I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

The battlefield was crowded with people and eyes, especially with more than a dozen Core Formation cultivators fighting in the air.

Their spiritual senses cover an extremely wide area, and even when communicating by telepathy, there is a risk of being intercepted.

Zhou Yuan knew that the matter of the teleportation array was of great importance and could not be discussed in detail at this time and place.

He merely nodded slightly to Han Li before turning his gaze back to the "battle" before him, as if it were just a casual greeting between fellow disciples.

Upon seeing this, Han Li immediately understood Zhou Yuan's concerns. He breathed a sigh of relief and made up his mind to find an opportunity to meet with Zhou Yuan privately later.

He also composed himself and focused his attention back on the battlefield, but the surprise that Zhou Yuan was also on the front lines at this moment lingered in his mind.

As usual, this "big fight" ended tacitly in the evening after both sides had exhausted themselves for a while.

As Zhou Yuan returned to the main camp with the group, he had only been back in his stone house for a short while when the restrictions began to fluctuate slightly.

Zhou Yuan waved his hand to open the barrier, and Han Li's figure appeared outside the door. He looked around cautiously before slipping inside.

The stone gate closed, and Zhou Yuan reactivated the soundproofing and warning systems, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

"Junior Brother Han, please have a seat."

Zhou Yuan pointed to the only stone bench in the room, then sat cross-legged on a futon, getting straight to the point: "How's the progress on the matter of asking you to help repair the teleportation array in the spirit stone mine?"

Han Li did not sit down, but remained standing, appearing quite respectful. Upon hearing this, he immediately replied, "Reporting to Senior Brother, after I escaped, I went to Yuanwu Kingdom as soon as possible and found that friend who is proficient in formations. I have already made a copy of the formation diagram and given it to her for study."

According to her, although the formation is ancient and incomplete, its foundation remains, and she is confident that she can deduce a complete and restored formation within six months!

"Within six months? Very good!" Zhou Yuan nodded. This time was even faster than he had expected. It seemed that Xin Ruyin's talent in array formation was indeed well-deserved.

However, he noticed a hint of hesitation in Han Li's tone.

As expected, Han Li then smiled wryly and said, "However... plans can't keep up with changes. I originally intended to return to Huangfeng Valley after handling this matter, but unexpectedly, I was also urgently summoned by the sect to the front line of Jin Gu Yuan."

"We're now trapped here, our lives hanging by a thread. We have to be extremely careful while carrying out our missions, and we don't know when we'll be allowed to leave the camp!"

"The repair of the array diagram is progressing, but how to bring the array diagram back safely and how to get to the spirit stone mine at the agreed time have become problems."

His concerns are not unfounded.

Frontline cultivators are not allowed to leave without permission; otherwise, they will be considered deserters.

The one-and-a-half-year agreement seems like plenty of time, but if we get stuck here, it's all just empty talk.

There is no need to worry too much about this.

Zhou Yuan spoke calmly, with a sense of certainty, "The situation at the front is severe, but it's not monolithic. There are always ways to leave, whether through rotation or special missions..."

I have my own plans for this matter, and I will inform my junior brother when the time is right. You just need to make sure your friend on your end can complete the array repair on time.

"With your words of comfort, Senior Brother, I am relieved." Han Li cupped his hands in greeting, then seemed to remember something, and changed the subject, asking:

"By the way, Senior Brother Zhou, I forgot to ask you something in the rush in the mine earlier. Senior Brother... do you know where the other end of that ancient teleportation array leads? What kind of place is it? What's so special about it?"

This issue is of utmost importance.

It concerns whether he really wants to risk taking this unknown "way out".

Zhou Yuan had anticipated Han Li's question. After a moment's thought, he recounted what he knew (combining his memories from the original work):

"Based on my extensive research into ancient texts and fragments, and by combining this with the rune pattern of the teleportation array, I deduce that it leads to a vast and boundless sea, dotted with countless islands of varying sizes, which some cultivators call the 'Chaotic Star Sea'."

"Unlike the desolate and barren boundless sea on the edge of the Tiannan Continent, the Chaotic Star Sea is a place where human cultivators and sea monsters coexist, occupying a considerable portion of the rich sea areas and islands. There, monster resources are extremely abundant, and the sea and islands are rich in many rare or even extinct spiritual herbs, ores, and monster materials found only in the Tiannan Continent. More importantly…"

Zhou Yuan paused, looking at Han Li's gradually brightening eyes, and continued, "Perhaps it's because the sea area is vast and the islands are scattered, making it difficult for resource points to be completely monopolized."

Or perhaps it's due to the different power dynamics. While there are also large sects there, their control over resources is far less tight than in Tiannan. Many resources crucial for cultivation are obtained by independent cultivators or small factions through adventures and trade!

"Simply put, for cultivators who have no powerful background and rely entirely on their own efforts, the space for survival and development there is far greater than in Tiannan, especially in the Yue Kingdom which is firmly controlled by the seven sects, and there are also more opportunities."

Han Li listened quietly, his mind already tipped.

Zhou Yuan's description, especially the sentences "resources are difficult to be completely monopolized by large corporations" and "there is room for development for independent cultivators," really resonated with him!

His greatest fear, given the secret of the little green bottle, was being in an environment tightly controlled by major sects, where the slightest abnormality would attract investigation.

Just like how the seven sects of Yue Kingdom almost monopolized all the materials for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, it was extremely difficult for independent cultivators to achieve Foundation Establishment without a fortuitous encounter or someone to rely on.

The Chaotic Star Sea, a relatively "free" place where opportunities and dangers coexist, is practically tailor-made for someone like him who harbors secrets and needs to quietly accumulate resources!

The slight hesitation that had arisen due to the dangers and unknowns on the front lines has now been replaced by a strong sense of excitement.

He left his homeland, escaping the chaos of war in Yue and the potential attention of his sect, to start anew in a wider world...

This temptation is too great!

However, Han Li was by nature cautious and suspicious.

While my heart was fluttering, my biggest concern surfaced.

He raised his head, looked directly at Zhou Yuan, and asked the most crucial and practical question: "Senior brother, if we really do reach the Chaotic Star Sea through the teleportation array... can you guarantee my safety there? Or rather, how should we get along?"

His concern was that "once the birds are all gone, the bow is put away; once the rabbit is dead, the dog is cooked."

He contributed to repairing the teleportation array. If they were to arrive in the unfamiliar Chaotic Star Sea, would Zhou Yuan try to kill him to monopolize the secrets or resources?

After all, Zhou Yuan's strength was unfathomable and his methods were unpredictable.

Zhou Yuan was not surprised to see the deep wariness hidden in Han Li's eyes.

His expression was calm as he raised his right hand and said in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Han's concerns are understandable. I, Zhou Yuan, hereby swear by my inner demons: if we arrive at the Chaotic Star Sea through the ancient teleportation array, as long as Junior Brother Han does not actively harm me, I will never strike him first... If I break this oath, may my inner demons backfire and my Great Dao be severed!"

The oath of inner demons has an extremely strong binding force on cultivators, especially on those who are pursuing immortality.

Zhou Yuan made the vow so readily, showing his utmost sincerity.

Seeing this, Han Li finally felt relieved.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and solemnly swore: "I, Han Li, also swear by my inner demons: after arriving at the Chaotic Star Sea through the ancient teleportation array, as long as Senior Brother Zhou Yuan does not actively harm me, I will never attack Senior Brother Zhou Yuan first, and will live in peace with him, watching over and helping each other. If I break this oath, may my inner demons backfire and my Great Dao be severed!"

Two invisible forces of oath seemed to be generated in the darkness, entwining the minds of the two.

Although there were still suspicions and reservations between them, this oath of inner demons undoubtedly laid a solid wedge for their fragile cooperative relationship.

With the alliance now in place, both of them felt much more relaxed.

After exchanging a few more words about the situation at the front and their respective plans, Han Li quietly took his leave.

……

Time flies, and Zhou Yuan has been at the front line of Jingu Plain for another eight months.

During those eight months, he still failed to get the opportunity to be sent out or rotated away from the camp, as if he had been forgotten in this war-torn land. But he did not waste his time.

With his formidable strength and cautious approach, he successfully killed dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators of the demonic path in a series of small-scale hunting missions, including many with considerable strength.

These spoils of war—magical artifacts, materials, elixirs, and spirit stones—were sold in the front-line markets, accumulating him astonishing wealth.

Roughly estimated, he now possesses a total of over 90,000 spirit stones, just one step away from the 100,000 mark!

Once he gathers 100,000 spirit stones, he can immediately upgrade his equipment slots and unlock the fifth slot! At that time, his cultivation speed, mana recovery, and enhancement of other skills (such as alchemy and formations) will all reach a new level, resulting in a qualitative leap in his strength.

What pleased him even more was that he had gathered all the spiritual materials needed to repair the ancient teleportation array, which saved him a lot of time and effort in the future.

However, since making an alliance with Han Li and confirming that the other party would do his best to repair the array diagram, Zhou Yuan has slowed down his research on arrays. He no longer pursues complete mastery in a short period of time, but instead spends more time cultivating the "Great Evolution Technique".

As he deepened his understanding of the third level of the "Great Evolution Technique" and continued to hone his skills in the "Twelve Thorns of the Divine Court," the strength of his divine sense increased at an astonishing rate.

Now, with his cultivation at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, the refinement and coverage of his divine sense have steadily surpassed those of ordinary peak Foundation Establishment cultivators, and he has even faintly touched the threshold of the divine sense of early Core Formation cultivators!

This will become an extremely important trump card for him when facing any strong opponent in the future.

That day, Zhou Yuan overheard some fellow disciples discussing something in the camp and learned that his master, Li Huayuan, a Core Formation cultivator, had also been ordered by the sect to come to the front-line camp of Jingu Plain to take charge!

Zhou Yuan's heart skipped a beat. This might be an opportunity! Li Huayuan, as a Core Formation cultivator and also his master (though not close), held considerable influence within the sect and on the front lines.

If they could get through Li Huayuan, they might be able to find a reasonable excuse or opportunity to temporarily leave the front-line camp and return to the rear, or even pave the way for their subsequent "disappearance".

If they could get through Li Huayuan, they might be able to find a reasonable excuse or opportunity to temporarily leave the front-line camp and return to the rear, or even pave the way for their subsequent "disappearance".

After finding out Li Huayuan's temporary residence in the camp, Zhou Yuan immediately set off for there.

It was a bluestone courtyard located in the center of the camp, which was more regular and spacious than the other stone houses and wooden sheds, and was shrouded in a faint layer of protective spiritual light.

As Zhou Yuan approached the courtyard, he saw a familiar figure standing straight outside the gate like a javelin, arms crossed, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, full of energy. It was Song Meng, the fourth senior brother of Li Huayuan.

"Fourth Senior Brother!"

Zhou Yuan stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said respectfully, "Junior Brother Zhou Yuan has come to pay his respects to Master. I wonder if Master is available?"

When Song Meng saw Zhou Yuan, a smile appeared on his originally serious face. He had a good impression of this junior brother who had made great contributions in the Crimson Forbidden Land and whose cultivation speed was also quite fast. Moreover, it was especially heartwarming to meet fellow disciples on the front lines.

"So it's Junior Brother Zhou!" Song Meng said with a smile. "Master is currently discussing important matters with some important guests inside. Junior Brother, you may have to wait a moment."

"It's alright, Junior Brother, you can wait here."

Zhou Yuan nodded, quietly stepped aside, and stood patiently beside Song Meng, waiting.