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Halos of light proliferated forth from these formation flags before forming a massive spherical ball of light that shielded them within. The ball of light appeared to have impressive defensive capabilities, but all of the Flying Spirit beings within it were still in complete despair as they looked on at the approaching sea of wind.

In the face of this vastly renowned silver tide, even their protective formation wouldnt be able to last for very long, this was something that had been verified by countless other people who had fallen to this disaster.

In the face of this silver tide, there was virtually no chance of survival for anyone below the Deity Transformation Stage. Even Deity Transformation Stage beings would have to look to the heavens for a chance to survive such an ordeal.

The only beings who could save so many of them at once were late-Spatial Tempering or Body Integration Stage beings, but the chances of such a powerful being coincidentally passing through this area at this time were next to zero.

The group was led by a man and a woman, both of whom were at the late-Nascent Soul Stage. The two of them discussed the situation in a panicked manner, but it was clear from their strained expressions that their discussion hadnt yielded any fruits.

At this point, the silver tide was only around 10 kilometers away from them, and it was going to inundate them in an instant. However, right at this moment, one of the Flying Spirit beings suddenly yelled in an elated manner, Look, there seems to be someone in that silver tide!

The other Flying Spirit beings were startled to hear this, and they hurriedly turned toward the same direction.

Sure enough, there was indeed a speck of azure light within the silver tide, and the azure light seemed to contain a humanoid figure.

However, due to the disruptive and chaotic worlds origin Qi within the silver tide, the Flying Spirit beings were unable to identify the person within the azure light using their spiritual sense.

From where they were situated, they could see that the speck of azure light was flying in an extremely stable manner, completely disregarding the lightning and hailstones within the sea of wind.

The Flying Spirit beings felt as if a savior had been sent down from the heavens!

The two late-Nascent Soul Stage Flying Spirit beings glanced at one another before immediately letting loose a long cry in unison.

Their contrasting feminine and masculine voices complemented one another and managed to drown out the rumbling within the silver tide.

Their voices were also changing in pitch in a rhythmic manner, this was a special SOS signal among the Flying Spirit Race.

As long as the other person within the silver tide wasnt deaf, they would definitely notice this group of Flying Spirit beings.

Sure enough, the speck of azure light faltered momentarily as soon as the long cry rang out, and the humanoid figure within the azure light turned toward the group in a surprised manner.

Which branch of the Flying Spirit Race do you belong to? How did you end up here? An unfamiliar male voice suddenly rang out from within the ball of light around the group, and it was clearly audible to everyone.

The male late-Nascent Soul Stage Flying Spirit being was ecstatic, and he hurriedly yelled, We are disciples of the Five Color, White Jade, and Tian Peng Races, and we came here for training! Never did we think that we would encounter a silver tide, please save us, Senior!

However, the unfamiliar man remained silent for a long while thereafter, and didnt transmit his voice to them again.

This made the hearts of the Flying Spirit beings sink once again.

If the man wasnt confident in his ability to save all of them in this silver tide, then he naturally wouldnt take the risk to save them at his own expense.

However, he didnt depart right away and seemed to be rather hesitant, so the hope in their hearts wasnt completely dashed.

At this point, the sea of wind had already engulfed them, and the ball of light around them was being pelted by countless hailstones and struck by a barrage of lightning.

Thunderclaps and earth-shattering rumbling immediately rang out, and the seemingly secure ball of light began to tremor violently, looking as if it could shatter at any moment.

The Flying Spirit beings were extremely alarmed by this, and the two late-Nascent Soul Stage beings among them immediately let loose loud cries. In response, everyone tightened their grip around the formation flags they were holding, and injected their spiritual power into the flags with all their might.

Thus, the spherical barrier was stabilized once again, but they clearly couldnt keep up this level of magic power expenditure for too long, so their hopes for survival still hinged on that man in the distance.

Finally, the unfamiliar male voice rang out again. Alright, seeing as there are Tian Peng beings in your group, I cant just stand by idly and watch. Ill take you out of this place.

The Flying Spirit beings were naturally ecstatic, yet before they had a chance to transmit their voices in response, a particularly loud thunderclap suddenly rang out from above them.

Thick bolts of lightning flashed violently before intertwining to form a silver lightning formation that had a diameter in excess of 100 feet.

At the center of the lightning formation, an azure-robed man with a pair of translucent wings on his back appeared.

He looked down in a cold manner before making a hand seal, and a string of loud thunderclaps rang out as the lightning formation descended from above.

In the instant that the lightning formation came into contact with the spherical light barrier, the latter was torn apart with ease, and the Flying Spirit beings were greatly alarmed by this.

Before they had a chance to react, their vision was completely inundated by silver light, and they were struck by a rush of dizziness before vanishing into thin air within the lightning formation.

In the next instant, a loud thunderclap erupted thousands of kilometers away, above a section of the ocean that the silver tide hadnt yet reached, and the lightning formation re-emerged out of thin air.

The trapped Flying Spirit beings had all been teleported to this place by the lightning formation.

Upon escaping from what they had thought to be certain death, they looked around in a bewildered manner before immediately bursting into loud cries of elation upon discovering that they had truly been saved.

The male late-Nascent Soul Stage Flying Spirit being looked up at the azure-robed man hovering in the air above them, and said, Thank you for saving our lives, Senior, are you perhaps an elder of the Tian Peng Race? He was completely unable to glean the azure-robed mans cultivation base, and he immediately extended a respectful bow as he spoke.

Everyone else in the group had naturally also discovered that their savior was standing above them, and they hurriedly extended respectful bows as well.

The azure-robed man appeared to only be in his twenties, and he replied with a faint smile, Hehe, of course not. Its just that I have some ties with the Tian Peng Race, so I cant just stand by and watch as members of the Tian Peng Race perish right under my nose.

This man was naturally none other than Han Li, who had finally reached the territory of the Flying Spirit Race after traveling for over 80 years.

His current powers were comparable to those of a late-Body Integration Stage being, so he didnt encounter any true peril during this journey, but he did encounter quite a few obstacles along the way nonetheless.

He was forced to skirt around several extremely perilous regions, which extended his journey by over 10 years, and only then did he arrive in this place.

None of the Flying Spirit beings in the group were all that powerful, but they seemed to hold rather important statuses within the Flying Spirit Race. The female late-Nascent Soul Stage being among them had a pair of five-colored wings, so she was clearly a member of the Five Color Race, and she said in a respectful manner, In any case, we owe you our lives. Would you be able to grace us with the knowledge of your esteemed name? Well be sure to notify our elders of this so they can thank you for your actions!

Theres no need to thank me, I just so happened to be passing through this place, and it was a simple task for me to save your group. However, Ive been cultivating in the primordial world for a long time, so I dont know too much about the situation in the Flying Spirit Race, would you be able to fill me in on the events that have taken place in the past few centuries? Han Li asked.

The Five Color woman replied, Of course. During these past few centuries, many major events have taken place in our Flying Spirit Race, but the most prominent of those events by far is that our Flying Spirit Race finally conquered the earth abyss following the sudden disappearance of the demon monarchs there.

Han Li was quite surprised to hear this, but his expression remained unchanged as he said, The earth abyss was conquered? That is indeed quite a major event. Tell me about that in detail.

Yes, Senior. This is quite a long story, and I have to begin by telling you about the holy disciple trials that took place several hundred years ago… Thus, the woman began her recount.

Not long after that, azure light flashed from Han Lis body, and he flew away from the group of Flying Spirit beings, quickly vanishing into the distance.

Following Han Lis departure, the male Late-Nascent Soul Stage Flying Spirit being suddenly said with furrowed brows, Junior Martial Sister Xuan, do you think itll be an issue that we revealed that much information to that man?

What do you mean by that, Brother Mian? the Five Color woman asked in a slightly taken aback manner.

The man hesitated momentarily before replying, Its just that that Senior never told us his name, and none of us have ever seen him before, so he may not be a member of our Flying Spirit Race.

Surely not! That senior clearly also has a pair of spirit wings, and he appeared in this area, so how could he not be a member of our Flying Spirit Race? someone else in the group countered.

Indeed, that senior proclaims that he has some ties with the Tian Peng Race, and hes able to control lightning, which is one of the signature abilities of the Tian Peng Race. On top of that, if he really were an imposter trying to infiltrate our Flying Spirit Race, then why did he save us? If he only wanted to gather information from us, then he wouldve killed us before his departure so we wouldnt spread word of this meeting. I think youre being a little too paranoid, Brother Mian, the Five Color Woman said with a nonchalant smile.

The man still wasnt entirely convinced, but he forced a smile onto his face and nodded in response. Perhaps so.

The Five Color woman continued, Even if he really were a foreign being, everything I disclosed to him is common knowledge to the members of our race, so I didnt tell him any confidential secrets, which means theres nothing to worry about. For now, our top priority should be to get far away from this place. If the silver tide catches up to us again, then well truly fall to our demise.

Indeed, its best for us to get away from here as quickly as possible.

Youre right, Senior Martial Sister Xuan. The man who just saved us clearly possesses unfathomable powers, even if he really is a foreign being, its not like we can do anything about him. We should focus on ensuring our own safety.

The other Flying Spirit beings chimed in in agreement, and some of them even began to look around with fear in their eyes.

In the air above a boundless yellow desert, there was a bronze battle carriage drawn by a pair of giant silver falcons, flashing with faint azure light as it flew along at a low altitude.

All of a sudden, the man on the carriage raised an arm before waving a hand through the air, and spatial fluctuations erupted from beneath the carriage, following which a streak of azure sword Qi that was over 100 feet emerged out of nowhere, then slashed downward in a vicious manner.

The massive sword then vanished in a flash into the yellow sand down below, following which an earth-shattering roar erupted, and the nearby sand immediately erupted upward like a reverse waterfall.

Within the yellow sand, a giant ancient beast that was over 1,000 feet in length emerged. The beast resembled an enormous silkworm, and its body only managed to writhe desperately a few times in the air before it suddenly separated into several segments and crashed downward amid a torrential downpour of green blood.

Meanwhile, the battle carriage merely continued onward without pause and vanished into the distance after just a few flashes.

Throughout this entire process, Han Lis eyes remained shut as he sat within the carriage with his eyes crossed. After putting an end to that giant ancient beast, he lowered his arm again and continued to cultivate.

…

Deep within a certain unknown sea, there was a massive palace, and in the secret chamber of that palace was a giant crimson cocoon suspended in mid-air. The cocoon had a diameter of around 70 to 80 feet, and countless crimson threads were being released by this cocoon. These crimson threads spread over every corner of the entire secret chamber, leaving not even a single pocket of space untouched.

The crimson cocoon itself was semi-transparent, and peering at it through all of the crimson threads from afar, one could make out a black shadow within the cocoon that was constantly fluctuating in size. If one were to draw a little closer to it, theyd be greeted by the sound of a periodic dull thump, resembling a rhythmic and powerful, yet extremely slow heartbeat.

…

In the air above a certain massive canyon on the Tian Yuan Continent, a white-robed beauty and a hideous black-robed man were hovering in mid-air, tightly surrounded by tens of thousands of foreign beings.

These foreign beings all had green skin with extremely long necks, and their front limbs were like pairs of sharp blades, they resembled a series of giant praying mantises!

The valley below was already piled full of countless corpses of their brethren, creating a very harrowing sight to behold.

The black-robed man didnt have any traces of blood on his body, but he was releasing enormous baleful Qi, and both sides of his face were covered in black scales the size of copper coins. He had also rolled up his sleeves to reveal a pair of inky-black arms, and his hands transformed into 10 sharp blades, giving him a very menacing appearance.

In contrast, the white-robed woman was standing atop a giant pink flower with an extremely calm and tranquil expression.

Even though there were only two of them, the tens of thousands of foreign beings around them could only look on in shock and fury, yet they didnt dare to approach the duo.

Ill say this one more time: hand over the holy flower of your Green Limb Race, and Ill leave right away. Otherwise, you leave me no choice but to kill all of you, then go and take the holy flower for myself, the white-robed woman said in a nonchalant voice, as if committing genocide were merely a commonplace activity for her.

The leader of the foreign beings had skin that was of a slightly darker color than his brethren, and he cast a resentful gaze toward the black-robed man as he said, The holy flower is the most precious treasure of our race, how can we hand it over to outsiders? You do indeed possess extraordinary powers, Senior, but this is a request we cannot fulfill.

He was a mid-Body Integration Stage being, and that already made him the most powerful one among his brethren. There were three early-Body Integration Stage Green Limb beings standing behind him, and all of them also had resentment and fury burning in their eyes.

During the horrendous scenes that had just ensued, they were completely powerless, immobilized by the white-robed womans overwhelming aura while the black-robed man slaughtered their brethren in droves.

Their brethren resisted with all their might, but over 1,000 of them were still slaughtered in a very short time. The astonishing powers and vicious methods of this duo evoked within them burning fury, but also a crippling sense of powerlessness.

They knew that their race was truly on the brink of being wiped out.

I dont care about all that. Either you hand over the holy flower, or Ill erase your entire race from the Spirit Realm, you have no alternative options, the white-robed woman said in a completely cold and emotionless manner.

The grand elder of the Green Limb Race hesitated for a long while before replying, Dont you think its unbefitting of a Grand Ascension Stage being like you to force your will on a small race like ours?

Dont try to goad me, the holy flower of your race is extremely useful to me, so Im taking it no matter what. Dont think that you can somehow talk your way out of this. Ill count to 10, if you dont hand over the holy flower by then, then Ill have to take it for myself, the white-robed woman said with a smile, but all of the Green Limb beings hearts sank at the sight of her beautiful smile.

One.

Two.

The white-robed woman really did begin her countdown. Her voice was extremely delightful and pleasant to the ears, but to the surrounding Green Limb beings, it sounded like death knocking on their doors.

Alright, Ill hand over the holy flower! the Green Limb Race grand elder finally said in a feeble and resigned manner.

Thats a very wise decision! As long as youre willing to hand over the holy flower, I naturally wont trouble your race any further, the white-robed woman said with a smile as she tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

The rest of the process was very simple. Under the instructions of the Green Limb Race grand elder, one of the Green Limb beings immediately descended into the valley and paid a visit to the restricted area of the Green Limb Race.

Close to an hour later, the Green Limb being returned and offered a green wooden box to the white-robed woman with a look of grief and indignation on his face.

The woman didnt even open the box, she merely swept her spiritual sense toward it for a brief moment, following which her face immediately fell. The black-robed man stirred upon seeing this, and a vicious look reappeared in his eyes.

This was quite an alarming sight to the surrounding Green Limb beings, and they immediately tensed up, anticipating more slaughter from this heartless duo.

Thankfully, in the next instant, the white-robed woman merely issued an instruction to the black-robed man to depart from this place, following which her giant pink flower carried her away as a ball of red light.

The black-robed man immediately followed along behind her as a cloud of black Qi.

Moments later, both of them had vanished into the distance, and all of the Green Limb beings heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Even though they had lost their holy flower, for a weak race like theirs, it was already quite fortunate that they had managed to avoid being completely wiped out.

The grand elder issued an order, and all of the Green Limb beings immediately flew down into the valley to clean up the remains of their brethren.

Meanwhile, the white-robed woman and black-robed man were already tens of thousands of kilometers away.

After flying for a while, the black-robed man couldnt help but ask, Sacred Ancestor, is this holy flower not the item that youre looking for?

No, its only a spirit flower thats similar in outward appearance to the one Im looking for. Its still an extremely rare spirit item in this realm, but its not very useful to me at all, the white-robed woman replied in a calm voice.

So our efforts were futile once again, the black-robed man sighed in a disappointed manner.

That thing is not so easy to find. Weve already searched through the major races in this nearby area, its time to move on to neighboring areas. The Tian Yuan Continent, isnt much larger than the Thunder Continent, but there are several times as many races on this continent compared to the Thunder Continent, so it will take quite some time to search through them one by one, the white-robed woman replied.

Yes, Mistress, the black-robed man replied in a respectful manner before falling silent, not daring to ask any further questions.

…

80 years later, a group of Flying Spirit beings were flapping their wings with all their might, flying rapidly over a vast blue ocean.

The group was comprised of both men and women, but they were all very young, and most of them were at the Core Formation Stage, with even the most powerful ones among them only at the Nascent Soul Stage.

As they desperately flew through the air, they were constantly looking behind themselves with horrified looks in their eyes.

In the distance, a silver thread suddenly appeared, and it began to close in on them at a rate that was discernible to the naked eye. An incessant burst of rumbling also rang out from within the silver thread, and the horror on the faces of the Flying Spirit beings were even further exacerbated.

All of them began to expel mouthfuls of blood essence, or unleashed life-saving secret techniques, or summoned all types of treasures and talismans.

As a result, all of these Flying Spirit beings accelerated drastically, but even so, they only managed to just barely maintain around the same speed as the silver thread.

After flying for close to two more hours, the Flying Spirit beings were finally running out of magic power and began to slow down once again.

The silver thread behind them immediately surged forth, closing much of the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

Upon closer inspection, one would find that the silver thread was a sea of powerful winds with no end in sight, and it was hurtling toward them at an incredible speed.

Not only was the sea of wind extremely broad, it encompassed the entire sky in the distance, and there were countless bolts of lightning and hailstones within it. An incessant rumbling rang out from the sea of wind, and it was extremely menacing to behold.

The Flying Spirit beings were only less than 100 kilometers away from the sea of wind, and they would be swept up by the winds in mere moments. Expressions of despair appeared on everyones faces.

They had embarked on this journey out to sea as part of their training, only to encounter the silver tide disaster that was vastly renowned in this area of the sea. In the face of such a disaster, their chances of survival were very slim.

Even so, they naturally werent going to just give up and resign themselves to their fates.

One of the Nascent Soul Stage Flying Spirit beings let loose a loud roar, and everyone gritted their teeth as they stopped fleeing. They then quickly formed a strange formation before each pulling a formation flag out of their storage bracelets and waving them in a desperate manner.

Youre far too kind, Brother Han, it was the restrictions you set up in advance that limited the phenomenon. Otherwise, I wouldnt have been able to do anything with my powers alone, the Ice Phoenix chuckled.

So you really did progress to the mid-Body Integration Stage! Thats fantastic! You wont even have to fear late-Body Integration cultivators now, Master, Hai Yuetian exclaimed in an excited manner.

What nonsense are you spouting? I cant compare with late-Body Integration cultivators. By the way, you came back at just the right time. Im planning to venture into the primordial world soon, and even if everything goes smoothly, itll most likely be a century or two before I return. Prior to my departure, I have to see you and your martial brother and martial sister so I can give you some guidance in your future cultivation. The three of you have to strive to become a lot more powerful prior to the commencement of the devilish tribulation. I heard from Fairy Phoenix that Qi Lingzi has already reached the Nascent Soul Stage, and Guoer has also progressed to the late-Core Formation Stage, so shell be able to manifest a Nascent Soul within the next 100 years as well. In contrast, youre progressing far too slowly, Han Li said in a serious manner.

Hai Yuetian was rather alarmed by the serious tone of Han Lis voice, and he countered, But Master, Im a simultaneous cultivator, so its only normal for me to progress slightly slower, I havent slacked off in my cultivation at all.

Im naturally aware of how difficult simultaneous cultivation is, but do you think the elder devils will care about your hardships? Only by becoming more powerful can you ensure your own survival during the devilish tribulation, Han Li scolded.

Hai Yuetian didnt dare to argue any further, and he replied, Yes, Master, Ill be sure to work harder on my cultivation.

Alright, Im going to notify Qi Lingzi and Guoer through the Myriad Distance Talismans to return as quickly as possible. In the meantime, Ill instruct you in your cultivation, so dont go back to Deep Heaven City just yet. For now though, I have something to discuss with Fairy Phoenix in private, Ill speak to you later, Han Li instructed.

Yes, Master, Hai Yuetian immediately replied in a respectful manner before exiting the hall.

Following his departure, Han Li turned to the Ice Phoenix with a smile, and said, Congratulations, Fairy Phoenix, not only have you recovered your past cultivation base, youve even made further improvements.

Its all thanks to you, Brother Han. Without your generous supply of pills, theres no way I couldve recovered to this extent so quickly. However, my progress is nothing when compared to yours, Brother Han. Progressing from the early-Body Integration Stage to the mid-body Integration Stage in just a few centuries is truly an astonishing feat. I presume youre planning to attempt a breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage prior to the commencement of the devilish tribulation, the Ice Phoenix said with a smile.

Hehe, I do indeed plan to do that. Ill most likely have to borrow your Heavenly Phoenix Origin Yin Qi when the time comes, Han Li replied.

Rest assured, Brother Han, I should also be at the pinnacle of the Deity Transformation Stage by then, and my Origin Yin Qi will be even more effective for you at that point. However, even though my cultivation base is nowhere near your level, through reading the tomes in the cave abode, Ive learned about just how difficult it is to break through to the late-Body Integration Stage. How confident are you in making this breakthrough, Brother Han? the Ice Phoenix asked.

Hehe, our human race has over 100 Body Integration cultivators, but less than 10 of them have reached the late-Body Integration Stage. All of the fellow Daoists who have reached that level are exceptional talents, so I certainly wouldnt dare to proclaim that I have any chance of progressing to that stage. All I can do is give everything I have, Han Li replied in an ambiguous manner.

Hehe, if someone else had said this to me, then Id believe them, but seeing as its Brother Han were talking about, Im sure youre at least 30% to 40% confident in your ability to reach the late-Body Integration Stage, the Ice Phoenix said with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before bursting into laughter. Haha, if thats what you want to think, then I certainly cant say anything to change your mind.

Speaking of your plans to make a breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage, I must say that its not a wise decision to leave the human race for so long at a time like this. The devilish tribulation is imminent, and we may have forged an alliance with the neighboring few races, but thatll only make the primordial world around the territories of these races even more chaotic, the Ice Phoenix continued as a concerned look appeared on her face.

Im naturally aware of that, but this journey is an extremely important one, and its one that I must undertake, Han Li replied with a serious expression.

In that case, Im sure you have your reasons, and I wont try to dissuade you. However, youve only just made a breakthrough to the mid-Body Integration Stage, so Id advise you to consolidate your cultivation base before embarking on your journey, the Ice Phoenix said with a wry smile.

Thanks for your concern, Fairy Phoenix. I have no intention of leaving right away, itll be at least two to three years before I embark on this journey. During this time, Ill have to trouble you to look after my three disciples, Han Li said with a smile.

Hehe, even if you didnt ask, I wouldve been sure to instruct them diligently, so you can rest assured, Brother Han, the Ice Phoenix replied with a smile.

Han Li was ecstatic to hear this, and he said, Then Ill have to thank you in advance, Fairy Phoenix. By the way, following my departure, if you encounter some insurmountable problems, you can take the identification item I gave you and seek out the Gu Family or Buddhist Monk Jin Yue of Deep Heaven City…

…

Two months later, Qi Lingzi hurried back to Han Lis cave abode from Deep Heaven City, and Bai Guoer also returned after half a year.

Thus, the three disciples were instructed by Han Li in person, and all of the questions they had in their cultivation were quickly resolved.

Thanks to Han Lis efforts to keep this information confidential, the outside world remained completely oblivious to the fact that he had progressed to the mid-Body Integration Stage.

Hence, three years passed by in a flash.

On this day, the gate of the cave abode was slowly opened, and Han Li emerged in his usual set of azure robes, followed closely by the Ice Phoenix and his three in-name disciples.

Theres no need to accompany me any further than this, Fairy Phoenix. In my absence, you three have to make sure to work hard in your cultivation. If you encounter any problems, you can consult with Fairy Phoenix, Han Li said to his three disciples after cupping his fist in a salute toward the Ice Phoenix.

Yes, Master, well be sure to remain conscientious in our cultivation.

Have a smooth journey, Brother Han.

The three disciples all extended deep respectful bows, while the Ice Phoenix also extended a parting curtsey.

Han Li nodded before azure light flashed from his body, and he didnt say anything further before rising up into the air. Moments later, he had vanished into the distance.

The Ice Phoenix withdrew her gaze before turning to Han Lis three disciples. Lets go back. Hopefully, your master will be back soon. Dont be in a hurry to leave the cave abode, make sure to thoroughly digest all of the information that your master taught you first.

The trio naturally gave affirmative replies, following which the four of them returned to the cave abode. The azure stone gate fell shut once again, and peace and quiet returned to the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, the azure streak of light flew away at a rapid speed, and within it, Han Li was contemplating something with a peculiar look in his eyes.

All of a sudden, he rustled a sleeve, and a ball of golden light shot forth from within before revolving around him.

He made a grabbing motion, and a buzzing sound rang out from the golden light before it was drawn into his grasp. The golden light then faded to reveal a menacing fist-sized beetle.

The beetle was of a shimmering golden color and was completely identical in appearance to his usual mature Gold Devouring Beetles, except it had vibrant colorful patterns all over its body.

Han Li stared at the insect before suddenly whistling at it, and the beetle abruptly spread its wings, then flapped them rapidly while the vibrant patterns all over its body lit up with piercing radiance.

An incredible scene then ensued.

The patterns on the beetles body warped and twisted, and it gradually became transparent, blending into the spiritual light around it.

Han Li raised his hand, and the spirit insect rose up into the air before vanishing in a flash, as if it had never appeared in the first place.

A faint smile appeared on Han Lis face upon seeing this, and he suddenly made a grabbing motion. Colorful light flashed between his fingers, and the hidden spirit insect was revealed again, caught firmly within his grasp.

However, the insects body was still seemingly flashing in and out of existence.

Those Rainbow Pills really are as effective as the legends proclaim, they made the already mature Gold Devouring Beetles mutate and evolve again. Not only are they now far faster than before, they also attained a concealment ability. This ability is going to be very useful in battle, Han Li murmured to himself as a pleased smile appeared on his face.

This ferocious-looking beetle was none other than one of his newly mutated Gold Devouring Beetles. The mutation had taken place after they had devoured the Rainbow Pills Han Li had refined using the demon cores of the Flying Rainbow Fish he had obtained in the Vast Glacial Realm, and Han Li had been very pleased with this result.

Not only did these new Gold Devouring Beetles attain the ability to conceal themselves at will, theyve become far more powerful and ferocious than their past selves. Han Li was confident that if he could control 10,000 of these spirit insects at once, even a late-Body Integration cultivator wouldnt be able to do anything except flee for their life.

Unfortunately, even after reaching the mid-Body Integration Stage, his spiritual sense was still nowhere near powerful enough to support so many of these beetles at once. However, if he could progress to the late-Body Integration Stage, then master the second stage of the Spirit Refinement Technique, there was a very good chance that he would be able to control that many Gold Devouring Beetles. This was why Han Li was so eager to progress to the late-Body Integration Stage. Once he reached that level, he would be able to attain a new trump card.

With that in mind, he heaved a faint sigh before sending the Gold Devouring Beetle in his hand flying back into his sleeve.

The azure light around him then tremored slightly before accelerating as it flew toward Deep Heaven City.

This strange scent was primarily a spicy one, intermingled with an intoxicating fragrant aroma.

All of a sudden, Han Li flipped a hand over, and the purple wooden box brought to him by Bai Guoer appeared in his hand.

Azure light flashed, and the lid of the box flew off on its own to reveal the dark green demon cores.

With the poison from the demon cores of these Glacial Devilish Spiders, I should be able to master the final stage of the Chaotic Myriad Poison Body. If I can combine this with my 12 Awakening Transformations, my body will be virtually as indestructible as those of the legendary true spirits, Han Li murmured to himself in an excited manner.

He flicked his wrist, and the demon core cores within the wooden box all flew out before falling into the giant cauldron.

They then quickly dissolved and became a part of this mysterious liquid. After that, Han Li made a hand seal, and the silver flames down below rose up to envelop virtually the entire giant cauldron.

The liquid within the cauldron immediately began to bubble and churn even more violently, and Han Lis expression remained unchanged as he appraised the cauldron, but there was a very serious look in his eyes.

The recipe for this cauldron of liquid, which had been refined from over 100 types of extremely poisonous substances, was something that he had secured from the body refinement method that accompanied the Heavenmatch Bell he had obtained during the Black Realm Exchange Convention.

If Han Li wanted to cultivate the second stage of the Spirit Refinement Technique, then he had to improve his physical constitution, so he was naturally very interested in all body refinement methods.

The Heavenmatch Bell was largely useless to him, but the body refinement method that accompanied it was quite remarkable, that much had been made apparent to him by the sight of that body refinement warrior who had struck the bell during the demonstration in the exchange convention.

This was the main reason why he had decided to exchange for that Heavenmatch Bell. He didnt immediately study this foreign body refinement method during the course of the Myriad Treasure Convention, but he had studied it in great detail during his travels throughout the human regions and demon territories thereafter, and he was stunned and elated by what he had seen.

This Chaotic Myriad Poison Body was a body refinement method that had far exceeded his expectations.

It was split up into seven stages, and progressing up each stage allowed one to drastically enhance their physical body.

Upon mastering all seven stages, even a mortal human would possess a body as powerful as that of a high-grade demonic cultivator, and they would also be immune to all poisons. The only problem was that in order to cultivate this body refinement method, one had to bathe in a specially made pool of poison.

As one progressed up the stages, the toxicity of the poison used had to become more and more potent. Of course, this was an extremely dangerous endeavor, and according to the information enclosed in the cultivation art, the vast majority of people who attempted to cultivate it had perished.

On top of this, the cultivation art had been invented by foreign beings with bodies far more powerful than those of humans. As such, if a normal human were to try and use this cultivation art, their chances of survival would be extremely low.

The man who had struck the Heavenmatch Bell during the exchange convention was already an outstanding talent when it came to body refinement, but even he had only managed to master the first two stages and didnt dare to progress any further than that.

Of course, none of this was an issue for Han Li. His physical constitution and resistance had both reached a point that normal humans could only ever dream of, so there wasnt much danger involved in cultivating this Chaotic Myriad Poison Body for him.

On top of that, he had already begun to make use of the Crystal Moon Liquid he had received from Cai Liuying. Every once in a while, he would smear the liquid all over his body, then use a secret technique to absorb it in order to further enhance his own physical body.

As such, the possibility of him being struck by backlash from cultivating the Chaotic Myriad Poison Body was virtually negligible. Additionally, he had been drinking a small cup of Red Silk Immortal Wine once every few days for these past years, and much to his surprise and elation, this wine was also able to enhance his physical constitution.

However, its enhancement effect was different from that of the Chaotic Myriad Poison Body and the Crystal Moon Liquid. In contrast, the effect was extremely minute, but it could steadily improve his physical constitution over a long period of time.

If he didnt drink the wine for a long period of time, the effect would be virtually unnoticeable, but if he were to persist, then he would benefit immensely over the long run.

As such, Han Li naturally became more confident in his chances of reaching the late-Body Integration Stage.

Once he returned from his travels, he immediately began to search for all types of poisonous items and substances. The first few stages of the Chaotic Myriad Poison Body were quite easy to cultivate, and normal poisonous ingredients sufficed. However, the poisonous ingredients required for the final three stages were extremely difficult to find in the human regions, so he had no choice but to rely on Qin Suer.

After spending over 100 years, he had finally cultivated the Chaotic Myriad Poison Body to the sixth stage, and on this day, he had gathered all of the ingredients required to cultivate the seventh and final stage. freewenovl.co

The final ingredient, which were the demon cores of the Glacial Devilish Spider, were extremely rare even in the demon race, and it took Qin Suer several decades to find them.

Of course, Han Li had also been constantly cultivating his Provenance True Devil Arts and magic power during these past years.

Through some experimenting, he discovered that the green liquid within the mysterious small vial was effective on Corrosive Poisonweed, and he had successfully germinated some seeds from the spirit medicines he had brought back from the Vast Glacial Realm. With those ingredients, he was able to refine several types of pills that could enhance even the magic power of Body Integration cultivators.

Han Li had expended a vast amount of time and effort to gather both the recipes and ingredients for these pills, and if any of these pills were to be taken to the outside world, countless Body Integration cultivators would wage war over them.

After all, there were very few types of pills in the human and demon races that could enhance the magic power of a Body Integration cultivator, and the production quantity of these pills was downright pitiful.

Even if some Body Integration cultivators were to come into possession of such pills, they would save the pills for when they attempted breakthroughs as they were far too precious to be consumed on a normal basis.

However, with his mysterious small vial, Han Li was able to take one of these pills every few days. If other Body Integration cultivators were to learn of his outrageous pill-consumption schedule, theyd most likely die of envy!

As such, Han Li was able to improve his magic power at a rate that was seven to eight times as fast as that of normal Body Integration cultivators.

As a result, he had already made drastic improvements after just 200 years of cultivation. If he could master the final stage of the Chaotic Myriad Poison Body, he was confident that he would be able to progress to the mid-Body Integration Stage after around 100 more years of cultivation.

With his immensely powerful physical body and spiritual sense, as well as his virtually endless supply of pills, his chances of breaking through this bottleneck were relatively high, even though it was virtually insurmountable to many of his peers.

All of a sudden, azure light flashed from Han Lis body, and he slowly rose up into the air, still in a seated position with his legs crossed. He levitated through the air until he arrived directly above the giant cauldron, following which all of his clothes were stripped away amid a flash of azure light, and he plunged directly into the cauldron down below.

The vibrant colorful poisonous liquid immediately inundated his entire body with the exception of his head, and a clear cry suddenly rang out from the silver flames outside the cauldron. Several silver Fire Ravens took shape within the flames, each of which was around a foot in size, and they flapped their wings as they flew around the cauldron while blasting constant streams of silver flames out of their beaks.

The liquid within the cauldron immediately began to heat up dramatically, and clouds of five-colored poisonous mist permeated throughout the entire room.

It was impossible to see Han Li through the mist, and only a series of crackles and pops could occasionally be heard coming from within it.

Time slowly passed by, and the restrictions around the site that Han Li was cultivating at remained undisturbed.

This place was completely silent and deserted, aside from the occasions where Han Lis three disciples came to check on the restrictions.

Several years later, Qi Lingzi successfully manifested a Nascent Soul and became a high-grade guard of Deep Heaven City.

After several decades of arduous cultivation, Bai Guoer also finally reached the late-Core Formation Stage. However, in order to find a catalyst that would allow her to manifest a Nascent Soul, she embarked on a lonesome trip through the human regions after bidding farewell to Han Li in front of the sea of five-colored mist.

As for Hai Yuetian, he had also reached the mid-Core Formation Stage, and following Bai Guoers departure, he became the disciple that most frequently visited the site where Han Li was cultivating.

Thus, 120 years flew by. On this day, Hai Yuetian was flying through the air in a translucent canoe several tens of kilometers away from Han Lis cave abode. All of a sudden, his expression changed slightly, and he immediately made a hand seal to bring the canoe to a sudden halt.

He then cast his gaze into the distance in a bewildered manner, and was greeted by the sight of a pillar of five-colored wind.

The pillar of wind was around 10,000 feet tall, and there were countless arcs of lightning flashing around it while bursts of rumbling rang out incessantly.

The pillar of wind was situated right on top of Han Lis cave abode, and upon discovering this, a hint of elation appeared on Hai Yuetians face as he murmured to himself, Could it be that Master is about to make a breakthrough?

The phenomena in the distance lingered for close to half a day before finally dissipating, and everything returned to normal.

Hai Yuetian immediately spurred on his canoe to fly toward Han Lis cave abode upon seeing this, and not long after that, he arrived in front of the azure stone gate before making a quick descent.

Hai Yuetian hurriedly strode into the hall within the cave abode, and was greeted by the sight of a man and woman sitting across from one another. The elation on his face immediately grew more pronounced as he exclaimed, Master! You really did come out of seclusion! Are you the one who triggered that phenomenon as well? Congratulations on making your breakthrough!

The man was naturally none other than Han Li, who had just emerged from seclusion, and the woman beside him was the Ice Phoenix who had also been cultivating for many years within the cave abode.

Long time no see, Yuetian, the phenomenon was indeed triggered by my breakthrough to the mid-Body Integration Stage. Thankfully, Fairy Phoenix was present to activate the cave abodes restrictions, which severely limited the phenomenon created by the influx of the worlds origin Qi. Otherwise, we couldve attracted a lot of attention, Han Li replied with a smile.

Hehe, you sure got back quickly this time, Junior Martial Sister, looks like your trip mustve been quite a smooth one.

As soon as Bai Guoer appeared in front of an azure stone gate halfway up the mountain, a boisterous male voice rang out from the other side, following which the gate opened on its own after a flash of azure light.

An extremely handsome yellow-robed scholar who appeared to be around 30 years of age then strode out from within, it was none other than Hai Yuetian, who had been sent by Han Li to Deep Heaven City 200 years ago.

Following the passage of 200 years, Hai Yuetian seemed to have become even more handsome. He was now a Core Formation cultivator as well, and his physical body was also far more powerful than it had been in the past.

Bai Guoer initially faltered momentarily at the sight of Hai Yuetian before a hint of elation appeared on her face. When did you get back, Senior Martial Brother?

Hehe, I just completed a mission assigned to me by Deep Heaven City and I almost lost my life there, but I earned half a years break for my efforts, so I returned to see if Master had come out of seclusion yet, Hai Yuetian replied with a smile.

Did you manage to meet Master? Bai Guoer asked.

No, but I did manage to get a few vials of pills from Masters second Nascent Soul. If everything goes smoothly, Ill also begin attempting a breakthrough to the mid-Core Formation Stage in the next few years. Come to think of it, its pretty embarrassing that my cultivation base is inferior to yours, even though Im supposed to be the senior martial brother, Hai Yuetian chuckled.

Hehe, surely you jest, Senior Martial Brother, youre pursuing the path of simultaneous cultivation, so your true overall power is far superior to mine. On top of that, Master is also pursuing simultaneous cultivation, so youll most likely be the one to truly inherit Masters teachings, I should be the one whos envious of you. Even if we were only speaking in terms of magic power, my rate of progression cant compare with that of Senior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi, hes already reached the pinnacle of the Core Formation Stage in just 200 years and is about to prepare to manifest a Nascent Soul soon, Bai Guoer chuckled in a modest manner.

So what? No matter how powerful we become, I can only pose as an ordinary body refinement warrior in Deep Heaven City, and I dont even dare to let others know who my master is in case they try to get to Master through me. Junior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi is also in the same boat. Every time we come back to visit Master from Deep Heaven City, we have to sneak around like a pair of thieves, whereas you can come and go as you please from Deep Heaven City as Masters disciple, Hai Yuetian sighed in an envious manner.

Im only able to appear in public as Masters disciple as I have to regularly visit Deep Heaven City to run errands for Master, whereas you and Senior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi were sent to Deep Heaven City for training, so our situations are completely different. Speaking of Senior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi, his cultivation aptitude and the cultivation arts that he inherited have received glowing praise even from Master, so perhaps hell go further than us when it comes to cultivation, Bai Guoer said with a smile.

Thats for sure. Come to think of it, Master has been in seclusion ever since he returned to the human race with you a century ago, leaving his second Nascent Soul and Senior Ice Phoenix to instruct us in our cultivation, I wonder how Masters own cultivation is progressing. A hint of concern appeared in Hai Yuetians eyes as he spoke.

Rest assured, Senior Martial Brother. Master spent 100 years scouring the human regions and demon territories searching for someone, but after failing in his search, he decided to temporarily give up on it and went into seclusion to try and make a breakthrough to the mid-Body Integration Stage. If Im not mistaken, he most likely wont be coming out of seclusion until he reaches the mid-Body Integration Stage, Bai Guoer replied in a reassuring manner.

Even with Masters extraordinary powers, surely it would take at least 1,000 years of arduous cultivation to reach the mid-Body Integration Stage, is he planning to be in seclusion for 1,000 years? Hai Yuetian exclaimed.

I dont know about how other Body Integration Stage seniors cultivate, but our master was once able to match a late-Body Integration cultivator in battle at just the early-Body Integration Stage, so his powers definitely arent inferior to those of a mid-Body Integration cultivator, and Im sure he has some methods to increase his rate of progression. I think hell definitely emerge from seclusion prior to the commencement of the devilish tribulation, Bai Guoer said in a confident manner.

Thats true. Master mustve made the decision to try and progress to the mid-Body Integration Stage as quickly as possible precisely because of the imminent tribulation, Hai Yuetian replied with a nod.

Both he and Bai Guoer were very confident that Han Li would be able to reach the mid-Body Integration Stage, and it was no wonder that this was the case.

During these past years, not only had Han Li given them many powerful cultivation arts, whenever they had encountered bottlenecks in their cultivation, he had been able to assist them in breaking through these bottlenecks with ease through nothing more than some words of advice or a few vials of precious pills. This was the main reason why they had been able to progress so quickly in their cultivation, and due to this, not only had they developed a great deal of respect and gratitude toward their master, they had also developed this impression that their master was an unfathomable, almost omnipotent figure.

After that, Hai Yuetian and Bai Guoer chatted for a while longer before the former departed from the cave abode and flew away as a streak of blue light.

As for Bai Guoer, she entered through the azure gate and made her way toward the backyard of the cave abode through a corridor.

After passing through several layers of restrictions, she arrived on a large grassland with white clouds drifting in a blue sky overhead, and an abundance of spiritual Qi in the surrounding area.

At the center of the grassland were two small mountains, each of which was over 1,000 feet tall. One of them was inky black, while the other was as green as jade.

In between these two mountains was a white jade pavilion with three levels, and was enshrouded within a dense five-colored light barrier.

An independent small world had been manifested behind the cave abode, and it appeared to be no different to the outside world. There was currently a humanoid figure seated on each of the two small mountains, one of which was a green-skinned figure that was around 20 feet tall with purple light around its body, while the other was a shimmering golden figure that was enshrouded within black Qi.

From afar, both of these figures appeared to have facial features that strongly resembled Han Lis, and they both had their eyes tightly shut. In the instant that Bai Guoer strode onto the grassland, the golden Han Li slowly opened his eyes before casting his gaze toward her.

Greetings, Master, Ive brought back the item that you requested, Bai Guoer immediately said as she extended a respectful curtsey, then flipped a hand over to produce a purple wooden box, which she offered to Han Li with both hands.

Thanks for your hard work, Guoer. Now then, let me see if this item will actually prove to be useful to me, the golden figure said with a benevolent smile, and his voice was identical to Han Lis as well. The golden figure then waved a hand toward Bai Guoer, and the purple wooden box immediately flew toward him before being drawn into his grasp.

He swept a hand over the wooden box, and its lid was immediately removed, revealing several egg-sized black demon cores within the box. The demon cores were giving off a strange repugnant odor that was very pungent and nauseating.

However, the golden figure was very pleased at the sight of these demon cores, and he nodded as he closed the box again before smiling as he turned to Bai Guoer. Well done, Guoer, these are perfect for me, Ive finally gathered all of the materials I need! From now on, Ill be withdrawing my second Nascent Soul and activating the formation here to completely seal off this place from the outside world. Dont disturb me unless your lives are in peril or the devilish tribulation strikes earlier than expected. The next century or two will be the most critical juncture of my cultivation, and requires my wholehearted attention. Ive already given Fairy Phoenix all of the pills and spirit stones that you and your senior martial brothers will require for your cultivation. If you need something, you can go to see her. Hehe, I hope to see improvements from all of you when I emerge from my seclusion.

Bai Guoers expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and she exclaimed, What? Youre going to cut off all ties to the outside world? How long will you be in seclusion for, Master?

Thats hard to say. If everything goes well, Ill emerge from seclusion in a few decades. Otherwise, it could take 200 to 300 years, the golden figure hesitantly replied with his brows furrowed slightly.

In that case, I can only wish you the best of luck, Master. Bai Guoer was quite reluctant to part with Han Li for so long, but she knew that he wouldnt change his mind about something like this, so she could only extend a deep parting bow.

Haha, hopefully, Ill be able to see you again soon, Guoer. These words had been spoken by someone from within the white jade pavilion rather than by the golden figure. Immediately thereafter, the two humanoid figures sitting on the two mountains rose to their feet and made hand seals in unison, upon which they vanished into thin air.

In the next instant, a massive light formation appeared beneath each of the small mountains, then quickly expanded in all directions. Moments later, the entire grassland had been encompassed by the light formations, and halos of five-colored spiritual light were sweeping through the entire surrounding area.

Everything began to twist and warp, and in the end, the light faded into an all-encompassing sea of five-colored mist.

At this point, Bai Guoer had already retreated out of the grassland, and she stared at the sea of mist in a slightly lost and disoriented manner.

After a long while, she heaved a faint sigh before departing.

Meanwhile, Han Li was seated on a yellow futon on the first floor of the white jade pavilion within the five-colored sea of mist. There was a giant golden cauldron that was around 10 feet tall and had a radius of several tens of feet hovering before him.

He was appraising the cauldron through narrowed eyes, and there were silver flames burning around the cauldron, while a strong and peculiar scent was slowly wafting out of it.

From a birds-eye perspective, one would discover that there was a type of mysterious liquid bubbling within the giant cauldron. Not only was the liquid extremely vibrant in color, it was bubbling and churning incessantly.

Right around this time, information surrounding the imminent devilish tribulation also began to spread among the low-grade and mid-grade cultivators of the two races. There were even rumors that some mortals with special statuses had been made aware of this information as well.

However, there were still several centuries until the tribulations commencement, and low-grade cultivators and mortals could only live for 200 to 300 years at most, so they didnt immediately fly into a panic.

Even so, many of the smaller cultivation families and powers among the mortals have begun to make preparations for the upcoming tribulation.

Some of the mortals in the smaller cities also began to move toward the major powers. Of course, the information surrounding the devilish tribulation naturally wasnt going to be disclosed to normal people, but they were moved closer to major powers for one reason or another.

As the years passed by, the atmosphere in the human regions became tenser and tenser. In the past, cultivators very rarely appeared before mortals, but they were now appearing in all of the major cities in large groups.

They were either setting up all types of defensive formations out in the open, or putting the body refinement warriors among the mortals through specific training that would better equip them to face devilish beings.

Even though the body refinement warriors that were currently being trained would die of old age long before the commencement of the devilish tribulation, these training methods had to be ingrained very early on so that it could reach a certain scale several generations into the future, thereby making the future generations of body refinement warriors a viable source of assistance to all of the major powers.

After all, there were over 100 times as many body refinement warriors as there were cultivators, and even though the most powerful ones among them were only comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators, their staggering numbers made them a force to be reckoned with.

During the past devilish tribulations, it had been proven that when properly armed, these body refinement warriors could be very effective against low-grade and mid-grade elder devils.

Batches of spirit tools that had been hidden in the secret vaults of the major powers were also being brought out and distributed to the powers among the mortals.

Meanwhile, more powerful spirit tools were being refined in large batches by the tool refinement masters of the major powers.

At the same time, pills and treasures that could be used by low-grade and mid-grade cultivators were also being refined at all costs.

As such, demand for tool refinement and pill refinement materials naturally increased to an astonishing extent, and the prices for these materials had increased by several fold compared to in the past.

Even so, demand still outweighed supply, and there were often shortages of all types of materials.

The situation in the seven demon territories was also quite similar. Of course, the situation had slowly escalated over the span of over 100 years, so the two races werent plunged into complete turmoil.

However, this seemed to have no bearing whatsoever on a certain person, and no news of him emerged during this past century.

On this day, a streak of white light suddenly flew over the city wall of Deep Heaven City, which were now around twice their original height.

Within the white light was a slender figure, and she vanished from the field of view of the guards stationed on this section of the city wall after just a few flashes.

A black-armored man faltered slightly upon seeing this before flaring up with rage. Whos that? How dare a Core Formation cultivator like her fly over the city gate right under our noses? Black light then flashed over his body as he prepared to set off in pursuit.

Another armored guard standing beside him hurriedly grabbed onto his shoulder, and said, Please wait, Brother Hu! Thats Fairy Bai, and shes granted direct passage into Deep Heaven City without having to be searched by us.

Huh? Whys that? Shes just a Core Formation cultivator, why is she granted such a privilege? the black-armored man asked.

She may only be a Core Formation cultivator, but her master is a Body Integration cultivator, and he took only several centuries to progress from the Deity Transformation to the Body Integration. Theres a good chance that he could even reach the late-Body Integration Stage in the future. As for that Fairy Bai, its said that she only took just over 100 years to reach the mid-Core Formation Stage, so she also possesses extraordinary cultivation aptitude. You only recently joined our Deep Heaven City, and thats why you dont recognize her, the armored guard explained.

Could it be that her master is the Senior Han who once matched the Long Family patriarch in a battle? the man with the Hu surname exclaimed as his expression changed drastically.

Oh? So youve heard about Senior Han as well. That makes sense, even though there hasnt been any news about him for a long time, hes still a vastly renowned figure among our human race. Otherwise, the panel of elders wouldnt have granted such a privilege to that in-name disciple of his, the other armored guard replied with a smile.

The man with the Hu surname nodded before asking, So that woman is Senior Hans in-name disciple, no wonder shes been granted free passage. Does she visit our Deep Heaven City often?

Not too often, at times, she visits once every one or two years, and at other times, she visits once every seven or eight years. However, Ive heard from some friends of mine that every time she visits, shes always here to purchase materials from the markets. That makes sense considering how much of a shortage there currently is on all materials, only our Deep Heaven City is able to provide some materials for sale, the other armored guard replied.

I see. Does this mean Senior Han resides somewhere close to our Deep Heaven City? the man with the Hu surname asked.

I dont know about that. After all, no one dares to follow this Fairy Bai back to where Senior Han is currently dwelling. In any case, its not in our place to be discussing matters surrounding Body Integration Seniors, how about you tell me about that chunk of Purple Golden Iron you discovered in that market last time? The other armored guard changed the subject in a rather cautious manner.

Hehe, I really lucked out there and secured that material for a low price before selling it for a good profit. On that day, I was visiting a market and just so happened to pass by a small shop… The man with the Hu surname seemed to be more than happy to tell this story, and he immediately gave a spirited recount of events.

All of the other guards on that section of the city wall listened with rapt focus, and the events that had just transpired were quickly forgotten.

At this point, the streak of white light was already heading directly toward a certain market within Deep Heaven City.

Several hours later, the streak of white light landed in front of the human and demon exchange center within the market.

The white light receded to reveal a silver-robed young woman who appeared to be around 16 to 17 years of age. She had an oval face and a pair of large bright eyes. Her delicate cheeks were tinged with a rosy complexion, and she had grown to become quite a beauty.

After issuing some spirit stones to the guard in front of the exchange center, then accepting a treasure that would conceal her identity, she strode into the hall, enshrouded within a ball of spiritual light.

Moments later, she appeared inside the main hall of the exchange center, where over 100 other people were present, all of whom had also been concealed within balls of spiritual light, creating quite a lively and bustling scene.

Bai Guoer quickly inspected her surroundings before her gaze settled on a certain direction, and she strode toward a certain corner of the hall.

There, a demonic cultivator enshrouded within a cloud of black Qi was standing in silence.

As soon as Bai Guoer approached the demonic cultivator, the black Qi around the latter churned slightly, and a pristine white hand reached out, holding half of a jade pendant.

Bai Guoer flipped her hand over upon seeing this, and produced half a jade pendant as well.

The two halves of the jade pendant were then connected to form a whole, and Bai Guoer was quite relieved to see this.

A pleasant female voice rang out from within the black Qi, and she seemed to be familiar with Bai Guoer. Hehe, so its you again. Is your master still in seclusion?

Ah, I didnt expect you to come here in person, Senior Qin. Indeed, my master is still in seclusion, Bai Guoer replied in a slightly surprised manner.

The materials your master requested this time are extremely valuable, so I couldnt entrust them to anyone else. I must say, your master never ceases to astound me, to think that he was able to nurture you to the mid-Core Formation Stage in just over 100 years, the woman within the black Qi sighed.

This is all thanks to the pills that Master gave me, and the efforts he made to cleanse my essence. Otherwise, theres no way I couldve reached the Core Formation Stage so easily with my aptitude, Bai Guoer replied, and the tone of her voice suggested that she was very grateful toward her master.

The woman within the black Qi was none other than the Heavenly Fox being, Qin Suer, who had engaged in many transactions with Han Li in the past. Every once in a while, Han Li would send Bai Guoer to this place to exchange for items with Qin Suer in his stead.

In any case, its still very impressive that you were able to make such fast progress. If you continue in this manner, theres a very good chance that you could progress to the Deity Transformation Stage or even Spatial Tempering Stage in the future. Alright, thats enough rambling from me, lets begin our exchange, Qin Suer said as she pulled out a purple wooden box and handed it over to Bai Guoer.

Thank you for your words of praise, Senior. A sweet smile appeared on Bai Guoers face, and she flipped a hand over to produce a blue ring.

Two hours later, Bai Guoer re-emerged from the hall, then made her way over to a secluded corner before rising up into the air and flying back the way she had come from.

Two months later, she descended onto a massive mountain deep within a mountain range that was remarkably abundant with spiritual Qi. freewebnvel.cm

The fact that the entire human race only had one Grand Ascension cultivator in the form of Mo Jianli was an indication of just how difficult it was to reach the Grand Ascension Stage. rewebnol.cm

Han Li had already been blessed with immense fortune during the course of his cultivation journey, but he still wasnt confident in his ability to reach that level.

As such, the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus were naturally very tempting to him. Under normal circumstances, he would have agreed to the Long Family patriarchs invitation without any hesitation, but due to his current circumstances, he could only delay in providing a response.

The issue that he was facing was naturally none other than Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha. He and this Sacred Ancestor of the Elder Devil Race were sworn enemies, so he was naturally extremely averse to the idea of venturing into the Elder Devil Realm.

If his identity were to be exposed during his time in the Elder Devil Realm, Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha would definitely hunt him down for destroying that fragment of her spiritual sense back in the human world.

Of course, Han Li was also unwilling to immediately turn down the Long Family patriarchs offer and give up on the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus. After all, an opportunity that could increase his chances of reaching the Grand Ascension Stage was an extremely rare one. If he were to give up on it, perhaps he would lose the chance to reach the Grand Ascension Stage in the future. With that in mind, Han Li really was at a loss for what to do.

After contemplating this issue for a while, a wry smile appeared on his face. Of course, this wasnt a predicament that had no solution at all, but the solution would be for him to progress to the late-Body Integration Stage prior to venturing into the Elder Devil Realm.

With late-Body Integration Stage powers and the vast array of powerful treasures and abilities at his disposal, he was confident that he would at least be able to ensure his survival even in the face of Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha.

For someone else, progressing from the early-Body Integration Stage to the late-Body Integration Stage in just a few centuries was naturally nothing more than an implausible joke, but with all of the unique assets that Han Li possessed, it wasnt a completely impossible task to achieve.

In particular, he still had his agreement with Qing Yuanzi. He had already gathered enough items to fulfill the agreement, and if he could get his hands on the Divine Infernal River Elixir that was sorely sought after even by the four demon monarchs, there would naturally be a much higher chance for him to reach the late-Body Integration Stage.

As long as he could progress to the late-Body Integration Stage prior to the commencement of the journey, he was definitely willing to take a risk. However, if he couldnt achieve such a feat, then he would have to make a decision based on the situation.

In any case, he definitely wouldnt give up on the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus without putting in his best effort.

Having made that decision, Han Li cast aside this train of thought and swept a sleeve through the air, releasing a dozen or so formation flags that conjured up an invisible restriction around the room.

After that, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

The next morning, Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao came to Han Lis pavilion to pay him a visit, only to find that it was completely empty, and Han Li and Bai Guoer were nowhere to be seen.

The two of them could only exchange a wry smile upon seeing this.

Meanwhile, Han Li and Bai Guoer were already hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, racing rapidly through the air on an azure flying carriage.

Han Li was seated with his legs crossed in a corner of the flying carriage, inspecting a tattered book in his hand.

Bai Guoer was standing at the front of the carriage, holding a formation plate in one hand. There was a layer of azure light flashing over the surface of the formation plate, and it was controlling the flying carriage in its flight.

Even though she had only been with Han Li for several years, she had successfully reached the Foundation Establishment Stage through the use of the pills that Han Li had provided her with. As such, she was able to just barely control this flying carriage through the help of the formation plate in her hand.

After flying for close to two hours in silence, Bai Guoer cast a surreptitious glance toward Han Li, only to find that he seemed to still be completely absorbed by what he was reading. She pouted slightly with displeasure, and asked, Master, where are we going next? This doesnt seem to the direction that Deep Heaven City lies in, arent we going to meet up with my senior martial brothers?

After accompanying Han Li for several years, Bai Guoer had developed a certain level of understanding of Han Lis personality. On top of that, Han Li had stepped in several times during these past few years to alleviate the pain inflicted on her by her frost poison, so she had become quite close with him.

Han Li didnt even raise his head as he replied, Oh? Do you miss your senior martial brothers? Do you miss Senior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi or Senior Martial Brother Hai?

Bai Guoer immediately blushed upon hearing the teasing tone in Han Lis voice, and she hurriedly replied, What are you saying, Master? I dont miss them, I just think that theyre very interesting.

She was still quite young, but everyone in the Spirit Realm matured very early, so she was naturally somewhat aware of the nature of certain relationships between men and women.

Haha, I was only making a joke. Last time we went to Deep Heaven City, I already gave them all of the pills and cultivation arts your senior martial brothers will require in their cultivation, so we wont be visiting them in the next few decades as that would only hinder their cultivation. On top of that, I left your Senior Ice Phoenix back at the cave abode as well, so she should also be able to provide some cultivation instruction to them. In contrast, you have to stay by my side at all times due to your frost poison. Thankfully, youre still at a stage in your cultivation where you can improve solely by consuming pills, and Im mainly going to be developing some abilities during this time, so I wont need to go into seclusion in the near future. Hence, we have to take advantage of this opportunity to roam all of the human regions and demon territories, Han Li replied.

Bai Guoer hesitated momentarily, but her curiosity got the better of her in the end, and she asked, Senior Ice Phoenix would definitely be more than capable of instructing my two senior martial brothers in their cultivation, but why are you exploring all of these places, Master? A few years ago, we explored the entire Xuan Wu Region, are you looking for something?

A slightly dejected look appeared on Han Lis face, and he sighed, Im not looking for something, Im looking for someone. If shes also ascended to the Spirit Realm, I should at least be able to find some information about her.

Could it be that this person youre looking for is a loved one? Bai Guoer suddenly asked.

Han Li was rather taken aback. Oh? How did you know?

Bai Guoer gave a rather bashful smile before a hint of a curiosity appeared in her eyes. I made a guess. Whenever my grandmother speaks about my deceased grandfather, her tone and expression are exactly the same as yours just now. Could it be that this person youre searching for is your Dao Companion? Why have I never heard you mention her before?

Alright, theres no need for you to pry into my matters. Im mainly embarking on this trip to search for that person, but also as a journey to consolidate my mental state. Ive only recently progressed to the early-Body Integration Stage, after all, so I need to forge a strong foundation before I can try to make further advancements. Were going to the Tian Ling Region next. I heard that the region has become rather chaotic ever since the spirit sovereigns passing, so hopefully we can find some information there, Han Li replied.

The Tian Ling Region? I heard the spirit sovereign competition to decide the next spirit sovereign is going to be held there in a few years, why dont you participate and take that title for yourself, Master? With your powers, you should have a very good chance, Bai Guoer suggested with a smile.

Hehe, what nonsense are you spouting now? How could I possibly have a chance at securing the spirit sovereign position with my lackluster cultivation base? Besides, I have no intention of competing for that position anyway. Alright, focus on driving the spirit carriage, I have to go back to my reading now, Han Li chuckled before ignoring Bai Guoer and turning his attention back to the book in his hand.

Bai Guoer still had many questions she wanted to ask Han Li, but she naturally didnt dare to ask them now. As such she pouted with displeasure as she abruptly increased the rate at which she injected magic power into the formation plate, causing it to suddenly accelerate.

However, Han Li paid no heed to this, and it seemed that he had truly become completely absorbed by the book in his hand.

Thus, the azure flying carriage continued onward as a ball of azure light, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

…

During the following two decades, Han Li trekked across all of the three human regions and seven demon territories, occasionally investigating leads that he discovered.

However, following the passage of those 20 years, he suddenly disappeared without a trace from the human race. During this time, there were rumors circulating among high-grade demonic beings that they had seen Han Li on occasions in some of the markets of the demon race.

However, these rumors didnt have any supporting evidence, so they remained as unsubstantiated rumors.

After several more decades, there was truly no further news of Han Li.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, 200 years had passed since the Myriad Treasure Convention. During this time, many major events had taken place in both the human and demon races.

The position of the spirit sovereign was finally claimed by a mysterious female cultivator over 100 years ago. This new spirit sovereign was only at the mid-Body Integration Stage, but she managed to defeat 11 cultivators who competed with her for this position, three of which were late-Body Integration cultivators.

This naturally created quite a stir among the two races, and it was a popular conversation topic among high-grade beings for a long time.

Even though the new spirit sovereign had only claimed the position not long ago, she was able to get the spirit sovereigns past subordinates to pledge their allegiance to her in a very smooth fashion, and not long after that, order was restored to the once chaotic Tian Ling Region.

Thus, the three sovereigns were complete once again.

Another major event was that the holy island, which was the sacred land of the human and demon races, suddenly declared that the two races would temporarily set aside their differences with the nearby enemy foreign races to form a thousand-year alliance. During the next 1,000 years, not only would there be no battles between these races, they had to provide their assistance to any of the races that were part of the alliance that came under peril.

This announcement naturally created a massive stir as well.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Han Li turned to the Long Family patriarch, and said, I see, so it mustve been you who revealed this information to Fellow Daoist Long. However, Im sure there has to be other reasons why Brother Long is willing to believe this information so firmly, right?

The grand elders of the Ye Family and the Lin Family also turned to the Long Family patriarch to await his response.

I naturally have my own methods to verify the authenticity of this information, but I cant disclose the method I used. Thankfully, Fairy Yes words from earlier provide further confirmation that those two spirit items do indeed exist somewhere in the Elder Devil Realm. In that case, its up to us to decide whether we dare to take this risk to pursue this extraordinary reward. Truth be told, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns, Brother Hui, and I have already decided to go on this venture no matter what, and well also be joined by several Holy Spirit level beings from the Spirit Race. The three sovereigns definitely wouldnt participate in something like this, so I decided to invite the three of you instead. Hehe, I actually initially only planned on inviting Fairy Ye and Brother Lin, but you turned out to be an unexpected surprise, Fellow Daoist Han. Now then, are the three of you willing to venture into the Elder Devil Realm with us? the Long Family patriarch asked with a hint of finality in his voice.

Han Li and the others exchanged a few glances upon hearing this, and none of them immediately gave a reply.

After a long while, the woman from the Ye Family said, When are you planning to travel to the Elder Devil Realm, Brother Long? According to what Ive heard, this devilish tribulation is going to be far more perilous than the previous ones, and even our entire human race could be wiped out if were not careful. If we pick the wrong time to leave, theres a very good chance that we could perish.

Ive naturally already considered all of this. After taking all these factors into account, Ive decided to enter the Elder Devil Realm several decades after the commencement of the devilish tribulation. At that point, the human race wouldve most likely already weathered the most fierce part of the storm, and a stalemate would therefore ensue. If we enter the Elder Devil Realm under those circumstances, we should be quite safe. Fellow Daoist Han is a vagrant cultivator, so he doesnt have to worry about anything. As for the Ye Family and the Lin Family, Im sure you two arent the only Body Integration cultivators from your respective families, right? the Long Family patriarch asked in a calm manner.

Hmph, you sure seem to have a lot of information on our two families! If our Lin Family doesnt encounter any major peril during the devilish tribulation, then Ill accompany you on this journey, the man from the Lin Family said.

It was quite clear that despite his outward display of reluctance, the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus were simply too tempting for him to ignore.

Seeing as we have a method to disguise our auras, well naturally have a much greater chance of survival. However, no matter how seamless a disguise is, itll most likely be exposed eventually. Roughly how long will our journey require? If the journey is going to take too long, the chances of death will be quite high, and Ill need some time to consider the matter before I make my decision. Of course, if it wont take very long, then I naturally wont give up on this fantastic opportunity, the woman from the Ye Family said.

Thats a difficult question to answer. According to my knowledge, the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus are situated at the center of the Elder Devil Realm, so even if everything goes smoothly, the duration of the trip would be over 10 years. If we encounter some unforeseen trouble along the way, then its quite possible that our journey would be several times longer than that. Furthermore, we wont be setting off as soon as the devilish tribulation commences, so we wont actually have a lot of time, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns replied.

The woman from the Ye Family contemplated this matter for a long while before giving her response. So it could take several decades? Thats quite a long time. Im going to have to think about this and give you a response later.

The Long Family patriarch wasnt surprised to hear this, and he nodded in a meaningful manner. Of course, this is indeed a matter thatll require careful consideration. However, your Heavenly Phoenix bloodline grants you some powerful spatial abilities, so you would be a great asset to us if you were to come on this journey. If you choose to remain behind, it would be quite a pity.

The woman from the Ye Family also nodded in response before falling silent. Thus, everyone turned their attention to Han Li, who was the only one yet to provide an answer.

After a brief pause for contemplation, a wry smile appeared on Han Lis face, and he said something that came as quite a surprise to everyone. Im just a vagrant cultivator with no inhibitions, so I naturally wont hesitate to pursue an opportunity like this. However, I have some other important things to do in the next few centuries, all of which are rather time-consuming, so I may not be able to make it.

In contrast with the woman from the Ye Family, Han Lis participation didnt seem to matter much to the Long Family patriarch, and he replied in an indifferent manner, I see, in that case, I wish you luck in your other engagements. If you have the time, then you would be more than welcome to come with us. Otherwise, I wont force you to do anything against your will. However, I must warn all of you to keep this a secret, regardless of whether you intend to go or not. We are the only ones who are aware of this information at this point. If I hear any rumors about this circulating in the outside world, then dont blame me for turning on you. Im not concerned that other people would compete with us, Im merely worried that if the Elder Devil Race were to learn of our plan, our trip to the Elder Devil Realm would become a lot more arduous.

Han Li merely gave a nonchalant smile in response, but the woman from the Ye Family was rather displeased by this insinuation. What do you take us for, Brother Long? Why would we do something that would benefit others at our own expense?

I was only raising a hypothetical situation. If I didnt believe that you would keep this a secret, I wouldnt have revealed this information to you. Now then, everything has been said and done, itll be up to you to decide whether you want to take this risk. However, you have to give me an answer prior to the commencement of the devilish tribulation. If any of you decide against joining us, I have to search for other companions, the Long Family patriarch said in a serious manner.

Of course, the woman from the Ye Family replied with a nod, and Han Li also nodded with a contemplative look on his face.

Seeing as the discussion had concluded, Han Li and the others departed after making some small talk. They were accompanied out of the Myriad Spirit Hall by Elder Hui, leaving only the Long Family patriarch and Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns in the hall.

The smile on the yellow-robed womans face immediately vanished, and she seemed to be pondering something. The Long Family patriarch was also staring off into space with a contemplative look on his face, and silence ensued.

After a while, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns suddenly said, I still dont understand why you insist on convincing someone from the Ye Family to join us. Do you really think her spatial abilities will be that important to us? Ive already invited another good friend from the Spirit Race who possesses spatial abilities that definitely wont be inferior to hers, are you unwilling to trust me, Brother Long?

Of course not. You and I have been acquaintances for a long time, so I certainly wouldnt doubt you. However, the Elder Devil Realm is an extremely perilous place, so it would naturally be best for us to have two fellow Daoists with spatial abilities. On top of that, the Ye Family has many secret techniques and abilities that arent inferior to those of our Long Family, so she would definitely be a valuable ally to us, the Long Family patriarch replied in a calm manner.

Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns was silent for a moment before continuing, Alright, but is there really a need to recruit that Fellow Daoist Han? No matter how powerful he is, hes still only an early-Body Integration cultivator. If you want more numbers, I can return to the Spirit Race and recruit another mid-Body Integration Stage fellow Daoist.

Hehe, we agreed that the same number of human and Spirit beings will be entering the Elder Devil Realm for this journey, youre not going back on your word, are you? Also, Im afraid youre wrong about that Han brat. He may have only recently reached the early-Body Integration Stage, but I faced him in that sparring match, and I can assure you that his powers are definitely superior to those of Elder Hui. Even late-Body Integration cultivators like you and I would most likely find it quite difficult to defeat him. On top of that, the golden body that hes cultivated most likely stems from some top-grade cultivation art from the Elder Devil Race, so he should be able to control true devilish Qi. Perhaps that ability will come in useful in an unexpected way during our journey. Of course, hes not entirely indispensable. If he doesnt want to join us, then Ill just have to find another powerful vagrant cultivator, the Long Family patriarch replied in a confident manner.

Seeing as the Long Family patriarch had already established his plans, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns didnt press the issue any further. Im the holy maiden of the Artifact Spirit Race, so I obviously wont go back on my word. Seeing as youve already made up your mind, I wont speak any further about this. Ill be leaving this devilish bead with you. Youve already learned the method to use it, and Ive signed the agreement with your human race on behalf of our Spirit Race, so I wont stay here any longer. Ill be setting off to return to the Spirit Race tomorrow, Ill have to ask you to oversee the collaboration between your Long Family and our Artifact Spirit Race.

Rest assured, our collaboration is a mutually beneficial one, so Ill definitely be paying my due diligence. Looks like the next time you and I meet will be after the commencement of the devilish tribulation, the Long Family elder replied with a nod.

After that, they exchanged some more pleasantries before Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns also departed.

Meanwhile, Han Li had already returned to his living quarters and was lying on a large bed in his pavilion, contemplating something in silence.

You want to enter the Elder Devil Realm? Have you gone senile, Old Man Long? If you want to die, go on your own! Dont try to take us with you! the Lin Family grand elder exclaimed in an enraged manner.

In contrast, a thought seemed to have occurred to the Ye Family grand elder upon hearing this, and a contemplative look appeared on her face.

As for Han Li, he was also rather bewildered by this outrageous suggestion.

At ease, now, Brother Lin, Im not suggesting a suicide mission. Im at least 70% to 80% confident that well be able to survive a venture into the Elder Devil Realm, and I certainly have no intention of dying anytime soon, the Long Family patriarch replied in a calm manner.

Hmph, even so, the Sacred Ancestors of the Elder Devil Realm are extremely fearsome beings. If we encounter one of them, theres no way we could get away alive, and that isnt even taking into account the countless high-grade devilish beings in that realm. Perhaps we can combat them using the power of formations in the Spirit Realm, but if we enter their territory, well be feeding ourselves to the wolves! the Lin Family grand elder condemned.

What if I were to tell you that I have a way to convert our auras to be temporarily identical to those of ordinary elder devils, and the disguise is so convincing that even Body Integration Stage elder devils wont be able to see through it? What do you think now, Brother Lin? the Long Family patriarch asked as he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Are you being serious, Brother Long? The high-grade elder devils of the Elder Devil Realm are adept in all types of unfathomable abilities, how could we possibly be able to fool them? the woman from the Ye Family asked with furrowed brows.

The Long Family patriarch merely chuckled in response before turning to Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns. Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns, please demonstrate.

Of course, the yellow-robed woman replied with an elegant smile, then flipped a hand over to reveal a thumb-sized black bead that she placed into her mouth and swallowed.

In the next instant, she made a hand seal, and a layer of black mist appeared over her body, completely inundating her in an instant.

The black mist then surged like living tendrils, and Han Lis pupils contracted at the sight of it as he murmured to himself in a barely audible voice, Thats true devilish Qi!1

Even though he was speaking in such a faint voice, all of the people in the hall were Body Integration cultivators, so they naturally managed to overhear him.

The man from the Lin Family and the woman from the Ye Family exchanged a glance, and their expressions both changed ever so slightly.

In contrast, the Long Family patriarch turned to Han Li with a meaningful gaze, and remarked, You must be using some kind of powerful Devil Dao cultivation art for you to be able to identify this true devilish Qi so quickly, Fellow Daoist Han. Come to think of it, the golden body that you displayed earlier in the day is rather similar to some elder devil avatars of the Elder Devil Realm, so that does make some sense.

You truly possess a sharp discerning eye, Brother Long, Han Li replied with an ambiguous smile.

Right at this moment, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns let loose a delicate cry, and the true devilish Qi converged toward her in a frenzy. Within mere moments, all of it had been converted into black liquid that was absorbed into her body, and once the mist dissipated, she was revealed once again.

However, there was something different about her. In terms of physical appearance, there was no difference whatsoever, and judging from that alone, one could easily be forgiven for thinking that whatever she had just done had completely failed.

However, right before everyones bewildered eyes, her aura suddenly transformed and a burst of astonishing devilish Qi suddenly erupted from her body. Several inky-black devilish patterns appeared over her fair and delicate cheeks, and a black bead emerged on her glabella.

Even though half of the bead was embedded into her glabella, it was quite clear that this was the very same bead that she had swallowed.

Han Lis expression changed slightly, and he immediately directed his spiritual sense toward the woman, following which a surprised look appeared on his face.

He discovered that the magic power flowing within her body had become extremely pure true devilish Qi, and the aura that she was giving off was completely identical to that of the elder devils he had encountered back in the human world.

Not only was Han Li quite stunned by this, the grand elders of the Lin Family and the Ye Family were also very alarmed.

After a brief silence, the woman from the Ye Family said in a cautious manner, That is indeed very convincing, but were not devilish beings, after all, so perhaps were unable to see through this disguise, but the elder devils may be able to.

Rest assured, Fairy Ye, this Devilfeign Bead of mine was refined from the devilish core of a deceased elder devil. After the true devilish Qi within it is expelled using a secret technique, theres no way that the average high-grade elder devil can see through it. In order to test the efficacy of this bead, I mingled myself with several elder devils that our Spirit Race captured during the last devilish tribulation, and I was held captive with them for several months. During that time, none of them managed to see through my disguise. While it is indeed true that we still have to be wary of the Sacred Ancestors and some other devilish beings who possess certain special abilities, the chances of encountering such beings are almost negligible. After all, according to the legends, the Elder Devil Realm is no smaller than our Spirit Realm, the yellow-robed woman said in a serious manner.

Contemplative looks appeared on everyones faces upon hearing this.

After some contemplation, the woman from the Ye Family sighed, Alright, even if we were to accept that this is a plausible course of action, venturing into the Elder Devil Realm is still an extremely perilous endeavor, you have to tell us exactly what were searching for. If an opportunity to progress to the Grand Ascension Stage really does exist in that realm, then Im willing to take a risk even if theres only a sliver of an opportunity awaiting us.

The grand elder of the Lin Family faltered slightly upon hearing this before awaiting a response with a surly look on his face.

Do you think I would propose taking such a massive risk without a suitable corresponding reward? Have you heard of the Spirit Cleansing Pond and the Clean Spirit Lotus? the Long Family Patriarch chuckled coldly.

Spirit Cleansing Pond? Clean Spirit Lotus?

Both Han Li and the man from the Lin Family were rather perplexed by these two names. In contrast, a flash of recognition flashed through the eyes of the woman from the Ye Family.

Hehe, looks like youve heard of it, Fairy Ye. Thats no surprise, considering you were once an in-name disciple of Senior Mo, Elder Hui chuckled.

What are you trying to say, Brother Hui? Are you expressing displeasure toward Master Mo? the woman from the Ye Family asked in a cold voice.

Hehe, I wouldnt dare to be so insolent. Im just saying that Senior Mo has presumably ventured deep into the Elder Devil Realm on more than one occasion, so it wouldnt be a surprise if he knew of the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus in that realm, Elder Hui replied.

I know of the two items youre referring to, but that has nothing to do with my master. Instead, one of the forefathers of our Ye Family slew a high-grade elder devil during a previous devilish tribulation, and learned this information by searching that elder devils soul. However, the information is very rough and unspecific. All I know is that those two items arent very useful at all to devilish beings, but they can have incredible effects on the beings of our Spirit Realm, the woman from the Ye Family explained in a cold manner.

I see. Looks like I misread the situation, Elder Hui chuckled, and it was impossible to tell whether he truly believed this alibi.

A contemplative look appeared on the Long Family patriarchs face upon hearing this exchange, and Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns smiled as she said, You may not have heard of the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus, but Im sure youve heard of the Immortal Transformation Pond and Enlightenment Attainment Lotus, right?

The man from the Lin Family immediately shook his head in disbelief as he exclaimed, What? Are you saying that theyre the same thing? Thats impossible! The Immortal Transformation Pond is something that only exists in the True Immortal Realm, and its said that only newly-ascended cultivators will be granted the opportunity to enter the pond and attain an immortal body. As for that Enlightenment Attainment Lotus, its a spirit item that only exists alongside the Immortal Transformation Pond, and can drastically improve ones spiritual root and intelligence. Its said that even a severely mentally disabled person could attain extraordinary intelligence upon consuming this flower.

Han Li was naturally quite stunned to hear the names of these two legendary items as well, and he stared intently at Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns, trying to identify whether she was telling the truth.

As for the woman from the Ye Family, she remained completely silent with a dark expression on her face.

The Immortal Transformation Pond and Enlightenment Attainment Lotus are extremely rare even in the True Immortal Realm. It would take tens of millions of years for them to take shape, so theyre naturally not the same as the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus. However, even though the effects of the latter pair of items are far inferior, theyre still more than enough to drastically enhance us in all areas. The connection between them is that the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus are the pre-evolved forms of the Immortal Transformation Pond and Enlightenment Attainment Lotus, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns said with a mysterious smile as she tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

I see. In that case, why do such precious spirit items exist in the Elder Devil Realm thats rife with devilish Qi, rather than here in our Spirit Realm? Also, how do you know if they actually exist in the Elder Devil Realm? Han Li asked in a serious voice.

After a brief hesitation, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns replied, This information was revealed to us by the last Spirit Monarch of our Spirit Race. He had once ventured deep into the Elder Devil Realm as well, and had witnessed those two spirit items for himself. Unfortunately, he was discovered and wounded before he could enter the spirit pond, and was forced to return to the Spirit Realm. Hence, the information comes from a credible source. As for why such extraordinary spirit items are growing in the Elder Devil Realm, thats something known only by the heavens. However, I think that those two spirit items took shape there precisely because the Elder Devil Realm is so rife with devilish Qi. I think that all of the spiritual Qi within that realm has been forced to a single place, thereby giving rise to these two items. In contrast, our Spirit Realm is indeed more abundant with spiritual Qi overall, but its not condensed enough in any place to allow such spirit items to take shape.

1 IGT: Note: true devilish Qi = perfect devil qi

Han Lis heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, but his expression remained unchanged as he asked, The holy island? Why do you ask, Fellow Daoist?

Its fine if you dont want to tell me. However, I have something I would like to discuss with you. Would you be interested in meeting me in the Myriad Spirit Hall tonight? the Long Family patriarch asked with a faint smile.

The Myriad Spirit Hall? Han Lis brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and many thoughts raced through his mind at once.

The so-called Myriad Spirit Hall was a hall that had been carved into a mountain face in this valley. The hall was where the true spirit family leaders and elders had first gathered to discuss the proceedings of the ceremony.

The fact that the Long Family patriarch was extending an invitation to meet him later in this hall suggested that he definitely had something very important to talk about.

Han Li didnt reject this offer right away, but he took a rather cautious route as he asked, Would you be able to reveal what you would like to speak to me about so I can make a decision?

The Long Family patriarch was silent for a moment before replying in a calm manner, I cant reveal too much to you, but what I can tell you is that this has something to do with a major event that will take place following the arrival of the devilish tribulation. On top of that, this event could bring you enormous benefits, it could even decide whether we would have the opportunity to progress to the Grand Ascension Stage.

Despite Han Lis calm and steadfast nature, he was still stunned by what he had just heard. The Grand Ascension Stage?

Indeed. Ive already made agreements with several other fellow Daoists to join me, and with the powers youve displayed, youve earned the right to participate in this matter as well, the Long Family patriarch confirmed.

Han Li forcibly repressed his own astonishment, and only after a long while did he finally make a decision. Alright, in that case, Ill be meeting you later tonight.

The Long Family patriarch seemed to be very pleased with Han Lis answer, and he chuckled, Hehe, youve definitely made a wise decision, Fellow Daoist. Im sure what were going to be talking about will be of great interest to you. After that, he didnt speak any further about this matter.

The rest of the true spirit ceremony was very simple. After finally arriving at an agreement about the distribution of resources, the entire ceremony drew to a conclusion.

Fairy Xiao Feng led Han Li to a secluded place and handed over what she had promised to Han Li without any delay. After that, she couldnt help but extend another invitation for Han Li to join the Gu Family, and she stated that if Han Li were to agree, not only would he receive the same benefits afforded to the grand elder of the Gu Family, he would have absolute authority in the family second only to the family leader herself.

However, Han Li euphemistically turned her down again. Fairy Xiao Feng was very disappointed by this, and she could only ask Han Li to visit the Gu Family whenever he had some free time. It was quite clear that she wanted her Gu Family to establish good relations with Han Li.

Han Li naturally agreed with a smile to this proposal.

Thus, some of the true spirit families began to depart from the Myriad Spirit Valley and embarked on the journey to return to their respective territories.

In contrast, most of the families decided to remain in the Myriad Spirit Valley for a few more days to exchange some resources and cultivation arts, which would make the journey to come here somewhat worthwhile for the ordinary members of these true spirit families.

The Gu Family was one of the families that stayed, temporarily settling in a cluster of buildings within the valley, among which Han Li occupied a small pavilion to himself.

That night, he silently departed from the pavilion and flew toward the Myriad Spirit Hall. Upon approaching the hall, he discovered that there was someone standing at the entrance in silence, seemingly stationed there specifically to wait for him.

Han Li focused his gaze on the figure to find that it was Elder Hui of the Long Family.

The black-robed man had completely discarded his animosity toward Han Li, and he cupped his fist in a salute with a warm smile on his face. You really are a man of your word, Fellow Daoist Han. Brother Long and the other fellow Daoists have been waiting for some time already.

Oh? Has Brother Long invited other people as well? Han Li asked in a contemplative manner.

Haha, indeed he has. All will be revealed soon enough, please follow me, the black-robed man chuckled as he made an inviting hand gesture.

Alright, then please lead the way, Fellow Daoist Hui, Han Li replied with an indifferent nod.

The black-robed man seemed to be completely unfazed by Han Lis rather aloof demeanor, and the two of them strode into the hall one after the other.

The entire hall was almost completely empty, devoid of even the guards that were normally stationed here. It was quite clear that they had been asked to vacate the hall in advance.

Han Li was led by the black-robed man into a rather secretive side hall connected to the main hall, and there were already three people seated around a massive stone table waiting for him there.

As soon as Han Li made his way into the room, everyone turned toward him in unison, and upon catching sight of these people, Han Lis pupils immediately contracted slightly.

The trio consisted of the Long Family patriarch, as well as the woman in the five-colored dress from the Ye Family and the mid-Body Integration cultivator from the Lin Family.

Thus, there were five cultivators who possessed powers at or above the mid-Body Integration Stage gathered here at once, and that was quite a formidable lineup.

The woman from the Ye Family turned toward Han Li with a wide smile, while the man from the Lin Family merely took an indifferent glance at him before looking away, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

A rare smile appeared on the Long Family patriarchs face at the sight of Han Lis arrival, and he said, Please take a seat, Fellow Daoist Han.

Han Li gave a faint smile in response before making his way over to the table in an unhurried manner, then sitting down in one of the empty chairs.

As for Elder Hui, he sat down directly beside the Long Family patriarch.

Old Man Long, why have you gathered all of us at once? I dont have much time to waste here! the man from the Lin Family said in an impatient manner.

Hehe, lets not rush things, Fellow Daoist Lin, Ill introduce one more person to everyone, and after that, Ill elaborate on everything, the Long Family patriarch chuckled in a nonchalant manner.

Oh? Theres someone else whos yet to join us? How many people did you invite, Brother Long? Dont tell me the Feng brothers were invited as well, the woman from the Ye Family said with a smile.

The Feng brothers combined possess powers that arent inferior to those of a mid-Body Integration cultivator, but their combination techniques have too many limitations. On top of that, it would be best to keep our numbers to a minimum for what were going to do, so I didnt invite them. As for the person Im going to introduce to all of you, shes already arrived in advance. Please come out to meet everyone, Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns. The Long Family patriarch shook his head in response before turning toward a seemingly empty corner of the hall.

Everyone was quite alarmed to see this, and they hurriedly turned toward that corner as well.

All of a sudden, an extremely feeble aura emerged from that corner of the hall, followed by a flash of yellow light, and a yellow copper mirror appeared out of thin air.

The mirror then blurred and warped slightly before transforming into a yellow-robed young woman.

Han Lis pupils immediately contracted slightly at the sight of this woman.

The man from the Lin Family immediately rose to his feet with a wary look on his face. Thats the holy maiden from the Spirit Race! Whats the meaning of this, Fellow Daoist Long?

Indeed, this yellow-robed woman was none other than Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns, who had appeared once during the Myriad Treasure Convention.

It was quite clear that this grand elder of the Lin Family had also attended that convention, so he was able to immediately identify her.

No need to be alarmed, fellow Daoists, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns presence is imperative for what I want to discuss with all of you today. Without her inclusion, theres no way our plan can be set into motion, the Long Family patriarch said in a calm manner.

However, no one seemed to be convinced by his reassuring words. Not only had a wary look appeared on Han Lis face, the smile had also been wiped from the face of the woman from the Ye Family. The man from the Lin Family harrumphed coldly and was appraising Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns in a hostile manner, while Elder Hui displayed no reaction at all, clearly having already been filled in on the matter in advance.

Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns extended a graceful curtsey, and said, Theres no need to be so cautious toward me, fellow Daoists. I may be a member of the Artifact Spirit Race, but if we were to trace back my origins, I was once a treasure owned by Daoist Master Can Tian of your human race. Only many years after he passed away did I manage to attain intelligence by chance, thereby allowing me to become a member of the Artifact Spirit Race.

The woman from the Ye Family exclaimed, Daoist Master Can Tian? Could you be referring to the ancient Grand Ascension Stage senior who founded Deep Heaven City?

Indeed. Otherwise, the Artifact Spirit Race wouldnt have sent me here as an alliance envoy, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns replied with a smile.

Since when was there an alliance between our two races? Why have I not heard anything about this? the man from the Lin Family asked in a bewildered manner.

This alliance was agreed upon by some beings on your races holy island, as well as the sovereigns and several Grand Ascension cultivators. Due to some reasons, the alliance will only be officially announced around a year from now. When that time comes, youll be able to verify the authenticity of my claims, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns explained with a smile.

Seeing as you appeared during the Myriad Treasure Convention, its only a matter of time before we forged an alliance with the Spirit Race anyway. However, isnt it rather inappropriate for you to take her into Myriad Spirit Valley like this, Brother Long? This is a sacred place for our true spirit families! The woman from the Ye Family clearly still wasnt very pleased.

The Long Family patriarch seemed to have already anticipated this to be a point of contention, and he calmly replied, Rest assured, Fairy Ye, Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns only entered the valley following the conclusion of our ceremony, and shell immediately depart following our discussion tonight, so there wont be any issues.

The woman from the Ye Family was silent for a moment before heaving a faint sigh. In that case, Ill trust your judgment, Brother Long. Please elaborate on why you gathered all of us here.

The man from the Lin Family also sat back down as his expression eased slightly.

The Long Family patriarch nodded upon seeing this, but what he said next almost had the Lin Family grand elder jumping out of his seat again.

Its quite a simple matter, really, I invited all of you here as I wanted you to accompany me into the Elder Devil Realm when our two realms fuse as one during the devilish tribulation.