The old crane-faced elder solemnly parted his five fingers, and instantly a crimson, translucent feather emerged in his hands—clear and luminous, as if meticulously carved from crystal. The bronze-crow elder's expression shifted between clouds of gloom and brightness. After gazing at the feather for a while, he suddenly shook his wrist, tossing it back, and then deeply inhaled, saying, "Bao Hua, I never thought you'd have such a fortunate opportunity to meet that esteemed person. Given this, on the strength of that person's favor, I'll place my trust in you once—let me share with you my so-called compromise plan. I'll give it a hearing, though I'm not certain yet." "Thank you, dear friend, for your understanding. I'll begin with my proposal. Do the other guests have any objections?" Bao Hua smiled gently and glanced around. "Bao Hua, please don't be formal. We all wish to hear your plan." "Indeed, given your reputation, I have no doubt about your credibility." "... Upon seeing Master Tongya make concessions, several of the great Mahayana elders grew relaxed and said, then quietly awaited the words that would follow from beneath the precious flower. 'Since you all praise me so highly, then I shall not be shy. In fact, six months ago, I made a second visit to the original imprint site.' The elder's smile faded slightly, and she uttered a remark that surprised the other Mahayana elders. 'Indeed? Master Bao Hua has returned to the original imprint site?' 'How is this possible? How did she manage it?' ... The elders from the other realms were instantly astonished, discussing it in amazement. Even the native Magian saints were stunned, as if no one had previously known of this matter. 'There is no need for any of you to be surprised. My ability to accomplish this stems from two factors: first, I have cultivated several highly subtle and refined techniques for concealment, and second, due to this newly forged small Heavenly Mirror of Illusion.' With the protection of this treasure, I was able to remain undetected by those insignificant pests, manage to infiltrate the region of the First Seal, and discover several new developments. This is precisely the reason I mentioned earlier to my friend, the Copper Crow, that the method achieved a dual benefit. The Treasure Blossom paid no attention to the expressions of surprise from the others, merely offering a brief explanation. "My esteemed friend, what specific changes did you observe in the region of the First Seal that prompted the Treasure Blossom to revise her original assessment?" one of the senior cultivators, dressed in imperial regalia, could not help but inquire. The other senior cultivators likewise maintained a serious demeanor. "Due to the power of the seal, as before, I am still unable to reach the deeper parts of the First Seal region—my view is limited to the periphery. However, upon careful observation, I have noticed that the ancient seal appears to have undergone further changes," the Treasure Blossom said, her eyes slowly shifting with thought. "The seal has indeed changed. Could you elaborate on the nature of this transformation?" the senior cultivator in imperial attire asked, his expression earnest. "My friend, the Jade Sword cultivator, need not be concerned "As I have observed, the ancient seal that had previously frayed and broken is now gradually repairing itself. Though very slowly, the ancient seal has indeed strengthened somewhat compared to when I last saw it—seeming to possess a certain vitality of its own," Bo Hua replied with a smile. "Self-repairing, with spirit!" The great elders of the Dharma Realm in the hall exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss. "Since it is Bo Hua's own observation, it must be true. Yet I still have a few questions. Last time, you mentioned that the seal's power had been fully taken over by the mother of the stem-borer insects. If the seal's power is strengthening, shouldn't the insect threat become even more difficult to manage? How then could this be a positive development?" This time, it was Jin Cha, a great elder from the White Light Realm, who couldn't help but ask. "It seems there is a misunderstanding. The strengthening of the seal's power I referred to is not the portion under the control of the mother of the stem-borers, but rather the part still governed by the ancient seal itself." Though the enhancement of this force, compared to the overall ancient seal, is rather modest, it still demonstrates that the seal itself possesses considerable strength—something we can still draw upon to some extent," the precious flower said with her eyes gleaming. "I haven't yet heard your solution that achieves a balance of both ends. Flower, what is your plan? Just state it plainly—don't keep withholding details anymore," the elderly man with a hawk-like face sighed, sounding slightly impatient. "I have no intention of hiding anything. I merely wish to clarify certain points first, so that I may then explain my subsequent strategy clearly to the other elders," the precious flower shook her head. "Very well. Then I shall continue to listen attentively," the elderly man with a hawk-like face nodded, his expression neutral. The precious flower smiled and proceeded to speak without further hesitation: "During our last investigation, we discovered that the dwelling place of the mother of the rice stem insects, as well as the location where the original companions such as Yuan Yan are confined, is not situated at the same spot as the initial seal site." No matter which side of the seal is first activated, the mother of the rice stem insects will be immediately startled. Therefore, my original plan indeed involved gathering the collective strength of all to first stabilize the mother insect, and then rescue Yuan Yan and the others. Of course, this approach might provoke the fierce creature right away, causing it to immediately unleash its sealing power to confront the trapped disciples. In that case, Yuan Yan and the others might face serious danger. But now that I have discovered the ancient seal possesses a spirit of its own, I have developed the idea of first aiding it to regain the strength it has lost. Should this succeed, not only will Yuan Yan and the others be able to escape earlier, but once the ancient seal's strength is restored, the mother insect's power will inevitably be repressed. Perhaps, without requiring us to expend much additional effort, we could simply rely on the ancient seal to easily subdue the mother insect. That is my current plan. Finally, I have laid out my entire strategy in one breath. The senior Bodhisattva elders in the hall expressed varied reactions—some beamed with satisfaction, others remained silent, while a few showed hesitance. Han Li stroked his chin, also appearing thoughtful. Silver Moon, standing beside him, blinked once or twice, showing little outward expression. "If we too are trapped within the realm of the First Seal, the various realms will no longer send representatives to assist us so easily," the Copper Crow elder said without hesitation. "Copper Crow brother, please rest assured—since I have this conviction, it is because I possess a means of communicating with the ancient seal. As one of the primordial ancestors, I once served at the site of the First Seal for tens of thousands of years. In terms of understanding the ancient seal, neither Yuan Yan nor Nie Ban can compare to me. This point, Elder Copper Crow, I assure you, is entirely certain and without doubt." The Blossom replied with confidence. "Given the Blossom's reputation, and having stated this clearly, I naturally place full trust in you. Moreover, my original intention this time has always been to save lives. Should there be a better plan that does not conflict with my purpose, I have no objection at all." The Kojin elder narrowed his eyes for a moment before smiling warmly. The Blossom nodded slightly and then asked the other great cultivators: "Do any of you have further questions?" If not, then let us proceed to discuss the specific steps. Although I have a general plan in mind, certain details still require the collective input and advice of all of you." A hush of murmurs arose among the Mahasattvas in the hall, with several others of the Mahasattva rank subsequently posing questions related to the ancient seals. The precious flower calmly and thoroughly answered each one. This satisfied the other Mahasattva elders deeply, who now felt certain that the precious flower had indeed given serious thought to this undertaking and was not merely acting on impulse. Once all the elders had expressed their approval, the group began to deliberate on the specific matters and procedures. ... After a day and a night of debate and negotiation, all the details having been carefully considered, the Mahasattva elders in the hall found the overall plan satisfactory and agreed upon a specific departure date several days hence. Only then did the gathering finally conclude. After the Golden Palace radiated brilliant light, countless streaks of light and shimmering arcs shot forth from it and swiftly vanished toward the horizon. Han Li, along with Xie Dao-ren and Yin Yue, was among them. He had planned to find an arbitrary mountain peak near the desert and stay there for a while. However, just as their light forms had traveled beyond a hundred thousand miles from the earth city, Han Li's expression changed, gently folded his light, and suddenly halted in mid-air. He glanced toward one side of the void and said softly, "Since you have already arrived, why conceal yourself further? Come forth and meet me, Han Li." Yin Yue was startled and paused beside Han Li. Xie Dao-ren, after a brief flash of light, appeared calmly behind Han Li. Meanwhile, a smooth, pleasant voice came from Han Li's direction. "I didn't expect that, after such a short time apart, Master Han has truly advanced to the stage of Great Perfection, and his powers have grown so formidable. It seems that Yuan Yan's apprehension of you has indeed been well-founded." As soon as the words were finished, a ripple of energy surged through the void, and a shimmering image of a giant pink flower appeared, followed by an elegant figure stepping forward, with a tall man in black armor standing behind her. It was the goddess of the precious flower and the black crocodile. The goddess gazed calmly at Han Li, her eyes, however, expressing clear interest. "Is it possible," she asked, "that the goddess of the precious flower has come to regret the events of old?" Han Li replied with a composed expression. "Regret? Perhaps. But had I not taken those actions back then, how could I have recovered my former cultivation level so swiftly? And with your involvement, Brother Han, I feel even more confident about this current mission." The goddess smiled gracefully. "That's quite a jest," Han Li said, gazing steadily at her with deep intent. "I am but a newly promoted cultivator of the Great Perfection stage. What strength could I possibly offer? Surely, you didn't stop me merely to exchange some trivial words."