Dongfang Bai frowned upon hearing the gray-haired elder's words. He flexed his fingers, and a golden light flew out from his palm, retrieving the jade slips and placing them against his forehead, examining them one by one.

The further he read, the tighter his frown became, and the more surprised and doubtful his expression grew.

"Are you certain? Are these jade slips referring to the same person?" After a moment, Dongfang Bai removed the last jade slip, his expression grave.

"Reporting to Palace Lord, over these past hundred years, this subordinate has dispatched all the spies under my command. Although they may lack strength, they are quite capable when it comes to gathering information. We initially started our investigation from the Northern Cold Immortal Territory. We didn't know what we'd find, but upon investigation, we discovered that when the Northern Cold Immortal Palace eradicated Bai Li Yan of the Candle Dragon Path, this Han Li had entered their sights, though he went by the alias Li Fei Yu at the time," Lü Yun said in a shrill voice.

"My son, Tao Yu, was killed by him during this period," Tao Ji said, his face filled with pain.

"The Candle Dragon Path held the Time Law technique *Zhen Yan Hua Lun Jing*. It seems his Time Law power originated from there," Dongfang Bai said slowly, ignoring Tao Ji.

"Indeed, the name Li Fei Yu has appeared several times in subsequent reports, but each time the information is vague, indicating that he deliberately concealed his tracks. In addition, the name Li Han has also surfaced a few times, and some of his characteristics match this Han Li, making it highly likely that it is also an alias," Lü Yun nodded, adding.

"How is this possible? If we consider what is presented in these jade slips, how many years has this Han Li spent traversing several Immortal Territories, including the Northern Cold, Black Mountain, Black Earth, Savage Wilderness, and Golden Source? Moreover, judging from the timeline, these regions' major events seem to have a subtle connection to him," Dongfang Bai wondered.

"According to this subordinate's investigation, the annihilation of the Candle Dragon Path, the emergence of the Underworld Cold Immortal Abode, and the reopening of the Legacy Site of Zhen Yan Sect all align with this person's timeline, and there is some evidence to prove that he participated. Moreover, the deaths of the Gongshu family's Gongshu Tian and Gongshu Jiu brothers also seem to be inextricably linked to him," Lü Yun said unhurriedly.

The more Dongfang Bai listened, the graver his expression became. After pondering for a moment, he asked:

"After the Legacy Site of Zhen Yan Sect incident, where did he go? Why did he suddenly appear in our Golden Source Immortal Territory?"

"Palace Lord, please take a look at this first." As he spoke, Lü Yun took out another jade slip and handed it over.

"Isn't this Ancestor Qing Shui Feng's report from his journey to the Gray Realm?" After receiving it, Dongfang Bai quickly examined it, his eyes filled with doubt.

"During this journey to the Gray Realm, many people who had appeared in the Legacy Site of Zhen Yan Sect also appeared there. Therefore, I believe that Han Li most likely went there as well, and somehow ended up in the Devilish Territory, before eventually returning to the Immortal World, leading to what happened later," Lü Yun said, glancing at Tao Ji as he finished.

As his words fell, the hall fell silent, and everyone was lost in thought.

Tao Ji's face turned green and red by turns, but then he seemed to realize something. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his expression was one of lingering fear.

"This person has close ties with the Reincarnation Hall and can travel between the various realms without harm, and his cultivation continues to rise. What do you all think?" Dongfang Bai leaned forward, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, asking solemnly.

"Leaving aside his current strength, the speed of his progress alone indicates that his identity is not simple. To be able to connect with both the Reincarnation Hall and the Devilish race, I fear his background…" Black Knife said after a long silence.

If Han Li were here, he would probably be dumbfounded. How could he have imagined that after a series of analyses, these people would arrive at such a conclusion?

"So, haven't I provoked an existence that I simply cannot afford to?" After some consideration, Tao Ji's face was filled with regret.

"Palace Lord…" Lü Yun bowed and said slowly.

Although Black Knife didn't speak again, it was clear that he was waiting for Dongfang Bai to make a decision.

Dongfang Bai rose from the golden dragon chair and slowly paced back and forth, his brows furrowed, his mind racing.

After pondering for a long time, he stopped and looked at the others, saying:

"Regardless of his own cultivation level, and regardless of his background, as long as it involves that item, continue to investigate. Once you find his trail, remember not to act rashly. Report back immediately, and wait for my unified deployment."

"Then, if a conflict arises, what should we do?" Lü Yun asked again.

"If a conflict arises, there is no need to retreat. You can refrain from delivering a fatal blow for now… Of course, try to capture him alive, and once you have figured out the whereabouts of that item, escort him back to the Nine Yuan Temple for a decision," Dongfang Bai said.

"Understood…" Lü Yun and the other two said hesitantly.

"Remember, this matter is confined to you alone. If anyone leaks information and it comes to the attention of those Celestial Court supervisors, don't blame my Golden Source Immortal Palace for being unable to accommodate you," Dongfang Bai said sternly, his expression hardening.

"Yes!" This time, the three responded quickly, without hesitation.

After the three left, Dongfang Bai paced back and forth in the hall, feeling a faint sense of unease in his heart.

This was the first time he had encountered someone as strange as Han Li. Clearly, whether in terms of strength or background, he was likely quite extraordinary, and he had participated in so many major events, yet he had managed to conceal his whereabouts so well.

Moreover, the clues that were currently revealed to him were likely only a small part of Han Li's true picture.

The fact that such a person had not yet been truly noticed by the Celestial Court was what was truly frightening.

…

Central Earth Immortal Territory.

A region of unknown, empty space, where clusters of blood-colored dark clouds floated.

Within the sky-covering dark clouds, there was a pervasive bloody aura. In the distance, one could vaguely see the eaves and corners of bizarre black buildings emerging from the blood-colored clouds.

The blood clouds were like the canopy of a forest, with layers upon layers, growing thicker as they ascended.

At the very bottom of the blood clouds, stood a white stone archway hundreds of feet tall, with the two striking, blood-red characters "Immortal Prison" engraved on it in ancient seal script.

"Jingle…"

Not far from the archway, in the midst of the blood clouds, stood a black hall with flying eaves.

At each protruding corner of the hall's roof hung an ox-head-sized octagonal bell. Although there was no wind blowing, they occasionally swayed on their own, ringing out a clear chime.

As the chimes resonated, a layer of faint golden light rippled through the void, with runes flickering within, dispersing some of the heavy bloody aura that gathered around the hall.

At the entrance of the hall stood two black-armored warriors over ten feet tall, both with blue faces and sharp fangs, broad backs and thick waists. One held a heaven-splitting giant axe, and the other held a halberd. Their eyes were bloodshot, appearing quite ferocious.

The hall they guarded had its doors tightly locked, with a large horizontal plaque hanging above the doorway, bearing the three large characters "Hall of Judgment" written in golden seal script against a black background.

Inside the hall, two rows of vermilion pillars stood side by side, with beast-patterned iron plaques hanging on them, each engraved with fist-sized characters in seal script. Without exception, all of them began with the words "Sentence Begins."

For example, Sentence Begins: Decapitation, Punishment for Rebellious Evildoers; Sentence Begins: Soul Extinction, Punishment for Indiscriminate Slaughter of Mortals; Sentence Begins: Lighting the Sky Lantern, Punishment for Reckless Practice of Forbidden Arts…

The hall was dimly lit, with braziers hanging high, containing clusters of dark red flames that flickered eerily.

In the depths of the hall, before a wide black iron desk, stood a tall figure with his back to the door. His appearance was strange, with hands and feet much longer than ordinary people, and his palms and soles were unusually large, looking like palm-leaf fans.

One hand rested on the desk, while the other held a jade slip. His bare upper body was a fiery red color, as if it had been cooked, with circles of strange纹路 engraved on it.

On his head grew a cluster of flame-like red hair, with fireballs occasionally bursting out of it.

If Han Li were here, he would definitely recognize this person as one of the five disciples who served by Mi Luo Old Ancestor's side when he lectured, and also the rebellious disciple Qi Mo Zi who betrayed the Old Ancestor back then.

"Burning Fire, Burning Fire, did you ever understand your master's painstaking efforts back then?" Qi Mo Zi slowly lowered the jade slip in his hand, sighed, and muttered to himself.

"It seems that the disciple you care about the most is still him…" At this moment, a flame face suddenly rose from a brazier not far from him, clicking its tongue in admiration.

"Originally, I only hoped that he could stay away from this vortex, but I didn't expect that he would eventually be drawn in. Although Chi Rong has never been to my liking, his trip to the Zhen Yan Sect was ultimately for the sake of this master of mine. I didn't expect that the two of them would enter the Gray Realm by mistake, and end up dying within," Qi Mo Zi said with a sigh.

"So what if they died? Didn't they fail to retrieve the *Da Wu Xing Huan Shi Jue* anyway? Dying meaninglessly is just foolishness…" The face in the brazier ignored his feelings and mocked.

"No! After my investigation, they were not entirely without gain. Before entering the Gray Realm, Chi Rong sent back a message mentioning a person… a very strange person. He is most likely the biggest beneficiary of that Zhen Yan Sect relic exploration, and the complete *Da Wu Xing Huan Shi Jue* is very likely in his hands," Qi Mo Zi said slowly, unconcerned.

"Who is that person? Where is he now?" The flame face asked eagerly.

"That person is named Han Li, and he has recently appeared in the Golden Source Immortal Territory in the past hundred years," Qi Mo Zi said, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Heh heh… it seems it's time for me to make a move. Staying in this Immortal Prison for too long, I really miss the air outside. We agreed, this time as long as I help you capture this person, you will let me burn rivers and boil seas to my heart's content? Don't worry, I've already chosen a place, just an inconspicuous place in the Lower Realm, it won't bring you any trouble," the flame face shot up into the air, hovering on the roof, and let out a strange laugh.