"Master, please go ahead and cast your spell—I will take care of my duties as a protector." Yang Lu spoke without hesitation. "Very well. Then let's find a suitable spot ahead." Ma Liang nodded, and said calmly. At once, the two vanished in a flash of light, rushing straight toward the towering mountain range ahead. Several hours later, atop a massive peak at the heart of the mountain range, the young man in black robes sat in meditation with his eyes closed. Before him, a crystal orb of black and white spun continuously, and gradually, a blood-red ghost face emerged from its surface. Ma Liang raised a single finger, touching the orb—immediately, the ghost's face grew fierce, its eyes fixed intently on a certain direction. In the next moment, he exhaled a bright, blood-streaked orb of light, which, upon a single flash, silently sank into the young man's brow. "Hmph. Indeed, those two have arrived on this continent. Hmm. Look at their direction—it seems remarkably close to the He Lan Commercial Alliance. Could it be that they've taken refuge there?" Ma Liang's eyes snapped open, his face revealing a touch of surprise. "Since the members of the Commerce Alliance intend to plot against the master, it's quite plausible they would protect those two junior members who have shown disrespect to him," Yang Lu replied promptly, her eyes darting around thoughtfully. "Then that would be ideal—exactly the opportunity to eliminate them all at once." Ma Liang chuckled coldly, then took a deep breath, "Pff!"—he inhaled the crystalline orb and the ghostly expression, transforming them into a swirling mass of black and white energy. Yet his expression tightened again as he raised one hand toward his head. Instantly, a golden glow enveloped him, and a small, translucent figure materialized in midair—mirroring Ma Liang's face perfectly. Though his body shimmered like a piece of clear jade, with one gentle gesture of his hand, a golden scroll emerged from within him and spiraled gracefully through the surrounding space. The ruyi figure maintained a solemn expression, pressing her palms together in a series of gestures. Immediately, her ten fingers launched golden talismans like wheels, rapidly striking them. With a resonant hum, a pale gray ethereal figure emerged from the talisman. This figure appeared to be a young man of exceptional beauty, yet his eyes were lifeless, floating silently in the void, with a faint band of alternating black and white light subtly connecting him to the talisman. "Rush!" The ruyi figure murmured, activating her incantation and swiftly vanishing. A vibrant cascade of five-colored light surged wildly across her body. The ethereal figure of the young man momentarily blurred, then suddenly regained focus in his gaze, darting toward a specific direction. However, after flying only a few hundred paces, he was abruptly drawn back by the strong pull of the black-and-white light band. "Ha ha! At last, I've found the destination for this journey to the mortal realm. It seems I won't need long to return to the immortal world!" The ruyi figure beamed with delight, laughing heartily. Then, the little figure altered his spell, and at the same moment, both himself, the golden scroll, and the elegant male phantom vanished. Below, Ma Liang’s physical form opened his eyes with great excitement—being able to so easily sense the target’s location through a mere fragment of his residual spirit was far beyond what he had expected. "Congratulations, Master. Shall we first go in search of your destination, or should we head to the Helian Trading Alliance?" Yang Lu quickly smiled and said. "Indeed. Now that I know the precise location of my destination, I have no concern about it fleeing. Let’s first deal with those at the Helian Trading Alliance who have been favorable to me—after all, it won’t take much time. My Universal Spirit Blood Seal still needs a few grand blood sacrifices to be fully refined." Ma Liang paused thoughtfully, then spoke with a touch of stern determination. Yang Lu naturally agreed without hesitation. Thus, the two swiftly set off in the direction of a certain point. And at the very moment Ma Liang had just activated that golden scroll to sense the target, deep within the sacred precincts of the Ling race's domain, beneath a thousand-li ice peak glowing with delicate blue streaks, a handsome young man bound by a series of scroll-chains lay unconscious, his eyes closed. Suddenly, a golden spiritual pattern on his forehead flashed briefly, and the eyes beneath his eyelids stirred subtly, as if unconsciously. Moment later, a streak of white light surged from afar, and upon a brief flash, an elderly white-robed figure, whose face was as small as that of a child, appeared silently before the ice bee. "What has happened? Why have you summoned me?" the white-robed elder asked seriously to the child. "Something unusual appeared just now, though I've checked the nearby seals and found nothing amiss. Have you noticed anything outside?" the child said with serious demeanor. "There's nothing out of the ordinary. I've been stationed at the entrance the entire time. If anything were wrong, I would have sensed it immediately." the white-robed elder replied, somewhat surprised. "Then what exactly was that sudden occurrence? He should have been completely sealed off—his consciousness should have remained utterly still, completely unaffected." the child asked, frowning. "Indeed, that does seem rather strange," the white-robed elder admitted, hesitating thoughtfully. "Have there been any major developments recently from outside?" After a moment's glance, the little being suddenly asked. "Major developments? Not really. Since the demonic forces were repelled, the only change in the surrounding areas has been a slight growth in human settlements—everything else remains as before," the robed elder replied with confidence. The younger man nodded, said nothing further, and with a single gesture of his hand, his body burst open with a loud "thud," dissolving into scattered points of white light that vanished silently into the ice peak. Meanwhile, the white-robed elder remained with a fluctuating expression, bowed again and again, pondering for a while before finally shaking his head and vanishing with a ripple of light, transforming into a streak of white light that sped away. "Bi stood up abruptly from her chair, her face shifting between stormy and composed as she asked. "Master Bi, this Blood-Sacrifice Fiend's movements have been both strange and swift. Had it not been for the fact that the Fiend was recognized by one of our disciples during its transit through a teleportation array, we likely wouldn't have learned of its arrival at Fengyuan until now," the man replied with a wry smile. "Has the news of the Fiend's direct approach toward our alliance been confirmed?" Bi asked again. "That should be accurate. Following its route, there has been no significant power presence ahead of us—only our alliance. How could the Fiend have chosen such a course unless it already knew of our plans to gather our strongest forces against it?" The man hesitated before responding with strong conviction. "Indeed, the information must have leaked out, and the most likely source is the First Supreme Elder of the Jia Tun clan." I had originally extended invitations to him as well. Now that he has fallen into the hands of this fierce demon, it seems he has been thoroughly searched—otherwise, I cannot explain the demon's current actions." Bai Ying furrowed her brows, pondering for a while before responding in a沉沉 tone. "As for what we should do now—though we now know the demon has come this way, half a month is absolutely insufficient to gather the various strongholds. No one could have anticipated that this demon would come directly targeting our alliance." The man grew somewhat apprehensive. "Why be so anxious? Since we cannot currently match the demon's strength, our strategy will be to disperse our forces and retreat gradually, buying ourselves some time to rally the stronger forces across the continent." Bai Ying, however, already had a plan. "A temporary retreat?" The man paused, slightly startled. "Our alliance differs from other ethnic groups in that we do not have a large population or fixed territories. As long as we shift our forces from the open to the concealed, I truly believe the demon will not be able to withstand our resistance." "Bi Ying spoke calmly. 'Indeed, this is a sound strategy. I'll immediately arrange the evacuation.' The man finally had it all clear and expressed his delight. 'Wait a moment. Besides the evacuation, you should immediately send messages to the pre-arranged strong leaders from each of the clans, instructing them all to gather at Tianwai Tian—the celestial realm beyond the mortal world—where the thick concentration of deathly qi is unparalleled. This is precisely the ideal location to summon the several ancient true spirits currently enshrined in our alliance.' Bi Ying delivered the instructions with confidence. 'It's undoubtedly the best place to confront that fierce demon, but will the enemy be so cooperative as to come there?' The man hesitated slightly. 'Rest assured. I invited Liu Yi and Liu Er to the alliance precisely for a moment like this,' Bi Ying said with a cold smile. 'Now I understand completely,' the man replied, bowing respectfully in admiration, and then promptly stepped out of the hall. After walking back and forth several times, Bei Ying finally sat back down at her seat, her face displaying a series of uncertain expressions as she pondered. ...In the Qingyuan Palace of the Human Race's Yuanhe Island, Han Li was seated on a mat, gazing at a cluster of purple-golden lightning held in his hands. Though the lightning orb was no larger than a clenched fist, the faint flashes of electricity barely stirred, with no audible thunderous roars—its stillness was truly remarkable.