A Record Of A Mortal's Journey To Immortality

by Srtyi

A poor and ordinary boy from a village joins a minor sect in Jiang Hu and becomes an Unofficial Disciple by chance. How will Han Li, a commoner by birth, establish a foothold for himself in his sect? With his mediocre aptitude, how will he successfully traverse the path of cultivation and become an immortal? This is a story of an ordinary mortal who, against all odds, clashes with

56. 1779

Read A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Chapter 1779: Ceremony online free - Novel Full

After passing through a long corridor and going around in a wide arc, Han Li and the others skirted around the main hall of the shrine and went straight to the rear hall.

There was a discreet secret chamber inside the hall, which was a white stone staircase that led underground.

There were several more secret guards situated at the opening of the staircase in an alert manner, and Xu Jiao waved a hand to dismiss them, upon which they immediately bowed before stepping away.

Han Li and the others descended into the slightly dim staircase. The passageway was a little dark, and there were chilly winds occasionally blowing toward them from down below. There were first-sized moonlight stones embedded into the wall on either side at regular intervals, causing the brightness in the surrounding area to fluctuate as one progressed down the staircase, creating many overlapping shadows that were slightly eerie to behold.

Thankfully, the stone staircase wasn't very long, and everyone soon appeared in an intricately designed massive underground hall.

Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly as he cast his gaze around him, upon which he discovered that this was a hall that was around 3,000 to 4,000 feet in size, and it was entirely paved with a type of black jade. There were complex and mysterious white runes carved all over the walls and the ceiling, and these runes were releasing white spiritual light that made the interior of the hall as bright as day.

The most eye-catching thing in the hall was an extremely intricately-crafted tall platform at the center of the hall.

The platform was hexagonal in shape, and was surrounded by a massive formation.

At the center of the platform was a circular pond that was filled with some kind of vibrant red liquid. Despite its resemblance to blood, it didn't smell like blood at all. Instead, it was releasing a peculiar fragrance.

There were a dozen or so Xu Family cultivators within the formation with their eyes closed in seated meditation surrounding the hexagonal platform. Xu Yan and Xu Huo were among these cultivators.

"We pay our respects to Senior Han. Thank you for extending your assistance to our Xu Family." Han Li had been accompanied to this place by Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao, so it was quite obvious what he had come here for. As such, Xu Yan and Xu Huo immediately rose to their feet in an elated manner before bowing to him in unison.

"Don't be so quick to thank me; it's yet to be seen whether I'll be of any assistance," Han Li said with a shake of his head.

Xu Jiao paid no heed to this and waved a hand toward all of the other Xu Family cultivators so they could also come and pay their respects to Han Li.

All of these cultivators were at the Deity Transformation Stage, so they were clearly the true core of the Xu Family.

Every single one of them was casting surreptitious glances at Han Li with awe and veneration in their eyes, clearly already aware of the fact that he was a Body Integration cultivator. After receiving an instruction from Xu Jiao, all of them immediately rose to their feet before extending a grand welcome toward him.

Han Li waved a hand in response before casting his gaze toward the pond with an intrigued look in his eyes.

"We created this substance according to the method recorded in the Great Blood Soul Technique. The spirit liquid in this pond was created using the blood essence of the members of our Xu Family alongside many rare and precious spirit medicines. Not only is it mandatory for awakening the blood soul, we can also use the blood Qi in the pond to delay the dissipation of the blood soul," Xu Yuan explained.

"I see. However, the most important element of this awakening ceremony is the item that lies under the spirit liquid, right? Without that item, no matter how much spirit liquid there is in the pond or how profound the formation is, it'll be very difficult to unleash the blood soul secret technique," Han Li said as faint blue light flashed through his eyes.

Xu Yuan's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he immediately recomposed himself before explaining, "Indeed, Senior, it seems that you've figured it out already. The item under the spirit liquid is the most important treasure of our Xu Family, the Blood Crystal Coffin. Without this treasure, there's no way to manifest a blood body that a blood soul requires as a vessel."

Han Li swept his gaze over the massive formation several times before a thought suddenly seemed to have occurred to him. After a brief pause, he chuckled, "Blood Crystal Coffin, eh? Hehe, I think I understand what this awakening ceremony is all about."

"Is that so?" Xu Yan and Xu Huo faltered slightly upon hearing this, clearly not entirely convinced by Han Li's claim.

The entire Xu Family had to pour all of their efforts into preparing this awakening ceremony, and they only just barely managed to arrange everything after working for over half a day.

Han Li may have been a Body Integration cultivator, but it was still very difficult for them to believe that he could glean the intricacies of this setup after taking just a few glances at it.

Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao were also quite surprised to hear this.

"There's no need to be perplexed, fellow Daoists; it's just that this ceremony has a similar function to the cultivation art of a foreign race that I once saw," Han Li explained with a smile.

At the same time, his mind wandered back to a certain cultivation art that he had seen during his time in the Heavenly Cloud Races.

This foreign race wasn't all that renowned, but this particular cultivation art of theirs allowed one to split their soul into many segments. As long a single segment of their soul could enter a physical body that had been painstakingly prepared in advance, one would immediately be able to replicate an identical clone of oneself.

This cultivation art was quite extraordinary, and the cultivation mantras were rather similar to cultivation arts of the human race, so Han Li had felt as if he had stumbled upon a brilliant treasure and immediately replicated a copy for himself.

However, later on, he discovered that in order to use this cultivation art, one had to possess a certain hidden innate ability that that particular foreign race possessed. Otherwise, cultivating it would result in backlash.

As such, he could only wistfully give upon on that endeavor.

Of course, there were disparities between humans and the beings of that foreign race, and there were also massive differences between the details of the two secret techniques, but that cultivation art could certainly be used as reference here.

Han Li had originally estimated that he would only have a 30% to 40% chance of success, but with this newfound knowledge, he was confident that those chances would be increased to around 70% to 80%.

Of course, Han Li naturally wasn't going to disclose this situation to everyone present. He merely strode slowly around the pond and the formation while intently scrutinizing the spirit liquid in the pond. Meanwhile, all of the Xu Family cultivators were appraising him with different expressions on their faces.

After making several laps around the pond, Han Li said, "Alright, perform the ceremony as usual, and I'll step in at the appropriate opportunity."

He then turned and strode over to a corner of the hall before sitting down with his legs crossed and his eyes closed.

Xu Jiao's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and after a while, it really did appear as if Han Li was going to meditate here. He finally couldn't repress the urge to speak up any longer, yet just as he was about to say something, Xu Yuan suddenly transmitted his voice to him.

Even though the voice transmission was very brief, it still sent a stir running through Xu Jiao's heart, and after a brief hesitation, he decided not to say anything.

After that, they joined all of the other Xu Family cultivators and entered the formation before meditating around the platform.

Time slowly passed by, and day gradually transitioned into night.

As night fell, some of the Xu Family cultivators began to stir from their meditation.

Many of them looked up toward the platform at the center of the formation with peculiar looks in their eyes.

After a short while, Xu Yuan, Xu Jiao, and the others also opened their eyes before turning their attention toward the platform.

After an indeterminate period of time passed, bright light suddenly erupted from the ceiling of the massive hall. A series of white runes began to surge through the air above before forming several simple small formations in mere moments.

In the next instant, a loud buzzing sound rang out, and the small formations shuddered before releasing several pillars of white light that vanished into the pond on the hexagonal platform.

Han Li's expression stirred slightly as he abruptly opened his eyes, and almost at the exact same moment, the spirit liquid in the pond began to churn violently.

A vortex began to appear at the center of the pond before rapidly rotating, and a series of silver runes of different sizes appeared and flashed within the waves, creating quite an intriguing sight to behold.

"It's time! Activate the formation!" Xu Yuan yelled in a thunderous voice, sending slight tremors running through the entire hall.

All of the Xu Family cultivators answered in unison before making hand seals and chanting incantations.

A string of dull thumps rang out in quick succession, and spiritual light flashed from within the formation before 18 pillars of crimson light erupted from all over the formation.

Every single pillar of light was about as thick as a large bowl, and they erupted directly into the ceiling of the massive hall with no end in sight.

As the three Spatial Tempering cultivators present, Xu Yuan, Xu Huo, and Xu Yan naturally occupied the three most important points in the formation. As everyone was chanting incantations to activate the formation, they each flipped a hand over to produce a red flag that was several inches in length.

They blew on their respective flags, and the flags immediately began to rotate on the spot.

This was clearly a well-rehearsed procedure for the three Spatial Tempering cultivators already, and they immediately bit through the tips of their own tongues before opening their mouths to expel a ball of blood essence each.

As soon as the three balls of blood essence emerged, they exploded into blood mist amid a dull thump, and the blood mist instantly enshrouded the three flags.

A sharp noise began to erupt from small flags, following which each of them expelled a burst of light to completely absorb the blood mist around them.

Immediately thereafter, the three small flags began to expand drastically in size amid a flash of bright crimson light.

After just a few flashes, they had transformed into three massive flags that were emanating tremendous baleful Qi.

Crimson light erupted from the flags in a frenzy, constantly pouring into the entire formation, and fusing with the crimson light being released by the formation to encompass the entire pond.

The scent of blood and gore emerged alongside that peculiar fragrance before fusing as one to form a strange scent that struck those who inhaled it with a sense of drowsiness.

Right at this moment, a burst of rumbling suddenly rang out, following which a massive ball of light that resembled a crimson fireball slowly emerged from within the depths of the vortex in the pond.

There was a crystalline coffin that was shimmering with red spiritual light hovering peacefully within the crimson ball of light, and as soon as it appeared, all of the Xu Family cultivators adopted serious expressions.

Spiritual light of different colors revolved around them, and some of them had turned pale while their bodies began to tremble, clearly indicating that they were already releasing their magic power to their maximal extent.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

White runes began to emerge from the pond before instantly vanishing into the crystalline coffin, and a ball of light began to materialize within the coffin that instantly transformed into an indistinct white humanoid figure.

Xu Jiao immediately swept a sleeve through the air upon seeing this, and a small crimson vial immediately flew out before hovering in front of him in a stationary manner.

Xu Jiao took a deep breath before raising a hand, and he quickly made a series of hand seals, casting one incantation seal after another, all of which vanished into the small crimson vial in a flash.

A layer of translucent crimson light appeared over the surface of the vial, and it shuddered slightly before its lid flew off on its own.

A crimson thread shot forth out of the opening of the vial, then surged directly toward the crystalline coffin above the pond at Xu Jiao's behest.

The crimson thread than entered the crystalline coffin without any impediment, following which a peculiar scene unfolded.

In the instant that the crimson thread vanished into the coffin, the white humanoid figure was immediately stained red.

The Xu Family cultivators seemed to all be aware that they had reached the critical moment upon seeing this, and the spiritual light emanating from their bodies brightened while their chanting crescendoed to a climax.

As for the three Spatial Tempering cultivators, they were all pouring their power into their crimson flags in a frenzy.

Bright red runes began to emerge from the crimson light in the air above the formation, and these runes then revolved incessantly around the crystalline coffin.

The blood vortex within the pond also instantly began to emit a sharp screeching sound.

One crimson thread after another shot forth out of the blood pond in large swaths before vanishing into the coffin and rapidly wrapping themselves around the crimson humanoid figure.

With the influx of so many crimson threads at once, the indistinct humanoid figure quickly transformed into what appeared to be a crimson humanoid cocoon. As more and more crimson threads surged into the coffin, the cocoon continued to increase in size and clarity.

Mere moments later, the crimson cocoon had expanded to the size of a normal human being, and facial features had begun to take shape on its head, creating a rather unsettling sight to behold.

However, if one were to carefully inspect the cocoon with their spiritual sense, they'd be able to discover that even though there were countless crimson threads following into the cocoon, they quickly began to wither away from the inside before disintegrating into nothingness.

Time passed by slowly, and the Xu Family cultivators were still pouring their power into the formation with all their might, but the number of crimson threads erupting from the blood pond didn't increase any further.

Under these circumstances, not only did the mass of the humanoid cocoon not continue to increase, it was beginning to shrink instead. Countless crimson threads squirmed and writhed, and an agonized look appeared on the crimson cocoon's face.

All of the Xu Family cultivators' expressions changed drastically upon seeing this as they dug deeper into their magic power reserves, but all they could do was just barely prevent the situation from deteriorating even further.

Not long after that, all of the Xu Family cultivators' complexions had become quite pale, clearly indicating that they were overexerting their magic power.

Xu Jiao's anxiety was growing by the minute, and he couldn't help but turn toward Han Li, only to discover that he was still sitting at the same spot before and hadn't moved so much as a single inch. He was stroking his chin as he appraised the situation, and he seemed to be contemplating something.

"Senior Han..." Xu Jiao called out in a beseeching manner, yet just as he was about to request for Han Li's assistance, Han Li interjected to cut him off.

"There's no need to panic, Fellow Daoist; I agreed to lend you my assistance, so I'll definitely step in when required."

He then stood up in an unhurried manner, then suddenly laid a hand onto the top of his own head.

Black light flashed, and a tiny black humanoid figure that was only half a foot tall abruptly appeared. The tiny humanoid figure wore a suit of black battle armor, but was wielding no weapons. It was completely expressionless, and it was none other than Han Li's second Nascent Soul.

Immediately thereafter, Han Li raised a sleeve, and a ball of golden light shot forth from within before transforming into a small golden beast in a flash.

The small beast had a cold look in its eyes and was emanating a fearsome aura; it was none other than the Leopard Kirin Beast.

All of the Xu Family cultivators were quite stunned by the sight of this Nascent Soul and the small beast, yet before they had a chance to react, Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, and commanded, "Go!"

The Nascent Soul above his head immediately made a hand seal, and its body swayed before it abruptly vanished on the spot.

In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted above Xu Huo's head, and the black Nascent Soul abruptly reappeared.

His expression changed slightly, and a sense of wariness welled up in his heart as he instantly placed several of his most powerful treasures on standby.

However, the Nascent Soul completely ignored him and merely thrust its two little hands toward the crimson flag up ahead.

Two pillars of black light erupted from its hands, then vanished into the crimson flag.

The flag had originally begun to dim slightly due to Xu Huo's insufficient magic power, but the crimson light emanating from it instantly brightened amid a buzzing sound, and it began to glow far brighter than it had even in the beginning.

Xu Huo faltered slightly upon seeing this before switching to a series of different hand seals in an elated manner to assist the Nascent Soul above him.

At the same time, the Leopard Kirin Beast's body blurred, and in the next instant, it appeared beside Xu Yan.

The small beast opened its mouth, and the pure spiritual power within its body also erupted forth as a pillar of golden light to strike the crimson flag ahead of it.

As for Han Li himself, he took a step forward in what appeared to be a casual manner, but azure and white lightning suddenly flashed beneath his feet. The distance of several hundred feet was covered by him in the blink of an eye, and he appeared in front of Xu Yuan.

Before Xu Yuan even had a chance to react, Han Li reached a hand out of his sleeve before gently flicking a finger toward the third crimson flag.

A speck of azure light erupted from his fingertip, then instantly transformed into a fist-sized azure lotus flower that shot forth in a flash.

In the next instant, the azure lotus projection vanished into the crimson flag, which instantly began to tremor violently before expanding even further within the crimson light. Bright red runes began to gush out of the flag in a frenzy, and the Han Li was also flicking the fingers on his other hand through the air in quick succession.

One azure lotus flower after another flew through the air before silently vanishing into the crimson flag as bursts of pure spiritual power.

Xu Yuan was originally finding it quite strenuous to maintain his power output into the flag, but the pressure on him was instantly alleviated, and he was naturally ecstatic.

With this additional influx of power, the sharp screeching sound from the blood vortex came to an abrupt halt, but the vortex itself expanded to over twice its original size, taking up virtually the entire pond.

The crimson threads erupting from the pond originally emerged strand by strand, but following the expansion of the vortex, they began to gush out of the pond in large plumes.

The crimson cocoon that was beginning to wither away in the crystalline coffin was instantly injected with a new burst of vitality. Not only did it quickly return to its former size, as the crimson threads squirmed and writhed, the cocoon was beginning to resemble a gorgeous woman.

Xu Jiao was ecstatic to see this, and he immediately yelled, "Begin manifesting the blood body!"

As soon as this instruction was issued, all of the Xu Family cultivators switched to different hand seals, and the crimson runes that were hovering around the crystalline coffin surged into the coffin in a frenzy before vanishing into the crimson cocoon.

After absorbing these runes, spiritual light began to flow over the crimson humanoid cocoon, and its surface gradually became smoother and more translucent.

After around 10 minutes, the humanoid cocoon had completely transformed into what appeared to be a bright red statue that was hovering within the crystalline coffin in a completely still manner.

"We did it!"

Xu Jiao heaved a long sigh of relief before withdrawing his hand seal. All of the other Xu Family cultivators naturally followed suit.

The spiritual light emanating from the entire formation instantly receded, and it ceased to function.

Only then did all of the Xu Family cultivators rise to their feet before casting their eyes toward the crimson crystalline coffin in the air above.

The three Spatial Tempering cultivators were also scrutinizing the figure within the coffin with rapt focus.

Meanwhile, Han Li summoned his second Nascent Soul and Leopard Kirin Beast back to himself, and the two silently rushed back before vanishing up his sleeve.

Only then did Han Li also turn his attention toward the crystalline coffin in an intrigued manner.

Crystalline light swirled incessantly over the surface of the crimson statue inside the coffin, following which two faint cracks rang out, and the parts on the statue where the eyes should be split open to reveal a pair of holes.

A pair of vibrant red eyes then emerged from within the holes before releasing an extremely alluring light.

Han Li's expression changed ever so slightly upon seeing this before instantly reverting back to normal.

The entire hall was completely silent, and all of the Xu Family cultivators were appraising the crystalline coffin with bated breath.

The two faint cracks in the beginning were only a precursor for what was to come.

After looking around, the pair of eyes that had just emerged closed once again, and moments later, countless thin cracks appeared over the entire crimson statue amid a string of faint cracking sounds.

After that, a delightful moan rang out, and the layer of solid crimson substance over the surface of the statue's body fell away as countless fragments.

These fragments then vanished as a cloud of blood mist, revealing a peerlessly beautiful female body in the nude.

Her long slender legs and smooth lower abdomen were all extremely alluring to the male cultivators present. Her pristine fair skin and flawless features made her appear as if she were a perfect work of art.

Her eyes were tightly shut, and her arms were crossed over her chest to conceal an even more alluring part of her body. Many of the male cultivators in the hall couldn't help but silently gulp at the sight of this stunning figure.

Thankfully, all of the Xu Family cultivators present were at or above the Deity Transformation Stage, so they had far superior self-control than the average person. Otherwise, it was quite likely that some of them would display even more unsightly reactions.

Before Xu Jiao and the others had a chance to do anything, crimson light suddenly flashed, and a gorgeous crimson palatial dress abruptly appeared over her body.

Her long eyelashes then fluttered and she slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of completely expressionless crimson pupils.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

After looking around at everyone, the woman's gaze settled on Han Li in the end. Han Li felt a burst of spiritual sense sweep over his body, and even though it wasn't very powerful, it struck him with a peculiar feeling, as if his entire body had been laid bare before her.

His heart jolted slightly, and he immediately activated his Great Development Technique without any hesitation to keep this burst of spiritual sense at bay.

The woman seemed to be rather surprised by this, and she withdrew her gaze before suddenly flipping over one of her hands.

A layer of runes instantly appeared over the crystalline coffin, and it shrank down drastically to only several inches in size before appearing in her hand. It then vanished amid a flash of spiritual light.

As such, she managed to free herself from the treasure and was able to directly face everyone down below.

As soon as she emerged, she said something that came as a slight surprise to everyone. "All of you seem to be members of our Xu Family aside from him."

Xu Yuan and the others all exchanged glances upon hearing this, at a slight loss for how to respond.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, and he asked, "Are you Fellow Daoist Ice Soul?"

This woman's body was clearly formed by blood essence, but he was unable to ascertain her cultivation base, and that was rather surprising to him.

Of course, this was only a clone formed by a soul fragment, so he naturally wasn't going to be afraid of it no matter how peculiar it was.

The woman replied, "It wouldn't be incorrect to say I'm Fairy Ice Soul. Are you a Body Integration cultivator, Fellow Daoist?"

After ascertaining that this woman had indeed been formed by Fairy Ice Soul's blood soul, Han Li cupped his fist in a polite salute, and said, "My name is Han Li, and I am indeed a Body Integration cultivator. I was invited here by Fellow Daoist Xu to assist in awakening your blood soul."

The cold look in the woman's eyes faded upon hearing this, and she returned Han Li's salute as she said, "I see. My descendants must've gone to great lengths to recruit the assistance of a Body Integration cultivator like you, Fellow Daoist Han."

Xu Jiao and the others were all quite embarrassed to hear this. They hadn't invited Han Li here; he was the one who had sought them out instead. Otherwise, they wouldn't even have been able to awaken the blood soul of their matriarch.

"Hehe, this matter has something to do with me, so it's only to be expected that I lend everyone my assistance. Besides, the two of us share a certain connection as well," Han Li chuckled.

"Oh? Is that so?" The woman faltered slightly before turning to the Xu Family cultivators down below for an explanation.

"Senior Han speaks the truth, Matriarch. Not only was your blood soul delivered to our family by Senior Han, he also came from the same human world as you did, and he also obtained some of the Celestial Blue flames that you left behind there," Xu Jiao explained in a careful manner as he took a step forward.

A hint of surprise flashed through the woman's eyes upon hearing this, but she saw no reason to doubt this. "I see, then I really must express my gratitude to you, Fellow Daoist Han. I'll be sure to repay you for your efforts once my true body frees herself from her current predicament."

"I'm not looking for any reparations; I only have a few questions that I've always wanted to ask you. However, this is clearly not the time to be discussing such matters, so we'll carry on this conversation after you stabilize your new body," Han Li said with a faint smile.

The woman was rather surprised that Han Li had been able to ascertain her condition, but she made no effort to deny it. "Apologies for the inconvenience, Fellow Daoist; this body has only just been manifested so I will indeed require a few days to stabilize it before I can truly fuse my blood soul and this body as one."

"Hehe, you've only just awakened, so I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about with your descendants. I'll leave you to their company now. Fellow Daoist Qianyu, please accompany me back to the pavilion," Han Li suddenly said to Xu Qianyu.

"Ah... yes!"

Xu Qianyu faltered slightly before turning to Xu Jiao, but he was quite elated to hear this, and he immediately extended a respectful bow toward Han Li. "I won't keep you any longer, then, Senior. After our matriarch stabilizes her new body, we'll be sure to pay you a visit and thank you for your efforts in person."

The woman didn't say anything, either, and merely extended a slight curtsey toward Han Li.

Thus, Han Li and Xu Qianyu departed from the massive hall, and only after his departure did Xu Jiao and all of the other Xu Family cultivators rise up into the air to pay their respects to the woman.

"No need for formalities. You've done very well to awaken my blood soul. Are you the current leader of the Xu Family?" the woman asked as her gaze settled on Xu Jiao.

"Indeed. I am Xu Jiao, a member of the 173rd generation of the Xu Family, and I pay my respects to Matriarch Ice Soul," Xu Jiao replied in a respectful manner.

"The 173rd generation? It looks like many years have passed. Your cultivation base isn't all that powerful, but it's not bad. This blood soul of mine has inherited some of my memories, but it's not my true body. Also, all of my memories are rather incomplete, perhaps because I've been sealed for too long, so I can't remember many things. There's no need for you to refer to me as matriarch, either; just call me Blood Spirit," the woman said as she waved a hand with a wry smile.

All of the Xu Family cultivators faltered slightly upon hearing this.

"Senior Blood Spirit, do you recall where our matriarch is and whether she's still safe and well?" Xu Yuan asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

A grim look appeared on the woman's face, and only after a short while did she shake her head in response.

Xu Jiao and the others; hearts immediately sank upon seeing this.

However, the woman then said something that reignited the hope in everyone's hearts. "Rest assured, I'm unable to recall the whereabouts of my true body at the moment, but through the connection that this blood soul shares with her, I can tell that she's still alive and present in the Spirit Realm. Also, I still have some indistinct memories containing leads that pertain to her current location."

"Any information pertaining to our matriarch's whereabouts would be greatly welcome. As long as there are some leads for us to follow, we'll be sure to find her," Xu Jiao said in a solemn manner after taking a deep breath.

"That won't be an easy task. I can't remember the specifics, but I do recall that my true body is trapped somewhere on another continent. I'll give you all of the details once I reorganize the memory fragments in my mind. For now, let's talk about the current situation in the human race and that Body Integration cultivator. I sensed a very familiar feeling from that man. He seems to have obtained something else that I'm very familiar with aside from just the Celestial Blue flames, but I can't recall exactly what it is." A hint of befuddlement appeared on Blood Spirit's face.

Xu Jiao and the others all exchanged surprised glances upon hearing this.

After a brief hesitation, Xu Jiao said in a respectful manner, "In that case, I'll start off at the beginning. Not long after Matriarch Ice Soul disappeared, the last devilish tribulation befell our human race. Many of the former three human sovereigns and seven demon monarchs perished during the ordeal, which plunged our human and demon races into a state of turmoil during the next 10,000 years or so..."

Thus, Xu Jiao gave Blood Spirit a recount of the major events that had taken place during the past several tens of thousands of years, and he also interspersed his recounts with some major events that had happened in the Xu Family, including the several occasions where the family had almost been wiped out.

Following this recount of events, he then relayed to Blood Spirit all of the information that Xu Qianyu had given him about Han Li.

Blood Spirit hovered in the air above the blood pond and remained completely expressionless, with only the occasional brief flash of crimson light in her eyes revealing to everyone that she wasn't completely detached and disinterested.

Meanwhile, Han Li had already returned to his pavilion, and Xu Qianyu had departed.

He arrived on the top floor before making his way over to the window, then cast his gaze toward the Xu Family's ancestral shrine with a contemplative look in his narrowed eyes.

However, not long after that, Han Li strode away from the window before making his way to the center of the room. He then raised a hand to summon a yellow futon before taking a seat on it with his legs crossed.

After that, he made a hand seal and calmly closed his eyes, quickly entering a meditative state.

Three days later, Blood Spirit and Xu Jiao appeared outside the entrance of his pavilion. Han Li had already sensed their arrival in advance, and he invited them into the hall on the first floor in an unhurried manner.

"Congratulations on consolidating your blood body, Fellow Daoist," Han Li said with a smile as soon as Blood Spirit took a seat.

"It was all thanks to your immense magic power that I was able to fuse this body and my blood soul as one so quickly, Fellow Daoist Han. Otherwise, there's no way I'd be able to consolidate my body to this extent in just three days," Blood Spirit also replied with a smile.

At this point, her bright red pupils had already turned black, and she looked no different from a normal human.

"Hehe, I didn't really contribute much. Speaking of which, your blood soul secret technique truly is quite extraordinary to allow you to forge a new body so easily. It really is an exceptional life-saving ability," Han Li chuckled in response.

"This blood soul secret technique is something that I came across by chance, and there are indeed a few abilities enclosed that are very useful. If you don't mind, I can pass this secret technique onto you as thanks for your efforts." Blood Spirit flipped a hand over to summon a white jade slip, then offered it to Han Li with a hint of a smile on her face.

Han Li's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this, and after hesitating momentarily, he raised his hand to draw the white jade slip into his grasp. He then injected his spiritual sense into the jade slip in a calm manner.

Blood Spirit displayed no outward reaction to this, but a hint of barely detectable surprise flashed through her eyes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

A short while later, Han Li had roughly scanned through the contents of the entire jade slip, and he shook his head before placing it onto the table beside him. "Thank you for bestowing this secret technique upon me, Fellow Daoist, but it contradicts with the cultivation arts I'm currently using, so it looks like I won't be able to make use of it."

"Oh? Does this mean you're using a Buddhist cultivation art?" Blood Spirit asked with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

After all, Han Li's second Nascent Soul was clearly the product of an extremely powerful devil cultivation art, and while there exist cultivators who used two completely opposite types of cultivation arts, they were definitely exceedingly rare in the human race.

"That's not the case. It's just that I've cultivated a special spiritual sense secret technique, and if I were to cultivate a blood soul, it would severely hamper my cultivation in the future," Han Li replied in a calm manner.

"I saw that your second Nascent Soul has already reached the late-Spatial Tempering Stage, so I knew that you had to have cultivated some spiritual sense secret technique that's not inferior to the Great Blood Soul Technique. Otherwise, cultivators with insufficient spiritual sense would generally only be able to cultivate second Nascent Souls with far inferior cultivation bases to the actual cultivators themselves. Take myself, for example; this blood soul of mine only possesses early-Spatial Tempering Stage magic power. In that case, I'll be taking this back." Blood Spirit wasn't surprised by Han Li's words, and she swept a sleeve through the air to withdraw the jade slip.

"This Great Blood Soul Technique and my second Nascent Soul actually each have their advantages. At the very least, if my second Nascent Soul were to leave my side for as long as your blood soul has, it would've gone rogue long ago," Han Li said with a smile.

"That's true. The Great Blood Soul Technique includes a special blood refinement secret technique to cultivate a blood soul, and that eliminates the risk of suffering backlash. Otherwise, Daoist Master Blood Crystal wouldn't have been so vastly renowned for inventing this technique," Blood Spirit replied.

Han Li merely smiled in response and remained silent.

"By the way, I recall that you had some questions for me, Fellow Daoist Han. I haven't inherited a lot of the memories of my true self, but I'll do my best to answer your questions based on the limited memories I possess," Blood Spirit continued.

"In that case, I'll go right ahead. I'm sure you've already heard about my origins, right, Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit?" Han Li asked as he turned his gaze toward Xu Jiao.

"I did indeed ask about your origins, and I've learned that not only did you come from the same human world that my true self came from, you also obtained the Celestial Blue flames that she had left in the human world. As recent as a few days ago, you played a major role in awakening me; fate truly does act in incredible ways," Blood Spirit sighed with a complex look on her face.

"It's exactly because of this that I have questions about the human world that I would like you to answer, Fellow Daoist," Han Li said in a serious manner.

"All of your questions are regarding the human world?" Blood Spirit seemed to be rather taken aback to hear this.

"Is there an issue?" Han Li asked in a perplexed manner.

"Indeed there is! If you wish to ask me about the human world, then I'm afraid I have nothing to tell you," Blood Spirit said with a wry smile.

Han Li's brows naturally furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but he didn't pose any further questions as he knew that Blood Spirit would definitely give him an explanation.

Sure enough, a serious look appeared on her face, and she continued, "It's not that I don't want to answer your questions; it's just that I don't have any memories of the human world, and my understanding of the human world is very murky and indistinct."

"Why is that? Could it be that you lost your memories of the human world during the time that you were sealed as a blood soul?" Han Li asked in a puzzled manner.

"That's not the case. Back when my true self passed on her memories to me, she simply didn't replicate that part of her memories," Blood Spirit explained.

"And why did she do that?"

"I'm not sure of that myself." A slightly awkward look appeared on Blood Spirit's face.

Han Li's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't press the issue any further.

Blood Spirit was also feeling rather apologetic. However, she had another objective for visiting Han Li, and after a brief hesitation, she said, "I also have something that I would like to ask you as well."

Han Li was completely speechless. Not only had Blood Spirit expressed an inability to answer his questions, she was now going to ask him questions instead.

Despite his internal reaction, he put on a faint smile, and said, "You can ask me anything you'd like."

"Alright, then pardon my intrusion. Fellow Daoist Han, did you happen to obtain any treasures related to my true self during your time in the human world? I sensed a very familiar aura from you back when I first met you a few days ago. I couldn't think of anything, but I have a feeling that you may be in possession of a treasure that's very important, both to me and my true self," Blood Spirit said in a serious manner.

Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and only after appraising Blood Spirit for a while did he slowly nod in response. "Could this be the item that you're referring to?"

As soon as his voice trailed off, Han Li opened his mouth to expel a ball of azure light, which transformed into a miniature azure cauldron that settled over his palm.

It was none other than the Heavenvoid Cauldron.

"That's the Spiritvoid Cauldron! Wait, no, it's the Heavenvoid Cauldron..." Blood Spirit immediately exclaimed in elation at the sight of treasure, but she then faltered as a complex look appeared on her face.

"Oh? You can still identify this treasure?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I don't remember much from the human world, but for some reason, I recognized this cauldron as soon as I saw it. On top of that, judging from the aura it's releasing, it seems to be extremely similar to the Spiritvoid Cauldron that my true self possesses, so it should've been crafted by her as well. Also, I don't know why, but I can sense that this treasure should be extremely important to my true self," Blood Spirit murmured as she appraised the miniature azure cauldron.

"Extremely important, eh?" An ambiguous look appeared on Han Li's face.

After a brief pause, Blood Spirit said in a careful manner, "Like I said, I don't know why I feel this way, either; I can only assume that this is the result of a strong urge planted in my blood soul by my true self. I won't waste any more time here; I have to recover this Heavenvoid Cauldron no matter what. If you agree to hand it over to me, you can state any conditions you may have."

Han Li narrowed his eyes as he stroked his chin, yet before he had a chance to reply, Blood Spirit suddenly turned to Xu Jiao, and instructed in an implacable voice, "Xu Jiao, bring out that thing!"

"... Yes, Senior Blood Spirit." A hint of reluctance appeared on Xu Jiao's face, but he still gritted his teeth and waved a sleeve over the storage bracelet on his wrist.

A burst of white light swept forth, following which two jade boxes, one large and one small, as well as a blue leather pouch, appeared on the table beside Han Li.

"Here is a 30,000-year-old Devilish Jade Flower, and the Eight Wyrm Blade, which is a spirit treasure that can wield the power of eight wyrms, as well as a pouch of top-grade spirit stones that are worth 30,000,000 spirit stones; I'm willing to exchange all of this for your Heavenvoid Cauldron, and I'll owe you a favor as well, so I'll be sure to thank you handsomely when I return to the human race," Blood Spirit proposed.

Han Li chuckled as he instantly injected his spiritual sense into the three containers on the table, and sure enough, they contained exactly what Blood Spirit proclaimed they did.

There was a black spirit flower that was extremely beneficial to those using devilish cultivation arts, a strange blue blade with eight wyrms carved on its surface, and a leather pouch that was full of top-grade spirit stones.

Han Li raised a hand and drew the jade box containing the black spirit flower into his grasp.

"Why have you only taken the Devilish Jade Flower, Brother Han?" Blood Spirit's brows furrowed slightly with befuddlement.

"This Devilish Jade Flower will indeed be quite useful to me, so I'll accept it in exchange, but I won't be taking the spirit stones and this spirit treasure as I'm not in need of such things. I don't consider myself to be a saint or a gentleman, but I know the importance of giving thanks where it's due. Back when I was in the human world, the Celestial Blue flames that I absorbed and this cauldron have helped me defeat several powerful enemies, so it wouldn't be right for me to extort you here. Besides, this Devilish Jade Flower is a spirit medicine that can only be found in the Elder Devil Realm, so it won't be much less valuable than a spirit treasure," Han Li explained with a smile.

The miniature cauldron hovering above his hand then rose up into the air before arriving in front of Blood Spirit in a flash, where it settled before her in a stationary manner.

Han Li's actions and words had clearly taken her by surprise, and a peculiar look flashed through her eyes as she appraised the miniature cauldron before her.

After a brief silence, her expression returned to normal, and she said, "On behalf of the Xu Family and my true self, I thank you for doing us this great favor. If you ever require any assistance with anything in the future, you can come to the Xu Family to find me. I'm not all that powerful, but there are some things that I can be of great help in."

After that, Blood Spirit swept a sleeve through the air, and a burst of crimson light appeared, following which the miniature azure cauldron and the other two items on the table both disappeared in a flash.

She then rose and extended a slight curtsey toward Han Li before turning to depart.

"I'll also be taking my leave now, Senior." Xu Jiao was slightly taken aback by this situation, and he hurriedly rose to his feet to extend a respectful bow toward Han Li before departing with Blood Spirit.

Han Li looked on at the entrance to the pavilion for a long while following their departures before finally heaving a faint sigh.

For some reason, even though he hadn't received any answers from Blood Spirit, nor any leads that had notified him of the whereabouts of her true self, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders now that he had returned the Heavenvoid Cauldron to her.

It was as if all of the potential inner demons that could've arisen to impede his cultivation had vanished, and the promise that he had made to the young man with the Weng surname had also been fulfilled.

The Heavenvoid Cauldron was an exceptional spirit treasure, but there were clearly other uses for it that he was still unaware of. Otherwise, from a pure power perspective, it was actually inferior to a few of the other spirit treasures he possessed.

As such, he felt a little forlorn to be handing it over, but he certainly wasn't all that reluctant.

Seeing as handing over the cauldron had ironed out his potential inner demons, allowed him to befriend the Xu Family and the Fairy Ice Soul, and also earned him a Devilish Jade Flower that he had only ever heard of, this was certainly not a bad deal.

However, now that everything had been taken care of here, it was about time that he left the Xu Family. There were only a few years left until the Myriad Treasure Convention, and he could take his time to travel there by traversing through the Tian Yuan Region.

With that in mind, Han Li also rose to his feet and slowly made his way over to the staircase.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

A day later, a streak of azure light flew out of the mountain range that the Xu Family was situated on, and Han Li appeared high up in the air.

He turned around to take one final glance at the mountain range down below before continuing in his flight.

After just a few flashes, the streak of light vanished into the distance.

After that, Han Li embarked on a journey across some of the cities in the Tian Yuan Region, a journey that would span the length of several years.

Some of the renowned sects and major families near the cities all discovered his presence, and they either sent their own high-grade cultivators to visit him, or kept an eye on him in a cautious manner until he departed.

Even though he was only traveling over a very small portion of the Tian Yuan Region, this journey allowed Han Li to develop a better grasp of the situation in the human race.

There were indeed far less Body Integration cultivators in the human race compared to the Jiao Chi Race, or even the Flying Spirit Race.

Aside from the three sovereigns and the Body Integration cultivators under them, there were very few Body Integration cultivators in the other sects or major families. As for completely vagrant Body Integration cultivators like himself, there were virtually none in the human race.

Han Li had heard that there were more cultivators like him in the demon race, but there still wasn't a significant margin between the numbers.

Even if the two races were to join forces, they would still only be roughly comparable in power to an average race on the Tian Yuan Continent.

This was why the human and demon races had established their territory in such a secluded part of the Tian Yuan Continent, where there were no powerful foreign races around. Otherwise, even with the super formation and the protection of Deep Heaven City, the ability of the two races to survive the Spirit Realm would be quite questionable.

After all, according to what he had learned, many foreign races that were more powerful than the human and demon races had been wiped out in a short time in the history of the Spirit Realm.

With his newfound powers as a Body Integration cultivator, he naturally didn't encounter any danger during his journey. On top of that, he slew a few evil cultivators by chance, and forged himself quite a reputation in the Tian Yuan region as a result.

Thus, any sects and major families were made aware of the fact that an unfathomably powerful Body Integration cultivator who bore the appearance of a young man had appeared in the human race.

After that, even some major powers from the Xuan Wu Region and Tian Ling Region sent people to try and recruit him, but they would naturally all face polite rejections from Han Li.

Thus, five years flew by in the blink of an eye...

On this day, there were three human cultivators in different attire halfway up a lush mountain on the border of the Xuan Wu Region and Tian Yuan Region. The three of them were seated in a stone pavilion and having a pleasant conversation.

One of them wore a set of white scholarly robes and had a pair of bright eyes complemented by sharp well-defined brows. He appeared to be in his thirties, and was quite a handsome and graceful man.

The person beside him wore a set of yellow Daoist robes with a worn-out black wooden sword on his back. This was a young Daoist priest who appeared to only be 17 to 18 years of age.

The final person to complete the trio was a young man with a set of ordinary facial features and slightly tanned complexion. He wore a set of long azure robes, and he was none other than Han Li.

Han Li currently had a hint of a smile on his face, and he listened patiently to the Daoist priest's epic tale.

"This is no exaggeration; the Mistsea Sect that the founding father of our Mistsea Daoist Temple belonged to back when he was in the lower realm was truly the number one sect in the world. It dominated the entire human world and crushed all demons that dared to oppose it. Patriarch Profound Spirit Disciple was also renowned as the number one cultivator in that world. I've inherited his teachings and also taken over the Mistsea Daoist Temple; if the two of you are willing to join our temple, then we'll truly be a force to be reckoned with. Once all three of us reach our full potential, we may not be able to make our Daoist temple the number one sect in the human race, but we'll definitely be able to at least dominate an entire region, haha!"

"Spirit Artifact Disciple, you've said this to me and Brother Han at least 18 times already. Even if we count all the kids in your Mistsea Temple, it only has two or three members in total, yet you have the audacity to invite me and Brother Han to join your temple? Your patriarch may have been a dominant force in the human world, but in our Spirit Realm, he was only an ordinary Deity Transformation cultivator. Otherwise, how could your temple have fallen so far into obscurity?" the white-robed man chuckled, and a green paper fan suddenly appeared in his hand. He opened the fan in a fluid graceful manner and gently fanned himself with it as he shook his head with an amused smile.

"Ptui! You don't know anything, Young Master Hai! It's not that the cultivation arts of our Mistsea Daoist Temple are too weak; the problem is that the Boundless Mistsea cultivation art my patriarch left behind has extremely special requirements for those who wish to use it. Back when my patriarch ascended to the Spirit Realm, he was extremely unfortunate to have encountered an exceedingly rare spatial storm. He managed to escape from the spatial storm in the end, but he suffered severe injuries during the ordeal, and he perished not long after founding the Mistsea Daoist Temple. Otherwise, our temple definitely wouldn't still be restricted to such an obscure location..." the young Daoist priest argued vehemently.

"I think your patriarch had a lot of foresight. With the current state of your Mistsea Daoist Temple, if you had taken over a spirit mountain or spirit vein, the temple would've most likely been destroyed already, isn't that right, Brother Han?" Young Master Hai gently closed his fan as he turned to Han Li in an amused manner.

"Your words do hold some truth, Brother Hai, but at the same time, Fellow Daoist Artifact Spirit Disciple's cultivation art is quite profound, so it most likely will have some special requirements for those who wish to cultivate it," Han Li replied with a smile.

"Haha, you see? Even Brother Han is giving me his endorsement; that means that our Mistsea Daoist Temple is different from all of those other powers! How about it? If you're willing to join our temple, I can pass the Boundless Mistsea cultivation art onto the two of you right away," the young Daoist priest tempted as his eyes narrowed into thin lines.

Young Master Hai immediately rolled his eyes in a disdainful manner in response. "I'm cultivating the most orthodox body refinement technique, and I have exceptional aptitude in body refinement; I've already reached the third layer of the Vajra Arts. You may be the so-called temple master of your Daoist temple, but you've only recently progressed to the Foundation Establishment Stage; you might not even be able to beat me in battle, what are you going to be able to teach me? If I'm going to join a sect, then I'm going to join a proper sect with a good reputation. Also, you were slightly ambiguous in your wording there, Brother Han. What do you mean by 'my words hold some truth'? What I said is entirely true; Senior Profound Spirit Disciple must've built the Mistsea Daoist Temple in that secluded location so that it wouldn't be ransacked by others." Young Master Hai said in a smug manner.

Han Li's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this, and he could only offer a wry smile in response. These two really were a pair of chatterboxes.

He had acquainted himself with these two around a month ago in a nearby city. At the time, they were being hunted by several Foundation Establishment cultivators from a small local sect that they had offended.

This was an extremely common occurrence, and Han Li had no intention of stepping in as he flew by at the time.

However, after making a cursory inspection of the two of them with his spiritual sense, he discovered that one of them possessed an exceptional spiritual root, but had cultivated a mortal body refinement technique, and had reached the third layer of the Vajra Arts at a very young age. As for the other person, his spiritual root was seemingly very mediocre, but the cultivation art he was using was quite special and allowed him to take on several cultivators of the same cultivation base as him at once.

Thus, the two of them were just barely able to hold their own against five Foundation Establishment Stage assailants.

Han Li was rather intrigued by this, and he also concealed his aura to the Foundation Establishment Stage before suddenly stepping in.

With his powers, even after restricting himself to Foundation Establishment Stage magic power, he was still able to easily intimidate the Foundation Establishment cultivators into retreat.

The two of them were naturally extremely grateful to Han Li for saving them, and after just a brief chat, they proposed to swear brotherhood vows together.

Han Li didn't know whether he should laugh or cry at the time, and he hurriedly made up an excuse to turn down the proposal. However, the two of them continued to raise questions, and after learning that he was traveling to the Xuan Wu Region to attend the Myriad Treasure Convention, they were immediately elated and insisted on accompanying him.

It turned out that they were planning to attend the convention as well, and Han Li was quite speechless to hear this.

The Myriad Treasure Convention was an extremely grand event that even the three sovereigns and seven monarchs could attend, yet these two were planning to attend as well. Ignorance truly was bliss.

Even though there were some cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage or below who attended the Myriad Treasure Convention, most of them were servants or disciples. The small number of Foundation Establishment cultivators who attended the convention alone were generally ones who resided near the convention venue and only attended to broaden their horizons.

However, this Young Master Hai and this Daoist priest had several jars of spirit tea and a few unidentifiable pieces of ore, respectively, and they were planning to attend the convention with these "wares". Han Li was truly speechless.

However, it had to be said that the spirit tea was of quite a good quality, and could just barely be referred to as high-grade tea. As for those pieces of ore, they clearly weren't anything of value, but even Han Li was unable to identify them.

Han Li was truly intrigued by this comedy duo, and there was still some time before the commencement of the Myriad Treasure Convention anyway, so he wasn't in a hurry. As such, he agreed to travel with the two of them.

Thus, he summoned a high-grade flying carriage treasure, and the three of them traveled toward the Xuan Wu Region on the carriage.

What rendered Han Li even more speechless was that before he had a chance to enquire about the origins of these two, they revealed everything that he wanted to know, and more, through their constant bickering. It turned out that this Young Master Hai hailed from a very renowned body refinement family in a mortal city. Even though he possessed an exceptional spiritual root, he was deemed by a mediocre doctor at birth to possess no spiritual root at all. Thus, he had always been nurtured as a body refinement cultivator.

However, after displaying his astonishing aptitude in body refinement, he somehow discovered by chance that he possessed a spiritual root, and the revelation had been like a lightning strike to the head for him.

Thus, this Young Master Hai immediately deemed himself to be different from everyone else and turned his back on the way of body refinement to become a true cultivator. However, he lived in a mortal city where there were no real cultivation sects, and he was a little arrogant, so the average small cultivation sect couldn't catch his eye.

Hence, after some "careful consideration", he ran away from home in secret to search for a major cultivation sect elsewhere.

Along the way, he encountered this Daoist priest of the Mistsea Daoist Temple who was planning to attend the Myriad Treasure Convention, and the comical pair immediately hit it off.

Thus, they quickly became sworn brothers and decided to travel to the Myriad Treasure Convention together.

In the words of Artifact Spirit Disciple, the Myriad Treasure Convention was a grand occasion where Deity Transformation cultivators were as common as blades of grass, and Nascent Soul cultivators were worth less than excrement. As such, he could easily convince any cultivator there to take him as their disciple, and that would still be a much better option than to join some cultivation sect.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Thus, the two of them embarked on this completely blind journey, and if they hadn't encountered Han Li, the two of them would've been in serious trouble.

In their eyes, this Brother Han was quite mysterious. Not only was his cultivation base only a step away from the Core Formation Stage, he also possessed several treasures that were truly profound.

Furthermore, just a few casual tidbits of cultivation guidance from him benefitted the two of them immensely. Back when Young Master Hai first received guidance from Han Li in the art of body refinement, he had been truly astonished. After all, cultivators who were very knowledgeable in the art of body refinement were truly very rare.

As such, Han Li had become more and more unfathomable in their minds over time. Thankfully, both of them had very relaxed personalities, and even though they were aware that Han Li was no ordinary cultivator, that still didn't drive a wedge between them.

If it weren't for the fact that Han Li's cultivation base wasn't all that powerful in their eyes, they would've most likely asked him to take them as his disciples.

After all, even though Artifact Spirit Disciple was constantly proclaiming that he was going to take the Mistsea Daoist Temple to greater heights, he had unintentionally revealed that he planned to find another master for himself during the Myriad Treasure Convention, so he certainly wasn't clinging onto his current title as temple master.

However, he seemed determined to take full advantage of his remaining time as temple master before he accepted a new master, as evidenced by the repeated invitations he extended toward Han Li and Young Master Hai to his temple.

This naturally drew much disdain from Young Master Hai, and Han Li was also feeling quite speechless.

Thus, the trio traveled for around a month before they reached a mountain that was extremely close to the Xuan Wu Region. They decided to rest there for a while before continuing in their journey, and Artifact Spirit Disciple launched into an epic tale about his Mistsea Daoist Temple again before extending another invitation for his two companions to join the sect, only for Young Master Hai to turn him down once again without any hesitation.

Han Li seemed to be appraising their interaction in an amused manner, but he was actually surreptitiously scrutinizing Young Master Hai with a hint of blue light flashing in his eyes.

All of a sudden, a hint of redness appeared on Young Master Hai's face before instantly vanishing.

There it is again!

Han Li immediately released a wisp of his spiritual sense to scan through Young Master Hai's body.

"Haha, I don't mean to brag, but with my lightning-attribute spiritual root, it'll be a simple task for me to accept any Deity Transformation or Spatial Tempering cultivator as my master. When I reach my full potential, I'll be sure to..." Young Master Hai was clearly in very high spirits, and after boasting about how powerful he was going to become in the future, he began to set out his vision for his wonderful future life as a Deity Transformation Stage patriarch.

Unbeknownst to him, the lightning-attribute spiritual root that he took such great pride in had already vanished.

If any cultivator were to inspect his spiritual root at this moment, they would all conclude that he was only an ordinary body refinement warrior with no spiritual root at all.

Han Li's eyelids twitched with astonishment upon seeing this. Young Master Hai's lightning-attribute spiritual root had vanished once again, just like it had last time.

If the prior trend held true, then his spiritual root would reappear after the passage of a day and a night.

The same occurrence had unfolded before Han Li's eyes 10 days ago, and it was truly quite perplexing.

He had never heard of any spiritual root in this world that would periodically disappear for short periods of time. Wouldn't this mean that even if this Young Master Hai were to become a powerful cultivator in the future, he would be completely unable to use any of his magic power during the instances where his spiritual root ceased to exist?

Han Li was truly perplexed by this phenomenon.

Artifact Spirit Disciple noticed the perplexed look in Han Li's eyes, and he chuckled, "What are you spacing out for, Brother Han? You seemed to be confused about something. How about you drink some of the spirit tea from my Mistsea Daoist Temple to clear your mind? In exchange, I only ask for a few more of those spirit fruits that you brought out last time. Those spirit fruits were truly delicious."

"Artifact Spirit Disciple and I are on the same page here for once; the spirit fruits you brought out last time were indeed exceptional, Brother Han!" Young Master Hai also cut his grand tale short as he turned to Han Li in an expectant manner.

Han Li's lips twitched at the sight of his two expectant companions, and he cleared his throat as he said, "I know you two are very eager to have some more of those spirit fruits, and they are indeed quite delicious, but they also contain a lot of pure spiritual power that would damage your meridians if you consume too many of them in too short a span of time. How about this? I'll bring out six more, and we'll have two each."

After that, he swept a sleeve through the air, and a pristine white jade plate appeared on the stone table, upon which sat six egg-sized green fruits that were very smooth and alluring.

Artifact Spirit Disciple was ecstatic at the sight of the spirit fruits on the plate. "Haha, two is certainly far better than none. I don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but after having three of these fruits last time, my stagnant cultivation base has been on the rise during the past few days. Would you be able to tell me where I can purchase these fruits from, Brother Han? If they really can enhance my cultivation to such a great extent, then I won't have to take any pills or meditate; I can just eat a couple of these fruits every few days, and my cultivation base will continue to improve!"

However, before he had a chance to finish speaking, a black shadow flashed, and two of the fruits on the plate went missing.

Artifact Spirit Disciple faltered slightly before looking up to discover that Young Master Hai had grabbed a fruit in each hand and was chomping on them with relish.

"Such a delicacy is wasted on someone like you!" Artifact Spirit Disciple shook his head in a forlorn manner.

Young Master Hai merely rolled his eyes in response and ignored the wistful look on Artifact Spirit Disciple's face as he praised the fruits in a heartfelt manner.

Han Li was feeling both speechless, and rather amused.

He wondered if the two of them would still be able to eat these fruits with such glee if they were to learn that they cost over 1,000 spirit stones each.

Aside from the strange occurrences taking place in Young Master Hai's body, this Artifact Spirit Disciple was also rather out of the ordinary.

Han Li turned his gaze toward him through slightly narrowed eyes.

This Daoist priest did indeed possess a triple-attribute spiritual root, but through his careful assessment these past few days, Han Li discovered that there was a mysterious pea-sized bead in his dantian that was enveloped in a layer of spiritual light.

Han Li had only been able to discover this bead as he possessed immense spiritual sense, even for a cultivator of his caliber. Otherwise, even a cultivator with a cultivation base that was seven or eight stages above that of Artifact Spirit Disciple wouldn't be able to detect it.

Han Li was rather intrigued, and he slowly inched his spiritual sense toward the bead to try and determine exactly what it was, only to be thwarted by a powerful seal. However, as a result, he was able to ascertain the nature of the item.

This is an inherited treasure!

In order to prevent their inheritances from being lost, some cultivators chose to seal all of their knowledge into certain inherited treasures using special secret techniques, then implanted these treasures into the bodies of their successors.

These treasures all had prerequisites that had to be satisfied before they could be accessed, and prior to those conditions being fulfilled, they would remain hidden within the heir's body.

Generally speaking, those who reached a certain cultivation base would automatically be able to obtain all of the secret techniques and cultivation arts contained within an inherited treasure.

Of course, if the heir were unable to satisfy these conditions prior to their passing, they could use a special secret technique to extract the treasure before passing it on to someone else. If someone were to forcibly extract an inherited treasure out of an heir's body, the treasure would generally detonate and destroy itself, taking the life of the heir along with it.

This type of inherited treasure refinement method was very rare and also extremely difficult, so it was a very uncommon type of inheritance secret technique.

As such, Han Li was rather surprised to see something like this within Artifact Spirit Disciple's body. It seemed that this so-called patriarch of the Mistsea Daoist Temple really was more than just some ordinary ascended cultivator.

However, with all of the powerful abilities that Han Li possessed, he naturally wasn't going to be interested in anyone else's cultivation arts. Thus, after a brief moment of surprise, he focused his attention back on Young Master Hai.

What kind of spiritual root could periodically disappear like this?

Han Li was truly intrigued. After finishing the fruits, Artifact Spirit Disciple brewed a few cups of fragrant spirit tea for everyone, and once the tea had also been finished, they didn't delay here any longer.

Han Li released his flying carriage again, and the three of them flew toward the Xuan Wu Region as a ball of white light.

The Xuan Wu Region was quite different from the Tian Yuan Region in that the former had fewer cultivators, but it had far more body refinement warriors among mortals than the other two regions.

The people here were also quite tough and valiant, and even the elderly, children, and women dared to wield weapons to fight beasts in the wild.

However, there were almost no large mortal cities in the Xuan Wu Region, and the mortals mostly gathered in small towns or settlements.

Due to the fact that this was the closest of the three regions to the demon territories, the scale of the beast tides and the probability of low-grade demon beasts appearing here were far larger than in the other two regions.

There would be the occasional metamorphosis stage demon beast that would sneak into the Xuan Wu Region to engage in unscrupulous activities.

As such, the Xuan Wu Region was the most chaotic of the three regions, and this chaos was exacerbated further as one approached the border between the Xuan Wu Region and the demon territories.

However, Nine Immortal Mountain, which was a massive spirit mountain that sat between the land of the demon foxes and the Xuan Wu Region, was an exception to this.

This mountain was split up into nine peaks, and not only were there extremely rare top-grade spirit veins in this mountain, there were also special spirit medicines growing on this mountain that were extremely useful to both the human and demon races.

On top of that, Nine Immortal Mountain had a very steep terrain, and was situated in a very special location, so it was guarded by elite warriors from both the human and demon races. As such, even the most bold and brazen members of the two races wouldn't dare to engage in any unscrupulous activities here.

During the past few years, the security on Nine Immortal Mountain had been tightened even further. Both the human and demon races had sent out large numbers of troops to evict some of the smaller powers with bad reputations in the nearby area, and in the short span of just five to six years, it had become a paradise of sorts in the Xuan Wu Region.

The Myriad Treasure Convention that was held by the human and demon races once every 1,000 years was about to commence on this mountain.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

There were still several months left before the commencement of the convention, but countless cultivators had already arrived at Nine Immortal Mountain from the three regions and seven territories.

They were still unable to enter the mountain, but a dozen or so impromptu markets of different sizes had already been set up nearby.

Countless mid-grade and high-grade cultivators visited these markets, and some rare materials and spirit medicines made regular appearances there, making them very popular to all of the cultivators who had gathered in the area.

Compared to the number of human cultivators in these markets, demonic cultivators were a lot rarer, but almost all of the demons who dared to appear here were high-grade demon beasts who could at least transform most of their bodies into human forms.

As such, there was a relatively even power balance between the human and demon cultivators here, so neither side was able to exert dominance over the other.

Of course, this was only the overall situation. These temporary markets weren't actually part of the Myriad Treasure Convention, after all, so there was no strict or official enforcement of order.

Some guards were sent out of Nine Immortal Mountain to patrol these markets, but they could only maintain order on a surface level. As such, there were naturally instances of unscrupulous dealings taking place in obscure locations.

On this day, there was such a transaction taking place on a bleak and desolate mountain that was quite far away from Nine Immortal Mountain.

A thin middle-aged cultivator and a little girl who appeared to only be 11 to 12 years of age had been surrounded by three men in black, all of whom were giving off powerful killing intent.

The middle-aged was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment Stage, while the little was only at the Qi Condensation Stage. However, the three men in black who had surrounded them were all at the late-Foundation Establishment Stage, and they clearly harbored sinister intentions.

The one who appeared to be the eldest among the three men in black wore a sinister expression as he said, "Bai Huaji, hand over the thousand-year Blood Ginseng. If you hand it over without offering any resistance, not only will the three of us allow you and your daughter to leave, we'll even give you some spirit stones. Otherwise, don't blame me for taking it by force!"

The middle-aged man's face was rather pale, but he managed to remain relatively calm. He flipped a hand over to produce a jade box, then placed his other hand over the box with an enraged look on his face as he said, "Shi Kun, I can only lament my ill fortune for placing my trust in someone like you, but if you want the Blood Ginseng, you have to let my daughter leave this place first. Otherwise, I'd rather destroy it than hand it over to you!" [For those of you wondering, even the Chinese characters used here are exactly the same as Shi Kun of the Stone Cocoon Tribe. I can only assume the author's bag of names has been depleted LOL]

The three men in black all stirred slightly upon hearing this.

"No! Neither of you will get to leave before you hand over the Blood Ginseng," one of the other men in black refused without any hesitation.

"Hmph, how can I be sure the three of you won't kill me and my daughter anyway after obtaining the Blood Ginseng? Don't tell me you'll swear a vow or anything like that; your vows hold no weight in my eyes," the middle-aged man said in a cold and resolute manner.

"Then neither you nor your daughter will be leaving here..."

"Alright, we'll let her go!"

The man in black who had rejected the proposal was about to issue another threat when Shi Kun cut him off before agreeing to the middle-aged man's demands.

"Brother Shi, you..."

"Are you unwilling to follow my lead?" Shi Kun turned to his two companions with a cold look in his eyes.

The other two men in black exchanged a wary glance before complying in a resigned manner. "No, we wouldn't dare to do that. In that case, we'll do as Brother Shi says and let the girl go."

The middle-aged was elated to hear this.

"You heard us! We'll let the little girl leave, but if you go back on your word or try anything dodgy, I'm sure you know the consequences that await you!" Shi Kun threatened in a menacing manner.

The middle-aged man's expression eased slightly, and he said, "Rest assured, I'm merely concerned for the safety of my daughter. As long as her safety can be ensured, this Blood Ginseng is nothing in comparison."

"No, Father, I won't leave you!" The little girl was very fair and adorable, looking as if she had walked straight out of an artwork, yet she was currently clinging onto the middle-aged man's robes and shaking her head vigorously.

The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly, and he quickly transmitted his voice to the little girl. "You need to get out of here, silly girl! Go find your grandma so she can come to save me."

The little girl faltered slightly upon hearing this before nodding emphatically in response.

"Alright, hurry up and go. Otherwise, I might change my mind," Shi Kun urged in a menacing voice.

Despite her youth, the little girl knew what she had to do in this situation. After taking a final reluctant glance at the middle-aged man, she waved her little hand through the air, and a white talisman appeared in her grasp. She plastered the talisman onto her own body, and a layer of white light immediately surfaced as she flew away.

The middle-aged held the jade box in his hand in a white-knuckled grip while appraising his young daughter in an intent unblinking manner.

The three men in black remained still on the spot, and he heaved a faint sigh of relief after the little girl passed by them.

However, right at this moment, a sudden turn of events abruptly unfolded!

After the little girl had flown around 20 to 30 feet away from Shi Kun, a vicious light suddenly flashed through his eyes, and he abruptly swept an arm through the air. His arm then swept backward as a black shadow that extended at an alarming rate.

"Argh!"

The little girl let loose a cry of surprise, and she was unable to offer any resistance as she was caught by the Shi Kun.

She was then drawn back in a flash, and a glossy black hand locked itself around her delicate neck.

The middle-aged man was naturally both shocked and enraged by this sudden development, and spiritual light erupted from his hands as he yelled, "What are you doing, Shi Kun! Let her go or I'll destroy this Blood Ginseng right now!"

"Destroy the Blood Ginseng and I'll do the same to your daughter's neck! Shut up and toss the box over right now. I'll count to three, and if I don't have the Blood Ginseng in my hand by then, I'll make sure this day becomes your daughter's death anniversary! One... Two..." Shi Kun completely disregarded the middle-aged man's threats and tightened his fingers around the little girl's neck instead, causing her face to turn slightly purple from horror and asphyxiation. At the same time, he began to count to three in a cold manner, not giving the middle-aged man any time to think.

The other two men in black were elated to see this. Only then did they realize that Shi Kun had no intention of letting the little girl go from the beginning, and merely played a trick so he could take her as hostage.

The calmness that the middle-aged man had retained was completely thrown out the window upon seeing this, and his body trembled with rage while his brain completely ceased to function.

Right as Shi Kun was about to count to three, he hurriedly tossed the jade box forward in a panicked manner.

One of the men in black chuckled as he stepped forward before making a grabbing motion, and the jade box was immediately drawn into his grasp.

"Check to see if the Blood Ginseng is actually in the box!" Shi Kun immediately ordered.

"Yes, Brother Shi!" The man in black removed the lid of the box, and a burst of crimson light erupted from within as a crimson Ginseng that was around a foot in length was revealed.

"It really is the Blood Ginseng, Brother Shi!" the man in black said in an elated manner.

Shi Kun and the other man in black were also ecstatic to hear this.

The middle-aged man's face had paled even further, and he gritted his teeth as he said in a cold voice, "Alright, you've got the Blood Ginseng now; return my daughter to me!"

"Hmph, are you telling me to let you leave so you can ask that Fairy Yue Hua to hunt us down?" Shi Kun harrumphed coldly as a sinister look reappeared on his face.

"You know of my mother-in-law, yet you still dare to do this?" The middle-aged man's heart immediately sank upon hearing this.

"Haha, you think we would target you without digging up some basic background information on you first? We don't want to make a Core Formation cultivator our enemy, but this is what you get for being in possession of this Blood Ginseng. With this Blood Ginseng, the three of us will also be able to reach the Core Formation Stage soon, so we won't need to fear Fairy Yue Hua! Besides, after we kill you and your daughter, who's even going to know that we were the ones behind this? That's enough chit-chat, kill him!" Shi Kun chortled like a madman before black light flashed from his hand as he closed his fingers around the little girl's neck.

The middle-aged man let loose a guttural roar of desperation as he swept a sleeve through the air, summoning a small yellow sword that he was about to hurl at Shi Kun. However, it was quite clear that he wouldn't be able to save his daughter in time.

Shi Kun clenched his fingers together with a sinister look on his face to snap the little girl's neck, but in this dire situation, an astonishing scene suddenly unfolded.

A burst of spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted nearby, following which the smooth and warn neck of the little girl was replaced by something hard and icy cold. At the same time, a burst of excruciating pain speared through his fingertips, and he let loose an agonized howl as he hurriedly looked down.

As a result, he discovered that the little girl he had abducted had been replaced by a black metal puppet. The puppet was extremely rough and crude, and there were thin blue inch-long spikes all over its body.

His hand had been completely shredded by these sharp spikes, and blood was flowing freely from the gashes.

He hurled the metal puppet viciously into the distance, and roared, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

At the same time, he abruptly flipped a hand over to summon a stack of black formation flags. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man was completely flabbergasted.

Only then did the other two men in black realize what had just happened, and one of them summoned a pair of short silver halberds, while the other brought out a spiked black shield. Both of them then immediately released their spiritual sense into the surrounding area.

"I don't know about you, Young Master Hai, but I can't just sit here and watch any longer. Looks like a battle is unavoidable." A cold voice suddenly rang out from behind a nearby tree.

Shi Kun's trio immediately turned toward that direction in unison in an alert manner.

"Hmph, you think I'm just going to sit this one out? These are the type of people I hate the most! Robbery is bad enough already, yet they show no hesitation even when killing a little girl! I'm going to thoroughly enjoy beating the crap out of them! But then again, I'm not sure the two of us can beat these three bastards." Another angry male voice sounded from behind the same tree in response.

"Haha, fear not! We have Brother Han on our side, don't we? Even if we can't beat them in a three-on-three battle, there's definitely no risk involved, either," the owner of the first voice chuckled in response.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Shi Kun's trio scrutinized the tree in silence with dark expressions on their faces.

All of a sudden, azure spiritual light flashed behind the tree, and three cultivators abruptly appeared.

They consisted of a handsome man in a set of scholarly robes who appeared to be in his thirties, a Daoist priest with a black wooden sword on his back who appeared to be in his late teens, and an azure-robed young man who appeared to be in his twenties with a set of completely mundane facial features. The azure-robed young man held a silver talisman in one hand and a petite figure in the other; it was none other than the little girl, Bai Guo'er.

They were naturally none other than Han Li's trio.

Coincidentally, they had only just arrived at this place as part of their journey.

They had been traveling this entire time and were already close to Nine Immortal Mountain, so they planned to rest here for a night before paying the impromptu markets a visit the next day.

However, before the three of them had even begun resting, Shi Kun and the others also arrived in this secluded place, following which this robbery ensued.

This was an extremely common occurrence in the Spirit Realm, but Shi Kun had gone too far by threatening the middle-aged man with a little girl as his hostage.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi couldn't bear to stand by and watch things unfold any longer, which was why they decided to step in to save the little girl.

Of course, they were also accompanied by the unfathomable Han Li, so regardless of how the situation played out, they wouldn't be in any substantial danger.

After the two of them voluntarily revealed themselves in a fit of justified rage, Han Li could only also emerge alongside them with a wry smile on his face.

Shi Kun's heart eased slightly upon determining that among the first two people who had emerged, one was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, while the other was only a mortal. "Who are you and why are you sticking your noses in our business?"

"Qi Lingzi, that Great Replacement Talisman of yours sure is quite interesting for it to allow that puppet to take the place of that little girl. Why didn't you use it last time when we were being hunted down? Were you preparing to take this trump card with you into the grave?" Young Master Hai accused as he rolled his eyes at Qi Lingzi.

"Ptui! Of course I wasn't prepared to die before I used this talisman! The Great Replacement Talisman isn't that easy to use. I exhausted almost all of my wealth, and I was only able to refine one of these talismans. When I tried to use it, I discovered I had insufficient magic power and was unable to do so. If I hadn't given the talisman to Brother Han for him to use, we wouldn't even have been able to save the little girl," Qi Lingzi countered in an indignant manner.

"I see." Young Master Hai was rather taken aback to hear this.

The two of them completely ignored Shi Kun, and his expression darkened even further.

Vicious looks had also appeared in the eyes of the other two men in black.

As for Han Li, he gently placed the little girl onto the ground beside him as a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

Bai Guo'er was still reeling from her near-death ordeal, and she was staring blankly at Han Li's trio, at a complete loss for what to do.

"Kill these three bastards!" Shi Kun commanded with killing intent in his eyes.

In his experience, even though there were three more opponents, the only one that they actually had to keep an eye on was the azure-robed young man, who was at the late-Foundation Establishment Stage and was still yet to speak.

The three of them were all late-Foundation Establishment cultivators, so on paper, they should be able to completely dominate their opponents. Furthermore, the fact that his two companions were so wary of him was a clear indication that he possessed an extremely powerful trump or two that would pose a threat even to Core Formation cultivators.

Thus, he was naturally very confident in his group's ability to kill this trio.

The only issue was that it wouldn't be very realistic to expect them to be able to kill all three of these nosy intruders at once.

After all, if they were determined to get away, then it would be quite difficult to hunt them down. This was why he hadn't attacked from the very beginning and had attempted to use his words to placate Han Li's trio.

However, this wasn't the first time that Shi Kun had done something like this, and they could tell that there would be no way for him to convince this trio through his words. As such, he immediately changed his plan and decided to kill them on the spot. Even if one or two of them were to escape, they could just flee from Nine Immortal Mountain right away and go into hiding. It wasn't like any high-grade cultivator would hunt down a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators over something like this.

Thus, as soon as he issued the order to kill Han Li's trio, the stack of black formation flags in his hand immediately shot forth as a dozen or so streaks of black light. However, they were targeting the middle-aged man rather than Han Li's trio.

The two silver halberds and spiked black shield being wielded by his companions also surged toward the middle-aged man in a vicious manner as two streaks of silver light and a black cloud.

The three of them often combined forces to fight enemies, so there was no need for communication before they arrived at a consensus.

Their intentions were very clear; they wanted to kill the middle-aged man first before facing Han Li's trio.

The middle-aged man's face paled slightly upon seeing this, and he immediately flicked his wrist to send the small yellow sword flying through the air, conjuring up a vast expanse of sword projections that revolved around his body to form a barrier.

Immediately thereafter, he swept his other sleeve through the air, and a plume of yellow dust erupted forth before transforming into specks of starlight that inundated his body.

A string of rumbling booms rang out, and the three sets of treasures were able to destroy the sword barrier with ease. However, they were repelled by the grains of yellow sand, and that came as quite a surprise to Shi Kun's trio.

However, before they had a chance to attack the barrier of starlight again, Young Master Hai let loose a loud cry before abruptly stomping a foot onto the ground.

The ground below tremored slightly, and his body shot forth like an arrow, appearing in the air above the halberd-wielding cultivator in a flash.

A pair of shimmering golden gloves then suddenly appeared on his hands, and he swung his arms through the air, sending countless golden fist projections raining downward like a torrential storm.

Before the fist projections had even struck their target, they were already releasing an astonishing aura.

The man in black down below was quite alarmed by this, and he hurriedly made a hand seal to withdraw the two silver streaks of light in the distance, which returned to his side before forming a silver light barrier to protect him.

In the next instant, a string of loud booms rang out in succession, and golden and silver light intertwined to inundate both of them.

Young Master Hai chortled in a boisterous manner as brilliant golden light erupted from his fist projections, which crashed down like golden suns, steadily forcing back the silver light.

"He's a body refinement warrior wielding a spirit tool!"

The other man in black's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he immediately pointed to his spiked black shield, looking as if he were going to attack Young Master Hai as well.

However, right at his moment, Qi Lingzi shook his head with a faint sigh. "How can you fight him two-on-one? That's far too shameless! It looks like there's no helping it. It would be unbecoming of a prestigious temple master like me to engage in battle against ruffians like you, but I'll have to make an exception for Young Master Hai's sake."

As soon as his voice trailed off, he raised a hand before adhering a blue talisman onto his body.

A flash of blue light appeared, then vanished in a flash, and Qi Lingzi instantly disappeared.

However, the same blue light then immediately reappeared in the air above the shield-wielding man in black.

He was quite experienced in battle, and as soon as he sensed that something was amiss about the light, he immediately diverted his shield away from his companion to crash toward it.

"Bam!" The blue light was pulverized like a ball of water and vanished as countless specks of light, but Qi Lingzi was nowhere to be seen.

The man in black's heart jolted upon seeing this, and he realized that he had been swindled, but it was already too late, and a cloud of faint blue mist suddenly appeared behind him.

Immediately thereafter, several tens of foot-long blue ice spikes shot forth through the air. The man in black possessed a superior cultivation base to Qi Lingzi, but there was no way that he could react to an attack that had been unleashed at such close proximity. Thus, the blue ice spikes struck his back in a flash.

However, a burst of black light then suddenly appeared, and a black tiger head projection abruptly surfaced within this black light.

Most of the ice spikes were blocked by this projection, and only a few of them truly struck the man on the back, causing him to stumble forward as several streams of blood flowed down his body.

"I'll kill you, you bastard!" The man in black immediately flew into a thunderous rage and abruptly made a hand seal. His sleeves bulged, and several black ghostly heads flew out from within. All of these ghostly heads were blasting yellow toxic flames out of their mouths as they pounced viciously toward Qi Lingzi.

Qi Lingzi was given quite a fright by this sudden attack, and he hurriedly grabbed the black wooden sword on his back. He then made a hand seal with his other hand and rapidly pointed at the wooden sword several times in succession.

Bursts of blue light immediately erupted from the tip of the sword before striking the black skulls with unerring accuracy. However, the black ghostly heads only shuddered slightly, but weren't truly damaged by the attacks.

Despite this, Qi Lingzi was able to virtually swim through the air with blue light flashing from his body, using some kind of movement technique to make his opponent unable to hit him in spite of the fact that the man in black possessed far superior treasures and cultivation base compared to him.

Shi Kun's expression darkened even further upon seeing this.

Even though only two of Han Li's trio had attacked, they were far more trouble than he had anticipated. He was confident that his companions would ultimately be able to take care of these two, but he couldn't afford to wait much longer.

Thus, he immediately made a decision. The dozen or so streaks of black light were still incessantly bombarding the barrier of starlight around the middle-aged while he flipped a hand over to produce a crimson leather pouch, within which the sound of buzzing could be heard.

However, right at this moment, a cold voice sounded from behind him. "Oh? Are those spirit insects? They seem to be of a decent caliber as well. It's quite remarkable that a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you possesses such spirit insects."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Shi Kun's heart abruptly jolted with shock upon hearing this, and he immediately tossed the leather pouch behind him.

A dull thump rang out, and the leather pouch exploded, revealing a swarm of crimson hornets. The hornets formed a crimson cloud amid an insistent buzzing sound, and they surged collectively toward the young man who had appeared behind Shi Kun.

This young man was naturally none other than Han Li, who had unleashed a teleportation technique to take himself directly behind Shi Kun.

A faint smile appeared on his face at the sight of the crimson hornets flying toward him. There were about 300 to 400 of these spirit insects, and it was quite clear that Shi Kun had dedicated a lot of time and effort to nurture these insects to maturity. Even if a Core Formation cultivator were to face these insects, they would most likely be forced to flee.

However, they were, of course, nothing to Han Li.

He remained standing still on the spot and merely opened his mouth to expel a burst of five-colored glacial flames, which swept up the entire hornet swarm in a flash.

The five-colored glacial flames surged through the air, and the entire swarm of hornets was frozen into a huge chunk of ice that hovered in mid-air in a stationary manner.

Shi Kun was naturally both alarmed and enraged to see this, and he raised a hand to summon an ancient azure mirror. Light flashed from the surface of the mirror, and a pillar of azure light erupted forth at an alarming speed, reaching Han Li in a flash.

Han Li raised an eyebrow and made no effort to evade. Instead, he summoned a grey light barrier around himself, and the azure pillar of light vanished into the light barrier like a sandcastle in the rising tide.

Shi Kun was completely rooted to the spot with incredulity on his face upon seeing this.

Meanwhile, Han Li merely raised an arm in an expressionless manner before pointing a finger at Shi Kun.

An azure thread erupted from his fingertip before vanishing in a flash, and in the next instant, azure light flashed before Shi Kun's eyes. A cool sensation struck his glabella, following which his head was punctured by the azure thread that had suddenly appeared, and his body stiffened as he lost all feeling.

The azure thread then revolved around Shi Kun's body without pause, slicing him up into seven or eight pieces.

His dismembered corpse came crashing down amid a rain of blood, and even his soul had been instantly destroyed by the azure thread.

"Argh!" The middle-aged man let loose an involuntary cry of alarm upon seeing this.

The two other men in black who were engaged in battle against Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi naturally also saw this, and their expressions changed drastically. They felt as if their hearts had been plunged into glaciers, and their expressions suggested that they had seen a ghost.

Han Li turned toward them with a frosty look in his eyes, and their hearts sank even further. One of them immediately summoned a flying saber before jumping onto it to flee the scene.

Meanwhile, the other man in black pulled out a black talisman before adhering it to his own body. A cloud of black mist immediately erupted forth to encompass his entire body, and he also fled for his life in another direction.

As for Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi, one of them was completely unable to fly while the other was so poor that he had no flying treasures at his disposal. As such, they could only look on in frustration as their opponents escaped and cursed loudly to express their distaste.

Right at this moment, Han Li's indifferent voice sounded once again. "Do you still think you can get away?"

As soon as his voice trailed off, a thunderclap erupted from his body, and two bolts of golden lightning sprang forth, reaching the two fleeing cultivators after just a few flashes.

The two were then reduced to dust by the golden lightning before they even had a chance to cry out.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were immediately rooted to the spot as the stream of profanities and insults they were yelling abruptly ceased.

Only after a long while did Young Master Hai harrumph, "Qi Lingzi, you're a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and so is Brother Han; how is there such a huge disparity between your powers? You couldn't take down that man even after fighting him for so long, but Brother Han killed them with just a wave of his hand! Are you too weak or is Brother Han too powerful?"

Qi Lingzi was still reeling from astonishment, but he immediately returned to his senses upon hearing this, and countered, "You're one to talk! You're a mid-grade body refinement warrior, so you should be no less powerful than a Foundation Establishment cultivator; why didn't you take care of your opponent? Besides, I'm so poor that this wooden sword is all I have left, so I'm unable to unleash many of my more powerful abilities."

"Hmph, no matter how I look at it, you can't even compare with Brother Han's pinky finger. Thank heavens I wasn't swindled into joining your Daoist temple. Otherwise, I'd be regretting the decision for the rest of my life!"

Golden light flashed from Young Master Hai's hands, and his golden gloves instantly vanished, only to be replaced by a fan. He gently fanned himself while appraising Qi Lingzi in a smug manner, and Qi Lingzi blushed slightly upon hearing this. He had no counter for Young Master Hai's words, so he could only grumble something unintelligible to himself and pretend he hadn't heard anything.

Young Master Hai was also quite pleased to have earned such an easy victory in his ongoing war of words with Qi Lingzi, and he also fell silent with a content look on his face.

At this point, Han Li had also joined them and stood to the side.

"I am Bai Huaji. May I ask for your esteemed names, fellow Daoists? Thank you for saving our lives. If you hadn't stepped in, my daughter and I would've been killed for sure." The middle-aged man strode over the three of them with his daughter before extending a deep grateful bow.

At the same time, he couldn't help but appraise Han Li with a hint of awe and veneration in his eyes.

After all, Han Li had displayed astonishing power just now, slaying three cultivators of the same cultivation base as himself in the blink of an eye. On top of that, he didn't even seem to have unleashed anywhere near his full power, so he was most likely just as powerful as a Core Formation cultivator.

This was clearly the first time that Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi had been treated with such respect by a cultivator of the same caliber as them, and one of them immediately brushed off the matter in a modest manner, while the other accepted the middle-aged man's gratitude in a smug manner before revealing his own name as well as Han Li's to the man.

Han Li glanced at the two of them before turning his attention to the little girl, Bai Guo'er.

The little girl was standing behind his father in a sky manner, appraising Han Li's trio with a curious look in her eyes.

Her eyes just so happened to meet Han Li's gaze, and she immediately ducked behind her father like a frightened hare.

"Your daughter seems to be suffering from some kind of condition," Han Li remarked as a surprised look appeared on his face.

"You can tell that my daughter has frost poison within her body?" The middle-aged man was also quite surprised to hear this.

Blue light flashed through Han Li's eyes, following which he said something that came as a huge shock to the middle-aged man, "I can. The frost energy has already reached deep into her dantian and meridians, and she'll die in three years at most if it's not expelled from her body. However, this isn't just any ordinary frost poison, so it's going to be very troublesome to cure."

"What? You're saying that this kind of frost poison can be cured?" Bai Huaji asked in a trembling voice. He was barely able to believe his own ears.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face, and he was just about to reply when his brows furrowed slightly, and he suddenly turned toward a certain direction as if he had discovered something.

Everyone else faltered slightly upon seeing this, and they also turned toward that direction, only to find that there was nothing there.

Young Master Hai closed his fan, and he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Han, you..."

However, right at this moment, white light flashed in the distance, and a streak of white light came flying toward them.

"Ah, it's grandma!" The little girl immediately clapped her hands together with elation at the sight of this streak of white light.

The middle-aged was also ecstatic to see this.

"Is that a Core Formation cultivator? Could this be the Fairy Yue Hua that they had been referring to?" Qi Lingzi asked as his expression changed slightly.

Han Li nodded in response, and his expression remained completely unchanged.

Moments later, the streak of white light appeared in the air above them, and the light receded to reveal a beautiful young woman in a white dress.

"Guo'er, are you alright?" The young woman had an urgent and concerned look on her face, but that was immediately replaced by relief as she assessed the situation down below.

Bai Huaji hurriedly stepped forward to extend a salute, but a slightly perplexed look had also appeared on his face. "Guo'er is fine, Mother. How did you know to come here? Did you hear about what happened?"

"I'm glad you're both safe. I heard from a good friend at the market that you followed three men who resembled the Three Scourges of the Southern Mountain out of the market. The three scourges have extremely bad reputations, so I was quite concerned for your safety and hurried out of the market to track you down. Are these the three scourges?" The woman turned her attention to Han Li's trio, and a cold light flashed through her eyes as she directed a burst of astonishing spiritual pressure directly toward them.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were quite alarmed by this, and they involuntarily stumbled back a few steps in the face of this immense spiritual pressure, which had almost brought them to their knees.

Han Li's expression darkened, and he suddenly waved a hand through the air to release a burst of invisible power, dispelling the immense spiritual pressure amid a dull thump.

The woman's heart jolted slightly, and upon closer inspection of Han Li's trio, a hint of surprise appeared on her face. "Hmm? You aren't the three scourges!"

"Mother, these three fellow Daoists aren't the scourges! The three scourges have already been killed, and it's all thanks to them that Guo'er and I are still alive. Also, this is Fellow Daoist Han, and he seems to have a way to expel the frost poison within Guo'er's body," the middle-aged man hurriedly yelled.

"What? He can cure Guo'er? Is that true?" The cold expression on the woman's face was immediately replaced by elation upon hearing this.

"Well, I didn't get the chance to ask Brother Han about the specific details before you arrived," the middle-aged man said with a wry smile.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

"This is Fellow Daoist Han?" The woman carefully appraised Han Li for a moment, upon which a hint of bewilderment flashed through her eyes.

She had naturally seen Han Li dispelling the spiritual pressure that she had just released, and her heart stirred slightly upon hearing that he was also the one who proclaimed that he could cure Bai Guo'er.

She could clearly sense that he was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but there was some kind of indescribable power radiating from his body, striking her with the feeling that he would destroy her in an instant if she were to attack him.

The woman was quite bewildered by this, and she swept her spiritual sense toward Han Li for a closer inspection, only for this indescribable power to abruptly vanish as if it had never even appeared in the first place.

The woman's bewilderment was exacerbated even further by this, but for the sake of her granddaughter, she put on a smile, and said, "My name is Yue Hua, thank you for stepping in to save my son-in-law and granddaughter. If you don't mind, please come to our temporary cave abode; I must thank you for what you've done."

"Er..."

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi both had lackadaisical and casual personalities, but they still couldn't help but feel anxious in the face of a Core Formation cultivator, and they reflexively turned to Han Li.

Han Li's gaze swept over Bai Guo'er, and he nodded as he replied, "In that case, please pardon our intrusion, Fellow Daoist Yue."

The woman faltered slightly upon hearing Han Li refer to her on equal terms, but instead of being enraged by this, a hint of elation flashed through her eyes. She had clearly guessed something. "It's far from an intrusion, Fellow Daoist; it would be my honor for you to grace my humble abode with your presence."

The middle-aged man's mouth gaped open slightly upon hearing this, and he turned to Han Li with a surprised look in his eyes.

He was well aware of how proud his mother-in-law was, and it was incredible to him that she was being so polite to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

This was the first time that Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi had met a Core Formation cultivator, so they didn't think anything of this, and they were merely very happy to hear that this Fairy Yue Hua was inviting them to her cave abode.

Thus, Han Li raised a hand to release his flying carriage, yet just as they were about to depart, a faint melody suddenly rang out from a certain direction up above. The music was extremely pleasing to the ears, striking the listener with a sense of entrancement.

Everyone faltered slightly upon hearing this sound before turning toward that direction in unison.

There, they discovered five-colored light swirling in the distance, and two rows of black-armored warriors straddling strange steeds with cow heads and tiger bodies emerged.

These armored warriors were all completely expressionless and wielded different types of weapons as their steeds slowly flew onward.

Fairy Yue Hua directed her spiritual sense toward these armored warriors, upon which she immediately drew a sharp breath.

All of these warriors were at the Nascent Soul Stage, and there were over 100 of them.

After these warriors emerged from the five-colored light, a process of black carriages appeared after them, all of which were extremely intricately crafted, and were being drawn by ferocious-looking flying beasts.

There were a total of 36 identical carriages, and following them was a series of cultivators in different attire, all of which possessed powerful auras.

There were only 18 such cultivators, but all of them were at the late-Spatial Tempering Stage.

A rumbling boom erupted from within the five-colored light, and following these cultivators, a two-story pavilion emerged. To put it more accurately, this was a giant beast-drawn carriage that resembled a pavilion.

The carriage was several hundred feet tall, and was extremely grandiose to behold. It was being drawn by eight snowy white peacocks that were over 100 feet in size each, and there was a group of women in colorful palatial dresses on the first floor of the carriage.

Each and every one of them was extremely gorgeous, and they were all holding different musical instruments. The heavenly music was originating from none other than the instruments in the hands of these women.

However, Han Li's gaze wasn't focused on these women. Instead, he was looking at the second floor of the carriage, where three people were sitting around a green jade table.

There were some spirit fruits and wines on the table, and the three of them were conversing with one another while exchanging toasts.

Han Li's eyes then fell upon a massive shimmering silver flag above the giant carriage. This flag had complex and lavish designs on its surface, and bursts of restriction fluctuations were radiating incessantly from it. At the very center of the flag was a huge "Holy" character inscribed in ancient text.

"That's the flag of the Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign! This is a holy sovereign's procession!" Fairy Yue Hua exclaimed as she stared at the huge flag with astonishment in her eyes.

Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he focused his gaze once again on the three people on the second floor to find that they all had rather peculiar appearances.

The one at the center wore a set of white scholar robes. His features were quite graceful and refined, and he wore a faint smile on his face, but his ears were remarkably long.

There was a grey-robed elderly man sitting beside him who had a face that resembled a piece of withered and shriveled-up wood, but his eyes were glowing with a faint green light.

The final person to complete the trio was a portly monk in a purple kasaya. He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, and he had quite a benevolent appearance.

All three of them were Body Integration cultivators!

The elderly man was only an early-Body Integration cultivator, while the monk was a mid-Body Integration cultivator.

As for the white-robed man at the center, he was enshrouded in a layer of white light that was very difficult to see through even for Han Li's spirit eyes, and he was a late-Body Integration cultivator.

It appeared that this white-robed man was indeed the Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign.

Everyone aside from Han Li was looking on in a completely flabbergasted manner. This was the procession of the Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign, and all of them were feeling quite nervous in its presence, but also very excited.

There were only several tens of Body Integration cultivators in the entire human race, and the three sovereigns were the most powerful ones even among those Body Integration Stage beings. There definitely weren't many cultivators in the human race who could truthfully say that they had seen one of the three sovereigns in person.

As such, they were extremely fortunate to be witnessing this procession.

Just as Han Li was carefully appraising the white-robed scholar on the beast-drawn carriage, the Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign suddenly stirred slightly before rising to his feet and making his way over to the edge of the second floor. Golden light then flashed through his eyes as he cast his gaze toward Han Li's direction.

"I can sense that a fellow Daoist is nearby. If you don't mind, how about coming up here to have some wine with us?"

His voice wasn't particularly loud, but it was somehow able to make itself audibly heard by everyone down below.

Everyone aside from Han Li stared at one another in a bewildered manner.

After a long while, Young Master Hai gulped in an unconfident manner, and asked, "Was he speaking to us?"

"No way! He's clearly referring to whomever he's speaking to as an equal; there's no way it can be one of us," Bai Huaji said as he shook his head vehemently in response.

"But there doesn't appear to be anyone else here aside from us," Qi Lingzi murmured as he blinked in a confused manner.

That was indeed true. In order to provide themselves with a better setting to kill Bai Huaji and Bai Guo'er, the Three Scourges of the Southern Mountain intentionally drew their two intended victims to this secluded place, where there were no other cultivators around in a radius of over 50 kilometers.

Everyone else was completely befuddled, but Han Li was naturally aware that the Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign was speaking to him. His brows furrowed slightly as he turned to Young Master Hai and the others.

"Fellow Daoist Hai, you can go with Fellow Daoist Yue Hua to her cave abode and wait for me there. I'll go meet this Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign, and I'll catch up to you later."

Everyone else was naturally astonished to hear this.

"Brother Han, wh- what did you..." Young Master Hai was stumbling over his own words.

However, Han Li merely shook his head to cut him off, and he flew directly toward the flying carriage in the distance as a streak of azure light, covering a distance of over 10,000 feet after just a few flashes.

Everyone else looked on with their jaws on the ground, and only Bai Guo'er was looking at everyone around her with an adorably innocent and confused look on her face.

"So Fellow Daoist Han is a Body Integration Stage senior! I should've guessed this already. Aside from a Body Integration cultivator, no one else would be able to cure Guo'er's frost poison!" Yue Hua murmured to herself in an ecstatic manner.

"Fellow Daoist Hai, could, could it be that you two are also..." Bai Huaji stuttered in a stunned manner.

"Nonono, we're definitely just a pair of normal cultivators; I'm only at the Foundation Establishment Stage. We only encountered Brother Han, no, Senior Han, during our journey; we had no idea that he's a Body Integration cultivator!" Qi Lingzi shuddered as he returned to his senses before vehemently shaking his head in response.

"We... We traveled with a Body Integration Stage Senior for several months, referred to one another as equals, and had fruits and tea together... Qi Lingzi, am... am I dreaming right now?" Young Master Hai was at a complete loss for what to think.

Meanwhile, Han Li was already close to the flying carriage, and after hearing Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign's words from earlier, all of the armored warriors naturally granted him free passage.

The azure light receded, and Han Li appeared on the second floor of the carriage before smiling as he cupped his fist in a salute. "Han Li pays his respects to his fellow Daoists."

"Han Li? Could you be the Fellow Daoist Han who recently made his breakthrough in the Tian Yuan Region?" The elderly man's expression stirred slightly as he returned the salute.

"Hehe, we are indeed one and the same!" Han Li replied with a smile.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

"So you're the fellow Daoist who made his breakthrough several years ago! Apologies for not recognizing you right away. It's a pity you rejected my offer. Otherwise, we could've met and enjoyed some wine together already," Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign said with a smile as he appraised Han Li.

"Indeed, I heard that Fellow Daoist Han only took several hundred years to progress from a Deity Transformation cultivator to his current cultivation base. Perhaps this rate of progress isn't completely unmatched in history, but it sure is enough to put all of us to shame," the portly monk chimed in with a smile, and he also seemed to be very interested in Han Li.

"You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist. My aptitude is quite ordinary. If it weren't for several opportunities that I encountered in the primordial world, there's no way I would've been able to progress so quickly," Han Li replied in a modest and polite manner.

"Buddhist Master Tian Chan, let's leave this conversation until after we offer Fellow Daoist Han some wine. I don't have any other hobbies, but I do love my wine. If it weren't for the fact that the holy sovereign titles are passed down from generation to generation, I had originally intended to be known as the Wine Sovereign; I think that title suits me far better," the white-robed man chuckled before raising a hand and making a grabbing motion toward the jade table, upon which an exuberant green jade cup and a coral-like crimson flagon were drawn into his grasp.

After that, Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign flicked his wrist to pour a cup of viscous spirit wine for Han Li. The wine was of a transparent and faintly yellow color, resembling delectable elixir, and he offered the cup to Han Li in person.

Han Li hurriedly expressed his gratitude before accepting the cup. He swept his spiritual sense through the cup for an instant, and that was enough for him to determine that there was nothing amiss about the wine. Furthermore, the wine was exuding an intoxicating aroma and contained astonishing spiritual Qi that was definitely no less potent than ordinary spirit pills that were designed to enhance one's cultivation base.

Han Li slowly downed the contents of the cup before remarking, "This is indeed fantastic wine! It can rank among the top three spirit wines that I know of."

A layer of yellow spiritual light flashed over his face as he spoke, and he was truly impressed by this wine.

Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign faltered slightly upon hearing this before an elated look appeared on his face. "Top three? Does that mean you know of spirit wines that are even better than this Tiger Soul Spirit Wine?"

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face, and he was just about to respond when the elderly man by the name of Huang Dang smiled, and said, "Holy Sovereign, let's take a seat first and discuss this while we enjoy some wine. It would be rather unbecoming of us to keep Brother Han standing like this."

"You're right. Forgive me for allowing my excitement to get the better of me; it's been close to 1,000 years since a new Body Integration cultivator has appeared in our human race." Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign smacked a hand to his own forehead before hurriedly inviting Han Li to take a seat, then returned to his own seat.

Thus far, Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign had left Han Li with quite a good first impression.

Even though he was one of the holy sovereigns, he appeared to be very forthright and accommodating, and wasn't pompous nor arrogant in the slightest.

However, Body Integration cultivators like them naturally wouldn't form judgments on others based on fleeting first impressions alone.

Han Li expressed his gratitude once again before taking a seat across from Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign.

"Now then, Fellow Daoist Han, can you tell me which spirit wines you know of that are better than my Tiger Soul Spirit Wine? Have you tasted those wines for yourself?"

This Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign really did seem to be an avid wine enthusiast, and immediately raised the question again as soon as Han Li sat down.

"Your Tiger Soul Spirit Wine can already be considered to be a very exceptional spirit wine in the Spirit Realm. However, I was fortunate enough to have tasted a type of Nine Aroma Spirit Wine while I was on the territory of a foreign race. Both the flavor and effects of the wine are not inferior to this Tiger Soul Spirit Wine," Han Li replied.

"Spirit wine from a foreign race? Did you manage to bring back a flagon or two of this Nine Aroma Spirit Wine, Fellow Daoist Han?" Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign asked in a hopeful manner.

His two companions were also looking at Han Li in an expectant manner.

"The Nine Aroma Spirit Wine was brewed by a Body Integration Stage being of that foreign race. At the time, I hadn't even progressed to the Body Integration Stage yet, so I definitely had no right to request for such wine; it was already quite fortunate that a cup of it was offered to me at all," Han Li said with a wry smile.

"That makes sense. This Tiger Soul Spirit Wine is also very precious to me, and I wouldn't bring it out just for any guest," Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign sighed in a disappointed manner.

"Hehe, there's no need to be overly disconsolate, Holy Sovereign. I don't have any Nine Aroma Spirit Wine with me, but I can obtain another type of wine in the near future, and I'll be sure to invite you to taste it then," Han Li suddenly said with a mysterious smile.

Before Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign had a chance to raise any questions, Huang Dang asked, "Oh? What kind of spirit wine is this? Could it be even superior to Tiger Soul Spirit Wine and that Nine Aroma Spirit Wine?"

It was no wonder that they were all so interested in wine. Cultivators spent all their time engaging in arduous cultivation, so they didn't see much value in ordinary materialistic things. Aside from spirit tea, male cultivators were generally only interested in some spirit wine.

"During my travels, I was fortunate enough to have obtained some Red Silk Fruits, which is the main ingredient to brew Red Silk Immortal Wine. I haven't gathered all of the other ingredients required yet, but that shouldn't be an issue given some time," Han Li said with a smile.

Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign faltered slightly upon hearing this before exclaiming, "Red Silk Immortal Wine! Is this the immortal wine that's rumored to only exist in the True Immortal Realm?"

As for Huang Dang and Tian Chan, they had clearly also heard of this immortal wine, and they were both staring at Han Li in an astonished manner.

How could immortal wine from the True Immortal Realm be brewed in the Spirit Realm?

"You're not joking around with us, are you, Fellow Daoist Han? Red Silk Fruits only exist in the True Immortal Realm; how did you obtain them? Also, I heard that Red Silk Fruits need to be nurtured for tens of thousands of years before they're ready to be brewed into wine, and it's quite difficult to nurture them even in the True Immortal Realm. Perhaps you mistook something else for Red Silk Fruits?" Buddhist Master Tian Chan asked in a stunned manner.

"I came across these spirit fruits by chance while traveling through the primordial world, and they're already at a point where they're ready to be brewed into wine. As for how they ended up there, that's beyond me. However, I'm sure that they are indeed Red Silk Fruits," Han Li replied in a confident manner.

"That's fantastic! If you can brew this Red Silk Immortal Wine, you have to save two or three flagons for me. I won't taste your wine for free; the three of us will gather all of the other ingredients that you're still missing," Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign said in an excited manner.

"You sure know how to extend generosity at the expense of others, Holy Sovereign. You're the one who wants to taste this wine, yet you're making the two of us gather the required ingredients with you." A troubled look appeared on the portly monk's face.

"Haha, you're not a very honest monk. Are you telling me you're not going to taste the Red Silk Immortal Wine at all? It would be an extraordinary opportunity to be able to taste such delectable wine from the True Immortal Realm," Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign said with a smile.

After a brief moment of contemplation, the monk replied in a truthful manner, "That's true. I'm not a heavy drinker normally, but wine from the True Immortal Realm is something that I must taste."

Huang Dang merely smiled and remained silent.

Han Li's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he was naturally happy to agree to this arrangement. "If the three of you are willing to help me, I may be able to brew this wine during the Myriad Treasure Convention by using some secret techniques."

"That would be brilliant. I'm sure this wine will be enough to stun the entire convention. Hehe, from what I've heard, the Tyrant Sovereign loves wine just as much as I do. A few of the demon monarchs are also extremely avid wine enthusiasts. Give us a list of ingredients that you require; I've brought along many things from my treasure vault for this grand occasion." Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign was extremely straightforward and extended a hand toward Han Li to request a list of ingredients.

Han Li flipped a hand over to produce a blank jade slip, then pressed his hands together with the jade slip at the center. Spiritual light flashed, and a list was made, following which the jade slip was tossed forward.

Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign drew the jade slip into his grasp, then briefly injected his spiritual sense into it before nodding as he stowed it away. "We should have everything ready for you in two or three days. Would you like to come to me for the ingredients or would you like me to send someone to deliver them to you?"

"There's no need to get someone to deliver them. I still don't know where I'll be staying for now, so I'll pay you a visit in three days," Han Li replied after a brief pause.

"Alright. I heard that Wyrm Monarch Li Huo and Demon Monarch Black Phoenix have already arrived at Nine Immortal Mountain; I can introduce them to you next time, Brother Han," Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign agreed with a nod.

"Demon Monarch Black Phoenix?" Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

"Do you know of Fellow Daoist Black Phoenix?" Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign was rather taken aback to see his reaction.

"I don't know Demon Monarch Black Phoenix, but I've had some run-ins with beings of the Black Phoenix Race," Han Li replied with a nonchalant shake of his head.

"All of the seven demon monarchs are at least at the mid-Body Integration Stage, and all of them possess extremely powerful bodies, as well as some special innate abilities. Even if you don't plan to befriend them, I suggest you don't cross them for no good reason, Brother Han. Otherwise, things could become quite troublesome for you," Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign cautioned in a genuine manner.

"Thank you for your words of caution, Holy Sovereign. I wouldn't go around offending the seven demon monarchs for no good reason; I still want to live for a few more years!" Han Li chuckled.

"That would be best. By the way, you must've encountered some miraculous opportunities during your travels to have progressed so quickly, Fellow Daoist Han. I assume you'll have some unique insights in cultivation as well, right? In particular, you've only recently broken through the Body Integration Stage bottleneck, so I'm sure your mental state has also benefited significantly." Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign suddenly changed the subject to one of cultivation.

Han Li naturally wasn't going to pass up such a brilliant opportunity, and a serious look appeared on his face as he replied, "I've only just reached the Body Integration Stage, so I still have a lot to learn. It would be an honor for me to exchange some ideas with the three of you."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

After that, Han Li discussed some cultivation experiences and insights with these three Body Integration cultivators, and he only left after half a day had passed, by which time he had benefited immensely from their discussion.

Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign stood at the edge of the beast-drawn carriage and looked on as Han Li vanished into the distance as a streak of azure light. He then issued a command, and the procession began to advance onward again.

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist Huang, Buddhist Master Tian Chan?" Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign asked after taking a seat.

"He's very young!"

"He's very exceptional!"

After taking a glance at one another, the elderly man and the monk both spoke in unison with serious looks on their faces.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Huang's Great Keen Eye Technique can glean one's true bone age, so for you to call him very young is quite straightforward. However, I'll have to get you to enlighten me on what's so exceptional about him, Buddhist Master Tian Chan. Your Qi Inspection Technique ranks among the top three in our human race, so I'm sure you won't disappoint me," Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign said with a faint smile.

"This man was able to conceal his aura to an extremely discreet extent, but my Qi Inspection Technique doesn't determine one's powers based on spiritual sense. From what I could see, he is indeed an early-Body Integration cultivator, but his magic power is far more abundant than other cultivators of the same caliber. If I had to give a specific parameter, I would say that he possesses close to twice the amount of magic power a normal early-Body Integration cultivator possesses. Hence, even though he's only at the early-Body Integration Stage, his magic power is comparable to that of a mid-Body Integration cultivator like myself," Tian Chan replied in a careful manner after contemplating the situation for a moment.

"It appears this fellow Daoist must be using some kind of special cultivation art that's enhancing his spiritual power. However, generally speaking, that would mean that his abilities in other areas would be slightly weaker," Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign said with a nod.

Tian Chan shook his head in a solemn manner, and said, "I'm afraid that you're mistaken there, Holy Sovereign. Aside from his immensely abundant magic power and the main cultivation art that he's using, I can also tell he possesses at least three or four more types of extremely powerful abilities, each of which is most likely not inferior to my Jade Spirit Secret Technique."

"Is that true?" Huang Dang exclaimed before Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign had a chance to react.

"Why are you so surprised, Fellow Daoist Huang? Surely this revelation isn't enough to draw such a response from you. Could it be that you've also made some other discoveries?" Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign asked as he turned to Huang Dang in a calm manner.

"As I'm sure you're aware, my Great Keen Eye Technique can glean some information about one's physical body on top of their bone age," Huang Dang said with a wry smile.

"Are you saying Fellow Daoist Han's physical body is also special in some way?" Tian Chan couldn't help but ask.

"It's not particularly special; it's merely very powerful," Huang Dang replied as a peculiar look appeared on his face.

"Very powerful? Are you saying his physical body is more powerful than that of our holy sovereign?" Tian Chan chuckled upon hearing this.

Huang Dang's eyelids twitched a little, and he said something that had Tian Chan completely astonished. "Even if his physical body is inferior, it won't be inferior by much."

"Is that so?" Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign was also rather taken aback to hear this.

"That's impossible! Surely you jest, Fellow Daoist Huang. Our holy sovereign not only specializes in a Buddhist cultivation art, but he also used to be a top-grade body refinement warrior. On top of that, he's been making a conscious effort to refine his own body for so many years; his physical body is most likely no less powerful than that of the demon monarchs. It's not too far-fetched that Fellow Daoist Han has some achievements in the realm of body refinement, but how can he possibly compare in this field to our holy sovereign?" Tian Chan was shaking his head vehemently, refusing to believe this assessment.

Huang Dang hesitated momentarily before replying in a confident manner, "Even if my Great Keen Eye Technique has made some errors, what I can be sure of is that this man definitely possesses the most powerful body I've ever seen from a human, second only to our holy sovereign."

"But that's..."

Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign waved a hand to cut off Buddhist Master Tian Chan before musing in a contemplative manner, "It would be unwise to doubt Fellow Daoist Huang's Great Keen Eye Technique, Buddhist Master Tian Chan. After all, it's never failed us before. Hehe, so he possesses far superior magic power to other beings of the same caliber, several types of powerful abilities, and a physical body that's not inferior in power to the average demon monarch. On top of that, he's so young as well. If he can survive the imminent devilish tribulation, he'll most likely become someone who's comparable to myself in the future."

Huang Dang and Tian Chan exchanged a glance upon hearing this, and contemplative looks also appeared in their eyes.

Meanwhile, Han Li was already thousands of kilometers away, flying toward a particularly lush mountain range.

This mountain range consisted of nine mountains that resembled massive straight swords and was naturally none other than Nine Immortal Mountain, the venue for the imminent Myriad Treasure Convention.

At present, the area within 500 kilometers from the edge of the mountain range was a restricted zone. Prior to the commencement of the convention, only some important figures with special statuses were permitted to enter the mountain range. Unqualified individuals who broke this rule would be evicted at best, or killed on sight at worst.

As such, all of the humans and demons who had traveled here from afar to attend the convention had all settled nearby Nine Immortal Mountain, outside of the restricted zone.

Fairy Yue Hua was only a Core Formation cultivator, so she naturally wasn't an exception to this rule, either.

Prior to separating from Young Master Hai and the others, Han Li had planted tracking marks in their bodies so he wouldn't have to worry about being unable to find them.

Thus, just as Han Li was about to enter the mountain range up ahead, he suddenly changed directions, and after flying for a while longer, he descended toward a mountain in a certain hilly region.

The azure light faded, and Han Li appeared in a lush forest. He glanced at the greenery around him, and a smile appeared on his face as he gently swept a sleeve toward a certain direction.

A burst of azure light swept forth, and a certain section of the forest suddenly blurred and warped before shattering into specks of spiritual light amid a dull thump.

The greenery there abruptly vanished, and a tall and bleak rock face appeared in its place. There was a white stone gate that was several tens of feet tall on the rock face, and Han Li raised a hand to send a streak of red light flying through the air, which then disappeared into the stone gate in a flash.

He then stood on the spot and waited in a patient manner.

Moments later, spiritual light flashed from the stone gate, and it slowly rose up, following which a group of people emerged from within.

Fairy Yue Hua, Bai Huaji, Young Master Hai, and Qi Lingzi were all among them. They were led by an elderly woman who was holding a cane with a carved dragon head at the top. She had a head of white hair and wrinkles all over her face, but she was a Deity Transformation cultivator, which came as a slight surprise to Han Li.

The elderly woman carefully appraised Han Li before immediately stepping forward and extending a respectful salute. "Junior Tian Qingye and her disciple pays their respects to Senior Han!"

Fairy Yue Hua and the others hurriedly followed suit.

Qi Lingzi and Young Master Hai also extended respectful bows, but the peculiar expressions on their faces clearly suggested that they still hadn't yet come to terms with everything.

"No need for formalities. Let's talk further after we go in," Han Li said in a calm manner.

"Yes, Senior Han. I've already prepared some spirit tea for you; I hope it's to your liking," the elderly woman said in a careful manner.

Han Li nodded and strode in through the gate without saying anything further.

Everyone else naturally followed along behind him in a respectful manner.

Moments later, Han Li and the elderly woman had both taken a seat in a tidy stone hall, while Fairy Yue Hua and the others remained standing. Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were clearly still in disbelief that Brother Han had suddenly become Senior Han, and they were constantly stealing glances in his direction.

Han Li merely ignored them and asked the elderly woman a few questions. Through their conversation, he was able to quickly learn about the origins of the elderly woman and Fairy Yue Hua.

It turned out that the elderly woman hailed from the Broad Golden Sect, which was a medium-sized sect in the Xuan Wu Region. She was one of the sect's two elders, and Fairy Yue Hua was a prized disciple of hers, whom she held in high regard due to her stellar aptitude.

Bai Guo'er was Fairy Yue Hua's granddaughter, and her only living descendant, which was why she and her father, Bai Huaji, were able to accompany the elderly woman to this Myriad Treasure Convention.

Bai Huaji was trying to sell the Blood Ginseng that had been passed down in his family for generations in order to buy some medicines to combat Bai Guo'er's frost poison, but he fell into the trap sprung by the Three Scourges of the Southern Mountain.

If they hadn't bumped into Han Li's trio, he and his daughter would've almost definitely lost their lives there.

As such, Fairy Yue Hua and Bai Huaji hurriedly stepped forward to thank Han Li for his kindness at the elderly woman's behest.

Han Li naturally waved a hand to brush off their grateful salutes.

"I very rarely leave my sect to go anywhere, but I've heard that a new Body Integration Stage senior has recently appeared in the Tian Yuan Region, and he shares the same surname as you. Could it be that you two are one and the same, Senior Han?" the elderly woman asked in a careful manner.

Body Integration cultivators were vastly renowned figures, and even now, the elderly woman still didn't dare to completely believe Han Li's identity.

"Hehe, I didn't think word would spread so quickly even to the Xuan Wu Region," Han Li replied in an ambiguous manner.

"So you really are the same Senior Han! That makes sense; the holy sovereign would only extend an invitation toward a fellow Body Integration Stage senior." The elderly woman was ecstatic to hear this indirect confirmation.

Generally speaking, there was no way that an ordinary Deity Transformation cultivator like her would be able to interact with a Body Integration cultivator. If she could forge some kind of tie with Han Li now, both she and her sect would benefit immensely.

As such, the elderly woman became even more respectful toward Han Li.

Han Li looked around before suddenly saying something that came as quite a surprise to everyone, "Where's the little girl, Guo'er? I want to take a look at her."

The elderly woman and the others exchanged a few glances upon hearing this, and Fairy Yue Hua asked in a careful manner, "Senior Han, Guo'er was suddenly afflicted by her frost poison as soon as she returned, so she's taking a rest in another room. Would you be able to wait for some time? Once she recovers, I'll bring her out to see you right away."

"I see. There's no need for that; you can take me to her right now. The main reason I decided to come here is for her," Han Li said with a smile as he rose to his feet.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Fairy Yue Hua was quite befuddled to hear this, and she was also feeling quite uneasy as she didn't know why this Senior Han was so interested in her granddaughter.

However, in Bai Guo'er's current tormented state, there really wasn't much worse that could happen to her. On top of that, the elderly woman was relentlessly urging her to comply with Han Li's request with her eyes, so she could only grit her teeth, and replied, "In that case, I'll lead to you see Guo'er right away, Senior Han."

Thus, she led Han Li and the others toward the rear hall of the cave abode.

After passing through a side door and a simple corridor, they arrived in a bedroom. There was a faint red wooden bed in the room, and Bai Guo'er was lying on the bed in an unconscious state.

Her delicate face was slightly scrunched up with pain, and there was a layer of azure light over her body. Her lips also appeared a little purple.

As Han Li approached the wooden bed, he was struck by a burst of scorching heat, which came as a slight surprise to him. However, he then briefly inspected the wooden bed and immediately understood the situation, upon which he shook his head, and remarked, "Using Flame Wood to craft a bed can repress the glacial energy within her body to a certain extent, but her frost poison has already fused into her meridians, so this won't really do much."

"I'm aware of that, but I'm hoping against hope that this bed will slightly alleviate Guo'er pain when she's beset by her frost poison," Fairy Yue Hua said with a sympathetic and doting look as her gaze fell upon the little girl on the bed.

Han Li nodded initially upon hearing this, but then shook his head as he strode over to the red wooden bed. He gently grabbed onto one of Bai Guo'er's wrists, and blue light flashed incessantly through his eyes.

Everyone else looked on with bated breath and didn't dare to make a single sound. Bai Huaji and Fairy Yue Hua were both staring at Han Li with hope in their eyes.

Around 10 minutes later, Han Li's eyes suddenly flashed, and a layer of five-colored glacial light instantly appeared around Bai Guo'er's wrist.

As the glacial light swirled, the layer of azure light over Bai Guo'er's body converged directly toward the part of her arm that was in contact with Han Li's hand. Moments later, an egg-sized ball of faint azure light had taken shape within her wrist.

Han Li immediately flipped over his other hand upon seeing this to reveal a shimmering silver needle between two of his fingers, and he stabbed the needle toward Bai Guo'er's wrist in a flash.

"Argh!"

Bai Huaji and Fairy Yue Hua's expressions changed drastically upon seeing this, and they had to hold themselves back from instinctively rushing forward.

Silver light flashed, and a small hole was punctured into Bai Guo'er wrist, following which a drop of blood essence was expelled from the hole at Han Li's behest.

The silver needle then vanished from between Han Li's fingers, only to be replaced by a palm-sized white jade plate that was extremely intricate and flawless.

Han Li placed the jade plate under Bai Guo'er's wrist, and the drop of blood essence instantly fell, freezing solid mid-fall and clattering onto the plate with a pleasant chime.

Everyone's expressions changed upon seeing this, but Han Li seemed to have been enlightened by this experiment.

He stowed the jade plate and the drop of blood essence away, and the five-colored glacial light emanating from his palm increased in brightness.

The ball of azure Qi flashed within the glacial light before quickly fading away into nothingness.

Immediately thereafter, Bai Guo'er gave a delicate moan and opened her eyes in a slightly disoriented manner.

Fairy Yue Hua and Bai Huaji were ecstatic to see this, and hurriedly expressed their gratitude toward Han Li once again.

Han Li smiled as the five-colored glacial light radiating from his hand faded, and he released Bai Guo'er's wrist. He then extended a finger and tapped it against her forehead, upon which a white incantation seal vanished into her head in a flash.

Bai Guo'er's body shuddered slightly in response, and she fell unconscious once again, which was slightly alarming to the others in the room.

"No need to worry; the frost poison in her body has just been eradicated, but she's still quite frail and needs more rest. I've already examined her condition; let's go back to the front hall to discuss the other matters," Han Li said before striding out of the room.

Everyone else was quite confused, but they naturally didn't dare to disobey him and hurriedly followed him out of the room.

Not long after that, Han Li was seated in the hall again, sipping a cup of spirit tea. His eyes were flashing with contemplation, seemingly suggesting that he was grappling with some kind of difficult decision.

Everyone else naturally didn't dare to disrupt him, and they were all waiting respectfully in silence for Han Li to speak to them.

After a long while, Han Li raised an eyebrow and placed the teacup in his hand down onto the table beside him, seemingly having made a decision.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, how much do you know about the frost poison your daughter has been afflicted with?" Han Li asked.

Bai Huaji's heart jolted upon receiving this sudden question, and he hurriedly replied, "I've invited some other powerful cultivators to diagnose Guo'er's condition in the past, and they told me that Guo'er has been afflicted by a special type of frost poison that's vastly different from the ordinary frost poisons in the world. Aside from getting a Body Integration cultivator to forcibly expel this poison, the only other option open to us is to find a few legendary spirit medicines of extreme Yang attribute to neutralize this poison."

"Hehe, it's no wonder that they would say that," Han Li chuckled in an ambiguous manner.

"Senior Han, is there something else that's amiss about Guo'er's frost poison?" Fairy Yue Hua asked in a concerned manner.

"Do the two of you know when she first became afflicted by this glacial poison?" Han Li asked as opposed to answering Fairy Yue Hua's question.

"It was when she was nine. She suddenly fell unconscious while cultivating, and only then did we discover the presence of this frost poison within her body. In the beginning, it was only an inconspicuous tiny wisp, so we didn't think much of it and used some normal methods to eradicate the poison. However, that only sped up the deterioration of her condition, to the extent that she's in her current state. Back when she was first born, my mother-in-law and I both conducted thorough inspections of her body, but we didn't discover anything amiss. We figured that one of our enemies must've planted this poison in Guo'er's body without us noticing. It's a pity that I haven't been able to find who's responsible for this. Otherwise, even if I have to give up my life, I'd..." Bai Huaji's pained expression was gradually replaced by one of vengeful fury as he spoke.

Fairy Yue Hua's expression had also darkened significantly, clearly also very resentful toward this "enemy".

"Enemy? I'm afraid you're mistaken. This frost poison is something that she's carried from birth, and it's indeed no ordinary frost poison," Han Li said in an indifferent manner.

"I'm sure you know far more about this matter than we do, Senior Han. Would you be able to explain the situation to my disciple to clear up their misconceptions?" the elderly woman asked in a respectful manner.

"I certainly will. I would've done so even if you hadn't asked me. Guo'er actually possesses a legendary spirit physique known as the Ice Essence Body. This type of physique is impossible to detect at birth, and its effects will only begin to show at nine years of age. The first time this poison rears up is when it's at its most ferocious, and it's said that most of the people who possess this spirit physique perish when this poison first appears. As such, there are very few records of this type of spirit physique, even in ancient tomes, and if I hadn't just so happened to have read one of those records, I would also be led into thinking that this was some kind of frost poison that was brought onto her by someone else," Han Li explained.

"Ice Essence Body?"

Fairy Yue Hua and Bai Huaji exchanged an astonished glance upon hearing this. This was the first time they had heard of such a spirit physique, so they were naturally rather perplexed. In contrast, a hint of recognition and shock flashed through the elderly woman's eyes upon hearing this.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi had naturally never heard of this Ice Essence Body, so they could only stare at everyone else.

After revealing this information, Han Li picked up his teacup and took another sip, seemingly completely uncaring about whether everyone else believed what he had just said.

"So Guo'er really does possess the Ice Essence Body. In that case, it really will be hard to say whether this is a blessing or a curse," the elderly woman murmured to herself.

"You know about this type of spirit physique as well, Master?" Fairy Yue Hua asked in a surprised manner.

"I heard about this type of spirit physique from one of my good friends many years ago, and it's exactly as Senior Han has described it. Never did I think that Guo'er would possess such a physique. It really is difficult to say how this will affect her," the elderly woman replied after taking a glance at Han Li.

"What do you mean, Master?" Fairy Yue Hua asked.

"I heard from a good friend of mine that not only will the Ice Essence Body begin to manifest itself when the host is nine years of age, the frost poison will continue to worsen one year after another, and generally speaking, those who possess this spirit physique will be dead for sure by the time they turn 15 or 16. There are only two ways for someone with this physique to survive," the elderly woman sighed.

"What are those two ways, Master?" Fairy Yue Hua hurriedly asked in an ecstatic manner.

"One of those ways is to find a Body Integration cultivator to use their magic power to force this frost poison out of Guo'er's body every year, then use their true essence to help cleanse her meridians. After 100 years of this, Guo'er will become accustomed to her physique, and it won't pose any further threat to her. On top of that, through her cultivation, she would be able to harness this glacial energy to master an incredibly powerful ability known as the Ice Essence Glacial Soul," the elderly woman replied after a brief hesitation.

"In that case, this Ice Essence Body should be a fantastic blessing; why do you say that it could both be a blessing and a curse, Senior?" Bai Huaji also asked in an elated manner.

"That's because those who possess this physique are born with glacial energy within their bodies, and that energy is not that easy to repress. The first few decades aren't too much trouble; a Body Integration cultivator would be able to easily repress this glacial energy given some time. However, the last few decades will become extremely troublesome. The Body Integration cultivator has to forcibly expel the frost poison, but also ensure that their magic power doesn't harm the host's body, so they have to expend a lot of true essence per expulsion process.

"In particular, the true essence expended during the last decade or so can't be replenished through meditation, and this is still discounting the fact that during this time, the Body Integration cultivator will have to expend even more magic power to cleanse the host's essence. Hence, this will essentially delay a Body Integration cultivator's cultivation for several decades; which senior would be willing to do something so detrimental to themselves?" the elderly woman said with a wry smile.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

The elation on Fairy Yue Hua's and Bai Huaji's faces immediately faded upon hearing this. There weren't many cultivators who would be willing to accept such a major setback even for those who were closest to them, let alone for the sake of someone that they didn't know at all.

"What's the second way?" Bai Huaji asked in a hopeful manner.

"The second way is to find some legendary spirit medicines and use them to refine several types of pills with extreme Yang attribute. Those pills would nullify the glacial energy and alter one's Ice Essence Body. This method is no easier to accomplish than the first one. Not only are these spirit medicines extremely rare, they only grow in places that would be completely inaccessible to us. Even if we find these medicines and successfully refine the required pills, taking the pills would result in dire consequences. The Ice Essence Body would be dispelled, but the host's spiritual root would also be damaged. At worst, this could reduce them to a mortal, and even in the best-case scenario, their spiritual root would become extremely mediocre, which would make cultivation very difficult for them," the elderly woman replied in a solemn manner.

Bai Huaji's face completely paled, and he no longer had anything to say.

After a brief silence, Fairy Yue Hua suddenly gritted her teeth and turned to Han Li in a beseeching manner. "Senior Han, please save our Guo'er. We'll be sure to do anything you want to repay you."

Everyone else also turned to Han Li upon hearing this. Han Li had stated that he had come here mostly for Bai Guo'er, so it wasn't entirely out of the question that he would step in to save her.

Bai Huaji immediately fell to his knees and kowtowed to Han Li.

A hint of a smile appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this, and only after a while did he reply, "Indeed, I do intend to save her."

"Thank you for your kindness!" Fairy Yue Hua was overcome by elation after having her suspicions confirmed, and she also immediately fell to her knees.

However, Han Li shook his head and swept a sleeve through the air, unleashing a burst of enormous power that forcibly supported both her and Bai Huaji into a standing position, thereby preventing them from kowtowing to him.

"Don't be so quick to thank me. I have some conditions, and I'll only save her if you agree to them. I have a very good first impression of Guo'er, but I wouldn't set myself back several hundred years in my cultivation lightly," Han Li said in an indifferent manner.

"State any conditions you have, Senior; we'll satisfy you as long as it's within our power to do so," Fairy Yue Hua agreed without any hesitation.

Bai Huaji's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, but he didn't state any objections. After all, this was his precious daughter's only chance at survival.

"I have a very simple condition. I can help her master the Ice Essence Glacial Soul ability, and I can even take her under my wing as an in-name disciple. However, after she masters that ability, she must set off to search for something for me at all costs. This item could be in the human or demon territory, or it could also be in a certain corner of the primordial world, and only those with the Ice Essence Glacial Soul ability would be able to sense and find it. Of course, this is going to be an extremely dangerous task. Do you still plan to agree to this arrangement?" Han Li asked.

"So you're saying Guo'er may have to venture deep into the primordial world?" Bai Huaji drew a sharp breath upon hearing this, and a hesitant look appeared on his face.

Fairy Yue's expression also changed slightly, but after a brief pause for contemplation, she asked, "Senior Han, may I ask roughly what cultivation base Guo'er will be at when she masters the Ice Essence Glacial Soul ability? I'm afraid that her venture into the primordial world will only be a one-way trip if she's not powerful enough."

Han Li seemed to have considered this already, and he replied in a calm manner, "Hehe, don't worry about that. I'm willing to take her as my in-name disciple and expend so much effort to help her survive, so I'm naturally not going to send her off on a suicide mission. In any case, the thing I want her to track down for me is something that she'll only be able to sense after reaching at least the Deity Transformation Stage. On top of that, I'll be giving her several powerful treasures to protect her, and if the item is in or near the human and demon territories, she won't have to venture into the primordial world at all. Even if it turns out that she'll need to venture deep into the primordial world, I'll make sure she's powerful enough to take care of herself before I send her on her way."

"The Deity Transformation Stage? That's definitely enough. That level is something that we can only dream of reaching. Besides, if you don't step in, then Guo'er will only have a few years left to live at most, but she'll at least be able to live for close to 1,000 years before she reaches the Deity Transformation Stage." Fairy Yue Hua didn't possess all that powerful a cultivation base, but she was very decisive and quickly arrived at a decision.

Bai Huaji was still rather concerned, but he knew that she was right, so he nodded emphatically in support of this arrangement.

The elderly woman naturally had no reason to object, either.

"In that case, I'll take Guo'er as my in-name disciple, and she'll stay with me during the next 100 years. After that, I'll return her to you, and I won't interfere with her life other than giving her some guidance in cultivation," Han Li said with a benevolent smile.

"Then I'll leave my daughter in your hands, Senior Han." Bai Huaji was truly put at ease upon hearing this, and he knelt down to kowtow again in a grateful manner.

Han Li didn't stop him on this occasion, and Fairy Yue Hua was also expressing her gratitude to him in an excited manner.

The elderly woman heaved a long sigh of relief, and she was extremely pleased by this development as well.

Han Li had only taken Guo'er as an in-name disciple, which indicated that he didn't intend to pass down his entire inheritance to her, but at the very least, this created a tie between this Body Integration Stage senior and her Broad Golden Sect. Not taking into account anything else, at least this was a good threat to have up their sleeve to make others think twice before they tried to plot against the Broad Golden Sect.

Just as the elderly woman was going to say something to further strengthen the tie she had just established with Han Li, a timid voice suddenly sounded from the side.

"Senior Han, would the two of us also be able to become your disciples?"

Everyone faltered slightly before turning toward that direction, only to discover that the one who had spoken was none other than Young Master Hai, who had a look on his face that was both anxious and hopeful.

"Hehe, you want to become my disciple?" Han Li turned to Young Master Hai with a smile, not agreeing to his request nor turning him down right away.

Qi Lingzi mustered up his courage as well, and chuckled, "Heehee, does that mean you agree, Senior Han?"

It was quite clear that both of them were aware of just how extraordinary an opportunity this was. Being able to become the disciple of a Body Integration cultivator was something that countless low-grade cultivators could only dream of.

Thus, after Han Li took Bai Guo'er as his in-name disciple, the two of them surreptitiously conversed with one another through voice transmission, then decided to grab this opportunity with both hands.

"You two can get up first. I'll give you a response to your request later. For now, accompany me during the Myriad Treasure Convention," Han Li said as he adopted a serious expression.

As opposed to being disappointed by this, an elated look appeared on Young Master Hai's face. "I understand; you wish to have us undergo a trial period, right, Senior Han? Rest assured, I'm not good at much else, but I'm a great role model when it comes to respecting my elders and seniors!"

"I'll also be sure to satisfy you, Senior Han!" Qi Lingzi kowtowed three times to Han Li before standing back up with a wide grin on his face.

Han Li was at a complete loss for how to feel about this, and he nodded before then shaking his head, and no one knew exactly what he was thinking.

"The frost poison within Guo'er's body has already been expelled by me once, so it won't trouble her again within a year. I'll be taking her away after the Myriad Treasure Convention, so make some preparations during that time. By the way, get her to carry this piece of Flame Yang Jade at all times. It can't completely eradicate the frost poison in her body, but it'll be beneficial to her nonetheless. This piece of jade is also a protective treasure that will protect her on one occasion in a perilous situation. On top of that, I have a vial of Essence Nurturing Pills; get her to take one of these every two days." Han Li swept a sleeve over the table as he spoke, and a shimmering red jade pendant and a small green vial appeared on the table.

It was quite apparent from the astonishing spiritual Qi emanating from the jade pendant that it was quite an extraordinary treasure. As for the Essence Nurturing Pills, those were also vastly renowned in the Spirit Realm for their nourishing properties, and they were perfect for Bai Guo'er, who was currently quite taxed from her recent ordeal. Fairy Yue Hua hurriedly extended her gratitude in an ecstatic manner before carefully stowing the two items away.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi made no effort to disguise their envy, and both of them made remarks about how generous Han Li was being to an in-name disciple that he had only just accepted.

Han Li was rather amused by this, and after a brief pause, he flipped a hand over to produce two other vials of pills before tossing it toward them with a smile.

"Regardless of whether you two become my disciples, we've traveled together for so long, so there's definitely some affinity between us. One of those vials of pills can clear the meridians and strengthen the bones, while the other can enhance magic power; you can split them however you like."

"Thank you, Senior Han!"

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were elated as they caught the vials, and they were even more convinced that they were pursuing the right master. They then carefully stowed the vials away as if they were precious treasures.

After that, Han Li didn't remain here much longer. After chatting with everyone else for a short while, he departed with Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi.

Moments later, the three of them appeared on his flying carriage, flying slowly toward Nine Immortal Mountain.

"Where are we going next, Senior Han? Should we also find a place to set up a temporary cave abode?" Qi Lingzi asked as they drew closer and closer to Nine Immortal Mountain.

"There's no need to go through the trouble of doing that. Nine Immortal Mountain may be restricted to outsiders, but that only applies to normal cultivators. Once we get there, someone will come out to welcome us," Han Li replied in a nonchalant manner.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

"I see! I was just thinking about this; how could a Body Integration cultivator like Senior Han settle in some random place like us ordinary cultivators?" Young Master Hai said with a fawning smile.

"Exactly! I'm sure they'll have an extremely lavish place prepared for Senior Han. We're extremely fortunate to be able to accompany Senior Han," Qi Lingzi also chimed in in a fawning manner.

Han Li could naturally hear the sycophantic intent behind their words, but he merely chuckled and didn't say anything.

Not long after that, their flying carriage flew over a market, then descended into the mountain range down below.

For a top-grade flying carriage treasure like this one, the distance of less than 1,000 kilometers was covered in virtually the blink of an eye.

A blue sea of clouds suddenly appeared up ahead to impede them, in response to which Han Li merely tapped a foot onto the flying carriage underfoot.

The flying carriage immediately circled around before drawing to a halt, and Han Li raised both hands toward the sea of clouds.

A loud thunderclap rang out, and two bolts of golden lightning vanished into the sea of clouds in a flash.

In the next instant, a pair of rumbling booms erupted within the blue clouds, and two bursts of enormous spiritual pressure emerged from within, causing the blue clouds to surge and churn violently.

After that, Han Li merely clasped his hands behind his back and stood still on the spot, seemingly waiting for something.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were both a little perplexed by this, but they didn't dare to ask any questions, and stood obediently by Han Li's side.

A short while later, a string of beastly roars rang out from within the sea of mist, and a furious male voice sounded from down below.

"Who dares to attack the restriction here? Are you not aware that this place became a restricted zone three months ago?"

As soon as this voice fell, a burst of fluctuations erupted from within the sea of clouds, and it parted to reveal a massive passageway that was several tens of feet wide.

Blue light flashed, and several guards straddling giant flying beasts emerged from within.

These guards were all very burly and far taller than Han Li. Their upper bodies were clad in suits of crude white bone armor, and they wore leather pants of different styles on their lower bodies. They were each holding a huge rectangular bone shield in one hand, and a thick black spear in the other.

Their steeds resembled giant wolves with huge fleshy wings, and their entire bodies were covered in blue fur. There were also faint sparks of lightning running along their bodies, giving them quite a mysterious appearance.

However, none of these guards possessed any magic power fluctuations; they were a rare group of high-grade body refinement warriors. With their powerful bodies alone, they were virtually comparable to Core Formation cultivators.

The four guards were rather taken aback by the fact that not only had Han Li refrained from fleeing the scene, he was instead appraising them with an intrigued expression while standing on his flying carriage.

A hint of bewilderment appeared in the eyes of the leader of the four guards upon seeing this.

He waved a hand, and all four of the guards tugged on the reins of their beastly steeds, drawing to a halt at the edge of the sea of clouds.

"You must be the vastly renowned Lightning Guards of the Xuan Wu Region, right? You really do live up to your reputation. Seeing as you're here, I presume Fellow Daoist Tyrant Sovereign has already arrived at Nine Immortal Mountain," Han Li said in a calm manner.

The four guards were stunned to hear that Han Li was referring to the Tyrant Sovereign as his equal, and they immediately adopted more respectful mannerisms.

The leader of the group hurriedly cupped his fist in a salute, and said, "We are indeed part of Master Tyrant Sovereign's Lightning Guards, but he hasn't arrived here yet. We were sent to Nine Immortal Mountain in advance to help maintain law and order here. May I ask for your esteemed name, Senior?"

"Hehe, my surname is Han, but you may not have heard of me. Come to think of it, your Tyrant Sovereign sent someone to recruit me to join the Tyrant Sovereign Palace not long ago, but I had to turn down the offer due to certain reasons," Han Li said in a nonchalant manner.

"Could it be that you're the new Body Integration cultivator, Senior Han Li?"

"Oh? You know of me?"

Han Li was clearly taken aback by the fact that this guard was able to identify him based on his surname alone, and he began to take a closer look at this man.

Only then did he discover that even though this man was only a body refinement warrior, there was faint treasure light emanating from his body, suggesting that he was carrying many powerful treasures, so he seemed to be different from his three companions.

The guard hurriedly explained, "Forgive me for my rudeness earlier, Senior. My grandfather is one of the four personal guards of Master Tyrant Sovereign, and I was able to hear about you through him."

"Personal guards? Oh, I recall hearing about them. I've heard that all four of those fellow Daoists are top-grade body refinement warriors, and the Tyrant Sovereign has dedicated a lot of effort to train them. None of them possess any magic power, but they all have extremely powerful bodies with extraordinary strength, and can directly oppose top-grade treasures," Han Li said with a hint of recollection in his eyes.

"My grandfather would be honored to hear that Senior Han has heard about him. I'm sure you must be weary after traveling all the way here, Senior. Please follow me to the Immortal Welcome Palace so you can rest." The leader of the guards had quite a coarse appearance, but he was displaying a thoughtful side that belied his physical attributes.

"Hehe, now that you mention it, I really am feeling a little weary. Lead the way!" Han Li nodded in response.

"Gladly! Please come with me, Senior Han."

The four guards extended another respectful salute in unison before slowly flying back into the passageway that had opened up in the sea of clouds.

Han Li followed along behind them on his flying carriage.

The sea of clouds wasn't very large, and it only took a short while before Han Li and the four body refinement warriors emerged on the other side, then flew directly toward a certain massive mountain in the distance.

"Four of the peaks of the Nine Immortal Mountain are owned by our human race, while the demon race owns another four. The tallest Flying Immortal Peak is a neutral peak that is normally uninhabited by either of our two races, so that naturally became the venue for this edition of the Myriad Treasure Convention. We've gathered some human and demon cultivators who are adept in earth-attribute cultivation arts, and they're working night and day to set up the entire peak. Of course, a single mountain peak alone won't be enough to house all of the convention-goers, so during the period that the convention is being held, the other eight peaks will also be open to the general public.

"We'll be constructing eight secondary convention venues to ensure we have sufficient capacity for everyone. Even so, I think the convention will be extremely packed. After all, almost all past editions of the convention have had over 1,000,000 attendees. Fortunately, we've been preparing for this convention for over a year, so there shouldn't be any issues, but I've heard that this edition of the convention is going to be slightly different."

The leader of the guards was very thoughtful and introduced to Han Li the situation on Nine Immortal Mountain and surrounding the Myriad Treasure Convention. However, his voice clearly drew to a rather unnatural halt here.

"Oh? What's different about this edition?" Han Li asked in a slightly intrigued manner.

"I only stumbled upon some rumors, and I can't vouch for their authenticity. Please forgive me if I say something that doesn't prove to be true," the man said after a brief hesitant pause.

"Rest assured, I'll make my own decisions based on what you tell me; I won't blame you for anything," Han Li assured in an indifferent manner.

"Alright, then I'll go ahead. I've heard that beings from foreign races may be participating in this edition of the Myriad Treasure Convention, and that they'll be offering some extremely precious treasures from their races for auction," the man said in a careful manner after taking a deep breath.

"Foreign beings? Which foreign beings are going to be attending?" Han Li was truly surprised to hear this.

"I'm afraid that's beyond me, Senior. I'm just a Lightning Guard, after all," the man said with a wry smile.

A contemplative look appeared on Han Li's face before his expression quickly returned to normal, and he flipped a hand over before tossing a few vials of pills to the four guards. "That's true. In any case, thank you for disclosing all this information to me. Here are a few vials of Heavenmend Pills for the four of you. You can take one once every few days to extend your lifespans. Feel free to come and tell me if you hear any more useful information; I'll be sure to reward you for your efforts." [IGT: Just to clarify, these are probably not the same Heavenmend Pills from the Scattered Star Seas arc]

The man was ecstatic to hear that they were being given vials of Heavenmend Pills, and his voice trembled slightly as he said, "Thank you, Senior. We'll be sure to notify you if we hear anything of value."

The other three guards also hurriedly expressed their gratitude in an elated manner.

Han Li merely waved a hand before falling silent as he stood on his flying carriage.

The four Lightning Guards left Han Li to his own thoughts, and after flying for a while longer, they finally reached the foot of the certain mountain peak.

There were many connected buildings and pavilions here that encompassed virtually the entire mountain, and among these buildings was a lavish white jade palace that was 3,000 to 4,000 feet tall, presenting a spectacular sight to behold.

A series of intricate pavilions surrounded this palace, amounting to a total of over 100, complementing the jade palace like stars around the moon.

"This is the Immortal Welcome Palace, Senior Han. All Body Integration Stage seniors can occupy a level of the palace with their entourage. Each level of the palace has a designated teleportation formation, so you'll be able to directly teleport to the public hall on the first floor without having to pass through any of the lower levels. All of these surrounding pavilions have been prepared for Spatial Tempering Stage seniors. However, only Body Integration Stage seniors are granted passage into this place at the moment. Every peak has an Immortal Welcome Palace like this one to accommodate Body Integration Stage seniors," the man introduced in a thorough manner.

"I see. Has anyone already moved into this palace?" Han Li asked in an intrigued manner.

"This palace is currently only being occupied by Daoist Master Myriad Bone and his entourage, who arrived a month ago," the man replied truthfully.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

"I see. I have heard of Daoist Master Myriad Bone in the past. I heard that he was also a vagrant cultivator, but he founded the White Bone Sect around 10,000 years ago, and he seems to have lofty aspirations," Han Li replied.

"Come to think of it, the White Bone Sect is quite a powerful sect that can rank among the top 10 sects of our Xuanwu Region, and it's a testament to Senior Myriad Bone's powers that he was able to achieve this in such a short time. By the way, Senior Myriad Bone is currently residing on the top floor of the Immortal Welcome Place; you can inform the manager of this Immortal Welcome Palace of which floor you'd like to stay on, Senior," the man said in a respectful manner.

As they were speaking, the four Lightning Guards had already guided Han Li to the entrance of the white jade palace, where there were several azure-armored guards standing in a stoic manner.

The leader of the Lightning Guards hurriedly jumped off his giant wolf steed, then approached one of the azure-armored guards before pointing at Han Li while whispering something.

The cold expression on the azure-armored guard's face instantly changed, and after carefully inspecting Han Li for a brief moment, he immediately extended a bow toward Han Li before quickly rushing into the palace.

The man returned to Han Li's side, and said, "Senior Han, I have to go back on patrol duty now, so I won't be able to stay here any longer. The manager of the Immortal Welcome Palace will come out to greet you in person soon. We'll be taking our leave now."

The four Lightning Guards extended parting bows toward Han Li as their leader spoke.

Han Li naturally wasn't going to stop them, and he waved a hand to grant the Lightning Guards their leave.

Almost as soon as the four Lightning Guards rose up into the air and departed on their giant wolf steeds, two people emerged from within the palace.

One of them was none other than the azure-armored guard who had just rushed into the palace, and he was accompanied by a white-robed elderly man. The elderly man had his eyes slightly narrowed, and he was a mid-Spatial Tempering cultivator.

"You must be Senior Han. My name is Zong Mian; please forgive me for not coming out to greet you sooner," the elderly said as he extended a respectful bow from afar.

"No need to be so polite, Fellow Daoist Zong. I'm rather weary from my journey, so it would be best if you could organize a place for me to stay right away," Han Li replied in a calm voice as he appraised the elderly man.

"Rest assured, Senior, everything has already been prepared, and you can move in right away. Senior Myriad Bone has taken the top floor, and the first floor is a public hall, but the other eight levels are all vacant, and you can choose whichever one you like," Zong Mian said with a smile.

"I'll take the fifth floor, then. It's not too high and not too low; just right for me," Han Li decided after a brief pause for thought.

"I'll take you to the fifth floor right away, Senior. If there's anything you're displeased with, I'll make adjustments right away," the elderly man said in a fawning manner.

Han Li nodded with an indifferent look on his face, and he was led into the hall on the first level of the Immortal Welcome Palace.

The entire hall was several thousand feet in size, and the walls and ground were all shimmering with light. There were white fist-sized phosphorescent beads embedded into their surfaces, illuminating the entire hall and making it resemble an immortal paradise.

There were some white jade tables and chairs placed around the hall, and they were littered throughout the corners.

At the center of the hall was a faint silver teleportation formation that appeared to be around 70 to 80 feet in size.

The elderly man strode directly into the formation, and Han Li followed along in an expressionless manner.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi exchanged a glance, and they also entered the formation. Even though this was the first time the two of them were using a teleportation formation, they weren't afraid or uneasy at all.

The elderly man cast an incantation seal onto the teleportation formation, and a buzzing sound immediately rang out.

He then flipped a hand over to produce an intricate silver badge, and Han Li cast an errant glance toward it to discover that one side of the badge was filled with complex runes, while the other side of the badge had the number "5" engraved upon it in faint golden text.

Zong Mian gently waved the badge through the air, and a burst of silver light flew forth before vanishing into the formation underfoot.

In the next instant, silver light swirled throughout the entire formation, and the four of them disappeared in unison.

Young Master and Qi Lingzi had both closed their eyes, but they were still instantly struck by a sense of vertigo, and when they opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing on an open-air platform.

There was a garden around them with several winding paths meandering through it, and the garden was filled with unidentifiable exotic flowers and plants. On the other side was a green pond that was several acres in size, within which a series of five-colored spirit fish that were around a foot in length each were swimming in an energetic manner.

A gentle breeze blew forth, sending bursts of abundant spiritual Qi sweeping toward them.

Young Master Hai faltered momentarily before a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he raised his head to cast his gaze upward to discover a blue sky up above with several white clouds drifting lazily.

However, the suns that should've also been present in the air were nowhere to be seen; they had been replaced by a massive white ball of light that was hovering in mid-air, releasing a gentle white light.

Young Master Hai was completely flabbergasted by this sight, and Qi Lingzi was also struggling to pick his jaw up from the ground.

Right at this moment, Han Li's voice suddenly sounded in both their ears. "Stop looking. Everything up there has been manifested by a restriction; you won't be able to see how it works at your current cultivation bases."

Only then did they return to their senses from their enraptured state, only to discover that Han Li had already emerged from the formation, and was standing over 100 feet away, appraising them with a faint smile.

Zong Mian was standing further away, and he was also looking at the two of them with an amused smile.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi blushed slightly, and they hurriedly emerged from the formation in an embarrassed manner.

However, the two of them were still filled with excitement, and they were constantly looking around as they followed along behind Han Li.

After following a path for a while, a large green hall appeared up ahead. It wasn't particularly massive, but it had been extremely intricately constructed, as evidenced by the meticulous patterns carved on its surface.

On either side of the hall was a separate courtyard, and a smaller side hall. These buildings were clearly there for the cultivator's entourage to inhabit.

They were all surrounded by lush green bamboo plants, and there were a few pavilions that were visible through the bamboo poles, presenting a mesmerizing sight to behold.

Who could've imagined that this paradise would only be a single level of this massive palace?

Han Li stood near the hall and looked around before asking in a seemingly casual manner, "Is every level in the Immortal Welcome Palace set up like this?"

"Hehe, of course not. Every single level of the Immortal Welcome Palace is set up differently to cater to different preferences. If you don't like this level, I can take you to another level, Senior Han," Zong Mian replied.

"There's no need for that; I'm quite pleased with this level," Han Li said with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

"In that case, please keep this restriction badge safe, Senior. The restriction on each level is different, and only one badge was refined for each level, so I'll have to ask you to return this badge to me at the conclusion of the convention, Senior," the elderly man said with a smile as he passed the silver badge over to Han Li with both hands.

Han Li accepted the badge before nodding in response, and the elderly man departed after taking his leave.

Thus, Han Li's trio was left to their own devices.

"You two can live here during the duration of the convention. You can choose any one of the courtyards to stay in. I need to rest, so if there's anything that needs to be discussed, leave it until tomorrow," Han Li instructed.

"Yes, Senior!" Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi replied in a respectful manner.

The two of them then rushed toward the cluster of buildings beside the hall with unadulterated excitement on their faces, and Han Li could hear the sound of them bickering and fooling around in the distance.

Han Li shook his head and strode toward the main hall. He found a quiet room in the hall and began to meditate to rest.

The next morning, Han Li was still meditating on his futon with azure spiritual light flashing over his body when his expression suddenly changed, and he immediately opened his eyes.

In the next instant, a ball of white flames phased directly through the wooden door of his room, then reached him in a flash.

Han Li's eyes flashed as he reached out with a finger and gently tapped the ball of white flames.

The ball of flames exploded amid a dull thump, vanishing into countless specks of light. At the same time, a voice suddenly rang out within the room.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Han, I am Myriad Bone. I heard that you moved into the Immortal Welcome Palace yesterday. If you don't mind, please pay me a visit on the top floor."

The voice was quite an elderly one, and it concluded after that brief message.

"Daoist Master Myriad Bone, eh?" Han Li stroked his chin with a contemplative look on his face.

Moments later, he rose to his feet before emerging from the room. When Han Li appeared outside the hall, he was immediately greeted by the sight of Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi.

The two of them seemed to have been here for a while, and they were conversing with one another in a corner.

As soon as Han Li emerged, the two of them immediately stepped forward before extending deep respectful bows.

"No need for formalities. What are you two doing here? Why aren't you resting?" Han Li asked with an indifferent wave of his hand.

"You're going to the markets outside today, right, Senior Han? The two of us naturally have to accompany you at all times," Qi Lingzi said with a wide grin.

"Indeed, we may not be able to serve any important roles, but if there are any errands that you need run, the two of us will be more than willing to provide our services," Young Master Hai chimed in.

"Hehe, who told you I'm going to the markets today?" Han Li chuckled.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were disappointed to hear this. "Then..."

"I know you two want to go to the markets to broaden your horizons, but there's virtually no chance that those markets will be selling anything that I need, so I won't be visiting them under normal circumstances. But then again, there are a lot of high-grade cultivators gathered here, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to take you two to the markets to see the sights. I have to visit Daoist Master Myriad Bone, so I won't be able to take you there; I'll just use my badge to get you two out of the palace, and you can return at night," Han Li said in a calm manner.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were still a little disappointed to hear this, but they didn't dare to go against Han Li's instructions, and they immediately agreed to this arrangement.

Thus, Han Li led the two of them toward the teleportation formation on the platform, and once the two of them made their way to the center of the formation, Han Li pulled out the silver badge before waving it a couple of times.

Silver light radiated from the formation, and the two of them were teleported to the first floor.

After that, Han Li also stepped onto the formation before vanishing amid a flash of spiritual light.

After about 10 minutes, Han Li found himself in a grand palace constructed from what appeared to be red coral, conversing with an elderly Daoist priest who had a gorgeous woman in his arms.

This Daoist priest had a hook nose and a pair of particularly dark eyes. He wore a set of grey Daoist robes, upon which were imprinted 18 extremely life-like white skulls.

The beautiful concubine sitting on his lap not only had a voluptuous body, her skin was also as smooth as jade. She wore a thin white veil dress and leaned most of her body into the Daoist priest's embrace, revealing only a captivating smiling face as she listened to the Daoist priest's conversation with Han Li.

Further away on either side of the hall stood seven beautiful women, all of whom also wore veil dresses of different colors, and they were standing in a respectful manner with their hands clasped in front of them.

This Daoist priest was none other than the owner of this place, the patriarch of the White Bone Sect, Daoist Master Myriad Bone.

The woman in his arms and the other women in the hall were naturally none other than his concubines. However, the woman he was holding far exceeded the other women both in looks and in disposition, so she was clearly more adored by the Daoist priest.

Han Li casually discussed his ventures in the primordial world with Daoist Master Myriad Bone while thinking back to some of the rumors he had heard about this man.

It was said that not only did Daoist Master Myriad Bone exclusively use Devil Dao cultivation arts, he was extremely lustful and was an avid practitioner of dual cultivation who pleasured himself with women almost every night. It appeared that those rumors were true.

"Hehe, I'm impressed by how knowledgeable and experienced you are at such a young age, Fellow Daoist Han. Back when I first progressed to the Body Integration Stage, I only traveled around the areas near the human race before returning. Now that I'm at such a ripe old age, I don't have the drive or urge to stray far away from the human race anymore," Daoist Master Myriad Bone sighed.

"You're far too kind, Brother Myriad Bone. I only stayed in the primordial world for so long as I was forced to do so by the circumstances I found myself in. If everything had gone according to plan, I definitely wouldn't have strayed far from our human race, either. It was extremely fortunate to have traveled over so much of the continent and still return in one piece," Han Li said with a smile.

"Haha, it sounds like you're a man of great fortune. You've encountered a string of opportunities during your cultivation, breaking through several stages in succession, and you were able to easily break through your Body Integration Stage bottleneck following your return to the human race. I don't know about historic events too far in the past, but what I'm sure of is that no one in the past several tens of thousands of years has been able to match your rate of progression. Back when I broke through my Body Integration Stage bottleneck, it took me several thousand years before I finally succeeded under fortuitous circumstances, so I simply can't compare with you. With your aptitude and youth, perhaps you'll even have a chance of reaching the Grand Ascension Stage in the future," Daoist Master Myriad Bone said with a smile, and there were slightly fawning undertones in his voice.

"I wouldn't dare to dream of reaching the Grand Ascension Stage; I'll be content if I can transcend a few major heavenly tribulations," Han Li said in a modest manner.

"That's true. The Grand Ascension Stage is like a mirage to us. Our human race has existed in the Spirit Realm for so many years, but we've only produced a total of around a dozen or so Grand Ascension cultivators. There was even a time when we had no Grand Ascension cultivators, and the entire race was under threat of being wiped out," Daoist Master Myriad Bone sighed as a reminiscent look appeared in his eyes.

Han Li had indeed heard about this major tribulation that the human race had to endure. At the time, they seemed to also have been attacked by a united army formed by several foreign races.

Thankfully, the demon race was at the height of its powers at the time, with two Grand Ascension Stage beings among their ranks. Furthermore, they were aware that the demon race alone definitely wouldn't be able to ensure their own survival in the Spirit Realm for long, so they decided to lend the human race their assistance. Otherwise, the human race would have truly been in severe peril.

The reminiscent look in Daoist Master Myriad Bone's eyes quickly faded, and he suddenly changed the subject. "You've only recently progressed to the Body Integration Stage, so you must be aiming to purchase a lot of things during this Myriad Treasure Convention, right, Fellow Daoist Han?"

"I am indeed hoping to secure some pill refinement materials during this convention. After all, only during an event like this will I be able to encounter some rare materials that I normally wouldn't get to see," Han Li replied with a nod.

"In that case, I have a suggestion; would you like to hear it?" Daoist Master Myriad Bone asked with a smile.

"Oh? Please go ahead, Fellow Daoist." Han Li was slightly taken aback.

"You can all go for now." As opposed to immediately offering his suggestion to Han Li, Daoist Master Myriad Bone asked the women in the room and the woman in his arms to leave first.

These women naturally did as they were told, extending curtseys toward Han Li and Daoist Master Myriad Bone before exiting the hall.

Thus, Han Li and the Daoist Master Myriad Bone were the only ones left in the hall.

Only then did a serious look appear on Daoist Master Myriad Bone's face, and he said, "Fellow Daoist Han, this should be your first time attending a Myriad Treasure Convention as a Body Integration cultivator; have you heard of the Black Realm Exchange Convention?"

"Black Realm Exchange Convention? This is the first time I've heard of such a thing. Is this something like a secret marketplace?" Han Li was intrigued by this, but not overly surprised.

He would instead be surprised if there weren't any secret private markets formed during a grand occasion like the Myriad Treasure Convention.

Han Li was clearly intrigued, and Daoist Master Myriad Bone smiled as he continued, "Hehe, looks like you've already guessed that something like this exists, even though it's your first time hearing of it. For Body Integration cultivators like us, it's very rare that something catches our interest; even the auction held at the Myriad Treasure Convention won't be able to satisfy all of our needs. There are many fellow Daoists who are carrying precious treasures but are unwilling to sell them for spirit stones and only want to exchange them for items that they urgently need.

"There are also some fellow Daoists who possess items of value, but the means through which they obtained those items could be rather unscrupulous, so it would be inadvisable for them to directly auction off these items. Additionally, there are some treasures that are simply too precious, and even Body Integration cultivators like us would be afraid of being hunted down if word were to spread that such a treasure was in our possession.

"Hence, several private markets have been set up alongside the Myriad Treasure Convention, among which this Black Realm Convention is the most mysterious one. It's held by a group of mysterious cultivators, and it's catered solely toward Body Integration cultivators. Generally speaking, very few Body Integration cultivators who attend the Myriad Treasure Convention will refrain from participating in this private convention.

"The origins of these cultivators are largely unknown, and they're extremely powerful. There was even one edition of the exchange convention where they killed a rabble-rousing mid-Body Integration cultivator. After that, no one dared to offend the organizers of the convention, so it's also extremely safe there. The exchange convention solely facilitates exchanges between items, and it'll only be held once. On top of that, the entire event must conclude within a day, and no questions will be asked about the identities of the attendees, so it's perfect for Body Integration cultivators like us.

"Aside from us Body Integration cultivators, people with treasures that are deemed to be valuable enough will also be permitted to attend the convention. Of course, ordinary treasures won't be accepted. There will also be many powerful beings from the demon race in attendance as well, so some demon beast materials and even spirit beast eggs that won't be available through normal avenues will be up for exchange. There will even be some demonic women being auctioned off there.

"Oh, in particular, the women from the Heavenly Fox Race; all of them are exceptional subjects to engage in dual cultivation with, and many fellow Daoists are very interested in them. Of course, those who end up purchasing those demonic women would definitely have to hide them carefully. Otherwise, if word were to spread to the seven demon monarchs, hehe... Additionally, there will also be some human women with exceptional aptitude that people will be willing to offer for exchange, and the demons are very interested in them as well."

At this point, Han Li naturally understood what this so-called Black Realm Exchange Convention was all about; it was basically the exact same occasion as the underground market he had visited in the Great Jin Empire[1] of the human world, except the main attendees were going to be Body Integration Stage beings, so the items being exchanged would naturally be far more valuable.

At the same time, Han Li was slightly alarmed to hear all this. It was strictly prohibited for human and demon cultivators to forcibly abduct beings from the other race as concubines or subjects for dual cultivation; this was one of the taboo clauses that both races had agreed upon.

A long time had passed since that agreement was made, and barely anyone even mentioned this rule anymore, but if someone were to be caught engaging in such activities, they would still definitely be in a lot of trouble.

This was a clear indication of just how bold and brazen the organizers of this Black Realm Exchange Convention were.

However, this also meant that there were going to be many precious things that couldn't appear on the surface being exchanged in the dark underbelly that was this underground convention. What was of most interest to him was naturally those demon beast materials, and he was quite tempted to attend this underground convention as a result.

"I really am quite interested in this exchange convention. Where and when is it being held?"

"As the name suggests, the Black Realm Exchange Convention will be held in a mysterious place known as the Black Realm. However, the Black Realm is not a set place. Instead, it's a portable Xumi space. That's further testament to the powers of the event's organizers. As for the time, the organizers have their ways of notifying cultivators like us when the convention will be held, as well as how to enter the Black Realm. According to what I've heard, different cultivators will be given different entrance methods. I've already attended this convention multiple times, so I have some avenues through which I can learn some information in advance. If you really want to go, then I can take you with me," Daoist Master Myriad Bone said with a smile.

"Then I'll be thanking you in advance, Fellow Daoist," Han Li agreed with a smile after a brief pause.

[1] Chapter 954: the underground auction where Han Li traded his two devil essence diamonds for materials for the Monarch's Late-Nascent Soul stage puppet.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

"Haha, there's no need to thank me. Even if I hadn't told you about this, someone else would've disclosed this information to you. Perhaps I'll be requiring your assistance for some trivial matters in the future as well, Fellow Daoist," Daoist Master Myriad Bone said with a smile.

"You're far too kind, Daoist Myriad Bone. If there's anything I can assist you with, please feel free to tell me," Han Li replied with a smile.

The rest of their conversation progressed in a very smooth and harmonious manner. After discussing some cultivation experiences and insights, Daoist Master Myriad Bone summoned a group of beautiful female disciples to perform an extremely captivating dance, and only then did he accompany Han Li to the teleportation formation.

As Han Li vanished amid a flash of spiritual light, Daoist Master Myriad Bone's smile immediately faded, and a slightly dark expression appeared on his face.

Right at this moment, spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted beside him, and a lithe and graceful figure emerged.

"What do you think, Brother Myriad Bone? Can he be recruited by us? Make sure our efforts aren't just going to waste."

The woman was extremely beautiful and wore a white veil dress. Not only did her attire match that of the adored concubine whom Daoist Master Myriad Bone had held in his arms earlier, even their appearances were quite similar.

However, the slight differences between the two immediately set the two women apart as two completely different people.

This woman's eyes were filled with a seductive light, and she possessed far more allure than Daoist Master Myriad Bone's concubine, enough to make any man go wild.

Daoist Master Myriad Bone wasn't surprised at all to hear this woman's voice, and he turned toward her as he replied, "It's still too early to tell. That man is definitely no ordinary cultivator to have reached the Body Integration Stage at such a young age. However, one thing is for sure; we definitely won't be able to recruit him unless we expend some more thought and effort. On top of that, he possesses a lot of latent potential, so perhaps he may even make another breakthrough in the next few centuries. Recruiting him will certainly be a lot better than recruiting those unreliable wily old foxes."

"You think he could progress to the mid-Body Integration Stage in the next few centuries? Surely you're thinking far too highly of him. He may have reached the Body Integration Stage in such a short time, but every successive breakthrough beyond this point will be far more difficult than anything he has experienced in the past. Otherwise, how could the two of us have been stuck at the pinnacle of the early-Body Integration Stage for tens of thousands of years? Many other Body Integration Stage beings among our human and demon races are also stuck in the same situation, and only a minority have managed to reach the mid-Body Integration Stage, with even less going on to reach the late-Body Integration Stage.

"Regardless of how astonishing his aptitude is, surely it'll have to be several thousand years at least before he can make a breakthrough. Otherwise, if he's able to reach the mid-Body Integration Stage prior to the arrival of the devilish tribulation and is willing to protect me, I wouldn't be opposed to giving myself to him," the seductive woman sighed.

Daoist Master Myriad Bone's expression changed slightly at the mention of the words "devilish tribulation", and a hint of fear flashed through his eyes.

However, he quickly managed to regain his composure, and said in a cold voice, "You and I have both endured the last devilish tribulation, and nothing needs to be said about how fearsome the Elder Devil Race is. Among the vagrant Body Integration cultivators of the human and demon races, most of them perished during that tribulation, and only around four or five of them managed to survive the ordeal in total. In contrast, far more of the Body Integration cultivators who pledged their allegiance to major powers managed to survive. The root cause behind this is that vagrant cultivators like us will eventually be divided and conquered by the high-grade beings of the Elder Devil Race. Hence, prior to the arrival of the devilish tribulation, we have to do everything in our power to forge an alliance with as many vagrant Body Integration cultivators as possible. I'm sure that our chances of survival would be increased significantly if we were to band together."

"That is indeed true, but I'm still not sure whether expending so much effort to recruit vagrant cultivators will actually be effective. How about you disband your White Bone Sect and pledge your allegiance to one of the three sovereigns, and I'll also find a way to join one of the seven demon monarchs? They all have established forces, after all, and it'll be much safer for us to join them," the woman said as she pursed her lips.

"Hmph, quit daydreaming! You and I have both grown accustomed to lives of freedom; how could we possibly subject to someone else and allow ourselves to be restricted by others? If our personalities had been different, you wouldn't have left the Heavenly Fox Race, and I wouldn't have turned down the invitations from the three sovereigns. Besides, we haven't done anything for those major powers, and they'll definitely accept us with open arms now, but in the future, they'll most likely use us as cannon fodder. If perilous tasks arise, the new cultivators to join them like us will definitely be pushed to the front lines. As opposed to that, I would rather be alone and do as I please, even if it means having to fight for myself as well.

"On top of that, it's not like the territories of the three sovereigns and seven monarchs are going to be absolutely safe, either. During the last devilish tribulation, three demon monarchs and two human sovereigns perished, so there's no absolute safe harbor. All we can do is recruit as many fellow Daoists as possible. If they join us, then all of us will have a greater chance of survival. In any case, I would much rather place my trust in myself than put my life in the hands of others," Daoist Master Myriad Bone said in a solemn manner.

The woman seemed to have been convinced by Daoist Master Myriad Bone, and after a brief pause, she nodded, and said, "In that case, this Myriad Treasure Convention will be a fantastic opportunity for us to contact other vagrant cultivators. There really are very few situations where so many human and demon Body Integration cultivators will be gathering in one place. I'll leave the human cultivators to you while I contact the demon cultivators. I'm sure these vagrant cultivators have all heard about the imminent devilish tribulation, but they definitely won't know as much about it as we do, including the fact that it's going to take place within the next 1,000 years. By the way, I discussed this matter with that black wolf prior to coming here, and he seemed to be quite interested. However, we'll have to speak to him about this matter in further depth if we want to convince him."

"That would be great. Fellow Daoist Tian Kun has once competed with Wolf Monarch Tian Ben for the position of demon monarch, and he was only defeated after a grueling battle that spanned a day and a night, so he's definitely going to be far more powerful than the average vagrant Body Integration cultivator. I'm not sure how many human cultivators I'll be able to recruit, but I have some ties with Patriarch Heavenly Yin of Heavenly Yin Mountain, and he'll be attending this Myriad Treasure Convention as well, so it shouldn't be too difficult to convince him," Daoist Master Myriad Bone said in an elated manner.

"If we really can recruit those two, then our safety will most likely be assured even if we can't convince anyone else," the woman said with a smile, and her captivating features immediately lit up, making her significantly more seductive than she already was.

Even a vastly powerful cultivator like Daoist Master Myriad Bone couldn't help but be struck by a moment of disorientation at the sight of her seductive display.

The woman's seductive smile widened even further at the sight of Daoist Master Myriad Bone's slightly slack-jawed expression. "Oh? Do you want to try dual cultivating with me, Brother Myriad Bone? If so, I certainly wouldn't mind giving it a try!"

It was as if she really were willing to offer her body to Daoist Master Myriad Bone if he so pleased, but he immediately shuddered upon hearing this before hurriedly waving his hands with a wry smile. "Surely you jest, Fellow Daoist! You possess the Heavenly Fox Body; that's not something I can lay my hands on. I'm no longer a young man, and I still want to live for a few more years."

"That's a real pity; I was truly looking forward to dual cultivating with you. It's unfortunate that you have the heart but not the will to see things through," the woman giggled, further accentuating her seductive qualities as she did so.

Daoist Master Myriad Bone didn't even dare to look directly at her anymore, and he hurriedly shifted his gaze away as he changed the subject. "By the way, your Myriad Illusion Technique really has been honed to an extraordinary extent. When you posed as my concubine, even I would've been fooled had I not been aware of our arrangement; I'm sure that Fellow Daoist Han wouldn't have been able to see anything amiss, either. As expected of a Heavenly Fox being; your aptitude in concealment and disguise truly is astonishing."

As opposed to being flattered by these words of praise, the woman's smile suddenly faded, and she said in a cold voice, "Hmph, do you really think he was fooled, Fellow Daoist Myriad Bone?"

"What do you mean by that?" Daoist Master Myriad Bone was taken aback by her sudden shift in demeanor.

"It's no surprise that you didn't detect anything. When I was posing as your concubine earlier, Fellow Daoist Han had directed a wisp of his spiritual sense solely toward me. If it weren't for the fact that I had unleashed a detection secret technique and was paying extra attention to him, I would've failed to detect this as well. This Fellow Daoist Han possesses the most powerful spiritual sense I've ever seen. If I had to compare it to someone else, I'd say that it's most likely not inferior to the spiritual senses of the three sovereigns and seven monarchs," the woman replied in a grim voice.

"Is that so?" Daoist Master Myriad Bone drew a sharp breath as his expression darkened even further.

"Rest assured, Brother Myriad Bone, it's no surprise that this Fellow Daoist Han possesses incredible aptitude, considering he was able to reach the Body Integration Stage at such a young age. He was able to see through my disguise, but I had already used a Heavenly Fox Race secret technique to completely seal away my magic power for a short time, so no matter how powerful he is, there's no way he would've been able to identify the fact that I'm a Body Integration cultivator. On top of that, I'm sure that he's determined that we bear no ill will toward him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have conversed with you for so long before departing."

Daoist Master Myriad Bone's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and he said, "That is indeed true. If he asks me about this next time, I'll just have to make up an excuse to placate him."

"In all honesty, it doesn't really matter even if he learns my true identity. Am I that unsightly that I can't be presented before others?" the woman asked as she adopted her seductive smile again.

Daoist Master Myriad Bone's eyelids twitched upon seeing this, and he could only remain silent with a wry smile on his face.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Contrary to her stunning looks, this Fairy Hua of the Heavenly Fox Race was an extremely ruthless and dangerous character. She had once sucked away the true Yang essence of hundreds of young male demons, and for that, she was hunted down by the Heavenly Fox Monarch himself for a long while, but still managed to escape with her life. With that harrowing past behind her, Daoist Master Myriad Bone naturally didn't dare to let others know that he was on friendly terms with this woman.

"Alright, now that we've had our first meeting with Fellow Daoist Han, I'm going to go into seclusion for a few days. I recently attained some sudden enlightenment in my cultivation and wish to explore that further. It would be inconvenient for you to live here with me, so I'll have to ask you to leave," Daoist Master Myriad Bone said in a casual voice.

"You sure are a sly old Daoist priest! You're just scared that I'll go after your disciples, you're fabricating the excuse that it would be inconvenient for me to live here. Am I going to occupy the entirety of this massive space? Come to think of it, you've brought a few disciples with you who have decent aptitude. I've heard that you also brought along the sons and grandson that you adore the most; you better keep a close eye on them," the woman chuckled in a seductive manner before her body swayed, and she abruptly vanished on the spot.

In the next instant, spiritual light flashed within the teleportation formation, and she reappeared inside the formation, having already reverted back to the appearance of Daoist Master Myriad Bone's concubine.

Daoist Master Myriad Bone's face paled slightly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly summoned a silver badge before waving it toward the formation.

A buzzing sound rang out from the teleportation formation, and the woman was instantly teleported away.

Only then did Daoist Master Myriad Bone shake his head with a wry smile and depart from the scene.

Meanwhile, Han Li had already returned to the fifth floor, and he was sitting by himself on the main seat in the hall, contemplating something in silence.

He was trying to figure out what this Daoist Master Myriad Bone's intentions were. He naturally wasn't convinced that Daoist Master Myriad Bone had merely invited him in an attempt to befriend him with pure motives.

Furthermore, the concubine that he had been holding had unleashed an extremely advanced illusionary technique to conceal her true appearance, which was rather suspicious.

However, he didn't detect any ill intent from their speech and actions, which was why he had been content to converse with Daoist Master Myriad Bone for so long before departing.

Besides, with his current powers, he could put up a good fight even against a late-Body Integration cultivator, so he had nothing to fear even if they did harbor some kind of ulterior motive.

Additionally, the Black Realm Exchange Convention that they had mentioned was truly something that he was interested in attending. After all, he wasn't really banking on reaping much rewards from the Myriad Treasure Convention.

Part of the reason why he had come here was to fulfill the agreement he had made with that demonic woman back in Deep Heaven City, and on top of that, he also wanted to take this opportunity to acquaint himself with other cultivators of the same caliber and see what the three sovereigns and seven monarchs were like. He wanted to compare them to the holy-grade beings he had encountered in the foreign races.

If he could purchase a large amount of demon beast materials from the demonic woman and also reap many rewards during the Black Realm Exchange Convention, then there was a good chance that he would be able to gather all of the materials required to refine his second extreme mountain.

If he could accomplish that, then he would have another immensely powerful treasure at his disposal, and with those two extreme mountains, it would also become an extremely easy task for him to transcend his first few major heavenly tribulations.

On top of that, it seemed that he would be able to find a third extreme mountain in the not too distant future as well. However, that would depend on whether his new in-name disciple could successfully cultivate her Ice Essence Glacial Soul ability.

One of the five mountains required to refine the five extreme mountains was none other than the Vast Yin Glacial Soul Mountain.

The Vast Yin stones that this mountain was comprised of were different from Profound Jade. It could only be found in an extreme glacial realm, but only after being stimulated by someone could it release Glacial Soul Qi, which was extraordinarily cold.

Such a mountain generally stood hundreds of thousands of feet beneath a glacier, and due to the vast amount of glacial Qi around it, even Han Li's tremendously powerful spiritual sense wouldn't be able to detect it.

Only those with the aforementioned ability would be able to sense the Vast Yin stones from afar.

As for the range within which these Vast Yin stones could be sensed, that would depend on the size of the Vast Yin stones and the potency of the cultivator's Ice Essence Glacial Soul ability.

The Vast Yin Glacial Soul Mountain that he was searching for was naturally extremely massive, and as long as one were to master the Ice Essence Glacial Soul ability, they would definitely be able to sense it even from hundreds of thousands of feet.

Of course, Han Li had no idea whether such a mountain could be found.

Thankfully, he knew of many extreme glacial realms in the human and demon territories alone. Compared to the other few types of extreme mountains, this one was the easiest to source, but it was still yet to be seen whether he could track down such a mountain.

However, for the sake of his future major heavenly tribulations, Han Li naturally couldn't relinquish any shred of hope, which was why he had decided to save Bai Guo'er without any hesitation after discovering her special physique.

He possessed a vast amount of pills, so saving her wouldn't cause as huge a setback in his cultivation as it would for other cultivators of his caliber, but it would still definitely delay his cultivation for over 100 years.

However, if he could refine the Glacial Soul Extreme Mountain and make some further advancements in his power, he could consider creating a clone of himself with restricted magic power to return to the human world. There were two places in the human world where sightings of Greatnorth Essence Lights had been made, so there was definitely a good chance that a Greatnorth Essence Mountain could be found there.

As such, there was a good chance that he would be able to gather four of the five extreme mountains. If he were fortunate enough to gather the materials required for the last extreme mountain as well and refine all five extreme mountains, he most likely wouldn't have to worry about major heavenly tribulations for a very long time to come.

With sufficient time, he was confident in his own ability to reach the Grand Ascension Stage, and it certainly wasn't impossible for him to ascend to the True Immortal Realm eventually.

Han Li's expression remained calm and unchanged, but these thoughts were rapidly flashing through his mind.

After a while, he stood up before making his way toward one of the side doors of the hall.

His plan was to continue resting in the hall for the next two days, then pay Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign a visit to collect the ingredients required to brew Red Silk Immortal Wine.

Seeing as he was planning to attend this Black Realm convention, it certainly wouldn't be a bad idea to refine some Red Silk Immortal Wine. If he were to encounter some extremely avid wine enthusiasts among the cultivators there, the wine would possess extremely high exchange value.

Otherwise, even though he was carrying many treasures and spirit medicines, there really wasn't all that much that he could bring out for exchange. Myriad-year spirit medicines were indeed quite rare, but they weren't too precious in the eyes of Body Integration cultivators. As for the powerful treasures that he had, most of them were useful to him, so he couldn't just offer them for exchange.

Thus, night slowly fell, and only when it had turned dark outside did Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi return in an excited manner.

Han Li could sense that the two of them had appeared in the teleportation formation on the first floor, and he used his restriction badge to summon them to the fifth floor. After that, he issued some instructions to them, and even though they had a lot to say to him, they could only bite their tongues and return to their living quarters.

Two days later, Han Li paid a visit to Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign, who was staying in another Immortal Welcome Palace, and secured a large amount of ingredients from him.

What was slightly unfortunate was that the two demon monarchs, the Black Phoenix Monarch and Wyrm Monarch Li Huo, both had something to do, so they were no longer on Nine Immortal Mountain. It was most likely the case that they were only going to come back prior to the commencement of the Myriad Treasure Convention.

Han Li was naturally slightly disappointed, but he didn't think too much of it as he was in a hurry to brew the immortal wine.

Thus, he quickly took his leave from Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign's residence and returned to his own Immortal Welcome Palace.

He entered a secret chamber on the fifth floor, then began to brew Red Silk Immortal Wine according to the procedure detailed on the ancient tome.

He stayed in the secret chamber for half a month without coming out even once.

He naturally couldn't brew all of the Red Silk Fruits that he had into wine, and aside from the two flagons he had promised Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign, he only brewed seven more flagons beyond that.

Han Li was well aware of the correlation between rarity and value. Even though this Red Silk Immortal Wine was wine of the True Immortal Realm and had never been seen in the Spirit Realm before, bringing out too much at once would still severely dent its value.

Furthermore, consumption of this Red Silk Immortal Wine over an extended period of time could enhance one's constitution and extend one's lifespan, so Han Li was planning to drink it himself for a long time to come.

After brewing the wine, Han Li continued to meditate and cultivate in the hall most of the time, and he would occasionally leave the fifth floor to meet and interact with the other Body Integration cultivators who had arrived.

There were a few of them that he found to be quite enjoyable to interact with, and they established a close acquaintanceship.

As for that Daoist Master Myriad Bone, he was still as warm and hospitable toward Han Li as ever. He had even invited Han Li to attend a small private exchange convention that could only be attended by cultivators at or above the Spatial Tempering Stage, and Han Li had secured some materials that he required during the event.

This further improved Han Li's impression of Daoist Master Myriad Bone, which had been quite positive to begin with.

As time passed, more and more Body Integration cultivators began to move into the Immortal Welcome Palaces, and around a month prior to the commencement of the Myriad Treasure Convention, the Immortal Welcome Palaces had been mostly occupied.

Among these Body Integration cultivators were grand elders from some major powers, as well as beings who ruled over a certain territory themselves, and there weren't that many vagrant cultivators like Han Li.

However, aside from Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign, Mouse Monarch Dong Tian was the only other one among the three sovereigns and seven monarchs to arrive.

However, this demon monarch immediately went into seclusion after moving into Nine Immortal Mountain, refusing to see anyone, thereby creating a sense of mystery and intrigue around him.

Come to think of it, this Mouse Monarch Dong Tian had always been the most enigmatic among the seven demon monarchs. It was said that he was constantly using a secret technique to conceal himself, and very few people among the human and demon races had seen his true appearance.

What was most bizarre was that barely anyone knew anything about his abilities. It seemed that this demon monarch never fought others in front of an audience, but the high-grade beings who had crossed him in the past had all disappeared from the two races one after another.

No one could confirm whether he was behind all of this, but everyone knew that it was definitely not a good idea to mess with this Mouse Monarch Dong Tian.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

This demon monarch was a member of the Jade Mouse Race, which held a very important position in the demon race. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become one of the demon monarchs.

After all, the demon race was different from the human race. Even if they were considered to be top-tier beings among the demon race, they still had to have sufficient backing before they could become demon monarchs.

In contrast, power was generally passed down from generation to generation for the three human sovereigns.

Han Li really wanted to go and meet this mouse monarch, but the latter clearly had no intention of seeing anyone, so he could only give up on this matter.

Thus, during the remaining time, Han Li acquainted himself with more Body Integration Stage cultivators and also studied that strange disappearing spiritual root of Young Master Hai's.

Not only had he read many tomes for this, he had even asked Young Master Hai to release some blood essence for further study. From his efforts, he managed to deduce a few murky possibilities.

However, he would still have to observe Young Master Hai for some time longer before he could ascertain the true nature of his spiritual root.

During this time, Han Li was quite benevolent toward his two companions. Not only did he allow Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi to enter and exit the palace as they pleased, he also provided occasional guidance to them in their cultivation, which benefited them immensely.

On this day, Han Li was, explaining some aspects of a cultivation art to Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi, and just as he was about to take a sip of spirit tea, his expression suddenly stiffened slightly.

Qi Lingzi reacted quite quickly, and asked, "Is something wrong, Senior?"

"You'll know what's going on soon," Han Li replied with furrowed brows.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi exchanged a slightly bewildered glance upon hearing this, but they didn't dare to press Han Li any further for answers, so they could only wait in silence.

After a full 10 minutes had passed, a dull thump suddenly rang out from outside the palace. The entire ground beneath their feet and the surroundings walls then tremored slightly, and both Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were given quite a fright as they cast their astonished eyes toward the door.

Han Li remained still on his seat, but a slightly solemn look had also appeared on his face.

One dull thump rang out after another, and tremors continued to run through the entire palace. It was as if there was some kind of gargantuan creature slowly approaching the Immortal Welcome Palace.

"What's going on, Senior Han?" Young Master Hai couldn't help but ask in a bewildered manner.

"You two won't be able to sense anything here. Let me take you two to broaden your horizons," Han Li sighed before rising to his feet, then swept his sleeve toward the two of them.

A burst of azure light immediately swept forth to encompass the trio, and they vanished as a streak of azure light.

In the next instant, the three of them appeared in the teleportation formation before teleporting out of the fifth floor.

The three of them then emerged from the teleportation formation on the first floor of the Immortal Welcome Palace, then rose up into the air as a streak of azure light.

After just a few flashes, the azure light faded, and the trio appeared on the summit of a tall mountain, where they were able to see everything within a radius of several thousand kilometers.

Without the Immortal Welcome Palace's restrictions acting as a buffer, the rumbling booms in the distance were even more earth-shattering.

The entire Nine Immortal Mountain seemed to be quaking as a gargantuan being approached from the distance.

"What is that? It looks like a living walking piece of land!" Qi Lingzi's jaw dropped straight to the ground as he cast his gaze into the distance.

Young Master Hai blinked rapidly in an astonished manner as if he were afraid that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

It was no wonder that they were so astonished; there was currently an immeasurably massive mass of black land approaching them from afar, and the rumbling booms were emanating from directly beneath this unfathomably massive chunk of black land.

This plot of land seemed to be extremely dry, and its surface was riddled with countless cracks, forming a series of extremely deep rifts and ravines.

What was even more astonishing was that at the center of the plot of land was a tall and majestic black fortress, around which stood countless black-armored guards.

They were standing in a completely still manner with cold expressions on their faces, and holding all types of long halberds and giant axes.

There were also over 1,000 guards clad in bone armor atop giant blue wolf steeds flying in the air above the fortress, and they were none other than Lightning Guards!

One group of guards stood in a stationary manner on the ground, while the other group of guards soared through the air, and the combination of the two created quite an intimidating sight to behold.

All of a sudden, Han Li's eyes narrowed and blue light flashed through his pupils as he said, "I can see you, fellow Daoist; why don't you come out to meet me?"

An unfamiliar yet extremely pleasant female voice rang out from behind him in response. "As expected, my little tricks aren't enough to fool you, Brother Han. Tsk tsk, the Tyrant Sovereign's spirit beast steed sure is massive. It most likely has something to do with the legendary Transport Spirit."

Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but he was feeling slightly alarmed. With his immensely powerful spiritual sense, it was quite incredible that someone had managed to get so close to him before he finally noticed their presence.

He slowly turned toward the one who had just spoken, and discovered there was a beautiful young woman in a five-colored palatial dress, appraising him with a smile over 100 feet away.

As Han Li swept his spiritual sense toward her, a hint of befuddlement appeared in his eyes.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Han, my name is Liu Qing. As I'm sure you've already noticed, this is just a puppet clone of mine, rather than my true body," the young woman said in a composed manner as she extended a curtsey toward Han Li.

"Liu Qing? I've heard that the former Heavenly Spirit Sovereign had a pair of trusted subordinates, one of whom excelled in the art of puppetry while the other was adept in disguise techniques. Among them, the former is known as Liu Qing or Fairy Thousand Spirit; could that be you?" Han Li asked with a contemplative look in his eyes.

"I'm truly flattered that you know of me, Fellow Daoist Han. I should've attended such a grand occasion in person, but I've reached a critical juncture in my cultivation of a secret technique, so I'm unable to leave my secret chamber. As such, I had no choice but to send this puppet clone in my stead. Thankfully, this clone of mine has built up somewhat of a reputation for itself and was allowed to enter this place." The woman spoke in a calm and graceful manner, and Han Li's expression changed slightly upon verifying her identity.

This Fairy Thousand Spirit was only a subordinate to Heavenly Spirit Sovereign, but it was said that she possessed outstanding aptitude in the art of puppetry. On top of that, her skills in that area had drastically improved even further after she pledged her allegiance to Heavenly Spirit Sovereign. She was renowned as the second-most proficient human in the puppetry arts, second only to the Heavenly Spirit Sovereign himself, who excelled in both puppetry and illusionary techniques.

This Fairy Thousand Spirit and Heavenly Spirit Sovereign's other trusted subordinate had been won over by Heavenly Spirit Sovereign's abilities, and were therefore willing to pledge their allegiance to him.

Even though this was only a puppet, Han Li could tell that it was most likely not inferior in power to a late-Spatial Tempering Stage being. As such, even though he was rather surprised that this Liu Qing seemed to recognize him, he immediately cupped his fist in a salute, and said, "Apologies for my rudeness, Fairy Thousand Spirit. In regard to the Transport Spirit you just referred to, could this be the ancient divine tortoise that's able to carry Xuan Wu City on its back?"

"Indeed. The Transport Spirit is a giant beast that has inherited the bloodline of the True Spirit Xuan Wu, and I was fortunate enough to have been able to see it in person. Its sheer size is so astounding that no one would dare to oppose it. On top of that, it's also proficient in powerful water and earth-attribute abilities, and its defenses are so powerful that even the average Divine Spirit Treasure wouldn't be able to leave a single scratch on it. This giant beast in front of us is most likely only one of the descendants of that tortoise," Liu Qing chuckled.

"This is only one of its descendants?" Han Li couldn't help but draw a sharp breath as he turned back to the massive plot of approaching land.

"That's right, the true Transport Spirit is more than 10,000 times larger than this creature," Liu Qing replied with an earnest nod.

"I'm very intrigued to see this Transport Spirit for myself now," Han Li mused as he cast his gaze into the distance.

"It won't be easy to witness that giant beast. At the time, I traveled to Xuan Wu City as part of the Spirit Sovereign's entourage, and it was only through sheer luck that I managed to catch a glimpse of the creature from afar. Once every 3,000 years, the giant tortoise emerges to absorb the essence of the sun and the moon, and I was fortunate enough to be present at the time. Otherwise, it spends most of its time with its body mostly buried in the earth, and its limbs and head are also retracted back into its shell as it hibernates."

"I see, my eyes have truly been opened," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a salute toward Liu Qing with a slightly wistful look in his eyes.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were completely enraptured by their conversation, and they were clearly filled with yearning toward this unfathomable world inhabited by these truly powerful beings.

When the giant beast in the distance was still several tens of kilometers away from the Nine Immortal Mountain, it finally drew to a halt, and the tremors running through the ground abruptly ceased.

Right at this moment, the giant plot of land slowly rose up from the ground, transforming into a giant black mountain that was tens of thousands of feet tall in mere moments. Faint tremors emanated from the bottom of the black mountain again, and an enormous head emerged from the soil before casting its gaze toward the nearby spectating cultivators, which naturally included Han Li and Liu Qing.

Han Li focused his gaze on the head of the creature to find that it was extremely intimidating in appearance. There were a dozen or so curved horns of different sizes on its head, and the vulnerable points on its neck were all covered by thick black scales.

The giant beast also had a remarkably long mouth, and as it opened its mouth, a pungent odor swept forth while rows of giant sharp teeth were revealed.

Han Li looked on at the creature's sharp teeth, and he estimated that it would take hundreds of someone of his size to provide an ample mouthful for this creature to devour.

Qi Lingzi was quite a courageous character, but even his face had paled slightly at the sight of this ferocious gargantuan beast.

Meanwhile, Young Master Hai was looking back and forth between the creature and his own body.

Qi Lingzi asked in a curious manner, "What are you doing?"

"I'm just comparing to see if I'm as big as one of that thing's teeth," Young Master Hai replied, leaving Qi Lingzi feeling completely speechless.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Han Li's lips also twitched slightly upon hearing Young Master Hai's response. This guy really had been born to be a comedian!

The giant tortoise suddenly let loose an earth-shattering roar before withdrawing its head and limbs into the ground again, and the giant black mountain it had transformed into immediately fell still.

Only then did the black-armored guards around the fortress spring into action.

The Lightning Guards in the air descended into the fortress while the black-armored guards formed teams and rose up into the air, pulling out a series of formation tools as they completed various tasks around the black mountain.

Moments later, layers of restrictions had been set up around the mountain, and a layer of black mist permeated forth to completely conceal the fortress on it.

After that, the black-armored guards immediately rushed into the black mist and vanished.

Everything within the mist fell silent, creating a stark contrast with the massive commotion that had been caused earlier.

Right at this moment, a dragon's roar rang out from another mountain, and a streak of golden light shot forth before arriving in the air above the black mist after just a few flashes.

The golden light faded, and a shimmering golden wyrm was revealed with a single horn that was over 100 feet in length on its head.

A smiling white-robed man stood on the back of the golden wyrm; it was none other than Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign.

"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Xuan Wu. Care for a reunion?"

"Hmph, just come in if you want to see me, you old geezer. I'm sure a mere illusionary formation won't be enough to keep you out." A cold voice responded from within the black mist, and the owner of the voice wasn't making any effort to be respectful or polite toward Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign.

"Hehe, I'll help myself, then." Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign chuckled, seemingly completely unbothered by the animosity being directed at him. He tapped his foot onto the back of his golden wyrm steed, and it immediately vanished into the black mist as a ball of golden light.

The black mist then fell silent once again.

All of the spectating Body Integration cultivators knew that nothing more would come of this, so they all returned to their living quarters.

Han Li naturally harbored the same intentions, and he cupped his fist in a salute to Liu Qing to bid her farewell. To his surprise, before he could say anything, Liu Qing suddenly smiled, and said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to my humble abode, Fellow Daoist Han. There is an acquaintance of yours who would like to see you."

"An acquaintance of mine?" Han Li was rather surprised to hear this.

"Indeed. She's actually the descendant of an old friend of mine, and I just so happened to encounter her during my journey here, so I brought her to the Immortal Welcome Palace with me. As for exactly who it is, you'll know when you get there," Liu Qing replied with a smile.

"You're really piquing my curiosity, Fairy Liu. In that case, please pardon my intrusion," Han Li said, and even though his expression remained unchanged, there were many thoughts flashing through his mind at once.

"I'm glad to hear that you're willing to come, Fellow Daoist Han. I live on the level directly above yours; there's nothing more to see here, so let's go back together," Liu Qing said with a smile, and based on visual information alone, it was impossible to tell that she was actually a puppet.

It was no wonder that she was renowned as the second-most proficient puppetry master in the human race; just this extremely life-like puppet alone was sufficient testament to her abilities.

Now that Heavenly Spirit Sovereign had passed away, she would naturally inherit his status as the most proficient puppetry master among all humans.

Han Li nodded in response before turning to Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi as he instructed, "You two, take this restriction badge and go back first."

The two of them naturally accepted this instruction in a respectful manner.

After that, Han Li departed with Liu Qing toward the Immortal Welcome Palace down below.

Not long after that, Han Li encountered a white-robed young woman who appeared to be around 16 to 17 years of age in a green hall on the sixth floor of the Immortal Welcome Palace.

A hint of surprise appeared on Han Li's face at the sight of the young woman. "Fellow Daoist Ye!"

"Ye Ying pays her respects to Senior Han. I didn't think that you would've progressed to the Body Integration Stage since we separated in the Wood Tribe," Ye Ying said with a complex look on her face as she extended a curtsey toward Han Li.

"I must say, I'm quite surprised to see you here, Fairy Ye Ying." A smile appeared on Han Li's face, and he swept a sleeve through the air to send forth a burst of invisible force that prevented Ye Ying from sinking down into her curtsey.

At the same time, he swept his spiritual sense toward her and discovered that she had already reached the early-Spatial Tempering Stage. As expected of a member of the Ye Family who possessed the Heavenly Phoenix bloodline; her rate of cultivation far exceeded that of the average cultivator.

The Heavenly Phoenix True Blood that Han Li had obtained was from her, so he was reflexively more polite toward her.

"My mother is good friends with Aunt Liu, and she implored Aunt Liu to take me here with her," Ye Ying explained with a smile.

"There's no need to place me on such a pedestal, Ying'er. Your mother and I are as close as sisters; I was more than willing to bring you along with me," Liu Qing chuckled.

Ye Ying naturally expressed her gratitude toward Liu Qing again upon hearing this.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Han Li's smile suddenly faded as he said, "I assume you didn't ask Fairy Liu to bring me here just because you wanted to meet me, right?"

Ye Ying faltered slightly upon hearing this before a slightly embarrassed look appeared on her face. "That is indeed true, Senior."

"I'll leave you two to discuss this matter on your own, then," Liu Qing said in a thoughtful manner before turning to leave.

"Please wait, Aunt Liu; this actually has something to do with you as well, so there's no need for you to leave," Ye Ying hurriedly said.

A slightly surprised look appeared on Liu Qing's face as she stopped before turning back to Ye Ying. "Oh? In that case, I'll also stay and listen to what you have to say."

Han Li stroked his chin, and an intrigued look also appeared on his face.

Ye Ying paused momentarily as a serious look appeared on her face, and she continued, "I have two things that I have to discuss with the two of you, one of which won't have much to do with Senior Han, but it'll be very much related to Aunt Liu."

"Oh?" Liu Qing's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

"Aunt Liu, I heard that you've been in seclusion ever since the Spirit Sovereign passed away. Does this mean you've already made a decision to contest for the newly vacated Spirit Sovereign berth?" Ye Ying asked.

Liu Qing's expression changed slightly, and only after a short while did she nod in admission. "Indeed. I've already mastered the former Spirit Sovereign's puppet secret techniques and refined several extremely powerful puppets. If I can make further improvements in my powers during my time in seclusion, I should be able to combat even late-Body Integration cultivators, so I naturally intend to put my name forward."

Her voice wasn't very loud, but she seemed to be quite confident.

Ye Ying said in a serious manner, "My mother has asked to relay a message to you; do not contest for the berth of Spirit Sovereign no matter what. If you secure the position, it will only bring you misfortune."

"Is that so? I'm aware that your mother is an extremely intelligent and talented individual, but how can she possibly see into the future? Could it be that she received some news about the matter?" Liu Qing was immediately able to deduce something upon hearing this.

"Your wisdom is truly unmatched, Aunt Liu; I haven't even revealed everything yet, and you've already guessed the general gist of things. Senior Han, I ask that you keep what I'm about to say next a secret," Ye Ying said as she suddenly turned to Han Li.

Han Li could tell from her cautious display that she was going to say something quite important, so he nodded in response without any hesitation. "I promise that I definitely won't reveal to anyone what you're about to say next."

Ye Ying nodded in a content manner upon hearing this before continuing, "Perhaps Senior Han may not know about this, but I'm sure that Aunt Liu has heard about how the devilish tribulation is going to descend upon our Spirit Realm within the next 1,000 years.

A hint of fear flashed through her eyes as she spoke, and Liu Qing's expression darkened slightly, but she seemed to have already been aware of this.

In contrast, Han Li was quite alarmed by this. "Devilish tribulation?"

It was no wonder that he was oblivious to this. All of the other Body Integration cultivators of the human race had been at the Body Integration Stage for thousands of years, so they naturally had some avenues through which they had been made aware of this.

However, Han Li had only been back in human territory for several years and hadn't yet had a chance to acquaint himself with many other Body Integration cultivators, so he naturally knew nothing about the imminent devilish tribulation.

After all, information surrounding the devilish tribulation was only circulating among Body Integration cultivators, and it was kept confidential from all other cultivators in case the human and demon races were plunged into turmoil by this news before the devilish tribulation even struck.

Han Li naturally knew what this devilish tribulation was from the tomes he had read in the human race, but never did he think that it was going to strike within the next 1,000 years!

Could it be that he really was simply this unlucky? Several centuries ago, he had encountered an attack on Deep Heaven City from an army of foreign races that took place once every several tens of thousands of years, and now, he was about to face something even more perilous.

He was finally beginning to understand why so many major powers were eager to recruit him and offer him such alluring conditions. If it weren't for the fact that he was extremely averse to having his freedom restricted by others, he would've been very tempted by a few of the major powers that had approached him.

"Could it be that this devilish tribulation has something to do with the berth of the Spirit Sovereign?" Han Li asked.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

"Indeed, Senior Han. On this occasion, whoever inherits the position of the Spirit Sovereign will be in grave danger in the upcoming devilish tribulation. Aunt Liu, as you know, my grandmother was one of Senior Mo Jianli's in-name disciples, and even after she became the leader of our Ye Family, she still regards Senior Mo as her master. Several years ago, Senior Mo suddenly came to our Ye Family while carrying injuries, and only after speaking with my grandmother for a day and a night did he depart." Liu Qing drew a sharp breath upon hearing this.

"What did you say? Senior Mo Jianli was carrying injuries? That's impossible! What in this realm could possibly harm him? Unless..."Liu Qing's voice trailed off as a thought occurred to her.

Han Li had naturally also heard of this Grand Ascension Stage human being, and he was slightly alarmed to hear this as well.

"Looks like you've figured it out, Aunt Liu. Not long ago, Senior Mo used the power of the star disc to forcibly open up an inter-realm passageway to the devil realm, hoping to conduct some reconnaissance on the Elder Devil Race prior to the arrival of the devilish tribulation. Unfortunately, he was discovered by two holy patriarchs of the Elder Devil Race, and was forced to battle them. Thankfully, Senior Mo had been quite cautious and borrowed a powerful life-saving treasure from that patriarch of the demon race, and that treasure allowed him to escape back into our Spirit Realm without too many mishaps. That's already a massive silver lining on this dark cloud!" Ye Ying explained.

"Senior Mo traveled to the Elder Devil Realm? I've been in seclusion for these past few years, so I had no idea about this. Why did Senior Mo do something so dangerous? If I recall correctly, he didn't do anything like this prior to the last devilish tribulation," Liu Qing said with tightly furrowed brows.

"Senior Mo didn't elaborate much on that, but he seemed to have been clued in somehow that this devilish tribulation was going to be far more perilous than all of the previous ones, and both of our races could be wiped out if we're not careful. That's why Senior Mo took the risk to venture into the Elder Devil Realm, and even though he didn't stay there for long, he did discover some extremely dangerous signs. As such, he came to our Ye Family as soon as he returned from the Elder Devil Realm and asked for some Heavenly Phoenix True Blood, which he was going to use to refine an extremely powerful treasure to combat this devilish tribulation. Otherwise, our Ye Family would also be oblivious to just how perilous this devilish tribulation is going to be," Ye Ying said with a resigned expression.

Both Han Li and Liu Qing were very alarmed at this point.

Han Li suddenly asked, "Did Senior Mo ever mention exactly what he saw in the Elder Devil Realm?"

"I'm afraid I don't know anything about that. My grandmother spoke to everyone in our family about this once, and perhaps my mother knows more than I do, but this is all of the information that I have on the matter. On this occasion, my mother sent me out specifically to caution Aunt Liu and a few other seniors that our family is close with not to contest for the position of the Spirit Sovereign. It seems that the first few passageways that will be opened up between the Elder Devil Realm and the Spirit Realm will appear near the Atlas Sentient Tree in the Tian Ling Region. As such, the Spirit Sovereign's holy city will most likely be the most prominent target for the Elder Devil Race on this occasion.

"Once the devilish tribulation strikes, the three sovereigns are strictly prohibited from abandoning their cities. Aside from that, Senior Mo Jianli and those on the holy island also intend to make the Heavenly Spirit City bait to lure the Elder Devil Race and whittle down their army as much as possible using the power of the Atlas Sentient Tree and the many restrictions in the city, thereby alleviating the pressure on the rest of the human race. Hence, the new Spirit Sovereign's duty will be to guard the front lines against the Elder Devil Race army, and retreat is not an option. I'm sure I won't have to elaborate on just how dangerous a task that'll be," Ye Ying said with a wry smile.

Liu Qing and Han Li exchanged a slightly bewildered glance upon hearing this.

After a long pause, Liu Qing finally sighed, "This is indeed shocking news. It seems that Senior Mo's trip into the Elder Devil Realm will allow our human race to better prepare against the devilish tribulation. I take back what I said earlier; Senior Mo has truly done our human race a great service by making this perilous trip. Thank your mother in my stead for providing me with this information, Ying'er. Otherwise, if I were to inherit the position of the Spirit Sovereign, I would most likely have to perish alongside Heavenly Spirit City."

Han Li was also feeling quite fortunate that he had been present to hear this news. After all, he had also been interested in contesting for the position of the Spirit Sovereign.

It was clear that the Ye Family didn't think that a new Body Integration cultivator like him would be striving toward the position of the Spirit Sovereign, so this information was meant solely for Liu Qing.

Ye Ying hadn't kept this from him clearly as she wanted to thank him for assisting her during their journey to the Wood Tribe several centuries ago.

He hadn't learned too much from this, but at the very least, he had been made aware that the next devilish tribulation was imminent, and that it was going to be extremely perilous, which was quite alarming to him.

He had originally planned to take his time in executing his plans, but it seemed that he would have to make some adjustments.

Before Han Li and Liu Qing had a chance to process this shocking news, Ye Ying suddenly smiled, and said, "I've revealed everything I know about this matter; I'll move on to the second topic now. I'm here on behalf of my mother to invite Aunt Liu and Senior Han to become guest grand elders of our Ye Family."

"Guest grand elder? Ying'er, didn't your mother tell you that I only pledged my allegiance to the Spirit Sovereign as he had shown me great kindness on several occasions in the past, and I had no other way to repay him? I've finally regained my freedom, and I have no intention of being restricted by anyone else. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been tempted to contest for the position of the Spirit Sovereign at only the mid-Body Integration Stage." Liu Qing shook her head to turn down this invitation without any hesitation.

"My mother is naturally aware of this, but she wanted me to pass on another message to you. If you're still unwilling to accept the offer after that, then my mother definitely won't force the issue any further." Ye Ying said with a mysterious smile.

Liu Qing faltered slightly upon hearing this before smiling as she said, "Oh? Hehe, it seems your mother is still as mischievous as she was when we had last met so many years ago. Go on, then, I'll listen to what you have to say."

Thus, Ye Ying's lips tremored as she transmitted her voice to Liu Qing, and Han Li looked from the side with a curious look in his eyes.

Moments later, Liu Qing's smile stiffened, and her cheeks suddenly became quite flushed.

"Is that true? Your mother isn't deceiving me, is she?" The calm and collected Liu Qing had completely lost her composure, and even her voice was trembling slightly.

"I can assure you that it's true. My mother knows that you've been regretting this ever since it happened all those years ago. This is a rather perilous juncture, but it's still quite a significant opportunity. As long as you're willing to join our Ye Family, we're willing to assist you with all our power," Ye Ying assured in an affirmative manner.

"Alright, I'll join your Ye Family! Even if there were only a sliver of a chance, I definitely wouldn't give up on it, let alone such a significant opportunity," Liu Qing immediately agreed, and her face had become extremely pale.

"That's great! You'll be able to live with my mother, and I'll be able to consult you about some puppetry secret techniques now," Ye Ying said with an elated smile.

However, Liu Qing was clearly still reeling from what she had heard, and she could only just barely muster up a smile for Ye Ying in response.

"What is your verdict, Senior Han?" Ye Ying turned to Han Li in an expectant manner.

"I've already refused so many invitations, so I naturally have no intention of joining the Ye Family, either," Han Li replied without making any attempt to mince his words.

"I had thought that you would change your mind after hearing about the imminent devilish tribulation. In that case, my mother also has a message for you. If you still aren't willing to change your mind after hearing it, then just forget I ever extended this offer," Ye Ying insisted.

"Oh? Go on, then," Han Li said as he raised an eyebrow with a hint of a smile on his face.

He had no ties in the Spirit Realm, so he was convinced that she wouldn't be able to say anything that would change his mind.

"Senior Han, have you heard of our Ye Family's Grass Soul Pill and our Great Nirvana Holy Spirit secret technique?" Ye Ying asked.

"I'm naturally aware of the vastly renowned Grass Soul Pill. This is one of the few types of pills in our human race that can enhance the magic power of even Body Integration cultivators, and from what I've heard, your Ye Family very rarely brings out these pills for sale. At the very least, I haven't seen them in any market I've visited. As for this Great Nirvana Holy Spirit secret technique, it's the first time I've heard of such a thing," Han Li said after a brief pause for contemplation.

"In that case, I won't elaborate on the function of the Grass Soul Pills. As long as you agree to join our Ye Family, my mother is willing to offer you 30 of these pills at once. I'm sure they'll be of great assistance to you when you attempt a breakthrough to the mid-Body Integration Stage in the future. As for the Great Nirvana Holy Spirit Art, a woman from our Ye Family with the Heavenly Phoenix bloodline and a man must use the technique together to make full use of it. This technique has no other function, but it can stimulate a cultivator's latent potential and gradually refine their physical constitution. When cultivated to the final stage, one would attain an ability similar to an immortal body that would allow one to rise from the ashes like a phoenix." For some reason, a faint blush had appeared on Ye Ying's face as she spoke.

Han Li was rather tempted to hear this potential prospect of attaining an immortal body.

If he were to completely master his Provenance True Devil Arts in the future, one of his greatest assets in battle would be his close-quarters combat abilities. If he could attain an immortal body as well, that would enhance his powers significantly.

However, why did Ye Ying have such a strange expression on her face?

Han Li couldn't help but appraise her in a slightly befuddled manner.

Liu Qing faltered slightly upon hearing Ye Ying's words before turning to Han Li, then turning back to look at Ye Ying, and she suddenly burst into laughter.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 1801: Concern

"Ying'er, if Fellow Daoist Han agrees to join your Ye Family, you'll be the one assisting him in cultivating the Great Nirvana Holy Spirit Art, right? That makes sense considering Fellow Daoist Han is a Body Integration cultivator; the average member of the Ye Family most likely won't have phoenix bloodlines of sufficient purity to the cultivate the art to the desired effect. I had heard that there are a lot of people in this generation of the Ye Family, but very few of them have truly inherited the Heavenly Phoenix True Blood. Fellow Daoist Han seems to have always been alone, so he'd be a perfect candidate," Liu Qing said in an amused manner as she temporarily cast aside her own train of thought.

"That... I wouldn't know about that. That'll depend on whether Fellow Daoist Han will be willing to join our Ye Family, and even if he is, my mother will have to make that final decision." Ye Ying's blush had deepened even further, and she was tripping over her own words slightly.

Liu Qing merely smiled and remained silent.

Han Li certainly wasn't an idiot, and he immediately came to realize that this Great Nirvana Holy Spirit Art was a dual cultivation art. From Ye Ying's awkward display, it was quite likely the case that she would be the one to cultivate this technique with him if he were to join the Ye Family.

Han Li found this to be slightly awkward as well, but his expression remained calm, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he shook his head in response. "I appreciate the kind offer from your Ye Family, but I've already decided not to bind myself to any particular power, so I'll have to turn you down."

Ye Ying seemed to be quite relieved to hear Han Li's refusal, but there was a hint of disappointment deep in her eyes as well. However, she quickly cast those emotions aside, and said, "In that case, I won't make any further mention of this. However, would you be willing to accept another exchange? We would like you to lend us your assistance once in 10 years in exchange for a reward."

A wry smile appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this. "Are you referring to the true spirit ceremony that'll be held in 10 years?"

"You already know of this, Senior Han? Could it be..." Ye Ying reacted very quickly, and a thought immediately occurred to her.

"Indeed, you were one step too late, I'm afraid. I've already made an agreement with Fairy Xiao Feng to assist the Gu Family during the true spirit ceremony," Han Li explained with a slightly resigned look on his face.

"The Gu Family? That won't be an issue, then. The Gu Family has always been on extremely good terms with our Ye Family, so we won't have to contend with you during the ceremony," Ye Ying said with a relieved expression.

"I see, I'm glad to hear that." Han Li nodded as a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

Ye Ying had said everything she had to say, so Han Li naturally wasn't going to linger much longer. Thus, after making conversation for a short while, he took his leave in a polite manner and departed.

Liu Qing and Ye Ying both accompanied him to the teleportation formation, and after Han Li vanished amid a flash of spiritual light, Liu Qing heaved a forlorn sigh. "What a pity."

"What do you mean by that, Aunt Liu?" Ye Ying was rather befuddled to hear this.

"I'm naturally referring to the fact that your mother wasn't able to recruit this man into the Ye Family. He managed to reach the Body Integration Stage at such a young age; if he can survive the imminent devilish tribulation, he'll have an immeasurable future ahead of him."

"Body Integration cultivators stand at the pinnacle of the human race, but my grandmother is already a mid-Body Integration cultivator. If she were to use her Heavenly Phoenix bloodline as well, she would even be able to contend with late-Body Integration Stage beings. Now that you've also joined our Ye Family, it's not all that important whether Senior Han joins us or not. Regardless of whether it's the imminent true spirit ceremony or the devilish tribulation in the future, we should have more than enough power to protect ourselves. Besides, with the conditions offered by our Ye Family, I'm sure we'll be able to recruit other vagrant Body Integration cultivators," Ye Ying replied, seemingly in a nonchalant manner, but it was quite clear that she was still feeling rather indignant about Han Li's indirect rejection.

"Perhaps. Your mother is most likely only holding him in such high regard for his potential. However, this Fellow Daoist Han gives me a very peculiar feeling; it's as if the conditions you offered really weren't all that tempting to him at all. It's a pity that only this puppet clone of mine is here. If my true body were present, I could invite him to a sparring match to test out his abilities," Liu Qing said with a contemplative look in her eyes.

"What's there to test out? He's only recently progressed to the Body Integration Stage, so there's no way he'll be a match for you. On top of that, I heard from my mother that prior to passing away, Heavenly Spirit Sovereign passed on several of his most powerful puppets to you, so your powers are most likely not inferior to the likes of the three sovereigns and seven monarchs, right, Aunt Liu?" Ye Ying said with a wide grin.

Liu Qing's expression changed slightly upon hearing this before she shook her head with a wry smile. "Your Ye Family sure is good at securing obscure information. Not many people know about this; I didn't think that your mother would be one of them. I really must commend your Ye Family on that."

Ye Ying merely chuckled and remained silent...

Meanwhile, Han Li had returned to the fifth floor, and after issuing some instructions to Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi, he immediately entered the secret chamber in the hall before taking a seat with his legs crossed.

He had originally thought that he would be able to take his time in his cultivation now that he had reached the Body Integration Stage, but after hearing about the imminent devilish tribulation, he had naturally changed his mind.

He had to change his plans for the next several centuries in order to make himself more powerful as quickly as possible, thereby minimizing his chances of perishing in this devilish tribulation.

After all, many of the three sovereigns and demon monarchs had perished during the last devilish tribulation, and this one was apparently going to be even more fierce and difficult to endure.

What made Han Li even more concerned was that he had once crossed Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha of the Elder Devil Realm back when he was in the human world. One of her spiritual sense clones had descended into the human world and had been devoured by Silvermoon.

The Sacred Ancestors of the Elder Devil Realm were the equivalent of Grand Ascension cultivators in the human race, and if Yuan Cha were to descend into the Spirit Realm during the devilish tribulation, there was a good chance that she would hunt down Han Li herself or send out her subordinates to do so.

As such, he had to elevate his cultivation base to the late-Body Integration Stage prior to the arrival of this devilish tribulation. Only then would he be able to ensure his own survival in the devilish tribulation, and with his vast array of powerful abilities and treasures, he would be able to put up a fight even against the Sacred Ancestors of the Elder Devil Race.

However, through the conversations he had with other Body Integration cultivators, he had learned that making progress after reaching the Body Integration Stage was far more difficult even than what he had envisioned.

Normal early-Body Integration cultivators would often spend thousands or even tens of thousand of years just to make a breakthrough, and there were many who never made this breakthrough and simply perished during a major heavenly tribulation.

As for those who were able to progress to the late-Body Integration Stage, those were even more uncommon.

Even the past and present three sovereigns and seven monarchs weren't all at the late-Body Integration Stage. Furthermore, he was on a very tight schedule. Thankfully, he had those spirit medicines that he had sourced from the Vast Glacial Realm, which would allow him to refine a large amount of pills that would enhance his magic power, even at the Body Integration Stage.

This would allow him to cultivate at several times the efficiency of the average cultivator, and it shouldn't be a difficult task for him to accumulate sufficient magic power during the next few centuries. Thus, the only issue that stood in his path was actually breaking through the bottlenecks.

Even after consuming so many spirit medicines that could enhance one's spiritual root, his aptitude was still not much better than that of the average cultivator. Perhaps his only option was to prepare some more things that could forcibly stimulate him to make breakthroughs.

At the very least, he could look forward to that Spiritvoid Pill that he had finessed, as well as the Divine Infernal River Elixir promised to him by Qing Yuanzi.

With that in mind, Han Li's heart was eased slightly, following which a thought suddenly occurred to him. He flipped his hand over to summon a black spirit beast bracelet before injecting his spiritual sense into it, upon which his brows furrowed slightly.

Within the space inside the bracelet was a hibernating little lack monkey.

It was none other than the Weeping Soul Beast.

Ever since it had slain that Heavenly Devilish Monarch, it had been hibernating in this spirit beast bracelet. Otherwise, with the incredible powers that it had displayed in the past, it would undoubtedly be a huge asset to Han Li when facing powerful enemies.

Thankfully, he still had some time before the devilish tribulation arrived, and he was sure that it wouldn't hibernate for 1,000 years.

With that in mind, Han Li stowed the spirit beast bracelet away in a flash before producing the shimmering golden Myriad Sword Artwork. He flicked his wrist anad tossed it forward, upon which it slowly unfurled before hovering in a stationary manner before him.

The Sword Observation Art hidden within this artwork was an incredible ability. He had only gleaned a small portion of it, and that had been enough to significantly enhance the power of his Azure Coil Sword Formation. If he could master it in its entirety, it would definitely give him an enormous power boost.

He had already come into contact with many Body Integration cultivators at this point, and even though most of them were vagrant cultivators or cultivators who belonged to sects or major families, that was enough.

Some opportunities would have to arise to facilitate meetings with the likes of the three sovereigns and seven monarchs. In particular, even though Han Li had never seen Wolf Monarch Tian Kui, he still couldn't help but feel rather frustrated and displeased at the thought of Silvermoon.

He didn't know how Silvermoon was now that she had returned to the Spirit Realm for so many years and reverted back to her identity as Demonic Concubine Ling Long.

As a concubine of Wolf Monarch Tian Kui, perhaps she would appear during the Myriad Treasure Convention, in which case he may be able to meet her.

However, Han Li was then struck by a sense of melancholy as he recalled back to the complex gaze she had cast toward him prior to their separation.

He was no longer an ignorant little boy at the time, so he could naturally see the emotions that her eyes had held.

He and Silvermoon had been companions for so many years, surviving life and death ordeals together, and it was naturally impossible for him to say that he had no feelings whatsoever toward her. However, at the time, he was only a Nascent Soul cultivator, so he couldn't change anything.

He had since arrived in the Spirit Realm and reached the Body Integration Stage, but so many years had passed; was Silvermoon still the same Silvermoon?

Han Li didn't know the answer to that, and he didn't want to think too much about it in case it affected his mental state.

It took him a long while to return to a state of inner equilibrium, and only then did he cast his gaze toward the Myriad Sword Artwork with blue light flashing in his eyes. Moments later, he was completely immersed in the artwork before him.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Han Li stayed in the secret chamber for over 10 days without leaving once, and the Myriad Treasure Convention finally officially commenced.

On this day, Han Li was seated on his futon, and he suddenly seemed to have sensed something as he swept a sleeve through the air to stow away the Myriad Sword Artwork before him.

He then rose to his feet before emerging from the secret chamber to find that Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were waiting respectfully for him in the hall.

The two of them immediately extended salutes toward him as he emerged, following which Young Master Hai pulled a shimmering golden slip out of his sleeve before handing it over to Han Li with both hands.

"Senior Han, this is an invitation slip sent to you by the Myriad Treasure Convention. As long as you hold this invitation slip, you can access all of the auctions and venues in the event. On top of that, due to the fact that this is the first day of the Myriad Treasure Convention, there's going to be a large auction held on the Flying Immortal Peak. According to past conventions, this will be the Myriad Treasure Convention's most important auction, and it also heralds the commencement of the convention. All of the most important treasures of the convention will appear on the auction," Qi Lingzi explained in a respectful manner.

"Oh? You two seem to have gathered a lot of information about this; looks like all the walking around you did these past few days wasn't just a waste of time," Han Li said with a smile as he accepted the golden invitation slip before taking a glance at it.

On the surface of the slip were the words "Myriad Treasure" inscribed in ancient text, and on the other side was a shimmering silver diagram of a prized treasure.

"Have the seven demon monarchs all arrived during my time in seclusion?" Han Li asked as he stowed the golden slip away.

"All of them have arrived aside from Wolf Monarch Tian Kui and the Heavenly Fox Monarch," Young Master Hai replied in a respectful manner.

"Those two haven't arrived? That's interesting. Generally speaking, the seven demon monarchs regard this Myriad Treasure Convention as an extremely important event and wouldn't miss it for no good reason," Han Li mused as his brows furrowed slightly.

"I heard that Wolf Monarch Tian Kui is in seclusion, cultivating a powerful ability, so he won't be able to attend the convention. As for the Heavenly Fox Monarch, he doesn't seem to be on the territory of the Heavenly Fox Race. He only sent someone to announce that he had some important matters to attend to, and that's all the news we have about him," Qi Lingzi replied in a truthful manner.

"I see. In that case, let's set off as well. There will be many events held during the Myriad Treasure Convention, but I'll only actually be interested in a few of them, and I definitely can't miss the first auction. You two can come with me. Not everyone will be granted access to the auction, but with this golden slip, I should be able to bring along a couple disciples," Han Li suddenly said with a smile.

The two of them faltered slightly upon hearing this before an excited look appeared on Young Master Hai's face. "Disciples? Does that mean you're willing to take us as your disciples, Senior Han?"

Han Li shook his head and put on a serious expression as he replied, "You two are too weak to become my disciples, but I can take you as my in-name disciples if you'd like. You can become official disciples of mine whenever you reach the Deity Transformation Stage. I hope you won't disappoint me."

"We'd love to be your in-name disciples! We pay our respects to our master!" Qi Lingzi knelt down and kowtowed thrice in succession without any hesitation.

Young Master Hai was also extremely excited and emulated Qi Lingzi.

Han Li could see that the two of them were being sincere, so he accepted these formalities before waving a sleeve through the air, unleashing a burst of force that helped the two of them to their feet.

After that, he continued, "Now that the two of you are my in-name disciples, you should know some things about me. Prior to meeting the two of you, I also accepted two disciples in a lower realm. Hence, you won't be my only two disciples; you have a senior martial brother and a senior martial sister above you. I'm a man of solitude, so I don't take disciples lightly as doing so could hinder my own cultivation. Hence, there are reasons behind why I accepted you two and your senior martial brother and senior martial sister as my disciples. I have to explain these reasons to you in case a misunderstanding arises, and you decide to plot against me."

A cold tone crept into Han Li's voice at the end, and the temperature in the entire hall abruptly plummeted. Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi both shuddered in response to the sudden temperature drop and hurriedly proclaimed that they wouldn't dare to do anything to Han Li's detriment.

"Hehe, well, it's not a matter of whether you dare to plot against me or not; if I had been accepted as a disciple by a Body Integration cultivator as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I would also be quite suspicious toward the motives involved," Han Li chuckled in a nonchalant manner.

Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi exchanged an awkward glance upon hearing this, and both of them remained silent.

"Truth be told, if you two really were an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator and an ordinary body refinement warrior, there's no way that I would take you as my in-name disciples, so you can say that fate is what brought us together. I'm very satisfied with your senses of justice and moral compass, but most importantly, one of you possesses a legendary recessive spiritual root, while the other possesses an inherited treasure," Han Li explained.

"Recessive spiritual root?"

"Inherited treasure?"

Both Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi were quite puzzled to hear this. At their levels, there was no way that they could be knowledgeable about such things.

"Qi Lingzi, the inherited treasure you possess is quite easy to explain. It's most likely a treasure that contains the cultivation arts and secret techniques of the Mistsea Daoist Temple. The treasure has been sealed within your body, and once you reach a certain cultivation base, the seal will be undone of its own accord, thereby bestowing upon you the appropriate cultivation arts for you to use. Of course, this is quite a rare type of treasure, and it'll definitely be quite a powerful one if you can use it along with its corresponding cultivation art," Han Li explained.

"I see. I knew that there was something weird inside my body, and I have these strange dreams from time to time; it must be because of this thing!" Qi Lingzi murmured to himself in a stunned manner.

Han Li smiled upon hearing this before continuing, "You're very fortunate. This Mistsea Daoist Temple may be an insignificant little sect, but according to my observations, its ability and secret techniques are quite powerful and are also very suitable for you to cultivate. Hence, I won't need to give you any further instructions on your main cultivation art. All I'll do is pass on some secret techniques to you once you become powerful enough to cultivate them. Thus, you'll still need to continue to keep the inheritance of the Mistsea Daoist Temple alive. When you become powerful enough, you can become the Mistsea Daoist Temple Master again and take the temple to greater heights. I definitely won't stop you from pursuing this endeavor.

"Hence, I decided to accept you as my disciple as you already have your own inheritance and require minimal instruction in your cultivation. Otherwise, I wouldn't burden myself like this no matter how brilliant your aptitude was. Of course, now that you're my disciple, I certainly won't be stingy and withhold any resources that you may require to further your cultivation. However, if you don't wish to conform to me and think that you can do better on your own with the inheritance you've received, you can revoke your pledge to become my disciple," Han Li said in a calm manner.

Qi Lingzi's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he fell to his knees again as he hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare, Master. Being able to become your in-name disciple is a vastly fortunate outcome for me. As for what kind of cultivation arts I should use, that will naturally be up to you, and I'll accept whatever arrangement without any complaints."

Han Li nodded in a pleased manner before turning to Young Master Hai. "In that case, there are no issues between us. As for Young Master Hai..."

"Please call me Hai Yuetian, Master. Young Master Hai is just a nickname my friends gave me as a joke; I wouldn't dare to impose the title upon you, Master," Young Master Hai hurriedly said.

"So Hai Yuetian is your name. In that case, I'll call you Yuetian from now on," Han Li said with a smile.

"Yes, Master!" Hai Yuetian naturally accepted this arrangement in a respectful manner.

"Your situation is completely different from that of Qi Lingzi. During these past few days, I've conducted thorough examinations of your spiritual root and also made some inquiries to other Body Integration Stage fellow Daoists. Through this, I can now confirm that not only do you possess the rare Molten Body, that strange lightning spiritual root in your body is most likely the legendary recessive spiritual root. Therefore, to put it more accurately, it should be referred to as the recessive lightning spiritual root."

"Recessive lightning spiritual root?" Hai Yuetian was still as confused as ever.

"The Molten Body is quite rare, but with the massive population that the human race has, there are quite a few who possess this physique, and it's the reason behind why you're able to progress so quickly in body refinement arts. As for your recessive spiritual root, that's something much rarer and more complex. There haven't been many recorded cases of recessive spiritual roots in history, so I didn't think of this right away, and it took me a long time before I could ascertain that it actually applied to you. Furthermore, recessive spiritual roots are extremely difficult to discover, and the probability of someone possessing such a spiritual root is definitely no higher than those who have inherited true spirit bloodlines," Han Li explained.

"Why is that?" Qi Lingzi couldn't help but ask.

"That's because recessive spiritual roots can only be found in someone with a special physique or has inherited a special bloodline. Only those people have a certain chance of having their spiritual roots weakened or concealed by their special physiques or bloodlines. However, recessive spiritual roots are generally not very useful, and most cultivation sects wouldn't accept someone with such a trait unless the constitution or bloodline they possessed was extremely powerful, or if they possessed one of very few types of spiritual roots, such as one of the lightning or darkness attributes.

"Even so, the times when the spiritual root appears and disappears will have to be taken into account to determine whether the host of such a spiritual root will be worth nurturing. If the recessive spiritual root disappears for too long at a time, it'll be extremely difficult for them to cultivate as the host would only be able to cultivate their magic power when the recessive spiritual root appears," Han Li explained.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Hai Yuetian's eyes were practically glowing as he listened intently to Han Li's every word. He finally understood why he had been misdiagnosed at birth to possess no spiritual root, and he asked, "Master, your explanation is very clear about why a recessive spiritual root would make it difficult for one to cultivate, but why is it that there are only a few attributes of recessive spiritual roots that are held in high regard?"

"I see you've pinpointed the most important part of this right away. The darkness-attribute spiritual root doesn't apply to you; this type of spiritual root is even rarer than your recessive lightning spiritual root, and there's only been one recorded case of it. As for your recessive lightning spiritual root, it'll make it several times more difficult for you to cultivate your magic power than it is for normal cultivators, but once you attain the Dao of lightning, you'll be one of the very few types of people in this world who can assist others in transcending their lightning tribulations," Han Li replied.

"He'll be able to help others transcend their lightning tribulations?!" Qi Lingzi exclaimed before even Hai Yuetian could say anything.

As a cultivator himself, he was naturally more aware of the impact of Han Li's words than Hai Yuetian was as a body refinement warrior.

"Indeed. Hence, even though those with recessive lightning spiritual roots are very difficult to nurture, most sects would still do their best to nurture such a prospect as long as there's even the slightest sliver of an opportunity that they could become a high-grade cultivator in the future. However, if there's simply no potential at all for the host to get to such a level, then even someone with the rarer recessive darkness spiritual root would be discarded as a lost cause. I decided to accept you as my disciple as your physique and spiritual root are very suitable for inheriting my path of simultaneous cultivation.

"Even during the period of time where your spiritual root goes into its recessive state, you can cultivate some body refinement techniques, so you won't be wasting your time. On top of that, I also have some lightning cultivation arts that you can use. If you manage to become a high-grade cultivator in the future, you'll be able to assist me while I transcend my future tribulations, and you could even be the difference between success and failure for me." Han Li revealed his own selfish motives without any attempt at deception.

"If I truly can become a high-grade cultivator someday, I'll definitely do everything in my power to assist you in your tribulation transcendence, Master," Hai Yuetian immediately said with a respectful bow.

"Hehe, there's no need for you to be overly concerned about that for now; I'm not exactly pinning all of my hopes on this. Many years would have already passed before you become ready to assist me in my tribulation transcendence, so I wouldn't be overly reliant on something so unpredictable. The main reason I've decided to take you two as my disciples is because I'm quite fond of your personalities and values. However, don't think that I'll forget about how you two called me Brother Han for the entire journey to this place," Han Li chuckled.

Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi could only offer awkward smiles in response.

"Alright, it's about time we left. I'm quite interested in meeting some of the Body Integration Stage fellow daoists that I've yet to encounter, and we've also heard that there could be foreign beings coming to attend this convention, so that'll be quite interesting as well. I wonder which foreign race would go to the trouble of sending someone here from afar," Han Li said in a serious manner as his smile faded.

"Yes, Master!" Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi hurriedly answered, and Han Li nodded before leading the two of them out of the hall.

After exiting the Immortal Welcome Palace, they could see spiritual light flashing in the distant sky. Groups of armored warriors were patrolling the air at low altitudes, and there were also humanoid figures further away in the distance. However, as soon as they reached within five kilometers of the Immortal Welcome Palace, they would be held back by the nearby guards.

It was clear that Nine Immortal Mountain was now accessible to the public.

Han Li swept a sleeve through the air to send forth a burst of azure light, which swept up his two in-name disciples before he rose up into the air.

There was a flight restriction order on Nine Immortal Mountain, but it naturally didn't apply to Body Integration cultivators like Han Li.

After determining that Han Li had flown out of the Immortal Welcome Palace, all of the patrolling guards merely turned a blind eye to his blatant violation of the flight restriction order.

Thus, Han Li's trio flew toward the Flying Immortal Peak as a streak of azure light. From their vantage point up above, they could clearly see that there were hordes of human and demonic beings down below.

It wasn't exactly packed to the rafters, but there was nowhere one could look without seeing a human or demon. In particular, the buildings that were venues for the convention had been surrounded by beings from both races, and the population density only increased closer to the Flying Immortal Peak.

Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi looked on with excitement in their eyes, but Han Li had attended many of these types of conventions, so the novelty had long since worn out for him.

After briefly inspecting the situation down below, he moved on in an indifferent manner and reached the Flying Immortal Peak after about seven or eight more minutes of flight.

Not only were there far more patrolling guards in this area, some Lightning Guards on giant wolf steeds had also begun to appear in the air.

When Han Li was a few kilometers away from the Flying Immortal Peak, he was finally intercepted by several Lightning Guards.

"Please forgive us for the intrusion, Senior, but we are bound by duty to check your invitation slip." The guards were led by a tall and broad elderly man, and he remained on his wolf steed, but cupped his fist in a respectful salute.

Han Li glanced at the Lightning Guards before sweeping a sleeve through the air to send a streak of golden light flying toward them.

The elderly man raised a hand to catch the golden light, and it was none other than Han Li's golden invitation slip.

He was clearly only a body refinement warrior, but he was somehow able to glean the information hidden within the invitation slip with just a cursory touch. "Apologies for my rudeness, Senior Han. Are you here to participate in the auction? If so, I would be honored to guide you to the Myriad Treasure Hall."

"Sure, lead the way, then," Han Li replied with a nod.

The elderly man immediately waved a hand toward his companions, instructing them to continue patrolling the area while he flew toward the Flying Immortal Peak on his flying wolf steed.

The Flying Immortal Peak had a virtually vertical terrain that was extremely precarious, and there was no path leading up to the pinnacle from the foot of the mountain.

If a mortal were to attempt to climb it, they would struggle to make any progress at all, let alone build any constructions on the peak. However, this was a simple task for cultivators.

A vast sea of clouds had been conjured up both halfway up the mountain, as well as the pinnacle of the peak, and they were connected by five-colored bridges, each of which was over 1,000 feet in length, and the Myriad Treasure Hall was situated within the sea of clouds at the pinnacle of the mountain.

From afar, Han Li could see a series of pavilions and buildings within the white clouds, as well as hints of greenery. The sounds of flowing water and cheerful chirping could also be heard, and it resembled an immortal paradise.

He had already heard about how beautiful this Flying Immortal Peak was, but it was still quite an awe-inspiring experience to be seeing it for himself.

Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi were completely entranced by this glorious sight. Aside from Han Li's trio, there were other cultivators who were also converging from all directions, but those people weren't able to fly directly toward the peak without any inhibitions. Most of them arrived at the foot of the mountain before being transported up the mountain by flying carriages, then making their way into the sea of clouds along the five-colored bridges.

Body Integration cultivators like Han Li were few and far in between, and they would only make fleeting appearances before vanishing into the sea of clouds in a flash.

Han Li was guided into the air above a certain palace before descending near a certain secluded entrance.

There were a dozen or so guards and several servants waiting at the entrance, and there was a middle-aged man in a set of brocade robes standing before them, conversing with a woman in a black dress with a fawning smile on his face.

Han Li could only see the tall and slender profile of the woman in black from behind, and she was giving off an indescribable air of authority, indicating that she seemed to be quite an important figure.

Behind her stood another woman in purple who appeared to be around 17 to 18 years of age. She had an oval face, and gave off a graceful and refined disposition.

She wasn't extremely beautiful, but there was a rare refreshing air about her that was very alluring nonetheless.

The nearby guards and servants were clearly aware that these two were very important figures, but they still couldn't help but steal furtive glances at the woman in purple.

The woman in purple paid no heed to this scrutiny and listened to the conversation between the woman in black and the middle-aged man with a sweet smile on her face.

Han Li's gaze lingered momentarily on the woman in purple before moving onto the middle-aged man and the woman in black, upon which a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.

In the next instant, he descended with Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi near the entrance amid a flash of azure light.

In doing so, they naturally attracted the attention of everyone at the entrance, and they all cast their eyes toward Han Li's trio. Only then did Han Li get a clear glimpse of the woman in black, and she discovered that she was quite a regal beauty with slender brows and well-shaped eyes, as well as a thin nose and petite lips.

However, she faltered momentarily at the sight of Han Li before turning to the woman in purple with a peculiar look on her face.

Meanwhile, a hint of elation flashed through the eyes of the woman in purple, but she immediately hid her emotions thereafter.

The brocade-robed man swept his spiritual sense toward Han Li, upon which a perplexed look appeared on his face. However, a thought then immediately occurred to him, and he smiled, as he said, "I don't think I've seen you before, Fellow Daoist. Could you be the new Body Integration cultivator, Fellow Daoist Han Li?"

This man was also an early-Body Integration cultivator, so Han Li immediately cupped his fist in a salute. "I am indeed Han Li. May I ask for your name, Fellow Daoist?"

"Hehe, I'm the deputy city lord of Xuan Wu City, Peng Jue, I'm also the human supervisor for this convention. It truly is very much worthy of celebration that our human race is able to welcome another Body Integration cultivator," Peng Jue said in a polite manner.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

"You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist. I've only just reached the Body Integration Stage, so I'm still sorely lacking in both magic power and strength; I'll have to rely on you for guidance, City Lord Peng," Han Li replied in a modest manner.

"All of us Body Integration cultivators from the human and demon races have heard about how you progressed from the Deity Transformation Stage to the Body Integration Stage in just a few centuries. With your aptitude, it's highly likely that you'll leave all of us old geezers behind," Peng Jue chuckled.

"Haha, thank you for your kind words, Fellow Daoist Peng. May I ask who this is?" Han Li asked as he turned toward the woman in the black dress.

This woman's magic power was abundant to the extreme, and she was a late-Body Integration cultivator, which came as a slight shock to Han Li, and he couldn't help but guess at her true identity.

As for the woman in purple, he reflexively ignored her.

"My name is Xiao Guan; have you heard of me, Fellow Daoist Han?" The woman in black appraised Han Li with an intrigued smile.

"You're the Black Phoenix Monarch!" He had already guessed this to be the case, but his heart still jolted slightly upon receiving confirmation of this.

"Looks like you have heard of me, Fellow Daoist Han. Come to think of it, you seem to have had some run-ins with a junior of mine by the name of Xiao Hong," the woman chuckled.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, and he wanted to say something to explain himself, but Xiao Guan merely waved a nonchalant hand.

"Please don't misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Han; it was Xiao Hong who went too far back then. To think that she would dare to collude with others to try and secure the Ye Family's Heavenly Phoenix True Blood; I've already handed down a punishment to her and ordered her to stay in seclusion for 1,000 years to repent. I only brought this up as I wanted to thank you for not allowing her to sour our relationship with the Ye Family. You most likely aren't aware of this, but the Ye Family's grand elder has been a good friend of mine for many years, and I definitely don't want to see our relationship deteriorate because of something like this."

Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this, and he didn't know if Xiao Guan was telling the truth, but he naturally went along with it and replied with a smile, "In that case, I won't need to explain myself, then."

Peng Jue was naturally unaware of the run-ins that Han Li had had with the Black Phoenix Race, but he was still quite pleased to see him and the Black Phoenix Monarch settle their differences so easily, nonetheless. Thus, he cupped his fist as a salute to the two of them, and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, Fellow Daoist Han, the auction is about to begin; please go in first. I still have to wait here for other fellow Daoists to arrive."

"It is indeed time for me to go in. Let's go, Dai'er." Xiao Guan nodded in response before waving a hand toward the woman in purple, then made her way into the palace in an elegant and graceful manner.

Dai'er?

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before turning to the woman in purple with a peculiar look. However, she had since lowered her head and departed with Xiao Guan without taking a single glance at Han Li. Throughout this process, she hadn't spoken a single word to him.

Han Li was rather suspicious about this, and a contemplative look appeared on his face as the woman in purple departed.

Could it be that this Dai'er was the little girl that Xiao Hong had taken away from him so long ago?[1]

That Dai'er had been born to human and demon parents, and she seemed to have been held in high regard by the Black Phoenix Race. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent a Deity Transformation Stage demonic cultivator in the form of Xiao Hong to infiltrate deep into human territory to take her away.

If this woman in purple really was Dai'er, then it wouldn't be strange at all for her to appear beside the Black Phoenix Monarch.

However, it was rather implausible to think that she could become an early-Deity Transformation cultivator from a mere mortal in just a few hundred years.

Even if the Black Phoenix Race held Dai'er in very high regard, and she possessed an extremely powerful Black Phoenix bloodline, this rate of progress was still far too astonishing; it was no less impressive a transformation than his progression from the Deity Transformation Stage to the Body Integration Stage in a few centuries.

He could still clearly recall Dai'er's physical appearance, and while it was indeed true that a lot of time had passed since they had been together, he was unable to see many similarities between the woman in purple and Dai'er as a little girl.

Furthermore, if this really was Dai'er, then why didn't she greet him? His appearance hadn't changed at all during the past few centuries. The little girl had been very fond of and reliant on him in the past.

Han Li became even more confused as these thoughts ran through his mind.

Peng Jue was also a little perplexed to see Han Li standing on the spot, seemingly in deep thought, but he didn't urge Han Li to hurry along and merely appraised him in silence with a polite smile on his face.

"Brother Peng, is that Fellow Daoist Dai'er also a member of the Black Phoenix Race? Do you know what relationship she shares with Fellow Daoist Xiao?" Han Li finally asked.

"Hehe, I had thought that you hadn't noticed her, Brother Han. According to what I've heard, this Dai'er is a direct lineal descendant of Fellow Daoist Xiao, and she's vastly renowned among the younger generation of the demon race. I've heard that not only does she possess astonishing cultivation aptitude, she also possesses beauty in equal measure and is known as Fairy Phoenix Spirit. Countless demonic young men have become infatuated after seeing her true appearance and have sought out a relationship with her, all to no avail," Peng Jue replied with a smile.

"True appearance?" Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

"It's no wonder that you haven't heard about this, Fellow Daoist Han; her current appearance has been concealed by Fellow Daoist Xiao using one of her bonded true feathers. Unless one were to remove the feather, no one would be able to glean her true appearance no matter what powerful abilities they possess. According to Fellow Daoist Xiao, this was a precautionary measure taken to avoid potential trouble during the Myriad Treasure Convention. Are you interested in her as well, Fellow Daoist Han?

"Come to think of it, you may be a Body Integration cultivator, but you're certainly a lot younger than other fellow Daoists of the same cultivation base. If you were to pursue her, I think you would have a decent chance. Apparently, she's not a pureblood member of the Black Phoenix Race, but half-human, half-demon instead," Peng Jue said with a suggestive smile.

Of course, he was only making a joke and didn't seriously think that Han Li was interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with this Dai'er.

"Surely you jest, Brother Peng. I was only asking as I had sensed that woman possesses a rather unique disposition. Hehe, it's about time I went in as well," Han Li replied with a smile.

Peng Jue didn't think too much of this and cupped his fist in another salute. "I still have to wait for other fellow Daoists, so I won't accompany you any further."

At this moment, another female servant strode over to Han Li before leading his trio into the palace.

In the instant that Han Li turned away from Peng Jue, a contemplative look resurfaced in his eyes. After the group passed through a long corridor paved with white jade, they arrived in a massive hall that was split up into several levels.

This was a circular hall that was tens of thousands of feet in size with a white jade platform that was over 100 feet tall at the center.

There was no one on the platform, but balls of spiritual light were shimmering incessantly at its four corners. Situated at each of those four corners was a silver flying sword that was around three feet in length.

Beneath the platform were eight golden-armored halberd-wielding guards. Their faces had all been concealed behind silver visors, and black baleful Qi was swirling around their bodies, presenting a rather mysterious sight to behold.

Han Li glanced at the four flying swords and eight golden-armored warriors as blue light flashed through his eyes, and his expression changed slightly.

Not only were all of the flying swords spirit treasures, they also had a certain type of connection between one another, so it was quite clear that they comprised a set of treasures.

Each flying sword was already a spirit treasure on its own, so the combination of the four would naturally be extremely powerful.

As for the eight armored guards, Han Li couldn't sense any magic power fluctuations from them, but the black baleful Qi swirling around their bodies was an indication of how fearsome they were.

With that in mind, Han Li's trio was led by the servant to the highest level of the hall, which was the third level, and they were guided into an extremely intricately decorated room.

The room was only around 70 to 80 feet in size, but it was complete with tables and chairs, as well pots of spirit flowers growing in each of the four corners.

There was a square window on the wall facing the tall platform, and there was faint white mist in front of the window, preventing others from being able to see into the room, but it didn't obstruct the vision of those in the room in the slightest.

"Senior, are you pleased with this VIP room? If not, I can take you to another one," the servant asked in a respectful manner.

"No need; I'm happy with this one," Han Li replied in an indifferent manner.

"In that case, I'll be taking my leave. Feel free to call for me if you need me; I'll be standing outside the door," the servant said as she lowered her head.

Han Li nodded in response before waving a dismissive hand, and the servant immediately left the room and closed the door gently behind her.

Meanwhile, Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi were constantly inspecting the room in a curious manner, and their eyes finally fell upon the window.

Han Li strode over to one of the chairs in front of the window before taking a seat. In front of the chair was a green wooden table, upon which sat a formation plate that he could use to place bids.

Han Li merely took an errant glance at everything before casting his gaze out the window again in an expressionless manner.

At this point, tens of thousands of humans and demons were already visible through the window, and they had taken up all of the seats on the first and second levels.

Most of them were at the Deity Transformation Stage and Spatial Tempering Stage. As for Body Integration Stage beings like Han Li, all of them were naturally guided to individual cabins on the third floor.

Han Li looked around, and after discovering that there was nothing worth seeing for the moment, he closed his eyes to rest.

Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi naturally stood behind him on either side in a respectful manner.

After a long while, the chatter and commotion coming from down below suddenly cut off, and the entire massive hall instantly fell silent.

Han Li reopened his eyes and cast his gaze toward the tall platform through the window.

There were currently two people standing side by side on the platform, both of which had extremely peculiar appearances.

One of them was over 20 feet tall with black Qi swirling around his body. He seemed to be a burly man, but it was impossible to glean his true appearance.

Meanwhile, his companion was even taller than him, and had a crimson horn on his head, as well as a pair or remarkably large green eyes, and translucent scales on either side of his face. This was quite clearly a metamorphosed demon.

Han Li's pupils contracted slightly at the sight of them, but his expression remained unchanged.

At this moment, the man enshrouded in black Qi suddenly said, "I'm sure most of you recognize me as the Tyrant Sovereign and also know of Fellow Daoist Li Huo beside me, so I won't make any detailed introductions. I hereby announce the commencement of the first auction of the Myriad Treasure Convention."

[1] Chapter 1291: the chapter where Han Li parts with Dai'er

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

This burly man with black Qi swirling around him was none other than Xuan Wu Tyrant Sovereign, and the demon referred to as Li Huo by him was naturally none other than Wyrm Monarch Li Huo.

It came as quite a surprise to everyone that these two had appeared to announce the commencement of the auction.

After the sovereign and monarch walked off the platform, a white-robed elderly man took their place, and he was followed closely by two groups of children, each of whom was holding a platter in their hands.

The platters were all concealed completely under pieces of golden fabric, preventing anyone from being able to glean their contents.

"I am Heavenly Eye Disciple, and I'll be hosting this auction; please look after me, Fellow Daoists," the elderly man chuckled as he cupped his fist in a salute.

"Haha, all of us are very relieved to see that you'll be hosting the auction, Fellow Daoist Heavenly Eye."

"Indeed! Setting aside everything else, your ocular powers alone are vastly renowned among our two races."

The mid-Spatial Tempering Stage elderly man was clearly quite a popular and renowned figure.

Heavenly Eye Disciple's smile widened, and he extended another salute before cutting straight to the chase. "All of you have come from afar, so I'm sure you don't have any patience to listen to an old man like me. Hence, let the auction begin! Present the first auction item."

Heavenly Eye Disciple brandished a hand behind him as he spoke, and one of the children immediately stepped forward carefully before raising his platter above his head, offering it to the elderly man in a respectful manner.

Heavenly Eye Disciple swept an arm through the air to remove the golden cloth on the platter, revealing a shimmering silver crystal.

The crystal was only around the size of a human fist, but its surface was covered in a layer of naturally formed patterns. These patterns were shimmering with silver light, as if countless silver threads had fused into the crystal, presenting a very beautiful sight to behold.

"This is a Silverthread Crystal, which is an exceptional metal-attribute tool refinement material. This crystal can only be found in the Whiteface Canyon, which is situated in the easternmost region of the human territory, and the average yearly production of this material is less than half of this crystal presented here, so that's an indication of just how precious this material is. If a normal flying sword were to be infused with even a tiny amount of this material, its sharpness would immediately be increased dramatically. If this material were to be used to refine a treasure, there would be a very good chance of that treasure turning out as a spirit treasure. Hence, the starting price of this crystal is 3,000,000 spirit stones, and each bid must have a minimum increment of 100,000 spirit stones. You may now begin bidding!" Heavenly Eye Disciple announced after a brief introduction.

This Silverthread Crystal wasn't all that alluring to Body Integration cultivators, but it was clearly very much sought-after by Deity Transformation and Spatial Tempering cultivators.

After all, that Whiteface Canyon was under the direct control of Xuan Wu City, and the measly yearly production of Silverthread Crystal normally wasn't even enough to satisfy the needs of Xuan Wu City alone. As such, many people were naturally extremely interested in this large chunk being put up for auction.

"4,000,000!"

"4,500,000!"

"5,000,000!"

The bids came in thick and fast, and in the end, the crystal was purchased for the lofty price of 7,300,000 spirit stones by an unidentifiable demonic being with long black fur all over their body, much to the dismay of many human cultivators present.

Everyone knew that the demon race wasn't that adept in tool refinement, so it came as quite a surprise to everyone that a demon would be willing to pay such a high price for this Silverthread Crystal.

Seeing as the first auction item was a tool refinement material, the string of subsequent auction items were naturally from the same category.

However, after nearly a dozen or so items had been sold, most of the people in the hall were starting to grow quite alarmed.

Eight of these tool refinement materials had all been purchased by that black-furred demonic being for incredibly high prices. It was as if he had unlimited wealth and was determined to secure these materials.

Aside from the demonic being's arms, his entire body had been concealed by a yellow hooded leather cloak, making it impossible to glean his true appearance.

Of course, that only applied to Deity Transformation and Spatial Tempering cultivators; a Body Integration cultivator like Han Li would still be able to bypass the concealment properties of the leather cloak by force using his spiritual sense.

"That's a Black Wolf Demon! He's only at the early-Spatial Tempering Stage; how does he possess so much wealth? Could it be that he's quite an important figure among the wolf race?" Han Li murmured to himself with furrowed brows as blue light flashed through his eyes.

Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian were able to hear what he was saying, but they still had no idea what was going on, so they naturally didn't dare to interject.

At this moment, a piece of fabric that was glowing with fiery crimson light was revealed on the platter being held by another child, and a stir immediately ran through the entire hall.

"That's a piece of fabric woven with Crystalline Flame Threads!"

"That's incredible!"

Greedy expressions appeared on many people's faces at the sight of this piece of fabric, as if they wanted nothing better than to rush onto the platform and grab it for themselves.

"Master, what's this Crystalline Flame Thread? It seems like many people are interested in it," Hai Yuetian couldn't help but ask.

"Crystalline Flame Threads are a type of spirit material that can only be found in the territory of the Black Phoenix Race. I've heard that these threads are produced by a type of fire insect that dwells within lava. However, these fire insects can only produce a single thread in their lifetime, and they can only be found in a certain lava realm owned by the Black Phoenix Race, so they're even rarer than Silverthread Crystals. If such a material were to be used to refine a fire-attribute treasure, a cultivator using fire-attribute cultivation arts would enjoy a slight boost in their rate of cultivation just by carrying the treasure around at all times. On top of that, the treasure would also possess powerful fire-attribute abilities, so this material is naturally extremely sought-after among those using fire-attribute cultivation arts," Han Li explained with a smile.

"I see. That certainly explains their reactions," Qi Lingzi chuckled.

At this point, Heavenly Eye Disciple had already announced the starting price for this piece of fabric, and the bids came flying in even faster than they did for the previous few auction items.

The starting price was doubled in virtually the blink of an eye, and had reached an astronomical sum.

As a result, the frenetic bidding finally died down a little, and there were only five or six people still trading blows, one of which was none other than the black-furred demonic being.

To no one's surprise, the Black Wolf Demon once again came out on top, securing the piece of fabric for a staggering sum. As a result, he attracted even more attention, and many beings from both the human and demon races were casting frequent glances toward him, and the looks in their eyes certainly didn't reflect any friendly intentions.

However, everyone's attention was then drawn to Heavenly Eye Disciple after hearing what he had to say next.

"Hehe, many of you have attended the Myriad Treasure Convention in the past, so I'm sure you know that the sequence of this auction is different from that of most other auctions. We won't be saving all of the best auction items for the end. Instead, we'll be dispersing them through various points in the auction, and one of them is about to be brought out right now; I'm sure it won't disappoint."

He suddenly clapped his hands twice as he spoke, and a stunning young female servant strode onto the platform with a green wooden box that was around half a foot in size in her hands.

She made her way over to Heavenly Eye Disciple with a captivating smile on her face, and a serious look appeared in the elderly man's eyes for the first time as he carefully accepted the wooden box from the servant before turning to the face everyone again.

"I'm sure that some of you would've heard of Weeping Spirit Blood Wood, but how many of you have seen it? There is a small section of this spirit material in this box, and it has a vast array of uses. It can act as a material to assist one in unleashing several types of powerful abilities, and it can also be refined into a second clone or a puppet that can take one's place during tribulation transcendence. It's also the main material required to refine the vastly renowned Weeping Blood Spirit Bead," Heavenly Eye Disciple announced in a solemn manner.

Most people were quite befuddled to hear this, and only a minority of auction-goers displayed ecstatic reactions upon hearing this.

"Weeping Blood Spirit Wood? Isn't this viewed as a sacred artifact among the Spirit Race? How could something like this appear on an auction for humans and demons?"

The cultivators who were aware of what this item was were astonished, and Han Li's expression also changed slightly. At the same time, he could sense many bursts of spiritual sense fluctuations emanating from the cabins on the third floor, clearly indicating that many of the Body Integration Stage beings were also very interested in this item.

"Hehe, I'm naturally not sure of where this material was secured from, but I can assure all of you of its authenticity." He removed the lid of the box as he spoke, and the pungent odor of blood and gore immediately erupted forth, forming a cloud of dense blood mist that twisted and writhed in mid-air like a crimson python.

Heavenly Eye Disciple took a deep breath as golden light flashed through his eyes, and spread his fingers before abruptly reaching into the box with one hand.

In the next instant, a reddish-black section of wood appeared before everyone. The piece of wood was around half a foot in length and as thick as a human thumb. It was completely dull and devoid of luster, but wisps of crimson mist were being emitted by it relentlessly.

The crimson mist surged and intertwined incessantly before rising straight up into the air as if it were a living being.

Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing this.

He had heard of this Weeping Spirit Blood Wood in the past, and they were actually the remains of certain types of mutated wood-attribute beings of the Spirit Race, and they were indeed extremely rare, even in the Spirit Race itself.

Second clones and Weeping Blood Spirit Beads were all vastly renowned, but what truly tempted him was naturally the tribulation transcendence substitution puppet.

Even though he could refine Spiritform Talismans that could also serve the same purpose, as he became more and more powerful, the talismans became less and less efficacious for him. Even if he were to nurture it for a very long time, it wouldn't be able to assist him much in his tribulation transcendence.

The tribulation transcendence substitution puppet was a treasure that had been vastly renowned in the human race for a long time, and it was effective even for Body Integration Stage beings. However, these puppets were disposable items that could only be used once, and one had to use it at the correct time. Otherwise, activating it too early or too late would both result in the puppet being wasted for nothing.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Han Li was slightly tempted as he appraised the Weeping Spirit Blood Wood being held by Heavenly Eye Disciple. After witnessing the large auctions held by foreign races, there weren't many things in the human and demon races that could tempt him, so he didn't think that the first auction item of true value to be brought out would pique his interest.

If he could obtain a tribulation transcendence substitution puppet, it could save him from a life-threatening situation in the future.

However, this material could only be found in the Spirit Race, so could it really be true that there were foreign beings participating in this Myriad Treasure Convention?

As these thoughts were flashing through Han Li's mind, Heavenly Eye Disciple activated his magic power before injecting a part of it into the piece of wood in his hand.

Piercing crimson light erupted from the slim piece of wood, and it began to expand drastically to around as thick as a human arm, and also elongated to roughly 10 feet in length.

Reddish-black spots that were around the size of copper coins appeared over the surface of the wooden rod, and it writhed incessantly in his hand while emitting bursts of eerie weeping sounds as if it were a living spirit python, presenting a very unsettling scene to behold.

Those who had still harbored some suspicions toward the authenticity of the item immediately had their doubts erased, and when the starting price of 20,000,000 spirit stones was announced, a flurry of bids was quickly made.

"22,000,000!"

"25,000,000!"

"30,000,000!"

This astronomical price immediately scared off half of the bidders. No matter how precious this Weeping Spirit Blood Wood was, Deity Transformation and Spatial Tempering cultivators had limited finances, and it would not be wise to exhaust all of their wealth to purchase such an item.

In comparison, it was much more pragmatic to purchase a few powerful protective treasures or some pills that could assist them in breaking through their next bottleneck.

However, some of the high-grade human and demonic beings who were aware of the imminent devilish tribulation had different opinions.

Many of them were eager to get their hands on this spirit item, and the price continued to swell at a rapid rate, with the bids only slowing down slightly after passing 40,000,000. Even so, the price was still slowly bid up to a staggering 50,000,000.

This was a massive price to pay even for some Body Integration Stage beings, and the one who had placed this bid wasn't any of the Body Integration Stage beings on the third floor. Instead, it was still the same Black Wolf Demon, and as a result, he began to attract even more incredulous eyes.

More bursts of spiritual sense also began to sweep toward him from the third floor, and it was quite clear that even the Body Integration Stage beings were quite bewildered by his astonishing wealth.

In the face of these powerful bursts of spiritual sense, the Black Wolf Demon remained completely still in his chair, seemingly completely unfazed.

"Ohhh, I was wondering who this is; it's one of Brother Tian Kui's six clones! I had failed to detect this in the beginning," a woman from the third floor chuckled, and her voice echoed throughout the entire hall, creating quite a stir in the entire venue.

Many people's expressions changed drastically upon hearing the mention of Wolf Monarch Tian Kui, and even the Body Integration cultivators on the third floor were quite alarmed to hear this, including Han Li.

"Are you sure, Fellow Daoist Xiao? Isn't the Wolf Monarch cultivating in seclusion? How would he have the spare capacity to send one of his clones here? According to my knowledge, all six of his clones possess incredible abilities that can assist his true body in his cultivation; how could he send one of them to this place?" A skeptical male voice rang out from another cabin.

Han Li's expression changed ever so slightly as he could hear that the owner of the voice was none other than Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign.

"I don't think I need to inform you two that I'm sending my clone to the convention in my stead. If you two also want this Weeping Spirit Blood Wood, then feel free to place your bids; I won't do anything to stop you." The voice of this clone was extremely cold and completely devoid of emotion, but also very distinct and memorable at the same time.

As opposed to being enraged, Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign merely replied in a nonchalant manner, "Hehe, that's true; I have no business meddling in Fellow Daoist Tian Kui's business. Forgive me for my transgression. Seeing as you want this piece of Weeping Spirit Blood Wood, then I won't participate in the bidding."

As for the Black Phoenix Monarch, she merely chuckled before also falling silent, seeming rather wary of Wolf Monarch Tian Kui. As for all of the beings on the first and second levels, they had all adopted expressions of awe and veneration, and the entire hall fell completely silent.

"If no one else is going to make a bid, then shouldn't it be announced that I'm now the owner of this item?" Wolf Monarch Tian Kui said in a completely emotionless voice as he cast his gaze onto the platform.

His voice wasn't very loud, but it was clearly audible to everyone, and Heavenly Eye Disciple's heart jolted in response.

He had originally intended to stall for time, but he completely cast aside that plan and forced a smile onto his face as he said, "The price for this item has now reached 50,000,000 spirit stones. I'll now be making three calls, and if no further bids are made by then, then the item will go to Senior Tian Kui. 50,000,000 going once!"

"60,000,000!" An elderly voice suddenly rang out from the third floor, sending quite a stir turning through the entire hall again.

"62,000,000!" Wolf Monarch Tian Kui said in an emotionless manner.

"65,000,000!" The elderly voice placed another bid without any hesitation.

A cold light flashed through the eyes of the Wolf Monarch Tian Kui clone, and he said in a cold voice, "Do you insist on competing with me for this item, Dong Tian? It seems you've well and truly recovered from being struck by my Heavenly Wolf Claws during our last clash."

"Hmph, your Heavenly Wolf Claws only served to scratch an itch of mine. In contrast, I'm sure my Dong Tian Drill gave you a very hard time," the owner of the elderly voice harrumphed coldly in response.

This was none other than the most enigmatic of the seven demon monarchs, Mouse Monarch Dong Tian. It seemed that the two of them weren't on very good terms and had even clashed in the past.

All of the other cultivators present were naturally quite surprised and intrigued to learn about this.

Meanwhile, green light flashed violently from the Wolf Monarch Tian Kui clone, and he said, "This item is indeed worth 65,000,000, so I'll hand it over to you, Fellow Daoist Dong Tian. I wonder if you'll still have enough spirit stones left to compete with others during the course of this auction, though."

The clone then closed its eyes, and it really did bow out of the bidding. Mouse Monarch Dong Tian was quite taken aback by this, but he merely harrumphed coldly and fell silent.

As for all of the other Body Integration cultivators, they were either unwilling to contend with the two demon monarchs or looking forward to the other prominent auction items, so none of them placed any bids, either.

Thus, Heavenly Eye Disciple didn't hesitate any longer and quickly made two calls at 65,000,000. However, right at this moment, Han Li suddenly pointed a finger at the formation plate before him, entering a bid of 70,000,000!

"65,000... 70,000,000 going once!" Heavenly Eye Disciple had thought that the final bid had already been placed, only to be caught completely off guard by this new bid, and he hurriedly corrected himself before he could make a third call at 65,000,000.

All of the beings in the hall were quite stunned to see this. Who was competing with Mouse Monarch Dong Tian for this section of Weeping Spirit Blood Wood? Did they have a death wish or were they truly powerful enough to contend with the demon monarchs?

Unfortunately, the bidder hadn't spoken, so no one could tell who he was. However, the so-called confidentiality guarantee of the auction wasn't actually all that strictly enforced, so if one wanted to dig up the bidder's identity, it wouldn't be an overly difficult task.

Much to everyone's surprise, Mouse Monarch Dong Tian remained completely silent and allowed Han Li to take the Weeping Spirit Blood Wood. Perhaps 70,000,000 spirit stones really was too high a price for this item, and no one placed any further bids. Thus, the item fell into Han Li's hands after three calls.

Han Li wasn't all that surprised to see this. Judging from what had just been said by the Wolf Monarch Tian Kui clone, the three sovereigns, seven monarchs, and even some other Body Integration Stage beings present seemed to have received some information and were aiming for certain treasures during this auction. As such, the Weeping Spirit Blood Wood wasn't a priority for them, and they were just as happy to keep their spirit stones for later.

Just as these thoughts were flashing through Han Li's mind, a small group of guards delivered the Weeping Spirit Blood Wood to his cabin, and they departed after Han Li issued the spirit stones required.

After carefully examining the item, he carefully stowed it away, then stroked his severely depleted storage bracelet with a wry smile on his face.

He had managed to secure this item, but it had cost him most of his spirit stones, so he most likely wouldn't be able to compete for any of the upcoming next auction items.

However, he didn't regret this decision. He already had countless treasures and precious materials, but it was very unlikely that he would encounter something like this piece of Weeping Spirit Blood Wood again. Even if there were some other auction items yet to appear that would be useful to Body Integration Stage beings, he wouldn't be able to compete with the wealth of the three sovereigns and seven monarchs anyway.

Thus, he was more interested in those demon beast materials, and he was also very much looking forward to the upcoming Black Realm Exchange Convention.

Hence, Han Li merely laid back in his chair and closed his eyes as one auction item was introduced after another by Heavenly Eye Disciple.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Seeing as this was an auction that was held once every 1,000 years, the rest of the prominent auction items were naturally all exceedingly rare and precious, all of which were far beyond the reach of normal cultivators, but none of them were items that Han Li required.

After the first batch of prominent auction items were sold, Heavenly Eye Disciple immediately summoned another group of female servants to the platform and began to auction off spirit medicines and ingredients, as well as all types of pills that would be very hard to find in normal auctions.

These items were naturally even less appealing to Han Li, but his attention was drawn to the spirit flowers and spirit herbs that appeared at the end, all of which could only be nurtured by the Spirit Race.

However, after hearing that these spirit medicines required the origin spiritual power of Spirit beings to nourish, he decided against trying to bid for them.

These spirit medicines did indeed possess extraordinary effects, but they most likely couldn't be nurtured to full maturity by the green liquid in his mysterious vial alone, so he wouldn't be able to mass-produce them, which made them rather unattractive to him.

After these spirit medicines and pills were sold, a large number of cultivation arts and treasures were brought out, all of which were ideal for Deity Transformation and Spatial Tempering cultivators, so they created quite a stir in the entire hall.

Almost every single item was competed over by hundreds of human and demonic beings, and during this time, another batch of the prominent auction items was brought out.

This included a batch of over 10 vials of Rising Sun Pills, which could enhance the magic power of Body Integration cultivators, as well as a jade slip containing the cultivation arts used by a renowned Body Integration Stage cultivator who passed away tens of thousands of years ago, and two spirit treasures.

These items naturally sent the entire venue into a frenzy, yet even up to this stage, the Body Integration Stage beings on the third floor had still barely placed bids for anything, and when one of them did place a bid, it was very rare that any of the other Body Integration Stage beings would compete with them.

It seemed that most of them were waiting for something.

After the final dozen or so massive hundred-foot tall battle puppets were purchased by a certain mysterious individual for tens of millions of spirit stones, the entire auction was finally drawing to a conclusion.

Heavenly Eye Disciple smiled as he cupped his fist in a salute, and announced, "The next two auction items are the final two items of this auction, and also the most precious two items. My powers are limited, so I'm unable to host the auction for these two items. Hence, they'll be introduced to all of you by their original owners, Wyrm Monarch Li Huo, and a mysterious guest from a foreign race."

After that, he extended another salute toward everyone before walking off the platform.

Many of the people in the hall had also heard that foreign beings would appear during the auction, but this still created quite a stir.

After all, the human and demon races definitely didn't share relationships with the nearby foreign races, and a battle between Deep Heaven City and a united foreign army had just taken place several centuries ago.

As Wyrm Monarch Li Huo arrived on the platform with a yellow-robed woman, all of the chatter immediately died down, and everyone's eyes fell upon the elegant figure beside the red-robed Wyrm Monarch Li Huo.

This yellow-robed woman had a round face with delicate skin, and appeared to only be around 17 to 18 years of age. She wore a sweet smile, and gave off a very pleasant and approachable feeling.

Many people were surprised to see this so-called foreign being in her current appearance. Only those who had cultivated special spiritual sense secret techniques could use their spiritual sense to determine that there was something different about her compared to a normal human.

Han Li didn't even bother to use his spiritual sense. Instead, he had opened his eyes, and blue light flashed through his pupils, immediately allowing him to glean what was amiss about this woman. A peculiar look flashed over his face, but his expression then quickly returned to normal.

At this moment, Wyrm Monarch Li Huo suddenly began to speak. "I'm sure I require no introduction. As for the woman beside me, she is Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns of the Artifact Spirit Race; I'm sure many of you have heard of her. One of these two final treasures was brought here by Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns from afar."

Wyrm Monarch Li Huo's voice was a little hoarse, but it was tinged with a hint of implacable authority.

The yellow-robed woman extended a curtsey before speaking in a pleasant voice. "Thousand Autumns pays her respects to the fellow Daoists present."

Despite her curtsey, the woman's demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant, and it didn't seem at all like she was in foreign territory.

"Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns of the Artifact Spirit Race? Isn't that one of the Artifact Spirit Race's four holy spirits, which are the equivalent to Body Integration cultivators?"

"So the rumors were true; a foreign being really did appear during this auction!"

In the instant that Wyrm Monarch Li Huo and Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns's voices trailed off, the entire hall erupted into commotion again.

Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns didn't display any reaction to this, but Wyrm Monarch Li Huo's brows furrowed slightly, and he suddenly yelled, "Quiet down, everyone! Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns' arrival was approved by all of us three sovereigns and seven monarchs. As for the reason for her visit, that's something that we'll disclose to everyone following the conclusion of the auction. On this occasion, Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns has brought with her a prized treasure for this auction as a show of her race's sincerity in forging friendly relations with us; all of the spirit stones issued during this auction will go to our human and demon races."

The chatter in the hall died down significantly following this announcement, and many people began to ponder what Wyrm Monarch Li Huo meant by this.

Meanwhile, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns smiled, and she suddenly flipped her hand over to produce a golden and silver disk, as well as a white jade slip.

"This first treasure is known as the Myriad Manifestation Formation Plate, and it's a Divine Spirit Treasures on the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll. It's also one of the most prized treasures of our race, and we've only decided to offer it up for auction as a show of our sincerity. This formation plate can allow one to unleash 81 different types of illusionary techniques, and if one possesses sufficient magic power to unleash all 81 illusionary techniques at once and stack them on top of one another, even Body Integration cultivators would struggle to escape from it. However, this formation plate is also extremely taxing on the user and will most likely exhaust a normal Body Integration Stage being's entire supply of magic power, so do exercise caution if you manage to secure this treasure.

"As for this second treasure, it's the blueprint for an ancient ark that our Artifact Spirit Race purchased for a high price from a foreign race. This ark can house more than 1,000 people, and some extremely powerful formations could be inscribed upon it to make it extraordinarily fast, and also bestow upon it incredible offensive and defensive prowess, thereby making it an exceptional life-saving treasure," Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns said with a smile.

Spiritual light then flashed from her fingers as she injected some of her spiritual power into the formation plate, then waved an arm gently through the air.

A burst of pink light immediately surged forth from the plate before sweeping toward everyone below the platform.

All of the human and demonic beings present were startled by this, and many of them summoned protective layers of spiritual light around their bodies.

However, in the next instant, they were greeted by a floral fragrance, and they were stunned to discover that vibrant fist-sized flowers of different colors had blossomed through all the corners of the entire hall.

However, some of the more powerful beings present immediately discovered that this was all part of an illusion, and they were naturally very intrigued.

"I haven't refined this Myriad Manifestation Formation Plate, so the illusionary technique I'm unleashing now is nowhere near as potent as it otherwise would be. On top of that, this illusionary technique is the most mundane of the 81 types," Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns introduced, and even the Body Integration cultivators on the third floor were quite surprised to hear this.

"As for this blueprint, the giant ark inscribed upon it should be for a top-grade battle ark of the Iron Strap Race, which once reigned supreme over our Tian Yuan Continent for a time. The costs required to refine this giant ark are quite staggering, but if successful, aside from the benefits I mentioned earlier, the ark will be able to enhance the combat prowess of over 1,000 people by severalfold, so it could be a life-saving treasure for an entire sect or major family. Unfortunately, it requires a vast amount of resources to construct, so there's no way for it to be mass-produced. Otherwise, with this blueprint, the power of an entire race could be boosted significantly," Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns continued with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns has introduced both treasures and also displayed the power of the Myriad Manifestation Formation Plate. As for the blueprint, I've personally had it appraised and can vouch for its authenticity. I know that many of you have come here for this blueprint, but let me give you some words of caution; this battle ark is indeed extremely powerful, but the amount of resources required to construct it is completely unimaginable to the average cultivator, so I'd advise some of the less affluent fellow Daoists present against bidding for this item. Otherwise, you could spend an enormous sum to purchase this blueprint, only to find that you're unable to refine the battle ark anyway. Alright, we'll begin with the Myriad Manifestation Formation Plate; the starting price will be 80,000,000 spirit stones!"Wyrm Monarch Li Huo announced.

There were only so many spirit treasures that were on the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll, and many of the Deity Transformation and Spatial Tempering cultivators present hadn't ever seen a true Divine Spirit Treasure before. However, the starting price of 80,000,000 immediately discouraged most of the beings on the first and second levels from making bids.

They knew that this treasure was definitely going to fall into the hands of one the Body Integration Stage beings on the third floor, so they didn't bother to make any futile bids.

Even the cabins on the third floor were completely silent, and no one made an initial bid.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

A short while later, countless streaks of light and a series of beast-drawn carriages and flying arks rose up from the sea of clouds before departing in all directions.

One of the mundane-looking streaks of azure light vanished into the distance after just a few flashes, and Han Li flew within it with a contemplative look on his face.

Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi naturally stood in silence behind him, carried along by the azure light. The bidding for the last two treasures had truly been a sight to behold!

Several dozens of Body Integration cultivators had competed for the Myriad Manifestation Formation Plate, and it had fallen into the hands of Black Phoenix Monarch Xiao Guan in the end.

As for the blueprint for that Giant Atlas Ark, it fell into the hands of the number one true spirit family, the Long Family.

Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly at the thought of the Long Family, and the image of a middle-aged cultivator instantly appeared in his mind.

That man had stepped onto the platform to accept the blueprint for the battle ark at the conclusion of the auction, and he was the patriarch of the Long Family. On top of that, he was also a late-Body Integration cultivator with unfathomable magic power and an inhuman frosty aura revolving around his body, striking one with a sense of unease even just from looking at him from afar.

This Long Family patriarch seemed to be no less powerful than the three sovereigns and seven monarchs; it was no wonder that the Long Family had always been able to maintain its status as the number one true spirit family.

The Long Family patriarch had been able to outbid all of the sovereigns and monarchs at the auction, and although it naturally couldn't be deduced from that alone that the Long Family's wealth outstripped that of those sovereigns and monarchs, it was definitely quite telling, nonetheless.

Han Li couldn't help but be concerned when he thought about how he had managed to cross this powerful family.

Thankfully, through his interactions with the Gu Family and Ye Family, he had already learned that the other true spirit families also didn't see eye to eye with the Long Family. On top of that, he now had some ties with two of those families, and he was a Body Integration cultivator himself, so he didn't really have to fear them.

It wasn't like the Long Family patriarch would dare to gather all of the elders of the Long Family to attack him at once.

With that in mind, Han Li was feeling significantly less concerned.

Right at this moment, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind him. "Please wait, Fellow Daoist Han."

Han Li's expression changed slightly, and the streak of azure light he was situated in really did stop. At the same time, he turned around before cupping his fist in a salute. "Greetings, Brother Myriad Bone, did you reap many rewards during the auction?"

A grey cloud was flying toward Han Li at a phenomenal speed from several thousand feet away, and the man standing atop the cloud was none other than Daoist Master Myriad Bone of the White Bone Sect.

"There aren't any good things to be found in an auction like that. Even with the last two treasures, they're well beyond my reach," Daoist Master Myriad Bone replied with a wry smile as his grey cloud arrived in front of Han Li.

"Hehe, my thoughts exactly; both the Myriad Manifestation Formation Plate and Giant Atlas Ark blueprint are most certainly beyond the reach of vagrant cultivators like us. In particular, the latter would only bring me trouble," Han Li chuckled.

"Haha, I knew you were a wise individual, Brother Han, not like some people who seem to have regressed in their intelligence through constant seclusion. Who in their right mind would try to compete for something so dangerous?" Daoist Master Myriad Bone guffawed.

"Is there something you would like to speak to me about, Brother Myriad Bone?" Han Li asked with a smile.

"Of course. Did you know that the Black Realm convention will be held in three days? I asked for a guidance badge for you after receiving this news. When the time comes, you can submit the badge in exchange for access to the exchange convention, so you won't have to try to access the convention through alternative avenues," Daoist Master Myriad Bone's said as his smile faded, and he pulled something out of his sleeve before tossing it to Han Li with a flick of his wrist.

Han Li caught the item before looking down at it to find that it was a black triangular badge. Aside from some simple patterns on its surface, there were no other embellishments on the badge, not even a symbol of any description. If Daoist Master Myriad Bone hadn't told him that this was a badge, he would've thought that it was a piece of scrap metal.

"This is a guidance badge?" Han Li asked in a skeptical manner.

"I understand your suspicions, Fellow Daoist, but please rest assured. The guidance 'badges' for the last Black Realm Exchange Convention were only ordinary wooden sticks. I don't know how the organizers are able to do this, but these things are indeed the only things that will grant you access to the Black Realm, so make sure you don't lose it," Daoist Master Myriad Bone cautioned.

"I see. It looks like the organizers have an interesting sense of humor. You have my thanks, Brother Myriad Bone," Han Li said in a slightly surprised manner.

"Hehe, don't mention it. I don't have any other traits that stand out among our Body Integration Stage fellow Daoists, but I'm pretty good when it comes to gathering information. Brother Han, have you heard of a tribulation that will descend upon our two races within the next 1,000 years? You and I may be affected by it as well." Daoist Master Myriad Bone suddenly changed the subject as a grim look appeared on his face.

"Tribulation? Are you referring to the devilish tribulation?" Han Li asked.

"So you do know of this. How much do you know about it, Fellow Daoist Han?" Daoist Master Myriad Bone wasn't overly surprised by this. After all of the interactions between Body Integration Stage beings at the Myriad Treasure Convention, there were most likely very few who were still unaware of the imminent devilish tribulation.

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many people bidding for that Giant Atlas Ark blueprint, even though they were clearly biting off more than they could chew. Everyone was trying to prepare as best as they could for the upcoming tribulation.

"I don't know much, but I've heard that this devilish tribulation is going to be even more difficult to endure than the previous ones," Han Li replied in a grim voice.

A hint of surprise appeared on Daoist Master Myriad Bone's face upon hearing this, and he cut straight to the chase. "Looks like you've had access to some confidential information. In that case, I won't waste time by going around in circles. After the Black Realm convention, would you be interested to attend a meeting with me for vagrant Body Integration cultivators? We want to get together and discuss how we can safely transcend this devilish tribulation."

Han Li's expression remained unchanged, and he pondered this notion for a moment before suddenly asking, "Vagrant cultivators? Are you referring to those in the human race?"

Daoist Master Myriad Bone faltered slightly before replying, "There are only a few vagrant Body Integration cultivators in our human race, so there's not much point in holding a meeting. Truth be told, most of the fellow Daoists in attendance will be from the demon race."

"There's no need to explain anything. I have no bias against demons; I simply wanted to learn more about the premise of this meeting. Seeing as there will be demonic fellow Daoists in attendance, this meeting should be worth my while. After the Black Realm Exchange Convention, I'll attend the meeting with you," Han Li agreed without seemingly much thought.

Daoist Master Myriad Bone was ecstatic to see this, and he said, "You've definitely made a wise decision, Fellow Daoist!"

The two of them naturally weren't going to have an extended conversation in mid-air, so after conversing for a short while further, Daoist Master Myriad Bone took his leave, departing as a streak of grey light atop his grey cloud and quickly vanishing into the distance.

Han Li looked on in the direction that he had departed in with a contemplative look on his face.

After a while, Qi Lingzi couldn't help but prompt, "Master, isn't it about time we went back as well?"

"Qi Lingzi, Yuetian, I have something I need you to do. I want you to go find a certain demonic woman for me," Han Li replied without even turning his head.

"Yes, Master!" Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian were both slightly taken aback to hear this, but they agreed to undertake the errand without any hesitation.

"This will prove your identity to her; I'll tell you the specific contact method as well." Han Li flipped a hand over to produce half of a jade slip before tossing it toward his two disciples, then issued them some instructions through voice transmission.

The two of them naturally listened intently before nodding eagerly in response.

"Alright, that's all. After you find her, you can come back and report to me." After that, he swept a sleeve through the air, and part of the azure light they were hovering in detached itself before enveloping Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi, then slowly carried them down onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Han Li flew toward the Immortal Welcome Palace as a streak of azure light.

After returning to the Immortal Welcome Palace, Han Li didn't immediately enter his secret chamber to continue cultivating. Instead, he pulled out his newly obtained Weeping Spirit Blood Wood and began to fiddle around with it with a contemplative look in his eyes.

Tribulation transcendence substitution puppets were vastly renowned in the human race, and it was because of this that refinement methods for such puppets were quite common. In fact, they could be found in many markets, and Han Li had made sure to purchase a refinement method for such a treasure during his travels, and it was about to come in handy now.

The only issue was that these puppets required a large amount of blood essence to refine, and even after being refined, they had to be nourished by more blood essence periodically or they could lose their efficacy.

Of course, compared to the potential benefits such a puppet could bring, this amount of hassle and blood essence loss wasn't a big issue. Thus, Han Li was already beginning to think of what materials he would need to refine this puppet.

After a short while, an elated look appeared on his face as he realized that he already possessed all of the other materials required to refine a tribulation transcendence substitution puppet. It could be said that this was quite the coincidence, but then again, he had purchased a vast amount of materials recently, so it really wasn't any surprise that he already had the required materials on hand.

Thus, he decided that he was going to refine a tribulation transcendence substitution puppet soon, and spiritual light flashed from his hand, upon which the section of wood abruptly vanished.

After that, he sat in his chair with his eyes closed and began to visualize the steps required to refine it in case anything were to go awry during the refinement process.

He remained seated on the spot for a day and a night, and Hai Yuetian finally returned the next morning. As soon as he caught sight of Han Li, he immediately yelled in an urgent manner, "Master, Junior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi is in trouble!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

"Calm down and tell me what happened," Han Li said with a hint of surprise as he opened his eyes.

All types of beings from the human and demon races gathered at the Myriad Treasure Convention, but it was actually extremely rare for something to happen in public.

Han Li's calmness also soothed the urgency in Hai Yuetian's heart somewhat, and he hurriedly said in a respectful manner, "Master, we already tracked down the demonic senior that you wanted to find, but during our return trip, we suddenly ran into a woman as we were passing by a secluded corner. The woman only took a quick glance at Junior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi before summoning a gust of strange wind that took him away."

Han Li was quite surprised to hear this, and a cold look flashed through his eyes as he asked, "What did the woman look like? Did she have any distinctive features?"

"She was really tall and thin with very long hair. Oh, and she had a very large azure birthmark on her forehead. She gave off this really terrifying dark aura, and she struck me with a palm to knock me out before she departed. I was brought back to consciousness by another group of cultivators who just so happened to be passing by, and I immediately rushed back after that," Hai Yuetian said with a look of resentment on his face.

Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, and he waved a hand toward Hai Yuetian. "She struck you with her palm? Come over here."

"Yes, Master!" Hai Yuetian was slightly taken aback by this request, but he did as he was told and immediately rushed over to Han Li.

After carefully inspecting Hai Yuetian's body with his spiritual sense, a hint of fury appeared on Han Li's face. "I thought so! What a vile woman!"

He then raised a hand and grabbed onto one of Hai Yuetian's arms. Azure light appeared between his fingers before being injected into Hai Yuetian's body in a frenzy, and moments later, a thin black thread was forcibly dragged out of his body amid the azure light.

As soon as the black thread left his body, it immediately began to writhe with all its might, revealing itself to be some kind of insect.

Hai Yuetian's expression naturally darkened significantly upon seeing this. "What is that? Did that woman plant that thing in me?"

"Hmph, who else could it have been? This is a Heart Adherence Thread; a rather rare spirit insect. Upon incubation, this insect is around as thick as a chopstick, but after being captured and refined using the correct method, it would gradually become thinner, and only after it shrinks down so much that it becomes invisible to the naked eye can it be considered to have been completely refined."

"In that form, it's completely undetectable and can catch any target off guard. Once the insect enters one's body, it would quickly make its way into the host's heart, thereby killing them, and it's very difficult to find the cause of death thereafter. This insect hasn't been completely refined yet, but it's definitely been refined for several centuries already. They sure are generous to be using it on a body refinement warrior like you!" Han Li harrumphed coldly.

"What are her intentions? If she wanted me dead, then why didn't she kill me on the spot?" Hai Yuetian asked as he stared at the black insect in the ball of azure light with a fearful look in his eyes.

"Did you say something to her before she attacked you?" Han Li suddenly asked something that seemed to be completely irrelevant.

Hai Yuetian faltered momentarily before replying, "What did I say? Oh, at the time, I think I said something like 'we live at the Immortal Welcome Palace'! Could that be why she didn't dare to kill me right away?"

"Perhaps. It's likely that she couldn't tell whether you were speaking the truth, so she decided to plant this insect in you as a test. You won't be able to detect this insect unless you truly have ties with a Body Integration cultivator, so you'll either be killed, or the insect will be removed, in which case your claims would be verified, and she would also be immediately alerted. As for why she didn't kill you on the spot, that's naturally because she's wary of the Myriad Treasure Convention's law-enforcing cultivators. They may not look like much, but they're certainly not just ornaments, and they wouldn't let things slide if someone were to kill you in public," Han Li replied as he appraised the black insect.

Hai Yuetian was enlightened by this explanation.

Right at this moment, the black insect in the azure light abruptly shuddered, and black light appeared around its body, forcibly parting the azure light and allowing it to escape.

Han Li harrumphed coldly before reaching out and making a grabbing motion with one hand, drawing the black thread back like a speeding arrow by exerting a burst of enormous suction force.

He then rubbed his hands together, and the insect was incinerated into nothingness amid a flash of silver flames.

This demonic insect did possess some power, but it was certainly no match for Han Li's flames.

In the same instant that the black insect was burned into nothingness, an elderly woman was suddenly jerked awake from her meditation within the belly of a certain small mountain. This woman had a head of long grey hair and remarkably long black nails, and her face abruptly paled before she threw up a mouthful of blood essence, seemingly having been dealt some kind of heavy blow.

There was an elderly man with a pair of bushy black brows seated next to her, and he hurriedly asked, "Mistress, are you alright?"

"I'm fine! It's just that my Heart Adherence Thread was killed; I'll recover after a couple of days of meditation," the elderly woman spat through gritted teeth.

"I'm glad to hear that." The elderly man knew that the woman had nurtured the Heart Adherence Thread for over 1,000 years, so there was no way that she could be fine in the wake of its destruction, but he was forced to swallow his words of concern after the woman aimed a cold glare at him.

"It seems that brat wasn't lying; they really are related to one of the Body Integration cultivators in the Immortal Welcome Palace," the woman murmured to herself with a dark expression.

"How about we let that kid go? This is a Body Integration cultivator we're talking about; we could be in big trouble if we incur their wrath," the elderly man murmured.

"Shut up! We're both already at such an old age, and we only have a single son. If we transplant that Daoist priest's inherited treasure into Ming'er's body, not only will the inherited spiritual power completely cure his chronic illness, it'll also give him a set of inherited secret techniques. I've seen the inherited treasure in that kid's body; the seal on its surface is very profound, so it must contain some extremely powerful cultivation arts. If Ming'er can obtain it, he'll definitely go a lot further on the path of cultivation than we can. If we pass up this opportunity, where else are we going to find a second cultivator of the same cultivation base with another inherited treasure?" the elderly woman rebutted in a fierce manner.

"But he's got a Body Integration cultivator as a backer; there's no way a pair of Spatial Tempering cultivators like us will be a match for them." The elderly man was still quite fearful.

The woman seemed to have considered the matter carefully already, and she said in a calm manner, "Hmph, this kid is only a Foundation Establishment cultivator with such an ordinary spiritual root; even if he's related to a Body Integration cultivator, their bond definitely won't be that strong. We just have to seek out a backer of our own. Will that Body Integration cultivator risk offending our backers just for Foundation Establishment Stage brat? If worse comes to worst, I'll just have to give some more of my blood to repay them."

The elderly man immediately realized what she was implying. "You're saying we should go to..."

"That's right! Don't forget that I also bear the Long surname, and the patriarch of the Long Family is my father! We'll set off right away and go live in the Immortal Welcome Palace that the Long Family is situated in for a while," the woman decided.

The elderly man was clearly more logical, and he wore a wry smile as he urged, "But according to the rules of the Long Family, once a female member of the family marries someone outside of the family, they'll no longer be considered as part of the Long Family. Otherwise, your father wouldn't have left us to our own devices for so many years. I think we should give up on this, Mistress."

The woman gritted her teeth, and replied, "Indeed, the women of our Long Family are unable to activate True Dragon blood, so we're naturally not held in high regard, but don't forget that Ming'er has the bloodline of the Long Family. On top of that, we verified that he has True Dragon blood flowing through his veins. The bloodline is a little thin, but if we tell my brother about this, he won't do nothing about it."

"Mistress, didn't we agree not to tell your Long Family about Ming'er's True Dragon bloodline? Have you changed your mind again?" The elderly man's expression darkened upon hearing this.

The woman was silent for a moment before speaking again in a cold voice. "I know that you want Ming'er to become the heir of the Li Family, so you don't want him to return to the Long Family, but the current situation simply won't allow for that! If we don't do anything, Ming'er will only be able to live for a few centuries at most. Can you really bear to see that happen?"

"I..." The elderly man had no response to this.

The woman's expression softened slightly at the sight of the dejected look on her Dao Companion's face, and she consoled, "Fear not, everything isn't set in stone yet. Don't mention that kid to my brother yet. If that Body Integration cultivator doesn't come to find us, then that means that this kid doesn't mean much to him; we can just sneak away from the Long Family following the conclusion of the Myriad Treasure Convention in that case. If that does happen to be the case, perhaps we won't have to leave Ming'er's side, after all."

"There's no need to mollycoddle me with lies, Mistress. After all, Ming'er's True Dragon bloodline has already been activated, there's no way we'll be able to fool your brother," the man said with a forlorn shake of his head.

The woman could only fall silent upon hearing this.

After a long silence, the man gritted his teeth, and decided, "Alright, we'll do as you say. For the sake of Ming'er's future, he can go back to the Long Family. Ming'er possesses the True Dragon bloodline, so it'll definitely be much better for him to go back to the Long Family than to stay with us."

The woman was ecstatic to hear this. "You've definitely made the right decision. From what I've heard, there aren't that many people in this generation of the Long Family who have activated their True Dragon bloodlines, so Ming'er will definitely be held in very high regard once he goes back."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Having made that decision, the two of them made no effort to delay and immediately sprang into action. The woman quickly passed through a corridor and arrived in a room with simple decor.

Within this room was a white-robed young man with a slightly sickly pallor, and he was seated beside a stone table, reading a shimmering silver book with rapt focus.

The young man immediately put down the book at the sight of the woman, and smiled as he asked, "Mother, would you like something from me?"

"Ming'er, pack up your stuff; we're going to the Long Family's Immortal Welcome Palace right away." In the face of her beloved son, the dark and stern expression on the woman's face had completely disappeared, replaced by one of doting compassion.

"The Long Family? Looks like the guy you captured wasn't an easy target after all," the young man said in a resigned manner as his brows furrowed slightly.

"How did you know about this?" The woman was rather taken aback.

"Don't forget that even though I don't possess exceptional magic power, I've already activated my True Dragon bloodline, which has granted me much better hearing. Even though I haven't left my room, I was still able to overhear some of your conversation," the young man explained.

"I see. Don't worry, Ming'er; your father and I will extract that man's inherited treasure and transplant it into your body no matter what. Not only will your chronic condition be cured as a result, you'll also be able to use that inherited spiritual power to break through a bottleneck, and there's a good chance you'll reach the Core Formation Stage right away. As for that kid's backers, there's no way he would dare to cross the Long Family," the elderly woman consoled.

The young man was silent for a moment before heaving a faint sigh. "Ever since this treatment method of transplanting an inherited treasure into my body was proposed, you and Father have constantly been searching for cultivators with inherited treasures that have yet to have their seals broken. I always had a feeling that this would lead to quite a bit of trouble. Now that we've finally found one, I presume you wouldn't be willing to let him go even if I were to try and persuade you, right, Mother?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Your father and I only made the decision to have you as there's no way we can transcend our next major heavenly tribulations; we're not going to let you pass away ahead of us no matter what! As long as that kid's backer isn't one of the three sovereigns or seven monarchs, your uncle and grandfather will definitely be able to protect you. Besides, you've activated your True Dragon bloodline now, so you're automatically a member of the Long Family. If the Long Family doesn't protect you, then how can they still be known as the number one true spirit family?" The elderly woman's expression had darkened slightly again, and his voice was filled with hints of resentment.

"Alright, then. Seeing as the decision has already been made, let's get out of here right away. That Body Integration cultivator may get here very quickly," the young man urged as he shook his head in resignation.

The woman was rather surprised to hear this, following which a skeptical look appeared on her face. "Surely not, I've already examined that kid's body, and no marks were left within him."

"But you're not a Body Integration cultivator, after all, Mother. According to my knowledge, Body Integration cultivators have at least three or four types of methods through which they can plant spiritual sense marks without being detected by the spiritual sense of a Spatial Tempering cultivator. I may not have been able to cultivate my magic power during these past years, but I haven't been reading all of these tomes for nothing," the young man said with a wry smile.

A nervous look appeared on the woman's face upon hearing this. "You're right, then let's just get out of here right away; forget about packing your stuff! Your father is already going to retrieve that kid."

Meanwhile, the elderly man was standing in a secret chamber, appraising an unconscious person on the ground with a complex look in his eyes. "Don't blame us for being cruel and inhumane, Daoist priest. If we want to cure our son, then our only option would be to take your inherited treasure. Without your inherited treasure, you'll be completely unable to cultivate, which is a fate that I'm sure will be worse than death for you, so I'll send you on your way in a painless fashion." A sinister look appeared on his face as he spoke.

The man lying on the ground was naturally none other than Qi Lingzi. The elderly man flipped a hand over, and black light flashed between his fingers, upon which an inky-black talisman appeared.

He flicked his wrist, and the talisman immediately flew forth as a streak of grey light before vanishing into Qi Lingzi's body in a flash.

He then opened his mouth to expel a ball of black Qi, within which was a rotating azure copper bell.

He raised a hand before gently flicking a finger, and a crisp chime rang out from within the black Qi.

A peculiar scene then ensued.

Qi Lingzi's body suddenly shuddered before he got up on his own to face the elderly man in a standing position with his eyes still tightly shut. He was completely expressionless like a puppet, and the elderly man chanted something as he flicked one incantation seal through the air after another, and the azure bell immediately let loose a string of chimes of different durations.

Amid the seemingly ordinary bell chimes, Qi Lingzi slowly opened his eyes. They were completely glazed over at first before gradually gaining a hint of clarity, but they were still completely devoid of emotion.

The elderly man heaved a long sigh of relief upon seeing this, and he made a grabbing motion to withdraw the bell into his sleeve before turning to leave. Faint bell chimes were still ringing out from within his sleeve, and Qi Lingzi followed him out of the room in a wooden and rigid manner.

A short while later, two streaks of light, one black and one grey, flew out of the small mountain before heading directly toward Nine Immortal Mountain.

These two streaks of light contained both Qi Lingzi and the sickly young man, and after just a few flashes, they both vanished into the distance.

After an indeterminate period of time, a streak of azure light shot forth from another direction, quickly arriving at the small mountain. The azure light then faded to reveal two men, one of whom was very handsome, while the other was completely mundane in appearance.

They were none other than Hai Yuetian and Han Li.

Han Li swept his spiritual sense through the small mountain before a hint of surprise appeared on his face. "They're not here anymore!"

"What? They took him somewhere else? Will you still be able to track them down, Master?" Hai Yuetian asked in a nervous manner.

"Don't worry, the spiritual sense mark that I planted in Qi Lingzi's body is extremely feeble, but it'll periodically send me a strong signal that will alert me to his location," Han Li replied in a calm voice.

"Thank heavens! Those people really are brazen to the extreme; how dare they abduct someone in broad daylight at the Myriad Treasure Convention? Why didn't the law-enforcing cultivators do anything?" Hai Yuetian's expression eased slightly initially before an enraged look resurfaced in his eyes.

"Hehe, if a normal cultivator had done something like this, law-enforcing cultivators would've definitely stepped in, but if someone of the Spatial Tempering Stage had been behind this, then the law-enforcing cultivators would have to have second thoughts. If a Body Integration cultivator had been sighted abducting someone, the law-enforcing cultivators would most likely scrub their eyes clean and immediately turn away," Han Li chuckled coldly.

"Does that mean that old woman is a Body Integration cultivator?" Hai Yuetian's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

"Most likely not. If she were a Body Integration cultivator as well, she wouldn't be fleeing from me like this," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.

"That's true," Hai Yuetian said with a nod.

Thus, the two of them waited for around an hour, following which Han Li abruptly turned toward a certain direction. "I've found them! They're heading toward Nine Immortal Mountain. Let's go!"

Before Hai Yuetian had a chance to respond, he was swept up by a burst of azure light, and the two of them flew through the air again, traveling toward Nine Immortal Mountain on this occasion.

Six hours later, Han Li and Hai Yuetian appeared surreptitiously in the air above a massive luxurious palace. The palace was split up into 10 levels, and it was none other than one of the nine Immortal Welcome Palaces.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he appraised the palace with a dark look in his eyes.

"Master, have we come to the wrong place? Has Qi Lingzi really been taken here?" Hai Yuetian asked in a strained voice as his face paled slightly.

It was quite clear that he understood what it entailed for Qi Lingzi to appear here.

"There's no mistaking it. At such a close range, these restrictions aren't enough to obstruct my spiritual sense at all," Han Li replied in a grim manner.

"Could it be that that old woman really is a Body Integration cultivator? But if that's the case, why was Junior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi outside of Nine Immortal Mountain to begin with?" Hai Yuetian murmured.

"It's very simple; if that old woman really is a Body Integration cultivator, then that cave abode outside Nine Immortal Mountain would only be a temporary one where she takes care of private matters without having to worry about being seen. Otherwise, she's not a Body Integration cultivator, but has ties with a certain Body Integration cultivator living here. In the latter case, she must've sought out this backer in order to scare us away," Han Li analyzed in a calm manner.

Hai Yuetian hesitated for a long while before asking, "What should we do, then, Master?"

"You go down first, and find out for me who is living on the ninth floor of this palace," Han Li instructed.

"Yes, Master!" Hai Yuetian was encouraged by Han Li's calm demeanor, and he immediately extended a respectful salute.

"I'll send you down there; after you find out the information I requested, go to the nearest hill over there to find me," Han Li continued before sweeping a sleeve through the air, upon which a ball of azure light immediately detached itself before carrying Hai Yuetian safely down onto the ground.

Meanwhile, he turned and flew toward a hill that was several tens of kilometers away. [IGT: "nearest hill"]

Even though Nine Immortal Mountain was comprised of the nine massive peaks, there were naturally some nameless and unimportant mountains and hills littered throughout the mountain range.

After landing on the ground, Hai Yuetian cast a glance toward the Immortal Welcome Palace, but didn't immediately make his way toward it. Instead, he took a deep breath before rushing toward the most lively and bustling place near the palace.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter