Without a moment's hesitation, Han Li emitted a cold snort, and his vast spiritual awareness instantly condensed, then withdrew sharply back toward himself. Seizing this opportunity, the husky woman and the stranger immediately strengthened their spiritual awareness, charging forward with vigorous determination. In an instant, three powerful spiritual streams converged at Han Li's location in the sky, while three weaker ones, though striving to catch up, clearly fell slightly behind. Seeing this, Han Li narrowed his eyes and emitted a sharp, icy snort. Though the sound was not loud, it sent a sudden ripple through the sky, causing the husky woman and the stranger's spiritual awareness to be momentarily affected—unconsciously freezing and separating from the collision with Han Li's own. At that moment, a cold gleam flashed across Han Li's face. With a single hand gesture, the divine awareness he had projected outward not only failed to immediately retract but instead spun around, suddenly manifesting mid-air as a luminous, colossal blade stretching over ten dozen zhang in length. In a flash, it severed the man's divine awareness. A piercing, agonized cry erupted instantly throughout the stone city. Unprepared, the stranger's once-integrated divine awareness was forcibly split into two halves, with about one-tenth vanishing into the void. Han Li's decisive crystallization strike dealt a significant blow to the stranger. Only then did the husky woman regain her composure, suddenly roaring in surprise. She swiftly contracted her divine awareness, transforming it into a massive, crystallized hand, and hurled it forcefully against the blade. Yet her attack clearly came too late. The blade flickered and then dissolved into scattered points of crystalline light at its original location. At the same time, the immense tide of divine awareness surged back into Han Li's body. "Boom!" A flash of azure and pale lightning erupted behind Han Li, coalescing into a pair of translucent, electrically shimmering feathered wings. "Go!" Han Li roared, pressing a hand seal. With a sudden flap of his wings, he transformed into a streak of vibrant azure and pale light, shooting forward. In a single flash, he reached over a thousand paces away. After a brief blur, he appeared at the horizon, vanishing completely. "Counted it for now! This person's spiritual awareness far exceeds our expectations—perhaps his other abilities are no less impressive. Without knowing his origin, we'd better proceed cautiously, lest there be hidden allies waiting in the wings." After a moment of contemplation, the green-robed woman shook her head. "So either this person stumbled upon us by accident, or deliberately came to this small Shurō realm. The former is rather unremarkable; but if it's the latter, that would indeed be problematic." The elder in black robes, upon hearing this, grew slightly more serious. "As for which it is, we can discuss it further and decide later." The green-clad woman spoke in a沉沉 tone. "That sounds good. Let's first inquire with Bi Zhu, to find out when the other's spiritual awareness first settled upon her. That way, we'll be able to judge more clearly." The elder in black robes agreed. Thus, after the vast spider silhouette dispersed, both figures vanished into the void with a swift movement. A short while later, within a grand hall at the heart of the stone city, the green-clad woman and the elder in black robes took their seats, one as host and the other as guest. Nearby, three middle-aged men and women stood straight and upright. The two men and one woman, their subtle energies seemingly no less than those of ordinary great transcendence stage cultivators. Behind these three stood seventeen or eighteen individuals of varying ages and attire, each radiating a spiritual pressure at the Ling Xu stage. Among them was the young woman who had personally guided Han Li to this location at the molten lake. Upon hearing this, the young woman's face turned pale as she stepped out of the crowd, urgently bowing to the green-robed woman and quickly explaining. "You truly didn't notice at all? Try to think again. Even if you didn't perceive anything at the time, upon reflection afterward, you should have been able to find some subtle clues, shouldn't you?" The green-robed woman huffed, speaking coldly. "Yes, the niece will think again carefully," the young woman replied, her voice trembling, and immediately lowered her head, deeply concentrating. The others watched her with varied expressions. After an indeterminate length of time, the young woman's body suddenly stirred, and she finally raised her head once more. "At last, it's coming back to me," the green-robed woman narrowed her eyes, her tone slightly softened. "Yes, Mother of the Clan. I remember that when we emerged from the Dry-Fire Pools of the Empty-Fish Clan, I had a slight feeling of bodily oddity—only a faint anomaly. It was so subtle that, had I not thought about it repeatedly, I would have completely forgotten it." "The young woman spoke with evident trepidation. 'What? The Empty-Fish Clan, the Dry-Heat Spring!' Upon hearing this, both the green-robed woman and the black-robed elder instantly grew pale, as though something deeply rooted in their own concerns had been stirred. The others, witnessing this, exchanged surprised glances, standing in quiet astonishment. After a moment, one of the three middle-aged figures—a woman with particularly refined and delicate features—finally stepped forward and asked, 'Matron, is there any issue with the person who has been monitoring Bi Zhu on the Empty-Fish Clan's territory? To us, the Empty-Fish Clan is merely a decent source of sustenance—something we don't need to place great emphasis on.' 'Hmph. You don't understand. If the Empty-Fish Clan were merely a decent source of sustenance, why would I have granted them such a precious resource as the Dry-Heat Spring? If we were only comparing the quality and quantity of their food, there are several other clans that far surpass them in both aspects,' the green-robed woman remarked, her expression shifting between sullen and resolute." Seeing the serious expression of the green-robed woman, the young woman, though still puzzled, dared not ask any further questions—she merely inclined her bow slightly and then silently withdrew. At that moment, the black-robed elder, frowning slightly, spoke: “Lady Luo, since this matter involves the Empty-Fish clan, we should carefully consider it thoroughly, lest something unexpected should indeed happen.” “Need I say more? I fully understand. Bi Zhu, please recount in full detail everything that happened at the Dry-Heat Pool that day.” The green-robed woman said coldly to the young woman. “Yes, indeed. When I arrived at the Dry-Heat Pool, it was exactly noon…” The young woman, startled, immediately began recalling and narrated everything in meticulous detail. After listening, both the green-robed woman and the black-robed elder exchanged a glance, each reading a sense of seriousness in the other’s eyes. “Please all go down now. I have something I’d like to speak with Master Yi privately.” After taking a deep breath, the green-robed woman issued a command to the others. "Understood," they replied, unable to show any hesitation, and immediately bowed, retreating steadily from the hall. In a moment, the hall was left with only the green-robed woman and the elder named Yi. "Yi, what do you think about this matter? Has this person truly come with intentions to secure that very thing? Otherwise, even though the small Shouxiao Realm possesses some rare resources, it would hardly draw such a being of great power." The green-robed woman pondered for a while before asking seriously. "It's probably not the case. That very thing—we both have pondered and contemplated for years—was only revealed to us as a moment of inspiration. How could anyone else have arrived at the same insight? This person must have been unintentional." The elder named Yi thought for a moment, then relaxed and replied. "I agree with that. Yet, that doesn't mean we can entirely rule out the possibility that he has specifically come to seek our family." After all, our Xiu Luo spiders are already a rare find among other interfaces." The green-robed woman replied cautiously. "Hmm, that can't be entirely ruled out. However, if that person truly came specifically to your Xiu Luo spider lineage, they would surely not have come alone—there should have been two or three assistants accompanying them." The black-robed elder tilted his head, pondered a moment, then chuckled coldly. "Your point, Daoist Yi, has been well taken. Based on the current materials, we still can't make a precise judgment. As long as we send someone to investigate whether there are any assistants and what their intentions are, we'll have a clearer picture. Attendants, summon Wu Ying and Wan Feng to see me." The green-robed woman nodded in agreement, and immediately, with a single hand motion, produced a disc-shaped artifact from her sleeve, then issued her instructions without hesitation. Not long after, a sound rang out at the hall doors, and a gust of wind carrying a cluster of golden light surged in, settling instantly before the green-robed woman and the elder named Yi. As the luminous glow subsided, their true forms revealed themselves.