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

Several days passed after he reached the fifth level of the Void Refinement stage.

That afternoon, in the Elders' Hall.

The Fourth Elder ground the ink and personally brewed a pot of spiritual tea, offering it to Li Hanshan. The tea was newly tribute-bearing Misty Peak Spiritual Buds, its steam rising gently from the cup and slowly dissipating in the sunlight between them. After doing this, she did not step back, but stood by the table, her fingertips gently gathering in her sleeve, hesitating for a moment.

"Master," she lowered her voice, "there's something I've thought about and decided I should tell you as soon as possible."

"explain."

"Regarding the First Elder's cultivation level, he is very close to the third level of the Dao Integration Realm." The Fourth Elder carefully chose his words. "According to what I know, the First Elder has recently made significant gains in battle and has the opportunity to break through."

She paused, then lowered her voice even further:

"It could take a few years, or even more than ten years. He will definitely take that step."

The third level of the Dao.

Li Hanshan held his teacup, tapping the rim lightly twice with his fingertips, without saying a word.

The hall was quiet, so quiet that you could hear the tea smoke dissipating. The Fourth Elder stood by, hands at her sides, watching her master's pensive profile, a strange calm settling within her. A few months ago, she would have kept this news to herself, playing both sides to avoid offending either. But now, she presented Li Hanshan with the Elders' Council's most valuable information without the slightest hesitation—she herself couldn't say whether this unwavering devotion began with that batch of seven Tai Xuan Nourishing Yuan Pills, or with that yin mark blooming on her lower abdomen.

"Keep a close eye on things." After a long silence, Li Hanshan spoke. "Keep a close eye on everything, both what's happening outside the mountains and what's happening on the front lines."

"Yes."

"Go and do it."

The Fourth Elder bowed and withdrew. Li Hanshan sat alone in the hall, gazing at the tea leaves floating and sinking in his cup, his gaze gradually darkening.

Once Nie Hongyuan reaches the third level of the Dao Integration Realm, this balanced game that has lasted for three months will be turned upside down.

-

Just then, a gatekeeper came to report from outside the hall.

"Elder Qi, a group of seven from the affiliated minor sect Qixia Valley are requesting an audience outside the mountain gate. They say... as is customary, they wish to present gifts."

For the past two weeks, almost every day, a procession of disciples from other sects would come to the mountain gate to present gifts. They were already familiar with the procedure: verify the gift list, scan it with their divine sense, confirm everything was in order, and then open a passage. Li Hanshan didn't even look up.

"Let's do it the usual way. Let them in."

"Yes."

The disciple withdrew. Li Hanshan turned a page of the jade slip, not taking the matter to heart.

-

Outside the mountain gate, beyond the great array of clouds and mist.

A small, light green flying boat hovered quietly. Seven people were on board, and the gift list, gift boxes, and offerings of brocade were neatly arranged at the bow. To anyone, it was a perfectly standard gift-giving procession.

Only Tao Jingzhi, the owner of Qixia Valley, knew that the hand hidden in his sleeve had been trembling for three whole days.

Three nights ago, he witnessed this demon descend from the sky—without a flash of light or a sound of air being torn apart, it simply appeared out of thin air and landed on the roof of the ancestral hall in Qixia Valley, as if it had stepped out of another world. The Valley Master, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, couldn't even raise his head before that aura. Overnight, all three hundred-plus inhabitants of the valley were implanted with the demonic seed—it entered their bodies like a cold, thin worm, swimming along their meridians into their hearts and taking hold. The demon only uttered one sentence: "The demonic seed enters the heart; with a single thought, it explodes, leaving no one alive."

The demon gave him only one task: prepare the gifts as usual, enter the Hehuan Sect as usual, and bring him—safely and securely—into the protective mountain formation.

At the stern, a servant with his head bowed and hands hanging down stood motionless with his eyes closed.

Beneath the black robe, the Heavenly Demon Sect Master's breathing was long and steady.

Wrapped in that wide black robe was a emaciated body, almost skeletal. On the left side of the body, the skin was an eerie grayish-white, covered with fine, spiderweb-like cracks—traces left by the turbulent void, which would never disappear.

Several months ago, the Immortal Alliance's Three Harmony Paths ambushed and killed people in front of the Heavenly Demon Sect's mountain gate.

In that battle, he burned through a century of cultivation, unleashed the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique, shattered the sky with a single punch, forcibly tore open a void rift, and escaped into it.

In the void, there was no sky, no earth, no up or down, only endless turbulent currents, like billions of blunt knives scraping day and night. He drifted within them for countless days and nights, his demonic body shredded and mangled by the turbulent currents, his mind repeatedly fading, sustained only by a burning hatred, devouring the remains of demonic creatures drifting through the currents to prolong his life. In the deepest of nights, he even "heard" the movement of something so immense and indescribable turning over—just a wisp of its aftershock nearly crushed his soul into dust.

He dared not stay any longer. With his broken body, he followed a barely perceptible crack in the boundary membrane and forcibly tore open a gap, falling back from the void.

When he fell back to this realm, he landed in a desolate swamp on the western edge of the Central Continent, with only three-tenths of his cultivation remaining and barely clinging to life.

He devoured demonic beasts, refined remnant souls, and spent several months recuperating in the depths of the swamp, using countless rare and precious materials, before he was able to recover about 70-80% of his injuries.

Once the injuries have healed, it's time to settle accounts.

The rebellious daughter of Yin Yue colluded with outsiders, causing the sect to collapse overnight; of her two daughters, one betrayed the sect and ran away, and the other was said to have been implanted with some kind of yang mark by that little beast surnamed Li and taken as a bed warmer slave—when this news reached his ears, he almost crushed the skull in his hand.

The Hehuan Sect has deployed all its elite forces, and its leader is away on a campaign, leaving the sect's gates empty.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As long as I can get past that protective mountain formation, I can take Li Hanshan's head within ten breaths and then escape with ease—it will be a flawless escape.

"Have you remembered everything clearly?" he suddenly spoke, his voice resounding directly in Tao Jingzhi's mind. "Once you enter the formation, you are not allowed to look back, and you are not allowed to hesitate. If you dare to play any tricks—"

"No, I wouldn't dare!" Tao Jingzhi was drenched in cold sweat. "The lives of all three hundred people in the valley are in your hands. This junior wouldn't dare."

"snort."

Beneath the black robe, a barely audible cold laugh escaped.

The Formless Heavenly Demon Robe he wore was a secret treasure of the Heavenly Demon Sect, capable of concealing his presence. Once draped over his body, it could completely cover his demonic body, which had been corroded by the void. Below the Dao Integration Realm, no one could see through his disguise. As for the mountain-protecting formation—he had already observed it from afar for several days. Ordinary checks would verify the gift list, aura, and number of people; how could they detect a "clothing"?

Absolutely foolproof.

-

At the mountain gate, a thin line of clouds slowly parted.

The gatekeeper disciples stood with halberds at their sides. The leader took the gift list and checked the names: "Qixia Valley, seven people, three gift lists... Hmm, that's correct. Follow me. Stay close after entering the formation and don't wander off."

"Yes, yes." Tao Jingzhi bowed and nodded repeatedly.

The seven people filed in, heads bowed, and walked along the narrow passage in the formation, which could only accommodate a few people side by side, into the depths of the clouds.

The passage was quiet. Mist drifted slowly along their ankles, swallowing their footsteps by the surrounding fog, making their breathing exceptionally clear. Tao Jingzhi walked in front, one step. Two steps. Three steps.

Business as usual.

Tao Jingzhi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense for three days, quietly eased halfway.

Just then—

hum! ! !

The entire protective array of the mountain roared without warning!

In an instant, the clouds on both sides of the passage turned from white to red, and streaks of silver-white lines lit up from the depths of the great formation, like wildfire lines, burning along the clouds and converging from all directions—directly pointing at the "servant" standing with his head bowed at the end of the line!

The moment the buzzing sound rang out, the Heavenly Demon Sect Master's pupils contracted sharply.

He felt a thin, scorching thread of fire creep up his ankle—warm and pure, yet it made the demonic energy within him scream instinctively!

Pure Yang Fire!

In that instant, he understood everything.

The next moment, sirens blared.

The bell tolled was not as powerful as the summoning bell. Instead, it was sharp, urgent, and pierced the soul with each subsequent sound. Nine consecutive tolls shook the entire five peaks of the Hehuan Sect. Whether they were in seclusion, refining pills, or fast asleep, everyone was startled out of their wits by the piercing alarm!

"The enemy is attacking——! Disciples guarding the mountain, form a formation!!"

The gatekeeper roared, his face deathly pale. The great formation had sealed the mountain for three months, and this siren had never sounded before; its sound today would bring utter disaster! The halberds in everyone's hands blazed with spiritual light, and the passage's restrictions slammed shut, like a guillotine, locking the seven-person team within—while the black-robed figure at the rear of the team was forcibly squeezed out of the passage by a suddenly rising crimson-white light barrier, blocked outside the great formation!

"What's going on?! The great formation hasn't sounded for three months—"

"The warning barrier! It's the warning barrier the elders added that's activated!"

The disciples guarding the mountain were both shocked and terrified; their palms, gripping the halberds, were drenched in sweat. Tao Jingzhi's legs went weak, and he collapsed into the passageway, wailing loudly:

"It's not our fault! It's not our fault! The whole valley has been planted with a demonic seed, we were forced into it—the demon forced us to bring him in! Help, help!"

Outside the great formation, clouds and mist surged.

The figure in black robes hovered in mid-air, standing silently for two breaths.

Then, he slowly raised his head and suddenly smiled.

"Good, what a fine warning and restriction."

"I underestimated you."

boom--!!

The black robe shattered into pieces, turning into a shower of ashes. Demonic clouds rolled forth from the void, instantly obscuring half the sky—

As the mist dissipated, the emaciated demonic body was fully exposed to the sunlight: half of its skin was a deathly gray-white, and spiderweb-like cracks stretched from its neck to its wrists. A gust of wind caused its wide sleeves to flutter loosely against its bones. Only its eyes shone terrifyingly, like two glowing embers, radiating a predatory light unique to those who had crawled back from the depths of hell.

The power of the Dao, undisguised, crashed down with overwhelming force!

He formed his five fingers into a claw and slashed down at the red and white light barrier.

Rumbling--

Amidst a deafening roar like the sky collapsing and the earth splitting apart, the light screen of the mountain-protecting formation flickered wildly, causing all the peaks of the entire Hehuan Sect to tremble!