Han Li ignored the suction force from the bronze tree and carefully examined the white pillar of light at the top of the tree, thoughts swirling in his mind.

He noticed that the array patterns on it were somewhat different from those he had seen in the previous temple, but they were all of the same origin, making them not too difficult to decipher.

So, he took out the Starlight Brush from his bosom and began to trace runes around the light pillar.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Although Han Li had not yet reached the point of perfection, his speed was much faster than before, and he completed the inscriptions in no time.

Accompanied by a wave of white light, the light pillar dissipated, and the blood-colored key naturally fell into Han Li's hands.

At the same time, the suction force from the strange bronze tree also disappeared.

"You're asking for death..." Shao Ying, thinking he had fallen for Han Li and Chenyang's trick, was furious.

His legs suddenly stomped on a tree branch, breaking off a section of the bronze branch, and his figure shot toward Han Li.

The latter, however, took Shi Chuan Kong and flew down first.

Before Shao Ying could pursue them again, Han Li held the key in one hand, raised it above his head, and shouted loudly:

"Don't push your luck. If you insist on forcibly seizing it, I'll just crush this thing. Let's go for broke, and no one will get any benefit."

Hearing this, Shao Ying was indeed wary and dared not act rashly, standing on the top of the tree and looking down at Han Li with a sullen face.

The others who were fighting in the hall also stopped and retreated to the sides.

"Fellow Daoist Li, since you have already chosen to stand aside, why bother getting involved again?" Fu Jian frowned and said with an unkind gaze.

Han Li held the key and stood with his hands behind his back, not explaining anything.

"How we people of Qingyang City do things doesn't seem to be up to City Lord Fu to dictate, does it?" Chenyang said with a chuckle.

"Ahem... Fellow Daoist Fu, it seems we fell for their deception from the very beginning, mistaking their discord for genuine infighting, not knowing it was just a show they put on for us..." Qin Yuan coughed lightly and said.

"Boy, daring to play with us, aren't you afraid that I'll abandon this key and truly go for broke with you?" Shao Ying said sinisterly.

"Shao Ying, what nonsense are you talking about?" Just then, another angry shout came from outside the hall.

Immediately afterward, four figures walked in from outside.

Among them, the two leading figures, one an unremarkable middle-aged man and the other a short, stout old man, seemed unremarkable, but instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.

This was because these two were none other than the Xuan City Lord E Kui and Madam Six Flowers.

Behind them, a pair of handsome men and women wearing bone armor, were none other than Zhu Ziyuan and Zhu Ziqing.

When Chenyang saw E Kui suddenly appear, his expression changed slightly, and he couldn't help but take a half-step back. Han Li, seeing this, felt even more puzzled.

"Greetings, City Lord E..." Upon seeing this, everyone stepped forward to pay their respects.

"City Lord, this subordinate..." Shao Ying walked forward, bowed, and was about to speak, but E Kui's expression turned cold, and he suddenly waved his sleeve, directly knocking him to the ground.

After getting up, the latter hurriedly bowed again, not daring to say another word. Qin Yuan and the others, seeing this, also had a drastic change in expression, their eyes filled with fear.

Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help but clench the blood-colored key in his hand, his eyes subtly examining E Kui's face, weighing whether to hand over the key or threaten to destroy it again.

E Kui's expression was slightly condensed, and when his gaze swept over Han Li and the others, a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes. But when he saw Shi Chuan Kong standing behind Han Li, he was only slightly surprised and did not react too much.

But when his gaze fell on Qin Yuan and the others, his face suddenly darkened, and he sneered:

"City Lord Qin, City Lord Fu, you two are quite capable. Before even touching a strand of the treasure, you started infighting. What... do you enjoy killing each other so much?"

"I wouldn't dare. I wanted to keep the key in my own hands, and then offer it to City Lord E. It was just a moment of eagerness to take credit that led to a conflict with Fellow Daoist Sun and Fellow Daoist Chen..." Qin Yuan hurriedly explained.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Qin is very eloquent at this time, not even out of breath or coughing anymore?" Sun Tu mocked.

"Seizing the key depends on each person's ability. If you were competing with Puppet City, I would not only say nothing but also reward you. But for you to kill each other is really a bit unreasonable." E Kui's expression softened slightly, and he seemed less angry as he spoke.

"This matter was caused by our temporary greed for merit. We will definitely compensate Baiyan and Qingyang Cities afterward, and hope that the City Lord will forgive us." Fu Jian closely followed Qin Yuan, seizing on the phrase "eagerness to take credit," and also hurriedly spoke.

"Considering that you are also doing this for our Xuan City's grand plan, I will not deal with it today. After returning, you must properly apologize to Fellow Daoist Sun and Fellow Daoist Chen. Since the key is now in the possession of Qingyang City, let's have Fellow Daoist Li keep it for now. No one is allowed to have any more thoughts of snatching it. Afterward, we still need to work together to obtain the treasure." E Kui pondered for a moment and said.

A struggle for interest turned into a pursuit of merit. Although Sun Tu and the others were dissatisfied, they no longer said anything more.

"City Lord E, now that you have arrived, there is naturally no reason for me to keep this key. It should naturally be handed over to City Lord E." Han Li stepped forward, opened his palm, and said.

"Perhaps you all don't know, there are a total of five blood-colored keys. Only when they are combined in one place can they open a forbidden area deep within the Great Ruins, thereby obtaining the treasures within. A single key is not very useful. Since this key was obtained by Fellow Daoist Li, then let Fellow Daoist Li keep it until we reach the treasure site." E Kui glanced at the key, did not take it, but said with a smile.

Hearing this, Han Li did not continue to decline and conveniently put the key into his bosom.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Another burst of rapid heartbeat came, this blood-colored key seemed to echo the previous one, and the two actually beat like a heart at the same time.

Immediately afterward, another stream of heat flowed out of this blood-colored key and poured into Han Li's body.

Accompanied by this beating, a stream of heat seeped out of the blood-colored key and poured into his body. Han Li instantly felt that not only was the blood in his body surging rapidly, but even the power of the stars was mobilized.

The mysterious acupoint on his body that was about to open finally opened at this moment.

Overjoyed, Han Li hurriedly suppressed the blood and star power in his body, not daring to reveal his changes.

But even so, everyone still noticed something unusual and looked at him.

"May I ask City Lord E, what exactly is the treasure deep within this Great Ruins?" Han Li asked calmly, taking the initiative to divert everyone's attention.

"Ancient legends say that deep within the Great Ruins lies a skeleton with boundless power, a treasure with truly earth-shattering power. Anyone who can reach it and see that skeleton will receive great benefits." E Kui said slowly.

Things that could be called a great benefit by E Kui were naturally far from ordinary.

Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed slightly, and more or less a look of longing and greed appeared in their eyes.

Hearing this, Han Li's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but think of the "Accumulated Scale Sacred Skeleton" mentioned earlier by Shi Chuan Kong. However, according to what he said, E Kui seemed to have other purposes here, but he didn't know what exactly it was.

He quietly glanced at Shi Chuan Kong and saw that he had a indifferent expression. He turned his gaze and swept toward Chenyang.

At this moment, Chenyang's expression was changing slightly, and his eyes were full of worry.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, tell me the truth, do you know something?" Han Li asked Shi Chuan Kong through voice transmission.

After waiting for a while, Chenyang did not react.

"City Lord E Kui's words, are they true or false?" Han Li asked again through voice transmission.

"Fellow Daoist Li, I do have something to hide from you, but I also have my own difficulties, and I cannot tell you at this time..." At this time, Chenyang replied through voice transmission.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you have threatened me once before. If you still cannot be honest with me at this moment, then our cooperation afterward should be completely canceled." Han Li's tone gradually turned cold as he said through voice transmission.

"This... Alright, since you must know, I won't hide it from you anymore. Originally, I was not actually from Qingyang City, but from Xuan City. Back then, my brother Chen Lie and I were both spies cultivated under the City Lord's Mansion, and in the future, we would be sent to infiltrate other cities. To be qualified for this task, we both underwent rigorous training. During the final assessment, we were both dispatched to assassinate a person. After success, we could obtain a large amount of cultivation resources and profound Xuan cultivation techniques. But no one expected that the targets we were assassinating were each other..." Chenyang hesitated for a moment before saying through voice transmission.

"Killing each other?" Han Li frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"That's right. E Kui sent Shao Ying to track and monitor us, we had no choice... In the end, I survived..." Chenyang paused, saying with some difficulty.

"Your grievances with him have nothing to do with me. In order to survive in this Accumulated Scale Empty Realm, I can cooperate with you, but if you want to challenge E Kui now, it would be like hitting a stone with an egg. I won't accompany you to your death." Han Li said after pondering slightly.

"That's natural... Moreover, I don't intend to attack E Kui now. What I'm doing now, like you, Fellow Daoist Li, is just to survive..." Chenyang sighed heavily, somewhat helplessly.

"Then what E Kui said just now..." Han Li's heart stirred, and he asked.

"Now it doesn't really matter whether it's true or false, after all, no one has ever really found it before. However, according to legends, it is indeed as he said. In the depths of the Great Ruins lies a relic, which contains endless energy. Even if you only obtain a small phalanx from it and refine it into your body, it can greatly increase your physical cultivation, and even the number of mysterious acupoints. It is truly a sacred object in the eyes of us Xuan cultivators." Chenyang thought for a while and explained.

Han Li was about to say something when E Kui's voice rang out:

"Fellow Daoist Li, since this blood-colored key is in your hands, then without further ado, let's set off together and head to the treasure site. If the people from Puppet City get there first, it would be a great loss."

"Since there are only five keys to the treasure site, and they need to be gathered together to open it, we have one here. Even if the people from Puppet City arrive first, they won't be able to open it, right?" Sun Tu frowned slightly and asked.

"Puppet City is not like our Xuan City. They are proficient in puppet techniques, and they may not have other methods." Madam Six Flowers, who had been silent all along, suddenly said.