Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

After landing, Li Huayuan didn't say much, only briefly reminding him, "The trial is dangerous, so act according to your ability." Then he raised his hand and waved, and a beam of spiritual light shot into the sky.

As the light faded, a massive silver-armored horned python appeared. Its scales gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and its body was as thick as a giant pillar. It was several times larger than the one Ma Liang remembered from the animation. Its imposing aura was overwhelming, causing the surrounding disciples to instinctively hold their breath.

Ma Liang gazed at the colossal python that blotted out the sky, and unconsciously touched the storage bag at his waist, where the egg lay quietly.

"Such power is truly astonishing. I wonder what my egg will look like when it hatches?"

Li Huayuan leaped onto the head of the silver-armored horned python. "Everyone, immediately mount the python's body and follow me!"

The disciples immediately used their spiritual power, leaping or floating, and landed one after another on the broad back of the python, each finding a good spot to stand.

Once the last person had regained their footing, Li Huayuan shouted in a deep voice, "Rise!"

The silver-armored horned python let out a roar, soaring into the air with immense pressure at an astonishing speed.

In the blink of an eye, the gate of Yellow Maple Valley was far behind.

Ma Liang felt the whistling wind in his ears and the tremors from the python's body beneath his feet; the speed was even faster than he had expected.

He instinctively crouched down, his palm touching the hard scales.

As Ma Liang stroked the scales of the silver-armored horned python, a bold idea popped into his mind.

"If such a colossal creature could be drawn with a divine brush within the Crimson Forbidden Land, the entire forbidden land would likely be awe-inspiring."

But then I thought about it again and couldn't help but shake my head.

"If it were actually drawn, the terrifying destructive power would not only affect the demonic beasts in the forbidden area, but also the fellow cultivators. None of them would be able to come out alive."

He subconsciously glanced at Xiang Zhili not far away, and added in his mind: Of course, this senior is an exception.

He secretly assessed the situation with his divine sense and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "With my current level of divine sense, I simply can't draw it!"

The silver-armored horned python sped through the sky for a long time. At first, everyone was quite interested in looking at the scenery below, but as time went on, fatigue from the long flight gradually set in. Many disciples sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, and focused their minds to recover their spiritual energy.

Ma Liang also calmed his mind and circulated his internal energy to regulate his breathing. After an unknown amount of time, Li Huayuan's voice suddenly rang out: "We've arrived."

He suddenly opened his eyes and looked down. Below him was a desolate and lifeless wasteland, the earth cracked and barren, with not a blade of grass growing. In the center of the wasteland, there was an area that exuded an eerie aura.

The place was shrouded in black mist, with a faint red glow visible flowing within it, making it clear at a glance to be an extremely dangerous place.

Looking around, one could see that a number of cultivators had gathered, forming several circles in groups of three or five. They were clearly disciples from other sects who had arrived earlier.

Li Huayuan controlled the silver-armored horned python and landed on an open ground.

The disciples jumped off the python's back one after another, their eyes warily scanning the cultivators from other sects around them.

Just as he steadied himself, a figure in a green robe approached from a distance. It was none other than Fu Yunzi, the Core Formation Elder of the Qingxu Sect.

"Brother Li, you've come at the perfect time. I've been waiting here for quite some time."

Li Huayuan stepped forward to return the greeting. Their eyes met, and their tone carried a hint of competition. After some pleasantries, just like in the original story, the topic quickly turned to the trial bet.

Perhaps because of Ma Liang's presence, this senior did not take the initiative to introduce the people from various sects to Han Li as in the original story. He simply stood aside with his hands behind his back, ignoring the commotion around him.

Han Li, just like in his previous life, looked around warily, observing the disciples of other sects.

Seeing his expression, Ma Liang chuckled inwardly and simply walked over. "What are you looking at?"

Han Li turned around upon hearing the voice and, seeing it was Ma Liang, quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Senior Brother Ma."

"No need for such formalities."

Ma Liang waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the crowds from various sects not far away.

"Are you thinking about these people from other sects? Perfect, let me tell you about it."

As he spoke, he took over the role originally played by Xiang Zhili, pointing to the figures in the crowd and introducing them to Han Li.

Ma Liang was pointing at the crowd and introducing the details of each sect to Han Li when suddenly a streak of light streaked across the sky. A flying boat decorated with a silver moon emblem approached from afar, and the sound of it cutting through the air drew the attention of the surrounding cultivators.

He caught a glimpse of the flying boat out of the corner of his eye, and in a moment of impulsiveness, blurted out to Han Li, "Han Li, your wife—"

He realized his mistake before the words were even out of his mouth and quickly corrected himself, "Ahem, the people from the Hidden Moon Sect have arrived!"

Han Li was completely confused. He looked in the direction Ma Liang pointed and saw that the flying boat had landed on an open space not far away.

He saw a female cultivator dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe, with a cold and aloof face and an otherworldly temperament. She was none other than Nangong Wan, who had presided over the spiritual root test at the Tainan Small Gathering back then.

Han Li's heart tightened, fearing he would be recognized. He instinctively took a step back and hid behind Ma Liang, only daring to peek out with one eye.

As Ma Liang was speaking, he saw Han Li's "shrinking and hiding" appearance.

"Hey? Han Li, that's not fair! What do you mean? Are you using me as a shield?"

"I went to all the trouble of introducing you to all sorts of people."

Han Li waved his hand somewhat embarrassedly: "Senior Brother Ma, I didn't mean that..."

"Alright, I know you're naturally cautious."

"But don't be too nervous. Cultivators have sharp senses. No matter how far you hide, you won't be able to hide if they're really watching you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Core Formation cultivators from the seven sects gathered in front of the black mist and discussed for a few words, clearly finalizing the details of breaking the restriction.

Immediately, everyone took their positions, summoned their magical artifacts, and began to chant incantations. Streams of spiritual light shot into the sky, converging into a mighty torrent of spiritual power that crashed fiercely against the restrictions of the blood-red forbidden land.

The torrent of spiritual energy from the Core Formation cultivators continued to bombard the area, and in a short while, a gap was torn open in the restrictions of the Crimson Forbidden Land.

As soon as the gap appeared, many disciples who were eager to find medicine could not contain themselves and rushed in.

Immediately afterwards, disciples from various sects surged in like a tide, and figures flashed by in an instant.

Ma Liang looked at Han Li, "If we meet in the forbidden area later, don't try to ambush me!"

Without hesitation, he flew through the gap in a flash of light.

Han Li was completely confused, not understanding why Senior Brother Ma suddenly said this, but he still maintained his usual caution and did not follow the trend to compete. After most of the disciples had entered, he took advantage of the gap in the restriction before it closed and flashed into the forbidden area.

Ma Liang stepped into the blood-red forbidden area, and as soon as he stood still, he quickly found a secluded spot and darted inside.

He peered out for a moment, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no other cultivators had landed in the area.

Ma Liang took out a map and carefully compared it with the surrounding plants, thus figuring out the location.

He had landed in the southern part of the forbidden area, diagonally opposite the Wulongtan where Han Li was in the original story.

Ma Liang put away the map, flicked his finger, and the scroll on his back flew to his front.

He flicked his finger in the air, and the scroll slowly unfurled. Before it was fully unfurled, the densely packed talismans on the scroll were already visible.

As the scroll unfurled nearly halfway, images of three demonic beasts were revealed.

With a thought, one of the demonic beasts leaped out of the painting. As soon as it left the scroll, it grew larger in the wind and instantly transformed into a burly blue wolf spirit beast.

He stepped forward and stroked the glossy fur of the Howling Wind Wolf with his palm.

"A level one peak demonic beast, the Howling Wind Wolf."