Han Li's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this, while Shi Chuankong hesitated momentarily before remarking, "The Scalptia Spatial Domain is not a safe place, and Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit only recently ascendes, so she's most likely still only at the True Immortal Stage..."

"Aside from his dao partner in Lady Ju, Daoist Master Black River also has around a dozen concubines, and there's been constantly infighting among them over the years, so the fact that Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit has been able to remain safe here for so many years indicates that she's a very smart woman.

“On top of that, I'm assuming Daoist Master Black River must've given her a few powerful devilish treasures for her protection, so even if she's been cast into exile in the Scalptia Spatial Domain, she should be able to keep herself safe," Shi Pokong said.

"I certainly hope that's the case. I must thank you again, Your Highness. It's very impressive that you were able to uncover so much information in such a short time. You've put me to shame in this regard," Han Li sighed.

"I agree. How did you manage to get all of this information out of that petty wench?" Shi Chuankong asked with a curious expression.

"I've been dealing with Lady Ju for many years, so I know her very well. Before I went in, I already had a rough idea of how she would've treated Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit, and it wasn't difficult to find out all of this by asking some leading questions," Shi Pokong replied calmly, as if he had just done something very simple.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"It may not have been difficult for you, but it was an impossible task for the two of us," Han Li said with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"It's really not that impressive," Shi Pokong chuckled in a modest fashion. "What do you plan to do from here, Fellow Daoist Li?"

"This isn't the place to be talking, so let's leave this place first," Han Li replied.

Half a month later, in a courtyard in the city lord's manor of Black River City.

There was a round ebony table in an elegant and refined hall, atop which sat a red clay stove with a fire burning inside. Large amounts of steam were surging out of the purple clay teapot on top of the stove, causing the teapot's lid to clatter incessantly.

At this moment, Shi Pokong was standing beside the table, and he lifted the teapot before pouring some of its contents into another teapot to wash the tea leaves inside, then poured the water away before replacing it with some new water.

Only after that did he pour the tea out into three intricate teacups on the table before pushing two of them toward Shi Chuankong and Han Li, who were also seated at the table.

"Fellow Daoist Li, perhaps you're still unaware of just how perilous the Scalptia Spatial Domain is. Are you sure you want to go in?" Shi Pokong asked.

"There's no point in trying to dissuade him, Pokong. Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit is extremely important to Brother Li, and if it were possible to dissuade him, I would've already done so," Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

"In that case, I won't speak any further on this matter. What are your plans then? When are you going to travel to the Heavenly Rainbow Region?" Shi Pokong asked as he turned to Shi Chuankong.

An awkward smile appeared on Shi Chuankong's face as he replied, "As you're aware, Brother Li has done a lot for me, so I plan to accompany him on this trip to the Scalptia Spatial Domain. Hence, I'll have to trouble you to look after the Heavenly Rainbow Realm in my stead during my absence."

"That's ridiculous! Father granted you the Heavenly Rainbow Region, not me. On top of that, I can't let you venture into such a dangerous place!" Shi Pokong scolded with a stern expression.

"His Highness is right, Brother Shi, I can make the trip to the Scalptia Spatial Domain on my own," Han Li chimed in.

A serious look appeared on Shi Chuankong's face as he protested, "Pokong, you've always taught me to repay the kindness of others. Brother Li has saved my life on multiple occasions, so how can I abandon him in his time of need?"

The disapproval on Shi Pokong's face didn't wane in the slightest upon hearing this, but in the end, he could only heave a faint sigh.

"Fine, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop you. If I weren't so busy, I would come with you."

"The city will be fine even if I'm absent for a million years, but it can't go even a single day without you, Pokong!" Shi Chuankong said in an elated manner.

"Alright, that's enough from you. I know some things about the Scalptia Spatial Domain, but I've never been there before myself, so I only have limited information to impart onto the two of you," Shi Pokong sighed.

"Please enlighten us, Your Highness," Han Li requested in an earnest manner.

A few minutes later, Shi Pokong had divulged everything that he knew about the Scalptia Spatial Domain, following which he summoned a pair of items before handing one each to Shi Chuankong and Han Li.

Han Li accepted the item handed to him to discover that it was a piece of beat hide with a rough map drawn on it, with some annotations littered throughout the map.

"This is a map of the Scalptia Spatial Domain that I was able to find from a set of unofficial historic records. It's unclear how old this map is, so it may or may not be able to help you, but take it with you anyway," Shi Pokong said.

Han Li nodded in response, then examined the map briefly before stowing it away.

As for Shi Chuankong, he was holding what appeared to be a pendant, and he asked, "What's this, Pokong?"

Han Li turned to discover that the pendant had been crafted into the form of an intricate cage, and there were numerous ferocious-looking beasts scratching at the cage from inside.

"Wear this on your body at all times, and throw it out if you encounter some insurmountable peril. There's no need to inject any spiritual qi or devilish qi to activate it, and perhaps it could save your lives," Shi Pokong said in a serious manner.

Shi Chuankong did as he was told and put on the pendant.

"Remember that in the Scalptia Spatial Domain, not only is there a complete absence of spiritual qi and devilish, you won't be able to access your storage tools, either, so if you need something, you'll have to carry it on your body, and once you get in there, your physical bodies will be just about all that you can rely on," Shi Pokong cautioned.

"If the Scalptia Spatial Domain has already been sealed, then how can we return from it?" Han Li asked.

"There's a special teleportation array in the Black Water Region that can teleport one straight out of the Scalptia Spatial Domain, but it hasn't been used for over a hundred thousand years, so it'll most likely take a lot of time and effort to restore. Having said that, I'll take care of it, so there's no need for you to be concerned.

“These two tokens will be vital for the teleportation array to ascertain your locations, so make sure to keep them safe," Shi Pokong replied as he handed a pair of leaf-shaped jade tokens to Han Li and Shi Chuankong.

"How do we use these things?" Shi Chuankong asked as he carefully examined his jade token.

"When you want to come back, just shed a drop of blood essence onto the token, and the array on this side will be able to teleport you directly out of the Scalptia Spatial Domain. As for Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit, as long as she's with Fellow Daoist Li, they'll be able to teleport back together," Shi Pokong replied.

"Alright, got it," Shi Chuankong replied with a nod.

"On top of that, I also have two Blood Tide Pills here that can temporarily stimulate the latent potential of your bodies. Of course, the aftereffects from consuming the pill are quite severe, and you'll experience a period of feebleness, perhaps even complete immobility after the pill's effects wear off, so only use it as a last resort," Shi Pokong continued.

"There's no need to be so worried about us, Pokong. We can look after ourselves," Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

"How could I not be worried? That godforsaken place has been sealed for hundreds of thousands of years! In any case, that's all I have to say, the rest is up to you. Make sure you come back alive and well," Shi Pokong said as he patted Shi Chuankong on the shoulder.

"I will," Shi Chuankong replied with a smile, and a faint smile also appeared on Han Li's face at this show of brotherly affection.

Shortly thereafter, Shi Pokong departed, and after taking a brief rest, Han Li and Sh Chuankong also left the Black Water Region.

Inside the Black Water Region, there was a dark green mountain range that was dotted with brown sand hills that appeared very much out of place, and at this moment, Han Li and Shi Chuankong were hovering in the air above this mountain range.

Even from close to a hundred kilometers away, they were able to detect the strange spatial fluctuations coming from the area.

Han Li activated his Infernal Devilish Eyes, and he spotted a near-transparent hemispherical restriction that encompassed the entire area up ahead like a giant bowl, with all of the brown hills contained within.

"This must be the entrance to the Scalptia Spatial Domain," Han Li said.

"That's right. I recall that this place was sealed and declared a restricted area by Father a very long time ago," Shi Chuankong replied.

"That must be to prevent the people in exile from escaping," Han Li speculated.

"That's part of the reason, but I think he was more concerned about people from our Holy Realm inadvertently stumbling onto those sand hills before being sucked into the Scalptia Spatial Domain," Shi Chuankong replied.

"I see," Han Li mused with a nod.

"Let's go," Shi Chuankong said, and the two of them descended in front of a hall situated outside the sand hills.

The guards stationed outside the building immediately stopped them in their tracks, and one of them declared, "This is a restricted area, turn back now."

After Shi Chuankong revealed his identity, a Golden Immortal stationed in the hall immediately emerged to greet them.

It was a short and stocky elderly man with some stripes all over his face, and he immediately extended a respectful bow toward Shi Chuankong as he greeted, "Xu Fu pays his respects to His Highness."