As soon as he finished speaking, Han Li shook his sleeve, and a beam of golden light shot forth, spiraling before suddenly transforming into a small golden figure with crystal-clear eyes, no eyebrows or nose, and a body of deep purple and gold—exactly the Golden Insect King. "Golden Child, protect the Blood-Soul Daoist for a while and ensure he is not harmed by anyone else," Han Li instructed. Upon hearing this, the golden figure showed no expression, yet instantly blurred and materialized at the top of the Blood-Soul Daoist's head, hovering motionless. "Thank you, senior. With the Golden One's protection, I shall be completely at ease within the Tian Ding Palace," the Blood-Soul Daoist said, deeply grateful. Having witnessed the Golden Child's prowess during their journey, he was overjoyed. He then produced from his body a pure, jade-like vial, and placed it in Han Li's hands. Inside the vial lay a drop of his own refined blood, infused with a secret technique. "There are others who entered earlier than us. To be safe, we shall now proceed separately." Han Li spoke calmly. Xue Po nodded respectfully. Thus, the two emitted their light trails and each chose a specific area, shooting directly toward it. The golden little person followed silently behind Xue Po, staying close like a shadow. If Han Li wished to reach the deeper parts of Tian Ding Palace without first breaking the various seals blocking his path ahead, it would be impossible. When he suddenly appeared before a white light screen, he immediately raised his hand and, with a single gesture, summoned a long, faintly green sword that materialized in his palm. With a swift motion, he struck the screen firmly. "Boom!" The white screen shattered like porcelain. Han Li felt his surroundings blur, and instantly found himself standing on a narrow forest path. On either side stood tall, emerald-green trees, reaching seven or eight zhang in height, appearing no different from ordinary trees at first glance. Yet upon closer inspection and renewed observation, one could discern that the surface patterns of these trees formed clusters resembling faces with tightly closed eyes—faces of all ages and both genders—each expressing a serene, eerie contentment, as though all were drifting into sleep. Han Li narrowed his eyes at this sight. At that moment, a fragrance wafted gently from the other end of the path. After inhaling it, he felt an oddly enchanting, mesmerizing sensation. Yet even with his powerful spiritual awareness, after taking a deep breath, he experienced only a slight discomfort in his head, with no further effects. Han Li smiled slightly, knowing he had been caught within a mysterious seal. Without hesitation, he stepped forward along the path. However, barely after taking just a few steps, the faces on the trees' trunks simultaneously opened their eyes with a sharp "shush-shush" sound, and dense, black filaments shot forth from each eye—sharp, vivid, and radiating an eerie ripple. Han Li made no significant reaction; instead, a gray shimmer surged over his body and instantly formed a hazy, translucent shield enclosing him. The black filaments struck the shield with a sound like rain tapping against a fence, then flashed briefly before vanishing silently into the fabric of the shield. Meanwhile, he continued walking without pausing, steadily and calmly along the path. This steady demeanor seemed to stir the multitude of strange faces on the trees, and suddenly, one of them gave out a piercing, mournful cry. All the faces instantly turned furious, and as they opened their mouths, streams of vivid green flames erupted, emitting a strange, pungent odor, instantly transforming the central path into a sea of fire. Han Li smiled calmly, his steps unbroken. A shimmering gray light shield on his body gently flowed, absorbing the green flames as if they were mere breath. As Han Li passed, a crisp crackling sound resonated from his gray light shield, and countless gray crystalline filaments burst forth like a rainstorm, each one precisely piercing through the faces on the trees on either side. After a mournful cry, these faces vanished in wisps of mist, dissolving from the trees. At the very moment all the faces disappeared, the once-lush trees also instantly withered and turned yellow, losing all vitality. After walking approximately a hundred paces, Han Li finally emerged from the forest, only to find himself standing before a vibrant garden of colorful blooms. Circular flower beds stood quietly on the grass, each housing tall flowering trees several zhang in height, yet each tree bore only a single magnificent bloom. These colossal flowers varied in color and shape, yet all radiated vibrant splendor, fully in bloom. The floral fragrance that had previously steadied him originated precisely from this garden. As Han Li's gaze flickered slightly, his divine awareness swept over the great flowers, his expression subtly shifting before he continued his slow advance. Just as his body passed by a certain flower bed, the nearby giant blooms suddenly swayed and then transformed into ghostly heads with green faces and jagged teeth, laughing wildly and charging toward Han Li. "Some low-ranking demonic spirits," Han Li scoffed, "who dare to approach me—clearly seeking their own demise." With a sudden twist of his hands, he then swiftly separated and extended them outward. "Thunderclaps!" Two golden arcs, as wide as large bowls, burst forth, then instantly morphed into long serpentine lightning dragons, each stretching hundreds of zhang, and surged toward the entire garden. The ghostly heads, upon being struck or even brushed by the dragons, immediately shrieked and vanished in smoke. The colossal flowers in the more distant flower beds likewise turned into spectral figures and scattered in all directions as the golden electric light approached. What had initially appeared serene and sunny suddenly surged with magical energy, flashing with chaotic disturbances, transforming into a realm of magic. Yet, with Han Li’s magical prowess, augmented by the counter-effect of the Divine Exorcising Thunder, how could these lower-tier demons truly escape? Han Li merely slightly accelerated his spell, and the two thunder serpents roared, bursting into fragments. From their splendor, countless electric filaments shot out, spreading into two golden nets that instantly enveloped the entire flower bed. Amid the dense, flashing electric light, every demon was struck down and dispersed by the divine thunder, and even the magical aura within the flower bed regained its clarity. At this point, Han Li calmly stepped out of the flower bed and approached a small lake of dark and crimson hue. …… "Truly strange," he murmured, "these things can never be vanquished—they keep persisting, refusing to let go." Master Xiao, if you don't take action, I shall personally employ my means to directly claim them all." Wan Hua Lady said with a stern expression. At this moment, she and Master Xiao Mingqing were situated in a space surrounded on all sides by yellow, hazy sand. One after another, tall, earth-toned automata emerged mysteriously from the ground around them, wielding long spears, swords, bows, or crossbows, and relentlessly charging toward the three of them. Though these attacks posed no serious threat to the three great stage cultivators and the automata could be easily shattered with a single strike, more and more of them kept appearing shortly after each one was defeated. Since they first entered this area, the trio had already dispatched hundreds of thousands of such automata, yet the number continued to remain unchanged. To conserve their inner energy, they now simply released a few protective treasures, choosing not to engage in active combat. "Master Wanhua, please remain calm. I'm nearly certain I've located the array's core. Considering you've collected all of them, an equal number will appear again. After all, these aren't true puppets—they're merely clay figures sustained by the spellwork. Once they leave this place, they'll instantly disintegrate and vanish. So what's the point of collecting them?" Xiao Ming held a luminous white jade array plate in his hands, scanning the surroundings, and replied without turning around. "Master, you've already found the array's core. Hehe, I wasn't worried about arriving late—fearful that the Tian Ding Palace's central command system might fall into the hands of others." Upon hearing this, Master Wanhua beamed with relief and chuckled. "Rest assured. With Qingping's guidance, we've chosen the shortest route directly to the central command of Tian Ding Palace. We only need to pass through three branch palaces to reach it. No matter how skilled the others may be, they won't be able to overtake us." "Xiao Ming spoke with confidence. "I hope it truly works. However, that human youth from Fengyuan Continent seems to possess truly profound abilities—perhaps even some special techniques capable of breaking the seals. We cannot afford to be overly cautious. Let's make every effort to reach the Central Hall as early as possible." Wan Hua Lady's expression slightly relaxed, yet she remained firm in her stance. "Wan Brother makes a strong point. Brother Xiao, I too believe it would be better to sacrifice some of our vital energy and arrive at the heart of Tianding Palace earlier rather than later." Qingping, standing by, also voiced his agreement. "Very well. Since both of you are so insistent, I shall employ some more forceful methods to directly locate the array's core." Xiao Ming furrowed his brows slightly before finally nodding. Then, he pressed a hand seal, and a flash of blood light appeared behind him, instantly revealing the ethereal form of the Nine-Eyed Blood Tadpole. At the same time, his body surged upward in size, expanding to over fifteen zhang in height, and his aura immediately intensified. After the great departure, Xiao Ming raised his voice with a low command, then, with a single hand motion, tossed the array disc forward. As he opened his mouth, he expelled several clusters of refined qi into the disc. Instantly, the disc resonated with a loud hum, and countless milky-character symbols floated out, spinning around before coalescing into a compact luminous array. A bright beam of light flashed within, then surged forth in a thick, powerful column, vanishing almost instantly upon impact with a certain point in the void. That spot in the void immediately trembled and distorted, yet a moment later, it settled back into serene stillness. "Not here. Try another spot," Xiao Ming said calmly, pointing his finger at the array. The array slightly rotated and instantly aligned itself toward a new section of the void. A flash of white light followed, and once again, a thick beam of light shot out and struck the new void. This time, the void shook violently before suddenly stabilizing, and from the midst of the disturbance, a massive silver character emerged—large enough to match the size of a house, glowing brilliantly. "Good luck—here it is!" Xiao Ming smiled gently. With a low cry, he suddenly accelerated the secret technique. The massive toad silhouette behind him promptly opened nine golden eyes at the top of its head, precisely aiming at the large symbol on the other side. A thunderous roar followed, and each of the blood toad's nine eyes expelled a slender golden filament. After a brief flash, the filaments pierced through the silver character and, upon a further twist, sliced it into fragments.