"Very well. Since you have no objections, go on and rest properly. I hope your journey goes smoothly." Han Li waved to the young woman and gently sighed. Without hesitation, she stepped out of the hall. Han Li remained seated on the chair, silently pondering. On either side of these rare medicinal herbs, two blood-robed elders and one gray-robed elder sat in meditative posture. Their appearances mirrored those of the two groups engaged in combat above, yet their cultivation levels far surpassed the sky-bound combatants. Each elder was actively wielding a floral basket-like artifact and a circular device, weaving them in constant, intense struggle above the herbs—appearing locked in a stalemate. Clearly, these two were the leaders of the respective groups, making significant efforts to protect these rare herbs. Suddenly, far in the distance, a deep rumble echoed across the heavens, and a massive black vessel—resembling a mountain—materialized with a sudden flash, then surged forward toward the dense forest at breathtaking speed. Even before the vessel reached the crowd, an overwhelming and majestic aura swept over the scene. The two groups of blood-sky ethnic combatants, each possessing only Jin Dan or Yuan Ying cultivation levels, were startled by this surge of power and promptly halted their battle, retreating in alarm. The two leaders stationed within the forest, both at the Liang Xi stage of cultivation, likewise grew pale, hastily turning their gaze upward toward the towering vessel. The black giant vessel slightly sank, then flashed past the dense forest like a hurricane. The two groups of alien beings felt as though a hurricane had swept past them, instantly causing their bodies to spin wildly in place, as if caught in a vortex. Soon, a series of thunderous "thuds" echoed, and their forms tumbled backward several dozen paces before they could finally regain their footing. Beneath the forest, it seemed as though a primordial beast had surged through, leaving behind a massive, deep gash several dozen feet wide, with trees on both sides collapsing in a sudden, dramatic sweep. The faces of the two groups now turned pale with sheer astonishment. By then, the black vessel had already moved several miles away, and after a brief tremor, it vanished suddenly into a surge of black wind. The two leading aliens near the medicinal herbs, though positioned precisely on either side of the gash, were crushed by an immense force that made it difficult to breathe, and were forced to roll backward several times, each one rolling hard against the ground. Both hurried to rise, their faces now pale and lifeless, gazing at the distant great vessel with a horror that seemed as if they had seen the ghost of the day. "Indeed, it's a Grand Multiplication Elder! Only a vessel from a Grand Multiplication stage elder possesses such astonishing power," murmured the elder in crimson robe. "I wonder which one of the elders will pass by here... Ah, no good—our elixirs!" The gray-robed man, still trembling with unsteady spirit, spoke a few words before suddenly remembering something, leaping up with urgency and rushing toward the center of the groove. To his relief, the several medicinal plants remained miraculously undisturbed, as though the immense force had deliberately spared that small area. Yet, at the very next moment, upon exchanging glances, both elders' faces paled again, and they simultaneously summoned their treasures, once more clashing against each other. As for the two subordinates stationed above the dense forest, upon seeing the magnificent vessel displaying such overwhelming power seemingly ignoring them, they hesitated briefly before then raised their voices and joined the battle. …… Three months later, above the sacred grounds of a mid-tier sect, a massive black vessel hung silently in the sky, surrounded by countless high-rank automatons—numbering over a thousand—so densely packed that they nearly filled half the sky. Beneath these automatons stood nearly ten thousand Blood-Tian people, all dressed in identical attire, regardless of their cultivation level or status, each trembling and motionless, unwilling to move even slightly. After a full hour, a surge of energy rippled through the sacred grounds, and a streak of jade-green light surged forth, breaking through the barriers. After a few swift movements, two figures materialized on the vessel. None other than Han Li and Zhu Guo'er. "Master, do you have any leads?" asked the Blood-Soul, who had been waiting there, stepping forward promptly. "No, this altar isn't the one we're looking for. Let's go—keep moving ahead." Han Li gave a calm, straightforward command. "Understood," the old Flower Stone Patriarch replied, immediately producing a token-like artifact and waving it once before the outer hull of the great vessel. Instantly, the countless puppets silently drifted back into the vessel. At that moment, countless black runes surged and rippled across the surface of the magical vessel, which then broke through the air with a resonant roar, swiftly departing. Only the ground-based disciples and representatives from various sects remained behind. Among them, several cultivators at the Consolidated Stage, seeing the great vessel truly vanish without a trace, relaxed visibly. Yet one bearded man with a lush green beard, however, remained unconvinced, turning to the others and saying, "Master, esteemed elders, can we just let them leave so casually? If this were to become known, wouldn't our Li Fire Sect's reputation be utterly ruined?" "What else could we possibly do?" It’s not surprising that the leading figure possesses an incalculable level of cultivation—likely a senior Mulberry Master. Even these puppets alone have nearly extinguished our sect several times over. Can Master Chu really intend to let our sect face certain, like an egg against a stone? remarked the other elder, slightly hunched but with a fierce countenance, sneezing. The others nodded in agreement. "Even if our sect is no match for the opponents, we still have the upper sect to stand up for us. After all, the vast number of spiritual stones we send annually are precisely to secure their protection during times of crisis. As long as the upper sect intervenes and puts a little pressure on the opponents, we can preserve most of our dignity." The Han elder disagreed. "The upper sect itself has only one Mulberry Master. How could they possibly go out of their way to challenge another Mulberry Master? Moreover, the opponents merely breached our sacred grounds—they didn’t harm a single disciple. Aside from some reputational damage, our sect has suffered no tangible losses at all." "In this situation, I'm certain the senior monks from the upper sect won't even pay attention to this matter," the hunched elder said with a cold smile. "That's not necessarily true—if our sect is willing to make a certain sacrifice..." the Han elder said, his eyes flickering several times. "Well, then, let's call this matter settled. To lose face by offending a Great Perfection existence for such a minor matter, Master Chu—have you gone mad, or do you have some other intention?" Suddenly, the middle-aged man in a scholarly robe, who had remained silent until now, interrupted the Han elder. "Master, what other intention could I possibly have? I merely wish to see our Li Huo Sect not suffer a great loss of dignity. If both the Master and the senior monks are indifferent to this matter, then what further reason do I have to keep pressing the issue?" The Han elder muttered a few times, then fell silent. "Senior Fei, Senior Qiong—go to the sacred precinct and check if anything is missing. Also, examine the traces left behind to see exactly where that Great Perfection elder went." The middle-aged scholar in robes no longer paid attention to the Han, but turned to the hunched elder and the other person, giving them a command. "Yes, we will go and check right away." The two elders and the other person were startled, quickly stepping forward and responding. Together, they vanished into the sanctuary, disappearing without a trace. As for the other disciples and monks, they also returned to their respective locations within the temple under the master's orders. "The ancient altar of the past ages?" Half a day later, the middle-aged scholar in robes was momentarily stunned in a hidden chamber of the temple. "Indeed, only one senior has visited this site, and left behind traces of spellwork." The hunched elder replied with a wry smile. "The ancient altar within the sanctuary must have been abandoned for many years—why would they specifically come here to perform spells on it? What could be their intention?" The scholar murmured, his face filled with growing suspicion. "Who knows? Perhaps there lies some unknown secret within the ancient altar itself." "The elder with hunched posture stroked his chin and speculated. "Well, regardless of any hidden secrets within, with the Senior of the Great Attainment having personally stepped in, we won't be able to intervene further. Besides assigning an additional full complement of personnel to the sacred grounds, we'll simply treat this matter as if it never happened." The middle-aged scholar in a Confucian robe hesitated several times before finally making up his mind. "Understood. I'll convey this instruction tomorrow." The hunched elder nodded, showing no hesitation at all. "Master Han, we've already inspected most of the nearby altars. The next one should appear in about half a month. However, once we enter this region, we're officially within the influence of the Blood Bone Sect." Blood Po continued, pointing to one of the glowing cyan dots on the holographic display as he explained. "The Blood Bone Sect—the very power you clashed with earlier. It seems we'll need to be more cautious now. Though I'm not afraid of other Great Stage cultivators, avoiding unnecessary conflicts would certainly be beneficial." Master Han nodded calmly. "Master, the Blood Bone Sect alone has five or six Great Stage cultivators within its main hall, making it one of the truly major powers on the Blood Sky Continent. While their number of Great Stage cultivators is considerably smaller compared to other major sects, their Blood Route cultivation techniques are exceptionally powerful—each of their Great Stage cultivators surpasses the ordinary Great Stage cultivators from other sects." "I've been waiting for this journey. If we don't wish to draw the attention of this sect, I fear the spirit-mage giant vessel may no longer be able to continue carrying us." Blood-Pulse said, his tone somewhat serious.