As soon as he finished speaking, the elegant officer issued a command, and at once, nearly a hundred disciples around him roared in unison, each revealing their distinct magical implements. These implements—either banners or discs—clearly belonged to the category of array tools, and together, they emitted a continuous stream of incantations. Instantly, a shimmering golden-hued array materialized above their heads, spinning smoothly before erupting into several straight beams of white light that surged forth simultaneously, striking the massive gate in a single, powerful line. A thunderous roar erupted, with countless white glyphs flashing and splashing across the gate's surface, yet the gate remained motionless, showing no sign of opening. The others were now astonished. Yet the officer, instead of being displeased, smiled. "This is promising," he said. "I didn't expect a single gate to be so difficult to open. It seems we'll have to bring out our true strength." With that, he raised one hand, forming a seal, and intoned a series of words, pointing his hand toward the floating light array in the air. As one, a crisp, resonant sound arose, and the light array suddenly shifted in hue, transforming into a silvery, misty tone. At the same moment, a flash of cold light emerged, revealing countless slender silver swords floating within—countless, easily numbering in the thousands. "Go!" the tall man murmured, shaking his sleeve toward the great gate. A series of rushing sounds erupted from the array, and the silver swords surged forth like a tide, then unexpectedly coalesced in mid-air, uniting to form a colossal silver sword stretching a thousand zhang in length. With a sudden flash, it plunged straight toward the great gate. At that moment, the Hua Xi fairy suddenly stomped her foot, and together with the nearby Wugou Elder, both shot off into the air, merging into a long, vibrant streak of green and crimson that surged toward the gap in the giant gate. A heavy "thud" echoed. The streak of light was deflected by an invisible force at a distance of over a hundred paces from the gate, spreading out. Then, the giant gate began to rise on its own, emitting a series of thunderous sounds, its surface flashing with gleaming gold and silver, until the gap vanished completely. The green-and-crimson streak, after a brief spiral, revealed the forms of the Hua Xi fairy and the Wugou Elder within. The graceful woman looked surprised, while the man beside her remained expressionless. "Indeed, I have been hasty. I had hoped to conserve my strength, relying on the Master's power to enter directly. It seems that won't work after all—I must step in personally. My lord, please open this gate." The graceful woman, her eyes sparkling with subtle emotion, turned gently and smiled. The headless elder beside him murmured, "Good!" as his body suddenly shone with a sphere of purple light. A large hand then slowly pressed toward the massive gate. With a soft "puff," the seemingly ordinary palm suddenly expanded dramatically under the wind, swelling into a purple hand the size of a pavilion, which then crashed down squarely upon the gate. A deep resonant sound echoed, and a thousand streaks of light burst forth across the gate, instantly forming a huge opening, about one zhang in diameter. Hua Xi's fairy smiled in delight and, together with the elder Wugou, instantly transformed into a streak of vibrant green and red light, flashing through the opening. The gate continued to hum softly, and the opening rapidly began to seal itself, visibly closing like before. "Seems we can only send one wave of people at a time. Well then, we three old fellows won't be shy!" One of the three thin elders chuckled with a strange laugh. Then, simultaneously, the three elders shifted their forms and materialized before the gate, each extending a hand to press against it. Three immense forces surged forth in unison. A tremendous roar erupted instantly, and the massive gate, previously tightly closed, began to open slowly. Three elderly figures blurred into form and stepped inside. Han Li lifted his leg and strode confidently toward Jumen. Xue Po naturally followed closely behind, not daring to stray a step. "Plush!" A layer of shimmering silver flame surged from Han Li's body, instantly enveloping him completely from head to toe, transforming him into a blazing figure who then flashed forward and collided directly with Jumen. An astonishing scene unfolded. A barely audible, almost imperceptible "sizzle" sound, and suddenly, a human-shaped opening appeared spontaneously on Jumen's surface, with dissolved traces forming a clear rim around the edges. Han Li simply passed straight through Jumen as if it had been nothing at all. Although Xue Po had long known Han Li's extraordinary abilities had reached an unimaginable level, such a seamless and effortless passage through the gate still left her momentarily stunned. Yet, she quickly moved her body and entered right after him. The human-shaped opening gradually faded away. At the same time, the Five Children of Blood in the sky roared once, then suddenly surged downward in a scroll of bloodlight from their standing position. In a short while, only Xiao Ming and the other two remained at the edge of the basin. "Xiao Brother, I'll go in too," finally said Wan Hua Lady. "Wan Hua, don't worry so much. Do you really think only we have arrived here? Others have come too—just unwilling to make their appearance and meet us yet." Xiao Ming chuckled, then suddenly turned and said with deep significance toward a certain direction. "Wait—there are others hiding in the background?" Wan Hua Lady and Qingping Master, being so perceptive, immediately turned in that same direction. "Let them be. As long as they don't interfere with our affairs, let them remain as passive observers. Besides, it's not just me who has noticed this. Everyone else is pretending not to know. What more do we have to do? Come, let's go down." Xiao Ming drew his gaze back, shook his head, and said. With a flick of his sleeve, a burst of silver light shot forth, swirling and transforming into a vast, luminous halo several dozen zhang in diameter. After a brief shimmer, it struck the great gate with magnificent splendor. After a cup of tea's worth of time, where they had once gazed into the void, a faint ripple appeared, and a blood-toned figure emerged. On the seemingly blurred face of this figure, two pale green eyes stared coldly at the great gate, now restored to its original state, as if pondering something within. At that very moment, a sharp sound of rushing air echoed from afar, and several streaks of light materialized. The blood-toned figure swiftly turned his gaze to these streaks, his pupils narrowing, and a subtle sense of bloodshed suddenly surfaced. He then twisted his body, suddenly transforming into a delicate streak of blood light and advancing toward them. Within mere breaths, a series of cries of agony erupted from the distance, and the streaks of light dissolved completely, dispersing into thick waves of blood. …“This is the seal personally laid down by Tian Ding True Immortal—it truly appears no ordinary feat.” Han Li gazed at the thick, shimmering screen composed of dense, vibrant five-colored spiritual characters before him, a subtle sense of admiration flickering across his face. Several of the keys from Tian Ding Palace have only recently come to light. Previously, even when the great gate was shattered and the palace entered, visitors could only watch helplessly as the seal remained intact—unable to retrieve any treasures from within. Only after the replica keys were forged did the number of people able to enter grow significantly. "The seal truly is that powerful," said Xue Po, respectfully. "I'd like to try a direct assault myself." Upon hearing this, Han Li's expression brightened with genuine interest. Xue Po was just about to smile gracefully and respond, when suddenly, an unusual ripple of energy surged through the entire space, causing the seal before them to tremble slightly and its spiritual characters to flash in and out vividly. Yet within moments, the luminous screen returned to calm, as if the earlier disturbance had never occurred. "Someone must have broken through already," Han Li remarked, his face slightly pale, for the first time displaying a sense of seriousness. "Someone must have used the genuine key," said Xue Po, his expression growing serious. "A replica simply couldn't have broken the seal so swiftly." "True key? Well, since time is pressing, I won't bother testing anything further. Then, please—what was your shortcut, now that you've got the time?" asked Han Li, frowning slightly and turning to Xue Po. "May I have the Xutian Cauldron, Master?" Xue Po asked in return. "The Xutian Cauldron? Of course," Han Li replied without hesitation. With a simple gesture, a swirl of emerald light appeared, solidified, and then took the form of an ancient, modest cauldron—exactly the Xutian Treasure Cauldron. Xue Po glanced at the cauldron, then suddenly opened his mouth, sending a swirl of emerald light flying out. The light spun around once, and then transformed into a small, jade-green cauldron. "Hmm, that's unexpected," Han Li murmured, slightly taken aback. "Senior, the item in my hands is called the Xuhuang Ding—it's also a replica, and in fact, one of the most successful reproductions, nearly achieving seven parts of the original's effectiveness." Blood Soul said slowly.