The individuals engaged in discussion were none other than Han Li himself. Upon hearing Jin Yue's words, those present who had been inclined to hand over Han Li's disciples immediately grew visibly displeased. Though Mo Jianli and Ao Xiao, as the last remaining Mahayana practitioners of the two clans, enjoyed considerable prestige—perhaps even surpassing that of the Sacred Island itself—this was only under the condition that, according to an ancient agreement between the two clans, Mahayana practitioners were not permitted to interfere in the daily affairs of the Sacred Island. Were it not for this stipulation, and if either Mo Jianli or Ao Xiao had personally controlled the Sacred Island, there would have been no issue at all. Now that these two Mahayana-level figures were directly involved, even those with other intentions found themselves unable to voice any further opinions at this moment. The entire hall fell into profound silence. "Indeed, I personally verified this point. It is said that both of you believe Han Daojun to be the most promising among our two clans to achieve Mahayana attainment, which is why you place such great importance on him." Moreover, it has been heard that the direct descendant of Master Ao Xiao—the "Linglong Immortal Maiden"—has also joined Master Han, for some reason unknown to us. She is now likely in the process of sealing her inner energy as well. Should we truly offend Master Han, the consequences might not be any better than those of offending the Sacred Island. Jin Yue, after a moment of reflection, said this calmly. Upon hearing Jin Yue's words, the assembled guests displayed a range of reactions—some remained expressionless, others visibly stirred—indicating that their thoughts were still divided and that consensus had not yet been reached. With the sacred cultivation technique of Du Daoyou, combined with the various auxiliary pills and devices carefully prepared by the Holy Island, the chances of overcoming the stage of great attainment have now reached as high as twenty percent. However, there remains no particularly effective means to address the true thunder calamity. Yet, the Holy Island has learned—through some unknown source—that Han Daoyou’s disciple possesses an exceptionally rare latent thunder root, capable of shielding against thunder calamities, which is why they have specifically summoned him to assist Du Yu Daoyou in weathering the true thunder calamity. Should this effort succeed in adding another great attainment to our two clans, I believe even Master Mo Jianli and Master Li would be delighted. Even if Han Daoyou himself were aware of this, he would surely not blame us. A black-robed figure who had remained silent throughout the conversation now spoke with complete neutrality. "Your words are well reasoned, Brother Yan! The Holy Island merely requests that Han Daoyou’s disciple assist Du Yu Daoyou in enduring the true thunder calamity—there is no guarantee that anything will go wrong. Indeed, there may even be unforeseen opportunities ahead." After stroking his chin, the golden-faced man nodded in agreement. "Hmph. You speak so generously. Yet, Master Han's disciple has only just entered the Huashen stage—how could he possibly withstand the True Thunder Trial, even with the famed Yin-Lei Root? He'll likely have to tap into his potential and sacrifice his lifespan to force his cultivation level upward. Even if he survives the True Thunder Trial, he'll surely become a complete liability afterward. How could Master Han truly accept such a compromise!" The Silver Light Lady spoke with clear irritation, directly pointing out the issue. "For the grand interests of our two clans, merely rendering a cultivator who has only recently reached the Huashen stage ineffective is enough to gain a Dacheng cultivator. Isn't this a win-win situation? Why wouldn't it be so?" The cloaked figure narrowed his eyes, speaking without hesitation. "Heh. If Master Han were to remain a cultivator at the Huashen stage, then everything would be manageable—simply having the Sacred Island exert strong pressure on him would suffice." But what if Brother Han unexpectedly transcends the Great Perfection stage? Then how shall we face the situation? Shouldn't we, at that point, have the Saint Island directly sacrifice us to appease Brother Han's anger? To calm the fury of a Great Perfection cultivator with only a few Consolidated Stage cultivators—wouldn't that be an exceptionally advantageous arrangement for our two clans? After all, when Brother Han departed, our Council elders personally assured him that they would always look after his disciples and apprentices, no matter what happened. Do you truly think we can remain indifferent once this occurs? The purple-haired woman rolled her eyes, speaking with clear irritation. Upon hearing this, the black-robed figure's expression slightly changed, yet after shaking his head, he said nothing further in objection. The entire hall fell silent once again, with everyone silently weighing the pros and cons in their minds. "Brother Gu, what is your opinion?" The golden-robed abbot sighed, then suddenly turned to the silver-haired elder and asked. "My opinion must be of little use at this point! This matter is truly difficult to resolve—relying solely on us a few people, we may well struggle to arrive at any definite outcome." The silver-haired elder smiled sadly in reply. "We must find a way to resolve it, no matter how challenging. The Saint Island's directive is something we cannot simply disregard. We all know the strength of Friend Han—he is nearly the first among our two clans to achieve full fusion, someone we cannot afford to offend. Moreover, Han is not easily deceived; we should not resort to mere excuses or minor tactics. I don't wish to be misunderstood by him, as my predecessor, Friend Qinglong, was—suddenly and unexpectedly, he suffered a great calamity." As the monk's face slightly tightened, a subtle trace of worry emerged. Upon hearing the name of Qinglong, everyone else felt a chill run through them. Though none of the present attendees had personally witnessed the fall of Master Qinglong that day, they all knew in their hearts that it was undoubtedly a move orchestrated by Han. At the beginning, Han had been willing to sacrifice Master Qinglong—nine-star combined-period senior elder of the Nine-Star Sect—just for a nominal junior sister. If, after parting ways with him, Han might turn his fury upon them as well, that remained entirely uncertain. After all, they had promised Han they would protect the safety of his disciples. In the very scenario where Han might rise as a formidable adversary capable of easily threatening their lives, even with the Saint Island's overwhelming strength, even the Golden-Faced and Black-Cloaked figures found themselves hesitating once more. "Well, then, this matter involves the entire Council. With just us, we simply cannot reach a conclusion today. The Saint Island envoy will arrive at our city in due course. Perhaps we should wait until all the elders have gathered, and then jointly devise a sound strategy." Of course, during this period, Han Dao's disciples must also be temporarily restricted from leaving Tianyuan City. At the same time, Yin Guang Dao, please go again and contact Lord Ao Xiao and Lord Mo Jianli, to see if you can re-establish contact with them. As long as these two elders directly issue their instructions, we will be able to proceed with full confidence. Yan Dao, you are to take charge of contacting the Sacred Island, first ascertain who the current Sacred Island envoys are, and see whether there is any possibility of altering their orders. As long as the Sacred Island is willing to forgo the summoning of Han Dao's disciples, we in Tianyuan City are ready to commit to meeting other conditions, even if it means making some sacrifices. The silver-haired elder gazed thoughtfully for a while before finally making up his mind. "Lords Ao Xiao and Mo Jianli have vanished simultaneously since the peace agreement was signed with the Demon Clan back then. Even their close relatives and disciples have been unable to reach them. I can only try my best this time." Yin Guang, the silver-haired maiden, replied with little hope. "Master Yan has several close friends on the Sacred Island, making it quite easy to gather information. However, convincing the Sacred Island to abandon its earlier orders is utterly impossible," the cloaked figure sighed. "Hmph. I fully understand how difficult both tasks are, yet you must still make every effort. Should any breakthrough occur, won't we then be able to extricate ourselves from this major predicament?" The silver-haired elder spoke with a composed demeanor. Upon hearing this, Master Yan and the silver-haired immortal naturally nodded in agreement. Thus, while the matters concerning the Sacred Island and Han Li were temporarily set aside, the silver-haired elder and his companions turned their attention to discussing the remaining tasks of eliminating the residual demonic forces near the Sky Deep City... Three months later, at the towering city gate of the Sky Deep City—rising nearly a hundred zhang high—over a hundred armored soldiers stood neatly on either side of the gate. Additionally, several individuals dressed in various garments stood atop the gate, gazing toward the distant sky. One of them had silvery hair, the other wore a light golden monk's robe—none other than Elder Gu and Master Yin, the silver-haired and golden-robed monk. As for the several figures standing beside them, Elder Li, the silver-glowing maiden, and the other senior monks were also present. Everyone stood silently on the city ramparts, as if waiting for someone's arrival. Yet, after a full meal's time had passed, not a single spark of divine light appeared in the distant sky. The silver-haired elder raised his brows, gazing at the bright noon sun overhead, and finally furrowed his brows, suddenly asking the black-robed figure: "Yan, friend, won't the sacred island's spiritual vessel arrive at our city precisely at noon today? Haven't we mistaken the time?" "Brother Gu, how could I possibly make such a mistake? Perhaps the envoy from the sacred island encountered some unforeseen circumstances along the way, causing a slight delay." The black-robed figure replied after a moment's thought. "What could possibly have delayed them?" This time, the messengers from the Sacred Island have arrived in such numbers—three, in fact—that even you couldn't manage to learn their identities. It seems the Sacred Island truly has come with intentions this time. The silver-haired elder shook his head slightly, speaking with a thought of his own. The black-robed figure's gaze flickered twice, but didn't immediately respond. Instead, the golden-robed Zen master spoke calmly: "Our council has discussed this matter several times in succession, yet still hasn't come up with a viable solution. At this point, we can only go with the flow and see how things unfold." The other several senior elders nearby, upon hearing this, could only share a similar, helpless smile. "They've arrived!" The silver-robe maiden, her mask concealing her expression, suddenly murmured softly. Everyone stiffened, quickly turning their heads to gaze toward the distant sky. There, a flash of jade-green light appeared on the horizon, and a streak of jade-green light burst through the air with astonishing speed—within just a few flashes, it had already reached near the city gates. The brilliance suddenly dimmed, and a jade boat, veiled in a soft green hue, materialized instantly. At the prow of the boat, a young man dressed in a green robe stood straight and upright. Upon seeing the gathering crowd below, a brief surprise flickered across his face, which quickly gave way to a graceful bow and a warm smile as he said, "Guo brother, Master Jin—how is it that you both are here? Did you know I would return to Tianyuan City today?" The numerous elders at the city gate, upon recognizing the young man's face, all stared at him in utter astonishment.