Han Li's expression remained unchanged, merely standing still and quietly gazing toward the distant spot where the thunderous roar had originated. Suddenly, along the horizon, a surge of soil rolled forth, rapidly spreading out like a massive earth dragon, as though some colossal creature were rushing toward Han Li from beneath the ground. Han Li's expression slightly shifted at this sight, but before he could react or take any action, a wave of yellow dust following the earth dragon suddenly burst forth, and out of it emerged a towering silver giant several tens of zhang high. This giant had emerald hair flowing over his head, a lion's mouth and a bull's eyes, with a half-portion of his body wrapped in a green leather skirt. His entire body was densely muscled, gleaming with a silvery luster as though forged from silver. With just one step, he spanned hundreds of zhang, causing the ground nearby to tremble violently. The giant's form seemed astonishingly heavy. Upon clearly seeing the silver giant, Han Li's eyes finally flickered with a touch of astonishment. At that moment, the giant had already taken several long strides to catch up with the front of the earth dragon. With a deep roar, he suddenly slammed both palms hard into the ground beside him. Two thunderous booms shook the earth and mountains. With the giant at the center, the ground over a radius of several miles collapsed and sank, eventually forming a deep basin hundreds of zhang in depth. A sharp cry! A yellow giant beast, its form slightly blurred, suddenly burst forth from the basin, desperately fleeing toward the direction of Mingsha. Yet the silver giant seemed fully prepared for this development. With a single hearty laugh and a slight shift of his body, he swiftly materialized above the beast and then planted one massive foot firmly onto its back. A sharp "thud." As soon as the yellow beast made contact with the silver foot, it shuddered and plunged downward from the sky. A second, deeper thud followed, and the giant beast's midsection was firmly pressed and crushed into the ground. At that moment, Han Li finally made out the true form of the yellow giant—a colossal terracotta turtle, measuring sixty to seventy zhang in length, with a hard shell half a zhang thick. On its back, yellow ridges several zhang long rose like waves, while its single-horned head was firmly pressed beneath the massive silver feet, struggling desperately but unable to retreat into the shell. The silver giant, without a word, swung his arm once more, and his two massive fists transformed into a sweeping wave of silver punches, crashing down in a relentless barrage. The giant, upon seeing the orb, burst out laughing immediately, then shook his wrist and threw the orb into his mouth—astonishingly, it vanished whole into his belly. The silver giant's body shimmered with a yellow glow, but after a single hand gesture, it returned to normal. At that very moment, the giant suddenly turned his head and glanced at Han Li. His eyes were silvery and brilliant, as if completely devoid of pupils. Han Li's eyes narrowed at this sight. The silver giant then moved swiftly, stepping steadily toward Han Li, and before he even reached him, he thundered with laughter: "May I ask, friend—have you also been attending the gathering in the Heavenly Beyond? I, Yin Gangzi of the Tian Ji clan, have already met you." "Ah, so you are a guest from the Tian Ji clan. I am Han Li, a human from the mortal realm, pleased to meet you." Han Li exhaled gently and bowed slightly in the air. "You are indeed the same Han Daojun who journeyed to the Demon Realm and slew the mother of the Mingsheng insects—what a delightful coincidence! I have long heard of your name, Han." "He was surprised at first, but immediately pressed a hand seal and quickly shrunk in size, transforming within moments into a tall silver-skinned man nearly as tall as Han Li. 'Your praise is most generous,' said Han Li with a polite smile. 'I merely happened to defeat the mother of that pest insect—no special skill on my part. As for the reputation of the Tian Ji clan, I've heard of it for some time now. The transformation you just performed is indeed the famed "Creation Body" of the Tian Ji clan—truly, its power is profound and beyond measure.' The Tian Ji clan is also one of the most renowned among the races on Fengyuan Continent. Though not particularly numerous, its members are all exceptionally gifted, with remarkable speed in cultivation, surpassing other races. Once they reach the high levels capable of manifesting the Creation Body, their strength can instantly multiply." Therefore, the Tian Ji Clan is renowned as one of the Four Secret Clans of the Feng Yuan Continent. Its senior members rarely appear in public, making it quite surprising that韩立 has encountered a Tian Ji Clan master at the Great Multiplication stage. "Hehe, Friend Han is indeed very humble. The earth turtle beast I met on the way has a vital inner essence that proves useful to me, so I had to transform and pursue it all the way here. Since we've both arrived, why not journey together to the Heavenly Beyond?" Silver Guangzi said with a chuckle. "Friend Silver's invitation, I naturally cannot refuse," Han Li yawned, showing no reluctance. "Hehe, Friend Han is truly generous and easygoing. Then let us set off right away. On the way, we can discuss the matter of that blood-sacrificed immortal. Master Ming, the elder, sent me a rather simple message initially—do you have any further details, Friend Han?" Silver Guangzi sounded particularly delighted upon hearing this. "I once had the pleasure of meeting Master Ming at an earlier time, and indeed, I do know a few things. If you'd like to hear them, I will gladly share everything with you." Han Li smiled and said without hesitation. "Then I shall be most grateful. I have a boat called the Emerald Wave Vehicle—why don't you join me on this journey?" Upon hearing this, Yin Gangzi was overjoyed and replied. Then, as he exhaled, a wave of emerald light surged forth, and with a ripple in the air, a green flying vehicle thirty zhang long materialized in the sky. The vehicle had a triangular shape, intricately carved and polished with jade, radiating a gentle fragrance throughout. Four silver-armored automata stood motionless at both the front and rear of the vehicle. Han Li didn't hesitate to decline, and with a simple movement of his body, drifted upward and onto the vehicle beside Yin Gangzi. A moment later, the emerald flying carriage broke through the air, transforming into a sphere of green light and vanishing into the black and green wilderness. After a few flickers, it disappeared entirely at the horizon. Half a day later, at the heart of the Mingsha region, amidst a vast, murky sea of wind, the emerald carriage surged forward swiftly, braving the fierce gusts. Suddenly, the black wind ahead lightened, and a strange realm materialized out of thin air. To their astonishment, the void ahead split suddenly from several thousand feet high, dividing into two distinct realms—one black, one white. The lower half remained the black wind sea world, while the upper half revealed a translucent veil of white light, within which countless stones of varying sizes floated motionless. Some were no larger than houses, others as massive as mountain islands, bearing faint traces of pavilions and halls. "This is indeed the realm beyond the heavens," remarked Han Li, standing at the front of the emerald carriage, marveling at the sight. "There's no denying its uniqueness!" It's said that this place was once a sacred sanctuary of a great ancient clan, but later, for reasons unknown, the clan vanished without a trace—so much so that thick waves of阴煞 (negative spiritual energy) began seeping from the ground, rendering the area lifeless. Beside Han Li, the Silver罡 (Silver Guardian) shook his head and murmured as he spoke. Earlier, after a series of conversations during their journey in the flying carriage, Han Li had found himself getting along well with him, as if they were truly kindred spirits. "To see an entire clan vanish completely—clearly, they must have encountered an irresistible natural disaster. If not, it would be hard to imagine such a silent disappearance," Han Li remarked, his eyes flashing. "Heh, that makes sense. Hmm, looks like representatives from the Merchant Alliance have come to greet us," the Silver罡 chuckled and then added with a light note of surprise. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared on the upper screen, and a white flying vessel pierced through it, rushing straight toward their carriage. After exchanging a glance, Han Li and Yin Gangzi naturally stood at the front of the flying chariot, waiting in place. Their flying chariot, in turn, came to a silent halt in the wind. A short while later, the white flying vessel made several subtle movements and arrived close by, then gently settled beside the chariot. A man dressed in a blue robe on the vessel scanned Han Li and Yin Gangzi standing on the chariot, a brief expression of surprise flickering across his face before he hurriedly bowed respectfully and said, "It is indeed an honor to meet Master Han Li of the Human race and Master Yin Gangzi of the Tianji Clan. I have been sent by Master Ming to welcome both of you into the Heavenly Beyond." "Have you recognized me? It seems Master Ming has already shared our appearances with all of you younger members. Then, please lead the way ahead." Yin Gangzi spoke with a composed, unimpressed tone. Han Li merely maintained a calm, neutral expression. "Yes, Master Han Li and Master Yin Gangzi, please follow us." The blue-robed man naturally dared not dissent, bowing respectfully and responding. Immediately, the flying vessel turned around and began leading the way. Under the guidance of Yin Gangzi, the emerald carriage followed steadily and closely behind. After a cup of tea's worth of time, the carriage finally landed on a massive, suspended stone several miles in size, floating in the realm beyond the realm. On this stone stood a grand, milky-white hall, with two rows of fully armed merchants' soldiers stationed at the entrance. Yin Gangzi, having secured the carriage, proceeded with dignity toward the hall with Han Li. The soldiers maintained steady gaze, neither approaching nor questioning them. When Han Li and his companion entered the hall and passed through a short corridor, they found Ming Zun—the chief official of the merchant alliance—standing in a vast hall several dozen zhang high. "Master Han, Brother Yin," Ming Zun said, "it is truly unexpected that you both have arrived at the same time." The Ming Lord, who had been seated at the head of the table and engaged in conversation with several notable figures nearby, immediately rose with great delight upon seeing Han Li and Yin Gangzi enter. While the others remained seated, they all glanced at Han Li and Yin Gangzi with varied expressions. "Ha ha, we met Han Daojun near the edge of the Mingsha Realm, so we naturally came over together. It's quite a surprise to see Ming brother—after so many centuries, your appearance is as vibrant and healthy as ever," Yin Gangzi said with a hearty laugh, looking straight ahead without glancing at anyone. Han Li merely smiled and offered a polite greeting, then turned his attention with genuine interest to the other guests seated at the hall's main table.