"Fellow Daoist Jiao Fifteen, no need to be surprised. Today's proactive communication is to invite you to participate in a special mission," the cyan light figure said calmly.

"If I remember correctly, I haven't had much interaction with Fellow Daoist Lin Nine before. Why are you specifically inviting me?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Fellow Daoist Jiao Fifteen's reputation has been spreading quite loudly among the Alliance members in recent years. In our previous, only cooperation, you left me with a very deep impression. I know you are not one to rest on your laurels, so I specifically came to invite you to participate in this mission." Although Lin Nine praised Han Li, his tone was flat, as if stating a fact, without any hint of flattery.

"Speaking of a resounding reputation, how can I compare to Fellow Daoist Lin Nine? Since it's a mission that Fellow Daoist Lin Nine deems worthy, it must not be easy to accomplish," Han Li said with a smile, probing.

"Apologies, this mission is indeed somewhat special. Junior members have no right to participate, and other participants must be proficient in formation and escape techniques. If you haven't decided to accept the mission, then please forgive me for not disclosing the specific details," Lin Nine said slowly.

"If the mission details cannot be disclosed, can you at least reveal the mission location?" Han Li asked after thinking for a moment.

"Netherfrost Continent," Lin Nine replied directly.

"If this mission is on that Netherfrost Continent, then please forgive me for not accepting it. I'm currently entangled in some trivial matters and it's not convenient for me to travel far, I hope you can understand," Han Li frowned slightly and declined.

North of Gu Yun Continent is a vast, boundless frozen sea. Beyond the ocean, there is an icy wasteland continent covered with permanent ice and frozen earth, shrouded in endless snow, which is the Netherfrost Continent.

Although crossing the frozen sea is not as difficult as the Thunderstorm Ocean, and there are rumored to be teleportation arrays, a round trip would still take at least several years.

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to rush to refuse, you can listen to the rewards for this mission before deciding whether to accept it," Lin Nine said, seemingly unsurprised by Han Li's refusal.

"I'm all ears," Han Li nodded and said.

"In addition to three hundred Immortal Essence Stones, we will add a piece of Lang Xian Cloudstone," Lin Nine said slowly, seeming quite confident in the price he was offering.

"It seems that you have put in some effort to invite me, knowing that I need Lang Xian Cloudstone and coming to cater to my preferences," Han Li's heart stirred, but his face under the mask showed no joy, and he said coldly.

"Your mission to seek Lang Xian Cloudstone has been posted for seven or eight years, right? It's still hanging in the Alliance with no one taking it, so I don't think you'll miss this opportunity, right?" Lin Nine said meaningfully.

Han Li listened and lowered his head in thought.

Seven or eight years ago, while on a mission for the Unstable Alliance, he inadvertently found a beast skin book that he had seized from the emaciated old man who attacked Bai Suyuan in the Profound Ice Mountain Range. From it, he saw a very strange Gold Melting Sword Refining Technique.

This technique could greatly increase the power of flying swords by melting special essence metals and materials.

If multiple flying swords were melted at the same time, these flying swords could even merge into one during battle, thereby exerting a tremendous power far exceeding the original flying swords.

Most importantly, after the flying swords were melted, not only would their appearance be completely different from before, but even the aura released from the sword would change due to the addition of several auxiliary materials.

Han Li decided almost immediately to use this method to re-melt his seventy-two Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords.

However, the spiritual materials required to melt flying swords using this method were also very rare. The most important primary material was Hu Wen Essence Gold, and the most important auxiliary material was Lang Xian Cloudstone.

Coincidentally, Han Li himself possessed Hu Wen Essence Gold. It was the dark gold metal he had obtained in the Mirage Yuan Beast Palace, and he had also obtained a lot from the emaciated old man in the Profound Ice Mountain Range battle.

As for the other materials, Han Li had spent some Immortal Essence Stones in the Candle Dragon Dao to gather them all. Now, only this Lang Xian Cloudstone was missing, and there was no news of it, whether within the Unstable Alliance or in the markets inside and outside the sect.

"I wonder how big this Lang Xian Cloudstone is?" Han Li asked after a long silence.

"You should also know the preciousness of this item, and the reward offered is only the size of a fist. But even so, it's more than enough to refine a flying sword as the primary material," Lin Nine said.

"I accept this mission," Han Li nodded without much hesitation and agreed.

Although this Lang Xian Cloudstone was only the size of a fist, it was enough as an auxiliary material to refine all seventy-two flying swords.

"Good! With the addition of Fellow Daoist Jiao Fifteen, this mission will definitely be completed successfully." Only then did Lin Nine's voice finally reveal a hint of a smile.

"Now that I have accepted the mission, can you tell me the specific details of the mission?" Han Li asked.

"There's no rush. The personnel to carry out this mission have not yet been fully assembled. You can make preparations, and three years later, we will gather on Long Arc Island at the northern end of Gu Yun Continent, and the specific details of this mission will be revealed at that time," Lin Nine waved his hand and said.

"If that's the case, then see you then," Han Li nodded and said.

After that, Lin Nine also bid farewell, and his figure blurred, gradually fading away.

Han Li put away the bull-headed mask and turned to leave the secret chamber.

…

In the blink of an eye, three years passed.

At the northernmost end of Gu Yun Continent, there is a peninsula protruding from the land, which is long and narrow, extending slightly curved towards a vast, white, boundless sea.

This island is jet-black, covered with a thick layer of frozen soil and ice crystals, and bare without any vegetation.

On a huge black rock at the end of Long Island, a tall figure was sitting cross-legged, wearing a wide cloak-style black robe and a cyan deer head mask, who was none other than Lin Nine.

Beside the black rock beneath him, there was also a tall, thin man wearing an ocher-yellow robe embroidered with plum blossom patterns, whose face was covered with a rat-head mask, also cyan.

Through the two hollows in the eye sockets of the mask, one could see that this person's pupils were extremely small, with more white than black, looking just like a rat's eyes, flashing with cunning light.

"How is it that we have waited for seven days, and that person has not yet arrived, his airs are really big enough," the man wearing the rat-head mask said with a shrill voice, glancing at the direction of Gu Yun Continent, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Fellow Daoist Lin Seventeen, it's just that you and I arrived a little early, since the agreed day has not yet arrived, we can continue to wait," Lin Nine said indifferently.

The man wearing the rat-head mask heard this, habitually twisted his neck, and chuckled a few times in a low voice, saying nothing more.

After about a quarter of an hour, a cyan light flashed from the distant sky and landed in front of the black boulder.

At the place where the cyan light landed, a man in a cyan robe wearing a cyan bull-head mask appeared, who was none other than Han Li.

"Fellow Daoist Lin Nine." Han Li's gaze swept over Lin Nine and Lin Seventeen, and he cupped his fists at them, taking it as a greeting.

"Fellow Daoist Jiao Fifteen, this is Fellow Daoist Lin Seventeen." Lin Nine saw this, stood up from the rock, nodded towards Han Li, and introduced.

"I've heard of you for a long time," Han Li nodded and said.

"I've been waiting..." Lin Seventeen stared at Han Li with his small eyes, looking him up and down, and said impolitely.

Han Li heard the dissatisfaction in the words, but just smiled and didn't say much.

"Now that everyone has arrived, I will now talk about the specific details of this mission," Lin Nine jumped down from the rock, came to the two of them, and said.

Han Li then looked at him, and Lin Seventeen also withdrew his gaze, focusing his attention on him.

"According to the mission intelligence, there is a United Hand Valley in the Blizzard Forest area of the southern Netherfrost Continent, and a high-level restriction formation is arranged outside the valley. Our mission is to sneak into the valley without touching the formation and kill a True Immortal Stage mid-stage cultivator who is cultivating inside," Lin Nine glanced at the two of them and continued.

"Is it known what the restriction formation is called, and what are its characteristics?" Han Li thought for a while and asked.

"The mission intelligence only has what I said, and as for the specific situation, we can only know after we get there," Lin Nine said.

"It seems that there is no difficulty, how come the special missions in the Alliance are all like this? Every time they are secretive and without any certainty..." Lin Seventeen curled his lips and complained.

"Alright, time is of the essence, let's set off now," Lin Nine announced, ignoring Lin Seventeen.

After saying that, he waved his wrist, and a brilliant golden light sprinkled down like stars hanging in the wild, revealing a three-story pavilion treasure ship with a golden body.

This ship was about thirty zhang long and five zhang high. Both sides of the ship's side were engraved with dense runes for light body and accelerated flight. The three-story pavilion on the ship's body was also carved with beams and painted buildings, inlaid with pearls and jade, and was extremely luxurious.

"To go to Netherfrost Continent, you can take a teleportation array from Yanling Island. Before arriving at Yanling Island, let's take my Golden Pattern Spirit Boat first," Lin Nine said, taking the lead in flying up and landing on the deck of the treasure ship.

Seeing this, Han Li and Lin Seventeen also flew up and landed on the railing of the spirit boat's port side one after another.

After stepping onto the spirit boat, Han Li's gaze swept over, and he saw that the corridors and doors and windows of the three-story pavilion were also engraved with various complex runes, from which bursts of spiritual power fluctuations were emitted.

Outside each floor of the pavilion, there were also several slender-waisted, extremely beautiful young women standing, all wearing silk feather clothes of either pure gold or seven colors, each looking ethereal and otherworldly, like fairy consorts.

However, Han Li quickly discovered that these seemingly beautiful and charming women were actually exquisite puppets.

"The two fellow daoists can choose a pavilion to stay in temporarily. If there are any trivial matters, just tell these puppets to do them," Lin Nine said, then flew up to the highest floor of the pavilion and walked in.

Lin Seventeen glanced at Han Li, said nothing, flew up, landed on the open space in front of the second floor pavilion, reached out and touched the cheek of the female puppet at the door, and praised with a tsk: "Yo, this feel is really good..."

After saying that, he smiled "hehe", pushed open the door of the pavilion, and walked in on his own.