"What? With only Master Han and his two companions missing, won't our strength be significantly weakened? Won't there be any issues at all? Where is Master Xuan Jiuling now? Won't he also be unwilling to join us in our current endeavor?" Silver Jingsi furrowed his brow and asked directly. "This is indeed unavoidable. Only with Master Han and his three companions personally guarding the array's core can we be certain that the Er-Yi Mie-Chen Great Array won't be compromised by the opposing forces. After all, this is a secret array of the Immortal Realm, an essential weapon indispensable against a True Immortal. Between the two, we must choose one—either the array or the person. As for Master Xuan Jiuling, please don't worry—he has already arrived here." Ming Zun replied calmly. Just as he finished speaking, another soft male voice resonated clearly throughout the void. "Indeed, are you all concerned that I might falter and retreat at the last moment?" You need not worry. Even if all of you change your minds, Xu Jian will still step forward alone. The chance to slay a true immortal is not something that comes around every day. Such bold words—indeed, they are Xu's voice. Since you have arrived, why not make your appearance and meet us face to face? The Lady Wu's expression relaxed slightly, yet she scanned the room with a steady gaze. Hearing this, the others also eased their expressions. "Xu Jian has always preferred to come and go alone. There is no need for us to meet personally. As long as you know that when the time comes, I will step forward, that will suffice." Xu Jiuling spoke without any emotion. Now, the numerous great cultivators present could only stare at one another, speechless, and were also somewhat astonished at their persistent inability to pinpoint Xu's exact location. ...At the edge of the Ming Sha realm, a sharp crack echoed from afar, and a streak of jade-green light flashed into being, then blurred slightly before plunging deep into the Ming Sha realm. Suddenly, the light faded, revealing a luminous jade vessel stretching over ten zhang in length floating in midair. Standing at the front of the vessel were both the Six-Winged and the Ice Phoenix, both of them pale as ghosts. "This time, we've truly come up short. We never expected that the madman, after all his prior exertions, not only showed no depletion of his spiritual power but seemed even more enduring than before. However, once we reach this point, we should be safe for now. We'll have to wait a while, allowing him to draw closer before entering." The Six-Winged glanced back once, his eyes revealing a hint of apprehension. "Indeed. This time, not only have we nearly exhausted all the pills and talismans delivered by the He Lan Merchant Alliance, but even the foundational energies we just restored to ourselves have been fully consumed." "If this time the merchants of the Alliance fail to subdue this madman, then we'll have no chance to escape at all," Ice Phoenix replied, her face no less troubled. "Master Ming has himself claimed to have summoned several of the strongest figures in the continent, surely among them is my former master. Though I'd rather not admit it, my former master indeed possesses extraordinary abilities—his presence alone makes it likely we won't lose this time." Six Wings spoke calmly. "Ah, I didn't expect you to have such confidence in Brother Han." Ice Phoenix was somewhat surprised. "Hmph. If I didn't have such confidence, why would I have insisted on the condition that Master Ming never trouble me for a thousand years? With that thousand years, I'll be able to attain the ** and will no longer fear anyone in the Spirit Realm." Six Wings gave a sharp exhale, her gaze briefly flashing. "Yes, I'd actually think that, given Brother Han's extraordinary talent, his powers in a thousand years' time might reach unimaginable heights—perhaps even achieving direct transcendence to the Immortal Realm within ten thousand years." Ice Phoenix glanced at the six-winged one, a slightly mocking smile playing at her lips. "Transcendence to the Immortal Realm! Hah! You're vastly underestimating this. There are hundreds of cultivators at the peak level throughout the Spirit Realm, yet over the past ten thousand years, how many have successfully ascended to the Immortal Realm? Even with my predecessor's most extraordinary talent and boundless fortune, such a feat might occur only once in a hundred." The six-winged one laughed heartily. "Indeed? Then I'm quite confident that Brother Han will ultimately reach the Immortal Realm. Should we both survive this ordeal, shall we place a wager?" Ice Phoenix's expression suddenly took on a curious hue. "A wager? You're surprised?" the six-winged one replied, somewhat taken aback. "It's very simple—just wager whether or not Brother Han can truly ascend to the Immortal Realm within ten thousand years and achieve the body of a true Immortal." Ice Phoenix spoke each word deliberately. "What's the stake?" Six-Winged stared at the woman beside him, sensing that her words were no mere jest, and only after a pause asked coldly. "You've always wanted me to be your partner in dual cultivation, haven't you? If I lose, I shall marry you as your wife. But should Brother Han succeed in ascending within ten thousand years, you shall then, wherever I am, always yield and step aside—never compete with me or interfere in any matter involving me. Of course, during these ten thousand years, you must also refrain from bothering me at all." Ice Phoenix stated without hesitation. "You truly have confidence in your former master!" Six-Winged's expression shifted between shades of displeasure and surprise. "Are you now hesitant? If you lack confidence in your judgment, then there's no need for this wager—merely wait and be gently reclaimed by Brother Han as his spiritual companion whenever the occasion arises." Ice Phoenix spoke with a smile that held both warmth and quiet amusement. "What else could I possibly fear? However, the stakes must be adjusted. Since you intend to bind me for ten thousand years with this wager, you must also bear the corresponding consequences. Should my former master fail to attain enlightenment within ten thousand years, I shall not marry you—I shall make you my concubine instead. From that point on, you shall never refuse any of my commands. Furthermore, both of us must swear a blood-drinking oath, sealed by our inner demons." Six Wings' expression darkened as he pondered, then suddenly grew stern. "As a concubine! A blood-drinking oath! Very well—this I accept without hesitation." Ice Phoenix's eyes flashed with intent, and she immediately agreed without a moment's hesitation. Six Wings was momentarily struck by this, yet after a swift internal reflection, he found no issue at all. With the likelihood of his own loss being extremely slim, he simply opened his mouth and expelled a cluster of pure blood. With a finger, he pointed into the air, and instantly the blood spun around, coalescing into a vivid red ghostly face. The six-winged creature chanted continuously, weaving intricate hand seals, and solemnly swore a vow of inner turmoil before the ghostly face. Beside her, the ice phoenix raised her brows, spouting a stream of refined blood as she performed her incantation, and likewise made her own solemn pledge. After completing the bet ritual, the two six-winged beings exchanged glances, each seeing a confident resolve in the other’s eyes. Yet, before either of them could speak further, the six-winged one suddenly changed expression, turning sharply toward the rear. At the same moment, the sky behind darkened, and the sound of thunder grew gradually stronger, eventually swelling into a roaring, wave-like crescendo. "Hurry! He's coming!" the ice phoenix exclaimed, her face pale with alarm. Without a word, the six-winged one raised one hand to weave a seal and, with the other, flipped a crimson pill directly into her mouth. At that moment, the lustrous jade flying vessel beneath the two of them suddenly trembled, transforming into a streak of azure light and rushing forward, vanishing within mere flashes into the land of Mingsha. Not more than a few breaths later, a blood-red glow appeared on the western sky, and a vast river of blood materialized, flowing steadily in the same direction with an astonishing speed. Within this river, eight five-clawed blood dragons breathed out golden beams, their bodies coiled and roaring with thunderous sounds, appearing and disappearing intermittently. In a flash, the river of blood surged into the land of Mingsha, chasing after the jade flying vessel. Between the swift pursuit and the determined escape, the speed was beyond what outsiders could imagine, yet the distance between them was rapidly closing. Within less than a cup of tea's time, the six-winged pair standing on the jade vessel could now clearly see the sweeping, blood-drenched scenes approaching them, their expressions growing tense. "Does the wind-shield scroll provided by Mingzun still remain?" asked the Six-Winged to the Ice Phoenix. "There's only one left." "Ice Phoenix hesitated slightly before speaking, 'Then what are we waiting for? When else should we use this secret seal at this very moment!' Six-Winged roared. Upon hearing this, Ice Phoenix didn't waste a word—she merely shook her fragrant sleeve, and a bright silver seal shot forth from the sleeve, vanishing instantly into the flying vessel beneath. At the same moment, countless silver characters shimmered across the vessel's surface, then rapidly contracted and retracted, returning to the ship's body. The crystal-hulled vessel instantly emitted a piercing cry, its form blurring as its speed surged dramatically—now surging ahead, even surpassing the Blood River in velocity. 'Hmph. Another move. A mere lost realm cluster should possess such a wind-shielding seal, something we, of the Immortal Realm, are known for. This is indeed unexpected,' remarked Ma Liang, standing atop one of the blood-headed dragons in the Blood River. "Master, these are most likely incantation scrolls left behind by the ancient immortals from the celestial realm. Otherwise, how could these people have possibly crafted such celestial scrolls?" Yang Lu bowed and replied while standing beside him. "Even so, having these scrolls at their disposal would still be a considerable burden. Otherwise, they should have captured all of them alive long before now." Ma Li's face showed a touch of impatience. "Master, please rest assured. While there may still be a few such celestial realm scrolls in the spiritual world, there simply won't be many. Based on their prior consumption, they likely don't have many left—perhaps even just one, the very last one." Yang Lu spoke respectfully, unaware that his casual remark had truly pinpointed the actual situation of the two six-winged beings. "I hope so. Yang Lu, do you think this location is a good place for a hidden ambush?" Ma Li first offered a neutral response, but after sweeping his vast divine awareness across the surroundings, suddenly his expression took on a strange, puzzled tone as he asked. "Could it be that the master has noticed something?" Yang Lu was startled and quickly asked. "Not yet, though the dense阴煞energy here is so strong that even my divine awareness is significantly constrained. If someone were to set a trap right here, it would indeed be an ideal location to counteract me." Ma Li smiled calmly, yet a flash of coldness passed briefly through his eyes.