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

Above the Spirit Mist Sea outside the secret realm, Yin Yue stood at the bow of a silver-white flying boat. Her silver-white veil was blown by the sea breeze and clung to her chin. Her calm eyes were fixed on the churning fog below.

Her divine sense pierced through layers of spiritual mist, probing downwards, but abruptly retracted the moment it touched the spatial barrier. Her fingers clenched tightly in her sleeve, and the composure on her face shattered at a visible speed.

The secret realm has been sealed off.

These secret realms are extremely special. Once sealed, they are very difficult to break open by force. The specific difficulty depends on the level of the secret realm. For example, in this secret realm, unless a power at the Dao Integration level is forcibly broken open from the outside, those inside cannot get out, and those outside cannot get in.

Her breathing quickened slightly, and her face beneath the silver veil had never appeared so solemn.

The other party was more ruthless than she had anticipated. This secret realm was a graveyard prepared by the other party from the very beginning. No matter who went in, once sealed inside, there was only one way out: death. Her original plan was to use Li Hanshan to lure out the spies of the Hehuan Sect, and then she would secretly provide support, using her late-stage Void Refinement strength to launch a pincer attack from the outside when the other party made their move.

But this blockade completely shattered her plans. She couldn't get in.

Now, Li Hanshan is facing his opponent alone.

But she didn't lose her composure. Because she remembered something, and her taut shoulder line relaxed slightly.

Xiao An.

She had seen Xiao An break through to the Void Refinement stage and knew that Xiao An was with Li Hanshan. As a Yin Soul, Xiao An's methods were unpredictable and strange, especially in terms of attacks on the soul level, which far surpassed those of cultivators of the same level.

Although the opponent has a higher cultivation level, if Xiao An launches a surprise attack, he may not be able to escape unscathed.

Yin Yue took a deep breath, suppressing her surging anxiety. She couldn't panic. She began setting up array flags on the flying boat, continuously attacking the outer node of the sealing barrier with her late-stage Void Refinement spiritual power. Each attack caused the dark barrier to tremble slightly, but she was unable to tear it apart.

But she didn't stop. Each attack weakened the barrier's spiritual energy reserves. As long as she continued to deplete it, the blockade would eventually loosen.

Even if it takes several days, even if it takes longer, she must open the door.

Inside the secret realm, in the space shrouded in a pale golden light, Li Hanshan maintained a distance of several dozen feet between himself and the gray figure. The dense forest stood silently beside them, vines and spiritual herbs swaying gently in the breeze. Occasionally, a few low-level demonic beasts would peek out from the treetops in the distance, only to retreat the moment they sensed the two powerful auras.

He Yuan stood a few steps behind Li Hanshan, while Zhou Ping and Zhao Yao had retreated even further back. All three looked rather pale; He Yuan's face was etched with the pallor and panic of being exposed.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhou Heng, and I am an elder of Yunyin Pavilion." Zhou Heng stood with his hands behind his back and gave a brief self-introduction. He had a thin face, slightly high cheekbones, and slightly deep-set eyes. His eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool, revealing no emotional fluctuations.

"Senior..." Just as A Yuan was about to speak, Li Hanshan's voice rang out.

"In that case," Li Hanshan began, his voice as calm as if asking a trivial matter, "how long have you been infiltrating the Immortal Alliance?"

Zhou Heng made no attempt to hide anything. He slightly raised his chin, his tone frank: "A thousand years."

"A thousand years?" He Yuan, standing behind Li Hanshan, suddenly raised his head, his face turning from pale to ashen, his voice trembling. "You...you're a spy for the Demonic Sect?"

Zhou Heng didn't look at him. His gaze remained fixed on Li Hanshan, as if He Yuan wasn't worth his attention at all.

He Yuan seemed to have been burned by his own words, taking a half step back and bumping into Zhou Ping to barely regain his balance. His lips moved a few times, his voice dry: "I...I don't know...When he came to me, he only said he was a senior from the Immortal Alliance...If I had known he was from the Demonic Sect—"

"There are many things you don't know." Li Hanshan didn't turn around, his voice calm. "If I were you, I would have retreated far away the moment he appeared. Maybe I could have survived."

He Yuan's expression grew even more grim. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but was interrupted by Zhou Heng's unhurried words: "It's no use. No matter how far they retreat, I won't let them leave. Everything in this secret realm was already trapped the moment the sealing formation was activated."

He Yuan's body trembled violently. He turned to Zhou Heng, his voice filled with barely suppressed urgency: "Senior, you promised me you would only bring him to explore the secret realm, and wouldn't harm the innocent! My Qingyu Pavilion has no grudge against you. You're dealing with him, not me or my disciples!"

Zhou Heng finally turned his head to look at him. His gaze was calm and indifferent, yet it made He Yuan's voice catch in his throat.

Zhou Heng spoke, his tone flat and even: "You took my spirit stones and brought him here; there's no turning back now. The same goes for your disciple." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two pale-faced young men behind He Yuan. "The fewer people who know about this, the better. Only the dead remain silent."

He Yuan's face turned completely ashen. Zhou Ping and Zhao Yao behind him almost simultaneously took a half step back. Zhao Yao's eyes were already red, and Zhou Ping's fingers, gripping the water-repelling artifact, were trembling slightly. He Yuan turned to look at Li Hanshan, his eyes filled with an almost desperate plea for help.

Li Hanshan met his gaze and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist He, if you don't step back, I won't let you off the hook later."

As if jolted awake by those words, He Yuan abruptly turned and ran towards the edge of the secret realm, his steps hurried and disordered. Zhou Ping and Zhao Yao followed closely behind him, and the three of them quickly disappeared into the dense forest.

Zhou Heng didn't stop them. He simply watched the three figures disappear into the bushes, then turned his gaze back to Li Hanshan, like a chess player confirming that all his pieces were in the correct positions.

"You're so kind, even reminding them to step back," Zhou Heng said, his tone carrying a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"They are just pawns you are using; there's no need for them to be buried with you." Li Hanshan stood still, his pure Yang energy slowly flowing through his meridians.

He didn't take out any magical artifacts, but simply let his hands hang naturally at his sides, his posture as relaxed as if he were chatting with someone in his own courtyard. "You have been lurking in the Immortal Alliance for a thousand years, cultivating to the mid-stage of the Void Refinement Realm. Such patience is indeed rare. The Joyful Union Sect must have put in a lot of effort to cultivate a pawn like you."

Zhou Heng's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then he nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of approval: "You're not bad either. You've been in the Immortal Alliance for less than ten years, yet you've managed to rise to the position of steward of the Array Hall, and even have that old stubborn Elder Gong looking at you differently. Compared to you, when I was your age, I was still struggling in the Nascent Soul stage."

He paused, his interest deepening. "That's why I'm so curious about you. You're clearly from the Joyful Union Sect, so how did you manage to gain a foothold in the Immortal Alliance? What methods did you use to deceive Elder Gong?"

"Lie?" Li Hanshan tilted his head slightly. "I didn't lie to him. I just didn't tell him everything." He stared into Zhou Heng's eyes, his voice calm and unhurried. "You've been infiltrating the Immortal Alliance for a thousand years. What was your purpose? What mission did the Joyful Union Sect give you? Who was your superior? How much intelligence did you steal from within the Immortal Alliance? Do you have any restrictions or poison pills left behind by the Joyful Union Sect on you?"

Zhou Heng smiled. The smile lasted a little longer than before, but it still didn't reach his eyes: "You're trying to stall for time."

"You're waiting for someone from outside to rescue you. Unfortunately, I personally set up the seal on this secret realm. No one except those at the Dao Integration level can break through it from the outside within ten days. The person you're waiting for won't be able to get in."

Li Hanshan remained silent for a moment. He could feel the flow of spiritual energy at the edge of the secret realm becoming increasingly stagnant, and the sealing barrier was like an ever-thickening ice wall, isolating the entire secret realm from the outside world more and more completely.

Although his divine sense could perceive that the Hidden Moon outside was continuously impacting the barrier, the barrier's strength far exceeded his expectations.

"How do you know I'm stalling for time?" he asked calmly.

"Because none of what you just said truly concerned the answer. You were just talking, letting time pass." Zhou Heng withdrew his hands from behind his back, letting them hang at his sides, his fingers slightly spread, spiritual energy slowly gathering around him. "However, I won't give you time!"

Li Hanshan did not answer. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, a very subtle curve.

Then, Xiao An moved.

A faint blue light silently shot out from between his brows, moving with the speed of a shadowy fish leaping out of deep water. It had already approached Zhou Heng's side and rear in the instant before Zhou Heng could fully condense his spiritual energy shield.

Xiao An's soul was like dark silk soaked in moonlight. Her early-stage Void Refinement Soul Power condensed into a pitch-black short spear in her palm. The spearhead was covered with the unique dark blue runes of the Netherworld Record, carrying a sharp intent to cut through the soul, and pierced straight into Zhou Heng's side rib.

Zhou Heng reacted extremely quickly. The instant the dark blue light touched his protective aura, he suddenly turned to the side, and struck out with his right palm. A dark gray palm print, carrying the immense spiritual power of a third-level Void Refinement cultivator, crashed head-on into the short spear.

But at this moment, the sword of divine soul that had been hidden in Li Hanshan's divine sea moved!

The sword of divine soul suddenly burst forth, transforming into a colossal sword that slashed out with overwhelming force!

At the same time as the Divine Soul Sword moved, Li Hanshan also summoned another sword. That was the Crimson Sun Sword!

Yes, Li Hanshan is going to unleash his ultimate move right from the start!