When a large, deep-green lotus flower, about the size of a mu, appeared on the horizon, the figures of Han Li, Xie Lian, and Jin Sha suddenly materialized upon its surface. "This must be the gathering place," Han Li remarked, gazing at the yellow earthen city not far away. "The Yellow Sand Old Fellow has indeed chosen a splendid location," he said with a smile—so warm or so sharp it was hard to tell at first. Xie Lian, hearing this, responded with a light laugh: "Master Yellow is renowned throughout our Sacred Realm for his mastery of the Earth-Dry Magic Technique, a true pioneer among earth-element magic practitioners. Even in the midst of the desert, he can withstand attacks from even the most ancient, original blooms. Moreover, the Yellow Sand Old Fellow has always been an independent soul, rarely engaging in close ties with others. Therefore, it's natural that other guests would feel at ease gathering here." "I see now. That explains why the gathering has been held right at his abode." This earth-bound city is nothing special—merely an ordinary spiritual artifact. But these ten thousand puppets are truly remarkable, each possessing the strength of a Lingxu stage. That truly surprises me, Jin," the bald man said, his gaze sweeping over the rows of puppet soldiers, his face finally showing a rare sense of seriousness. "The soil-dry divine guards you've developed, Huang friend, are a unique type of puppet crafted through your own research. Both their creation and operation must be based on the Tuqian Magic Technique. However, these soil-dry guards only fully manifest their strength when on solid ground; once they leave the soil, their power drops by nearly half immediately. Yet as long as they remain in an environment rich with soil essence, they are very difficult to damage—making them quite effective guardians. Even for us, the senior cultivators at the peak stage, to eliminate so many of these puppets all at once would be a rather troublesome task." The Xie Lian chuckled and elaborated. "That's exactly the case." "This opponent, who possesses a body nearly invincible, has always been one that he has deeply disliked." To which Jin Chai nodded vigorously, expressing full agreement. In the brief moment between their words, the massive emerald lotus carried the group to the sky above the earthen fortress and descended gently. As soon as their feet touched the ground, Han Li glanced at the golden hall, his face briefly expressing astonishment. With such a powerful spiritual awareness, he could not directly penetrate the golden palace before him—clearly, this was no ordinary object, and must be one of the Yellow Sand Elder's most cherished treasures. The evil lotus, acting as host, welcomed Han Li and Jin Chai's parties, then led his two female disciples ahead into the hall. "Let's go," Han Li said, smiling slightly, and followed, with the Crab Daoist and Silver Moon. The golden attendant, who had hitherto acted with unbridled confidence, paused and studied the golden palace carefully, his expression slightly hesitating. At that moment, however, the bearded, sturdy man standing beside him simply maintained a composed demeanor and stepped forward without a word. The attendant was momentarily stunned, then smiled wryly and followed suit. As soon as his feet crossed the threshold of the hall, Han Li suddenly felt a ripple in the magical seal beneath his feet, and a surge of emerald light shot forth, instantly enveloping him and the three others—Ji Dao Ren and the silver-clad Moon—within its glow. Moon's silver aura flickered in surprise, her body shimmering with inner light as she prepared to summon a divine technique to counter the sudden change. Yet at that very instant, Han Li's calm voice reached her ears. "Do not be afraid. This seal has no ill intent." Upon hearing Han Li's words, Moon's mind immediately settled, and her shimmering aura gently dispersed. As the emerald radiance swelled and then faded, the surrounding scene blurred, and the three figures vanished simultaneously from the hall's entrance. At that very moment, in a magnificent and mysterious hall, a pale blue light array flashed into being, and Han Li and his two companions reappeared once more. Han Li nodded, glanced once more at the spots where the commotion had just occurred, and then led Cai Dao Ren and Yin Yue toward the other corner of the hall, taking seats there. At the very instant Han Li settled down, seven or eight divine senses swept over him without ceremony. Han Li's expression darkened, and a low, crisp exhalation escaped his nostrils. Though the sound was not loud, the owners of these divine senses immediately felt a sudden shock in their ears and a tremor in their spiritual essence, as though directly disturbed. Startled by this, they promptly withdrew their senses, hesitating to probe further into Han Li. The other cultivators of the Great Stage exchanged a look of mild astonishment, their regard for Han Li rising noticeably. At that moment, Jin Cha and the bearded, sturdy man also appeared suddenly in the hall, surveyed the surroundings, paused briefly at Han Li, smiled warmly, and then approached, taking seats at two other vacant chairs nearby. Thus, almost at regular intervals, a number of Dao Masters would be directly transported into the hall. These Dao Masters came either alone, in groups, or accompanied by disciples and followers. Within mere hours, nearly half of the previously empty seats were occupied. During this time, the elder figures present—some with eyes gently closed, seated motionless; others with a faint, half-smiling expression, quietly observing the other Dao Masters—remained silent, none of them speaking proactively. Han Li, in turn, observed the other Dao Masters present without hesitation. Aside from the two Dao Masters of the White Light Realm, most of the seated figures hailed from powerful beings of other realms, their bodies glowing with shimmering light, their forms slightly blurred, or their energies distinctly unusual. Clearly, even among Dao Masters, these elders were among the more exceptional. Besides the demonic lotus, there were another five or six great cultivators whose magical energies surged intensely—clearly also Saint Patriarchs of this realm. Compared to the other powerful beings from various realms present here, their numbers were indeed significantly smaller. Among these Saint Patriarchs, no trace of the precious flower could be seen, indicating that the former Patriarch of the Demon Realm had not yet arrived. However, one elderly man with yellow hair, seated calmly on a chair and meditating, caught Han Li's attention. Though his face was ordinary and he wore a gray robe, a gentle ring of earth-colored mist swirled continuously around him, suggesting he had mastered the earth-based celestial and fundamental energies with remarkable ease. Indeed, this was the very Yellow-Sand Elder, one of the Saint Patriarchs of the Demon Realm. The Demon Realm's mastery of earth-based magical techniques had truly reached its peak. Han Li observed this scene, his eyes slightly narrowing, as if pondering something within. A short while later, the central light array in the hall suddenly flashed, and at once, nine figures materialized simultaneously. These figures each exuded a mighty aura, all being senior cultivators at the Great Perfection stage. With so many Great Perfection cultivators arriving simultaneously, the assembled elders naturally stirred once again. Numerous Great Perfection elders fixed their gaze intently upon these nine figures. Han Li did the same, scanning them carefully. The nine figures comprised both men and women, of various ages, yet all bore an icy composure. They wore armor of various colors, but the armor itself was uniquely constructed—segmented, as if woven from countless feathers, interlaced and stitched together. Among the Great Perfection cultivators, eight stood along the outer edge of the light array, while one elderly man with a hawk-like face remained quietly at the very center. Though his aura appeared comparable to the others, upon merely glancing coldly around, he caused every individual who met his gaze to involuntarily tremble—each feeling as though their spirit had been instantly frozen. All the Great Perfection elders exchanged a sudden expression of surprise, their gaze now subtly tinged with a sense of apprehension toward the hawk-faced elder. Some even murmured softly, "The Bronze Crow Elder," and then fell silent. The crane-faced elder, accompanied by the other eight great cultivators, promptly occupied every corner of the hall without hesitation. The nearby cultivators observed this development, their expressions shifting once again, yet unconsciously chose not to look at the crane-faced elder more than necessary. With the arrival of the nine great cultivators from the Sky Crow Realm and a few more guests joining the hall, it was clear that the originally scheduled divine realm demons and transcendent beings from other realms had all arrived. Yet the figure of Bao Hua remained conspicuously absent. However, each of the present great cultivator elders—beings who had cultivated for countless tens of thousands of years—proved neither impatient nor perturbed by this brief wait, continuing their calm, undisturbed vigil. After some time had passed, when the light array in the hall reappeared, a graceful figure, untouched by any earthly warmth, materialized suddenly. It was Bao Hua. Behind her stood a black-armored, plain-looking man, respectfully poised—none other than the Black Crocodile. The young man's aura is strong, clearly having made significant progress in his cultivation since before. The radiant glow on his face flows continuously, as his gaze sweeps the room with bright, lively eyes—his previously lost vital energy now fully restored. "Master Baohua, you've finally arrived," the elderly yellow-sand sage exclaimed, his eyes instantly widening and his voice filled with hearty laughter as soon as Master Baohua entered the hall. "It's truly a great favor of yours to have arranged this gathering here." Master Baohua replied calmly, yet a subtle expression of surprise flickered across his face when his eyes landed upon Han Li. Clearly, the prim elder of the demonic realm had not expected Han Li to have advanced so far—just in such a short time—into the stage of a Great Transcendent cultivator. "It's far from a favor at all. In fact, being able to host so many of you at once is truly a matter of honor. Now that you've arrived, it's your turn to take the lead in hosting the rest of the gathering," the yellow-sand sage added, smiling once more. "The precious flower arrived a bit later, and I hope all of you will forgive that. However, since each of you has come as promised and fulfilled your commitments, this has given me greater confidence in our mission." Standing at the center of the hall, the precious flower glanced briefly at the gathered guests before offering a composed smile.