"Actually, Dao-You has already devised a strategy. With that, our chances of entering the initial seal realm should be quite promising. But I wonder—besides the beings from our two realms, how many other interface allies can make it to this gathering?" The bald man turned his eyes around several times before suddenly asking. "So far, aside from the Black Flame Realm, all the neighboring interfaces adjacent to our Saint Realm have dispatched reinforcements again. Though not as numerous as the first wave, they still number over forty. Most notably, the Heavenly Crane Realm—sending no less than nine senior cultivators at once—and even the famed Copper Crane Elder has personally arrived on our realm." The Xie Lian smiled lightly in reply. "The Copper Crane Elder—doesn't that make him one of the renowned Four Birds? How come he has come personally?" The bald man, upon hearing this, drew in a sharp breath. "It seems Brother Jin has also heard of this elder's reputation." That's indeed no surprise—Master Tongya's reputation spans across all realms, even surpassing our Three Founding Ancestors of the Sacred Realm. It's quite natural that you'd hear of him. However, the reason he personally came to the Sacred Realm is that among the fallen strongholds from other realms, there was one particularly cherished descendant of Master Tongya's, a direct heir of great significance, which compelled him to personally intervene." Xielian spoke with a touch of scorn. "At such a high level of cultivation, it's remarkable that he would risk his own safety for merely one descendant. Truly unexpected." The bald, sturdy man, after patting his head, which shone with smooth, oil-like hair, sighed. "It's said that Master Tongya has only one such direct heir, and he has invested countless efforts and rare materials to finally elevate him to the Great Ascension stage. Naturally, he couldn't allow any threat to arise for his heir." This time, Xielian spoke calmly. "That makes sense. If I myself had a Great Ascension heir, I would surely hold that position in the highest regard as well." "Jin blinked and then burst into laughter. "Since Xie Lian has clearly explained everything, I'm certain that soon after, both I and my brother Crab will definitely attend the gathering. Just let Xie Lian know when the time comes, and we'll be there." After a moment of quiet thought, Han Li exhaled deeply and said, "Of course. On the day of departure, I will personally send a message to the three of you." Xie Lian immediately agreed without hesitation. "Then we won't disturb you any further. I shall now step down and bid you good day." Han Li nodded and rose immediately, without any hesitation. Both Crab and Yin Yue followed suit, clearly placing Han Li at the forefront. "Han brother, there's no need to rush. My Zhao Tian Peak has several specialty immortal fruits. Why don't the three of you try them before you leave?" The lady in court attire smiled gently. "That won't be necessary. We'll have the opportunity to taste the fruits at some point in the future." Han Li chuckled, bowed slightly, then shook his sleeve—golden light surged forth, enveloping all three of them at once. In a flash, they transformed into a streak of golden light, vanishing instantly beyond the hall doors. Xie Lian, though she didn’t utter any further words of farewell, her dark brows furrowed slightly. “Ha ha! It seems Master Han has no great intention of forging close ties with your holy patriarch of the Mysterious Realm. That makes sense—your realm has only recently clashed with the Spiritual Realm. How could such a grudge be easily resolved?” The bearded man laughed heartily. “Indeed, the relationship between the Holy and Spiritual Realms isn’t something even Master Jin can intervene in. Now that Master Han has decided to attend the gathering, I wonder what Master Jin intends to do?” Xie Lian asked, her expression slightly serious. “This is self-evident—naturally, I’ll join you. But we have no desire to camp out in the open, wandering from place to place. We’ll likely need to stay at your place for a while.” After giving a hearty laugh, the bald, sturdy man spoke without hesitation. "Very well. Since both of you are willing to join us, that is the best possible arrangement. As for lodging, there is absolutely no issue at all. It is truly a privilege for me to have you two stay at my humble abode," replied Xie Lian, finally breaking into a gentle smile. The two bald, sturdy men nodded, clearly pleased. At that moment, several women in imperial court attire entered from the hall door, each carrying trays of enchanted fruits and delicate, fragrant cups of spiritual tea. Meanwhile, Han Li and his companions were soaring through the sky. Not long afterward, they descended to a quiet valley within the Wanhua Mountain Range. After summoning several giant ape automata and carving out a temporary dwelling on the sheer cliff face beside the valley, Han Li entered the temporary pavilion. Each of the three then proceeded to enter their respective private chambers and settled down to meditate in quiet stillness. Before attending the gatherings of the Sacred Ancestor and the powerful beings from the other realms, the three had naturally little to discuss regarding their next course of action. Of course, Silver Moon could not help but remain concerned about Ao Xiao's well-being. However, once she learned that everyone was merely trapped within the initial seal site and faced no immediate threat to their lives, a quiet sense of relief settled within her. For a Daoist cultivator like Han Li, a month passed in an instant. That day, while Han Li was quietly meditating in the inner chamber, his expression suddenly shifted. With a sudden movement, he extended his arm and reached out toward the empty space before him. "Pff!" A translucent white jade fragment materialized in his hand, seemingly plucked from the void. Without a word, he placed the fragment between his palms and gently rubbed his hands together. Instantly, the jade shattered, and a surge of green flame erupted from within it. "Brother Han, the time has come," the voice said. "Please come to Chaotian Peak. I am setting out today." A calm voice from the green light seemed to emanate directly from the presence, as if the person were right before them. Han Li smiled, then rubbed his hands together, pressing out the green flame and standing up instantly. ... Half a day later, Han Li arrived together with the Crab Daoist and Silver Moon at a small inner chamber within the Feicui Green Palace on Chao Tian Peak. There, the Xie Lian, two graceful young women resembling disciples, and the two Jin staff members were all already present. At the center of the chamber, a faint glow shimmered from a pale silver spell array, about one zhang in size. "This spell array can transmit the signal to the nearest town, and then, after another half-month's journey, we will reach the agreed-upon destination. Jin brother, Han friend, please proceed," Xie Lian said gently to the others. "Very well. Then we shall go first," Jin Chi chuckled, and with no hesitation at all, stepped into the spell array beside the tall, bearded man. After a faint flash of light, the two figures of the Great Perfection stage from the White Light Realm vanished into the teleportation array. Han Li remained calm, greeted the Crab Master and Silver Moon, and then entered the silver array without hesitation, disappearing in a similar flash. Xie Lian observed all this, gave a cold laugh, and with his two female disciples at his back, stepped into the silver array as well. The palace was exquisitely splendid, its entire structure resembling solid gold, adorned with intricate magical patterns across its surface. At its peak, countless gemstones the size of fists were embedded, radiating vibrant, resplendent hues of light. Not long after, a sudden roar echoed through the sky, and a brilliant white glow surged from the horizon, giving rise to a luminous jade-colored vehicle. This vehicle, stretching over ten zhang in length, was graceful in form, transparent and radiant, with four white dragon-jade serpents at its front surging ahead, spouting clouds and mist with swift, majestic motion. Standing side by side upon the vehicle were a man and a woman. The man, in his forties, had a pale cyan complexion and wore a long white robe, subtly shimmering with shifting crystal light. The woman, a young lady in her twenties, had her hair elegantly raised, clad in a light blue leather armor, with a delicate, refined face. In just a few flashes, the vehicle, drawn by the four hundred dragon-serpents, arrived above the earth city. The man pinched Fa Jue gently with one hand, and instantly a flash of white light revealed the beast carriage and the white adhesive vanishing. Meanwhile, the couple, with a flash of light, each transformed into a stream of white vapor and disappeared into the golden hall beneath. The palace remained utterly silent, with no unusual sounds emanating from within. A short while later, on either side of the earth city, the sky shimmered once more—two dark rainbows and two silver rainbows simultaneously broke through the air, swiftly gliding across the distance, and in a few flashes, reached the vicinity of the earth city, entering directly through the hall doors. Half an hour later, on the other side, a series of Buddhist chants rose from the sky, followed by a burst of seven-colored radiance, and suddenly, a large procession of over a thousand people materialized in the distant void. The ranks were evenly split between men and women—some clad in golden armor and helmets, wielding axes, halberds, and swords, others dressed in five-colored flowing robes, playing flutes and holding lutes, appearing like celestial soldiers and heavenly maidens. Among them, a luminous glow of seven colors, about one mu in size, hovered steadily, Within the glow, a massive throne emerged, upon which a tall figure dressed in a long robe sat. The group moved steadily toward the earth-bound city, and as the seven-colored radiance settled before the palace, it gently faded, revealing an elderly, dignified figure wearing a crown atop his head and a robe of seven hues. After a light cough, he glanced at the palace before facing it impassively and walking toward the palace gates. At the same time, the soldiers and the ethereal maidens hovering above the city vanished in a flash, transforming into scattered points of light—seeming no more than fleeting illusions. Thus, over the following several hours, black vapors surged from beyond the desert, or bursts of blazing flame pierced the sky, bringing one after another figures of strange and varied forms to the city, each of whom entered the golden palace without a word.