I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

The doors of the Elders' Hall were already wide open, and Li Hanshan and Ye Shuanghua entered one after the other.

The space inside the hall was several times larger than it appeared from the outside. The dome hung high, having been renovated using spatial expansion techniques, and was large enough to accommodate hundreds of people. At this moment, nearly half of the seats in the hall were occupied, and robes of various colors intertwined in a flowing tapestry of hues under the glow of the luminous pearls.

The Ninth Elder sat on the highest stone chair to the right of the main seat. His gray robe gleamed coldly in the spiritual mist, and his face was as smooth as a knife-cut rock, revealing no obvious emotional fluctuations. The Fifth Elder sat slightly lower opposite him, her cyan dress shimmering with a warm glow in the halo of light. She held a cup of spiritual tea in her hand, her gaze calmly fixed on the direction of the hall entrance.

Chu Zian stood in the shadows not far behind the Ninth Elder. His iron-gray outfit blended almost into the stone wall in the darkness. He crossed his arms and glanced at the deacons and core disciples of each peak who were taking their seats, like a guard counting heads.

Yan Qingsong stood further forward. His right arm had long since been repaired using rare and precious materials. His expression was much more somber than it had been ten years ago. The hatred he harbored was like a smoldering fire buried underground; though no flames were visible, one could feel the continuous heat radiating from it. Huo Yuan sat on a stone chair to the side of the hall. Half of his body had not yet fully recovered. The moment he saw Li Hanshan, his gaze was filled with murderous intent.

An arm can be regrown using rare and precious materials, but restoring half of the body to its original state is not so easy.

As Li Hanshan's gaze swept across the hall, he noticed several familiar figures. Xuan Yinzi stood at the edge of the Ninth Elder's side, his silver-gray robe gleaming coldly in the spiritual mist. The silver markings between his brows were clearer than before, and the aura flowing around him had clearly crossed the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage. When he sensed Li Hanshan's gaze, he slightly tilted his head, a faint, amused smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Yu Mengjia stood near the palace entrance, her pale blue dress shimmering softly in the glow of the luminous pearl. Her aura had also broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, and was even more composed than Xuan Yinzi's. Sensing Li Hanshan's gaze, she nodded slightly as a greeting. Wang Hao stood further back, his moon-white robe spotless. His aura had also crossed the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage, the oppressive aura of his Xuanhuang Divine Body flowing endlessly around him. Luo Lie stood beside Wang Hao, crimson spiritual energy dancing at his fingertips. His aura had also reached the Nascent Soul stage, clearly showing he hadn't wasted these past twenty years.

"Everyone's here." The Ninth Elder's voice rang out in the hall, neither loud nor soft, yet like an invisible net, simultaneously drawing everyone's attention to the person in the main seat. His gaze swept over everyone in the hall, pausing for a moment when it landed on Li Hanshan, then shifting away, as if confirming his presence. "You should all have sensed it today; the tremor of heaven and earth just now came from the south. I have already sent people to verify—someone from the Immortal Alliance has broken through to the Dao Integration stage."

These words caused the previously calm discussions in the hall to rise several octaves. Several deacons standing at the edge exchanged glances, and a gray-robed elder frowned as he spoke, "The Immortal Alliance? This is troublesome..." Another voice chimed in, "The Immortal Alliance has been secretly accumulating power all these years; who knows how many trump cards they've hidden?"

The Ninth Elder raised a hand, and the murmurs in the hall receded as quickly as a suppressed tide. He continued, "The Immortal Alliance and we have been locked in a standoff for a thousand years. Previously, they only had two Dao Integration Realm cultivators, while our Holy Alliance had three, so they dared not act rashly. But now—" He paused, a cold glint in his eyes, "the number of Dao Integration Realm cultivators is now equal. Given the Immortal Alliance's consistent style, they will not let this opportunity pass. Within a hundred years, they will definitely make a move."

The air in the hall seemed to freeze for a few moments. A core disciple standing in the back row asked in a hoarse voice, "Are they going to start a war between good and evil?"

"Therefore," the Ninth Elder raised his voice slightly, suppressing the escalating noise, "before the Immortal Alliance officially takes action, we must first ascertain their strength. The three major demonic sects have already discussed this and will each send a disciple into the Immortal Alliance's territory to investigate the approximate number of cultivators at each realm, the Immortal Alliance's overall troop deployment, and—" He paused, "the origin and weaknesses of that newly merged Dao cultivator." His gaze swept over everyone in the hall, finally settling on Li Hanshan.

"The selection will be decided by drawing lots." The Ninth Elder took out a jet-black wooden box from his sleeve and placed it on the table in front of him. A round hole, just large enough to fit a hand, was cut at the top of the box. "Disciples of the Nascent Soul stage from each peak and hall will take turns drawing lots. The one who draws the winning lot will be the one for this mission."

After saying that, he emphasized, "Don't try to probe it with your divine sense. This is black gold sunken wood. Even the divine sense of a Void Refinement cultivator can't penetrate it."

No one raised any objections. In this grand hall, the Ninth Elder's decisions were rarely questioned openly. Chu Zi'an stepped forward first, reached into the wooden box, took out a white wooden slip, glanced at the mark on it, and returned to his original position. Next were Yan Qingsong, Huo Yuan, Xuan Yinzi, Wang Hao, Luo Lie, and Yu Mengjia—each person who came forward to draw a slip had a different expression, but the wooden slips were mostly white, a sign of not winning. Xuan Yinzi raised an eyebrow slightly when he drew a white slip, Wang Hao visibly relaxed after drawing a white slip, while Luo Lie frowned and threw the wooden slip back to the disciple responsible for collecting the slips.

Finally, it was Li Hanshan's turn.

Li Hanshan stepped forward and stood before the seemingly ordinary, pitch-black wooden box. His Void Refinement level divine sense silently probed out for a moment, but he was unable to penetrate it.

It's not just that the wooden box itself is special, but also because there are restrictions inside the box.

Li Hanshan did not hesitate. He reached into the wooden box, felt for a wooden stick inside, and then took it out. He turned the stick over in his palm, and the dark red patterns were particularly striking in the glow of the luminous pearl.

A moment of silence fell over the hall. Yan Qingsong's lips curled into a barely suppressed smile, Huo Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, while Chu Zi'an's expression remained calm and composed, as if he had already anticipated this outcome. Xuan Yinzi raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze lingering for a moment on the dark red wooden slip before shifting away. Yu Mengjia's gaze swept back and forth between Li Hanshan and the wooden slip, a complex emotion flickering in her watery eyes.

The Ninth Elder rose from his seat, his voice carrying a suppressed certainty: "The results of the draw are in. Li Hanshan, you are the one chosen for this mission."

Ye Shuanghua suddenly stepped forward, her silver-white figure blocking Li Hanshan's path like a drawn blade. Her voice was cold yet filled with barely suppressed anger: "Ninth Elder, this disciple has an objection. The Immortal Alliance's territory is riddled with detection arrays and defensive restrictions; for a Nascent Soul cultivator to enter is tantamount to walking into a trap. Such a reconnaissance mission only requires an ordinary disciple; why send a core disciple?" "This is the Elder Council's decision."

The Ninth Elder said in a deep voice, "This mission is no small matter. How can an ordinary disciple complete it?"

"But I don't accept the results of this draw!" Ye Shuanghua said coldly.

She didn't believe that the Ninth Elder wouldn't have tampered with things here.

The Ninth Elder's gaze fell upon Ye Shuanghua, his lightning-like eyes holding an unwavering certainty like an iron wall: "Junior Nephew Ye, do you intend to question whether I rigged the draw?"

His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it carried an invisible pressure: "If everyone raises objections after the draw, what will become of the sect's rules?"

Yan Qingsong's voice came from the side at just the right moment: "Junior Sister Ye, what you said is not quite appropriate. The wooden slips are drawn by everyone in turn. Junior Brother Li was unlucky and drew one. We can't make an exception just because he is from the sect leader's lineage, can we?"

Huo Yuan chimed in, "Yeah, if you could just not go if you won the draw, then what's the point of drawing lots?"

Ye Shuanghua's expression tightened slightly, her fingers gripping the scabbard of the Jinghong Sword tightening slightly. Just as she was about to speak again, Li Hanshan stepped out from beside her, standing in the area of ​​the hall illuminated by the luminous pearl, his gaze calmly meeting the Ninth Elder's piercing eyes. "Ninth Elder," his voice, neither loud nor soft, clearly echoed throughout the hall, "This disciple accepts this mission. But this disciple has one condition—"

The Ninth Elder raised an eyebrow slightly: "Speak."

"After I return from my mission," Li Hanshan said, "I need a Void Returning Pill." He paused, his voice steady, "A Void Returning Pill, a sixth-grade pill, specifically used by peak Nascent Soul cultivators to break through the Void Refining bottleneck. I know this thing is extremely precious, but the danger of this journey was evident to all. I need some practical protection."

The hall fell silent for a moment. The Ninth Elder's gaze lingered on Li Hanshan's face for a couple of breaths, as if weighing whether the conditions he offered were worthwhile. The Returning Void Pill was indeed precious; the entire Joyful Union Sect had only a few in its inventory.

The Ninth Elder pondered for a few moments, then said, "Very well. If you can return alive from the Immortal Alliance with complete intelligence, I will give you a Void Returning Pill."

Li Hanshan nodded slightly, saying nothing more. He turned and walked towards the palace gate. Ye Shuanghua followed behind him, her silver-white figure casting a long, slender shadow in the twilight.

Upon hearing the news, Yan Qingsong couldn't help but say, "He won't come back to life. The Immortal Alliance is riddled with restrictions and formations; even the elders find it extremely difficult to infiltrate. For someone at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage like him to go in would be suicide."

Huo Yuan then added, "If he dies within the Immortal Alliance's territory, it would be too good for him."

The Ninth Elder coughed softly, and the two exchanged a glance before falling silent. The Fifth Elder, who had remained silent until now, gave them a meaningful look, rose, and leisurely left.