From above, viewing downward, the yellow gale transformed into a wind wall now appeared as a rolling yellow veil, completely enveloping the entire desert. Xiao Ming seated himself at a distance, closed his eyes gently, and without releasing his hand seals, began silently channeling the energy through the scroll before him. Inside the golden tower, the scenes visible through the luminous screen had also turned into hazy yellow sand and wind, making it impossible to discern any details of the desert. Upon seeing this, the woman dressed in a vibrant, multicolored aura furrowed her brows and finally spoke: "Zhu brother, Xiao Ming's master has indeed activated the Yellow Wind Map, the foundational treasure of the Blood-Bone Sect. I've long heard that this treasure ranks among the top among the immaterial treasures of the spiritual realm. Now, upon its activation, even the Celestial Mirror is completely obscured—truly no exaggeration. Yet, activating it so early—doesn't that seem a bit premature? Isn't Xiao Ming being overly cautious?" "Heh, yes, Master Xiao's scroll is indeed the renowned Yellow Wind Map." Usually, this artifact is enshrined in the Ancestral Hall of the Xuegu Gate, and is only summoned together by the senior elders when facing a formidable adversary, then entrusted to one person to wield it in battle. In fact, the artifact has already been pre-arranged; the desert where the malevolent demon currently resides is precisely the image of this divine map transformed into reality. Now, it is merely being formally activated. As for whether Xiao Dao-you has been overly cautious, I personally believe that his decisive action in activating the map at this moment is a sound and reliable strategy. After all, the demon possesses extraordinary abilities, and now being simultaneously encircled by the Celestial and Earthly arrays as well as the Yellow Wind Map, he is truly secure beyond doubt. Bi-brother, what do you think? Hmm, Bi-brother, your complexion seems a bit off—could there be something on your mind? The blood-robed man with eagle-like eyes, after explaining a few sentences, suddenly approached Bi Ying with a curious expression. At that moment, Bi Ying fixed her eyes intently on the luminous screen before her, her face unusually pale. Only upon hearing the elder with keen eyes, did she shift her gaze, offering a weak smile and replied, "Not much. It's just that, when I first saw the true form of that fearsome demon, I felt an overwhelming sense of alarm and trembling." "Hmm, that's interesting. When one reaches our level of cultivation, one may often sense certain dangers. Daojun He and Lady Lingyun—do either of you also experience such premonitions?" The elder with keen eyes frowned, suddenly serious, and hurriedly asked the other two. "I don't," said the lady. "I don't either," added the scholar in a flowing robe, smiling slightly as he glanced at Bi Ying. "So perhaps Bi brother has misjudged his feelings." "Hmph. Whether or not he's correct, I'm not staying any longer. I must set off immediately. Regardless of the final outcome of this battle, Master Yu will simply inform the alliance of what happens when he arrives." "To the surprise of the other three, Bi Ying's face twitched slightly, and suddenly she spoke her parting words. All of them were momentarily stunned by this unexpected move... 'Ha ha, Bi brother, aren't you being overly cautious? If any danger truly arises, what could go wrong for us four here? Perhaps we should wait until after this battle to—' The elder with keen eyes chuckled and was about to offer his advice when, at that very moment, the scene on the nearby screen suddenly brightened dramatically, with countless piercing golden beams cutting through the wind curtain and flooding the entire screen in golden hues. 'What in the world—' 'Not good! The Observing Mirror is about to burst!' The group gasped in surprise, and the elder exclaimed aloud. The screen trembled, then erupted into a brilliant golden flash, completely rupturing and freezing in place. A shockwave immediately spread out in all directions. The four elders, each with their hands or arms moving slightly or a shimmer of light flashing before them, effortlessly deflected the waves rushing toward them. But they turned their gaze toward the spot where the light screen had burst, and there stood only a shattered, incomplete ancient mirror, their faces now pale with concern. "What on earth is going on? The Celestial Mirror has actually shattered. Yu brother, this artifact was under your cultivation—shouldn't you be well aware of the reasons behind this?" Lady Lingyun's expression changed several times before she asked. "It seems something truly serious has occurred on that side—the Celestial Mirror has burst apart in mid-air. Indeed, the cause appears to be profound." The elder with keen eyes stared at the broken mirror, his face clouded with uncertainty, yet his response seemed somewhat off-topic. This artifact had been a significant investment—he had secured it at great cost—and it enabled him to observe distant scenes as far as billions of miles away, making it an exceptionally practical rare treasure. Yet, it had been destroyed so easily today, leaving him deeply saddened. "From the appearance of the Celestial Mirror just before its collapse, it seems as though a power surge from the Huang Feng Tu exceeded its capacity, resulting in this very phenomenon." Could it be that Master Bi Ying truly sensed it? Master He frowned. "The Huang Feng Tu is a treasure of Xuan Tian, and there are also the Heaven and Earth arrays, supported by the Twelve Great Attainments—yet still, the situation on that side remains uncontrollable. What kind of divine power has the ferocious demon employed to achieve such results?" Lady Ling Yun murmured softly. Master Bi, however, faced a pale, stern expression, standing motionless and silent. "No worries. I'll send a message over first and find out exactly what's happened with Master Xiao Ming." Only then did the elder with keen eyes recall his course of action, and his expression relaxed slightly. As he spoke, he swiftly flipped his hand, and a jade-like array disc appeared in his hand. With a single finger, he quickly tapped it several times, and a faint silver text flashed into view before fading into blur. Then, he fixed his gaze steadily on the disc. After a full cup of tea's worth of time passed, the disc showed no response at all, and the elder's expression gradually darkened. After gathering the object in his hands, he slowly addressed the others: "It seems something has truly gone wrong. Even Xiao Ming, who was at the periphery, can no longer be reached." "Given this, we must make preparations. Should any of our companions fall into the hands of this formidable demon, he will likely come directly to us. After all, Bi Ying mentioned a faint omen earlier—now, looking at the current situation, it's almost certain that this omen has come true in the very person of this demon." River Master exhaled deeply, speaking with serious gravity. "Bi Ying, at this point, do you still intend to leave first?" The elder with keen eyes nodded and then turned to Bi Ying, asking. "I do not plan to leave. I've come to realize that if this demon is indeed my destined trial, I may be able to evade him for a while, but not for long. Only by confronting and overcoming this trial head-on can I hope to secure any chance at survival." Bi Ying's eyes flashed with cold light, and finally, she made up her mind. "Very well. Although there are only four of us at the Great Stage level here, the city still has ten thousand disciples and the city's protective array at our disposal—definitely capable of standing against the enemy. The fierce demon, having suffered in the previous battle, will surely not be unscathed either." The elder with keen eyes was equally resolute, immediately clapping his hands to speak. Both He Da and Ling Yun Lady understood that now was not the time to retreat; otherwise, they risked being overwhelmed by the powerful opponents who would surely turn their attention. Otherwise, they would have voiced objections. Of course, the reason they remained steadfast and did not flee stemmed from their own confidence in their strength. Though all of them were at the Great Stage level, their individual prowess far surpassed that of the twelve ahead of them. Together, they were certain to easily defeat and eliminate several of those twelve. Thus, Bi Ying and the others departed the hall, beginning to summon their disciples and staff to get things underway. At the same time, the once-deserted desert had now completely transformed into a world blazing with golden flames. Numerous golden volcanoes, each soaring over a thousand zhang high, rise abruptly from below, shattering the great array and periodically belching out golden plumes of fire. Beneath these volcanoes, faintly visible are scattered, charred, incomplete skeletons. The colossal mirrors formed from the luminous array in the sky are now sealed within a thick layer of deep blue ice, motionless and lifeless as if frozen in time. At the heart of many of these golden volcanoes stands a golden giant, towering over a thousand zhang. The giant is adorned with golden spiritual patterns throughout his body, and from the appearance of his face, he bears no difference from the once-dressed black-robed youth. Yet, one of his eyes glows with surging golden flames, while the other emits a gentle, pale blue cold aura. He raises one hand high, firmly grasping a massive, blood-red toad. The toad's body is torn open on one side, his vitality greatly diminished, and he lies in a state of near-collapse, barely breathing. Meanwhile, the golden giant pressed down with the other massive hand upon the blood toad’s fragmented skull, golden streaks of light spilling forth as if searching for something. After a moment, the golden giant suddenly hummed, "Indeed, they've shown some skill—managing to seal half of their spiritual essence and prevent my intrusion. But even this portion I've uncovered is sufficient. Well then, the Blood Sect and He Lan Merchant Alliance, the most powerful cultivators of the Blood Sky, have all gathered here. Perfect—now I can sweep them all in at once, and avoid further trouble down the line." As soon as the words were spoken, a thunderclap erupted above the giant. Purple-golden arcs flashed across the surrounding void, swiftly coiling into countless chains that wrapped around the giant’s immense form before vanishing instantly into his body. The giant emitted a deep groan, loosened his grip, and the blood toad was instantly engulfed in golden flames, turning to ash. Its body then rapidly contracted, and within moments, it resumed its original appearance as the black-robed young man. "Pffft," "Pffft"—two soft sounds. The young man in black robes spurted two clots of golden blood, his face growing paler, his brows furrowing slightly. At that moment, the golden volcano beneath him also vanished in a shimmering flash. With a single hand motion, he lightly tapped his forehead, and a golden seal burst forth from his crown, landing in his hands after a brief flicker. "Fully transforming and unleashing my spiritual realm once indeed proves overwhelming. Fortunately, the blood sacrifice earlier yielded substantial gains, and thanks to this golden-quality substitute immortal seal bestowed by my master, I wouldn't have been crushed instantly by the interface's power during the transformation. This seal can support two more transformations and the subsequent deployment of spiritual realms—enough to clear out all these mere ants. Heh, with these individuals already eliminated, I daresay no one in the spiritual realm will now dare to obstruct my grand plan. Though those two ants did manage to escape swiftly—I hadn't even noticed them fleeing when I was transforming." Yet with the true soul seeds I have planted within them, how could they possibly escape my grasp entirely?" The young man in black robes toyed with the golden scroll in his hands, his expression tinged with stern determination.