The entire realm seemed to dim as a sudden, immense force pulled countless snowflakes swirling around, drawing them all like funnels toward the Sword of Zhanying, where they swiftly dissolved into the realm's primordial qi and vanished into the sword's body. A faint silver script instantly shimmered along the surface of the deep emerald blade. Then, a solid emerald blade of light surged forth and firmly settled upon the golden energy shield. A sharp "pffft" sound echoed. The blade's light instantly intensified, blazing with a brilliant, sun-like emerald glow that completely engulfed the shield. On the shield's surface, a resonant hum rose sharply, and suddenly, five-colored runes flashed into view, swirling wildly, before finally dissolving and dispersing within the radiant green light. With a final, resonant "thud," the entire shield vanished completely, leaving nothing behind. Han Li's face paled slightly. With a quick flick of his wrist, his long sword vanished from his grasp, and his form blurred momentarily before he materialized fully within the transmission array on the stone platform. With a finger pointing toward the edge of the spell array, a white seal surged forth and vanished in a flash into the void. A low hum of transmission resonated throughout the entire array, and at its center, a surge of white light rolled out, blurring the figure of Han Li until he was no longer visible. At the same time, the three figures who had finally broken free from the ice and snow seal looked upon the golden hall before them, resembling a fairy realm, and the rows of pale silver pavilions in the distance, their faces now pale with dismay. "Indeed, this is not the central hall of Tian Ding Palace. According to my ancestral texts, the previously discovered teleportation array should have directly transported us to the central area. How then have we ended up here?" Qingping Daoist murmured, utterly astonished. "Your ancestral texts must be accurate—otherwise, we wouldn't have made it all the way here. This discrepancy must therefore stem from an unexpected change in the seal of the previous region," Xiao Ming said calmly, stroking his chin. "What kind of unexpected change? Are these seals capable of evolving on their own?" Wan Hua Lady exclaimed, growing increasingly agitated. "It's hard to say. Tian Ding's mastery of array techniques far exceeds my expectations. Tian Ding Palace has existed for so many months, so it's not surprising that its seals have undergone some changes. However, the seals elsewhere remain unchanged, while those entering the central space have altered—this is quite coincidental. I suspect it's more likely that someone has adjusted the seals within that specific region, which would explain this phenomenon." Xiao Ming said, his gaze flashing. "Someone adjusted the seals? How could that be? Aside from that young human boy, no one else has entered that region before us. Even if someone had, in such a short time, it would be impossible for someone with even the power of a Golden Immortal to alter such a complex, large-scale seal system." Wan Hua shook her head repeatedly. "Heh, it seems Wan Hua Sister has forgotten the people who entered during the last time Tian Ding Palace was opened. Though those people didn't have particularly high attainments, several of them actually possessed genuine, original keys." When Tian Ding Palace closed, it seemed they didn't have many survivors transported out, did they?" Xiao Ming's gaze flickered as he spoke slowly. "Xiao brother means that the people who entered Tian Ding Palace last time still have some alive, and among them, some have modified the seals." Qingping Daoist couldn't help but change color again upon hearing this. "That must be the case; otherwise, none of this could be explained." Xiao Ming glanced once more at the golden hall ahead and replied. "Normally, such an event is impossible. When the closing time arrives, everyone is directly transported out. If someone uses a secret technique to remain, they would be erased by the palace's seals immediately. Unless this person possesses power exceeding the original Tian Ding True Master by a third, capable of directly countering these seals, or someone has directly reached the central chamber and inherited the Tian Ding True Master's teachings. If that were the case, then we could certainly remain at the Tian Ding Palace without any hindrance, and altering the exit points in a certain region would also be a straightforward matter. Yet this outcome would be the most unfavorable for us." After a moment's thoughtful reflection, Qingping Daoist expressed a touch of concern. "The Tian Ding Palace was established only after Tian Ding Zhenshen's ascension to immortality, and it surpasses even his original powers—so it would be utterly impossible. However, if this person truly controls the central hub or has already acquired all of Tian Ding Zhenshen's teachings and treasures, it would also be highly unlikely. Otherwise, how could the Tian Ding Palace still appear as scheduled, when it would have simply vanished under the control of others?" Xiao Ming suddenly chuckled dryly. "Then, the person currently at the Tian Ding Palace probably only controls part of its defensive mechanisms and has not yet fully seized the central core nor obtained the complete teachings and treasures of Tian Ding Zhenshen." Wan Hua Lady's eyes lit up instantly, grasping the meaning behind Xiao Ming's words. "Most likely, that's exactly the case," Xiao Ming said with great confidence. "If that's the case, we still have a good chance. But now, the transmission portals recorded in my scriptures are unreliable. To reach the central hub, we'll have to pierce through the light curtain on the other side of this region—using the most straightforward, albeit tedious, method of directly entering. The central hub itself should be a towering structure resembling a massive stone stele." Qingping Daoren also brightened slightly, finally revealing a bit more information. "However, the seal in the previous region was so formidable, and we've spent so much time to finally arrive. Will we still have enough time to traverse it again? Won't this delay stretch too long?" Wanhua Lady hesitated. "We've grown increasingly familiar with this seal. Making the journey once more should save us considerable time. If necessary, I and the two of you will draw upon our true energy and employ some decisive measures—definitely able to compress the timeline to its shortest." Xiao Ming said thus. Upon hearing this, both Qingping Daoren and Wanhua Lady found it reasonable and promptly nodded in agreement. Thus, the three of them vanished in a flash of light, heading straight toward the distant, faintly visible opposing light surge, completely ignoring the golden hall and the silver pavilions nearby. ...After swiftly circling the massive stone stele several times, Han Li found no entrance and returned to his original position, frowning slightly. Suddenly, he shook his sleeve, and a sphere of white light shot out, then condensed into a delicate, translucent, pale white vial. The vial's surface was perfectly smooth, nearly transparent, with a faint, pulsating glow of blood light intermittently flickering within. "Didn't expect Ice Spirit's true form to be trapped here. Had it not shown a faint response earlier in the adjacent area, I might have truly missed it." Han Li murmured these words, then held the vial in his hand and began circling the stele once again, gradually ascending in concentric circles from lower to higher levels. After rotating it several times, the single drop of spiritual blood within the small vial suddenly emitted a glow slightly stronger than before. Though this subtle change was nearly imperceptible to the naked eye, it was clearly noticed by Han Li's keen senses. As soon as Han Li's body shifted, he flew straight toward the opposite stone stele and came to a halt in front of several large silver inscriptions, arranged in an unusual pattern. "The silver koi script might be a bit troublesome for others, but for me—it's quite straightforward," Han Li said, smiling as he carefully examined the inscriptions. Then, he raised his arm and lightly tapped the air with a finger, clicking several times at the inscriptions. The inscriptions flickered briefly and then moved silently, eventually gathering together to form a larger, unified silver symbol that began to spin on its own. The seemingly solid surface of the stele instantly shimmered, and a dark channel materialized in mid-air. Han Li moved swiftly, sliding entirely into the channel, which then closed seamlessly behind him. After stepping firmly on the slightly smooth ground, Han Li felt a subtle shock in his spirit. With one hand, he reached out and then released, sending a luminous white sphere soaring forth, which instantly illuminated the otherwise dim passageway as if it were daytime. He quickly scanned the surroundings, taking in every detail of the interior. The entire passage was semi-circular, with both walls and floor composed of ordinary dark stone. However, the surface was etched with an unfamiliar, strange spiritual pattern—twisted and irregular, vividly red, and pulsing with a faint, lingering scent of blood. After focusing his gaze, Han Li gently tapped his finger against his brow, projecting his strong spiritual awareness outward. Yet, only moments later, he sighed in expectation. His spiritual awareness was indeed under greater suppression than outside, and the anti-air barrier was exceptionally strong—so strong that even he could only lift a few inches off the ground. The amount of spiritual energy consumed was far beyond that of ordinary anti-air barriers. The Tianding True Immortal truly deserved his status as a successful ascendant to the immortal realm—his preserved seals and techniques were truly extraordinary. After a brief thought, Han Li stepped forward with determined strides. Given his robust physical strength, when he ran at full power, he did not lag behind ordinary cultivators who controlled their flight lights. However, since no immediate danger had arisen, there was no pressing need to hurry. Yet, even after walking just a short distance, the passage began to rise gradually, climbing higher and higher. In a short while, it had ascended over a hundred zhang. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared ahead, and the exit became clearly visible. Han Li narrowed his eyes, yet he continued walking without pause, steadily making his way through. But as soon as he stepped out of the passage and entered a vast hall, surveying the surroundings carefully, he found himself momentarily stunned.