Suddenly, a flash of luminous light erupted from the black giant vessel, and a streak of white light shot down, swiftly landing atop the head of an elderly foreign elder, who was initially startled—now revealed to be a beautiful young woman no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. "Esteemed friend, is this indeed the Chirong Mountain Range?" The young woman, though appearing youthful, gently inquired after a brief glance around. The foreign elder, whose own cultivation level was only at the early Foundation stage—among the highest-ranking individuals in the region—could not sense the precise cultivation level of the young woman, only perceiving her aura as profound and impenetrable. He answered with trembling humility. "Indeed, this is the Chirong Mountain Range," he said. "Excellent—then, esteemed friend, do you know where Black-Jiao Peak is located?" The young woman was delighted and promptly asked. "Are you traveling to Black-Jiao Peak?" "It's one of the central regions of the Chirong Mountain Range—extremely perilous, and already designated a restricted zone," the elder from the foreign race exclaimed in surprise. "Restricted zone? Then that's even better. As for the danger, I won't need you to worry about that—just tell me how to get there." The young woman smiled with a light, composed air. "Yes, if your party wishes to reach Black-Joan Peak, simply head west. Near the heart of the mountain range, you'll see three black peaks arranged in a triangular formation—that's Black-Joan Peak." The elder from the foreign race blinked, stammering in response. "Very good. Here, take these several mid-grade spiritual stones as your reward." The young woman nodded, then raised her hand and tossed several mid-grade stones toward the elder. As the stones dissolved into a bright white glow and shot upward into the sky, they shimmered briefly before reappearing on the great vessel. A short while later, the black vessel flashed with a radiant hue and, amid a steady roar, began to journey deeper into the mountain range. Below, the elder clutched the mid-grade stones in his hands, his face glowing with exhilaration This upper-tier spiritual stone was nothing special for high-level cultivators, but for a Foundation Stage cultivator, it was undoubtedly a significant fortune. However, upon sensing the surrounding people's admiration and envy, the elder's heart suddenly tightened. He quickly clutched the stone in his hand and promptly took off, swiftly departing the scene. Not long after his departure, several other cultivators of similar rank to him also silently left the area without a word. The lower-rank ethnic cultivators observed this, all of whom looked somewhat unusual, yet none spoke up, merely bowing slightly and continuing their search for fire-element spiritual items. "The fact that the Heilian Merchant Alliance's auction is being held right here, in such a prominent location, truly comes as a surprise. It seems these local lower-tier ethnic inhabitants are entirely unaware of it." Han Li suddenly spoke. "Master Han, those who are aware of this auction are at least at the Lingxu stage or above. Naturally, the local ethnic inhabitants don't have the qualifications to know about it. However, considering the timeline, the auction has likely been taking place over the past one or two months. I'm certain many strong figures from various clans have already arrived. At the auction, Master might very well discover some unexpected treasures." Xue Po stepped forward slightly and replied respectfully. "Unexpected gains—I hope so. However, at my level of cultivation, I would expect few things to truly capture my interest. Still, if any of the senior Multiplication-stage cultivators are willing to present some exceptional items at this auction, that would certainly be noteworthy." Han Li nodded, speaking casually. "Please don't worry. Based on my previous experience, there will surely be many large-scale beings like you attending this event. Besides participating in the auction, these elders will likely engage in private exchanges among themselves as well. Even if you don't secure any notable gains at the merchant alliance's auction, you're certain to find something valuable during these gatherings." Blood Purity smiled gently as she spoke. "Private exchanges—indeed, that sounds promising." Han Li nodded, his expression brightening. These guards wore black armor, each carrying a bow and a blade across their shoulders, their faces completely concealed beneath their face masks. Yet they were all tall and imposing, nearly two heads taller than the average human. Their giant eagles, too, were uniformly dark in color, massive in build, and powerful in motion, stirring gusts of wind with every flight, appearing truly majestic. The leading guard seized the beam of light in his hands, bowed slightly, and examined it closely—revealing a faintly white token, engraved on one side with an intricate, unknown spiritual pattern, and on the other bearing a delicate silver "Alliance" character. "Ah, so you are the Guest Senior. Naturally, you are entitled to enter the sacred grounds. I shall personally escort you all there." After a brief inspection, the guard immediately returned the token to the others' hands, speaking without hesitation. He showed no further scrutiny toward the others standing before the great vessel—Han Li, Bai Guo'er, and the rest. Xue Po nodded, extended a hand to retrieve the token, and then flew back to the great vessel. As a result, all but one of the guards departed to continue their patrols elsewhere, while the black great vessel, guided by the remaining guard, slowly sailed toward the three black mountain peaks. Along the way, several other patrols of guards were encountered, yet seeing that a contingent of great eagle guards was already leading the way, they did not bother to intervene further. For the hundred-mile journey, the sacred vessel of Mo Ling was naturally covered in moments. As the vessel approached the sky directly above one of the black mountain peaks, an unusual ripple suddenly surged ahead—first the peak blurred, then a massive luminous gate of milky white emerged, towering nearly a thousand zhang high. Surrounding the gate, numerous strange structures of varying sizes floated in dense clusters, some circular, others square, with many guards riding great eagles continuously entering and exiting. As the black vessel drew near, the guards stationed near the buildings immediately turned their attention toward it. At that moment, after a low hum, the vessel automatically came to a halt several miles away from the gate. Han Li's brow slightly furrowed. After a quick sweep of his spiritual awareness, he immediately sensed an odd, strange fluctuation in the seal—now he had a clear understanding of what was happening. At that moment, the escort giant eagle guard had tightened his grip on the giant eagle's neck, bringing the creature to a halt beside the great vessel, and then explained to the group on board: "From here, entering the Xuan Tian Gate will directly lead you into the restricted zone. However, there's an order: within the zone, no flying vehicles—whether they be vessels or other forms—may be operated. Therefore, all of you will need to secure your flying craft before entering the gate. As for me, I can only take you this far. Without formal authorization, I cannot proceed further." "Understood. You may now proceed." A calm, gentle voice came from within the great vessel. Then, the black vessel roared with a deep rumble, and a surge of characters burst forth, followed by a thousand streaks of dawn light that swiftly rolled in, vanishing in an instant. When all the light had faded, only Han Li and the others remained in the once-empty space. The massive eagle guards were startled, bowing once more to Han Li and his companions before urging their giant eagles forward and departing the area. Han Li, accompanied by Zhu Guo'er, Xue Po, and the fossilized elder, strode confidently toward the great light gate. Although the eagle guards near the gate gazed curiously at Han Li and his party, none of them approached to obstruct them, simply watching as the group flashed into the light gate. The hall's walls were entirely embedded with various colored gemstones, and a faint, lingering mist of a delicate green hue drifted continuously through the air, lending an air of profound mystery to the entire space. After a brief pause, the elder shook his sleeve, and a flash of crimson light vanished instantly. The images of the guards on the stone walls disappeared, replaced by a magnificent black vessel, with some indistinct, blurred figures appearing subtly upon it. The red-haired elder narrowed his eyes, gazing at the vessel for a moment before frowning. Then, with a single hand gesture, he cast a spell that swiftly vanished into the stone wall. Immediately afterward, a soft "puff" sound was heard, and the figures on the black vessel began to approach at an astonishing speed, rapidly expanding and becoming clearly visible on the wall—several times larger than before. The faces of Han Li and his companions now became gradually discernible to the elder. The elder merely glanced over the figures—such as the ancient master of blood and spirit fossil—and soon settled his gaze upon the seemingly ordinary face of Han Li. "Hmm," the red-haired elder murmured, as if to himself, "I have a feeling I've seen this person before."