In a small valley at the edge of the Wan Yue Mountain range, more than a hundred high-level cultivators, dressed in diverse attire, have gathered together to jointly perform an unknown, grand array. Beside them, a robust, dignified man in a crimson robe observes the entire scene with an expressionless face. ...In a strange marsh teeming with countless venomous insects, a pale blue stone platform stands, upon which a small cauldron glowing with a faint green light is respectfully placed. Nearby, three elderly men, whose appearances are particularly unattractive, sit facing different directions, eyes closed, solemnly cultivating something. ...“The eight nations surrounding the Qi Yun Mountain range—Yu Guang, Chuan Yun, and others—have all been completely annihilated. How is this possible?” In another vast city, far beyond the Blood Crane City by countless miles, an elder dressed in green robes, unable to believe what he sees, shouts sharply at a man in yellow robes before him. “Master Bi Ying, my words are without a single falsehood.” Of the eight nations, from top to bottom—whether nobles, officials, or common folk—every single one has mysteriously vanished over the past month, with not a single survivor to be found. "That's what No-No, the man in yellow robes, replied. The elder in green robes was precisely the one who had previously interacted with Han Li, known as Bi Ying. "Then what about the various sects within the Qi Yun Mountain range? Given the extraordinary nature of this event, one would expect the sect members to have noticed something at least." Bi Ying asked, his expression as calm and composed as still water. "I've personally investigated this matter," No-No replied with a wry smile. "Among the nineteen major and minor sects in the Qi Yun Mountain range, all have vanished without a trace—just as the people from the eight nations have. They seem to have met the same fate." "Vanished completely? Though the nineteen sects may not be particularly significant on the Xue Tian Continent individually, together they form a force that cannot be overlooked. Even if our alliance intervenes, it would be impossible to wipe them out silently and without a trace. Given how extraordinary this event is, have we uncovered any clues at all The Bìyǐng's eyes flickered slightly before she asked slowly. "As for clues, we can't say there are none. Since our alliance became aware of this matter, we immediately dispatched personnel to investigate both the eight states and these monastic sects. What we found was that neither the cities of the eight states nor the monastic sects themselves showed any signs of vigorous resistance. This suggests either that the people were willingly taken, or that the opposing forces were so strong that the eight states and the dozen or so sects simply lacked the capacity to mount any resistance at all." The yellow-robed man replied, slightly bowing his head. "Which of these two scenarios do you think is more likely?" Bìyǐng asked. "I believe it's the second one," the yellow-robed man replied without much hesitation. "Why?" "Because, aside from the common people of the eight states, the members of the nineteen sects—being cultivators—could not possibly have left their monasteries willingly. Our investigators found traces of lingering blood energy in the Qiyun Mountain range." Master Bi, as you know, only blood-based cultivation techniques possess the means to rapidly enhance one's attainment through blood sacrifices. Should these individuals indeed have been taken for such a purpose, a blood sacrifice of this scale would be exceptionally rare even across the Blood Sky Continent. Moreover, the lingering blood-based energy traces within the Qi Yun Mountain range are particularly formidable—clearly left by senior blood-based cultivators at the Grand Mastery level, and only such formidable beings would dare to carry out such actions without restraint." The yellow-robed man elaborated point by point. "That makes sense. It's likely indeed the master of that blood-based energy who orchestrated this. This is no ordinary matter. However, our alliance is currently fully committed to preparing for the battle among the elite cultivators and cannot allocate significant resources to other matters. Still, two of the eight nations are under our alliance's direct jurisdiction, so we cannot simply disregard this issue. Then, let me inform the Ti Xue Sect and the Feng She Clan—the closest to the Qi Yun Mountain range—of the findings of our investigation. These two factions are the most powerful in the vicinity, each with a senior master of the Great Perfection School stationed at their head, and both holding significant interests within the Qi Yun Mountain Range—therefore, they cannot truly ignore this matter. I'll also invite Yin Yu's True Person to visit and join the senior masters of these two factions in pursuing the investigation further," said Bi Ying, finally making up her mind. "Yes, I understand. I will immediately arrange everything properly and see to it that all matters are handled seamlessly," the yellow-robed man bowed respectfully and promptly accepted the instructions. Under these restrictions, thick, coalescing plumes of blood mist spread throughout, staining the entire gully a vivid red and making it impossible to see anything within. Beneath the mist, however, flowed a black-and-red river of blood, rich with a pungent aroma, wide enough to span a hundred paces and stretching far beyond sight, winding steadily along the gully toward distant horizons. Upon the surface of this flowing river, a faint, indistinct figure sat in meditation, one hand forming a seal while the other supported a luminous object. From the river, thick streams of viscous blood surged upward and plunged into the object one after another. Han Li gazed at the golden scroll for a moment with his eyes slightly narrowed, then with a single finger motion, he sealed it away. Following that, his form blurred once more, and he vanished entirely from the room. Several hours later, Han Li departed from Xuehe City with Flower Stone Elder and Xuepo, taking off in the form of several streaks of light, heading straight toward the nearby Wanyue Mountain Range. Soon afterward, in the palace at the heart of Xuehe City, the masked man gasped, exclaiming, "What? The human cultivator at the Great Transcendent stage has already left the city and is now heading toward the Wanyue Mountain Range?" "Indeed, I have reported immediately upon receiving word of Master Han's departure, as instructed by the Supreme Elder," said a mid-stage cultivator, standing respectfully before Xiao Ming. "Well done. You may now retire." After a moment of uncertain expression, Xiao Ming's demeanor brightened, and he nodded gracefully. The mid-stage cultivator promptly withdrew from the hall. "Han Li has also gone to the Wanyue Mountain Range. With his abilities, this is no small matter." A ripple of movement beside Xiao Ming revealed two faint silhouettes—Wan Hua Lady and Qingping Daoist. It was Wan Hua Lady who spoke, her words brimming with apprehension toward Han Li, clearly still shaken by their earlier encounter. "Is it really a coincidence? Han Daoist mentioned previously that he has other matters in this vicinity. Moreover, today is not the day when Tian Ding Palace is expected to make its appearance. If this indeed is the reason for his arrival, then he should have come much earlier." Finally, Xiao Ming spoke. "To enter the Wanyue Mountain range at this very moment—how easily can that be explained as mere coincidence? As for not arriving at the designated time, there are certainly others besides Han Daoist who have already come to wait within the mountain. The Wanyue Mountain range is likely already filled with those patiently awaiting their turn. Adding one more person now is hardly anything out of the ordinary." Qingping Daoist replied calmly. "It seems both of you believe Han Daoist has come specifically for Tian Ding Palace." Xiao Ming looked thoughtful. "It's not quite a hundred percent, but it's certainly close—within ten percent, I'd say. Now that we've gained this new formidable opponent, do you have any strategy, Brother Xiao?" Qingping Daoren asked. "What strategy do we need? Even if he's exceptionally strong, without the key, he simply can't enter the Tian Ding Palace. Even if he manages to seize the key from others, the Palace is protected by an intricate network of seals. With your inheritance from the Tian Ding True Man lineage, and my expertise in array techniques, how could we possibly be afraid of him?" Xiao Ming chuckled and replied. "That makes sense. I must have been overlooking something. No matter how great his abilities, as long as we locate the core central hub of the Palace's main array first, even if all the other adversaries unite, we won't have to worry about them anymore." Qingping Daoren paused, then smiled quietly and fell silent. Upon hearing this, Wan Hua, standing beside her, also relaxed visibly. Xiao Ming, however, stroked his chin, his gaze flashing a subtly intriguing expression. Although as a replica key, its effectiveness was only half that of the original, the risk of directly breaking through the main gate of Tian Ding Palace was still quite high. Yet back then, my true form had discovered a flaw in the Palace's great array, and even with just this forged key, there was a reasonable chance of successfully infiltrating the palace... Blood Po achieved a full meal's worth of narration before finally giving a broad outline of what had happened to Ice Po that year. "So it seems, Master Blood Po has finally regained all her memories. This is truly wonderful and auspicious. When your Virtuous Tian Ding first came to negotiate with Mr. Han, due to the memory seal, you were unaware of the specific details concerning Tian Ding Master and the Palace itself. You only knew that this鼎 was a key to unlock an extraordinary treasure so profound that even great transcendents would be deeply moved. Yet, you never mentioned that this key was merely a replica, not the genuine one required to open the treasure. This point appears to differ somewhat from the original agreement." Han's face showed no sign of surprise, and he simply spoke with a calm, composed tone.