Read A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Chapter 1971: Underground Glacier online free - Novel Full
Five-colored light flashed within the black hole, and the heavenly phoenix abruptly vanished.
With the heavenly phoenix's innate spatial abilities and Han Li's past experience with spatial rifts, he naturally wasn't going to see this mere devilish node as much of an obstacle.
After all, even normal devilish lords could pass through this node; there should definitely be no issues for him.
The only thing that he was wary of was that there could be some extremely powerful devilish beings situated on the other side of the node, in which case he would be landing himself in a lot of hot water.
However, the chances of this happening in such a small node was virtually negligible.
After flying through the devilish winds for a while and breaking through a dozen or so barriers formed by spatial power, specks of light began to appear up ahead.
Han Li was ecstatic to see this, and he flapped his wings vigorously. Five-colored light flashed over his body, and he became a barely visible shadow.
The exit on the other side of the node led to a boundless grey desert.
On the ground down below, there were two black buildings that seemed to be a pair of watchtowers, within which were several tens of devilish guards who looked up at the node from time to time.
After the span of just a few breaths, the spatial power faded, and the heavenly phoenix emerged from the node, then immediately vanished into thin air.
Even the most powerful devilish guards situated in the two watchtowers were only at the Nascent Soul Stage, and nothing of note had happened here for many years, so they had become complacent and completely failed to notice Han Li's stealthy entrance.
The heavenly phoenix emerged in the distant sky before reverting back to its human form, and Han Li heaved a faint sigh of relief as he cast his gaze back toward the node with a slightly peculiar look in his eyes.
His infiltration into the Elder Devil Realm had been far smoother than he had anticipated, and he hadn't been made to use any of the measures he had painstakingly prepared.
This naturally made him quite elated.
Han Li began to inspect his surroundings in this realm that the human race proclaimed to be a hellish cesspool of a world.
The sky was of a faint yellow color, and there was no cloud or mist to be seen. There were three crimson suns overhead, and aside from that, everything else seemed to be quite similar to what things were like in the Spirit Realm.
The only other striking difference that could be sensed was that the spiritual Qi here was clearly a lot less abundant than it was in the Spirit Realm, and there was faint devilish Qi drifting all throughout the surrounding air.
However, this devilish Qi was not very pronounced, and it could easily be missed if someone weren't paying attention to it.
This was a rather surprising sight for Han Li.
However, he hadn't ventured into the Elder Devil Realm to conduct geographic research; he had something important that he had to do. As such, he only inspected his surroundings for a short while before chanting something, and his suit of devilish armor reappeared before expelling a large amount of inky-black devilish Qi that completely inundated his body.
Immediately thereafter, he made a hand seal, and his human aura was completely concealed.
He then let loose a low cry, and faint golden scales appeared over his body. However, after coming into contact with the devilish Qi, the scales immediately turned black. At the same time, a third black demonic eye also appeared on his glabella.
Han Li made a brief inspection of his own body with a faint smile on his face. With his current aura and appearance, he was identical to a high-grade devilish being.
If he didn't encounter any devilish beings that were more powerful than himself, no one would be able to see through his disguise.
Following his transformation, Han Li didn't dare to linger in the area any longer and immediately flew away as a gust of black wind.
Around an hour later, he emerged from the desert and appeared above a hill that was riddled with grey shrubs.
As soon as he reached this place, he immediately noticed that the devilish Qi had become denser. The difference was only an extremely minute one, but it confirmed Han Li's suspicions, which was that just like spiritual Qi, the abundance of devilish Qi differed from area to area in the Elder Devil Realm.
Han Li continued onward and flew for a day and a night. He passed through the hilly region, over a giant lake, and through several black mountain ranges.
Perhaps it was because the Elder Devil Realm was very bleak and barren to begin with or he was traveling in the wrong direction, but aside from a few low-grade devilish beasts, he didn't encounter any other devilish beings.
This made Han Li feel slightly more relaxed, but also a bit more wary.
On the fourth day, Han Li finally encountered several mid-grade devilish beings with human bodies and horse heads battling at the foot of a small mountain.
These devilish beings wielded wooden clubs with beasthide garments draped over their bodies. They were extremely ferocious, and seemed to possess a certain level of intelligence.
There was a black devilish beast that resembled a sabertooth tiger lying completely still nearby, and it was quite clear that these devilish beings were fighting over this prized prey.
Han Li was ecstatic to see this, and he descended from above before releasing a few arcs of golden lightning to knock out these devilish beings.
He then made a grabbing motion to draw one of them into his grasp before pressing a hand firmly onto the top of the devilish being's head.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and black light flashed from his fingertips as he unleashed a soul search technique.
Just as he had expected, the devilish being possessed only a very elementary level of intelligence, and there really wasn't much for him to sift through in its spiritual sense.
Thankfully, he wasn't searching for any complex information, and from through his soul search technique, he discovered a suitable place that wasn't far away.
Golden lightning sprang forth from his hand again to instantly incinerate this devilish being into dust, and he did the same for the other devilish beings, as well as that devilish beast carcass.
After that, he flew toward a different direction compared to his original one.
Several hours later, a boundless canyon appeared up ahead.
The black winds faded, and Han Li appeared in the air above the canyon before casting his gaze downward.
The canyon down below was several thousand feet wide and unfathomably deep. Howlings winds were blowing incessantly through it, and there was a vast expanse of murky yellow mist within it.
Han Li descended into the canyon without any hesitation as grey light flashed over his body, and the fierce winds faded as soon as it came into contact with this grey light.
As he descended further and further, the air temperature plummeted drastically, and a layer of frost could be seen on the faces of the canyon.
These temperatures naturally weren't low enough to be of concern to Han Li, and after descending for over 10,000 feet, he finally reached the bottom of the canyon, where a blue glacier was situated.
Theoretically speaking, the temperatures here should've frozen this river completely solid, but it showed no signs of freezing over at all. However, there were thick layers of blue ice on either side of the river, and fierce winds were howling in the air over 100 feet above the glacier.
Han Li hovered in the air several tens of feet above the glacier, and he swept his gaze downward, upon which a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
"This river is indeed rather peculiar; it's so calm and still on the surface, but it's as violent as a waterfall deeper down; it most likely leads straight to an underground river. On top of that, the glacial power here is also rather peculiar," Han Li murmured to himself.
Right at this moment, a burst of hissing rang out from the fierce winds up above, and two extraordinarily fast streaks of blue light shot forth, reaching Han Li in a flash.
This was a pair of translucent blue flying snakes with triangular heads and black crowns that resembled those of roosters. Just from their appearance alone, it was quite clear that they possessed lethal poison.
Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this, and his hands shot forth in a blur to catch the two flying snakes before crushing them without any hesitation. The two snakes didn't even have a chance to utter one final sound before they were instantly killed.
Han Li tossed the bodies of the flying snakes into the water down below, they were instantly frozen solid before slowly sinking into the river, vanishing into its depths in the blink of an eye.
Han Li closed his eyes before releasing his spiritual sense to track the progress of the two snake carcasses, following which a content look soon appeared on his face.
"As expected, they were swept away. I don't know where this glacier will lead to, but I'm sure something that's tossed into it will have a very low likelihood of being discovered," Han Li murmured to himself as he flipped his hand over to produce a pristine white wooden box.
He took a rather forlorn glance at the wooden box, but gritted his teeth and tossed it downward in the end.
A layer of blue ice instantly appeared over the surface of the wooden box, and it also sank into the glacier.
Han Li stared down into the depths of the glacier in silence, and after close to an hour had passed, he heaved a faint sigh as the expression on his face eased slightly.
At this point, the wooden box had already disappeared into the underground river. He was quite reluctant to part with the treasure, but it contained two Sacred Ancestors, so it was naturally best to get rid of it as early as possible.
He didn't know whether those two devils would be able to escape from the confinement of the Devil Sealing Lock someday, but from this day forth, they no longer had anything to do with him. The Elder Devil Realm naturally wasn't a place to linger in for an extended period of time, so Han Li didn't hesitate any longer as he flew out of the canyon before embarking on a journey back to the Spirit Realm.
Meanwhile, within the space inside the wooden box that was drifting along the underground river, Che Qigong was meditating in a cave-like secret chamber with black and white light flashing over his body, seemingly cultivating something.
Within a mysterious stone hall elsewhere in the same space, Feng Xie was doing the same thing while seated atop a futon.
Both of them were completely oblivious to what was going on outside the wooden box, and if they were aware, they would most likely be cursing Han Li with all of the derogatory terms in their vocabulary. After all, Han Li had just unintentionally foiled their plan to secure the other half of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi through his cautious actions.
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The return journey proved to be a very smooth one for Han Li. Flying at full speed, he returned to the yellow desert in just a day, and the devilish node soon appeared up ahead.
Everything was the same as when he had left the node, and Han Li wasn't all that surprised to see this.
The black Qi around his body faded, and he transformed into a heavenly phoenix again before flying toward the node as a faint streak of light.
After just a few flashes, he flew into the node, escaping the detection of the devilish guards down below once again, and this journey through the node was also a smooth and uneventful one.
A short while later, the heavenly phoenix emerged in the Spirit Realm as a ball of five-colored light, but in the instant before he exited the node, he swept his spiritual sense through the surrounding area.
As he had expected, devilish beings had surrounded the node, and a cold smile appeared on his face after detecting this.
Bright light erupted from the heavenly phoenix's body, and it disappeared from the spatial passageway in a flash.
In the next instant, spatial fluctuations appeared outside the node, and an azure figure emerged out of thin air.
As soon as Han Li appeared, a loud cry of "attack" rang out nearby.
Immediately thereafter, countless streaks of black light hurtled toward him from all sides, and fierce winds were swept up overhead as a dozen or so two-headed devilish birds swooped down from above.
Down below, two azure battle arks that were each several hundred feet in length emerged, and they blasted forth two pillars of black light that reached Han Li in a flash.
Several hundred devilish guards had gathered near the exit of the node, and as soon as Han Li had returned, they immediately unleashed a torrential barrage of attacks.
Han Li had anticipated this situation well in advance, and despite the fierce attacks being aimed at him, a faint smile appeared on his face.
He abruptly swept a sleeve forward, and a burst of grey light swept forth before forming a translucent light barrier that completely shielded his body within.
He then flicked his fingers casually up toward the giant devilish birds, paying no heed to the oncoming streaks of black light around him.
Around a dozen streaks of azure sword Qi shot forth in a flash from his fingertips, and before they even knew what had happened, each of the devilish birds had been sliced into two.
Their carcasses crashed down from above amid a rain of blood, and the high-grade devilish beings appraising the proceedings from afar were extremely alarmed to see this.
Those two-headed devilish birds possessed bodies that were more resolute than iron and steel; even the average treasure wouldn't be able to harm them in the slightest, yet they had just been sliced apart by Han Li with ease!
However, whatever was even more astonishing to them was that all of the streaks of black light and that pillar of light had vanished as soon as they had struck the grey light barrier around Han Li's body; it was as if they had all been devoured by the light barrier!
"That's a Body Integration Stage human cultivator! Retreat at once!" one of the high-grade devilish beings hurriedly commanded.
Those high-grade devilish beings were none other than the four Deity Transformation Stage devilish beings and that brocade-robed late-Spatial Tempering Stege devil.
After they had dealt the Wood Tribe resistance force a heavy defeat, they discovered that the devilish beings guarding the node had disappeared, and this had naturally been quite an alarming discovery for them.
They had no idea what had happened, but if some kind of mishap were to befall the devilish node, then they would all be held accountable.
Thus, following some discussion, they contacted the other devilish strongholds nearest to them and gathered a group of elite devilish warriors to surround the node.
In reality, they were doing this just for show, and they didn't actually think that they would catch anyone, but much to their surprise, Han Li had returned after staying for only a few days in the Elder Devil Realm.
As soon as he returned, he immediately fell into their trap, and initially, they had been ecstatic to see this, but their elation soon gave way to horror when the brocade-robed devilish being ascertained Han Li's cultivation base.
The high-grade devilish beings exchanged a few horrified glances before immediately flying away as streaks of black light. In order to not alert Han Li to their escape, they didn't even notify their subordinates of what they were doing.
However, with Han Li's immense spiritual sense, he had naturally already spotted these high-grade devilish beings. As soon as they attempted to flee the scene, he cast a frosty gaze toward them.
"You're dreaming if you think you can get away!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, Han Li made a grabbing motion with his pristine white hand, and spatial fluctuations erupted in the air above the high-grade devilish beings, following which a giant five-colored hand that was over 100 feet in size abruptly appeared before swooping downward.
The high-grade devilish beings were horrified to see this, and they accelerated with all their might while releasing all types of treasures to attack the giant hand.
They weren't actually expecting their treasures to destroy the hand; they were simply hoping to delay it slightly and buy themselves some time for escape.
However, in the instant that the treasures struck the massive hand, the hand immediately exploded into a vast expanse of five-colored glacial flames that encompassed an area of around an acre.
The five-colored glacial light swept downward, and the five high-grade devilish beings were all instantly frozen solid.
Only then did the devilish beings that had surrounded Han Li realize what was happening, and they immediately flew into a blind panic.
However, before they had a chance to retreat, Han Li swept his sleeves through the air to release several tens of small azure swords, all of which transformed into streaks of azure sword Qi.
He then let loose a low cry and made a hand seal, sending the streaks of sword Qi flying in all directions.
Around 10 minutes later, not a single living devilish being remained in the entire devilish stronghold.
A streak of azure light circled around high up in the air, then flew back toward human territory.
Several days later, the Wood Tribe scouts discovered what had happened here, and they were naturally filled with elation.
After doing some further scouting to ascertain that this wasn't some kind of trap, they immediately hurried back to report the situation.
Seven or eight days later, the devilish stronghold was taken over by Wood Tribe beings, who began to set up some kind of profound formation at the exit of the node in an attempt to completely seal it off.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Han Li.
He was currently refining the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi within his body while quickly flying back toward human territory.
Even though he had only refined a small portion of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, his magic power had been greatly enhanced, and he had benefited immensely.
He estimated that the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi should be close to fully refined by the time he returned to the human race, and that would take him to the pinnacle of the mid-Body Integration Stage. After that, he would be able to make a breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage, but for that, he would require the Ice Phoenix's assistance.
Otherwise, Han Li would've settled somewhere in the primordial world to make his breakthrough instead. After all, the human territory was rife with devilish invaders, and it certainly wasn't a very safe place.
With that in mind, Han Li could only heave a resigned sigh and continue onward.
Meanwhile, there were groups of human warriors and cultivators situated atop the city wall of Deep Heaven City, controlling their treasures with all their might to attack the devilish army outside of the city's restrictions.
An extremely fierce battle was taking place, and similar scenes were unfolding all throughout the human and demon territories.
During the recent period of time, the devilish army had suddenly become a lot more ferocious and began to launch wave after wave of fierce assaults without any regard for the casualties they suffered.
Countless low-grade and mid-grade human and demonic beings had perished during these intense battles, and the number of casualties among high-grade cultivators at or above the Deity Transformation Stage was also spiking drastically.
This made both races extremely nervous and apprehensive. During past devilish tribulations, these cities should be fine after withstanding a few years of attacks from the devilish army.
As such, all of the cities were using everything at their disposal to ward off the attacks, eagerly hoping for the arrival of the day when the devilish army would run out of steam.
Unbeknownst to everyone, there were currently around a dozen human and demonic Body Integration Stage beings gathered on a mysterious island situated on the border of the human and demon territories. At present, all of them were discussing a secretive matter in a hall that was surrounded by layer upon layer of restrictions.
"So the Elder Devil Race is planning to conquer our territory, then settle permanently in the Spirit Realm," an elderly man with snowy white hair mused with furrowed brows.
"That's not the extent of it; the scouts that we sent into the Elder Devil Race have discovered that a huge group of low-grade elder devils have been mobilized, and they're about to force their way into the Spirit Realm soon," a red-haired middle-aged man said with a dark expression.
"Low-grade elder devils? Approximately how many have been mobilized?" someone sighed before asking.
"We don't have an accurate figure, but it's going to be at least 1,000,000,000," the red-haired man replied after a brief pause.
"1,000,000,000?!"
Everyone gathered in the hall was astonished to hear this.
"Is this figure really reliable? There aren't that many pure elder devils in the entire Elder Devil Realm; 1,000,000,000 will comprise of close to 10% of all of the elder devils in the Elder Devil Realm! How are the Sacred Ancestors willing to take such a huge risk?" a white-robed elderly woman asked.
"The information we've received is definitely reliable. Many of the cities inhabited by the elder devils have already been completely vacated; 1,000,000,000 is already only a conservative estimate," the red-haired man replied in a confident manner.
"Hmph, it looks like those devilish beings are preparing for an all or nothing invasion. It's a pity that we were unable to ascertain the reason behind their act of desperation even after we sent so many scouts into the Elder Devil Realm to investigate. Otherwise, we'll be able to target them much more effectively," the white-haired elderly man sighed.
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"It seems that only the Sacred Ancestors are aware of the reason behind this desperate devilish invasion; even the average devilish lord has been kept completely in the dark. We've taken huge risks in the past to capture devilish lords alive, but we've been unable to glean any relevant information even after using soul search techniques on them," the white-robed woman said in a resigned manner.
"Hmph, regardless of why the Elder Devil Race is doing this, we definitely can't allow them to do as they please. The backup measures we've prepared have all been implemented, and two of them are mostly complete; they should be enough to put a severe dent in the devilish army. Even if the true bodies of some Sacred Ancestors were to descend into the Spirit Realm, it won't make any difference. The only matter of concern is that our sources have confirmed that the three patriarchs of the Elder Devil Race will descend into the Spirit Realm together. If that happens, even if all of the Grand Ascension Stage beings of our races join forces, we most likely won't be a match for them. I've heard that all of the three patriarchs are old monsters who have lived for hundreds of thousands of years and are only one step away from ascending to become true devils," the red-haired man said with furrowed brows.
Everyone's expressions darkened even further upon hearing this, and the white-robed woman sighed, "The three patriarchs of the Elder Devil Race are all Tribulation Transcendence Stage ancient devils. Even in the entire Spirit Realm, there won't be many beings who can defeat them, let alone our races. The only beings that would be capable of defeating those patriarchs would be the true spirits revered by the major races, but our races are far too weak; where are we going to find a true spirit that would be willing to help us? If we can't find a way to counter the three patriarchs, our fate will be sealed even if we can withstand the attacks from the devilish army."
Just as everyone was beginning to exchange concerned glances, a clean-shaven man suddenly spoke for the first time. "There's no need to be overly concerned. Back when Master Mo Jianli left the holy island, he said that he would seek out the Grand Ascension Stage beings of the other races to devise a way to counter the devilish patriarchs. A long time has passed since then; perhaps they've already found a way."
"Is that true, Fellow Daoist Xun? Why haven't we ever heard of this?" the red-haired man hurriedly asked as a surprised look appeared on his face.
Everyone else was also both surprised and elated to hear this.
"Only Brother Luo and I are aware of. Prior to Senior Mo's departure, he had told us not to reveal this information unless the situation demanded it, so we never mentioned it to anyone. Now, the situation seems to be dire enough for me to divulge this information," the clean-shaven man sighed.
"Is that true, Brother Luo?" the white-robed woman immediately turned to the elderly man for confirmation.
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Xun speaks the truth; Senior Mo did indeed inform the two of us of this prior to his departure," the white-haired elderly man confirmed with a smile.
"That's great! That must mean that Senior Mo already has a plan. It looks there's a good chance we'll be able to transcend this devilish tribulation in the end."
Everyone was very relieved to hear this, and they immediately began to discuss this new information among themselves.
"Alright, before we begin discussing specific arrangements, I have something that I need to announce. Fellow Daoist Black Rain, who departed from the holy island not long ago to capture the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit, has, unfortunately, perished. He had been accompanied by Tian Chan of the Holy Sovereign City, who informed us that they had parted ways after the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit had been captured. However, not long after that, Fellow Daoist Black Rain's soul lamp was snuffed out," the red-haired man said with a grim expression.
The elation in everyone's eyes immediately faded upon hearing this.
"Master Black Rain is a mid-Body Integration cultivator; how was he killed so quickly? Could there be some foul play involved here?" the clean-shaven man asked in a suspicious manner.
"I don't think so. The Pipe Dream Stone Spirit is indeed extremely rare, but it's not very useful to the average person. On top of that, Fellow Daoist Tian Chan mentioned a witness. At the time, they just so happened to encounter another Body Integration Stage fellow daoist who helped them capture the stone spirit. Without his assistance, it wouldn't have been so easy for them to capture the stone spirit," the red-haired man replied with a shake of his head.
"A witness? Who is it? Is it someone else from the Holy Sovereign City?" the elderly woman asked with furrowed brows.
"No. Come to think of it, I'm sure most of you have heard of him. The other witness is Fellow Daoist Han, who progressed to the Body Integration Stage just a few centuries ago," the red-haired man revealed.
"Are you referring to Han Li? I heard that he's a freakish cultivation prodigy from your human race who only took several centuries to progress from the Deity Transformation Stage to the early-Body Integration Stage," the elderly woman said with a surprised look in her eyes.
"Hehe, I'm afraid your information is outdated, Fellow Daoist; this Fellow Daoist Han is already a mid-Body Integration cultivator now," the white-haired elderly man chuckled.
"What? He made another breakthrough? That's way too fast! I had thought that the rumors of his cultivation aptitude were mere hyperbole, but it seems that they were understatements, if anything!" The elderly woman was even more astonished now.
All of the other Body Integration Stage beings presented were also quite stunned to hear this.
"Perhaps. If it weren't for the ongoing devilish tribulation, Fellow Daoist Han would've most likely already become a member of our holy island. Setting that aside for now, have you tracked down Fellow Daoist Han to ascertain the details of what happened to Fellow Daoist Black Rain?" the white-haired elderly man asked.
"I tried to do that, but after getting into contact with Deep Heaven City, I was told that Fellow Daoist Han had disappeared. It seems that that time of his disappearance coincides with that of Fellow Daoist Black Rain's death," the red-haired man replied with a wry smile.
"He disappeared?" The elderly man's expression darkened upon hearing this.
"According to the information we received from Deep Heaven City, Fellow Daoist Han encountered the clone of a Sacred Ancestor while reinforcing Heavenlean City, and he had gone missing after that. However, according to Fellow Daoist Tian Chan, Fellow Daoist Han had most likely encountered Tian Chan and Black Rain after he had escaped from the clone of that Sacred Ancestor. However, after the three joined forces to capture the stone spirits, Tian Chan was the only one who returned safely to the Holy Sovereign City, while the other two both went missing," the red-haired man said.
"With Fellow Daoist Han's aptitude, there may be hope for him to reach the Grand Ascension Stage in the future. It would truly be a pity if something has happened to him. However, cultivators like us are constantly defying the natural order anyway, so it's common for us to die early, especially during this devilish tribulation," the elderly woman sighed in a wistful manner.
"If Fellow Daoist Han really has perished, then he can only lament his ill-fortune. However, in contrast with Black Rain, Fellow Daoist Han didn't leave behind a soul lamp in Deep Heaven City, so it's impossible to tell whether he's currently alive or not. Regardless of how Black Rain perished, the problem is that the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit that he captured has also disappeared. Without that stone spirit, the first step of our preparations can't be implemented. This is a pressing matter that concerns the survival of our two races, so we have to think of a way to rectify the issue right away," the red-haired man said with a grim expression.
"This is indeed an urgent manner."
"Is there anywhere else where we can find another Pipe Dream Stone Spirit?"
"Can we replace the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit with something else? Do we not have a backup plan prepared in case of this exact situation?"
Everyone quickly began to offer their opinions and insights.
"A Pipe Dream Stone Spirit is far from easy to find; the one that we sent Fellow Daoist Black Rain to capture was one that was discovered tens of thousands of years ago. As for substitutes, we did indeed prepare a few, but resorting to those substitutes will hamper our preparations, and it's hard to say whether we'll be able to achieve the intended effect in the end," the red-haired man said.
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this, and a tense silence descended over the entire hall.
"Leave the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit to me; I have more important matters that I'll require your assistance with, fellow daoists."
A faint male voice suddenly echoed throughout the hall, and everyone was rather bewildered to hear it.
An ecstatic look immediately appeared on the red-haired man's face, and he sprang up from his chair as he exclaimed, "Senior Ao Xiao, is that you?"
Almost at the exact same moment, the gate of the hall was opened from the outside, and two people strode into the hall one after another.
The first person was a man who appeared to be in his thirties with a faint smile on his face. He wore a set of silver robes and had a head of long black hair that trailed down to his waist.
Behind him was a stunning silver-haired beauty with skin as fair as snow, and shimmering silver locks that looked as if they had been forged from pure silver.
"We pay our respects to Senior Ao Xiao and welcome Senior Ao Xiao to the holy island!"
All of the people in the hall were ecstatic to see the silver-robed man, and they hurriedly rose to their feet before extending respectful bows.
This man was the only Grand Ascension Stage being of the demon race, the vastly renowned Patriarch Ao Xiao.
"No need for formalities. I can see that there's a mix of familiar faces and ones that I'm only now seeing for the first time here," the silver-robed man said with a smile.
"Please take a seat, Senior Ao Xiao," the white-haired elderly man said as he hurriedly vacated the main seat in the hall.
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded before taking a step forward, and everyone felt their vision blur before he somehow appeared in front of the chair, then calmly took a seat.
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The silver-haired woman also strode into the hall and stood behind Patriarch Ao Xiao, completely ignoring everyone's bewildered eyes.
The white-haired elderly swept his spiritual sense toward the woman to find that she was a late-Spatial Tempering Stage demonic cultivator, and he couldn't help but ask, "May I ask who this is?"
"This is my granddaughter, Ling Long. You may not have met her before, but I'm sure you've heard of her," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied.
A hint of surprise flashed through the elderly man's eyes upon hearing this, and he said in a polite manner, "Oh, it's Fairy Ling Long; please forgive me for my rudeness."
Indeed, this woman was none other than Silvermoon, who had parted ways with Han Li in the human world over 1,000 years ago.
Of course, this Silvermoon was different from the Silvermoon of the past; she had fused the split soul and possessed the complete soul of Silvermoon.
Everyone else was also rather surprised to hear who this woman was.
The holy island held a very special status among both the human and demon races, so the beings on the island naturally paid close attention to the seven demon monarchs that ruled over the demon race.
Fairy Ling Long was Wolf Monarch Tian Kui's concubine, and she had once been sealed in the human world for many years. All of the elders of the holy island had heard about how her relationship with Wolf Monarch Tian Kui had become rather strained following her return to the Spirit Realm, even though this was only the first time that they had met her.
Silvermoon paid no heed to this and merely stood in silence behind Patriarch Ao Xiao with her head slightly lowered.
"Senior Ao Xiao, to what do we owe this pleasure? Have you recovered from your last tribulation transcendence?" the red-haired man asked in a respectful manner.
"My last tribulation transcendence was indeed a bit of an ordeal, but after resting for so many years, I've already completely recovered. Otherwise, I wouldn't have appeared here. As for why I came to the holy island, I was naturally invited here by Fellow Daoist Mo," Patriarch Ao Xiao said with a faint smile.
"Does this mean you've already met Senior Mo? That's fantastic news! He also fell completely into obscurity after leaving the holy island all those years ago, and we've been very concerned about him," the clean-shaven man said as an ecstatic look appeared in his eyes.
"Hehe, he's not even as old as I am; there's no need to be concerned for him. Alright, I won't waste any further time with my rambling. On this occasion, I was asked to come here by Fellow Daoist Mo to deliver a message for him, and also to remain on the island for a while," Patriarch Ao Xiao said.
The clean-shaven man's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he asked in a respectful manner, "What message does Senior Mo have for us?"
"Fellow Daoist Mo recently received news that the location of the holy island seems to have been leaked to the Elder Devil Race. The devilish army currently doesn't possess the power to pose a threat to the holy island yet, but we still have to take some precautions just in case. The holy island holds an extremely important status in our two races; if something were to happen to this place, morale would plummet to an unsalvageable degree," Patriarch Ao Xiao said as a grim look appeared on his face.
"The location of the holy island has been leaked again? But that's impossible! The holy island only just teleported to a new location; it won't be able to teleport again in the near future," one of the Body Integration Stage beings present exclaimed.
"There's no need to panic; I'll be here to hold down the fort. The fact that the location of the holy island was leaked again in such a short time indicates that a devilish spy has most likely infiltrated the island. However, the spy shouldn't be very troublesome to track down; we just have to investigate all of the people who have entered the island since the commencement of the devilish tribulation to find the culprit," Patriarch Ao Xiao said in a cold voice.
The white-haired elderly man's heart jolted upon hearing this, and he hurriedly cupped his fist in a salute as he said, "I'll organize some people to conduct an investigation right away."
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded in response, and after a brief pause, he said something that came as quite a surprise to everyone. "The other message that Fellow Daoist Mo wanted me to relay is that we need to adjust the countermeasures we've originally prepared against the devilish army."
"Why is that? Those countermeasures are all powerful trump cards that took us and Senior Mo over 100 years to devise; surely there won't be any issues with them," the elderly woman asked.
"This is most likely a decision that Fellow Daoist Mo made after meeting the Grand Ascension Stage fellow daoists of the other races. I presume he must've identified some fallacies in the original countermeasures that had been prepared through his communication with those fellow daoists. Rest assured, this doesn't require everything to be torn down and redone anew; only two or three of the countermeasures will need to be adjusted; I'll disclose the specific details to all of you later. Coincidentally, one of the adjustments that need to be made makes the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit redundant as Fellow Daoist Mo has already decided to substitute it with something else. This substitute will only produce a better effect than what it originally would've been, and I've brought the substitute along with me." Patriarch Ao Xiao flipped a hand over as he spoke to produce a jade vial, which he tossed toward the white-haired elderly man.
The elderly man caught the box before removing the lid in a befuddled manner, upon which a stunned look appeared on his face. "This is..."
Patriarch Ao Xiao raised a hand to cut the elderly man off. "If you know what it is, then keep it to yourself; it's best to have as little people know about this thing as possible for now."
The other holy island elders were quite curious about what was in the box, but it was naturally inappropriate for them to pry into such matters.
The elderly man hurriedly gave an affirmative response before carefully stowing the jade box up his sleeve.
The elderly woman hesitated momentarily before asking, "By the way, Senior, have you heard that there's a chance the three devilish patriarchs could descend into our Spirit Realm?"
"I have indeed heard of this, and it was Fellow Daoist Mo who informed me of this in person," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied in a calm manner.
His calm display instilled everyone in the hall with a lot of confidence, and a hint of elation appeared in the elderly woman's eyes as she asked, "Does this mean you've already thought of a countermeasure against them, Senior?"
As opposed to giving a definitive response, Patriarch Ao Xiao waved a hand, and replied in a nonchalant manner, "Hehe, even the average Sacred Ancestor has to expend a vast amount of power to get their true body to descend into the Spirit Realm, let alone the three devilish patriarchs; it won't be that easy for them to make their way into this realm. It's still too early to be discussing something like this; we can consider it after we deal with the current threat posed by the devilish army."
All of the Body Integration Stage beings present were left exchanging befuddled glances upon hearing this.
The white-haired elderly man cleared his throat and gave the red-haired man a meaningful look.
The red-haired man seemed to have been reminded of something upon seeing the elderly man's silent signals, and he hurriedly changed the subject. "Indeed, it's still too early to be discussing the three devilish patriarchs. Would you like to hear about some of the specific measures we've prepared on the holy island, Senior Ao Xiao? There are some issues that we're unable to resolve, and we'll require a verdict from you."
A hint of a smile appeared on Patriarch Ao Xiao's face as he nodded in response. "Sure, go ahead."
"Firstly, in order to deal with those low-grade devilish beasts, we've been nurturing an army of spirit beasts, and that army is basically complete. We've also begun breeding some ferocious insects with shorter lifespans, and they should just about reach maturity once our final battle against the devilish army commences. Also, in order to refine those Profound Heavenly Holy Artifacts, we've moved all of the tool refinement masters of our human race onto the island, and they should be able to begin refining the treasures in about half a year. The only matter of concern is that there are several types of materials that are still yet to be delivered to the island, and they'll only be able to get to us after passing through several areas currently controlled by the devilish beings. Hence, we have to decide on someone to send out to receive the materials. I suggest..."
The red-haired man seemed to be responsible for taking care of all general matters on the island, and Patriarch Ao Xiao listened in silence to his report. His expression remained completely unchanged, but the contemplative look in his eyes suggested that he was considering all of the matters that were being raised.
After the red-haired man finished, some of the other people in the hall also stepped forward to report some other matters.
Only after two hours had passed did everyone finish delivering their reports.
After hearing what everyone had to say, Patriarch Ao Xiao didn't make a single decision. Instead, he suddenly rose to his feet with a smile, and said, "It sounds like you've all done quite well. These are all matters that you can take care of on your own; there's no need for an old geezer like me to go around barking orders. I'm rather weary from my journey to get here, so I'll be going to rest now."
Everyone else exchanged a few wide-eyed glances upon hearing this.
The red-haired man was the first to react, and he hurriedly rose to his feet before extending a respectful bow. "In that case, please allow me to organize a place for you to stay, Senior."
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded before making his way out of the hall in an unhurried manner, followed closely by Silvermoon.
Only then did everyone else in the hall react to the situation, and they all stood up to bid Patriarch Ao Xiao farewell.
Just as Patriarch Ao Xiao had made it to the entrance of the hall, a thought seemed to suddenly occur to him, and he turned back before pointing at two of the people in the hall as he said, "By the way, you two, come and see me later; I have something to discuss with you."
The people that he had pointed to were the white-haired elderly man and a tall and thin man who had barely spoken at all.
The two of them faltered slightly before hurriedly giving an affirmative response.
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded before departing from the hall, and as soon as he left, a middle-aged woman who appeared to be in her forties turned to the tall and thin man before asking, "Do you know Patriarch Ao Xiao, Fellow Daoist Xu?"
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"One of my seniors is an old acquaintance of Senior Ao's, so I did see him from afar a few times," the man replied in an ambiguous manner.
"Oh? Then do you know why Senior Ao could be looking for you?" the middle-aged woman asked.
"How would I know? I'm just as confused as you are, Fellow Daoist. Also, Senior Ao didn't just ask to see me on my own; he instructed both myself and Brother Luo to go and see him, so he must have something to tell us," the man replied with a shake of his head.
The middle-aged woman merely smiled and didn't pry any further into the matter.
Following Patriarch Ao Xiao's departure, the rest of the people in the hall didn't have any intention of staying behind, either. After continuing their discussion for a short while longer, the white-haired elderly man announced the conclusion of the meeting, and everyone departed from the hall.
Meanwhile, the red-haired man had already taken Patriarch Ao Xiao and Silvermoon to a secluded area on the island.
Not only was this the area on the island with the greatest abundance of spiritual Qi, there were seven or eight independent pavilions that were spaced out very far apart from one another.
Not only were these pavilions extremely intricate and well constructed, they each had a designated tool refinement chamber, pill refinement chamber, and secret chamber for cultivation purposes.
After leading Patriarch Ao Xiao to this place, the red-haired man asked him to choose a pavilion himself, only for Patriarch Ao Xiao to merely pick a pavilion at random.
The red-haired man naturally didn't dare to state any objections, and after organizing a group of servants for him and Silvermoon, he immediately departed.
Patriarch Ao Xiao sat on the main seat in the hall and raised a hand in an expressionless manner to dismiss the servants in the room. Thus, he and Silvermoon were the only people left in the hall.
He sat on his chair in silence and narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly contemplating something. All the while, Silvermoon stood peacefully beside him, content to remain silent as well.
"At your current cultivation base, there's no reason why you shouldn't have made a breakthrough to the Body Integration Stage with all of the pills I've given to you. However, you've failed thrice in the past century; it seems that the only thing holding you back is your inability to get over your own inner demons. If you fail another breakthrough attempt, then you'll most likely find it very difficult to ever make a breakthrough," Patriarch Ao Xiao suddenly said.
Silvermoon lowered her head slightly, and replied, "Sorry for disappointing you with my incompetence, Grandfather."
"Looks like it'll be very difficult for you to undo the knot in our heart. Ever since you returned from that lower realm, you've given Tian Kui the cold shoulder and even moved in to live with me. I've never forced you to tell me the reason for this, and I haven't forced you to return to Tian Kui, either, as I wanted you to iron out your own mental state. However, not only has your mental state not improved, the knot in your heart has only grown more convoluted during these past years," Ao Xiao sighed with a shake of his head, and even though the tone he was using was quite benevolent, the faint tinge of disappointment in his voice was still quite apparent.
"Grandfather, Tian Kui and I..." Silvermoon raised her head to argue something, but Patriarch Ao Xiao merely raised a hand to cut her off.
"There's no need for you to explain anything; I know what you want to say. Tian Kui took advantage of my time in seclusion to break his promise to me, planning to harvest your Origin Yin Physique even before you had reached the Body Integration Stage. He failed to do that, so he employed other underhanded methods to split your soul into two, causing you to suffer through the agony of a split soul for over 1,000 years. After that, you descended into that lower realm, and the tampered with the Star Defying Plate so that you couldn't return to the Spirit Realm in time; do you really need me to run through everything he did?" A furious look suddenly appeared on Patriarch Ao Xiao's face as he spoke, and he slammed his hand down onto the copper armrest of his chair.
A burst of white flames flashed, and the armrest was completely erased from existence.
"You know about all of this, Grandfather?" Silvermoon shuddered as her face paled drastically.
"Hmph, do you really think I'm so old and senile that I don't even know when someone's mistreating my granddaughter? If it weren't for the fact that I don't have much time left and he's the only junior I can entrust the wolf race to, I would've tortured him to death long ago!" Patriarch Ao Xiao harrumphed coldly.
Silvermoon's face paled even further upon hearing this, and a wry smile appeared on her face as she said, "The blame can't be entirely pinned on him. Technically, I'm his main concubine, and his cultivation base hadn't progressed in many years. He knew that my Origin Yin Physique could help him break through his bottleneck, so it's inevitable that he would try something."
"You're still speaking out for his sake? Before you married him, you were already the holy maiden of our Silvermoon Race. Prior to attaining full mastery of that Silvermoon Cultivation Art, your lifespan would be significantly cut short if you were to lose your virginity; there's no way that he wouldn't have been aware of this. On top of that, after he married you, he took on many more concubines and never considered your feelings. It seems that ever since he became a demon monarch, he's forgotten that our Silvermoon Race is the premier branch of the wolf race. If it weren't for the fact that all of my juniors possess lackluster cultivation aptitude and none of them have reached the Body Integration Stage, there's no way I would've resorted to assisting an outsider like him to become the wolf monarch." A cold look appeared in Patriarch Ao Xiao's eyes as he spoke.
Silvermoon bit down on her lower lip, but heaved a faint sigh and remained silent in the end.
"However, following the ordeal that you suffered in that lower realm, you awakened your Seven Star Moon Physique, so that's an unexpected silver lining on the situation. With your past cultivation aptitude, the Spatial Tempering Stage would've been your limit, but with this Seven Star Moon Physique, it's not impossible for you to reach the Grand Ascension Stage in the future. I didn't possess exceptional cultivation aptitude in my youth, either; only after awakening the same physique was I able to reach my current cultivation base." Patriarch Ao Xiao's eyes gradually began to light up as he spoke.
However, Silvermoon's face remained deathly pale as she shook her head in response. "I would rather not have this physique if it means I could've avoided the ordeal I had to go through."
"I know you've been through a lot these past years, but seeing as you now have the potential to progress to the Body Integration Stage, I can cast aside the inhibitions I once had. Tian Kui had better pray that he perishes in battle against the devilish army. Otherwise, once the devilish tribulation ends, I'll subject him to a fate worse than death!"
Silvermoon's heart jolted with shock upon hearing this. "You don't mean..."
Patriarch Ao Xiao continued, "There's no rule prohibiting a woman from becoming one of the seven demon monarchs. I had always been reluctant to make an outsider the wolf monarch, and Tian Kui has betrayed my trust, so I'm naturally going to strip him of the title of wolf monarch."
Silvermoon's mouth gaped open upon hearing this, and only after a long while did she murmur in response, "That doesn't seem to be appropriate."
Patriarch Ao Xiao reverted back to his usual calm expression, but his voice cooled significantly as he asked, "Why is that? I'm not plotting against Tian Kui for no reason; he only has himself to blame for what he's done to you. Are you still harboring feelings toward him?"
Silvermoon hesitated momentarily before replying with a wry smile, "Of course I no longer harbor any feelings for him after what he did to me; it's just that even though I've attained this physique, there's still no guarantee that I'll be able to progress to the Body Integration Stage. If I fail to do so, then our wolf race will still need Tian Kui as our leader."
"Indeed, it seems you won't be able to progress to the Body Integration Stage so long as you're unable to overcome your inner demons. Now that we're in the midst of this devilish tribulation, we can't afford to wait for you to make slow and steady progress. If something were to happen to me during this devilish tribulation, you would be in an extremely perilous situation. So be it, I'll have to make an exception and do something drastic. Take a look at what's in this jade slip," Patriarch Ao Xiao sighed with furrowed brows before suddenly opening his mouth to expel an azure jade slip that hovered toward Silvermoon.
Silvermoon was a little perplexed, but she still caught the jade slip before pressing it against her own forehead.
After injecting her spiritual sense into the jade slip, she immediately exclaimed, "Art of Indifference?"
"That's right. This Art of Indifference is an ancient secret technique that I stumbled upon many years ago. Not only is it extremely powerful, cultivating it will have incredible effects on one's mental state. If you decide to cultivate it, I'll use other secret techniques to help you achieve elementary mastery of this art as quickly as possible. That'll most likely be enough to iron out the flaws in your mental state, and a breakthrough to the Body Integration Stage should be all but assured at that point. However, as the name of the cultivation art suggests, using it will inflict upon your severe side-effects. Apparently, as one progresses in this cultivation art, their emotions and desires will gradually fade, and they could even become completely non-existent once full mastery is achieved. That's not too much of an issue, but the most important thing is that the cultivation method of this secret technique is rather extreme, and it'll most likely have a severe impact on your progression to the Grand Ascension Stage in the future. I'll let you weigh up the pros and cons involved for yourself," Patriarch Ao Xiao said with a slightly conflicted expression.
Silvermoon's expression changed several times upon hearing this, and she seemed to be rather hesitant.
As for Patriarch Ao Xiao, he slowly closed his eyes and didn't say anything further, waiting patiently for Silvermoon to make a decision.
After a long while, Silvermoon removed the jade slip from her forehead and lowered her head to contemplate her options.
After a while longer, she seemed to have made a decision, and she adopted a serious expression as she asked, "Grandfather, will this secret technique really allow me to progress to the Body Integration Stage prior to our final battle against the devilish army?"
Patriarch Ao Xiao reopened his eyes, and replied, "I can't make any guarantees, but there's at least a 70% to 80% chance that it will. Otherwise, I wouldn't be bringing it out for your consideration. Having said that, there's no hurry; you can think about this for a few days before getting back to me."
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Silvermoon opened her mouth to say something, but swallowed her words in the end, and replied, "Yes, Grandfather."
Just as Patriarch Ao Xiao was about to say something further, his expression suddenly changed as he cast his gaze toward the gate of the pavilion.
Moments later, the sound of footsteps rang out, and a young female servant appeared outside before informing in a respectful voice, "Master Ao Xiao, there are two elders of the island here to see you."
"Oh? They sure aren't wasting any time. Tell them to come in," Patriarch Ao Xiao instructed as his expression eased slightly.
The servant gave an affirmative response before departing.
A short while later, the white-haired elderly man and the man with the Xu surname strode into the room, and they immediately extended respectful bows at the sight of Patriarch Ao Xiao.
"We pay our respects to Senior Ao Xiao. What would you like us to do for you?" Elder Xu asked.
"There's no hurry; take a seat first," Patriarch Ao Xiao said with a smile as he pointed at the chairs beside him.
The two elders naturally didn't dare to raise any objections, and they expressed their gratitude before taking a seat as they were told.
"Come to think of it, both of you have some ties with me. One of you is a descendent of an old acquaintance of mine, while the other is Fellow Daoist Mo's in-name disciple. I have something important that I need to have done, and I only feel comfortable entrusting this task to you two," Patriarch Ao Xiao said in a benevolent manner.
The two elders were clearly quite flattered to hear this, and Elder Xu immediately said, "Please tell us what you'd like us to do, Senior."
"I heard from Fellow Daoist Mo that when he's not on the holy island, the onus of leadership falls upon you, Fellow Daoist Luo. In that case, I need you to search for some treasures and materials for me. These items are all quite rare; we have leads on the whereabouts of some of them, but you'll have to search for the other ones. My only requirements are that these things have to be gathered in secret, and that they be gathered as quickly as possible," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied.
The white-haired elderly man faltered slightly upon hearing this before immediately nodding in agreement. "I'll send out some trustworthy people to gather the items right away, and we'll make sure to keep things strictly confidential."
"Good. Here is a list of what I want." Patriarch Ao Xiao raised a sleeve as he spoke, and a jade slip flew out from within.
The white-haired elderly man immediately stood up and caught the jade slip before stowing it away up his sleeve without even looking at it, showing through his actions that he was going to do his best to track the items in the jade slip regardless of what they were.
A pleased look appeared on Patriarch Ao Xiao's face upon seeing this, and he turned to Elder Xu next. "Junior Xu, I need you to take a trip to the primordial world to meet a few mighty figures from the other races. As for what you need to do after you meet up with them, that's all recorded in this jade slip. Make sure to keep what you're doing a secret from the rest of the island as well."
"I'll be sure to do so," Elder Xu replied in a respectful manner as he also rose to his feet.
"These two tasks concern the three devilish patriarchs, and Fellow Daoist Mo is aware of them as well. I'll only give you a maximum of five years to complete these tasks. If you exceed that time limit, severe consequences could follow, do you understand?" A serious look appeared on Patriarch Ao Xiao's face as he spoke.
The two Body Integration Stage elders were ecstatic to hear that countermeasures were being prepared against the devilish patriarchs, and they exchanged an elated glance before vowing, "Rest assured, Senior, we'll be sure to complete the tasks in time even if it costs us our lives!"
"Alright, that's all for now; go and get started on that right away, and make sure the tasks are completed as soon as possible," Patriarch Ao Xiao instructed as he raised a hand to toss another jade slip toward Elder Xu.
The two elders didn't dare to say anything further, and they both extended respectful bows before departing from the pavilion.
Following their departure, Silvermoon's brows furrowed slightly as she asked, "Grandfather, are those two trustworthy? Aren't there already devilish spies who have infiltrated the holy island?"
"Hehe, if even these two are untrustworthy, then no one is trustworthy. They were recommended to be by Mo Jianli as neither of them have left the holy island in the past 1,000 years. Besides, if they really were devilish spies, do you think I would've failed to identify them? At the very least, there shouldn't be any major issues with the holy island elders that we saw earlier, and that's already very good news," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied with a faint smile.
Silvermoon's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and she extended a curtsey toward Patriarch Ao Xiao as she said, "In that case, it seems I was overthinking things. I'll be going to rest now."
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded with a tender look in his eyes. "Go on. We've been traveling for several months, so you're indeed in need of some rest."
"You have some rest too, Grandfather. You only just recently recovered from your tribulation transcendence; don't pile too much work on yourself," Silvermoon replied.
"Haha, do you really think I've become a useless old man?" Ao Xiao chuckled in a nonchalant manner.
Silvermoon smiled, and said, "Not at all! With your current appearance, no one would bat an eyelid even if I were to claim that you were my brother; you're far from an old man!"
After that, she turned and strode out of the room, and her spritely footsteps indicated that her mood had improved significantly.
Following Silvermoon's departure, Patriarch Ao Xiao's smile faded, and he sighed to himself, "I really hope she doesn't decide to cultivate that Art of Indifference."
Despite what he was saying, he displayed no intention to go after Silvermoon and merely closed his eyes as he began to meditate in his chair.
After a while, he opened his eyes, and suddenly said, "Show yourself!"
"I pay my respects to Master Ao Xiao!"
A female voice rang out nearby, and spatial fluctuations erupted, following which a semi-transparent figure appeared several tens of feet away from Patriarch Ao Xiao.
The figure then gradually became clearer and revealed itself to be a slender woman in a tight-fitting black robe.
She wore a copper wolf-head mask, and her hands were also sheathed in a pair of black gloves, so she wasn't revealing even a single sliver of skin.
"Welcome back, Liao Ying. Even after so many years, this get-up of yours still hasn't changed at all," Patriarch Ao Xiao said as a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.
The woman extended a respectful curtsey as she replied, "You also look like you haven't aged a single day, Master. I had been concerned for a long time after I heard that you had been injured during your tribulation transcendence; it's quite a relief to see that you're safe and well."
"Hehe, a mere heavenly tribulation isn't enough to kill me. Alright, setting aside the pleasantries for now, I ordered to stay on the holy island in secret as a safety precaution. Now, I need you to give me a specific run-down of the situation on the holy island. I'm going to be staying here for some time, so I have to familiarize myself with the true situation on the island," Patriarch Ao Xiao said as a serious look appeared on his face.
The woman immediately did as she was told and commenced her report. "The current situation on the holy island is not very optimistic, and that's mainly due to the devilish..."
Patriarch Ao Xiao listened intently to her report and asked questions for further elaboration whenever there was something that he didn't quite understand.
The woman would give an answer if she had one, or merely shake her head in response to the questions that she didn't know the answer to.
At the conclusion of her report, the woman abruptly fell silent, while Patriarch Ao Xiao sat in his chair with a contemplative expression.
Finally, Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded with a pleased expression before continuing, "You've done very well, Liao Ying; the years you spent on the holy island certainly haven't gone to waste. Is there any update on the person that I asked you to look into last time?"
The woman's brows furrowed slightly, and she was silent for a moment before replying in a truthful manner, "I've done my best to gather information on that man, but he hasn't ever set foot on the holy island, and there are many rumors about him, but very little detailed information that I could find. On top of that, he seems to be very focused on his cultivation and rarely interacts with anyone, which is probably why he was able to make such extraordinary progress in his cultivation base in such a short time. I've already organized all of the information that I have on him; would you like me give it all to you now? Most of the information I have are unsubstantiated rumors, so do take care when reading through it."
"Regardless of whether the information is real or not, I have to take a look at it. It's only been less than 2,000 years since he ascended to the Spirit Realm, and he's already forged such a resounding reputation for himself. Most importantly, he's the main factor behind the flaws in Ling Long's mental state; let me see exactly what makes him so special!" Patriarch Ao Xiao said as a cold look appeared in his eyes.
The black-robed woman gave an affirmative response before raising a hand to release a ball of azure light.
Patriarch Ao Xiao made a grabbing motion and to draw the ball of azure light into his hand, then injected his spiritual sense into it.
After a short while, he finished examining the information, but seemed to be rather displeased by what he had seen. "Why is there so little information? And most of this stuff is downright absurd! You're telling me that he was able to match a late-Body Integration cultivator in battle at just the early-Body Integration Stage? Do you even believe this yourself?"
"I've merely gathered all of the information on him that I could find; you'll have to decide whether the information is real or not. After all, you never ordered me to track him in person to gather more information, and now, it's too late; he was hunted by devilish beings not long ago and has since disappeared," the woman replied in a serious manner.
"He disappeared? Is that true? Hmph, what a lucky little brat. His name is Han Li, right? How dare a mere ascended cultivator like him disrupt Ling Long's mental state? Because of him, she's been unable to make a breakthrough that should've come easily to her. He deserves to be killed thousands of times for what he's done!" Patriarch Ao Xiao said as a hint of killing intent flashed through his eyes.
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"If you really want him dead and he manages to return alive, I can take him out in your stead. That way, no one will be able to link his death to you," the woman suggested in a cold voice.
Patriarch Ao Xiao shook his head without any hesitation. "There's no need for that."
The masked woman seemed to know a lot about Silvermoon's situation, and she asked in a slightly surprised manner, "Why is that? Has Young Mistress Ling Long already been made aware of his existence?"
"I've kept all news of this man a secret from her this entire time, and she's constantly been by my side, so she hasn't had any interaction with the outside world. However, she suddenly received news about this man a while back from a friend of hers, and thus, she was made aware that he had ascended into the Spirit Realm and become a Body Integration cultivator; that's why she insisted on coming with me on this trip. If something happens to that Han brat, she'll inevitably suspect my involvement even if there's no evidence, and that would make it even more difficult for her to iron out her mental state. Of course, if he perishes by the hands of devilish beings, then that would be a different story altogether," Patriarch Ao Xiao explained.
"That makes things rather troublesome. However, it's not impossible for me to make it so that he does perish by the hands of devilish beings," the masked woman chuckled in response, seemingly very eager to have Han Li killed.
"Don't even think about it; no means no. Our battle against the devilish army is about to commence; all Body Integration cultivators are extremely valuable resources that can't be expended without good reason. Otherwise, I would've killed Tian Kui already. In comparison with that Han brat, I'm far more eager to see him dead," Patriarch Ao Xiao commanded in an implacable voice.
"In that case, I won't meddle in this matter. Having said that, I really am very interested in this so-called freakish cultivation prodigy," the masked woman chuckled.
"Liao Ying, how many years have you been a shadow guard of mine?" Patriarch Ao Xiao suddenly asked.
The masked woman faltered slightly upon hearing this before asking in a surprised manner, "Around 50,000 to 60,000 years now. Why do you ask, Master?"
"Back when I saved you from that spatial storm, you vowed to serve me for 100,000 years and signed a 100,000-year soul contract with me. I intend to transfer the remaining on the contract to Ling Long; what do you think?" Patriarch Ao Xiao asked in a serious voice.
"Master Ao Xiao, I signed that soul contract as I was grateful to you for saving my life, but the main factor contributing to my decision was the fact that you're a Grand Ascension cultivator. Otherwise, I would've repaid you through an alternate method." The woman's brows furrowed slightly with displeasure upon hearing this.
"So the only reason you're against this is because Ling Long's cultivation base is lacking?" Patriarch Ao Xiao asked in a calm voice.
"Indeed. I've watched Ling Long grow up from a little girl, and I've become quite attached to her. As such, I would be more than willing to serve her, but her cultivation base is a little too lackluster. At the very least, she has to be at the Body Integration Stage before I can consider this. As you know, there are some rules among us Liao Beasts that even I can't go against," the woman sighed in a rather forlorn manner.
Patriarch Ao Xiao smiled, and said, "If that's the only issue, then you can rest assured; Ling Long will be able to progress to the Body Integration Stage within the next century, and there's even a chance that she could reach the Grand Ascension Stage in the future."
"What do you mean by that, Master Ao Xiao?" the masked woman asked as a hint of bewilderment flashed through her eyes.
"I haven't told you this yet, but Ling Long has already awakened the Seven Star Moon Physique. Do you think what I'm saying is an exaggeration now? In order to avoid potential mishaps, I haven't revealed this information to anyone else," Patriarch Ao Xiao said in a solemn manner.
The masked woman contemplated the situation in silence for a while before nodding in a slightly reluctant manner. "I see. In that case, I would be open to considering this, but I'll have to verify everything for myself."
Patriarch Ao Xiao's expression eased upon hearing this, and said, "Good. With you by Ling Long's side, I won't have to worry about her before she reaches the height of her powers. Let's not drag this out for too long; I'll prove to you that Ling Long has awakened the Seven Star Moon Physique and transfer the soul contract over to her within the next few days."
The masked woman nodded before asking, "I'm naturally willing to cooperate, but may I ask why you're in such a hurry, Master Ao Xiao? Could it be that you're preparing backup options for Young Mistress Ling Long as you're not confident in the upcoming battle?"
"Hehe, if I didn't have any confidence, then I wouldn't have made this trip in person. I don't know what the Elder Devil Race is planning, but with the Grand Ascension Stage beings of the other races on our side, we have a good chance of securing victory. I can't disclose any further details than that, but it's necessary for me to take some precautionary measures. Even without this devilish tribulation, I won't be able to withstand my next heavenly tribulation anyway, so I have to start thinking for the future when I'm gone," Patriarch Ao Xiao said with a nonchalant smile. The masked woman's heart stirred upon hearing this, but she didn't say anything further.
After a while, Patriarch Ao Xiao continued, "There's nothing else I need you to take care of for now, so you can go. We're going to begin investigations to weed out the devilish spies on the island soon; make sure you don't get discovered. Otherwise, the ensuing misunderstanding could lead to a lot of trouble. At the very least, you'll no longer be able to use your current false identity."
"Yes, Master. I'll be taking my leave now." The masked woman nodded before her body gradually turned transparent again, and she vanished amid a burst of faint spatial fluctuations.
Following her departure, Patriarch Ao Xiao sat in silence by himself for a while longer before heaving a faint sigh and closing his eyes again.
Meanwhile, in a small mountain range close to 100,000 kilometers away from Deep Heaven City, there was a group of red-robed human cultivators hiding on a mountain summit while appraising an extremely secluded small canyon in the distance.
The group of cultivators was comprised of men and women of all ages, and there were a few elderly men and women among them who possessed immense magic power.
However, all of them were looking rather worse for wear and seemed to have only arrived here after a long journey.
An elderly man with two longswords strapped to his back withdrew his gaze before turning to an elderly man beside him with a scar on his face. "Junior Martial Brother Li, are you sure that there's a teleportation formation in that canyon that'll take us directly to Deep Heaven City?"
"Rest assured, Senior Martial Brother, this teleportation formation is designated for elders of Deep Heaven City, so extremely few people know about it. I only heard about it as one of my old acquaintances is a Heavenly Guard looking after the formation, and he unintentionally revealed its existence to me during a drunken rant," the scarred elderly man immediately replied.
"I wouldn't be so confident. It's been quite a long time since those devils took over this area; even the most secluded of teleportation formations could've been tracked down by now," the elderly man said with a concerned shake of his head.
"The problem is that Deep Heaven City has been sealed off by the devilish beings now, and it would be nothing short of suicide to try and reach it directly; Junior Martial Brother Li's suggestion is our only hope," a hideous elderly woman interjected.
The sword-bearing elderly man gritted his teeth, and said, "Indeed, Junior Martial Sister; we have no alternatives. If we keep hiding out in the open like this, then our Huo Li Sect will inevitably be hunted down eventually. Only by making it into Deep Heaven City will we be able to ensure that the heritage of our sect gets passed on. We have no choice but to take a risk."
The scarred elderly man was ecstatic to hear this. "You've definitely made the right decision, Senior Martial Brother! In the past, even the three sovereign cities have been conquered during previous devilish tribulations; only Deep Heaven City has a spotless track record. If we can get into the city, then we'll be saved for sure. I'll send some disciples to scout the area right away."
"There's no need for that. If the devilish beings have set up traps around the area, then normal disciples most likely won't be able to discover them; it would be best if we made a trip there ourselves. Even if we do end up falling into a trap, ordinary devilish beings won't be able to stop us anyway," the sword-bearing elderly man countered.
"Alright, we'll do as you say then, Senior Martial Brother. Junior Martial Brother Li and I will come along with you," the elderly woman agreed after a brief moment of contemplation.
"No, you stay behind, Junior Martial Sister. Your powers are only second only to mine in our sect, so we have to keep you here as a backup option. If something happens, don't wait for us; get away from here with the disciples right away. Junior Martial Brother Li, Junior Martial Brother Yang, you two can come with me. One of you has information about the teleportation formation, and the other is adept in the art of formations, so both of you possess useful skill sets," the sword-bearing elderly man instructed.
The scarred elderly man and a refined elderly scholar immediately gave affirmative responses.
Thus, after issuing a few more instructions, the sword-bearing elderly man departed for the canyon with his two junior martial brothers.
The remaining human cultivators looked on from their hiding spots with nervous expressions.
Unbeknownst to them, there was a faint streak of azure light that was also hurtling toward the same target several thousand kilometers away.
Within the streak of azure light was a young man who appeared to be in his twenties, and he was currently fiddling around with a miniature black mountain in his hands.
On his shoulders sat a little girl who appeared to be around three or four years of age. She had delicate fair skin, and an adorably chubby little face. She had one hand grabbing onto Han Li's robes, and an unknown spirit that she was munching on in her other hand.
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Han Li turned to glance at the little girl sitting on his shoulders, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
The little girl was none other than the Leopard Kirin Beast that had just awakened.
During his journey back to human territory, the Leopard Kirin Beast had finally awakened, and in the process, it gave him an unexpected surprise.
As soon as it had awakened, it had commenced its Body Integration Stage tribulation transcendence.
It possessed the bloodline of the true spirit Kirin, so the heavenly tribulation that befell was naturally extremely devastating.
An outsider couldn't step in during one's tribulation transcendence, so Han Li could only watch as the Leopard Kirin Beast was almost destroyed during the tribulation.
Thankfully, after devouring the demon core of that Dark Beast Monarch, it had managed to attain several new abilities that allowed it to just barely transcend its tribulation, and it was now able to manifest a human form.
At the time, the Leopard Kirin Beast had been in extremely dire condition, and Han Li had expended countless spirit pills to save its life. Otherwise, it would've already perished.
However, what left Han Li feeling rather speechless was that the human form manifested by the Leopard Kirin Beast was a little girl who appeared to be even younger than Qu'er.
If it were a normal person, it most likely wouldn't even be able to talk much yet.
Thankfully, despite its appearance, the Leopard Kirin Beast was able to directly communicate with him through spiritual sense, so communication wasn't an issue. Due to its unexpected tribulation transcendence, Han Li's trip back to Deep Heaven City was naturally delayed a little.
As such, it had taken him several months to reach this point.
The place that he was currently traveling toward was one of the few hidden teleportation formations designated for the elders of Deep Heaven City.
Due to the fact that this was a small formation that could only teleport a maximum of two people at a time, Deep Heaven City wasn't concerned about devilish beings discovering it and invading the city through it.
After all, even if two Body Integration Stage devilish lords were to teleport into the city at once, they would still be immediately surrounded, overwhelmed, and killed.
The only thing that Han Li was wary of was that a devilish ambush could've been set up near the formation. Of course, with his current level of powers, even if there were an ambush, it wouldn't be much of a problem.
Aside from Sacred Ancestor clones, even the average late-Body Integration Stage being wouldn't be able to defeat him. The probability of being chased by Sacred Ancestor clones again was downright negligible, so he didn't have anything to worry about.
After all, those Sacred Ancestor clones had descended into this realm to command the devilish army; they certainly couldn't just wait somewhere just to ambush someone.
In fact, there was even quite a low probability that devilish lords would appear here.
This was an important point in the devilish army's assault on Deep Heaven City; they weren't going to waste their most powerful beings by making them undertake such trivial duties.
Not long after that, the azure streak of light began to approach the mountain range up ahead.
All of a sudden, Han Li's expression changed slightly, and the azure light around his body faded as he stopped just outside the mountain then, peered deep into it through narrowed eyes.
Blue light flashed through his pupils, and everything up ahead was instantly made clear to him.
As a result, he was greeted by the sight of several tens of streaks of light flying toward him in a panicked manner.
Behind these streaks of light was a dense black devilish cloud that was giving chase in hot pursuit, and within this devilish cloud were ferocious devilish beasts and weapon-wielding devilish armored warriors.
Behind the several tens of streaks of light, there was an elderly man controlling a pair of flying swords, one azure and one yellow, to attack the devilish cloud with all his might.
The flying swords shot forth as sword projections that transformed into a giant sword that was several hundred feet in size to briefly stall the devilish cloud.
The two flying swords were immensely powerful and seemed to be beyond what the elderly man could wield with his Spatial Tempering Stage cultivation base.
With each sword strike that was unleashed, the elderly man's face would pale slightly, and when his face had become completely devoid of color, he opened his mouth to expel two balls of blood essence onto the flying swords.
The sword projections unleashed by the flying swords instantly became more dazzling than before, and the sword projections slew a large number of devilish beasts and devilish warriors before they had a chance to evade.
After several successive sword strikes, several hundred devilish warriors had been reduced to ashes.
This had clearly enraged the high-grade devilish beings hiding deep within the devilish cloud, and a thunderous roar abruptly rang out, following which an inky-black flying trident shot forth out of the devilish cloud.
The trident extended to over 1,000 feet in length in a flash before hurtling directly toward a powerful sword projection, and an earth-shattering boom erupted.
The two clashed violently before the sword projection faded, revealing a flying sword that flew back toward the elderly man.
As for the flying trident, it emitted an anguished wail before also flying back toward the devilish cloud, seemingly having been severely damaged during that clash.
"How dare you ruin my treasure? I'm going to make you regret ever being born once I capture you!" A furious roar rang out, presumably from the high-grade devilish being who was the owner of the flying trident.
Immediately thereafter, the devilish cloud surged before rising up to around twice its original height and sweeping directly toward the elderly man.
The elderly man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he hurriedly sheathed his flying swords before flying back as an azure and yellow streak of light.
With the elderly man's valiant efforts in impeding the devilish clouds, all of the disciples had already fled to close to 100 kilometers away.
However, the devilish beings within the devilish cloud naturally weren't going to be willing to give up. Fierce devilish winds were swept up, and they continued to give chase.
The elderly man pulled out several pills as he flew through the air, and he didn't even bother to look at them before stuffing all of them into his own mouth as he appraised the devilish cloud with a grim expression.
He had already been extremely cautious when venturing into the canyon in search of the teleportation formation with his two junior martial brothers, but they still fell into a devilish ambush and were surrounded by seven or eight high-grade devilish beings.
In the end, his two junior martial brothers had detonated their own Nascent Souls souls to severely wound several of the high-grade devilish beings. Otherwise, even he would've most likely also perished at the scene.
Even so, they were currently in a dire situation, and it seemed that he was only delaying the inevitable.
The flying swords that he was wielding were the most prized treasures of the Huo Li Sect, and even though they were powerful enough to stall the devilish cloud, wielding them required a vast amount of energy expenditure, and the elderly man's magic power had almost been completely spent.
This was also why he hadn't continued to remain behind to keep the devilish cloud at bay.
Even though most of the disciples of the sect had managed to escape, it would only be a matter of time before they were chased down by the devilish cloud.
On top of that, this area had been taken over by the devilish army, so unless a miracle were to take place, it would be virtually impossible to truly escape.
The more the elderly pondered the situation, the more his heart began to sink. He knew that they were in a virtually unsalvageable situation, but he could only hope against hope that they could somehow be saved.
Thus, the group of Huo Li Sect cultivators continued to flee, and soon, the edge of the mountain range was in sight.
At this point, around a dozen of the weakest disciples among them had already fallen behind and were about to be engulfed by the devilish cloud.
Low roars rang out from the devilish beasts within the devilish cloud, and menacing looks also appeared on the faces of the armored devilish warriors, while the lagging disciples' faces turned deathly pale.
The sword-bearing elderly man heaved a forlorn internal sigh before turning around and hurtling directly toward the devilish cloud again.
A burst of raucous laughter rang out from within the devilish cloud, following which four burly Spatial Tempering Stage high-grade devilish beings emerged together.
One of them was wielding a black devilish trident; it was none other than the high-grade devilish being that had just repelled the elderly man's flying sword.
The other three devilish beings possessed powers that weren't inferior to this devil in the slightest.
Just as the elderly man was about to reach the devilish cloud, the four devils hurtled their treasures upward in unison.
A giant black trident, two white bone swords, a giant blue sword, and a mountainous yellow brick emerged in mid-air, then trapped the elderly man and forced him to stop.
Immediately thereafter, the five treasures crashed violently toward the elderly man at the behest of the four devilish beings.
A wry smile appeared on the elderly man's face upon seeing this, and he could only inject what little remained of his magic power into his two flying swords.
A loud buzzing sound instantly rang out from the two swords, and they transformed into a pair of giant sword projections again, then conjured up a thick sword barrier that shielded him from above.
These two flying swords were indeed remarkable treasures, but the collective attacks from those four devilish beings were nothing to be scoffed at, either.
Following a heavy blow from all five treasures, the sword barrier completely shattered, and the five treasures continued to descend toward him with devastating might.
The elderly man's face paled even further upon seeing this, and in his desperation, he could only open his mouth to expel a burst of azure light as one final struggle.
However, right at this moment, a cold male voice suddenly sounded nearby.
"Hmph, to think that even a few Spatial Tempering Stage pieces of devilish trash dare to try and kill someone in my presence! Your lives will be the ones coming to an end here!"
As soon as the male voice trailed off, a loud thunderclap rang out, and a humanoid figure appeared no more than 10 feet away from the elderly man, then made a grabbing motion upward in a nonchalant-looking manner.
The five devilish treasures that were descending from above abruptly shuddered before being repelled as if they had been struck by some kind of tremendous force. At the same time, the four high-grade devilish beings instantly lost control over their treasures, and this was naturally quite an alarming turn of events for them.
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Only then did they catch a clear glimpse of the humanoid figure beside the elderly man, and they discovered it to be a young man who appeared to be in his twenties.
It was none other than Han Li!
Before the high-grade devilish beings had a chance to seize back control over their treasures, spatial fluctuations erupted overhead, and a streak of golden light shot forth before rapidly revolving around them at an incredible speed, then appeared over 100 feet away in a flash.
The golden light faded to reveal a yellow beast that was around 10 feet in size.
The beast had a lithe and streamlined body, and it resembled a leopard with a pair of small green horns on its head.
As soon as it appeared, it turned toward the four devilish beings with a derisive look in its eyes.
Strangely enough, the four devilish beings remained rooted to the spot, and the expressions on their faces were also quite peculiar.
In the next instant, countless thin gashes suddenly appeared over their bodies, and they fell apart as piles of dismembered body parts right before the elderly man's astonished eyes.
Their blood rained down into the devilish cloud from above, and as soon as the low-grade devilish beasts within the devilish cloud came into contact with their blood, they were immediately driven insane and began to tear viciously into one another.
The armored devilish warriors were completely stunned and horrified to see this, and one of them suddenly yelled out an order for retreat, upon which all of them instantly fled the scene as quickly as they could, leaving the frenzied horde of devilish beasts behind.
Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this. There was no way he was going to let these devilish beings escape. He immediately transmitted his voice to the Leopard Kirin Beast. "I'll leave these devilish beasts to you; I'll take care of those devilish warriors myself!"
The Leopard Kirin Beast nodded in response, then conjured up several tens of faint golden projections of itself, all of which pounced directly toward the low-grade devilish beasts like lightning.
As for Han Li, he merely remained still on the spot before extending a hand out of his sleeve. He made a casual grabbing motion, and a ball of piercing golden lightning suddenly emerged amid a loud thunderclap.
Immediately thereafter, he spread his fingers open, countless arcs of lightning that were as thick as human fingers erupted forth in all directions.
Radiant golden light flashed, and the arcs of lightning reached the fleeing devilish beings in a flash before striking them viciously from behind.
These low-grade devilish beings were naturally no match for the fearsome powers of the Divine Devilbane Lightning, and all of them were quickly reduced to dust amid rumbling thunderclaps and flashes of golden light.
The nearby devilish cloud and devilish winds were also eradicated by the golden lightning, and at this point, all of the low-grade devilish beasts had also been reduced to piles of blood and flesh by the Leopard Kirin Beast.
Everything had transpired within the span of just a few breaths, and before the elderly man even had a chance to react to the situation, all of their pursuers had been slain.
Only then did the elderly man return to his senses, and he hurriedly turned to Han Li with an ecstatic look in his eyes. "Thank you for saving us, Senior! Are you an elder of Deep Heaven City?"
"I guess I technically am. Where did all of you come from? Why did you come here instead of hiding somewhere more secure? Don't you know that the area around Deep Heaven City has already been taken over by devilish beings?" Han Li asked in an indifferent manner.
"We are cultivators of the Huo Li Sect. Unfortunately, the location of our sect was discovered by devilish beings, so we had no choice but to leave. We stumbled into a devilish ambush near the teleportation formation up ahead, and we were almost killed as a result," the elderly man hurriedly explained.
"So the teleportation formation up ahead really has been taken over by devilish beings, eh? Are there any other high-grade devilish beings up ahead aside from the ones I just killed?" Han Li asked.
"There are a few more high-grade devilish beings near the teleportation formation, but all of them are injured. Otherwise, they would've pursued us as well," the elderly man replied in a truthful manner.
"I see. In that case, I'll have to take care of them quickly. Otherwise, if they receive news of what happened here, they could destroy the teleportation formation to prevent us from using it," Han Li murmured to himself with furrowed brows.
The elderly man's expression also changed slightly upon hearing this.
At this moment, the remaining Huo Li Sect disciples were led toward the elderly man by the hideous elderly woman, and they were all appraising Han Li with awe and veneration in their eyes.
Before they had a chance to say anything, Han Li waved a hand toward the Leopard Kirin Beast, and azure light flashed from his body as he hurtled directly toward the canyon up ahead.
The Leopard Kirin Beast also quickly followed along as a streak of golden light.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished into the distance.
The elderly woman hurriedly flew over to the elderly man with a solemn look on her face. "What should we do, Senior Martial Brother?"
"We follow that senior, of course. With him leading the way, we should be able to make it into Deep Heaven City. Follow me, everyone; this will be our final chance to make it to safety," the elderly man replied without any hesitation.
The elderly woman immediately nodded in response.
After quickly taking a few more pills to replenish his magic power, a slightly abnormal flush appeared on the elderly man's face, and he immediately flew toward the canyon, followed by all of the remaining disciples of the Huo Li Sect.
In contrast with the unease and anxiety they had been experiencing before, all of them were now filled with hope and excitement.
A distance of less than 1,000 kilometers naturally didn't take very long to cover for cultivators like them, and a short while later, they arrived near the canyon, but before they had a chance to descend toward it, they were greeted by an earth-shattering boom!
Several streaks of azure sword Qi erupted into the heavens from within the canyon, then vanished in a flash.
Immediately thereafter, an anguished howl rang out, and a gust of black devilish winds swept out of the canyon, within which was a horned devilish shadow that was fleeing in a horrified manner.
The elderly man and elderly woman exchanged a glance upon seeing this, and both of them could see their own elation mirrored in one another's eyes.
It seemed that the senior they had just encountered had made short work of the high-grade devilish beings in the canyon as well!
The elderly man immediately drew his flying swords while the woman opened her mouth to expel a remarkably thin silver flying blade.
The two of them naturally intended to stop the devilish being's Nascent Soul from escaping.
However, before they had a chance to do anything, a cold harrumph rang out from within the valley, and a streak of sword Qi that was over 100 feet shot forth before sweeping through the Nascent Soul.
A cold light flashed, and the Nascent Soul was reduced to nothingness before it could even utter a single sound.
The azure sword Qi then faded into an azure flying sword that was only around a foot in length before flying back into the canyon.
Han Li's indifferent voice then rang out from deep within the canyon. "If you want to enter Deep Heaven City as well, then hurry up; the devilish reinforcements could get here at any moment."
The elderly man was ecstatic to hear this, and he immediately yelled, "Everyone, full speed ahead!"
All of the cultivators immediately hurtled through the air as if their lives depended on it, descending straight into the canyon as streaks of spiritual light.
Inside Deep Heaven City, two Nascent Soul Stage guards were chatting idly as they stood at the entrance of a teleportation hall, which had been surrounded by many powerful restrictions.
All of a sudden, one of the dozen or so teleportation formations in the hall began to radiate dazzling white light and emit bursts of loud buzzing sounds.
"Someone's teleporting into the city! Activate all of the restrictions right away and inform our superiors of this!" one of the Nascent Soul Stage guards immediately yelled in an alarmed manner.
The other guard immediately flipped a hand over to produce a palm-sized blue formation plate, then slammed his other hand onto it.
A burst of five-colored light erupted from the formation plate amid a dull thump, and all types of fluctuations instantly appeared around the entire hall. At the same time, light barriers and golden and silver runes emerged to seal off the entire hall.
In a pavilion near the hall, over 100 meditating guards abruptly rose to their feet without any warning, then flew out of the pavilion as streaks of spiritual light.
Spatial fluctuations suddenly emanated from the buzzing teleportation formation, following which an azure humanoid figure emerged.
As soon as Han Li opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of around a dozen guards appraising him with wary expressions as if they were anticipating a battle, and he smiled as he said, "I've only been away for two or three years; have you all forgotten about me already?"
The leader of the guards identified Han Li right away, and an ecstatic look appeared on his face as he said in a respectful manner, "Ah, it's Senior Han! This is fantastic news; I'll inform the elders right away! Many of the elders have left us with instructions to report back to them as soon as we receive any news about you."
"I see, I'll be paying a visit to the elders in person. By the way, there will be some more people arriving through this teleportation formation," Han Li said in a nonchalant manner.
The guard was rather surprised to hear this, but he still immediately bowed in response. "There are others? That's no problem; we'll be sure to take good care of them."
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Thus, Han Li emerged from the teleportation formation and strode out of the hall.
Not long thereafter, white light flashed again, and another two humanoid figures emerged within the teleportation formation; they were none other than the sword-bearing elderly man and the hideous elderly woman.
Han Li paid no heed to this and rose up into the air before flying back toward his own abode.
During his flight, he released his spiritual sense throughout the surrounding area, and he discovered that compared to when he had first left, Deep Heaven City was currently a lot more peaceful.
Aside from the patrolling guards on the streets, there were very few vagrant cultivators around.
The number of patrolling guards had also increased by severalfold, and all passing cultivators had to undergo stern examinations before being granted passage.
There was a tense atmosphere throughout the entire city.
With the enormous spiritual pressure that Han Li was giving off, there were naturally no patrolling guards who dared to get in his way. Thus, the stone pagoda that he had been residing in quickly appeared in the distance, and he flew directly into the hall on the highest level.
After looking around, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Everything was identical to how he had left it, but the floor was spotlessly clean, clearly indicating that the room had been regularly cleaned and looked after. It seemed that his disciples hadn't slacked off during his absence.
Han Li sat down onto the chair at the center of the hall, then swept a sleeve through the air.
Two talismans immediately shot forth before vanishing into thin air as two balls of fire, following which Han Li closed his eyes and waited in silence.
Moments later, two humanoid figures appeared outside the hall amid flashes of spiritual light. One of them was a handsome blue-robed young man, while the other was a young daoist priest with a wide grin on his face.
They were none other than Han Li's disciples, Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi.
Elated looks immediately appeared on their faces at the sight of Han Li, and they immediately rushed forward before extending respectful bows.
"We're so glad you've made a safe return, Master!"
"Oh? Did you two think that something had happened to me?" Han Li asked with a hint of a smile on his face.
"It's been a long time since you returned to Deep Heaven City, and there were some rumors being spread in the city, stating that you may have already perished by the hands of a Sacred Ancestor. However, those rumors are clearly all false now that you've returned safe and sound," Hai Yuetian said in an excited manner.
Qi Lingzi also nodded emphatically in agreement.
"Those rumors aren't entirely unfounded; I did indeed encounter some trouble and was forced into an extremely perilous situation by some Sacred Ancestor clones," Han Li said as his brows furrowed slightly.
Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian's smiles immediately faded upon hearing this.
"But that's all in the past; I'm back now, aren't I? On top of that, I encountered a great opportunity during this trip, and I can now begin preparing for a breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage," Han Li continued with a smile.
"You're going to make another breakthrough? That's fantastic! I look forward to the day Master becomes the most powerful cultivator in Deep Heaven City!"
"Allow to congratulate you in advance, Master. With your incredible powers, even a Sacred Ancestor clone would be no match for Master after you reach the late-Body Integration Stage!"
Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian were both extremely elated to hear this and immediately began to flatter Han Li.
Han Li couldn't help but chuckle with amusement, but a thought then suddenly occurred to him. "How is Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix doing? I don't seem to have detected her presence with my spiritual sense."
Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi's smiles stiffened upon hearing this, and they exchanged a peculiar glance before one of them replied in a hesitant manner, "Master, Senior Ice Phoenix was invited to a gathering."
Han Li was immediately able to identify that something was amiss, and his expression darkened slightly as he asked, "Are you two hiding something from me?"
Qi Lingzi's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he hurriedly replied, "We wouldn't dare, Master; it's just that we're not sure how to inform you of the situation. Truth be told, Senior Phoenix isn't attending this gathering of her own volition."
"What do you mean? Is she being forced by someone else?" Han Li was rather surprised to hear this. "It seems that someone became aware of Senior Phoenix's true form, and they've constantly been nagging Senior Phoenix during the time you've been away. Due to your absence, there was no way for Senior Phoenix to avoid his harassment," Hai Yuetian said as a resentful look appeared in his eyes.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, and after a short while, he asked in a cold voice, "Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix is a Spatial Tempering cultivator; who would dare to harass her? Our human and demon races have forged an alliance during this devilish tribulation, so her identity as a demon shouldn't be an issue here. I know all of the elders of the city; even during my absence, I'm sure they wouldn't do something like this. Could it be that this is an outsider who only recently joined Deep Heaven City?"
"Your wisdom is truly unmatched, Master! I heard from Senior Phoenix that this man is a grand elder of Heavenlean City who only recently joined Deep Heaven City. You took such huge risk to reinforce their city, yet he's repaying your kindness by doing something like this; what an ungrateful piece of scum!" Qi Lingzi grumbled in an enraged manner.
"Heavenlean City? That's rather interesting. I've met both of the Body Integration Stage grand elders of the city; which one of the two is behind this?" Han Li asked as he stroked his own chin.
"It's Master Azure Dragon of the Nine Star Sect!" Hai Yuetian replied without any hesitation.
Han Li raised an eyebrow as he said in a cold voice, "I see. What reason does he have for harassing Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix? There must be some enormous benefit to be reaped for him if he dares to do something like this despite knowing the relationship between Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix and myself."
"Senior Ice Phoenix never mentioned this to us, but we heard through other avenues that this Azure Dragon seems to wish to engage in dual cultivation with Senior Ice Phoenix, and is willing to make her one of his concubines," Hai Yuetian replied after a brief pause.
Everything immediately became clear to Han Li upon hearing this, and he chuckled coldly, "Dual cultivation, eh? Hehe, what a sly old bastard!"
He didn't know how Master Azure Dragon had managed to identify the Ice Phoenix's true form, but it seemed that he was aware of the benefits of Ice Phoenix Origin Yin Qi, and that was why he was trying to court the Ice Phoenix at all costs.
As for why he still hadn't achieved his objective, this was partially due to the Ice Phoenix's unwillingness to oblige, and also due to the fact that he couldn't force himself upon her as he had to maintain his reputation in the eyes of the other Body Integration cultivators in the city. Of course, the reason why he dared to be so reckless in the first place had to be because he had thought that Han Li had already perished.
Han Li contemplated the situation for a moment before asking, "What is Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix's stance on this? Is she against this?"
"Of course she's against this! In the beginning, she constantly hid in the pagoda to avoid this Master Azure Dragon, but after that, he somehow forced her to meet him a few times outside the pagoda. Senior Ice Phoenix was very careful and made sure to meet him only in places where there were many people around, but I heard that this Master Azure Dragon is becoming quite impatient and has threatened on multiple occasions to use force if Senior Ice Phoenix continues to resist. We've always been very concerned about this, but we know that the elder of the city won't step in unless that Master Azure Dragon actually does something out of line. I'm assuming this is also why Master Azure Dragon had refrained from taking drastic measures up to this point." Qi Lingzi was clearly smarter than Hai Yuetian and offered his own analysis.
Han Li nodded in response as a hint of killing intent flashing through his eyes. "Perhaps so. Do you know where this gathering is being held?"
"I heard that it's going to be a small exchange convention held at the Origin Pocket Pavilion. However, only cultivators at or above the Spatial Tempering Stage can attend the convention, so we were unable to accompany Senior Ice Phoenix," Hai Yuetian replied in a resigned manner.
"You two wouldn't be able to make any difference even if you had accompanied her. So be it, I'll make a trip there myself and bring her back," Han Li said with a dark expression before rising to his feet.
He then flew directly out of the stone pavilion, and Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian were both quite startled by Han Li's abrupt departure as they hurriedly extended respectful parting salutes.
When the two of them raised their heads again, Han Li was already nowhere to be seen.
The two of them couldn't help but exchange a glance upon seeing this.
"Master normally doesn't interact much with Senior Ice Phoenix; I didn't think he cared that much about her. Do you think Master has feelings for her? Perhaps we'll have to start referring to Senior Ice Phoenix as 'mistress' soon!" Hai Yuetian said as a suggestive smile appeared on his face.
"Hehe, it's best for us not to discuss our seniors like this, but it's certainly a possibility." Qi Lingzi was giving quite a straight-laced response, but the look on his face clearly indicated that he was very curious as well.
Hai Yuetian naturally rolled his eyes at him upon seeing this.
At this point, Han Li was already several tens of kilometers away.
He had stayed in Deep Heaven City for quite some time, and during that time, he had visited the renowned Origin Pocket Pavilion on two or three occasions.
The pavilion was rather far away from his stone pagoda, and he couldn't fly at full speed in the city, so it would take him some time to get there.
As he was flying through the air, there was a contemplative look in his eyes, indicating that he seemed to be pondering something.
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The Origin Pocket Pavilion was a place for high-grade cultivators to meet up and hold discussions. Its owner was a Body Integration Stage elder of Deep Heaven City, so no one dared to cause any trouble in the pavilion. As such, the pavilion had always had a good reputation among the cultivators of Deep Heaven City.
Many cultivators would rent out a certain level of the pavilion if they were holding a small exchange convention or discussing some secretive matters, and the reputation of the pavilion placed everyone's hearts at ease.
After flying for a long while, a lush forest that spanned an area of over 100 acres appeared up ahead. At the center of the forest were four pavilions, one large and three small.
The largest pavilion was over 10,000 feet tall and wasn't any lesser in stature compared to the stone pagodas of Deep Heaven City. Even the three smaller pavilions were around 3,000 to 4,000 feet tall, presenting quite a majestic sight to behold.
Han Li's expression remained unchanged at the sight of these pavilions, but he sped up by about twofold.
At this moment, there were several yellow-robed Nascent Soul cultivators standing guard at the entrance of the first level of the tallest pavilion, chatting idly among themselves.
All of a sudden, a blur flashed past their eyes, and something seemed to pass right by them and entered the pavilion.
The guards were naturally very alarmed to see this, and they hurriedly turned toward the entrance while one of them instantly summoned an alarm-raising talisman.
Right at this moment, a cold harrumph rang out from the entrance, and a powerful burst of spiritual pressure swept forth from within. The air around the guards instantly tightened, and they were completely immobilized.
Only then did they catch a glimpse of an azure-robed figure who had appeared in the hall on the first floor of the pavilion.
Even though he had his back facing them, the spiritual pressure emanating from the azure-robed figure's body was completely unfathomable to them, and sweat began to pour down their faces.
"Don't raise the alarm; I'm here for a friend. Once I find the person I'm looking for, I'll leave," the azure figure said in a calm yet implacable voice.
In the next instant, the azure figure blurred and vanished into thin air, completely disregarding the restrictions in the pavilion.
As soon as he vanished, the enormous spiritual pressure faded, and all of the guards regained their mobility.
"Who was that? How dare he barge straight into the Origin Pocket Pavilion? Does he not know who the owner of the pavilion is?" a young guard yelled in an enraged manner as soon as he recovered his freedom.
The other guards didn't say anything, but they also wore extremely dark expressions.
"Hmph, you should shut your mouth if you don't want to die!" a blue-haired elderly man suddenly interjected in a low voice to cut off the young guard.
The young guard faltered slightly upon hearing this before turning to the elderly man. "What do you mean by that Fellow Daoist? Do you know who that was?"
"I do. All of you only recently joined this pavilion, so it's no surprise that you don't recognize him. I once had the honor of seeing this Senior Han from afar, and he's a mid-Body Integration cultivator, so his cultivation base outstrips even that of the pavilion's owner!" the elderly man said in a grim voice.
"What? A mid-Body Integration cultivator?" The other guards all drew a sharp breath upon hearing this, and the young guard who had just spoken instantly turned deathly pale.
For a mid-Body Integration cultivator, killing them wouldn't be much more difficult than crushing ants. If he were to be one to hold grudges...
The young guard's back was already drenched in cold sweat!
A thought suddenly occurred to one of the other guards, and he exclaimed, "A mid-Body Integration Stage senior with the Han surname? Could it be..."
"Hehe, that's right, he's none other than the Senior Han who was rumored to have perished two years ago. Seeing as he's appeared here, those rumors are all clearly false," the elderly man confirmed with a nod.
"I could sense a powerful baleful aura emanating from his body; it doesn't seem like he has very peaceful intentions. Is he really just here to look for a friend? If something happens, the reputation of the pavilion will be damaged," the young guard murmured.
Hints of fear flashed through everyone's eyes again upon hearing this.
"We have no power to dictate what Senior Han does here. Even if he completely destroys the Origin Pocket Pavilion, the pavilion owner won't pin the blame on us. The pavilion's rules only apply to normal cultivators; you can't expect to enforce them on someone like Senior Han," the blue-haired elderly chuckled before falling silent.
All of the other guards nodded in agreement, and they no longer discussed this matter, treating it as if it had never happened.
Only that young guard was still clearly very concerned and occasionally peeked into the pavilion through the entrance.
Meanwhile, on a level of the pavilion that had been sealed by many layers of restrictions, there were seven or eight people sitting around a white-robed woman, seemingly trying to persuade her about something.
The white-robed woman had skin as fair as snow and a set of beautiful facial features, but she wore an extremely cold expression.
It was none other than the Ice Phoenix who had been invited to this gathering.
Upon arriving here, she discovered that there wasn't any exchange convention taking place. She immediately sensed that something was wrong and tried to leave, only to be trapped by the restrictions on this level of the pavilion.
Immediately thereafter, the people attending the gathering took turns to try and persuade and coerce her; they had clearly all been bribed by Azure Dragon to do so.
"Come to think of it, you're an Ice Phoenix, so you have some connection with our Black Phoenix Race. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been constantly corresponding between you and Senior Azure Dragon during this past period of time. If you continue to stall like this, Senior Azure Dragon's patience is eventually going to run out. With his mid-Body Integration Stage powers, you would be completely powerless to resist if he were to try and take you by force, so you may as well agree. Senior Azure Dragon's powers and status are not inferior to that Han brat's in the slightest, so why continue to resist?" The person who was speaking was a young beauty in a black dress; it was none other than Xiao Hong of the Black Phoenix Race.
After being forced to go into seclusion for a while by the Black Phoenix Demon Monarch, she seemed to have made significant strides in her cultivation base. The rest of the group was comprised of other human and demonic beings, all of whom were acquaintances of the Ice Phoenix, and they were all trying to convince her of the same thing.
Following the commencement of the devilish tribulation, the boundary between humans and demons in the city had already been removed, which was why both sides were free to appear in any part of the city.
Even so, most ordinary beings wouldn't stray out of their designated area for no good reason, and only high-grade beings would regularly traverse through both areas.
The demonic beings among this group were all Spatial Tempering cultivators, so they naturally had the right to appear here.
However, there really wasn't much creativity with the approaches they were taking. They were merely rattling off the same narrative about how Master Azure Dragon was a Body Integration cultivator, and that countless female cultivators in the city would be over the moon if they were chosen by Master Azure Dragon as a dual cultivation partner.
However, regardless of what they said, the Ice Phoenix remained completely silent, and her frosty gaze made it seem as if she were trying to freeze the opposite wall solid.
Xiao Hong's brows furrowed tightly upon seeing this, and after a while, a cold look appeared in her eyes as she said, "We've said everything we have to say; it's time for you to give us a verdict now. Are you willing to engage in dual cultivation with Senior Azure Dragon?"
It seemed that she was the leader of the group of persuaders.
The Ice Phoenix finally responded, but her words were as sharp as daggers. "I won't agree to this no matter what you say. Come to think of it, I find this to be rather strange. As a member of our demon race, shouldn't you be aware that engaging in dual cultivation with humans is strictly prohibited in our race? Are you not afraid that the Black Phoenix Demon Monarch will punish you for trying to extort me in Master Azure Dragon's stead in such a blatant manner?"
Xiao Hong's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but her expression quickly returned to normal as she chuckled, "How silly of me to have forgotten to mention this; Senior Azure Dragon possesses a demonic bloodline, so he's a half-demon. It's just that he chose to remain in the human race and eventually became the grand elder of the Nine Star Sect. As such, I'm not concerned about that at all. Besides, even if Senior Azure Dragon weren't a half-demon, our human and demon races must unite against the devilish army, so the demon monarchs and Body Integration Stage elders will all turn a blind eye anyway. Having said that, your answer has been quite disappointing. You leave me with no choice but to defer you to someone else."
"Someone else?" The Ice Phoenix's face immediately paled upon hearing this, and she seemed to have already guessed whom Xiao Hong was referring to.
Sure enough, Xiao Hong immediately rose to her feet before turning to one of the side doors of the hall in a respectful manner. "Senior Azure Dragon, we've done everything in our power, but it seems you'll have to convince Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix in person."
"I see. It seems I'll have to tame this disobedient little Ice Phoenix myself, even though I'm very reluctant to have to resort to something like this."
A male voice rang out from the other side of the door, following which the door was opened, and a brocade-robed man strode into the room in an unhurried manner.
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The man appeared to be around 40 years of age and had a very authoritative appearance. He was holding a thick white book in his hand, and it was none other than Master Azure Dragon.
"You should be aware that you won't be able to get what you want if you force me to comply against my will. Besides, aren't you worried about what the other seniors in the city will think?" the Ice Phoenix asked in a cold voice.
"If you had said this several days ago, perhaps I would've been a little concerned, but now, I've already cultivated a new ability that will make you comply willingly to me. As for the other fellow daoists of Deep Heaven City, don't place your hope in them; I've already officially joined Deep Heaven City and became an elder yesterday. Do you think the panel of elders will turn against me in preference for someone who's already dead?" Master Azure Dragon replied in a cold voice, completely doing away with all semblance of geniality.
The Ice Phoenix's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and she heaved a faint sigh before suddenly raising a jade bowl in her hand, then waving it through the air like lightning.
A white spatial rift instantly appeared, and she immediately disappeared into the rift.
Everything had happened far too quickly for Xiao Hong and her group to react in time, and when they tried to stop her, it was already too late.
However, Master Azure Dragon's expression remained unchanged as he gently brandished his white book.
Silver light flashed, and an ancient silver rune emerged from the book, then swelled to the size of a human head before drifting over to where the spatial rift had just vanished.
A loud boom rang out, and the silver rune exploded, following which the space there shattered like a sheet of glass.
A muffled groan rang out as the Ice Phoenix stumbled out of mid-air, and only after taking a few steps backward did she manage to just barely right herself.
She then looked up at Master Azure Dragon, and even though her expression remained as cold as ever, a hint of despair had crept into her eyes.
"Hmph, if you could get away right under my nose, then I'll spell my name backward from now on! Now then, are you going to allow these fellow daoists to seal off your magic power, or are you going to make me do it?" Master Azure Dragon asked with a haughty look on his face.
Xiao Hong and the others instantly surrounded her from all sides, and the Ice Phoenix's heart sank even further.
Just as Xiao Hong was about to spring into action, a cold male voice suddenly sounded within the hall. "Oh? What's your name going to sound like when spelled backward? Would you be able to give me a verbal demonstration, Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon?"
At the same time, a resounding boom rang out, and the door, which had been sealed tightly shut by multiple restrictions, suddenly exploded inward.
Immediately thereafter, a violent burst of power surged into the room, and the two Spatial Tempering cultivators situated in front of the door were hurled up into the air like a pair of sandbags, then smashed heavily into the opposing wall.
Unfortunately for them, the wall had also been reinforced by restrictions, and they weren't simultaneous cultivators as Han Li was, so they were instantly knocked out cold with blood.
It seemed that even their Nascent Souls had been knocked unconscious by the impact.
Everyone else was naturally very alarmed by this, and they immediately rushed away from the door.
Master Azure Dragon's expression also changed drastically upon hearing this voice, whereas the Ice Phoenix immediately turned toward the entrance with elation in her eyes.
The terrifying aura that had surged into the room receded, and an azure-robed young man walked in.
It was none other than Han Li!
"Brother Han, you're finally back!" the Ice Phoenix said as an excited flush appeared on her face.
Han Li nodded in response as he turned to the Ice Phoenix with a faint smile on his face. "I encountered some trouble along the way, but thankfully, I was able to make a safe return."
Following a brief moment of panic, Master Azure Dragon immediately returned to his senses before forcing a smile onto his own face as he said, "It's truly fantastic news that you were able to escape from that Sacred Ancestor, Brother Han! We have to organize a feast to celebrate your return."
However, Han Li didn't even take a single glance at him. Instead, he turned toward Xiao Hong's in a completely emotionless manner, and his eyes were like a pair of sharp daggers.
Aside from the two cultivators who were lying unconscious on the ground, all of the other Spatial Tempering cultivators immediately turned deathly pale.
Even the ones among them who hadn't ever met Han Li in the past had naturally realized who he was, and their hearts were filled with horror.
The main reason why they had agreed to help Master Azure Dragon was that he had guaranteed them that Han Li was already dead. Otherwise, they would've never dared to meddle in something like this.
As it turned out, not only was Han Li not dead, he had caught them red-handed, and the evidence of their involvement was downright irrefutable!
"Welcome back to the city, Senior Han; my master..."
A burly man with a rather crude appearance cupped his fist in a salute as he approached Han Li, but Han Li merely swept a sleeve toward him, and he was immediately sent flying before also crashing into the opposite.
He then thumped down onto the ground and threw up a mouthful of blood, unable to get up again.
Everyone hurriedly turned their attention toward him to find a large hole had been torn into the front of his robes, revealing a suit of smooth silver armor.
The armor appeared to have remained completely unscathed, but in the next instant, a crisp crack rang out, and the suit of armor shattered into pieces that fell onto the ground around him.
Han Li's nonchalant-looking attack had not only severely wounded the man, it had even destroyed the armor treasure that he was wearing.
This made the Spatial Tempering cultivators' hearts sink even further, and they felt as if they had been plunged into a glacial pit.
Master Azure Dragon's eyelids twitched slightly upon seeing this, but thinking back to how Han Li had once faced several Body Integration Stage beings on his own, he was unable to muster up the courage to directly confront Han Li.
"Brother Han, you've just attacked a prized disciple of Elder Gu from the panel of elders; I'm afraid you'll have to give Elder Gu an explanation for this," he said after clearing his throat in an awkward manner.
"Why do I need to explain things to him? If Elder Gu has a problem, he can come to see me. Speaking of explanations, I believe you owe me on," Han Li chuckled coldly without displaying any intention of letting this matter slide.
Rather than make any attempt to argue his case, Master Azure Dragon admitted, "I didn't intend for things to be like. I had thought that you had already passed away, so I wanted to take Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix for myself. Seeing as you're alive and well, I'll be sure to pay you a visit at a later date to deliver a formal apology."
"You think an apology will suffice? I took a great risk to go to Heavenlean City to assist you, yet this is how you decide to repay me. If I don't make an example of out of you, how can I expect anyone else in the city to respect me?" Han Li asked in a frosty voice.
Master Azure Dragon was beginning to lose his temper upon hearing this, and he also adopted a more aggressive stance. "What do you want from me, then? Do you want to fight me?"
"Sure, I'd be happy to oblige with that request. You dared to try and walk all over my authority, so you must be quite confident in your own abilities. Let me see if you have what it takes to back up your actions!" Han Li chuckled coldly without any hesitation.
Master Azure Dragon's expression darkened even further upon hearing this.
Han Li didn't have any intention of wasting time with words. He swept both sleeves through the air, and several tens of small azure swords short forth in a frenzy.
At the same time, golden light flashed from his body, and he released a burst of astonishing spiritual pressure directly toward Master Azure Dragon.
Master Azure Dragon was also unable to repress his fury any longer. He raised his hand with an enraged look on his face, and the white book that he was holding instantly spread open. Spiritual light of different colors flashed within the book, and it seemed that countless runes were about to emerge from within it.
Xiao Hong and the others were naturally extremely alarmed by this turn of events, but they didn't dare to try and sneak away in fear of incurring Han Li's wrath. As such, they could disperse throughout the hall to get as far away from the two Body Integration cultivators as possible.
They knew that this distance didn't grant them any safety in the face of a battle between Body Integration cultivators, but it offered them some internal solace.
Han Li completely disregarded what they were doing and appraised Master Azure Dragon intently with a cold light in his eyes as he prepared to unleash his sword arts.
Right at this moment, a streak of white light flew into the hall, then circled around in mid-air before landing right in between Han Li and Master Azure Dragon.
A smiling humanoid figure then emerged from within the streak of white light. "Are you two really planning to demolish this pavilion of Elder Gu's by battling here? Please do me a favor and allow me to mediate for the two of you."
This was a benevolent elderly man wearing a golden kasaya; it was none other than Buddhist Monk Jin Yue!
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"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue; have you been well?" Han Li fully intended to continue in his assault, but he could only forcibly repress his fury for now.
After all, he was on relatively good terms with Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, so he couldn't just afford him no consideration at all.
Master Azure Dragon was naturally very relieved to see the arrival of Buddhist Monk Jin Yue.
He was well aware of just how fearsome Han Li was so, he naturally wanted to avoid a battle. It was just that Han Li was insulting him in front of these juniors, so he had to protect his own pride and reputation.
He immediately cupped his fist a polite salute toward the monk, and said, "Forgive me for not coming out to greet you, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue."
"I received news that Fellow Daoist Han had returned to the city, so I immediately set off to come here. Thankfully, I managed to get here in time before the situation escalated any further. I notified two of the fellow daoists who just so happened to be nearby on my way here, so they should arrive soon as well; please allow the three of us to mediate this conflict. After all, we are in the midst of a devilish tribulation, and both of you are top-grade powerful beings of the city, so any conflict between the two of you could affect the internal stability of the city, isn't that right, Fellow Daoist Gu?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue suddenly turned toward the entrance of the hall with a meaningful expression as he spoke.
"I really must thank you, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue. If you hadn't stepped in, perhaps my Origin Pocket Pavilion would cease to exist from this day forth!" A burst of hearty laughter rang out, following which a grey humanoid figure appeared outside the door without any warning.
It was a grey-robed elderly man with a dark complexion.
"Fellow Daoist Gu!" Han Li was immediately able to identify this man as the owner of the Origin Pocket Pavilion, whom he'd met on several previous occasions.
"It's fantastic to see that you've made a safe return, Fellow Daoist Han; you have to come pay me a visit when you have some spare time. I really am very interested to hear how you managed to escape from a Sacred Ancestor," the grey-robed man said with a smile.
Even though he had only met Han Li on a few fleeting occasions, he was speaking to Han Li as if they were old friends."You're speaking far too highly of me, Brother Gu; I only escaped from a Scared Ancestor clone. If a Sacred Ancestor's true body had come after me, there's no way I would've been able to escape," Han Li explained with a wry smile.
"Even so, it's still a testament of your powers that you were able to escape from a Sacred Ancestor clone, Brother Han," the grey-robed man countered with a shake of his head.
Han Li naturally wasn't going to argue the issue any further, and he merely smiled before turning to Buddhist Monk Jin Yue. "Who's the other fellow daoist you were referring to aside from Brother Gu, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue?"
"Hehe, rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han; it's an acquaintance of yours," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said with a smile.
"An acquaintance of mine?" Han Li's eyes narrowed lightly upon hearing this, and a certain person instantly sprang into his mind.
Master Azure Dragon cleared his throat and was just about to say something when silver light suddenly flashed outside. A streak of silver light flew into the hall, then faded to reveal a silver-robed woman.
The woman was none other than Fairy Silver Light, and an elated look immediately appeared on her face at the sight of Han Li. "Brother Han, your powers have progressed significantly again! I must congratulate you. After the battle at Heavenlean City, I was pursued by a devilish lord and encountered some additional unexpected troubles, so I only recently made it back to the city as well."Han Li faltered slightly before a smile appeared on his face. "Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Silver Light."
"Alright, seeing as everyone's here, let's all take a seat and discuss the matter at hand," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said.
"You're asking me to take a seat with Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon? I'll pass; I have no interest in wasting any further time with the likes of him," Han Li said with a cold expression.
Master Azure Dragon's expression darkened even further upon hearing this.
"How dare you insult me like this? If you want a fight, then I'll give you a fight!" he yelled in a furious voice.
"I'm more than happy to oblige!" Han Li replied without any hesitation, and azure light flashed from his body as he prepared to resume the battle.
"Hold on, fellow daoists! Please listen to what I have to say. Fellow Daoist Silver Light may not be aware of the details behind this, but Fellow Daoist Gu and I are both aware of what's been going on. It's just that the devilish army has recently increased the intensity of their assault against the city, so we haven't had a chance to step in. Come to think of it, we really must apologize to you, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix," Buddhist Master Jin Yue said in an apologetic manner as he hurriedly stepped in again.
The Ice Phoenix was indeed rather displeased with Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and the other elders, but she displayed no sign of this. Instead, she replied in a respectful manner, "Azure Dragon is the one behind this; it has nothing to do with you or anyone else, Senior."
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue shook his head as he replied in an earnest manner, "I may not be directly responsible for this, but as an elder of Deep Heaven City, I certainly can't shake off all responsibility. However, seeing as Azure Dragon is now also an elder of the city, I hope that you can let things slide, Brother Han. After all, Benefactor Azure Dragon did indeed do something wrong, but he hasn't caused any harm to Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix. How about we get Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon to offer some spirit stones to Fairy Ice Phoenix as compensation? As for the sum of the spirit stones, I'll make sure that it's satisfactory to Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix."
"Do you think I'll be in need of spirit stones, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.
"You naturally won't be in need of spirit stones, but I'm sure they'll be greatly welcomed for Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix. Of course, if you have some other conditions, you can state them as well," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said.
After pondering this proposition for a moment. Han Li didn't give an immediate response. Instead, he turned to the other two Body Integration Stage elders, and asked, "Brother Gu, Fellow Daoist Silver Light, what do you think?"
"I normally wouldn't offer my opinion in something like this, but in the face of the pressure exerted on the city by the devilish army, I also hope that the two of you can set aside your differences to ensure the internal cohesion of the city isn't disrupted," Elder Gu replied in a slightly ambiguous manner.
Han Li displayed no reaction to this wily as he turned toward Fairy Silver Light.
"I only recently returned to the city, but I've some things about this, and I also think that Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon has gone too far. However, every Body Integration cultivator is an extremely precious resource to the city, so I wouldn't want to see a battle between you two, either. Having said that, I don't think spirit stones alone will be enough as compensation; I suggest Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon offer Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix some additional treasures or materials that she requires as well," Fairy Silver Light suggested, and it was quite clear that she was taking Han Li's side.
"Hmph, so all three of you are convinced that I'm in the wrong here," Master Azure Dragon harrumphed coldly.
"I'm sure you know better than anyone else whether you're at fault, Fellow Daoist! Are you going to make us find evidence against you? If so, we have some right here." Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's expression also darkened slightly as he turned toward Xiao Hong's group in a calm manner.
Xiao Hong and the others all lowered their heads upon hearing this and didn't dare to respond.
Finally, Han Li turned to the Ice Phoenix, and asked, "What do you think, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix?"
"With so many seniors present, it's not in my place to say anything; I'll let you make the decision, Brother Han," Ice Phoenix replied.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he contemplated the manner for the moment before continuing, "In that case, setting aside the aforementioned spirit stones and treasures, I have another condition. If he agrees, then I'll let things slide for now."
"What's your condition, Fellow Daoist Han?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue asked.
"It's very simple; I can't say that I'm rolling in wealth, but I'm certainly not missing spirit stones and treasures. My condition is for Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon to take three attacks of mine without evading. After that, I'll let things slide," Han Li said as a cold look flashed through his eyes.
"What? You still want a fight, Brother Han?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue was rather alarmed to hear this.
"It's not a fight; I'm only asking him to take three attacks from me. I think it would be more apt to refer to it as a sparring match," Han Li countered in an indifferent manner.
After discussing this with Fairy Silver Light and Elder Gu for a short while, Buddhist Monk Jin Yue turned to Master Azure Dragon. "What do you think of this, Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon?"
Master Azure Dragon hesitated momentarily before asking in a cautious manner, "Is the usage of treasures permitted?"
"Cultivators like you and me rely heavily on our treasures, so their usage is naturally permitted. What's the problem? We're both of the same cultivation base; are you so unconfident in your own abilities that you don't even dare to take three attacks from me?" Han Li asked with a hint of mockery in his voice.
Master Azure Dragon hesitated momentarily before finally giving a cold harrumph. "Hmph, there's no need to goad me; I agree to your condition."
Just as Han Li had said, if he didn't even dare to take three attacks from another cultivator of the same cultivation base, then his reputation in Deep Heaven City would be swept to the ground.
"Good. Seeing as you have no objections, either, let's find a place and settle this matter as quickly as possible. I don't want to waste any more time than is necessary on something like this," Han Li said with a cold look in his eyes.
"Sure, you pick the place!" Master Azure Dragon replied without any hesitation.
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"There should be a designated sparring venue here, right, Fellow Daoist Gu?" Han Li asked as he turned toward the grey-robed elderly man.
"Of course. Our Origin Pocket Pavilion has a private space established in a spatial rift. Even a Body Integration Stage battle in the rift wouldn't affect the outside world, so it'll be perfect to facilitate your sparring match," Elder Gu replied.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's eyelids twitched slightly in response to the three-attack agreement that had just been forged.
All of the elders of the city had heard from Fairy Silver Light that Han Li was far more powerful than cultivators of the same cultivation base and had even managed to kill several devilish lords in succession, but if it were only three attacks, then Master Azure Dragon should be able to handle it.
Otherwise, one could only say that Master Azure Dragon was nowhere near as powerful as his reputation suggested, and there would be no need for the panel of elders to continue protecting him at the risk of offending Han Li.
After thinking through all of this, Buddhist Monk Jin Yue tried his hand at persuasion again, but could only give up with a wry smile when his efforts failed to bear fruit.
As for Fairy Silver Light and Elder Gu, the former was on Han Li's side, while the other didn't want to offend either side, so they naturally raised no objections, either.
Thus, they were led out of the hall by Elder Gu.
However, just before departing, Han Li suddenly turned toward Xiao Hong and the others, and said in a cold voice, "If I don't see you at my abode at the same time tomorrow, hehe, I'm sure you know the consequences that await you!"
After that, he strode out of the hall, and none of Xiao Hong's group dared to say anything in response.
As for Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and the others, they merely pretended not to have heard anything and didn't even look at Xiao Hong's group before departing.
Master Azure Dragon took an expressionless glance at them before his departure, but didn't say anything in the end.
Following the departure of Han Li and the others, a demonic cultivator with dense black fur all over his face immediately turned to Xiao Hong with a depressed expression. "What do we do, Fairy Xiao? Senior Azure Dragon seems to have no intention of standing up for us!"
"This is not what we agreed upon initially, Fellow Daoist. You told us that Senior Azure Dragon had assured you that Senior Han had already passed away, and that Senior Azure Dragon would stand up for us, so there's no risk involved. I believe you owe us an explanation!" another human cultivator chimed in in an urgent manner.
The other remained silent, but all of them were also looking at Xiao Hong.
"Hmph, do you think I can be exempt from all of this? I merely passed on Senior Azure Dragon's promise to all of you; how would I know that he would be so wary of Senior Han that he doesn't even dare to stand up for us? It's a good thing that all of us have powerful backers so that man couldn't just kill us on the spot! Having said that, we're definitely going to be punished tomorrow," Xiao Hong snapped in the face of all of the accusatory eyes being directed at her.
"So you're saying we really do have to visit Senior Han tomorrow?" someone said in a hesitant manner.
"Hmph, I suggest you don't try to run away. If you do that, Senior Han really will have a reason to kill us. When that time comes, even our seniors won't be able to protect us," Xiao Hong harrumphed coldly.
"You're right, Fellow Daoist Xiao. Senior Han has most likely already planted spiritual sense marks within our bodies without our detection, so trying to escape would be akin to committing suicide. Besides, the devilish army has already surrounded Deep Heaven City; where can we even go? I suggest you all set aside any funny ideas you're hatching and do as Senior Han instructs tomorrow. I have to inform one of my seniors of this, so I'll be taking my leave now," one of the more mature cultivators sighed before departing with a concerned look on his face.
The rest of the group couldn't think of any alternatives, either, so they could only depart in a gloomy manner as well.
Thus, Xiao Hong was the only one left in the hall.
She sat in her seat with furrowed brows for a long while, and her expression changed several times as she explored different potential alternatives in her mind, but in the end, she also stomped her foot and departed in a resigned manner.
As for everyone else, they had all gone back, either to prepare lavish presents or to seek out their backers.
At this point, Han Li and the others had already been led by Elder Gu to an even larger hall on the highest level of the pavilion.
Han Li was currently appraising a small formation that had been set up at the direct center of the hall, and Elder Gu strode toward the formation before making a hand seal to cast several profound incantation seals into it.
The spiritual light formed by the incantation seals vanished into the formation in a flash, following which the formation was activated amid a loud buzzing sound.
Only then did Elder Gu turn to everyone else with a smile, and said, "We can get to the sparring venue through this teleportation formation. Please follow me, fellow daoists; this formation will be able to teleport all of us into the venue at once."
"Sure," Han Li replied with a smile before drifting to the center of the formation.
With his current level of powers, a spatial rift wasn't going to be enough to trap him, so he naturally had no inhibitions.
Master Azure Dragon was unwilling to display any weakness, and he also flew into the formation as a ball of azure light.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue shook his head in a resigned manner before following suit, and he was followed by the Ice Phoenix, whose brows were tightly furrowed.
Elder Gu and Fairy Silver Light were the last ones to enter the formation, and as soon as the former stepped into the formation, he immediately made a hand seal.
Five-colored light was instantly released by the formation before enveloping everyone, and Han Li felt his surroundings blur before he appeared in an unfamiliar place.
He swept his gaze through the surrounding area to find that this was quite a large space that spanned several thousand acres in area. As was the case with all spatial rifts, the area was surrounded by murky grey spatial walls. There was a tall platform that had a diameter of over 1,000 feet at the center of the space, and there was faint spiritual light shimmering from the platform, clearly indicating that it had been fortified through the use of restrictions.
There were also a dozen or so stone pillars standing around the platform, each of which was over 100 feet tall.
There were extremely intricate patterns engraved on the surfaces of these pillars, and there were also top-grade spirit stones embedded into them as well, creating quite a lavish sight to behold.
Fairy Silver Light was immediately able to identify the formation, and she exclaimed, "This is the Heavenly Bipolar Formation! You sure made a heavy investment into this place, Brother Gu. With this formation in place, it'll indeed be very difficult for a Body Integration Stage battle to affect the outside world."
A hint of surprise also appeared on Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's face.
"Hehe, you're far too kind, Fellow Daoist Silver Light. I have to test out some abilities and cultivation arts from time to time, so I decided to make this investment." Elder Gu was speaking in a modest manner, but there was a hint of smugness in his eyes.
Han Li appraised this setup through narrowed eyes for a moment before flying onto the platform as a streak of azure light.
The azure light faded in mid-air, and Han Li was revealed again before turning toward Master Azure Dragon with a cold expression. "Do I need to invite you onto this platform, Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon?"
Master Azure Dragon's expression darkened as he harrumphed coldly, and he abruptly stepped forward, upon which his body was hoisted up into the air by a burst of azure Qi. He drifted lightly over to the platform, then descended upon it across from Han Li.
Elder Gu immediately flipped a hand over to produce a silver jade plate upon seeing this, then tossed it toward the platform.
The jade plate transformed into a silver ball of light that hovered high up in the air, and Elder Gu pointed a finger at it from afar while chanting an incantation.
A loud rumbling boom rang out, and piercing light erupted from the spirit stones embedded onto the stone pillars. At the same time, a pillar of light shot forth from the top of each stone pillar before converging toward the silver ball of light.
In the next instant, the silver ball of light exploded, releasing specks of silver light that transformed into a dense light barrier that encompassed the entire platform.
Not only was the light barrier shimmering with silver light, there were countless white runes surging out of it, basking the entire stone platform in a mysterious white glow.
"Alright, the restriction is ready; we won't be affected no matter how fierce their battle becomes now," Elder Gu said as he turned to Buddhist Monk Jin Yue with a smile.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Gu. Hopefully, this is going to be nothing more than a casual sparring match," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said in a concerned manner.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist; if it's only three attacks, then Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon will definitely be able to endure it. I'm sure both of them will be displaying their true power during this sparring match; I'm very much looking forward to this! In particular, I heard that Fellow Daoist Han has killed several devilish lords; I'm sure he'll put on a spectacular display for us," Elder Gu said with a faint smile.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue merely heaved another resigned sigh in response.
As for the Ice Phoenix, she was appraising Han Li with a concerned look on her face.
"Are you ready? Here I come!" Han Li said in a cold voice as a hint of baleful aura began to emanate from his body.
Almost at the exact same moment, he clenched his fists, and a loud thunderclap rang out.
Golden lightning erupted from his arms, then converged to form a pair of menacing golden lightning pythons that sprang up into the air.
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"Divine Devilbane Lightning? Hmph, I'm not a Devil Dao cultivator; what is that lightning going to do to me?" Master Azure Dragon harrumphed coldly as he raised his hand, and a clear ringing sound erupted from the book that he was holding. It then transformed into a five-colored light barrier before him, and immediately thereafter, he flipped his hands over to summon a pair of giant brushes, one golden and one silver, each of which was around 10 feet in length.
Despite what he was saying, he didn't dare to treat Han Li with any complacency and immediately summoned his bonded treasures.
Han Li remained completely expressionless as he swept both sleeves through the air to release 72 small azure swords, which then combined as one at his behest to form a giant azure sword that was over 100 feet in length. He then pointed toward the two golden lightning pythons from afar, and a rumbling thunderclap rang out as the two pythons abruptly pounced toward the giant sword before vanishing into it in a flash.
The giant azure sword instantly swelled to over 1,000 feet in size, and countless arcs of golden lightning erupted from within it in a frenzy.
However, that wasn't all. Han Li looked up at the huge sword before opening his mouth to expel a ball of silver flames, and as soon as it emerged, the silver fireball transformed into a silver Fire Raven.
The Fire Raven flapped its wings and swelled drastically to around 10 feet in size before also flying toward the massive sword like a speeding arrow.
In the next instant, a layer of silver flames appeared over the surface of the entire giant sword, following which Han Li uttered the word "slash".
As soon as his voice trailed off, the massive sword immediately came crashing down toward Master Azure Dragon. It wasn't descending very quickly, but it was radiating a scorching aura that instantly turned the space down below red-hot, as if it had been set alight.
Master Azure Dragon's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and bright light erupted from the tips of his two brushes, following which countless ancient runes surged forth in a frenzy. All of the runes were shimmering with spiritual light, and they combined as one before sweeping upward as a burst of golden and silver light.
A loud thunderclap rang out as the giant sword clashed with the golden and silver light, and virtually the entire platform was inundated by golden lightning and silver flames.
The explosion of scintillating light forced the onlookers to look away as bursts of shockwaves erupted forth in all directions.
The stone platform tremored violently, and ripples ran along the surface of the silver light barrier overhead, as if it were about to crack at any moment.
All of the spectating cultivators drew a sharp breath upon seeing this.
Han Li's first attack was far more powerful than they had anticipated, and Elder Gu's expression changed slightly as he immediately flicked his fingers through the air, casting a series of incantation seals toward the surrounding stone pillars.
These incantation seals transformed into streaks of light that vanished into the pillars in a flash, and the pillars of light stemming from the tops of the pillars became around twice as thick as before, fortifying the light barrier so that it became as solid as it originally had been.
As a result, the stone platform also instantly recovered its stability.
Moments later, the scintillating light encompassing the entire stone platform finally faded, and Han Li and Master Azure Dragon were revealed again.
Han Li had his hands clasped in an expressionless manner, and he was still hovering at the exact same spot as before.
In contrast, Master Azure Dragon had descended onto the stone platform. The five-colored light barrier before him had vanished, leaving only a tattered white book in its wake. At the same time, his two brushes had also dimmed significantly and seemed to have lost a lot of their spiritual nature.
As for Master Azure Dragon himself, he appeared to be completely unscathed, but his face had turned quite pale, and it was clear that Han Li had gained the absolute upper hand.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and Elder Gu couldn't help but exchange a glance upon seeing this, and both of them could see their own astonishment mirrored in one another's eyes. They knew that Han Li was supposed to be more powerful than Master Azure Dragon, but it still came as quite a shock to them that he was able to force Master Azure Dragon down onto the ground with just a single attack.
They couldn't help but wonder if Han Li were truly that unfathomably powerful, or if Master Azure Dragon were simply too weak.
Han Li chuckled coldly as he waved a hand through the air, and spatial fluctuations erupted nearby, following which countless small azure swords emerged out of thin air before flying back into his body.
He had gained the upper hand during that last clash, but the giant azure sword had been shattered, and he had no intention of using his flying swords for the second attack, so he naturally recovered all of them.
Immediately thereafter, he made a hand seal, and his body began to swell drastically in size as a layer of golden fur appeared over his skin.
In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a giant golden ape that was several tens of feet tall.
The giant ape was extremely menacing in appearance, and it let loose a thunderous roar as it thumped its own chest with its fists, then swelled even further to several hundred feet in stature.
It turned toward Master Azure Dragon with a bone-chilling gaze, and Master Azure Dragon's expression changed slightly before he yelled in an enraged manner, "Do you think you're the only one with a transformation technique? Have a taste of my Azure Dragon Avatar!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, he laid a hand onto the top of his own head, and a pillar of azure light erupted from his head before transforming into an azure dragon projection.
He then swept a sleeve through the air to release seven small black swords, all of which plunged into various parts of his body like lightning.
Immediately thereafter, he opened his mouth to expel seven balls of blood essence, all of which disappeared into the seven swords.
In the next instant, the seven swords vanished, but countless crimson threads suddenly erupted from all over his body, binding around the azure dragon projection in a flash before abruptly pulling it downward.
The azure dragon projection instantly combined as one with Master Azure Dragon, and he let loose a low roar as azure scales appeared all over his limbs and face. White light flashed above his head, and a pair of green horns emerged, while a giant azure tail sprouted out of his back.
In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a half-demon monster.
"I had heard that Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon was a half-demon, so this transformation isn't all that remarkable, but what's this transformation technique that Fellow Daoist Han is using?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue asked with a curious expression.
"It doesn't seem like an ordinary transformation technique; could it be that Fellow Daoist Han also possesses true spirit blood?" Elder Gu speculated.
"That doesn't sound very plausible! Fellow Daoist Han is an ascended cultivator, and true spirits have been extinct for countless years in the lower realms; there's no way that he could've inherited a true spirit bloodline," Fairy Silver Light said with a shake of her head.
"Perhaps Fellow Daoist Han obtained the spirit blood after ascending to the Spirit Realm. In any case, the next attack is definitely going to be far more powerful than the last one. Fellow Daoist Gu, will the restriction be able to withstand the impact?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue asked in a concerned manner.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, there won't be any issues," Elder Gu replied in a confident manner.
"I certainly hope so." Buddhist Monk Jin Yue was clearly a lot less confident, but he didn't force the issue and fell silent as a wry smile appeared on his face.
At this moment, the giant golden ape sprang into action.
It made a grabbing motion with its giant furry hands, and a ball of spiritual light emerged within each of its hands. The balls of spiritual light then transformed into a pair of small mountains, one black and one azure, and it was clear that they were extraordinary treasures.
Han Li let loose a deafening roar before violently hurling the pair of small mountains downward, and an explosive boom rang out as the mountains transformed into two streaks of light.
The space before the two streaks of light warped violently, and a piercing whistling sound rang out as the mountains arrived right above Master Azure Dragon in a flash.
Two enormous bursts of invisible force descended upon Master Azure Dragon, and the air immediately tightened around him, immobilizing him in the process.
He was naturally very alarmed by this and immediately let loose a loud roar, upon which bright azure light erupted from his body. All of his scales also instantly stood up on end, and a burst of tremendous power surged out of his body, allowing him to recover his mobility.
Immediately thereafter, he reached out with his dragon claws viciously toward the pair of descending mountains
Among all true dragons, the Azure Dragon's physical prowess ranked among the top three. This Azure Dragon Avatar of his couldn't compare with an actual Azure Dragon, but due to the fact the presence of the Azure Dragon bloodline within his body, his physical constitution was far more powerful than the average human.
Not only was his entire body as resolute as a top-grade treasure, after activating his true dragon bloodline, he could attain a part of the Azure Dragon's enormous power. However, in the instant that his claws came into contact with the pair of mountains, he immediately regretted his decision.
He had thought that his claws would've been able to crush the pair of mountains into rubble, but instead, it was his claws that were shattered by the mountains.
He immediately withdrew his arms like lightning, then opened his mouth to expel a ball of azure light. The ball of light struck one of the mountains while he swept his tail toward the other mountain like a giant whip.
Two resounding booms and a muffled groan rang out, and Master Azure Dragon flew back like a tossed rag, backtracking over 10 steps before just barely managing to steady himself.
An astonished look had appeared on his face, and he opened his mouth to say something, only to throw up a mouthful of black blood instead.
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With the recent improvement in Han Li's power, his Giant Mountain Ape transformation was now far more fearsome than back in the battle of Heavenlean City.
Even if his strength couldn't compare with that of an actual Giant Mountain Ape, he still possesses around 30% to 40% of its strength, and that, in conjunction with the two extreme mountains, was far too much for Master Azure Dragon to handle.
Thus, he was immediately sent flying by the pair of mountains.
If it weren't for the fact that he had instinctively withdrawn his hands in time and summoned a treasure to save himself, not only would his fingers have been shattered, his arms would've been snapped as well.
Even so, excruciating pain was spearing through all of his meridians, and he was unable to muster up most of his magic power.
Right at this moment, a ferocious light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and he abruptly stepped, covering a distance of over 1,000 feet in a single step, thereby taking him to only several tens of feet away from Master Azure Dragon.
"Third attack!"
Han Li's cold voice rang out, and his giant furry fist was thrust violently through the air.
Master Azure Dragon's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he immediately tried to unleash some type of cultivation art to take evasive measures, only for a bone-chilling harrumph to suddenly ring out in his heart.
Master Azure Dragon felt as if a thunderclap had erupted right within his ears, and a sharp pain stabbed into his mind.
He gave a muffled groan and was rendered completely unable to muster up any magic power.
Meanwhile, an astonishing baleful aura erupted from Han Li's body as his giant golden fist hurtled directly toward Master Azure Dragon's head.
Even before the fist had struck its target, Master Azure Dragon was struck by a sense of asphyxiation from the enormous pressure it was giving off. With Han Li's incredible strength in his giant ape form, Master Azure Dragon's head would definitely be pulverized by this punch, even in his half-demon form.
Master Azure Dragon was still reeling from Han Li's Spiritstun Thorn, so he was completely unable to evade or defend himself, and a horrified look appeared on his face.
However, as a Body Integration cultivator, he naturally had a few life-saving trump cards up his sleeve.
White light flashed, and a translucent shield flew out of his body before positioning itself in front of him.
At the same time, all of his scales instantly shrank to form a suit of azure armor that encased his entire body.
These two layers of defenses were more than enough against the average Body Integration cultivator's attacks, but they were destroyed with ease by the giant ape's golden fist.
Golden light flashed as the translucent shield was shattered amid a resounding boom, following which the golden fist struck the suit of azure armor.
All of a sudden, an azure dragon projection erupted forth and pounced directly toward the golden fist, but right at this moment, the giant fist transformed into a golden vortex that was around 10 feet in size.
The vortex released a burst of incredible tearing force, and the azure dragon projection was instantly torn to shreds.
In the instant that the projection was vanquished, the suit of azure armor also crumbled away.
The golden vortex then reverted back into a giant golden fist that hurtled directly toward Master Azure Dragon's head, and the killing intent imbued within it was detectable even to the cultivators outside the light barrier.
Master Azure Dragon's face had become deathly pale under the illumination of the golden light being released by the fist.
"Fellow Daoist Han, no!"
"Stop, Brother Han!"
All of the cultivators outside the light barrier immediately cried out in a horrified manner.
In the next instant, the giant golden fist glanced past Master Azure Dragon's ear before striking the stone platform behind him.
What everyone had failed to notice was that a hair-thin object had shot forth out of the golden fist and instantly vanished into Master Azure Dragon's ear just as it was passing by his face.
The entire stone platform tremored violently, and a giant crater that was around 10 feet deep appeared while the surface of the restriction flashed violently with spiritual light.
Master Azure Dragon's face was completely devoid of color, and he could only stare in silence as the giant ape slowly withdrew its fist.
Everyone outside the light barrier heaved a collective sigh of relief upon seeing this.
Han Li reverted back to his human form amid a flash of golden light,then turned to Master Azure Dragon with undisguised killing intent in his eyes. "I don't care how you came to Deep Heaven City and how you became an elder; I don't want to see you here three days from now. If you haven't left Deep Heaven City by then, I suggest you pick a burial site for yourself!"
After that, Han Li flew off the stone platform as a streak of azure light before landing beside the Ice Phoenix.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue hurriedly tried to say something, but Han Li cupped his fist in a salute, and said, "Fellow daoists, I've done everything I came here to do; I only just returned to the city had have some matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave now."
As soon as his voice trailed off, he swept a sleeve through the air to release a burst of azure light, which swept up both the Ice Phoenix and himself, then carried them both over to the teleportation formation.
Following a burst of rumbling from the formation, both of them vanished.
Han Li hadn't given Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and Elder Gu any chance to try and mediate the situation.
Before the two had a chance to say anything, Han Li and the Ice Phoenix had already left.
Elder Gu was silent for a long while before turning to Buddhist Monk Jin Yue with a wry smile. "Looks like Fellow Daoist Han wasn't joking!"
"Benefactor Han has gone too far here. No matter what differences there are between them, Master Azure Dragon is already an elder of our city; how can he leave Deep Heaven City just because Fellow Daoist Han told him to? Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon, I'll visit Fellow Daoist Han with a few other fellow daoists to convince him not to take such drastic measures," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said with a shake of his head.
Only then did Master Azure Dragon return to his senses, and his face was still completely devoid of color as he shook his head in response. "There's no need for that. I lost to Fellow Daoist Han; even if he didn't ask me to leave, I would be too ashamed to remain in the city. I'll leave the city tomorrow and will no longer be an elder. Thankfully, not many people knew that I had joined the city, so my departure won't cause much of a disturbance."
After that, he vanished from the stone platform as a ball of azure light, then also teleported out of this space using the teleportation formation.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and Elder Gu exchanged a glance, and both of them were temporarily rendered speechless.
"Looks like Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon has been dealt a heavy blow," Elder Gu sighed.
"His reaction makes sense. Conflict has already arisen between him and Fellow Daoist Han, and he's clearly no match for Fellow Daoist Han's powers; if I were in his place, I would also leave the city," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said in a resigned manner.
"Are we really just going to allow a mid-Body Integration cultivator to leave our Deep Heaven City? That will be a massive loss to the panel of elders! Fellow Daoist Han may be far more powerful than Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon, but he has no intention of joining the panel of elders," Elder Gu said in a hesitant voice.
"Let's visit the other fellow daoists and see if we can come up with a way to keep him. Having said that, with the devilish army piling so much pressure on the city, Fellow Daoist Han is more important to our city at the moment. Besides, Azure Dragon has already developed a sense of fear and wariness toward Fellow Daoist Han; I think it's going to be very difficult to change his mind," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue sighed.
"In any case, we still have to give it a try. I'll contact the other fellow daoists and invite them here right away," Elder Gu said as he flipped a hand over to summon a stack of voice transmissions talismans.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue merely nodded in agreement as a contemplative look appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, Han Li was taking the Ice Phoenix back to his abode.
Han Li flew on ahead with his hands clasped behind his back, looking into the distance in silence.
The Ice Phoenix was situated behind him with a complex expression, and she didn't say anything, either.
Several hours later, the streak of azure light returned to the top floor of the stone pagoda.
Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian were beginning to grow rather impatient from waiting, and they immediately extended ecstatic bows toward Han Li upon witnessing his return with the Ice Phoenix.
"Master, Senior Ice Phoenix, welcome back! Did you have a smooth trip, Master?" Hai Yuetian asked in an excited manner.
"I did. You two can go and rest now; I have some things that I'd like to discuss with Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix in private," Han Li instructed.
"Yes, Master!"
Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian immediately gave an affirmative response before departing after extending another respectful bow.
Thus, Han Li and the Ice Phoenix were only ones left in the hall.
"Please take a seat, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix; that must've been quite the ordeal for you," Han Li said with a smile as he sat down on the main seat.
"Thank you, Brother Han. Indeed, I thought I was done for. Never did I think that a Body Integration cultivator like Azure Dragon would do something so brazen and underhanded," the Ice Phoenix said with a wry smile as she said down beside Han Li.
"Under normal circumstances, perhaps he would be more inclined to uphold his reputation, but in the midst of this devilish tribulation, he's naturally willing to cast all that aside for the opportunity to become more powerful. I'm guessing that if he weren't wary of me, he most likely would've gone after you even earlier than this," Han Li replied.
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"Is Azure Dragon really going to leave Deep Heaven City? Even if he were willing, surely the panel of elders wouldn't be willing to let him go. After all, a mid-Body Integration cultivator is currently an extremely prized asset to Deep Heaven City," the Ice Phoenix said in a concerned manner.
"A prized asset? He couldn't even take three attacks from me; do you think the panel of elders will actually hold him in high regard? Under normal circumstances, the panel of elders will perhaps exert pressure on me to prevent this from happening to maintain their authority, but now that the devilish army has surrounded the city, I'm sure they know who's more important to the city between Azure Dragon and myself. I'm guessing that they'll send some people to try and persuade Azure Dragon to stay as a mere formality, then let him go when he insists on leaving," Han Li said with a nonchalant smile.
"You're right, the panel of elders wouldn't dare to do anything to antagonize you at a time like this. However, that Azure Dragon is undoubtedly going to be extremely resentful toward you; you'll have to be wary of him in the future. Of course, you won't have anything to fear, but he could target your disciples," the Ice Phoenix cautioned.
"It's alright, Azure Dragon won't trouble anyone ever again," Han Li replied with a mysterious smile.
"What? You don't mean..." With the Ice Phoenix's intelligence, she was naturally immediately able to read between the lines, and her heart jolted with shock.
"He's a very petty man; I'm not going to allow such a toxic enemy to live on in this world. Otherwise, who knows what troubles could arise in the future?" Han Li said in a cold voice.
"I'm sure you're more than powerful enough to put an end to Azure Dragon's life, but surely the panel of elders won't allow you to do something like this. Besides, no matter how discreetly you do this, the panel of elders will still suspect you for foul play," the Ice Phoenix said in a hesitant manner.
"I won't do this in the city, and I'll have someone else take him out in my stead," Han Li replied with a faint smile.
A hint of surprise appeared on the Ice Phoenix's face before she hurriedly cautioned, "You have an ally who's capable of doing this? Please do exercise caution, Brother Han. That Azure Dragon may be no match for you, but he's still a mid-Body Integration cultivator; it'll most likely be very difficult for other people to kill him."
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix; I'll make sure that the job gets done," Han Li replied in a confident manner, then swept a sleeve through the air to release a ball of yellow light, which then transformed into a little girl who appeared to be around two or three years of age.
The little girl had fair skin and a pair of large black eyes that were extremely adorable to behold.
"Go and keep an eye on Azure Dragon. If I'm not mistaken, he'll most likely leave the city before the three-day time limit runs out. Follow him out of the city, then put an end to him in a secluded location," Han Li instructed.
The little girl's lips didn't move, but a tender female voice suddenly rang out in the hall. "You make it sound so simple! I can keep an eye on him with no issues; with my current powers, I can conceal myself even from the average late-Body Integration cultivator. However, I don't think I have the power to put an end to his life. I only just went through metamorphosis, so my powers won't outstrip his by much."
"Master Azure Dragon has already been wounded by me; even if he immediately takes pills to try and recover, he won't be able to make a full recovery anytime soon. On top of that, I planted something in his body so he'll only be able to unleash around 30% of his powers at most. In his current state, you'll be more than enough to put an end to him," Han Li said with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Oh, in that case, I don't have any further issues." The little girl gave an adorable smile before vanishing on the spot amid a flash of golden light.
"Brother Han, who was that?" Ice Phoenix couldn't help but ask.
"That was a spirit beast of mine; it only underwent metamorphosis recently," Han Li replied.
"Your spirit beast? From the sounds of it, it also seems to be at the Body Integration Stage," the Ice Phoenix said with a stunned expression.
"It is indeed at the early-Body Integration Stage, but it's inherited some of the bloodline of the true spirit Kirin, so even the average mid-Body Integration cultivator won't be a match for it," Han Li replied in a truthful manner.
A wry smile appeared on the Ice Phoenix's face upon hearing this. "I finally understand why you're not concerned about repercussions from the panel of elders now; with that spirit beast to assist you, you're most likely the undisputed number cultivator of Deep Heaven City."
"I wouldn't dare to claim such a title. Deep Heaven City has protected the human and demon races for hundreds of thousands of years; surely you don't think that the city is only as powerful as it appears on the surface, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix. Who knows how many powerful cultivators there are lurking beneath the surface?" Han Li replied with a solemn shake of his head.
"Oh? Have you heard some rumors, Brother Han?" the Ice Phoenix asked in a surprised manner.
"No, I'm merely speculating. Alright, let's not dwell on this topic any longer; everything will be made clear once the devilish army officially commences their attack on the city, but prior to that, I'm going to require your assistance, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix," Han Li said with a serious expression.
The Ice Phoenix faltered slightly upon hearing this before a thought immediately occurred to her, and a faint blush appeared on her face. "Are you referring to..."
"That's right. I encountered some peril during my trip, but also some opportunities as well, and I can begin attempting a breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage, so I'll have to borrow your Heavenly Phoenix Origin Yin Qi," Han Li confirmed.
The blush of the Ice Phoenix's face quickly faded, and she said in a solemn manner, "If you hadn't stepped in to save me, I would've been reduced to a mere spirit beast, and there's certainly no way I could've reached the Spatial Tempering Stage so quickly, so it's only right for me to repay you for your kindness. When do you plan to go into seclusion, Brother Han?"
"If I had full confidence in my ability to break through this bottleneck, I wouldn't have asked this of you. If I can succeed in my breakthrough, you'll definitely be the most significant contributor. As for when I'm going into seclusion, that answer to that would naturally be as soon as possible. Once the Leopard Kirin Beast returns, I'll go into seclusion right away," Han Li replied.
The Ice Phoenix nodded in response.
Thus, the two of them chatted for a while longer before the Ice Phoenix stood up to depart.
Han Li accompanied her out of the hall, then returned to his cultivation chamber to meditate.
At the same time, Master Azure Dragon was seated on a wooden chair in the hall of a small stone pagoda that was around 1,000 feet tall. His face was quite pale, and he was surrounded by a dozen or so cultivators, all of whom seemed to possess powerful cultivation bases.
Not far away from Master Azure Dragon sat a beautiful female cultivator who appeared to be around 27 to 28 years of age.
She was none other than the only other remaining Body Integration cultivator of Heavenlean City, Fairy Lin Luan.
She could sense Master Azure Dragon's severely weakened aura, and she heaved a faint forlorn sigh. "Have you really decided to go to the Holy Sovereign City, Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon? We are the only remaining grand elders of our four great sects; if you leave now, I'll truly be all alone in this city."
"I don't want to leave, either, but that man is forcing me to go, so I have no choice. You've seen him in action; even if we were to join forces against him, we still most likely wouldn't be a match for him," Master Azure Dragon said as a hint of resentment flashed through his eyes.
"Why did you insist on pursuing that Fairy Ice Phoenix, Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon? I've always been rather curious about this; she is indeed quite a beauty, but surely that's not enough to make you take such a huge risk. I know you're not a promiscuous individual; is there some other reason behind this?" Fairy Lin Luan asked with furrowed brows.
"There are indeed some reasons that I can't reveal, but there's no point in talking about this now. I'm going to leave tonight so that bastard has no opportunity to hunt me down before I go. If it weren't for the fact that I intend to leave my disciples to you, I wasn't planning to tell anyone about this," Master Azure Dragon said with a wry smile.
"Our four great sects have always been a unified entity; even if you hadn't said anything, I would've still looked after the disciples of your Nine Star Sect in your stead; I'm sure the elders of the city wouldn't stoop to oppressing these juniors. Come to think of it, it may not be a bad thing that you're going to the Holy Sovereign City. This way, we can avoid putting all of our eggs in one basket, and if something happens to either of us, the other can preserve the heritage of our four great sects," Fairy Lin Luan said after a brief silence.
"I had those considerations in mind as well. Alright, I won't delay here any longer; I'll be taking my leave now, and I'll leave you with all of my disciples except for two of them. Listen up, during my absence, all of you must follow Fellow Daoist Lin's instructions, understood?" Master Azure Dragon instructed as he rose to his feet.
"Yes, Grand Elder!" the dozen or so disciples replied in unison.
Master Azure Dragon nodded before cupping his fist in a salute toward Lin Luan, then immediately departed, followed by two of his disciples.
Lin Luan looked on at the trio's departing figures and shook her head in a forlorn manner.
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Several hours later, Master Azure Dragon and his two disciples arrived at the teleportation hall of Deep Heaven City, and the guards immediately rushed out to greet him.
"We pay our respects to Elder Azure Dragon! May I ask why you've come here, Elder?" the Spatial Tempering Stage leader of the guards asked in a respectful manner.
He was clearly aware of the fact that Master Azure Dragon had already become an elder of Deep Heaven City.
"Activate the teleportation formation right away; I have to leave the city to do something," Master Azure Dragon instructed in an implacable voice.
"What? You're planning to use the teleportation formation? May I ask if you have a permit from the panel of elders?" the Spatial Tempering cultivator asked in a hesitant manner.
"Hmph, I'm an elder of the city, and I demand to use the teleportation formation!" Master Azure Dragon repeated in a cold voice.
"Forgive me, Elder Azure Dragon, but the panel of elders passed down a strict order two days ago, stating that all cultivators who wish to use the teleportation formations had to receive permission from the panel of elders first. If I were to go against this order, then all of us would be punished severely; please don't make our job more difficult than it has to be," the Spatial Tempering cultivator said with furrowed brows.
Master Azure Dragon's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "I see. In that case, I'll go and request a permit from the panel of elders."
"Thank you for your consideration, Elder Azure Dragon, we are truly grate... Ah, Senior Azure Dragon, what are you doing?!" The Spatial Tempering cultivator had just heaved a sigh of relief when the air suddenly tightened around him, and he was completely immobilized.
All of the other guards had also been bound by the same burst of invisible restrictive power, and expressions of shock and horror appeared on all of their faces.
"No need to be alarmed; I have something that I need to do, and I can't afford to be delayed here," Master Azure Dragon said with a cold expression.
He then raised a hand, and a white jade badge suddenly appeared in his grasp. He waved the badge toward the restrictions behind the gate of the hall, and a pillar of white light shot forth to nullify the restrictions.
A hint of elation appeared in Master Azure Dragon's eyes upon seeing this, and he immediately led his disciples onto one of the smaller teleportation formations in the hall.
A buzzing sound rang out as the formation was activated, and Master Azure Dragon's trio vanished amid a flash of white light.
Only then did the guards regain their mobility, and the Spatial Tempering cultivator immediately yelled in a panicked manner, "Inform the panel of elders of what happened here and repair the restrictions right away!"
Some of the guards hurriedly pulled out communication formation plates, while the rest summoned a series of formation treasures to repair the damaged restrictions.
Thus, the entire teleportation hall was plunged into a state of complete chaos.
Right at this moment, a faint buzzing sound rang out from the teleportation formation that Master Azure Dragon had just used, and it was activated once again.
Immediately thereafter, an extremely diminutive figure was also teleported away amid a flash of white light, and none of the guards were able to identify what it was.
"Did someone else teleport away just now?" one of the guards asked in an uncertain manner, wondering if his eyes had played tricks on him.
Meanwhile, Master Azure Dragon and his two disciples were flying through a bluestone passageway erected in the belly of a mountain. After just a few flashes, they emerged out of a cave that had been concealed by a restriction, then flew toward a certain direction.
Not long after they had left, another streak of golden light flew out of the same cave and set off in hot pursuit.
Half a day later, Master Azure Dragon's trio was flying over a barren plain countless kilometers away from Deep Heaven City.
Among the trio, Master Azure Dragon was flying at the forefront, and his expression suggested that he was contemplating something important.
Up ahead in the distance, a boundless desert could be seen.
Right at this moment, two resounding booms rang out just over 100 feet behind Master Azure Dragon's trio, and two faint golden projections shot forth out of thin air.
Sharp claws projections swept through the air, hurtling directly toward Master Azure Dragon's trio.
The claw projections left golden cracks in the space in their wake, and they wove into a giant net that was impossible to evade.
Master Azure Dragon was greatly alarmed by this, and a horrified look appeared on his face.
"Han Li, you bastard!" He roared in an extremely resentful voice, then flipped his hands over to summon a pair of giant brushes, one golden and one silver. He swept the brushes through the air, and countless golden and silver runes surged forth in a frenzy, transforming into a light barrier that shielded him on all sides.
Immediately thereafter, azure scales appeared over his face and limbs, and he rushed directly toward the net of claw projections with devastating force.
In the instant before his body came into contact with the claw projections, he opened his mouth to expel a ball of azure light, which crashed toward the net ahead of him.
The net of claw projections had seemed to be extremely formidable, but it was torn apart by the ball of azure light with ease.
Master Azure Dragon faltered slightly upon seeing this before rushing out of the net in an elated manner, then appeared over 1,000 away.
Just as he was heaving an internal sigh of relief, two howls of anguish suddenly rang out behind him.
"Crap!"
Master Azure Dragon hurriedly turned around to find that his two disciples had already been dismembered, and their bodies were plummeting down from above in bloody chunks.
Their protective treasures had been instantly destroyed by the claw projections, and even their Nascent Souls hadn't managed to escape.
Master Azure Dragon cast his gaze toward the two golden projections, and he immediately realized that something was amiss. "You're not Han Li! Who dares to attack me?"
"Hehe, there's no need for my master to dirty his hands with the likes of you." The voice of a little girl rang out, following which the two projections combined as one to form a ball of golden light.
Within the golden light was a horned leopard-like beast that was around 10 feet in size; it was none other than the Leopard Kirin Beast.
Master Azure Dragon swept his spiritual sense toward the golden beast, and he immediately drew a sharp breath. "You're a Body Integration Stage spirit beast! Are you Han Li's spirit beast?"
"Seeing as you've already figured it out, you can pass on without any regrets now. I was sent by my master to erase you from the face of this realm," the Leopard Kirin Beast said as a vicious light flashed through its eyes.
"Hmph, he thinks a mere early-Body Integration Stage spirit beast can take my life? What a joke!" Master Azure Dragon roared with a furious expression.
"You've been wounded by my master and can't muster up anywhere near your full power, yet you still dare to act so cocky! Let me see if you keep this up when I tear your Nascent Soul out of your body!" the Leopard Kirin Beast snarled.
Immediately thereafter, its body blurred, and specks of golden light appeared all around it before manifesting over 100 identical golden beastly projections.
"Ha, I just so happen to be missing a fur coat; I guess you'll suffice!" Master Azure Dragon swept his sleeve through the air with an enraged look on his face, releasing four or five treasures that began to revolve around him.
At the same time, he thrust his twin brushes forward, and even more runes emerged before him.
The Leopard Kirin Beast let loose a low roar, and all of the beastly projections hurtled directly toward him as streaks of golden light.
Master Azure Dragon immediately sent his treasures flying toward these beastly projections, yet just as he began to draw upon the magic power within his own body, a layer of black Qi suddenly appeared over his face.
Five days later, Han Li was meditating in his secret chamber when his expression suddenly changed slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Moments later, spiritual light flashed from the door of the secret chamber, and a burst of golden light flew into the chamber through the door, then revealed itself to be a small golden beast that was only around a foot in size.
"You're finally back. You've been away for quite some time; did you encounter some difficulties?" Han Li asked with a faint smile.
"Master, what did you do to that Azure Dragon? Almost as soon as we started battling, he seemed to have fallen prey to some kind of extremely potent poison, and I was almost as if he were going to die even if I hadn't hunted him down," the Leopard Kirin Beast with its eyes wide in amazement.
"Hehe, I merely injected a wisp of the Revolving Evil Spirit Light within the Spirit Engulfing Heavenly Flames into his body. He would've been fine had he not used too much magic power, but as soon as he tries to do so, the Revolving Evil Spirit Light would immediately take effect. With its vicious poison, even a Body Integration cultivator would have to meditate for a long time to refine it or temporarily repress its effects with their magic power. However, he clearly wouldn't have been able to do any of that while battling you, so his only possible fate was death," Han Li replied in a nonchalant manner.
"Your powers have become truly unfathomable, Master; it's incredible that you were able to tamper with another Body Integration cultivator like this without their detection," the Leopard Kirin Beast said in an amazed voice.
"Hehe, it's not all that remarkable. This is just a little trick that I recently developed, and it wouldn't have worked if Master Azure Dragon had spent some time to carefully examine his own body. I take it that he's no longer around, right?" Han Li asked as his eyes narrowed slightly.
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"Rest assured, Master; I devoured that Azure Dragon's Nascent Soul, so he's as dead as dead can be. However, prior to his death, he chose to unleash a powerful ability rather than continue to repress the poison, and I had to expend some energy to keep him at bay. Hence, I had no choice but to meditate for two days, then snuck back into the city with a group of Deep Heaven City scouts, so there's no way that anyone would've detected me," the Leopard Kirin Beast said with a smile.
"You did very well. Now, I can focus wholeheartedly on making a breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage," Han Li also replied with a smile.
"Heehee, with your cultivation aptitude and all of the trump cards you've prepared, I'm sure you'll be able to make this breakthrough with ease, Master. I'll be congratulating you in advance!" the Leopard Kirin Beast chuckled.
"I certainly hope so. Now that you've completed metamorphosis, there's no need for you to continue to remain in the spirit beast bracelet; you can cultivate in the secret chamber next to mine. If you need anything, just let Qi Lingzi and the others know," Han Li said in a solemn manner.
"Thank you, Master! I've been dying to get out of that spirit bracelet! I'm going to cultivate in the other secret chamber now; I'll return if you need me after you go into seclusion, Master," the Leopard Kirin Beast replied with an ecstatic look on its face.
Han Li naturally had no objections and allowed it to depart.
After the Leopard Kirin Beast left, Han Li took a deep breath before making a grabbing motion with one hand to summon a voice transmission talisman. He then released the talisman before closing his eyes again to continue meditating.
A short while later, a female voice suddenly rang out from outside the secret chamber. "Brother Han, have you summoned me because you're about to begin your breakthrough?"
The voice was extremely pleasant to the ears and belonged to none other than the Ice Phoenix.
"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix," Han Li replied in a calm manner as he opened his eyes.
Several days later, there were seven or eight elders of Deep Heaven City discussing something together in a secret chamber.
Both Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and Fairy Silver Light were among them.
"So Master Azure Dragon really did perish. That's quite a pity, especially at a time like this," the white-robed elderly man sitting on the main seat sighed.
"If it weren't for the fact that Azure Dragon left a soul lamp in the city after he joined the panel of elders, I wouldn't have believed this to be true, either. According to the cultivator looking after the soul lamps, his one was snuffed out within half a day of his departure from the city," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said with a wry smile.
"Hmph, he was asking for it! He knows that there are devilish beings everywhere around the city, yet he still dared to restrict the guards and forcibly teleport away. If you ask me, he only has himself to blame," Fairy Silver Light harrumphed coldly.
"Hehe, Azure Dragon may not have been killed by devilish beings; perhaps he died by the hands of someone else. Didn't the guards at the teleportation hall say that someone used the same teleportation formation as Azure Dragon right after he left? Perhaps that was the perpetrator," a burly black-robed man said.
"Are you suspecting Fellow Daoist Han?" Fairy Silver Light's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this.
"Please don't jump to conclusions, Fairy Silver Light; I never said that. All I said is that maybe Azure Dragon didn't perish by the hands of devilish beings," the man immediately denied. It was quite clear that he was quite wary of Han Li.
Fairy Silver Light merely smiled and remained silent.
"Alright, seeing as Master Azure Dragon forced his way out of the city, he has renounced his status as a member of our panel of elders. As such, there's no need for us to investigate this matter. Our top priority now should be the devilish army that has surrounded the city," the white-robed elderly man said with furrowed brows.
"But Master Azure Dragon is a mid-Body Integration cultivator; don't we have to at least provide all of the cultivators in the city an explanation of how he died? Also, will this affect Fairy Lin Luan's attitude toward our city?" the owner of the Origin Pocket Pavilion, Elder Gu, said in a contemplative manner.
"There's no need for that. If we don't say anything, no one will know about Master Azure Dragon's death. Even if people find out later on, it'll be after the devilish tribulation. During these perilous times, everything can wait until a later date. As for Fellow Daoist Lin, she's an extremely intelligent woman; I'm sure she'll know how to handle the situation," the white-robed elderly man said in a cold voice.
Everyone else exchanged a few glances upon hearing this before nodding in agreement in the end.
"Alright, seeing as no one has any objections, let's discuss Fellow Daoist Han next. Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, I heard that you sent someone to invite Fellow Daoist Han to a gathering two days ago, but he had already gone into seclusion; is that true?" the white-robed elderly man asked.
"It is. I wanted to make a last-ditch effort to try and convince Fellow Daoist Han to coexist with Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon in the city, but his disciples told me that he had gone into seclusion and wasn't going to be seeing any guests," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied.
"It seems that he predicted that you would try to seek him out, so he's intentionally avoiding you," the white-robed elderly man said in a contemplative manner.
"Perhaps so. A few days ago, I saw the juniors who had been bribed by Azure Dragon, and all of them were as pale as ghosts. I heard that Fellow Daoist Han is extorting them for a huge sum of spirit stones and materials; I wonder if they'll be able to gather everything that Fellow Daoist Han demanded of them," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said with a peculiar expression.
"Hehe, those little brats deserve to be taught a lesson for sticking their noses into something like this! If you ask me, Fellow Daoist Han has already let them off the hook quite easily. If he weren't wary of the backers behind those juniors, I'm sure he would've punished them even more severely," the white-robed elderly man chuckled coldly.
"That's true. Having said that, the way that Fellow Daoist Han has addressed this matter has truly been a relief to me. If he had insisted on enforcing a more severe punishment on those juniors, that could've led to quite a conflict as well," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue sighed in a resigned manner.
"Indeed. If things really had escalated to that extent, then even I would be scratching my head," the white-robed elderly man chuckled.
"By the way, I heard that Azure Dragon was defeated by Fellow Daoist Han in just three attacks; surely that's an exaggeration, right?" the black-robed man asked.
"No, it's true. Fellow Daoist Han's powers were truly incredible; even the average late-Body Integration Stage most likely won't be a match for him. Fairy Silver Light and Fellow Daoist Gu were also present; I'm sure they'll back me up here," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied with a serious expression.
The black-robed man turned to Fairy Silver Light and Elder Gu upon hearing this, and Fairy Silver Light displayed no reaction, while Elder Gu gave a solemn nod in confirmation.
The black-robed man was even more astonished upon seeing this, as were all of the other cultivators present who hadn't interacted with Han Li much.
"Surely he's not actually more powerful than a late-Body Integration cultivator. That Master Azure Dragon has quite a resounding reputation, but if he couldn't even withstand three attacks from a cultivator of the same cultivation base, then his reputation was most likely overinflated in the first place. Just because Fellow Daoist Han was able to defeat him doesn't mean he's actually that freakish of a talent." The black-robed man was really grasping at straws now.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Fellow Daoist. That Master Azure Dragon was a half-demon who can adopt a half-dragon form, and that, in conjunction with his Buddhist cultivation arts, presented a very formidable package. However, he had made the mistake of picking the wrong opponent. Fellow Daoist Han is a simultaneous cultivator, and is capable of taking on a giant ape form with powers that exceed even Azure Dragon's half-dragon form. He severely wounded Azure Dragon with his first two attacks alone, and could've even killed Azure Dragon with his third attack had he intended to do so. Thinking back, if I were to face Fellow Daoist Han in battle, there would be no alternative for me other than to flee with all my might," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said in a serious manner.
"In that case, it seems the rumors about Fellow Daoist Han being hunted by Sacred Ancestor clones were true. With his powers, it's not all that far-fetched that he was able to escape from such formidable beings," the white-robed elderly man remarked.
"I don't know how he managed to escape from those Sacred Ancestor clones, but I did bear witness to him killing several devilish lords in quick succession," Fairy Silver Light also chimed in in a solemn voice.
"Sacred Ancestors!"
Many of the cultivators present were very alarmed to hear this.
"It seems that Fellow Daoist Han truly is an exceptional talent. With his assistance, our chances of securing victory against the devilish army would be significantly increased. Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, try to recruit him to our panel of elders again; tell him he can raise any conditions, and we'll do our best to satisfy him," the white-robed elderly man said.
"Alright, but I think the chances of that are going to be very slim," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied in a rather pessimistic manner.
"I'm aware of that. Otherwise, he would've joined the panel of elders the first time we invited him. In any case, it can't hurt to try. Alright, setting this matter aside for now, we received a report from our scouts stating that the devilish army is very likely going to launch an all-out assault on our city in several months to a year," the white-robed elderly man said as a grim look appeared on his face, and all of the other elders' hearts jolted upon hearing this.
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Shortly thereafter, the meeting between the elders concluded, and everything resumed as normal in Deep Heaven City.
Just as the white-robed elderly man had said, without anyone leaking the news, none of the ordinary beings in the city were aware that a mid-Body Integration Stage human cultivator had already passed away.
Of course, this news wasn't kept a secret from Fairy Lin Luan.
Upon hearing this news, she was initially quite shocked and horrified, but she quickly calmed down and never mentioned Master Azure Dragon again, as if she had never even known him.
Unfortunately for the panel of elders, their attempts to recruit Han Li had proven to be futile.
Han Li had been in seclusion this entire time, proclaiming that he was cultivating some type of powerful ability.
Thus, Buddhist Monk Jin Yue could only wait patiently until he came out of seclusion.
He was sure that Han Li would emerge from seclusion before the devilish army commenced its all-out attack.
Aside from Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, Fairy Silver Light, and several other Body Integration cultivators, all of the other elders had their attention drawn to the frequent harassment attacks launched by the devilish army, so they eventually forgot about Han Li.
Even the white-robed elderly man only asked about Han Li a few more times before setting the matter aside.
At this point, the devilish army still hadn't deployed their main forces to attack the city, but the harassment attacks they were unleashing were becoming more and more ferocious.
During these attacks, even Spatial Tempering Stage casualties had become very commonplace.
Thus, the elders of the city naturally had to step in, and two or three elders had to be present to face every devilish attack in order to ensure that morale remained high.
At the same time, the entirety of Deep Heaven City was operating at full capacity. All types of tool refinement workshops were packed to the rafters with workers, and treasures and spirit tools were being refined with no material expenses being spared.
The cultivators who were adept in the art of talismans had also been grouped together to craft low-grade talismans day and night.
In a battle of such a massive scale, low-grade talismans were often more effective and efficient to produce than mid-grade and high-grade ones.
After all, with the time and materials required to refine a mid-grade talismans, tens or even hundreds of low-grade talismans could be produced, and that wasn't even taking into account the vast disparity between the success rates of refining the different talismans.
As for high-grade talismans, only a select group of expert talisman refinement masters could produce them.
On top of that, many of the low-grade cultivators and manual laborers in the city had also been put to work; they were organized into several enormous groups of different numbers as the back-up forces of the city.
Aside from that, all of the city's formations and restrictions had also been thoroughly examined several times to ensure that they could be relied upon to resist the devilish army.
In summary, Deep Heaven City was preparing for war.
Under this tense and frenetic atmosphere, half a year flew by in the blink of an eye.
On this day, the white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue were discussing an important matter in a conference hall when the door was abruptly flung open from the outside, and a silver-armored guard hurriedly rushed in.
"Who said you could come in here?" the white-robed elderly man asked in a vexed manner.
"Senior, I came here to inform you that the spiritual Qi outside is in a completely chaotic state; it seems that someone is making a major breakthrough!" the guard hurriedly reported as he extended a respectful bow.
"A major breakthrough? Could it be that someone's progressing to the mid-Body Integration Stage? That's fantastic news; why do you look to be in such a panic?" the white-robed elderly man asked as his expression eased slightly.
"The issue is that the heavenly phenomena are far too ferocious for a mid-Body Integration Stage breakthrough; the situation seems to be even more fearsome than what late-Body Integration Stage breakthroughs are rumored to be like!" the guard replied in a panicked manner.
The white-robed elderly man was rather surprised to hear this. "Oh? Let's go and take a look, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue."
"Sure, I'm also very interested to see just which fellow daoist is making their breakthrough," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied with a nod.
Thus, they were led out of the hall by the guard, and as soon as they emerged outside, the white-robed elderly man's expression immediately changed slightly.
With his mid-Body Integration Stage spiritual sense, he was instantly able to sense that the spiritual Qi in the air had become extremely active, as if they were being affected by some type of fearsome power.
He unconsciously sped up, and in the blink of an eye, he and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue had arrived on a massive terrace.
There were around a dozen guards gathered on the terrace, all of whom were looking into the distance with flabbergasted expressions.
The white-robed elderly man's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and he cleared this throat to make his presence known.
Only then did the guards notice him and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, and they immediately extended respectful bows. Just as the white-robed elderly man was about to scold these subordinates of his, Buddhist Monk Jin Yue suddenly let loose a faint cry of surprise.
The white-robed elderly man immediately cast his gaze toward the same direction as Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, upon which an astonished look appeared on his face.
There in the distance, the sky had turned bright red, and crimson fiery clouds were revolving in mid-air like a giant fireball.
Beneath the fiery clouds, countless wisps of colorful light were rapidly converging to form a series of rainbow bridges.
Close to half of the entire city was encompassed beneath the fireball and crimson clouds, but compared to this stunning visual stimulus, the spiritual pressure radiating from the heavenly phenomena was even more astonishing.
Due to how far away they were, they could only sense a tiny portion of this spiritual pressure, but they were still struck by a sense of asphyxiation. Furthermore, this pressure was only continuing to mount, and it seemed that something terrifying was brewing in the distance.
"These heavenly phenomena really are far more fearsome than what a mid-Body Integration Stage breakthrough could bring about! Let's go and take a closer look, Fellow Daoist Jin. It would be extremely fortunate for the city if someone could make a late-Body Integration Stage breakthrough; we have to keep a lookout for them and ensure that they aren't disrupted," the white-robed elderly man said.
"Of course. Witnessing a late-Body Integration Stage tribulation transcendence would be a brilliant opportunity for us. If we can see it up close, I'm sure it'll benefit our future cultivation immensely," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue immediately agreed.
Thus, the white-robed elderly man swept a sleeve through the air to release a burst of white that swept up his own body, then flew away into the distance.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue also followed along as a ball of golden light, and only then did the guards heave a collective sigh of relief before erupting into spirited discussion surrounding the heavenly phenomena that were taking place.
At this point, all of the high-grade cultivators in the entire city had been alerted by these phenomena, and countless streaks of light were converging from all directions.
The low-grade and mid-grade cultivators were also very intrigued, but they knew that this was not something that they could participate in, so they could only look on from where they were, but that certainly didn't stop them from discussing the situation with those around them.
The theories they came up with came in all shapes and forms.
There were some stating that a certain spirit treasure was emerging, while others were proclaiming that an almighty spirit beast was creating these phenomena. Of course, most believed that this was stemming from a certain cultivator's tribulation transcendence, and some of the more knowledgeable and experienced individuals had guessed that this had to be a Body Integration Stage tribulation transcendence.
Of course, none of them could've imagined that the Body Integration cultivators were just as astonished as they were once they gathered close to the heavenly phenomena.
The white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue weren't the first ones to arrive on the scene; over 20 Spatial Tempering and Body Integration cultivators had arrived before them, and they were appraising the phenomena from close to 100 kilometers away.
Fairy Silver Light was among them as well, and she gave the white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue a nod from afar before casting her gaze toward the unfolding phenomena again.
The white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue exchanged a glance before also stopping nearby.
"If I'm not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Han is the only Body Integration cultivator who lives in this area, right?" the white-robed elderly man suddenly asked.
"Indeed, and Fellow Daoist Han's abode seems to be situated right at the center of this heavenly phenomena," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied.
"That means it must be Fellow Daoist Han who's making a breakthrough; it's no wonder that he went into seclusion," the white-robed elderly man said.
"That does appear to be the case. This heavenly phenomena appears to have been triggered by a late-Body Integration Stage breakthrough, but it's far more fearsome than one that I was fortunate enough to have witnessed in the past," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied in a hesitant manner.
"There's nothing strange about that; the heavenly phenomena triggered by one's breakthrough depends on their powers. Generally speaking, the more fearsome the phenomena, the more powerful the tribulation transcender is, but at the same time, they'll also be plunged into an extremely perilous situation. With the ferocity of this set of heavenly phenomena, I think Fellow Daoist Han may not be able to successfully transcend his tribulation," the white-robed elderly man mused in a contemplative manner.
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"There are many mid-Body Integration Stage fellow daoists in our human and demon races just like us, but only very few who have made it to the late-Body Integration Stage. If I recall correctly, Fellow Daoist Han seems to have only reached the mid-Body Integration Stage not long ago; this rate of progression is far too extraordinary! Even the most legendary figures in the history of our two races most likely can't compare with him," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue agreed with a nod.
"It's exactly because of Fellow Daoist Han's stunning aptitude that this step will be even more difficult for him to take. After such a short time, his foundation can't be all that solid; that'll increase the difficulty of making this breakthrough," the white-robed elderly man said.
"Hehe, we're all just speculating here; it's yet to be seen what's actually going to happen. Perhaps Fellow Daoist Han will give the two of us a huge surprise," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue chuckled.
"I certainly hope so. If another late-Body Integration cultivator can support our city, then we'll have a much easier time against the devilish army. Fellow Daoist Han's powers as a mid-Body Integration cultivator were already comparable to those of a late-Body Integration cultivator; if he were to succeed in this breakthrough, he would most likely even be able to face a Sacred Ancestor clone in battle," the white-robed elderly man mused.
"Indeed. Prior to the descent of the true bodies of the Sacred Ancestors into this realm, their clones will be the most powerful beings in the devilish army. If there's a way for Fellow Daoist Han to hold them off, then we can abandon our original plan and focus our efforts on dealing with those devilish lords," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said as a cold light flashed through his eyes.
The white-robed elderly man nodded in response before turning toward the phenomena taking place in the distance again.
At this point, the fiery clouds up above had already transformed into a crimson sea that had encompassed virtually the entire sky, and beneath the fiery clouds, a series of giant runes of different colors were taking shape.
These runes were radiating dazzling light, and in the next instant, they abruptly surged up toward the fiery clouds, as if they were about to pierce through the clouds.
A loud buzzing sound rang out from the fiery clouds, and they began to churn even more violently. As soon as the giant runes came into contact with the clouds, a peculiar sizzling sound rang out, following which the runes began to crumble away.
They had been completely repressed under the clouds.
A cold harrumph suddenly reverberated through the entire space, following which a blurry humanoid figure that was over 10,000 feet tall appeared amid a flash of azure light, then pointed upward several times in quick succession in an expressionless manner.
Invisible ripples ran through the space up above, and the rate at which the giant runes were being manifested sped up by over tenfold.
Millions of runes emerged in the span of just a few breaths, then surged upward like a reverse waterfall.
However, the fiery clouds remained as resolute as ever, even against the drastic increase in the influx of giant runes.
Both the fiery clouds and giant runes were expanding at an alarming rate, and it was as if they were never going to stop.
However, the giant humanoid projection seemed to have grown impatient, and it abruptly swept an arm toward the fiery clouds from afar.
Even though it was only a projection, the attack that it unleashed triggered a resounding boom akin to a dull thunderclap.
The azure humanoid projection crumbled away in a flash, but an enormous burst of invisible power surged easily into the clouds before immediately exploding.
A string of explosions rang out in rapid succession, and a giant hole with a diameter of over 1,000 feet appeared within the clouds.
Some of the giant runes down below instantly surged through the hole in the clouds, following which the hole was sealed in a flash.
Those runes converged to form another enormous rune that was around an acre in size, and it was gradually being converted into a substantial form.
However, right at this crucial juncture, dark clouds suddenly began to appear above the fiery clouds. These dark clouds then transformed into a series of giant black wyrms amid a string of explosive thunderclaps.
Extremely thick botls of silver lightning began to appear over the bodies of these wyrms, creating an astonishing sight to behold.
"There are 81 of them! That's incredible! I recall the late-Body Integration Stage tribulation that I witnessed in the past only had 36 wyrms!" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue exclaimed.
A hint of astonishment also flashed through the white-robed elderly man's upon seeing this, but he said in a calm manner, "I wonder how Fellow Daoist Han is going to deal with such a fearsome late-Body Integration Stage tribulation. If any mishaps occur, he could easily end up with severe wounds and fail to make his breakthrough. It's a pity that we can't assist him during this process. Otherwise, perhaps there would still be hope for him."
He seemed to have already convinced himself that Han Li definitely wouldn't be able to transcend this tribulation.
"There's no need to be overly concerned, Brother Gu; Fellow Daoist Han must have his reasons for attempting a breakthrough at a time like this. Let's wait and see for now," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied in a serious manner.
Right at this moment, another rumbling thunderclap erupted, and several tens of bolts of golden lightning crashed down from above, each of which was as thick as a water tank.
The lightning pierced directly through the massive rune and fiery clouds, then struck the giant black wyrms with devastating force.
A resounding boom rang out, and massive holes were blown into the bodies of the black wyrms by the bolts of golden lightning, while the silver lightning around their bodies were all devoured by the golden lightning.
If it weren't for the fact that the golden lightning had disappeared after only a brief moment, the black wyrms really could've been completely destroyed.
However, the golden lightning seemed to have enraged these wyrms, and they let loose ferocious roars as cloud and mist surged toward the holes in their bodies, regenerating them in a flash.
The wyrms then opened their mouths to expel gusts of fierce black wings which swept downward in a frenzy, and the fiery clouds down below began to burn with even greater ferocity.
The wind and flames complemented one another, forming a massive sea of flames that encompassed an area of close to 100 kilometers. The sea of flames then began to descend, and the space down below was illuminated into a bright red color, as if the entire space were being set alight.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and the white-robed elderly man's expressions both changed slightly upon seeing this.
If the tribulation transcender were to fail to control this sea of flames, countless normal cultivators down below would perish!
The other cultivators nearby also drew a sharp breath in unison.
They didn't think that the heavenly tribulation would be this formidable even in its initial stages.
If they were in Han Li's place, all of them would've most likely been reduced to ashes already.
At the center of the sea of flame was none other than the stone pagoda that Han Li was staying in.
This pagoda was naturally protected by some restrictions, but if it were to be struck by the sea of flames, it would most definitely be destroyed.
Right at this moment, a ball of silver light appeared at the top of the pagoda, following which a clear cry rang out as giant silver Fire Raven emerged.
When it first appeared, the Fire Raven was only around 10 feet in size, but as it spread its wings, it swelled to over 100 times its original before hurtling directly toward the sea of flames.
A dull thump rang out as the silver Fire Raven vanished into the sea of flames, but in the next instant, the sea of fire suddenly began to churn violently.
The crimson flames converged rapidly toward the giant Fire Raven as if they were being drawn by an irresistible force, then quickly vanished amid flashes of light.
In just a short time, over a fifth of the entire sea of flames had disappeared, and at this rate, it wouldn't be long before the whole sea of fire ceased to exist.
However, before that could happen, the giant black wyrms up above suddenly opened their mouths to expel bursts of white Qi that swept downward.
The white Qi appeared to be quite ordinary, but as it dispersed through the air, over 10 translucent and peerlessly sharp ice spikes that were each around 10 feet in length were created. Before the ice spikes had even begun to descend, a burst of ghastly howling rang out from within the stone pagoda down below, following which five wagon-wheel-sized skulls flew out, then opened their mouths to expel five streams of glacial flames that swept directly upward.
As soon as the ice spikes came into contact with these glacial flames, they reverted back to white spiritual Qi before vanishing amid the flames. Even after these two types of attacks had been nullified, the black wyrms remained completely unfazed. Their bodies twisted around, and they exploded amid resounding booms.
The fragments of their bodies then transformed into countless giant rocks of different sizes.
The smallest of these rocks were smaller than human heads, but the largest ones were over 10,000 feet in size and resembled small mountains. With so many giant rocks crashing down from above, it was as if doomsday had arrived, and all of the normal cultivators down below instantly paled in horror.
Within a secret chamber on the deepest level of the stone pagoda, there was a person seated with his eyes tightly shut on a yellow futon.
Spiritual Qi was surging all over his body, and his face was quite red. Sweat was pouring down from his forehead, and it seemed that he was straining against something in a very arduous manner.
Before him stood a pair of miniature mountains, one black and one azure, each of which was around 10 feet tall. Above him, there were 72 small azure swords that were revolving in the air.
There were also layers of black runes surging over his body, encompassing a suit of inky-black armor.
Strangely enough, there were countless grey specks of light dispersed throughout the entire secret chamber. Each speck of light was only around the size of a human thumb, but they were giving off an extremely frosty aura.
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The person seated on the ground was none other than Han Li.
Judging from his current expression, he didn't seem to be in a very good condition.
The grey specks of light were constantly drifting around him, occasionally taking on the forms of malicious monsters, as well humanoid projections of both genders and all ages. However, regardless of what form the grey specks of light took, all of them immediately pounced viciously toward Han Li, only to be forced into retreat by the treasures hovering around him.
As such, these malicious apparitions could only continue to buzz around the area encompassed by the treasures. However, as they were forced back over and over again, these beings were gradually becoming more and more violent and impatient.
Han Li paid no heed to these beings at all, but the situation seemed to be becoming more and more strenuous for him.
In reality, that was indeed the case.
Within a certain mysterious space within his mind, an azure-robed spiritual sense clone of his was currently locked in battle with someone else.
The opponent wore an inky-black robe and was controlling 72 black flying swords. The black-robed figure's appearance was completely identical to Han Li, but there was crimson light shimmering within his eyes, and he had a sinister smile on his face. His entire body was also enshrouded in devilish Qi, making him resemble an almighty fiendcelestial
Han Li made hand seals with both hands, controlling his 72 azure flying swords with one hand while releasing bolts of golden lightning with the other. However, the black-robed Han Li was able to easily counter the azure flying swords with his black flying swords, and he also released bolts of black lightning that were even thicker than the oncoming bolts of golden lightning in retaliation.
Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this, and over 100 arcs of golden lightning erupted from his body at once to eradicate the oncoming bolts of black lightning.
All of a sudden, an extremely sweet and pleasant female voice rang out. "Hehe, resistance is futile, brat; this inner demon is a complete replica of yourself. No, in fact, with the enhancements it's receiving from me, it's even more powerful than you; I'm sure you've also realized this after battling it for so long."
"Hmph, this inner demon is indeed slightly more powerful than I am, but you're delusional if you think it can defeat me. You only managed to sneak into my soul during a lapse of concentration. Otherwise, this inner demon wouldn't even exist," Han Li said with a dark expression as he flipped his hand over to reveal a short silver ruler, which he swept through the air to release countless ruler projections toward the inner demon.
"You are indeed far more powerful than I imagined, and it would be unrealistic to expect a mere inner demon to destroy your soul, but don't forget that you're transcending your late-Body Integration Stage tribulation. I don't know how you're protecting yourself, but with most of your spiritual sense and magic power dedicated to this battle, there's no way you'll be able to successfully transcend the tribulation. If you don't want to die, then you'd better hand over that suit of devilish armor. Once you do that, I'll leave right away so you can transcend your tribulation in peace," the woman said in the voice of a temptress.
The owner of the voice was none other than the Heavenly Devilish Monarch, whose devilish intent Han Li had once encountered in Cloud City.
It had somehow managed to sneak into Han Li's spiritual sense during this critical juncture in his tribulation transcendence, then created this inner demon to try and devour his soul.
If it weren't for the fact that Han Li's spiritual sense was far more condensed than the average cultivator, there was a good chance that the inner demon would have succeeded.
"You think I would believe the words of a Heavenly Devilish Monarch? I'm guessing that as soon as the thought of making a concession crosses my mind, the inner demon would immediately pounce on me and devour my soul. I had always heard that Heavenly Devilish Monarchs were most adept in coercion and could often kill their targets without even needing to battle them; it seems that this is true," Han Li replied in a completely expressionless manner.
"Hehe, you sure are alert. In that case, I'll wait for you to fall to your own demise. After your body and soul gets destroyed during the heavenly tribulation, I'll still be able to recover the suit of devilish armor." The Heavenly Devilish Monarch's voice suddenly turned into an extremely rough and husky male voice.
The inner demon swept a sleeve through the air and also released countless black ruler projections to nullify all of Han Li's attacks.
Han Li's expression darkened even further upon seeing this, and right at this moment, the other minority portion of his spiritual sense transmitted a message to him, stating that the heavenly tribulation was about to reach a critical stage, and that the magic power and spiritual sense he had left behind most likely wouldn't be able to withstand it.
As such, he had to kill the inner demon right away so he could focus wholeheartedly on his tribulation transcendence.
With that in mind, Han Li immediately let loose a low roar, and he made a hand seal as golden light flashed from his body, following which he transformed into a mountainous golden ape.
"You may be able to replicate my cultivation arts and treasures, but let's see if you can replicate my transformation technique as well!" Han Li roared as he swung his fists toward the inner demon.
Two incredible powerful bursts of golden shockwaves surged forth, threatening to pulverize the inner demon into mincemeat.
A peculiar look flashed through the inner demon's eyes, and black light flashed from its arms as a layer of black scales appeared over its skin, following which it abruptly made a grabbing motion upward.
Countless black claw projections appeared above the inner demon, forming a giant net that managed to keep the golden shockwaves at bay.
However, once the two giant golden fists arrived, the net was completely shattered.
During this split-second delay, the inner demon had withdrawn its 72 black flying swords back into its body, then let loose a guttural snarl as black Qi surged out of its body in a frenzy. A pair of thick black horns appeared on its head, and at the same time, its body swelled drastically in size.
In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a giant black-scaled devilish minotaur that was just as massive as the golden ape, and it reached directly toward the ape's fists with its bare hands.
Two resounding booms rang out, and the giant golden ape was forced back several steps, while the inner demon was forced to plummet down from above, smashing a massive crater into the ground.
Following that single exchange, Han Li immediately realized that the minotaur wasn't as powerful as his Giant Mountain Ape form, but there wasn't a large disparity between them.
At this rate, even if he could secure victory, it would definitely take a very long time. Under these circumstances, he naturally couldn't afford to delay any further.
A hint of urgency appeared in Han Li's eyes, and he finally gritted his teeth before making a decision.
The ability that he was going to unleash next was going to expend a lot of spiritual power, which would be extremely detrimental to his tribulation transcendence, but he had no choice.
Once he steadied himself, he immediately let loose a long cry, upon which a golden projection with three heads and six arms appeared behind him.
The projection opened its six eyes before instantly flying toward the giant ape as a faint shadow.
A layer of golden light swirled over Han Li's body, following which two more furry heads appeared on his shoulders alongside four additional arms.
The giant golden ape had also taken on an appearance with three heads and six arms, and its body then swelled even further to several times its original size.
At the same time, Han Li took a deep breath, and a ball of golden light abruptly appeared over each of his six palms.
In the next instant, the six balls of golden light began to rapidly expand, and in what seemed like nothing more than the blink of an eye, they combined as one to form a gigantic ball of light that was over 1,000 feet in size.
Han Li's three heads then began to chant in unison, and countless runes emerged from within the golden ball of light before rapidly revolving around it.
An enormous golden vortex instantly took shape in mid-air before being hoisted higher upward by Han Li's six giant hands.
A burst of tremendous suction force erupted out of the center of the vortex, and the devilish minotaur stumbled as it was forcibly dragged toward the vortex.
It immediately let loose an enraged roar, and a horrified look appeared on its face for the first time.
It was a replica of Han Li's body, but due to its inability to replicate true spirit blood, the 12 Awakening Transformations was the only ability it was unable to mimic.
Thus, it was naturally rendered completely powerless in the face of the attack unleashed by the combined powers of Han Li's Giant Mountain Ape form and Provenance True Devil Arts.
In its desperation, the devilish minotaur released all types of treasures, including its 72 black flying swords, two extreme mountains, and short black ruler to attack the giant vortex, all to no avail.
As soon as the treasures reached within the general vicinity of the vortex, it would be swept up by the countless golden runes surging out of the vortex, then forcibly drawn into it before disappearing without a trace.
At this point, the devilish minotaur had also been drawn to no more than 300 to 400 feet away from the vortex. All of a sudden, it summoned a crimson trident amid a flash of black light, then plunged it down into the ground, using it as an anchor to just barely arrest its own momentum.
An elated look immediately appeared on the devilish minotaur's face.
However, right at this moment, Han Li let loose a low cry and hurled the golden vortex downward like a giant mountain. The inner demon only had a chance to let loose a howl of anguish before it was completely inundated by golden light.
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"Hmph, you were lucky this time, but if I can manifest an inner demon once, then I can do it a second time! There's definitely no way you'll be able to survive," the Heavenly Devilish Monarch roared in a furious voice.
Immediately thereafter, a ball of black Qi emerged out of thin air, then quickly began to take on a humanoid form.
"There won't be a second time! You're delusional if you think you can go into hiding again after you've already revealed yourself to me!" Han Li harrumphed coldly in response, then suddenly opened one of his three mouths to expel a ball of azure light.
The azure light was formed by the spiritual Qi within his body, and it contained a stick of yellow half-burned incense that was giving off the faint aroma of sandalwood.
Blue light flashed from the eyes of Han Li's central head, and he made a grabbing motion to draw the stick of incense into his grasp before rubbing two his hands together vigorously.
A ball of silver flames emerged between his palms, and a plume of faint yellow smoke instantly began to disperse through the air.
At the same time, one of his other heads exhaled with all its might, and the yellow smoke transformed into an arrow that shot forth through the air, then abruptly vanished mid-flight.
In the next instant, the arrow reappeared amid a flash of yellow light not far away from Han Li before plunging into what appeared to be nothing more than empty space.
A muffled groan rang out, and a ball of twisted black light suddenly appeared out of thin air. The yellow arrow was embedded right into the center of the ball of light.
There was a miniature humanoid figure that was around several inches tall situated within the black light, and even though its body had been impaled by the arrow, it chuckled in a derisive manner, "Hmph, you think an ordinary treasure like this can harm me? You must be getting desperate."
The miniature humanoid figure's facial features were completely indistinguishable, but just the mere sight of the pure devilish Qi emanating from its body made the onlooker feel as if they had been plunged into a glacial pit.
A relieved look appeared on Han Li's face upon confirming that the arrow had struck its target, and he said in a cold voice, "When did I say this is an ordinary treasure? Seeing as you're just a wisp of a Heavenly Devilish Monarch's devilish intent, this thing will be more than enough to get rid of you."
"What? This is..." The miniature humanoid figure shuddered as it suddenly recalled what this item was from its extensive wealth of memories.
However, it was already too late. In the next instant, the yellow arrow exploded, and yellow smoke that carried the faint fragrance of sandalwood instantly dispersed to encompass roughly the surrounding acre of space.
The miniature black figure was unable to maintain its form within the faint yellow smoke, and before it completely vanished, it yelled in an indignant manner, "Impossible! Black Infernal Ice Incense has already gone extinct in this realm; how could you possibly have this? Don't celebrate too early! When you make your Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough, I'll be sure to descend into this realm in person and make sure to put an end to your life!"
Thus, the Heavenly Devilish Monarch's devilish intent was forcibly ejected out of Han Li's spiritual sense.
He quickly made a hand seal upon seeing this and reverted back to his human form in the blink of an eye.
His face had turned slightly pale, and he was panting slightly from exertion. The ability that he had just unleashed had clearly expended a considerable amount of spiritual sense and magic power, which was why he had refrained from using it earlier.
Han Li glanced at the spot where the devilish figure had just disappeared, and his expression remained quite grim. He immediately made another hand seal, and his body disintegrated into specks of azure light.
In order to prevent the inner demon from affecting the spiritual sense he had left outside his soul, he had completely cut off his connection to his own physical body. Now that this threat had been averted, he was naturally immediately returning to his own body.
In the instant that Han Li opened his eyes, he caught sight of the surrounding grey specks of light, which had transformed into five ghastly apparitions that were trying to attack him through his treasures with all their might.
With each assault that they unleashed, the surrounding treasures would tremor violently, and the spiritual light being released by them had also dimmed significantly.
The five apparitions were constantly revolving around Han Li with astonishingly violent auras emanating from their bodies, and Han Li's expression immediately darkened upon seeing this.
He let loose a loud cry as countless arcs of golden lightning sprang forth out of his body, and the five devilish apparitions manifested from baleful Qi were instantly destroyed without being able to offer any resistance.
After taking care of these five devilish apparitions, Han Li's expression only darkened even further.
At this point, the restrictions and formations he had prepared specifically for this heavenly tribulation had already been activated, conjuring up several massive layers of light barriers that encompassed the entire stone pagoda.
There were currently 81 giant black wyrms overhead, blasting forth devastating bolts of lightning of different colors.
The smallest bolts of lightning were only around a foot in length, while the longest were around 500 meters long, and they were crashing down in a torrential downpour.
Amid the flashes of lightning, the restrictions were beginning to display signs of overexertion.
At this moment, all of the bolts of lightning crashing down from above suddenly combined as one to form a gigantic pillar of lightning, and all of the light barriers were instantly shattered.
Without any further impediment standing in its way, the bolts of lightning instantly vanished, then reappeared above Han Li in his secret chamber before continuing to crash down with devastating might.
Han Li immediately swept a sleeve through the air to release a dozen or so bolts of golden lightning, and a deafening boom rang out as the golden lightning and five-colored lightning canceled out one another.
However, this was only the beginning. Even more bolts of five-colored lightning had appeared overhead, and they were raining down upon Han Li with incredible ferocity.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he made a grabbing motion with one hand. A ball of azure light appeared over his palm in a flash, then shot forth in all directions as 72 streaks of azure light.
All of a sudden, a loud dragon's roar rang out, and countless streaks of azure sword Qi appeared before dispersing all throughout the entire secret chamber, then converged to form an azure ball of light above Han Li.
The ball rotated on the spot to release countless streaks of dazzling sword Qi, then shattered to reveal a green coiled dragon.
In the blink of an eye, Han Li had set up his Azure Coil Sword Formation. As expected of one of his trump cards, the azure coiled dragon managed to remain completely unscathed in the face of the five-colored lightning, and it was able to vanquish all of the bolts of lightning with devastating sweeps of its powerful tail.
At this point, the fiery clouds up above had already recovered to their original mass, and fire-attribute spiritual Qi surged within them, following which head-sized crimson fireballs came crashing down from above.
Han Li naturally wasn't going to be fearful of these oncoming balls of flames. He took a deep breath and summoned his two extreme mountains, then laid a hand on each of them, upon which grey Divine Essencefused Light and streaks of invisible sword Qi surged out of the two mountains in a frenzy.
A day and a night later, the 81 black wyrms in the sky finally self-detonated into clouds of black Qi, and at this point, all of the spectating high-grade cultivators had already been completely awestruck by the ferocity of this heavenly tribulation, as well as the measures that Han Li had taken to oppose it.
This was the first time they had ever seen such a fearsome heavenly tribulation, and it was downright incredible to them that the might of a single person had been able to stand up against it.
In the instant that the black wyrms disappeared, a long cry rang out from within the stone pagoda, piercing straight into the heavens.
At the same time, an azure pillar of light erupted out of the pagoda, reducing all of the remnant fiery clouds and black Qi to countless runes of different colors.
After the pillar of light faded, an enormous humanoid projection that was around 10,000 feet tall with an appearance that was completely identical to Han Li emerged high up in the air.
"Isn't that Fellow Daoist Han?"
"I see, so it's Senior Han who's been transcending his late-Body Integration Stage tribulation."
Most of the nearby cultivators were immediately able to identify the projection as Han Li, and they immediately burst into spirited discussion.
The azure projection looked around at the countless runes in the nearby area, and a faint smile appeared on its face before it abruptly inhaled violently.
All of the runes shuddered before transforming into specks of light that flooded into the giant projection's mouth, and with each inhalation, tens of thousands of these specks of light were devoured.
At the same time, the azure projection was expanding at a rapid rate, and after all of the surrounding specks of light had been devoured, more specks of light began to converge from the distance like moths to a flame, only to be devoured by the azure projection as well.
An alarmed look appeared on the white-robed elderly man's face upon seeing this, and he hurriedly yelled, "Everyone, get back! Fellow Daoist Han has already transcended his late-Body Integration Stage tribulation and is currently devouring the world's origin Qi to reform his soul. We're all currently in the affected area, so we have to get back right away!"
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All of the high-grade cultivators present immediately flew away in different directions upon hearing this with a few exceptions, but those outliers were also forced to retreat in the face of the cold glare aimed toward them by the white-haired elderly man.
"Hmph, I can't believe those bastards were planning to take the world's origin Qi gathered by Fellow Daoist Han at such a crucial juncture!" the white-robed elderly man harrumphed coldly.
"It's no wonder that some people would try to take such a risk. The world's origin Qi that Fellow Daoist Han has gathered is of the highest level of purity; if they can even take a tiny portion of it, they would benefit immensely," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue chuckled.
"But if we were to allow that, it could affect the reformation of Fellow Daoist Han's soul. The effect would be virtually negligible, but we certainly wouldn't want Fellow Daoist Han to become dissatisfied with our city over something like this," the white-robed elderly man said as a complex look appeared on his face.
"Indeed. Besides, if something were to go wrong during the reformation of Fellow Daoist Han's soul, he definitely wouldn't let those opportunistic individuals off the hook. In any case, Fellow Daoist Han's successful breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage is fantastic news for our city. Even now, I still feel like I'm in a dream. I had quite a great deal of confidence in Fellow Daoist Han, but even I didn't think that he would be able to transcend such a fearsome tribulation so smoothly," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue sighed.
"It's only taken Fellow Daoist Han several centuries to progress from the early-Body Integration Stage to the late-Body Integration Stage. Compared to him, I feel like I've wasted my entire life! Perhaps there really is a chance that he'll become a second Grand Ascension cultivator of our human race," the white-robed elderly man mused as he stroked his long beard.
"Indeed, with Fellow Daoist Han's stunning aptitude, it's certainly not impossible. However, while progressing to the late-Body Integration Stage is already extremely arduous, it still pales in comparison to a Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough. Even for Fellow Daoist Han, there's only a very slim opportunity," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied with a nod.
"Of course, but he still has a sliver of an opportunity to attain immortality in the future. In contrast, that ship has already sailed for us, and we can only await the conclusion of our lifespans," the white-robed elderly man said in a slightly dejected manner.
"There's no need to dwell so much on this matter, Fellow Daoist Gu; very few people in the entire history of our human race have managed to reach the Grand Ascension Stage; we're already immensely fortunate to have Senior Mo in our generation," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied.
"Hehe, you sure are enlightened, Fellow Daoist Jin. Indeed, you're right. Even for Grand Ascension cultivators, there's one final major obstacle to be overcome before immortality can be attained. I've heard occasional tales of mighty figures in foreign races successfully ascending to immortality, but no one in the recorded history of our two races has succeeded, so it's certainly far from a simple task," the white-robed elderly man chuckled.
"There have been several seniors who have attempted to transcend ascension tribulations in the past, but all of them did so in secret, so no one witnessed their tribulation transcendences. Perhaps some of them managed to succeed in the end," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said in a hopeful manner.
"Perhaps. In any case, that has nothing to do with the current state of our city. Seeing as Fellow Daoist Han has already succeeded in his tribulation transcendence, let's not delay here any longer. Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome if Fellow Daoist Han were to misconstrue our presence as a sign that we're harboring malicious intent," the white-robed elderly man replied.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue naturally had no objections to this, and the two of them instantly flew away from the scene.
In the distance, the giant projection was still gathering the world's origin Qi in a frenzy, and at this point, over half of the entire Deep Heaven City had become a funnel for the world's origin Qi.
In the end, the projection swelled to around 50,000 feet tall, and it was visible to everyone in the city, thereby naturally creating a massive stir.
Not only were the humans and demons in the city able to see the projection formed by Han Li's soul, the devilish beings in the devilish strongholds and pyramids further away were also able to see a blurry silhouette in the distance, as well as sense the surging world's origin Qi within Deep Heaven City.
In the tallest of the devilish pyramids, there was a crimson-robed young man looking out the window toward Deep Heaven City with crimson light flashing within his eyes.
"There's no mistaking this aura; someone must've made a late-Body Integration Stage breakthrough. Hmph, that's rather troublesome; this enormous aura suggests that this isn't just some ordinary late-Body Integration Stage being. I'll have to prepare some countermeasures for this," the young man murmured to himself as his eyes narrowed slightly.
The young man was none other than the final Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang clone, which was the commander of the devilish army in this area.
Seated on a stone chair not far away from the window was a burly man in a silver beasthide garment. He was currently munching on the bloody hindleg of a certain beast, and he said in a slightly garbled voice, "A mere late-Body Integration Stage being is nothing to be worried about; rest assured, just leave them to me. Hehe, you invited me all the way over here precisely because you wanted me to clear out some obstacles for you, isn't that right?"
The man had an extremely muscular physique with gleaming bronze skin, and he was giving off a bone-chilling aura akin to that of a vicious beast.
"There's no need to trouble you over something like this, Brother Xiong; I invited you here to deal with an even more troublesome fellow. I can't be sure if he's returned to Deep Heaven City or not, but if he's not present in the city, then I'll leave this late-Body Integration Stage being to you," Xue Guang replied.
This burly man was clearly only a late-Body Integration Stage devilish being, but Xue Guang seemed to be quite wary of him and was referring to him as an equal.
"Oh? Is the opponent you want me to take care of going to be even more formidable than this late-Body Integration Stage being?" the burly man asked with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"I believe so. I'm not sure of the specific details; all I know is that my three clones pursued him twice, and they returned after a failed first attempt before being wiped out during their second attempt," Xue Guang said with furrowed brows.
The burly man was astonished to hear this, and he tossed the half-eaten hindleg aside as a solemn look appeared on his face. "What?! Now that you mention it, I do recall hearing some fellow daoists mention that you sent three clones into this realm at once, but how could all three of them have been killed at once? Are you asking me to face a Grand Ascension Stage human or demonic being?"
"Hehe, rest assured, Brother Xiong; I wouldn't make you battle a Grand Ascension Stage being for me. The target in question is merely mid-Body Integration Stage human cultivator, but he possesses a set of incredible abilities, and even the average late-Body Integration Stage cultivator is no match for him. Those three clones of mine most likely perished by his hands. As the number one devilish lord of our holy race, you're the best choice to deal with such an opponent," Xue Guang replied.
"Stop trying to flatter me! If that man could kill all three of your clones at once, then even if his powers are inferior to mine, it wouldn't be by much. You have to double my compensation! Otherwise, I'm not taking this job," the burly man said without any hesitation.
"Alright, but you have to leave all of his treasures to me," Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang agreed, also without any hesitation.
"Oh? Looks like this human cultivator is either carrying some powerful treasures or has something that you desperately need. Otherwise, you wouldn't have agreed so easily. So be it, the original compensation you promised me was already quite a hefty amount; now that you're doubling it, I'll agree to leave all of his treasures to you. I'm really curious to see what kind of abilities this human cultivator possesses that allowed him to kill all three of your clones. Looks like I'll be able to enjoy a good battle this time!" the burly man said with a ferocious smile as he cracked his knuckles.
In that instant, he truly resembled a vicious beast that was just barely able to contain its killing intent.
Xue Guang was very pleased with the man's reaction, and he nodded with a smile as he said, "I'm offering such a large sum in compensation precisely because I'm confident in your abilities, Brother Xiong. It won't be long until we launch our main assault against Deep Heaven City. Prior to that, you should take some rest to recover from the energy you expended to descend into this realm so you can face this opponent in your best condition."
"I don't need to rest to recover from such a trivial amount of energy expenditure. Seeing as there's nothing for me to do here, I'll go take a stroll and see if I can entertain myself. This is the Spirit Realm; surely you Sacred Ancestors won't continue to restrict me here." A cold look suddenly appeared on the burly man's face as he spoke.
Xue Guang's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he then immediately smiled, and replied, "Of course, you are free to do whatever you want here, Brother Xiong."
The burly man immediately rose to his feet and departed without even bidding farewell to Xue Guang, leaving Xue Guang to look on with a resigned expression.
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This so-called number one devilish lord clearly wasn't displaying much respect toward Xue Guang. Of course, this could mostly be attributed to the fact that Xue Guang was only present in this realm in the form of a clone, rather than his true body. Otherwise, no matter how powerful the burly man was, he wouldn't dare to act in such an uncouth manner.
A contemplative look appeared on Xue Guang's face for a moment before he suddenly yelled, "Summon the ten generals to come and see me."
"Yes, Master Xue Guang," someone outside immediately answered in a respectful manner before rushing away to do his bidding.
Only then did Xue Guang return to his seat and begin to carefully ponder some things.
Meanwhile, after absorbing sufficient spiritual Qi, the giant projection in Deep Heaven City finally reverted back into an azure ball of light that descended toward the stone pagoda in a flash.
The ball of light then vanished amid a flash of spiritual light, and Han Li, who was situated on the deepest level of the pagoda, slowly opened his eyes as an ecstatic look appeared on his face.
"So this is the late-Body Integration Stage; it really is completely different from the mid-Body Integration Stage. I'm now one step away from the Grand Ascension Stage; the path to immortality is finally becoming a reality," Han Li murmured to himself as he experienced the dramatically enhanced magic power and spiritual sense within his body.
Following this successful breakthrough, both his magic power and spiritual sense had almost doubled, and they would both only continue to increase as he continued cultivating. The only thing that he was rather disappointed about was that his physical body hadn't been enhanced by much.
It seemed that the rumors that one could only reform their physical body after reaching the Grand Ascension Stage were true. As for the benefits that one derived from that reformation, that would depend on their latent aptitude and the cultivation arts they were using.
With that in mind, Han Li closed his eyes again and immediately began fortifying his new cultivation base, as well as to recover the huge amount of energy he had lost during his tribulation transcendence.
Due to the fact that he had to expend a lot of magic power and spiritual sense to combat the inner demon, he was forced to use many treasures to help him transcend the tribulation.
The late-Body Integration Stage tribulation was far more fearsome then he had imagined, and he was forced to detonate over 10 top-grade treasures that he had obtained over the years. Even his 72 Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had been damaged as he had pushed them too far.
If it weren't for the fact that his two extreme mountains possessed a resistance toward heavenly lightning and shielded him from the final few waves of lightning strikes, he definitely would've been severely wounded, even if he had still managed to successfully transcend this tribulation.
However, following this late-Body Integration Stage tribulation transcendence, Han Li's confidence in the five extreme mountains was boosted even further, and his determination to refine the remaining three extreme mountains was reaffirmed.
His Grand Ascension Stage tribulation was only going to be even more fearsome than this late-Body Integration Stage tribulation; without the five extreme mountains, he wasn't confident about his chances of success at all.
On top of that, the five extreme mountains were also going to be extremely important for the periodic major heavenly tribulations that would befall him in the future.
After lingering on this final thought for a moment, Han Li completely relaxed and immersed himself in his cultivation. Warm magic power flowed throughout his entire body, and he meditated for around half a month without awakening even once.
On this day, the door of the secret chamber was suddenly opened on its own by a gust of fierce wind, and azure light flashed as Han Li emerged from within, then cast his gaze over the surrounding area.
"We pay our respects to Master!"
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Brother Han!"
Qi Lingzi, Hai Yuetian, and the Ice Phoenix were all standing guard nearby, and as soon as Han Li emerged, they immediately converged toward him with elation etched on their faces.
"Hehe, without your assistance, I'm not sure I would've made it. Let's continue our conversation in the hall. You two can come along as well," Han Li said to the trio.
The trio naturally had no objections, and they immediately followed Han Li to the top floor of the pagoda.
A short while later, Han Li and the Ice Phoenix had taken a seat in the hall on the top floor, while Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian were standing respectfully off to the side.
They seemed to be even more excited than Han Li was about his breakthrough.
With such an incredibly powerful master, no one would dare to look down on them again; even beings with far higher cultivation bases than them would have to treat them with respect.
"Brother Han, I had thought that with my heavenly phoenix bloodline, my aptitude wouldn't be inferior to anyone, but now, I truly don't know what to say. I bet even you didn't anticipate that you would make such incredible progress back when we joined forces to ascend to the Spirit Realm through that spatial node. With your formidable abilities, you're most likely the most powerful being in both the human and demon races below only those two Grand Ascension Stage seniors. I can't help but be a little envious," the Ice Phoenix said in a slightly awestruck manner.
"My progress up to this point was heavily dependent on luck. Without your true spirit bloodline and exceptional cultivation aptitude, it's only a matter of time before you reach the same level, so there's certainly no need to be envious of me," Han Li replied with a calm shake of his head.
"I certainly hope so. During my recent cultivation, I can feel that I'm approaching a bottleneck; it looks like I'm also not far away from making a breakthrough," the Ice Phoenix replied with a nod.
"Hehe, then I'll have to congratulate you in advance," Han Li said with a smile.
The Ice Phoenix smiled in response, but gave no further reply.
"Qi Lingzi, has anything happened during my time in seclusion?" Han Li asked.
"Recently, many cultivators have been mobilized in the city, and there are rumors going around, stating that the devilish army is about to launch an all-out attack against the city. Also, following your tribulation transcendence, many of the sects and powers in the city sent congratulatory messages and presents; I've tallied up all of the presents and stored them away for you to inspect when you're ready. By the way, the elders of the city have also sent congratulatory presents, and Senior Jin invited you to go and meet the panel of elders right away after you come out of seclusion; he says that they have something important to discuss with you," Qi Lingzi replied in a respectful voice.
"I'll take a look at all of the presents later. As for Fellow Daoist Jin's invitation, that most likely has something to do with the devilish army; it seems I'll have to make a trip there. Seeing as the matter seems to be quite urgent, I'll head over there right away," Han Li said as a rose to his feet.
Qi Lingzi and the others were slightly surprised to see Han Li leaving in such a hurry, but they naturally didn't dare to stop him.
Thus, Han Li gave them a slight nod before he flew out of the hall as a streak of azure light.
By the time Han Li arrived at the conference hall for the panel of elders, the white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue were already waiting at the entrance, seemingly having received news of his arrival in advance.
As soon as the three took a seat, the white-robed elderly man immediately offered his congratulations and swept his spiritual sense toward Han Li, upon which he was given quite a shock.
Han Li's current powers were as unfathomable as an ocean, and even the white-robed elderly man was completely unable to ascertain his exact cultivation base.
How was this possible? He was a mid-Body Integration cultivator; even if his powers were inferior to those of a late-Body Integration cultivator, there shouldn't be such a massive disparity.
There were only two possible explanations for this, the first of which was that Han Li was using some type of secret technique or treasure to disguise his own cultivation base; the second possibility was that Han Li's magic power had truly become too unfathomable for his spiritual sense to properly detect.
The white-robed elderly man's expression remained unchanged, but he immediately ascertained that the first possibility was quite implausible.
After all, if Han Li had a way to disguise his own cultivation base, then he would've used it back when he was a mid-Body Integration cultivator; why would he do something like this now, when everyone already knew that he was at the late-Body Integration Stage? If it were the latter...
The white-robed elderly man couldn't help but draw a sharp breath, and the tone of his voice unconsciously became even more polite.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's expression also remained unchanged, but his astonishment was no less potent than that of the white-robed elderly man. Even though he already had a very high estimate of Han Li's powers, it appeared that he had still underestimated him.
After making some brief small talk, Han Li said, "I've already received the congratulatory presents the two of you have sent to me; allow me to offer my thanks. Now then, I'm sure you've invited me here to discuss an urgent matter, so let's cut straight to the chase."
The white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue exchanged a glance before the former said, "In that case, I won't delay any longer either. Following your progression to the late-Body Integration Stage, you are already the most powerful cultivator in the city. Forgive me for being blunt, but what would you estimate your own chances to be if you were to go up against a Sacred Ancestor clone?"
"A Sacred Ancestor clone? That's hard to say. After all, the Sacred Ancestors all possess different powers and abilities. I don't know anything about the Sacred Ancestor clone outside the city, so I can't say anything definitive about it, but if it's anything like the Sacred Ancestor clones I've faced in the past, then I should have a decent chance of securing victory," Han Li replied after a long pause for contemplation.
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"The Sacred Ancestor clone that's ruling over the devilish army outside has never shown itself, so we don't know much about its powers and abilities. However, according to the information we've managed to gather, it should be no more powerful than the clone that you were pursued by. These two clones both stem from that Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang, so even if there are some disparities between their abilities, they should all be somewhat connected. Having faced a clone of Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang already, it should be easier for you to face this clone compared to clones of other Sacred Ancestors," the white-robed elderly man said.
"Oh? Are you planning to get me to face this Sacred Ancestor clone, Brother Gu?" Han Li asked in a calm manner, seemingly unsurprised by this arrangement.
"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Han. Under normal circumstances, I definitely wouldn't ask you to take such a huge risk, but the devilish army outside is extremely powerful, and just the number of devilish lords in the army alone is almost twice the number of elders in the city. The other elders and I have racked our brains to try and come up with a strategy, but the Sacred Ancestor clone is going to be more powerful than even the average late-Body Integration cultivator; there really is no good way for us to counter it. If it were to force its way through a weak point in the city's defenses and allow the devilish army to storm into the city, we would be in a dire situation," the white-robed elderly man replied.
Han Li was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "How was the panel of elders initially planning to address this Sacred Ancestor clone? Don't tell me you had no plans at all!"
"What plans could we have other than to rely on our advantage in numbers and our restrictions? Our initial plan was that once the battle commenced, we would send someone to lure the clone into a formation that we had prepared in advance, then trap him in the formation. We wouldn't be able to kill it that way, but at the very least, we'd be able to keep it out of the battle for a while. Unfortunately, the plan sounds simple, but it's actually very difficult to execute, so the chances of success are not very high," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue explained.
"Indeed. All of the Sacred Ancestor clones are extremely cunning; luring one into a formation certainly wouldn't be an easy task," Han Li replied with a solemn nod.
"That's right. Fellow Daoist Jin and I had planned to ask you to lure the Sacred Ancestor clone into the formation, but with your past cultivation base, the plan was too risky for you, so we didn't propose it to you. However, now that you've progressed to the late-Body Integration Stage, there's no need for such concerns. We're not asking you to defeat the Sacred Ancestor clone, Brother Han; all that we ask is that you keep it occupied once the battle begins so it can't attack the city's restrictions. As for the devilish army and devilish lords, our panel of elders will face them. The survival of the city is at stake here, so please don't turn us down, Brother Han," the white-robed elderly man said in an earnest manner.
Han Li pondered this for a moment before replying with a smile, "I agreed to do everything in my power to help the city ward off the devilish army, and I'm certainly not going to eat my words. If all I need to do is hold off the Sacred Ancestor clone, then that should be within my capabilities; leave the Xue Guang clone to me."
The white-robed elderly man was ecstatic to hear this. "Thank you for being so selfless, Brother Han! If we can ward off the devilish army, we'll definitely reward you handsomely for your efforts."
"It's alright, I'm just doing what's expected of me. The fate of the entire human race hinges on this battle, so I'll naturally be giving it my all. If that's everything that needs to be discussed, then I'll be taking my leave now. I only recently completed my breakthrough and still need to consolidate my cultivation base," Han Li said as he rose to his feet.
The white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue were rather surprised by this, but there was no reason for them to keep Han Li any longer, so they accompanied him out of the hall.
Following Han Li's departure, Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's smile faded, and he asked, "Brother Gu, why didn't you try to recruit Fellow Daoist Han to join our city? That was a great opportunity just now."
"Do you think there's any point in doing so? I was holding onto some hope, but as soon as I saw Fellow Daoist Han today, I knew that there was no way he would agree to join any power. With his current powers, how do you think he ranks among all of the late-Body Integration cultivators of our two races?" the white-robed elderly man asked.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's heart stirred upon hearing this, and only after pondering the question for a long while did he reply, "I've met all of the late-Body Integration Stage fellow daoists of our two races, but none of them have been unfathomable to me as Fellow Daoist Han was. On top of that, he slew multiple devilish lords at the mid-Body Integration Stage and even faced a Sacred Ancestor clone; judging from all that, I would speculate that Fellow Daoist Han is already the most powerful being among our two races aside from Senior Mo and Senior Ao."
"There you go. With Fellow Daoist Han's powers, why would he bind himself to any power for no reason? Also, what can our Deep Heaven City offer to tempt someone of his powers? I would only risk offending Fellow Daoist Han by trying to recruit him to join our city again, so I naturally decided against it," the white-robed elderly man said with a wry smile.
"That's true. It's incredible to think that someone who was an ordinary guard of our city less than 2,000 years ago has since surpassed us on the path to pursuing the Great Dao," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue sighed in a slightly wistful manner.
"Hehe, life is always unpredictable. Alright, this isn't the time for us to be discussing something like this; let's continue where we left off before. I still think that we should set up those powerful treasures atop the city wall to repress those low-grade devilish beasts..." the white-haired elderly man said in a serious manner.
However, Buddhist Monk Jin Yue immediately shook his head in response. "Those treasures are trump cards that we refined after expending extensive painstaking efforts; we can't use them on devilish beasts. Once we expose them, the devilish army will know what to expect, and their potency will be greatly hampered..."
"But there are simply too many low-grade devilish beasts; if we don't use them..."
Thus, the two of them began to debate the topic in the hall.
Han Li was naturally completely unaware of this, and he immediately flew back to his own abode.
He would have to expend quite a bit of time to truly consolidate his late-Body Integration Stage cultivation base, so the more time he had to cultivate prior to the commencement of the battle, the more he would be able to consolidate his powers. Furthermore, after reaching the late-Body Integration Stage, he was close to attaining full mastery of his Provenance True Devil Arts, and there were also some powerful abilities that he would finally be able to unleash.
However, if he wanted to use these abilities in battle, then he would have to take some time to familiarise himself with them first.
Thus, he had immediately chosen to depart after his conversation with the two elders.
After returning to his abode, Han Li issues a few instructions to Qi Lingzi and the others before entering his secret chamber again.
He sat down with his legs crossed on the futon at the center of the secret chamber, but instead of going into a meditative state, he flipped a hand over to produce a pair of thumb-sized white jade badges that were covered in silver runes.
These were none other than the two outer pages of the Golden Jade Tome that Han Li had obtained back in the human world.
One of the pages contained the refinement method for several types of profound talismans, while the other contained the Hundred Meridian Refinement Mantra.
The pages weren't complete, but through his own research, Han Li had managed to refine most of the talismans. Now, there was only a Heavenly Halberd Talisman that he was still yet to refine.
This was the final talisman recorded on the outer page, and it was also the only offensive talisman. Apparently, it was incredibly powerful, but unfortunately, it was several times more difficult to study this talisman than the previous ones.
If it weren't for the fact that Han Li had encountered many talisman masters of foreign races and exchanged a lot of ideas and experiences with them, it would be virtually impossible for him to refine this talisman.
Han Li had already mastered the refinement method long ago, but the materials required were quite difficult to find, and there was also an astonishing demand on the level of magic power of the person refining the talisman.
Back when Han Li was at the mid-Body Integration Stage, he didn't possess enough magic power to refine this Heavenly Halberd Talisman, and that had been very frustrating to him.
However, it did make sense. Considering how fearsome the description of this talisman made it out to be, it was most likely quite a renowned talisman even in the True Immortal Realm, so it was only normal that beings of lower realms like himself would find it extremely difficult to refine such a talisman.
Thankfully, he had assigned the task of gathering materials to his disciples, and they had managed to gather all of the materials over the past several centuries.
Now that he was at the late-Body Integration Stage, he possessed sufficient magic power to support the refinement of this talisman, so he was planning to refine it during this period of seclusion.
As for the Hundred Meridian Refinement Mantra enclosed in the other outer page, that was a body refinement method of the True Immortal Realm that allowed one to refine their physical body like a treasure.
Unfortunately, this secret technique had extremely high demands on one's physical body; Han Li had only been able to just barely cultivate some of the secret technique after cleverly refining the Extreme Essencefused Mountain and and some other treasures to become a part of his body.
However, this wasn't sustainable, and at his current cultivation base, the enhancements brought to his body by those treasures were no longer sufficient to satisfy him. Thus, he was planning to pick up the Hundred Meridian Refinement Mantra again and truly cultivate it this time.
With his current physical constitution, he would naturally be able to cultivate this secret technique without any issues.
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However, this immortal secret technique would definitely take a very long time to cultivate, and it wasn't something that would yield any benefits for him in a short time, so he wasn't planning to make a start on it right away.
Han Li injected his spiritual sense into the two outer pages and carefully reviewed their contents for a while, and after ascertaining that there weren't any issues, he stowed them away before slowly closing his eyes.
He was going to get himself into prime condition before he began refining that Heavenly Halberd Talisman.
With that talisman up his sleeve, he should be able to ensure self-preservation no matter what mishaps arose in the upcoming battle.
Of course, this wasn't the only thing that Han Li was going to be relying on against that Xue Guang clone.
With his current enormous wealth of spiritual sense, he would be able to just barely control all of his unevolved Gold Devouring Beetles in battle.
If he were to release several thousand mature Gold Devouring Beetles at once, they would pose a substantial threat even to the Xue Guang clone.
Furthermore, he was preparing to practice the abilities enclosed in the Provenance True Devil Arts right away, and all of these abilities were extremely powerful.
On top of that, he had his Leopard Kirin Beast and Purple-striped Gold Devouring Beetles to assist him. With all of that up his sleeve, he should be able to ensure self-preservation even against the true body of a Sacred Ancestor, let alone a mere Sacred Ancestor clone.
With that in mind, Han Li gradually relaxed and entered a meditative state.
A period of silence ensued in the secret chamber, following which a low buzzing abruptly rang out, accompanied by the occasional resounding boom.
Half a month later, an ear-piercing ringing sound erupted within the secret chamber, and a golden pillar of light rose to the ceiling of the secret chamber, then appeared at the top of the stone pagoda right above Han Li.
The golden pillar of light was over around 10,000 feet tall, and as thick as a water tank. There was a giant halberd projection hovering above the pillar of light, and it was emitting an astonishing ringing sound.
Furthermore, there were thousands of shimmering silver runes dancing around the halberd projection, creating a mystical sight to behold.
In the next instant, the sharp ringing sound erupting from the halberd projection abruptly ceased, and at the same time, a burst of indescribably terrifying fluctuations surged forth in all directions.
As the fluctuations swept through the air, specks of golden light began to appear out of thin air.
These specks of light were only the size of grains of rice, but there were far too many of them to count, and they were surging toward the pillar of light in a frenzy.
Every speck of light was emanating extremely pure metal-attribute spiritual Qi, and all of the metal-attribute spiritual Qi in a radius of tens of thousands of kilometers was being drawn to the pillar of light.
On top of that, the metal-attribute armor and treasures being carried by the patrolling guards and other cultivators in the area also began to release their metal-attribute spiritual Qi, all of which surged toward the golden pillar as specks of golden light.
These cultivators were naturally quite startled by this, and they immediately tried to prevent their treasures from leaking spiritual Qi, but no matter what they tried, their efforts proved to be futile.
Within mere moments, close to half of the metal-attribute spiritual Qi in their treasures had been lost, and the light emanating from them dimmed significantly. It was quite clear that if things were to continue like this, these treasures would soon be reduced to useless pieces of scrap metal.
All of the nearby cultivators were petrified to see this, but they could only look on in helplessness and despair.
Just as things the situation was truly about to get out of hand, the halberd projection suddenly shuddered, and all of the fluctuations it was releasing abruptly ceased.
The giant pillar of light then vanished on the spot, and at the same time, the leakage of metal-attribute spiritual Qi from the treasures in the surrounding area was also cut off.
If it weren't for the fact that the auras of these treasures had become extremely feeble, the cultivators in the area could easily be led into thinking that they had just experienced a hallucination.
Many people began to exchange bewildered glances with one another.
Of course, it was soon determined that the phenomenon that had just taken place had stemmed from Han Li's abode. Everyone naturally came to the conclusion that Han Li had been refining a certain treasure that required an enormous influx of metal-attribute spiritual Qi, and they certainly didn't dare to demand compensation from a late-Body Integration Stage senior, so they could only lament their ill-fortune.
None of the elders of the city witnessed this phenomenon, but they received news of it shortly thereafter.
They were rather surprised to hear about this, but didn't think much of it, and they didn't even send anyone to inquire Han LI about what had happened.
At this point, the devilish army was becoming more and more active, and it was quite apparent to all cultivators of Deep Heaven City that a battle was imminent.
Under these circumstances, the high-grade cultivators in the city naturally weren't going to concern themselves with something trivial like this.
Two months later, Han Li was seated in his secret chamber with golden light shimmering from his body. His eyes were tightly shut, and his hand were clasped in front of his chest with a golden and silver talisman held between them.
Above his head was a projection with three heads and six arms that was hovering at a low altitude. The projection's three faces were identical to Han Li's, and they each wore a different expression. Hovering above the six outstretched hands of the projection were six golden treasures of different descriptions, all of which seemed to be substantial objects with intricate silver runes inscribed all over them.
These treasures were all releasing different phenomena, and it was quite clear that not only were they extremely powerful, they also possessed vastly different abilities.
All of a sudden, Han Li's expression stirred slightly, and the golden and silver talisman abruptly disappeared from between his hands as he opened his eyes.
Almost at the exact same moment, the golden projection also vanished into his body.
A ball of red light then shot forth into the secret chamber before landing in Han Li's grasp.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he appraised the ball of red light, then suddenly released his spiritual sense out of the secret chamber.
His enormous spiritual sense instantly swept through all of the levels of the stone pagoda before stopping in the hall on the top floor.
"Seeing as she's come here in person, the devilish army must've already begun attacking the city. Otherwise, she wouldn't disrupt my seclusion for no good reason," Han Li murmured to himself as a solemn look appeared on his face.
He waved a hand through to snuff out the ball of red light, then rose to his feet and flew out of the secret chamber as a streak of azure light.
On the top floor of the stone pagoda, a silver-robed woman was waiting for him with a concerned look on her face.
Qi Lingzi, Hai Yuetian, and the Ice Phoenix were standing nearby in a respectful manner.
This woman was none other than Fairy Silver Light, and her brows were currently tightly furrowed.
"Rest assured, Senior, I've already sent a voice transmission talisman to Master, so he should be here soon," Qi Lingzi reassured.
Fairy Silver Light nodded in response. "The devilish army has already begun to advance toward our Deep Heaven City, and an all-out battle is imminent, so it would be best if Brother Han can meet up with the elders of the city as soon as possible. You three can come with Brother Han as well; the elders will make sure not to send you out to battle too early, so you should have a greater chance of survival than the average cultivator."
"Thank you, Senior!" Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi immediately expressed their gratitude, and a grateful look also appeared on the Ice Phoenix's face.
Right at this moment, azure light flashed within the hall, and a humanoid figure suddenly appeared without any warning.
"Has the devilish army commenced their attack, Fellow Daoist? This isn't just another harassment attack, is it?" Han Li asked in a calm manner as soon as he appeared in the room.
"It's good to see you, Brother Han. The devilish army is indeed about to begin attacking the city, and they've deployed all of their devilish beasts and troops, so this definitely isn't just a harassment attack. Even that Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang clone seems to have appeared in the devilish army. I can see that your powers have received another significant boost as a result of your breakthrough, Brother Han; I can't even ascertain your exact cultivation base anymore," Fairy Silver Light said with an elated look on her face."Seeing as the situation is so urgent, I'll meet up with Brother Gu and the others right away. You can all come with me as well," Han Li said with a smile as he turned to his disciples and the Ice Phoenix.
The three of them naturally agreed, and thus, all of them immediately departed from the stone pagoda together, heading directly toward the direction that the devilish army was situated in.
After flying for a short while, the gigantic city wall of Deep Heaven City appeared in the distance, and there was an enormous palace that resembled an island hovering in mid-air just behind the city wall.
Han Li and the others flew toward the palace before landing on a massive platform in front of it, and there were already thousands of high-grade cultivators gathered on the scene. At the center of the platform was a stone pagoda that was over 1,000 feet tall, at the top of which stood several people; they were none other than the members of the panel of elders.
Han Li naturally had no intention of hanging around with the ordinary cultivators, and he issued a few instructions to his disciples and the Ice Phoenix before flying toward the pagoda with Fairy Silver Light.
The white-robed elderly man was ecstatic to see Han Li, and he immediately pointed toward the devilish army outside the city as he said, "Welcome, Fellow Daoist Han. Take a look over there; that should be the clone of Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang."
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Han Li cast his gaze toward the same direction, and blue light flashed through his eyes, allowing him to see the devilish army with an extremely high level of clarity, even though it was situated several tens of kilometers away.
Amid the countless devilish battle arks, there was a giant pyramid, at the tip of which stood a group of extremely eye-catching crimson-armored high-grade devilish beings.
They were gathered around a giant carriage that was drawn by several devilish beasts, each with five lion heads, a layer of deep blue scales all over their bodies, and a long scorpion-like stinger extending behind each of them.
The carriage itself was extremely intricate in design with an inky-black flag situated at its center, upon which were inscribed several large crimson devilish characters.
Beneath the flag were clouds of churning devilish Qi, within which stood a young man in a crimson suit of armor with seven or eight devilish lords standing on either side of him in a respectful manner.
The young man bore an identical appearance to the three Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang clones who had pursued Han Li, and a hint of killing intent flashed through Han Li's eyes at the sight of him.
The crimson-robed young man seemed to have immediately sensed something, and he turned to meet the gaze of Han Li's spirit eyes. His crimson pupils then instantly turned as black as ink, releasing a burst of bone-chilling suction force that attempted to forcibly draw in Han Li's gaze.
Han Li's heart stirred as he forcibly cut off their eye contact with his immense spiritual sense, and the crimson-robed young man's expression changed slightly in response to this.
"Did you discover something, Fellow Daoist Xue Guang?" A lazy voice rang out from the other side of the beast-drawn carriage. The owner of the voice was a burly bronze-skinned man wearing a beast-hide garment; it was none other than the man whom Xue Guang had referred to as the number one devilish lord.
He currently had his arms crossed and was leaning against the railing on the beast-drawn carriage in a lackadaisical manner.
"A human cultivator was spying on us, but I startled him away. However, they were able to easily break free from my Blacklight Devilish Eyes, so they're definitely no ordinary being," Xue Guang replied.
"Oh? They were able to resist your devilish eyes? Could this be the target you want me to deal with or perhaps that new late-Body Integration Stage being?" the burly man asked as an excited look appeared on his face.
"It's hard to say. In any case, this is definitely going to be a troublesome opponent. If you encounter them, I would suggest you take extra caution," Xue Guang said as his brows furrowed slightly.
"Haha, rest assured, all I'm concerned about is that this opponent won't be powerful enough to put up a good fight!" the burly man chortled.
Xue Guang could only shake his head with a wry smile in response.
Meanwhile, over at Deep Heaven City, Han Li had his eyes tightly shut, and only after a long while did he manage to recover from the sense of dizziness he had been struck by.
"Are you alright, Fellow Daoist Han?" the white-robed elderly man asked in a concerned manner.
"I'm fine. I was caught off guard by an opposing secret technique, but I'm alright now," Han Li replied with a nonchalant shake of his head.
"That's good to hear. Have you managed to confirm if that man truly is the Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang clone?" the white-robed elderly man asked.
"I have. That man has an identical appearance and aura to the Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang clones I've seen in the past, so he should be one as well," Han Li replied.
"I see. The fact that this clone has appeared in the devilish army reaffirms the notion that they're planning to launch an all-out attack. We'll be counting on you to take on that clone, Fellow Daoist Han. There's no need to defeat him; all you have to do is keep him occupied," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said with a solemn expression.
"Hehe, rest assured, fellow daoists; as long as no other devilish beings intervene, this clone definitely won't be able to affect the rest of the battle," Han Li said with a confident smile.
"We'll be counting on you then, Brother Han. We'll do our best to hold off all of the other devilish lords so they don't disrupt your battle," the white-robed elderly man assured in an elated manner.
Han Li nodded and offered no response to this. After that, several of the elders that Han Li had met in the past all approached him with greetings, and they were clearly treating him more politely than they had in the past.
It was quite clear that his status as a late-Body Integration cultivator had earned him some awe and veneration from the elders of the city.
Han Li wasn't very familiar with these other members of the panel of elders, so he only exchanged some obligatory pleasantries with them before falling silent again.
Right at this moment, a burst of loud rumbling rang out from the devilish army, following which hordes of ferocious devilish beasts rushed out of the sea of devilish Qi.
There were millions of devilish beasts with too many species among them to count. The devilish beasts rushed forward like a torrential flood, following which over 100 balls of black light flew out from among their ranks.
Each ball of light contained a half-beast half-human metamorphosis stage devilish beast, and under their instructions, the chaotic hordes of beasts instantly became neat and organized. Aside from the occasional low beastly snarl, no other sound rang out from among them.
Aside from these ordinary devilish beasts, there were over 1,000 extremely eye-catching mountainous super devilish beasts dispersed throughout the hordes of beasts.
There was no end in sight to this army of devilish beasts, and more and more of them continued to emerge from within the sea of devilish Qi, as if there were truly no end to their numbers.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, over 10,000,000 devilish beasts had appeared, and the elders' expressions were becoming progressively more strained.
"How could there be so many devilish beasts? Wasn't there only supposed to be 5,000,000 to 6,000,000?" Elder Gu asked with a hint of alarm in his eyes.
"According to the information we had received earlier, there were indeed only supposed to be several million devilish beasts; these must be new additions to the devilish army," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue explained in a calm manner.
"With so many devilish beasts present, this battle is not going to be an easy one," a black-robed demonic man murmured with a dark expression.
"Rest assured, fellow daoists; these are only low-grade devilish beasts. No matter how many of them there are, they're not going to have a decisive effect on the battle. I had already considered such a potential situation in advance and prepared countermeasures accordingly," the white-robed elderly man said.
"I see. In that case, we'll leave it to you, Brother Gu." The other elders were quite relieved to hear this.
The white-robed elderly man smiled as he flipped a hand over to summon a white formation plate, then said something into it, and moments later, bursts of astonishing energy fluctuations abruptly erupted as several giant formations emerged on the city wall.
At the center of each formation hovered an altar that was as white as jade, and there were several ordinary-looking items situated on these altars.
There was a dark blue bowl, an inky-black gourd, a silver longsword, and a white screen-like object.
"Those are the Four Celestial River Treasures! Isn't it overkill to be using them on low-grade devilish beings, Brother Gu?" a demonic elder asked with a mixture of elation and concern on his face.
"These treasures are indeed extremely powerful, but their forte lies in their ability to attack massive areas. In comparison, they'll be much less effective when targeting individual powerful beings. As such, following some discussion with Fellow Daoist Jin Yue, we decided to use them against these low-grade devilish beasts in the end. On one hand, we'll be able to kill a massive number of devilish beasts, and on the other hand, morale will be boosted. Otherwise, if we suffer a large number of casualties as soon as the battle begins, morale will inevitably plummet. I'm sure this is also the reasoning behind the devilish army's decision to send out all of these devilish beasts first," the white-robed elderly man explained.
The other elders all felt this to be quite reasonable, so they nodded in response and didn't pry any further into the matter.
"There is indeed a massive number of devilish beasts, but the most troublesome beings to take care of will be those devilish elites; they seem to have been deployed as well," Han Li suddenly said.
All of the elders hurriedly cast their eyes into the distance upon hearing this, and they discovered that groups of armor-clad devilish beings had appeared behind the hordes of beasts in the distance.
These devilish beings were either riding atop different types of devilish steeds or flying through the air as gusts of black winds. They were all giving off a ruthless aura of bloodlust and following along silently behind the army of devilish beasts. If it weren't for Han Li's words of caution, the other elders wouldn't have noticed them.
Amid the sound of rumbling war drums, a string of giant bell tolls suddenly erupted from within the sea of devilish Qi, and the inky-black giant arks, as well as the enormous devilish pyramid, also emerged with countless devilish battle carriages around them.
"Have they gone insane? They're unleashing all of their power from the get-go! Are they not planning to keep any backup reserves?" the white-robed elderly man exclaimed upon seeing this, and all of the other elders were also stunned by this development.
"It doesn't matter what the devilish army is planning; we just have to stop them! Brother Gu, we can't afford to panic at a time like this; let's implement our original plan. Fellow daoists, the survival of our Deep Heaven City could quite possibly hinge on the outcome of this battle," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue suddenly yelled in a rousing manner.
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"We'll be sure to give everything we have in this battle. I can't say that I'm willing to die for the city, but as long as there's any sliver of opportunity for victory, we won't give up," the black-robed demonic cultivator said.
All of the other elders also nodded in agreement with grim expressions.
The white-robed elderly man gave a pleased nod upon seeing this, then turned to Han Li and transmitted his voice to him.
Han Li listened to what he had to say and considered it for a moment before nodding in response.
The white-robed elderly man immediately clapped his hands together with glee, and a golden-armored guard quickly descended from the top of the stone pagoda before extending a respectful bow toward the elders.
"Lead the way for Fellow Daoist Han and do as we originally planned. Failure is not an option!" the white-robed elderly man ordered in an authoritative voice.
"Yes! Senior Han, please come with me," the guard said as he turned toward Han Li in a respectful manner.
Han Li nodded in response before flying down from the platform as a streak of azure light, and the golden-armored guard hurriedly followed along behind him.
Moments later, Han Li arrived at a heavily-guarded pavilion that wasn't situated very far away from the city wall down below.
In the hall on the first floor of the pavilion, there were 36 male cultivators seated with their legs crossed around a giant formation that had been carved into the ground.
These men were all wearing uniform azure tight-fitting robes, and all of them seemed to be between 30 to 40 years of age. There were wisps of green light emanating from their bodies, and this was a clear sign that they were all using an identical cultivation art.
However, all of these male cultivators were only at the Deity Transformation Stage, and Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon realizing this.
Furthermore, their auras were very unstable, and it was quite clear that they had forcibly attained their current cultivation bases through some special methods rather than through cultivation.
All of these cultivators immediately rose to their feet at the sight of Han Li and the Spatial Tempering Stage golden-armored guard. "We pay our respects to our seniors!"
"This is Senior Han; he's the one that you'll have to assist during this battle. Make sure to do everything in your power to cooperate with Senior Han!" the golden-armored guard said in a serious voice.
"The 36 Azure Cloud Guards pay our respects to Senior Han!"
These azure-robed men seemed to have already been notified of this arrangement in advance, so they weren't surprised at all.
"No need for formalities. I heard that all of you can combine to set up a formation that can trap even a devilish lord for some time; is that true?" Han Li asked.
"That's right, Senior. Ever since we began cultivating, we've been striving toward the same Azure Glazed Light Formation. The Azure Glazed Light Formation is an ancient secret formation, and we've honed our mastery of this formation to perfection. The formation doesn't possess much offensive power, but it's extremely effective for trapping enemies and will definitely have no issues containing the average devilish lord," the leader of the azure-robed cultivators replied.
"Good. Once we begin, just follow my orders," Han Li said with a pleased nod.
The 36 cultivators naturally gave an affirmative response.
After that, Han Li sat down right at the center of the giant formation and began to wait for something in silence.
As for the golden-armored guard, his job was done, and he left the pavilion.
Even though the entire pavilion was concealed within a layer of restrictions, the tsunami wave of beastly roars outside could still be heard within it.
Immediately thereafter, resounding booms rang out, and countless fluctuations erupted all over Deep Heaven City. The pavilion began to tremor slightly as a result, and it was quite clear that the army of devilish beasts had begun to attack the city.
The battle had commenced!
The 36 azure-robed men all sat in a completely still manner with their eyes closed, completely ignoring what was happening around them.
Meanwhile, Han Li released his enormous spiritual sense out of the restrictions around the pavilion to inspect the situation that was unfolding outside.
With his current immensely powerful spiritual sense, he could easily detect everything within a radius of close to 10,000 kilometers under normal circumstances. However, all types of restrictions and formations had been activated in the city, and chaotic energy fluctuations were surging all over the battlefield, thereby severely limiting the scope of his spiritual sense to a radius of only several hundred kilometers.
Even so, this was a large enough area for him to gather a rough idea of what was happening.
Through his spiritual sense, Han Li discovered that not only was the army of devilish beasts surging toward the city wall like a torrential flood, those metamorphosis stage high-grade devilish beasts were also on the front lines.
Even the weakest of these high-grade devilish beasts were at the Spatial Tempering Stage, and there were even a few early-Body Integration Stage devilish beings among them. Under their leadership, the casualties suffered by the devilish army decreased significantly.
Furthermore, those super devilish beasts were also shielding the low-grade devilish beasts, and they were doing so in a very cunning manner, gathering together in groups of four or five and taking turns to shield their brethren on a rotating basis.
Thus, it was very difficult to inflict substantial damage on this army of devilish beasts.
Atop the massive city wall, streaks of spiritual light were raining down in a torrential downpour, and occasionally, a formation would light up on the city, unleashing large-scale attacks that targeted the densest parts of the army of devilish beasts.
Compared to when the devilish army had only been unleashing harassment attacks, the retaliative measures being taken by Deep Heaven City had clearly become more intense.
However, there were simply too many devilish beasts to deal with, and a large proportion of them had great defensive prowess. Many of them were able to continue charging toward the city wall even after taking multiple hits and sustaining severe wounds.
Mountains of devilish beast carcasses quickly piled up at the foot of the city wall, but the devilish beasts continued to charge onward in a completely fearless manner.
As more and more devilish beasts began to reach the restrictions around the city, the protective barrier encompassing Deep Heaven City finally began to show signs of strain.
However, neither the Xue Guang clone nor the elders of Deep Heaven City displayed much of a reaction to this.
Only after a series of cracks had begun to appear on the light barrier did the white-robed elderly man abruptly order, "Activate the formation! Unleash the Four Celestial River Treasures and spare no expense!"
A high-grade cultivator immediately appeared on each of the white altars, then made several hand seals in unison. All of the altars began to emit a buzzing sound, and these cultivators began to chant something while pointing at the treasures sitting on the altars.
In the next instant, the gourd, screen, longsword, and bowl all began to emit a faint ringing sound. Immediately thereafter, five-colored light flashed within the formation, and a burst of astonishing spiritual Qi erupted forth before surging toward the four treasures in a frenzy.
Spiritual light swirled over the surfaces of the four treasures, and they slowly rose up into the air before beginning to display their powers.
The blue bowl and black gourd rotated in mid-air, then tipped themselves over to expel a burst a swathe of blue crystalline sand and a streak of black water, respectively.
The blue sand dispersed downward before the individual grains rapidly multiplied, forming a blue cloud of sand with no end in sight in the blink of an eye. The cloud then descended from above, and tens of thousands of devilish beasts were instantly inundated by it.
The countless grains of sand within the cloud churned, and the devilish beasts felt as if countless sharp blades were slicing into their bodies. All of them were instantly reduced to mincemeat, and even their souls didn't manage to escape.
As for the black water pouring out of the gourd, it transformed into an enormous waterfall with extremely corrosive properties. As it flowed through the army of devilish beasts, countless devilish beasts instantly had their flesh and bones eroded away, reducing them to nothingness in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, the silver longsword transformed into a gargantuan blade that was over 10,000 feet in length, then exploded into thousands of silver sword projections amid a resounding boom.
These sword projections instantly appeared in the air above the devilish beasts, then swept through their ranks with reckless abandon, slicing through their bodies like tofu.
As for the white screen, it was the most understated of the four treasures. It merely swelled to around several acres in size, then silently fell upon the horde of devilish beasts before it. What was very alarming was that when the screen rose up into the air again, all of the devilish beasts beneath it had vanished.
Within mere moments, the screen had erased several thousand devilish beasts from existence, and all of the nearby devilish beasts immediately fled in a panicked manner, not daring to get close to the treasure.
It had only been a short while since the Four Celestial River Treasures had been released, but hundreds of thousands of devilish beasts had already been wiped out. However, the emergence of these treasures was also met by retaliation from the high-grade devilish beings on the battlefield.
Several long cries rang out as a black cloud, a gust of yellow wind, and two streaks of crimson light rose up from behind the army of devilish beasts before hurtling directly toward the four treasures.
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, and he withdrew his spiritual sense. There was no need for him to continue expending his spiritual sense to see what happened next. The Four Celestial River Treasures were indeed extremely powerful, but they were definitely going to be repressed by the high-grade devilish beings, and after that, a true clash of power would ensue between the two sides.
The most powerful beings among the two armies definitely weren't going to join the battle right away; only after one of either the army of devilish beasts or the restrictions of Deep Heaven City had been wiped out would the true battle begin.
Prior to that, all he had to do was wait. He had already decided that he was definitely not going to let that Xue Guang clone leave this battlefield alive.
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Time passed by slowly, and the tremors running through the pavilion continued to persist. The occasional earth-shattering boom could be heard even through the restrictions around the pavilion, and it was quite clear that the battle outside was an extremely intense one.
However, Han Li and the azure-robed men were completely unmoved and continued to sit in silence.
Six hours later, the tremors running through the hall abruptly ceased, but at the same time, a burst of harrowing fluctuations swept forth amid a string of rumbling explosions.
Normal cultivators and low-grade devilish beasts wouldn't be capable of releasing such fluctuations, so it was clear that the high-grade beings of both sides had already sprung into action.
Judging from the intensity of the energy fluctuations and the frequency of the explosions, the devilish army seemed to have deployed all of their elite forces at once. Otherwise, the battle wouldn't be this intense.
Even as these thoughts flashed through Han Li's mind, he remained completely expressionless.
All of a sudden, an ear-piercing screech tore through the restrictions outside and traveled directly into the pavilion, and even Han Li's ears were beginning to throb with pain upon hearing this sound.
His expression changed slightly as he immediately swept a sleeve through the air, releasing a burst of grey light that formed a barrier around the entire hall. He then cast his gaze toward the 36 azure-robed cultivators, upon which he discovered that all of them were groaning with pain with their hands over their heads, and there were faint traces of blood trickling out of their ears.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and he suddenly gave a cold harrumph. The sound was quite a harsh one, but as soon as it traveled into the ears of the 36 cultivators, the agonized looks on their faces were instantly significantly alleviated, and they managed to sit up again.
A long while later, these cultivators finally managed to repress the discomfort they were suffering from by circulating their magic power through their own bodies, and their leader turned to Han Li with a grateful salute. "Thank you, Senior!"
"Don't mention it. I require your assistance, so I naturally won't let any harm befall all of you. Judging from the power of that voice, a devilish lord must've joined the battle. Take this time to recover as much as you can; we won't be staying here for much longer," Han Li said.
"Yes, Senior Han!" The man gave an affirmative reply before hurriedly closing his eyes to meditate once again.
Meanwhile, a contemplative look appeared on Han Li's face, and he released his spiritual sense out of the pagoda again.
At this point, the Four Celestial River Treasures were already nowhere to be seen. As for the massive army of devilish beasts, around 90% of it had been wiped out, and the remaining devilish beasts were all severely wounded.
The super devilish beasts were also close to being completely wiped out, and there were only a little more than several of them left on the battlefield. All of them had extremely frail auras, and it was clear that they wouldn't be able to play much more of a role in this battle.
In the place of the army of devilish beasts was an army of armor-clad devilish beings, of which there were around 7,000,000 to 8,000,000. All of the devilish beings among them who were at the Nascent Soul Stage or above had risen up into the air, while the remaining devilish beings could only charge toward the city wall on foot.
Within a certainly heavily-guarded secret area in Deep Heaven City, there was a super formation that was currently being activated. The formation spanned an area of over 10,000 acres, and it was comprised of over 1,000 smaller formations. The super formation was releasing an invisible flight restriction that encompassed the entirety of Deep Heaven City, as well as the surrounding nearby area.
However, in contrast with normal flight restrictions, this one seemed to only affect devilish beings, while all humans remained immune to its effects.
Unfortunately, the devilish beings were superior to the cultivators guarding the city wall both in numbers and in terms of overall powers, so even with this disadvantage, they were still able to storm onto the wall, where a chaotic battle had ensued.
The protective light barrier around Deep Heaven City had already vanished, and in the air above the city, there were high-grade beings from both sides locked in fierce battles.
Groups of beings who were at the Deity Transformation Stage or above were waging battle in the air, and all types of attacks were clashing overhead amid a constant string of resounding booms, creating a spectacular light show up above.
Among the battles taking place in the air, there were a few that were particularly eye-catching.
In one battle, a black devilish cloud had intertwined with a vast expanse of blue liquid, and they were rapidly rotating to form a giant vortex that was over 100 acres in area.
Loud thunderclaps rang out incessantly from within the vortex, and a blue humanoid figure with blue lightning flashing all over their body was engaged in a fierce battle with an inky-black humanoid figure.
Not far away from the vortex was a massive grey light barrier that encompassed an area in excess of 10,000 feet. Within the light barrier was a giant devilish projection that was expelling gusts of ferocious winds out of its mouth. These gusts of wind then transformed into huge wind blades that swept toward an opposing elderly man, who was wielding a giant fan with both hands.
As he waved the fan through the air, blue and red light surged toward the wind blades before transforming into powerful fire and water-attribute energy, and both sides were evenly matched.
In another battle, there was a black-robed man with a small crimson drum held in one hand high over his own head. He was striking the drum with his other hand, and a burst of red soundwaves were proliferating through the air all around him.
His opponent was a giant devilish bird with the head of a beauty. The bird had an entirely green body with four wings on its back, and it was emitting an ear-piercing screeching sound that managed to hold its own against the red soundwaves.
There were no other human, demonic, or devilish beings within a radius of several kilometers around them, clearly indicating that their soundwave attacks were capable of impacting a huge area.
The sharp screech that had torn through the restrictions around the pagoda that Han Li was situated in had been unleashed by none other than this devilish bird.
Thankfully, both of them were using soundwave attacks that could nullify one another. Otherwise, if their soundwave attacks were to disperse throughout the battlefield, countless casualties would result.
After scouring the battlefield to ensure that the Xue Guang clone hadn't yet joined the battle, Han Li immediately withdrew his spiritual sense.
His mission was only to oppose that Xue Guang clone. Seeing as Deep Heaven City was still able to hold its own against the devilish army, there was no need for him to step in.
As the devilish lords and elders of the city began to enter the fray, the battle became a lot more intense.
There were clearly more devilish lords than the Body Integration Stage elders of Deep Heaven City, but the humans and demons were making up the numbers by sending out groups of Spatial Tempering cultivators, all of whom were wearing strange attire of different vibrant colors.
Derisive smiles appeared on the faces of the devilish lords, yet just as they were about to crush these seemingly mismatched opponents, some of the cultivators suddenly pulled out pills that they quickly stuffed into their own mouths. Immediately thereafter, their bodies expanded drastically in size, and thick fur appeared all over their skin while their teeth transformed into sharp fangs. They had all adopted half-demon forms, and their auras had clearly been significantly elevated as well.
It was clear that the pills they had just taken were meant to stimulate their latent potential.
Meanwhile, another group of cultivators raised their hands to release a series of inky-black bracelets, and in the next instant fierce Yin winds were swept up as a series of huge purple-armored puppets emerged out of thin air.
These puppets had pale faces that were completely devoid of blood and pairs of bright green eyes. This was a batch of extremely rare corpse puppets.
As soon as these corpse puppets appeared, green light flashed through their eyes as they pounced toward several devilish lords up ahead. Hundreds of these puppets had been summoned at once, and as they rushed forward, fierce Yin winds were swept up behind them.
The devilish lords chuckled coldly as they conjured up massive devilish palms to swat the puppets down from the heavens, or expelled streaks of black light out of their mouths to slice the puppets apart with ease.
In the blink of an eye, the army of puppets had been completely wiped out, yet just as the devilish lords were about to attack the cultivators who had summoned those puppets, all of the dismembers puppets suddenly regenerated back to their original condition amid bursts of tumbling black Qi.
Immediately thereafter, these puppets pounced toward the devilish lords again.
"Immortal bodies! These puppets aren't as simple as they look!" one of the devilish lords exclaimed.
Meanwhile, there were several hundred black-robed cultivators seated in an expressionless manner on the ground within a stone pagoda in Deep Heaven City. Before each of them hovered a black wooden puppet that was around half a foot tall, and these wooden puppets had grey runes all over their bodies, as well as faint black Qi swirling all around them.
These cultivators were constantly making different hand seals, causing the puppets to twist and move as if they were living beings.
Just as the devilish lords were reeling from the discovery that these puppets possessed immortal bodies, another group of cultivators abruptly stomped their feet down onto the ground, and a series of massive formation plates emerged beneath them.
Flashes of light immediately appeared around the devilish lords, and these cultivators instantly appeared out of thin air. All of them were holding flags that were flashing with five-colored light, and they were waving the flags through the air as if their lives depended on it.
"Boom!"
A resounding boom rang out as layers of five-colored clouds and mist surged out of the flags in a frenzy to completely inundate the devilish lords.
Within the clouds and mist, silver runes tumbled and surged incessantly, and roars of shock and fury immediately rang out. Bursts of violent auras crashed around from within the restriction, but not even a single devilish lord was able to escape.
However, as a result, the auras were becoming more and more violent, and a string of rumbling booms began to ring out.
Right at this moment, the demonic cultivators who had taken on half-demon forms all summoned golden and silver talismans that they plastered onto their own bodies, and they all transformed into gusts of demonic winds that rushed into the cloud and mist.
The rumbling within the cloud and mist instantly intensified even further, and the demonic and devilish auras clashed and intertwined, seemingly evenly matched with one another.
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With the assistance of the corpse puppets, the half-demon cultivators had managed to trap a total of seven devilish lords.
At the same time, spiritual light flashed inside Deep Heaven City, and over 100 stone pagodas that were tens of thousands of feet tall rose up from the ground before hurtling directly toward the devilish army.
The giant battle arks and devilish pyramid within the devilish army immediately blasted forth countless black pillars of light in retaliation, but five-colored light swirled around the surfaces of the massive pagodas, keeping all of the pillars of light at bay.
As soon as the pagodas reached close to the devilish army, all of their doors were flung open at once, and countless puppets and spirit beasts erupted froth like a swarm of locusts.
The giant arks and devilish pyramid contained a large number of devilish beings as well, and they also emerged to oppose the oncoming enemies.
At this point, Han Li had already withdrawn his spiritual sense, so he was naturally completely oblivious to what was happening outside.
He knew that at this stage of the battle, it wouldn't be long before he and azure-robed cultivators were going to be called upon.
Sure enough, around an hour later, a loud buzzing sound suddenly rang out from the giant formation beneath him, and a burst of white light was released to inundate all of the azure-robed cultivators.
The azure-robed cultivators were initially quite startled by this, and they hurriedly brought out a triangular jade badge each.
Spiritual light of different colors emerged from these jade badges, forming a purple rune that revolved around their bodies.
Han Li's heart stirred upon seeing this, yet before he had a chance to do anything, the white light emanating from the formation swelled drastically, instantly teleporting him away along with the 36 male cultivators.
Moments later, the white light in the formation faded, and Han Li and the others were nowhere to be seen.
At the same time, a giant light formation appeared out of thin air, and Han Li and the 36 male cultivators re-emerged amid a flash of spiritual light.
The positions that the male cultivators had appeared in seemed to have been meticulously planned out in advance, forming an extremely profound formation around Han Li and four other cultivators.
In the instant that Han Li appeared, black Qi swirled all over his body, and he instantly donned a suit of black armor. At the same time, specks of azure light flashed around him, and 72 small azure swords shot forth out of his body.
Only then did he cast his gaze toward the four people before him, among which were the white-haired elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue.
Both of them had several treasures around them, but one was very pale, while the other had bloodstains all over their robes, and it was quite clear that the battle had not treated them well.
In particular, the chest of the white-robed elderly man's robes had been completely torn open, and he was missing an entire arm.
Standing before them was a crimson-robed young man, and a burly bronze-skinned man in a beasthide garment.
The burly man held a mace that was shimmering with green flames while holding a bloody arm in his other hand; that arm seemed to belong to none other than the white-robed elderly man.
The white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's expressions eased slightly at the sight of Han Li and the 36 male cultivators, and both the crimson-robed young man and the burly man also turned to them in unison.
Upon catching sight of Han Li, the young man's eyes were immediately filled with resentment while a dangerous look flashed through the burly man's eyes.
"Fellow Daoist Xue Guang, is this the person you wanted me to target? His cultivation base seems to be higher than you proclaimed," the burly man said as he turned to the young man with a dark expression.
Xue Guang was initially quite stunned by Han Li's improved cultivation base, but an enlightened look then appeared on his face. "This is indeed that Han brat, but he should only be at the mid-Body Integration Stage. Oh, I get it now, he must've been the one making that breakthrough a while back. Rest assured, Brother Xiong, he's only just progressed to the late-Body Integration Stage, so he won't even have had sufficient time to consolidate his cultivation base; it'll be a simple matter for you to take care of him."
"Are you sure he's the one who made that breakthrough? If another late-Body Integration cultivator shows up, you'll be in huge trouble," the burly man said as he turned to Han Li with a sinister smile.
"Even if there's another late-Body Integration cultivator, I'll take care of them; you just worry about taking down this Han brat for me," Xue Guang replied in a cold voice.
"Hehe, in that case, I have nothing else to say; just leave this human brat to me. It looks like you'll have your hands full dealing with this formation," the burly man said with a nonchalant look on his face.
The formation that he was referring to was none other than the formation conjured up by the 36 male cultivators as soon as they'd appeared.
The formation consisted of layers of azure light barriers with countless silver runes surging over their surfaces, and it encompassed the entire surrounding area with a radius of several kilometers.
"A temporary formation set up by a bunch of Deity Transformation cultivators won't be able to trouble me," Xue Guang said in a disdainful manner.
"This formation and that human brat are most likely the trump cards prepared against you by the humans; it's not as simple as it looks," the burly man said with a shake of his head.
"Oh, I forgot that you were quite well-versed in the art of formations as well. Is there something special about this formation?" Xue Guang asked in a surprised manner.
"I can't see much in such a short time; all I was able to ascertain is that this formation is most likely a spatial restriction," the burly man replied.
"A spatial formation? That is indeed a little troublesome. Thank you for your words of caution, Brother Xiong," Xue Guang said as his expression darkened slightly.
Just as the two devilish beings were communicating with one another, Han Li turned to the white-robed elderly man with furrowed brows, and asked, "What's going on here, Brother Gu? Why are you two here, and in such bad condition, at that? Who is this late-Body Integration Stage devilish lord?"
Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but a chill had run down his spine in the instant that he had caught sight of the burly devilish lord.
A wry smile appeared on the white-robed elderly man's face, and he replied with a hint of lingering fear in his eyes, "Things seem to be more troublesome than expected, Brother Han. We have no idea where this devilish lord came from, and we don't have any information on him. Fellow Daoist Jin and I had tried to split up the two of them before summoning you here, but this devilish lord is far more powerful than we anticipated. Fellow Daoist Jin was severely wounded after just a single attack, and one of my arms was torn off as well. Never did I think that there would be such a monstrous Body Integration Stage being; it's almost like he's..."
Buddhist Master Jin Yue took over from where the white-robed elderly man had left off. "It's almost like he's a half-step Grand Ascension Stage being! You have to be careful, Brother Han; this devilish lord is most likely going to be far more difficult to deal with than that Sacred Ancestor clone. All of our other Body Integration cultivators are occupied, including even the Body Integration Stage elders who had been in seclusion in the city for countless years and the envoys sent here by the holy island, so we're the only ones who can take on these two devilish beings. If we lose, this battle will also be lost."
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he released his spiritual sense throughout the surrounding area, upon which he discovered that there were indeed several unfamiliar auras who were battling inky black devils with three heads and six arms each.
"Those are elder devils!" Han Li exclaimed at the sight of those black devils.
"Indeed, those are devilish beings with the purest devilish bloodline; at the same cultivation base, these Body Integration Stage elder devils are even more powerful than other devilish lords. If it weren't for the emergence of these fearsome devils, we wouldn't have been forced to summon you here early," the white-robed elderly man said with a dark expression.
"I see. I assume you would like me to take on this late-Body Integration Stage devilish lord, but what about that Sacred Ancestor clone?" Han LI asked.
The white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue exchanged a glance before the former gritted his teeth, and said, "With this spatial formation to assist us, we should be able to at least keep this clone occupied for a while; you can focus wholeheartedly on facing this devilish lord, Brother Han."
Blue light flashed through Han Li's eyes upon hearing this, and he cast his gaze toward the burly man.
The burly devilish man just so happened to be looking at him as well, and their eyes immediately met.
The deranged excitement on the burly man's face gradually became more pronounced, and faint silver light was shimmering within his pupils.
All of a sudden, the burly man rushed forward and appeared at the center of the light barrier, then tossed the elderly man's arm into the air before lashing out with his mace.
A resounding boom rang out as the dismembered arm rained down from above as scraps of flesh and blood, filling the entire light barrier with a strong bloody odor.
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As soon as the blood rained down onto the burly man, it transformed into vibrant red patterns that spread all over his skin. As a result, it was as if the burly man had donned a crimson runed garment, which created quite a peculiar sight to behold.
The white-robed elderly man's expression darkened significantly upon seeing this, but the burly man paid no heed to him at all as he made an extremely arrogant provocative hand gesture toward Han Li.
Han Li knew that a battle was unavoidable, and he immediately turned to the pair of elders. "As we discussed just now, leave this devilish lord to me, but make sure you get that Xue Guang clone far away from here; I don't want any other unforeseeable factors to affect my battle."
As soon as his voice trailed off, he vanished into thin air without waiting for a reply from the two elders, then re-emerged amid a flash of azure light several hundred feet away from the burly man.
A ferocious light flashed through the burly man's eyes, and he swung his mace toward Han Li without any hesitation.
The green devilish flames on the mace swept forth as a wall of flames that was over 100 feet tall, hurtling directly toward Han Li with devastating might.
At the same time, the burly man clenched his other hand into a fist and also launched it toward Han Li from afar in what seemed to be a completely harmless and nonchalant manner.
Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this, and the azure flying swords around him conjured up layers of azure light barriers that flew directly toward the wall of flames, and at the same time, he reached a fist out of one of his sleeves.
The fist was shimmering with golden light and looked as if it had been forged from gold, and there were faint golden runes surging all over it.
This was a clear indication that he was close to reaching full mastery in his Provenance True Devil Arts.
In the instant that the azure light barriers came into contact with the wall of flames, a string of erratic cracks and pops rang out, and azure light and green flames instantly exploded like exuberant fireworks.
All of a sudden, an earth-shattering boom rang out near the wall of flames and azure light barriers, and a gust of fierce green winds emerged alongside a golden fist projection without any warning.
The two clashed violently, sending devastating shockwaves proliferating outward in all directions, causing the entire heavens to tremor and quake.
Both Han Li and the burly man shuddered as they took several involuntary steps backward. As opposed to being alarmed by this, the excitement on the burly man's face only grew more pronounced, and he let loose a loud roar as he abruptly tossed his mace up into the air, then made a rapid string of hand seals before pointing a finger up at the weapon.
The devilish flames on the surface of the mace instantly reared up before transforming into eight green fiery wyrms that pounced directly toward Han Li. Each wyrm was over 300 feet in length with a single purple horn on each of their heads and green flames surging out of their mouths.
Han Li immediately made a hand seal upon seeing this, and the azure sword projections around him converged to form a massive sword at his behest before sweeping through the air.
A resounding thunderclap rang out as countless golden arcs of lightning erupted out of the giant sword in a frenzy. The eight fiery wyrms were instantly sliced in half by the massive sword, then reduced to devilish flames again by the formidable golden lightning.
In the next instant, the giant azure sword vanished into thin air before instantly reappearing directly above the burly man's head amid a burst of spatial fluctuations.
The sword was over 1,000 feet in length with golden lightning revolving all over its surface, and as it crashed down from above, a burst of enormous invisible pressure began to descend upon the burly man.
In response, the burly man's expression darkened slightly as brilliant crimson light suddenly appeared over one of his arms, and he swept the arm upward to conjure up a dazzling crimson sun. The giant azure sword was instantly destroyed amid a resounding boom, and it seemed that this crimson light was imbued with some kind of incredible power.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing this, and he suddenly made a grabbing motion with both hands. Azure light flashed within his grasp, and two azure sword projections appeared before combining to form a giant azure sword again.
He flicked his wrists, and the massive sword in his hands split up into 72 small swords once again before revolving around his body.
The burly man chuckled coldly, and the dazzling crimson light on his arm faded as a piece of strange crimson armor appeared over his entire arm.
The piece of armor had intricate patterns on its surface that were identical to the crimson patterns previously seen on his arm, as if the armor had been manifested from those patterns in the first place.
It was quite alarming to Han Li that such a nondescript-looking piece of armor was able to destroy the giant sword projection he had unleashed so easily.
All of a sudden, the burly man pointed a finger forward once again, and the green devilish flames surged before transforming into a giant eight-headed devilish wyrm projection. The massive projection encompassed virtually the entire sky, and it pounced directly toward Han Li, aiming to tear his body into shreds.
In the face of such a ferocious counterattack, Han Li remained completely expressionless and didn't even move in the slightest. However, a golden pillar of light suddenly erupted into the air behind him, and within the pillar of light was a projection with three heads and six arms.
The projection swung its six arms through the air, and a series of golden fist projections immediately hurtled through the air, completely destroying the oncoming devilish wyrm.
The golden light then faded, and the devilish projection gained a substantial form as it hovered high above Han Li's head, appraising the burly man up ahead in a completely expressionless manner.
The burly man faltered initially upon seeing this before a hint of bloodlust flashed through his eyes. "Oh? This golden body seems to be related to the cultivation arts of our holy race. Looks like I really will be able to enjoy a good battle here!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, countless balls of inky-black devilish Qi surfaced all over his body, and the crimson patterns on his skin instantly began to glow.
After the black Qi dispersed, a full suit of crimson armor had appeared over the burly man's body.
He threw his head back and guffawed as he slammed his own fists together in front of himself, and a devilish projection that was around 100 feet tall appeared behind him as well.
Immediately thereafter, the burly man abruptly vanished amid a gust of fierce winds, and Han Li's pupils instantly contracted upon seeing this as a pair of translucent wings appeared on his back amid a loud thunderclap.
He flapped the wings gently, and countless silver arcs of lightning sprang forth, following which he and the Provenance Golden Body vanished into thin air as well.
In the next instant, two humanoid figures emerged nearby, and one of them had fearsome lightning crackling all over his body, while the other was enveloped in a cloud of formidable devilish Qi.
Both of them were simultaneous cultivators with immense confidence in their own physical bodies, and a string of violent clashes ensued.
Not only were Han Li and the burly man engaged in a physical brawl, they were also attacking one another with different treasures and abilities, and they seemed to be evenly matched.
The white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue were both stunned and ecstatic to see this.
They already had a very high opinion of Han Li, but they didn't think that he would actually have the power to contend with this burly devilish man.
In contrast with the elation in their eyes, the Xue Guang clone's expression darkened even further, and a vicious light flashed through his eyes as he suddenly raised a hand to release something.
However, right at this moment, a white light formation abruptly emerged beneath him before immediately releasing a burst of spatial fluctuations.
"Crap!"
The Xue Guang clone had the knowledge and experience of a Grand Ascension Stage powerful being, and it immediately tried to rush out of the formation, but it was already too late.
The space around him warped, and the surrounding environment changed drastically as he found himself in a strange space that was filled with faint white mist.
Within the same space, the white-robed elderly man and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue were appraising him with grim expressions.
"Hmph, you two dare to try and stop me? So be it, I'll take care of both of you, then go after that Han brat," the Xue Guang clone said as a hint of killing intent flashed through his cold eyes.
The white-robed elderly man turned to Buddhist Monk Jin Yue with a calm expression, and said, "Looks like we'll really have to give it our all here, Fellow Daoist Jin. If you have any abilities or treasures that you've been hiding, now would be the time to bring them out. Either he dies in here, or we die!"
"Of course. I'm going to keep this devil here even if I have to give my life to do so!" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said with a determined look in his eyes.
"Haha, that's all I needed to hear," the white-robed elderly man chortled as he suddenly flipped his hands over to reveal a pair of treasures.
One of them was a fan refined from seven-colored feathers that was glowing with red light, while the other was a string of five shimmering silver interconnected rings.
"Sevenflame Fan and Unbroken Rings! You really are hiding some powerful spirit treasures, Brother Gu!" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's eyes immediately lit up with elation at the sight of these two treasures.
Immediately thereafter, he swept his own kasaya through the air to release a torrent of countless Buddhist runes, which then transformed into 18 golden Buddha projections.
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