matters. "The hundred-and-eighth major seals at the outermost perimeter of the city have finally been fully restored—ninety-seven of them—just two days ago. The remaining eleven, however, rely on rarer materials that have yet to be gathered, so their restoration will have to wait several more years before the city's array mages can begin work. As for the automatons beneath the city, due to extensive damage, only two-tenths of them have been restored so far. The rest, after our previous discussion, have had their useless components melted down and recycled. Additionally, the one hundred thousand newly designed automatons commissioned from Tianjim Door have already been received and stored a month ago." And the three thousand eight hundred Yunzhong Pavilion halls of our city have already been restored... A young, silver-haired elder is now recounting the progress of the city's recovery to the others. Though the Tianyuan City successfully repelled the demonic forces during the Magic Cataclysm, the damage and losses were indeed severe. After so many years, it still has not regained its former glory from before the Cataclysm. This naturally concerns the Council deeply. Although the Cataclysm has passed, the relations among the human race and the neighboring clans have grown increasingly delicate. Especially after the Wood Clan split into several parts and joined different clans, their original territories now resemble a vast, coveted prize—no single clan is willing to let go. Fearing to become the target of collective pressure, none of the clans have dared to fully occupy these newly vacated lands. Yet, as a result, each clan has begun sending forces to the border regions with the Wood Clan, gradually encroaching upon its peripheral territories. Under these circumstances, it would not be surprising at all if the human and yao clans, along with several other clans, erupted into another battle at any moment. Consequently, as Tianyuan City is the most likely place for such a great conflict to break out, it naturally needs to swiftly restore its original defensive capabilities. The silver-haired elder took a full meal's worth of time to roughly recount the city's various matters. The other elders listened attentively, occasionally asking a few questions. The elder calmly answered each one. "Very good. Currently, our city's defenses are still somewhat weak, but with just another decade or so, we will be able to complete all the restoration work. At that point, even if another great battle breaks out among the clans, we will no longer need to fear. Master Jun, now please proceed with the other matters." A golden-robed elder monk suddenly smiled and spoke after the silver-haired elder finished. This monk was Jin Yue, the Zen Master, while the silver-haired elder was the current Valley Elder of Tianyuan City. "Yes, besides the restoration work of our city itself, Indeed, there are several important matters that require collective deliberation among us today. The most pressing one is that the envoy from the Sacred Island will arrive in our city shortly. The silver-haired elder sighed suddenly. "Wait—has the Sacred Island actually sent someone? It seems they have truly resolved to secure that person." "Then what shall we do? The person the Sacred Island seeks is none other than that individual's disciple." Upon hearing this, the other fully-merged elders immediately stirred, beginning to exchange low murmurs among themselves. "Well, since the Sacred Island has personally dispatched an envoy, we have fulfilled our obligations to that person. Let us simply hand over his disciple. After all, we cannot afford to directly oppose the Sacred Island." A golden-faced man frowned, speaking with a slight hesitation. "Hmph. You speak so easily. Have you forgotten the disciple's prowess and the contributions he has made to our city?" "If we hand over our disciples, who will handle the situation once he returns—will it be you?" A purple-haired woman spoke slowly. "We've already repeatedly used excuses to refuse the Saint Island's commands several times. This time, they've sent envoys directly. Should we still fail to cooperate, I suspect those envoys will soon bring matters to our council. I think our city has managed to endure this far—this is already a commendable achievement. Even if he returns, it shouldn't be our responsibility. Though he may be skilled, do you truly believe he'd dare to directly challenge the Saint Island? I think we should hand over our disciples first." A man with a golden face spoke with a沉沉 demeanor. "You're only afraid of the Saint Island. Have you forgotten that he is currently in seclusion, striving to reach the Great Perfection Realm? If he truly succeeds, and we hand over our disciples, what consequences would that bring to our city? Have you considered that?" A woman wearing a silver mask glanced at the man with the golden face and coldly remarked. "Ha ha, I know that the Silver Light Lady and that man once had some personal connections, but now this matter involves the entire Tianyuan City—this isn't the time for private relationships. How easy is it for someone to break through to the Great Perfection stage? Over the years, our human and elven clans have seen countless friends enter meditation to strive for it—yet who has ever succeeded?" The man with the golden face shook his head in reply.