"Li Fellow Daoist, are you unaware of the Great Ruins? This Great Ruins is the most special area within the Jilin Void Realm, a legendary secret place said to contain a wealth of hidden treasures. It's said that the two cities, Xuan and Kui, have been searching for countless years, and now it has actually appeared." Gu Qianxun was also clearly very surprised and replied through voice transmission.

Han Li listened to her while his gaze couldn't help but drift towards Shi Chuan Kong.

"This journey will be long and fraught with peril. If there are any among you whose resolve is wavering, you may withdraw now. However, once we leave the city, no further changes of heart will be tolerated. Otherwise, it will be considered desertion and dealt with accordingly." E Kui's gaze swept over the crowd as he spoke.

Almost all of those below the stage wore expressions of longing, and not a single person withdrew.

"Very good. It seems that all of you are individuals of steadfast will. This journey will surely be rewarding. Before we depart, I have one more thing to remind you all. Although Puppet City is temporarily allied with us, we must not lower our guard. I hope that you can unite, cooperate wholeheartedly, and strive together for the secret treasures." E Kui said in a clear voice.

"We respectfully obey the City Lord's decree." The crowd replied in unison.

After about an hour, the tall main city gate of Xuan City slowly opened, and a team composed of a dozen giant scaled beasts slowly passed through the gate and headed outside the city.

The leading scaled beast was over a hundred zhang tall, with a head like a youth and a body like a giant crocodile. On its back was a black stone palace adorned with carved doors and star bone embellishments, looking quite magnificent. It was none other than E Kui's mobile palace.

Following closely behind were a dozen giant black scaled elephants, each also carrying a black stone palace on its back, but their designs were simple and unadorned, incomparable to E Kui's.

In the team, Chen Yang and Crab Daoist occupied a stone palace alone, while Han Li and the other two shared one.

The area inside the stone palace was not small, and each of them occupied a room, with some space to spare.

When the team left the city, Han Li did not rush back to rest inside the palace. Instead, he came outside the palace, standing on the back of the black scaled elephant and looking out. However, his vision could not reach too far, as the massive Chongxuan Mountains stood before him.

After about a quarter of an hour, the entire team crossed a mountain pass, and the view finally became clear.

Han Li looked down from above and couldn't help but let out a soft "Eh".

He saw more than a dozen black scaled elephants lying on the slopes of the mountain on the other side, each covered in scales, with beast cores embedded in their chests, and two sharp spears protruding from their mouths. Their entire bodies looked lifeless, without a trace of vitality.

"They are all puppets..." Han Li muttered.

Just then, a figure flew over from above, hovering directly in front of them.

Han Li's heart stirred as he looked up and saw a handsome young man with two bone short halberds crossed on his back, wearing a set of black armor, stepping on the void and floating a hundred zhang in the air.

The Jilin Void Realm has no spiritual or demonic energy, and the inability to fly is common knowledge. However, this person was able to float in the air, immediately causing a stir on the Xuan City side. Many people came out of the stone palace to watch.

However, the few city lords remained motionless.

Zhu Ziqing stood with her brother, staring at the young man with a lovesick expression, muttering in a low voice, "What a handsome young man..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? He is an enemy of our Xuan City." Zhu Ziyuan frowned, gave her a flick on the forehead, and reminded her.

"Got it..." Zhu Ziqing nodded and didn't dare to joke anymore, speaking seriously.

Han Li looked at the handsome young man with a gentle smile on his face, and felt that something was not quite right.

He moved his gaze upward, all the way to the clouds in the high sky, and found that the color tone of the clouds above the young man's head was obviously darker, a bit strange.

"Fellow city lords and Daoists of Xuan City, Master Sha Xin asked me to come and inform you that, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts, our two city teams will travel one after the other until we reach our destination." At this time, the handsome young man suddenly spoke.

His voice was between a man and a woman, exceptionally pleasant to the ear.

After a moment of silence on the Xuan City side, Zhu Ziyuan seemed to receive an instruction and said, "Please go back and inform Master E Kui that he has the same intention."

Seeing this, the handsome young man focused his gaze on Zhu Ziyuan, smiled slightly, cupped his fists, and turned to leave.

At this time, Han Li saw that in the depths of the sky's clouds, a black shadow moved away, revealing its true form when it landed on the Puppet City team's side. It was actually a giant winged scaled bird.

This bird also had a beast core embedded in its chest and was full of death aura. It seemed to be a puppet as well, being controlled by the handsome young man, using some invisible thread to carry him through the air.

Before long, a loud horn sounded from the Puppet City team in front, and the scaled beast puppets lying on the hillside began to stand up one by one and slowly move forward.

The two sides opened up a distance of several hundred zhang, and the Xuan City troops also began to move, following the Puppet City team in front and continuing on their way.

The sky was high and the clouds were wide, and the scenery on the ground was unobstructed, filled with desolation.

After watching for a while, Han Li felt a little bored and returned to his room to meditate.

……

At night.

Han Li woke up from his meditative state and came out of his room, to the outside of the stone palace.

Under the clear moonlight, he leaped from the back of the black scaled elephant and landed on the back of another black scaled elephant in front. He walked a few steps to the stone palace on its back.

Before he could speak, Chen Yang's voice sounded from inside the palace: "Li Fellow Daoist, I knew you would come, I've been waiting for you..."

Hearing this, Han Li directly pushed open the door of the stone palace and walked in.

As soon as he entered the hall, Han Li saw Crab Daoist standing by the door with his hands clasped. Seeing him enter, he led him to the door of a room.

During this time, Crab Daoist did not show much expression on his face, nor did he have any extra communication with Han Li.

Han Li was used to this. He pushed open the door and walked in.

"Please sit." Chen Yang greeted him and said to Han Li.

"Chen Fellow Daoist, today..." Han Li had just started to speak when Chen Yang gently waved his hand to interrupt him.

"Li Fellow Daoist, I'm afraid the Shi Kong Fellow Daoist now is not the same person you knew..." Chen Yang sighed and said.

"What exactly is going on?" Han Li frowned and asked.

"This... Du Qingyang's sending Shi Kong Fellow Daoist to Xuan City back then was done secretly, and I only found out after a long time. I don't know what the disagreement was in the middle. This is also the first time I've seen him in Xuan City, and the feeling he gives me is like... a puppet." Chen Yang said hesitantly.

Hearing this, Han Li's expression changed slightly, and his brow furrowed even tighter.

"But it's also a bit different. I can't explain exactly what the feeling is. In short, now is not a wise time for you to approach him." Chen Yang suddenly added.

"If I were really going to act rashly, I wouldn't be here looking for you at this moment." Han Li's expression relaxed slightly, and he said slowly.

He looked calm on the surface, but his heart was full of doubts.

Before entering the Jilin Void Realm back then, the Third Prince, Shi Pokong, had given each of them a jade pendant in the shape of a leaf, which was a mark that could determine their location, and the greatest guarantee for them to escape the Jilin Void Realm.

He had encountered danger several times before, but he had never used this thing, because he had not yet found Zi Ling and was unwilling to give up so easily. But what about Shi Chuan Kong?

If he had really reached the point where his mind might be wiped out and made into a puppet, why didn't he use this thing? Han Li didn't believe that with his strength, he wouldn't even have the chance to use it?

"That's right, Li Fellow Daoist is always thoughtful and will never be that rash person." Chen Yang smiled.

"I am unable to investigate here, so I will have to ask Chen Fellow Daoist to put in more effort on this matter." Han Li said immediately upon hearing this.

"Li Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I will definitely pay attention to this matter. As soon as I find out any news, I will inform you." Chen Yang's expression turned solemn, and he said earnestly.

"Thank you." Han Li cupped his fist and said.

"No need to be so polite. The journey to the Great Ruins is long, and we don't know what the situation will be ahead. Brother Li must also rest well in order to cope with it..." Chen Yang waved his hand and said with emotion.

After the two talked for a while, Han Li said goodbye and left.

Back in his room, he sat quietly and pondered for a moment, then put away his thoughts, slowly closed his eyes, and began to silently cultivate the *Tian Sha Zhen Yu Gong*.

……

Time flew by, and more than a month passed.

The two scaled beast teams were slowly passing through a narrow mountain pass, separated by a distance of a thousand zhang.

The team in front had not yet left the mountain pass, and the team behind had just entered it, when suddenly a deafening beast roar sounded in the high sky. A huge two-headed scaled harrier flew over from the high sky.

Its figure was huge, and its body was covered with dense black scales. When its wings were spread, it was like dark clouds in the sky, casting a huge black shadow below, almost covering the entire mountain pass.

As it flew over, its wings suddenly rolled, and two visible white air currents surged down, violently hitting the mountain walls on both sides.

Two loud "Rumble" sounds came, and the two sides of the mountain pass collapsed, with billowing smoke and dust rising into the sky.

The scaled beasts in the rear were frightened and retreated, heading out of the mountain pass, while the scaled beast puppets in front continued to move slowly towards the front of the mountain pass.

Han Li was sitting quietly in his room cultivating when he sensed the movement. When he rushed out, he happened to see huge rocks tumbling down in front of him, quickly filling the entire mountain pass.

The dust covered the sky and the sun, making it impossible to see clearly.

Everyone on the Xuan City side rushed out, standing on the back of the black scaled elephant, looking ahead.

Just then, a burst of dazzling white light suddenly erupted from within the mountain pass, and a powerful force of stars rushed out of it, turning into an arc-shaped light wave, and rushed towards the high sky from the mountain pass.

With a loud "Boom"!

Large pieces of rock and sand burst out, surging into the high sky like a volcanic eruption, turning into a rain of sand and stone, scattering in all directions.

A powerful airflow, also in a spiral shape, surged out from the mountain pass, blasting out the accumulated rocks and sand, and the narrow mountain pass that had been blocked was reconnected.