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

Zhao Yuan was taken away.

Since it was just an investigation, he wasn't treated roughly, though his complexion wasn't very good.

With the elders of the Enforcement Hall personally intervening, it won't be easy for this guy to get out once he's entered the Enforcement Hall, especially given his guilty conscience.

After Zhao Yuan's figure disappeared into the morning light as he was escorted onto the flying boat, the atmosphere on the main bluestone path finally began to flow again.

The onlookers dispersed in twos and threes, some whispering amongst themselves, others glancing back at Li Hanshan before turning back, their pace quickening slightly as they had come. A morning breeze blew in from the sea, carrying the salty, fishy scent of water and the crisp aroma of vegetation, gradually dissipating the lingering tension of the previous confrontation.

Li Hanshan turned around, and Duan Hong and Liu Qing were standing side by side not far away. Duan Hong had his arms crossed, and the deep blue robe of the Biluo Sect gleamed with a calm luster in the morning light. Liu Qing stood half a step to his side, and the light gray uniform of the Yunyin Pavilion was slightly fluttering in the sea breeze. She was looking down and putting a communication talisman into her storage bag.

Li Hanshan stepped forward, solemnly clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "I am deeply grateful to the two fellow Daoists for speaking up for me today. I will remember this in my heart, and if needed in the future, I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation."

Seeing his seriousness, Duan Hong quickly waved his hand, "Fellow Daoist Li, what are you saying? You saved my life. If I didn't even dare to speak a word of justice, what kind of cultivator would I be?"

He took a step forward, looked Li Hanshan up and down, and said sincerely, "Besides, I, Duan Hong, have lived for so many years, I can still tell the difference between a human and a ghost. When you helped me suppress my inner demons that day, the moment your spiritual energy entered my meridians, I knew you were definitely not some kind of demonic sect spy. That kind of gentle and pure aura, even a lifetime of cultivation with demonic sect techniques could not produce."

Liu Qing stepped forward, his gaze falling apologetically on Li Hanshan: "Fellow Daoist Li, the truth is, today's events stem from a disgrace to our Cloud Hidden Pavilion. I've met Zhao Yuan a few times before, and I've never seen him make enemies. His public accusation against you today must have been orchestrated by someone. When I return, I will definitely report this matter to the Pavilion Master and have the Pavilion thoroughly investigate to give you an explanation."

As she spoke, she took out the bluish-gray communication talisman from her sleeve. "This is the Cloud Hidden Pavilion's communication talisman. I have left my spiritual power imprint on it. If you encounter any matters related to the Cloud Hidden Pavilion in the Array Hall in the future, you can send me a message at any time."

Li Hanshan accepted the communication talisman. It felt warm to the touch, and he could sense an aura within it that shared the same origin as Liu Qing's spiritual energy imprint, pulsating at an extremely subtle frequency. He carefully stored it in his storage ring and solemnly nodded to the two of them: "I will remember your kindness today. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely pay you a visit to express my gratitude in person."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries with Li Hanshan before leaving one after the other.

Li Hanshan thanked Elder Gong again, but Elder Gong waved his hand, saying, "It's nothing. I'm going to the Array Hall anyway, why don't we come along?"

Seeing Elder Gong's invitation, Li Hanshan couldn't refuse and had to agree. However, Elder Gong wasn't in a hurry to leave; instead, he wanted to return to the Flowing Light Array to pack up.

After Elder Gong left, Shen Yun stepped forward from behind Li Hanshan and said, "Since Elder Zhou has personally taken over this case, Zhao Yuan shouldn't be able to cause any trouble."

She didn't say much, but simply raised her hand and gently pressed Li Hanshan's arm, "Be careful when you go to the Array Hall with Elder Gong."

Lin Qingyin stood beside Shen Yun, her silver-white dress fluttering slightly in the sea breeze, her clear eyes filled with reluctance: "Husband, after you arrive at the Array Hall, remember to send a message back to let me know you're safe. If you've finished dealing with matters there, I'll be waiting for you at the Lan Yue Sect."

Shen Qingyue was equally reluctant to part. Li Hanshan lingered with the three women for a while until Elder Gong came out and said, "Steward Li, let's go."

Li Hanshan looked up and saw Elder Gong hovering about ten feet above the main bluestone path. He nodded to Shen Yun and Lin Qingyin without saying anything, simply raising his hand in a gesture before transforming into a streak of purple-gold light and soaring into the sky, following Elder Gong toward the teleportation array. Behind them, the figures of Shen Yun, Shen Qingyue, and the other two women grew smaller and smaller on the main bluestone path, eventually being completely obscured by the spiritual mist and the outline of the mountain ridge.

Elder Gong Daoshan said, "This is a teleportation array leading to the Array Hall. The Array Hall is located on the main island of the Immortal Alliance headquarters, and it is connected to this core immortal island by a dedicated passage."

He took out a silver-white token and pressed it into a groove on the edge of the teleportation array. The light of the teleportation array suddenly increased by more than double, and the rotation speed of the runes at the edge also increased.

As Li Hanshan followed behind him and stepped onto the stone platform, the silvery-white light rose from beneath his feet, enveloping him like a layer of warm, flowing water. He could feel the familiar sensation of being thrown into a gentle vortex when the teleportation array was activated; the surrounding space was stretched, crushed, and reassembled in that instant.

When he regained his sense of solid ground beneath his feet, the scene before him was completely different.

He was standing in a magnificent palace. The dome, more than ten feet high, was constructed using spatial expansion techniques and stretched as far as the eye could see. Hundreds of array flags and array diagrams were scattered throughout, some in operation, others carefully stored on wooden shelves, like a vast and orderly honeycomb.

Although the concentration of spiritual energy in the air was not as dense as that of the core immortal island, it had a sense of evenness that had been carefully blended.

People came and went inside the palace. When they saw Elder Gong, many disciples of the Array Hall would stop to pay their respects.

Elder Gong led Li Hanshan out of the teleportation array without delay, and they arrived at a side hall of the array hall. He then asked Li Hanshan to wait for a while.

About an incense stick later, he returned and took out a dark blue jade slip from his sleeve, placing it on the table. The jade slip was about three inches long, with a very faint spiritual light flowing across its surface, and several fine cracks along its edges, indicating that it was extremely ancient.

"Take a careful look at the contents of this jade slip first. If you have any thoughts, feel free to come and talk to me anytime."

Li Hanshan picked up the jade slip. The moment his fingertips touched the jade surface, he could feel an extremely ancient spiritual energy flowing within it, originating from the same source as the array flags and runes he had encountered in the Flowing Light Array, yet even coarser and more primitive. He held it in his palm and looked up at Elder Gong: "May I ask, Elder, what is recorded in this jade slip?"

Elder Gong said, "It's an ancient restriction. It relates to a secret underwater realm. The Immortal Alliance has been trying to break the restriction, but after hundreds of years, progress has been very limited."

A hidden underwater world?

Elder Gong didn't elaborate. He turned around, his gaze returning to Li Hanshan's face: "The original plan was for you to go to the front lines to participate in the formation setup. However, after learning about your repair of the Flowing Light Formation flags, the Immortal Alliance's higher-ups changed their minds. They believe that your understanding of ancient formations far surpasses that of ordinary formation masters, and you might be able to make a breakthrough in the research of this ancient restriction. If you can break the seal of that secret realm, it will be of greater value to the Immortal Alliance than the formation setup at the front lines."