My CMS

The azure streak of light vanished into the distance after just a few flashes.

Was there any reaction from the Foreign Spirit Discs? the Heavenly Guard asked with a solemn expression.

There was no reaction, that Senior Han really is a human, one of the Dark Azure Guards replied.

He doesnt have a transit badge, and his Dark Azure Guard badge also expired so long ago. Could it be that hes lingered in the primordial world this entire time? It seems he mustve encountered some miraculous opportunities. Otherwise, theres no way he couldve progressed from the Deity Transformation Stage to the late-Spatial Tempering Stage in just over 300 years. But then again, he really is a human so there shouldnt be any issues, I really shouldnt stick my nose into this matter. The Heavenly Guard contemplated the situation for a while before shaking his head.

It was extremely rare to see someone make such extraordinary progress in just a few centuries, but there were countless opportunities in the primordial world, so it wasnt entirely unheard of. If he hadnt already been a Deep Heaven Guard before, perhaps he couldve been recruited as a Heavenly Guard, but now that he was already a free man, he naturally wouldnt be willing to explore such a route.

Thus, the Heavenly Guard quickly set aside this matter and turned toward the scholarly man and his three companions, who had just emerged from the same hall.

Han Li was constantly inspecting his surroundings while flying through the air, and despite the fact that over 300 years had passed, none of the buildings in Deep Heaven City seemed to have changed at all.

There were still many black and white-armored guards patrolling the city at low altitudes, as well as many cultivators who were entering and exiting the buildings down below.

The entire city appeared to be quite lively and bustling, and there was no sign that it had been attacked by foreign beings before.

Han Li flew directly toward the Deep Heaven City market, and on this occasion, he didnt plan to stay in Deep Heaven City for too long.

He had consolidated his magic power during the past century, and his mental state had been refined through many near-death experiences, so he already satisfied all of the criteria to break through his Body Integration Stage bottleneck. As such, he could attempt a breakthrough after making a few more preparations.

With his vast array of abilities, even as an early-Body Integration cultivator, he should be powerful enough to contend with late-Body Integration Stage beings, so he could virtually do as he pleased in the human regions and demon territories.

As such, what he had to do next was to find an obscure place near Deep Heaven City and go into seclusion to attempt a breakthrough.

Prior to that however, he was going to set everything aside for now and first replenish his supplies. He had whittled down his supplies over the course of the past century, so he had to replenish everything in the nearby market

He was able to replenish some of his supplies on the territories of foreign races during these years, but he had only dared to venture into the outskirts of those territories, so he naturally wasnt able to replenish his supplies by much.

If he hadnt prepared many things in advance prior to departing from the Thunder Continent, he most likely wouldnt have been able to stop and study so many things that caught his interest along his journey.

With the scale of Deep Heaven City, he should be able to fully restock all of his supplies. With these materials, hed be able to refine some treasures and pills that would assist him in his breakthrough attempt.

Han Li had visited the Deep Heaven City market countless times when he was last in the city, so he was quickly able to find his way there and descend in front of a massive light barrier around an hour later.

On the other side of the light barrier was the exchange center for the demonic beings in Deep Heaven City, while at the center of the light barrier stood a hall, which was the only venue where humans and demons could trade precious items with one another.

Han Li cast his gaze toward the massive hall in the distance, and his expression changed slightly as he caught sight of a demonic woman who was vaguely familiar to him.

He had traded with this demonic woman countless times in this hall in the past, and secured many precious demon race spirit medicine seeds from her.

If it werent for her, he wouldve had to expend a lot more effort to gather those seeds on his own.

However, this woman seemed to have some rather important connections, as exemplified by the fact that she was aware that the foreign beings were going to attack Deep Heaven City in advance, so she was able to leave before the battle ensued.

Han Li withdrew his gaze and inspected his surroundings before entering one of the larger material shops nearby.

The shop had around five or six employees, and a handsome young man immediately strode over with a smile. Our shop specializes in selling all types of pill and tool refinement materials. Feel free to tell me if you require any assistance, Senior.

Before Han Li had a chance to say anything, the shopkeeper, who was sitting on a bamboo chair, suddenly discovered that an item in his hand had begun to flash erratically with light. He was quite startled by this and immediately sprang up from his chair. You can go do something else, Ill serve this senior in person.

This Core Formation Stage shopkeeper then rushed over to Han Li with a respectful look on his face. Forgive me for not coming out to greet you sooner, Senior, I was unaware that you would be gracing my modest shop with your presence.

Han Li was rather taken aback by this.

He hadnt used any secret techniques to conceal his own cultivation base after entering the city, but a Core Formation Stage being definitely wouldnt be able to glean his cultivation base.

However, he then glanced at the treasured in the old shopkeepers hand, and an enlightened look appeared on his face. I see you have a Spiritual Pressure Disc, no wonder you were able to identify my cultivation base. I require a large batch of materials, prepare them for me as quickly as possible.

Han Li flipped a hand over to produce a white jade slip before tossing it toward the shopkeeper.

The elderly man hurriedly accepted the jade slip with both hands before injecting his spiritual sense into it, upon which an expression of surprise and glee appeared in his eyes.

This is indeed quite a large batch of materials. My shop will be able to provide most of these materials, but Ill have to borrow the rest from other shops, would you be able to give me some time, Senior?

Sure, Ill give you 15 minutes, Han Li replied.

The shopkeeper was ecstatic and hurriedly led Han Li over to a chair, then instructed an employee to brew some spirit tea for him while ordering the rest of the employees to bring out the required materials from their storage room.

After that, he departed from the shop to visit the other nearby shops in order to gather the rest of the materials he couldnt supply.

Judging from the shopkeepers reaction, it was naturally quite apparent that this senior was quite a powerful being, and they were all appraising him with awe and veneration in their eyes.

Han Li casually took a sip of the spirit tea that had been offered to him before closing his eyes to rest.

After about 15 minutes, the shopkeeper returned in an excited manner with a storage bracelet in his hand. At this point, the other employees in the shop had also brought out a bunch of different containers.

These materials were quite ordinary to Han Li, but they were very precious to this shop.

After sweeping his spiritual sense over the storage bracelet and these containers several times, Han Li asked for the final price, and the shopkeeper put on a fawning smile as he stated a price that wouldve been an astronomical amount to a normal cultivator.

However, Han Li didnt even bat an eyelid as he flicked a wrist to toss a leather pouch through the air. frewbnovel.com

The shopkeeper caught the leather pouch and injected his spiritual sense into it to find that the amount of spirit stones had even slightly exceeded the amount that he had asked for, and he immediately expressed his gratitude in an elated manner.

Han Li calmly stowed the items away before departing from the shop.

After that, he left the market altogether and flew toward another direction. Several hours later, he departed from Deep Heaven City before flying toward a boundless expanse of mountain ranges as a streak of azure light.

Half a month later, Han Li had left the territory under the jurisdiction of Deep Heaven City, but he continued onward without any intention of stopping.

Two months later, the azure streak of light finally landed on a lush mountain.

The light receded, and Han Li appeared on a massive rock. He briefly inspected his surroundings before closing his eyes and releasing his powerful spiritual sense.

Moments later, he nodded in a pleased manner.

This place had a decent spirit vein, and even though it wasnt very big, there was abundant spiritual Qi in a radius of several hundred kilometers, which was perfect for his needs.

However, it was impossible for such a spirit vein to be unoccupied, and through his spiritual sense, he detected that there were a dozen or so cave abodes of different sizes nearby.

The most densely populated of these cave abodes housed more than 10 people each, while some were inhabited by just a single person.

However, even the most powerful ones among them were only a pair of Nascent Soul cultivators, while the rest were only at the Core Formation and Foundation Establishment Stages.

This made sense as more powerful beings wouldnt be willing to establish their cave abodes in such a secluded place. There was no way that a cultivator at the Deity Transformation Stage or above would stray so far from the city just for a place to settle, so despite the abundance of spiritual Qi here, there definitely wouldnt be any overly powerful beings inhabiting this place.

However, Han Li wasnt planning to cultivate here for too long anyway, so he naturally wasnt concerned by the people already inhabiting this mountain.

Thus, he immediately made a hand seal, and golden light flashed from his body. His lips moved a few times, but no sound came out, so it seemed that he was transmitting his voice.

Within the belly of a mountain that was around 50 kilometers away from Han Lis location, there was a white-haired elderly man in a set of brocade robes. He was situated within a secret chamber that was sealed by multiple restrictions, and he was making a hand seal while appraising a cauldron in front of him in a tense manner.

Beneath the cauldron were bursts of blue flames, and a rich medicinal aroma was wafting out of the cauldron.

All of a sudden, an unfathomably powerful burst of spiritual sense completely disregarded all of the restrictions around the secret chamber and descended like a fiend celestial.

The elderly man didnt get any chance to react before he was completely flattened onto the ground by the enormous power accompanying this burst of spiritual sense, and he wasnt able to move so much as a single finger.

Argh!

The elderly man yelled out in shock and horror.

However, before he had a chance to do anything else, a cold male voice suddenly rang out from above the secret chamber.

I need to borrow this place for something, and I dont want to be disrupted by anyone. All those who hear this voice transmission, leave this place right away. If you havent left after a day, then you can remain here forever.

After that brief ultimatum, the burst of powerful spiritual sense abruptly vanished.

The elderly man immediately regained his mobility, and he rose to his feet in a shaky manner with a horrified look in his eyes.

After contemplating the situation for a moment, he stomped his foot onto the ground and instantly flew out of the secret chamber, not even taking a second glance at the cauldron that he had held in such high regard.

Two hours later, a streak of white light rose up from the mountain before flying into the distance.

The same scenes were unfolding in various places within a radius of several hundreds of kilometers.

One streak of light after another flew away from this place in a panicked manner, and after around half a day, the set of mountain ranges was completely devoid of cultivators, leaving behind only a series of empty cave abodes.

Han Li withdrew his gaze before stomping his foot gently down onto the flying carriage, and it immediately embarked on a slow descent.

The flying carriage was quite enormous, so the Dark Azure Guards down below naturally noticed it, and bursts of spiritual sense were immediately sent sweeping toward them.

Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, and azure light flashed, following which the flying carriage abruptly vanished. The five of them then descended near the teleportation formation.

Captain? Is that you? A cry of surprise suddenly rang out from one of the Dark Azure Guards.

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before casting his gaze toward that direction. In doing so he discovered that there was a burly green-eyed man standing among the Dark Azure Guards, and he was rather familiar to Han Li.

This was none other than Zhuo Chong, who was one of the guards that he had led back when he was last in Deep Heaven City.

At this point, he had already progressed from the late-Nascent Soul Stage to the early-Deity Transformation Stage, and he was staring at Han Li with a stunned expression.

Oh? Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Zhuo. Congratulations on becoming a Dark Azure Guard, Han Li said with a smile.

It really is you! Hmm? Have you already progressed to the Spatial Tempering Stage, Captain? Zhuo Chong was initially elated to see Han Li before a shocked expression reappeared on his face.

He discovered that his spiritual sense was completely unable to glean Han Lis cultivation base, so he could only assume this to be the case.

I did indeed manage to progress to the Spatial Tempering Stage during my travels, I didnt think that Id meet you here even before I entered the city, Fellow Daoist Zhuo. How are all of the other fellow Daoists in our former group doing? Han Li asked with a smile.

Well, not long after you left, the foreign races attacked Deep Heaven City, and close to half of us perished during that battle. The rest then chose to leave Deep Heaven City, and Fairy Xu and myself are the only ones who decided to stay, Zhuo Chong replied.

Fairy Xu is still in the city? Han Li asked as a peculiar look flashed through his eyes.

This woman was a descendant of Fairy Ice Soul, which was someone he had to meet in order to complete the task that Senior Weng of the Heavenly Cloud Races had assigned to him, so he was naturally interested in hearing about her.

Fairy Xu has also reached the Deity Transformation Stage, and shes now a mid-Deity Transformation cultivator. By the way, Fairy Xu regularly mentions you, and shes always saying that she wouldnt be where she is today without your guidance, Zhou Chong said with a suggestive smile, seemingly under the impression that there was something going on between the two of them.

Hehe, I didnt do much, you can barely even refer to that as guidance. Fairy Xu has attained her current accomplishments due to her own outstanding aptitude, Han Li replied with an indifferent shake of his head.

Meanwhile, as Han Li spoke with Zhou Chong, the four human cultivators were quite relieved to see that Han Li was acquainted with one of the Dark Azure Guards.

It seemed that he had been telling the truth about coming from Deep Heaven City himself. As such, they no longer had to worry that he was a foreign being attempting to infiltrate the city in disguise.

Such occurrences were not exactly rare, after all.

The scholarly man also recognized Zhuo Chong, and he said, Im glad to see that Brother Zhuo is acquainted with Senior Han. We were only able to make it back here as Senior Han stepped in to save our lives from a perilous situation.

Oh? Did the four of you encounter some danger? Zhuo Chong was rather taken aback to hear this.

Thats an understatement, the four of us almost perished to a Spatial Tempering Stage Stone Origin Turtle, the scholarly man replied with a wry smile.

Hehe, our captain was able to kill Spatial Tempering Stage foreign beings even as a Deity Transformation cultivator, so hed certainly have no issues killing a mere Stone Origin Turtle now, Zhuo Chong chuckled.

The four human cultivators nodded emphatically to express their agreement to this sentiment.

Id love to chat with you some other time, Fellow Daoist Zhuo, but I have some matters to attend to and I would like to enter the city first, Han Li said with a hint of a smile on his face.

Ah yes, how negligent of me, you mustve traveled here from afar, so you must be quite exhausted. Zhuo Chong hurriedly stepped away to grant Han Li passage to the teleportation formation behind him.

Han Li nodded at Zhuo Chong before striding into the formation before vanishing amid a flash of spiritual light along with the four human cultivators who had accompanied him.

Zhuo Chong looked on at the empty formation with a slightly forlorn look on his face.

Do you really know that Senior Han, Brother Zhuo?

Was he really your captain? Could he really kill Spatial Tempering Stage beings at just the Deity Transformation Stage?

Why were we unable to glean his cultivation base? Could it be that hes cultivated some kind of special ability?

All of the other Dark Azure Guards couldnt help but express their curiosity.

Of course its true. Captain Han was a very renowned figure among the Dark Azure Guards back in the day, and with his abilities, even the average Heavenly Guard may not be a match for him. I also benefited greatly from his guidance back in the day. Otherwise, I may not even have been able to progress to the Deity Transformation stage. It seems that hes progressed to the Spatial Tempering Stage, so his powers are naturally even more unfathomable, its no wonder that we cant glean his cultivation base, Zhuo Chong replied, and at the same time, he couldnt help but speculate internally about where Han Li had been during these past years.

Of course, never would he imagine that Han Li had gone on an epic trip that had spanned multiple different continents.

Meanwhile, spiritual light flashed within an ordinary-looking hall, and Han Li slowly emerged from the teleportation formation before casting his gaze around him.

The four human cultivators also emerged behind him.

Were already at Deep Heaven City now, so its time we parted ways, fellow Daoists, Han Li said to the four of them.

Thank you for saving our lives, Senior. Well be residing in the Spring Slumber Pavilion for now, if you have any need for our services, please dont hesitate to call on us, the scholarly man said with a respectful and earnest bow.

Without Han Lis intervention, all four of them wouldve almost definitely perished, so his words were genuine.

Spring Slumber Pavilion? Alright, Ill keep that in mind. Perhaps I really will have to trouble you later. Han Li nodded as he gave the scholarly man a final meaningful glance, then departed from the hall.

The four human cultivators faltered slightly before extending respectful bows in unison.

After departing from the hall, Han Li emerged in another massive hall that had a radius of over 1,000 feet. There were other people who were also entering and exiting the other halls connected to this one, but there werent very many of them.

Not far away from the exit of the giant hall stood two rows of Dark Azure Guards who were holding Foreign Spirit Discs, with which they were carefully assessing each and every cultivator entering and exiting the hall.

There was also a golden-armored Heavenly Guard who stood behind the Dark Azure Guards with his arms crossed, appraising everything within the hall with a cold expression.

Han Li immediately identified this Heavenly Guard as a mid-Spatial Tempering cultivator, and after a brief pause, he strode directly toward the guard.

The Dark Azure Guards outside the city were only responsible for guarding the teleportation formations so they didnt get damaged by foreign beings and beasts, while the guards here were truly responsible for verifying the identities of those looking to access the city.

In the past, Deep Heaven City gave out temporary transit badges to everyone who entered the primordial world. However, Han Li hadnt returned to Deep Heaven City for so many years, so he naturally didnt possess such an item, which could prove to be a little troublesome.

There werent many people in the giant hall, and Han Li was the only Spatial Tempering cultivator.

The Heavenly Guard immediately cast his gaze toward him, and even though Han Li remained completely expressionless, he was using an aura concealment secret technique.

A surprised expression immediately appeared on the Heavenly Guards face.

The Heavenly Guards body swayed, and he appeared in front of all of the Dark Azure Guards in a wraith-like manner before cupping his fist in a polite salute. I am Yu Lingzi. Your cultivation base is truly astounding, Fellow Daoist, may I ask your name and where you came from?

My name is Han Li, and as for where I came from, hehe, I was a Deep Heaven Guard over 300 years ago, Han Li replied.

The Heavenly Guard faltered momentarily before his expression darkened slightly. A Deep Heaven Guard? Surely you jest, Fellow Daoist, Ive been a Heavenly Guard for several hundred years, why have I never seen you before?

Han Li merely chuckled and suddenly raised a hand to send a ball of azure light flying through the air.

The Heavenly Guards pupils contracted as he made a grabbing motion to draw the ball of azure light into his hand, upon which he discovered that this was an azure jade pendant.

One side of the pendant was inscribed with some beveled silver runes, while the other side had the code C56 written in golden characters.

This was none other than Han Lis Dark Azure Guard badge from centuries ago!

Youre a Dark Azure Guard? The Heavenly Guard found this to be rather difficult to believe.

Indeed, is there anything wrong? Han Li asked.

Not at all, but Ill need to verify this badge first, the Heavenly Guard replied in a cautious manner.

No problem. Go ahead, Han Li said in a calm voice.

The Heavenly Guard nodded before rubbing his hands together, and the jade pendant immediately began to flash with faint azure light.

This is indeed a Dark Azure Guard badge, but your Dark Azure Guard number was canceled over 100 years ago, so youre already a free man, Fellow Daoist, the Heavenly Guard said with a slightly peculiar look on his face.

I completed an extremely perilous mission many years ago, and I was a free man from the moment I completed the mission, Han Li replied in a calm manner.

An extremely perilous mission from over 300 years ago? A thought seemed to have occurred to the Heavenly Guard, upon which a shocked look surfaced in his eyes.

Looks like you also remember what happened back then, Han Li chuckled.

So you were one of the members sent on those missions. Apologies for my rudeness, you may leave now. However, Ill have to take this Dark Azure Guard badge, the Heavenly Guard said as he cupped his fist in a respectful manner.

Of course. I havent returned to the city in many years, so I have no other proof of identity and had no choice but to bring out this item, Han Li said in a nonchalant manner.

The Heavenly Guard nodded before waving a hand, and the Dark Azure Guards immediately parted to grant Han Li passage.

Thus, Han Li emerged from the giant hall and flew away as a streak of azure light.

As such, Han Li could only rely on his own knowledge and formation expertise to gradually rectify these lightning formations, expending a vast amount of time and effort in the process.

The lightning formation that he had just emerged out of was the one that he held in the highest regard.

This formation could draw upon the power of lightning to form a short-distance teleportation formation that worked within a range of around 5,000 kilometers.

Using this formation, Lei Yunzi was able to teleport himself to his desired destination accurate to the nearest 1,000 feet, and he could complete the entire teleportation process in the span of just a few breaths.

However, due to the fact that Han Li had received a flawed version of the technique, no matter how hard he tried, he could only randomly teleport within a range of 5,000 kilometers. Furthermore, the teleportation process took him over 10 times longer than it did for Lei Yunzi.

That last teleportation was another experiment conducted by Han Li following the latest improvements he had made, but the effect was still the same.

This made his resentment toward Lei Yunzi boil over, and he couldnt help but curse Lei Yunzis name.

At this point, it had already taken him over 100 years to get to this place from the other side of the Tian Yuan Continent, and he was naturally ecstatic to see these human cultivators.

Referencing some rough maps of the continent, he knew that he was close to human territory, but there was no way to accurately gauge how much further he still had to go.

Furthermore, these were the first human brethren he had seen in many years, and their presence verified to him that Deep Heaven City was indeed not far away, so how could he not be ecstatic?

After wandering across multiple lands for countless years, he was constantly meeting different beasts and foreign beings, so he naturally missed being back in human company.

Most importantly, Han Li had always been concerned about whether Nangong Wan had ascended yet. He didnt know if this beloved wife of his had successfully ascended to the Spirit Realm, and whether she had also arrived at Deep Heaven City.

Han Lis expression remained unchanged, but there were many thoughts racing through his mind. He raised a hand, and a shimmering azure flying carriage was released.

The carriage was around 70 to 80 feet in length with many profound runes inscribed over its surface. There were also two winged giant wolf puppets that were hovering in mid-air in front of the carriage.

All of you look to have sustained severe injuries thatll hamper your ability to travel over long distances, so you can rest in the carriage and just give me directions, Han Li said in a calm manner, before entering the carriage himself.

Thank you for your kindness, Senior!

The four human cultivators were quite elated to hear this and hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

Han Li had told them that he wasnt a Body Integration cultivator, but they knew that he was no ordinary Spatial Tempering cultivator either. Otherwise, how could he have managed to kill that Spatial Tempering Stage Stone Origin Turtle so easily? With that in mind, they naturally didnt dare to go against his wishes.

On top of that, they really were in dire need of rest and recuperation, so they were more than happy to follow this order. What was going to be an extremely treacherous journey back was virtually guaranteed to be a completely safe one now with the accompaniment of such a powerful being.

Thus, the four of them flew onto the flying carriage in quick succession, and Han Li made a hand seal, sending two azure incantation seals flying through the air, each of which flew into one of the two giant wolf puppets.

The stationary puppets immediately seemed to have sprung to life, and they let loose bursts of low roars before flapping their wings and flying through the air.

Meanwhile, an azure light barrier appeared around the flying carriage to shield the four human cultivators, and the carriage flew into the distance as a ball of azure light.

Han Li sat with his legs crossed at the center of the carriage, and asked, Which region are you from, and how long has it been since you left Deep Heaven City?

The scholarly man was clearly the leader of the four, and he replied in a respectful manner, The four of us came from a sect in the Xuan Wu Region, and its only been around half a year since we left the city.

Half a year, eh? That means you should be quite familiar with recent events in Deep Heaven City, right? Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.

The scholarly man could sense where this conversation was going, and he replied in a cautious manner, We stayed in Deep Heaven City for several years prior to embarking on our journey, so we do indeed know a thing or two about recent matters in the city. However, as you can see, our cultivation bases are far from exceptional, so we dont know any confidential information.

Hehe, theres no need for you to be so tense. I also came from Deep Heaven City, but havent been back for many years, so I just wanted to hear about the overall situation. Seeing as Deep Heaven City still stands, I presume the foreign beings from back then didnt manage to conquer it, Han Li chuckled.

The scholarly man was rather taken aback to hear this, but he immediately replied in a truthful manner, Foreign beings? Was that when you left Deep Heaven City, Senior? At the time, a few of the nearby races joined forces to attack the city, but our human race and the demon race put up firm resistance, and both sides suffered severe casualties. Ive heard that there were even Body Integration Stage beings who had perished during that battle. However, just as the battle reached its climax, the foreign army suddenly retreated without any warning, which was how Deep Heaven City managed to survive.

They retreated? Han Li stroked his chin as a contemplative look appeared on his face.

Indeed. There were many different theories speculating the reason behind it. Some people say that our two races sent out our elite forces to attack the territories of these foreign races, thereby forcing them into retreat, there are also some people who say that a new Profound Heavenly Treasure appeared, so all of the foreign beings set off to search for the treasure, the crimson-armored man explained.

Han Li heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, but his expression remained unchanged as he asked, What are the rumors about the Profound Heavenly Treasure?

This was something that created quite a stir back then. Some people say that the treasure was suddenly born within a certain foreign race, while others speculate that a foreign being of the Body Integration Stage or above carried this treasure to our continent. Theres even a conspiracy speculating that someone ascended from one of the lower realms and carried such a treasure into this realm, the scholarly man replied with a wry smile.

Hehe, someone ascended from a lower realm? Han Li couldnt help but burst into laughter upon hearing this.

You also find that quite absurd, right, Senior? Profound Heavenly Treasures are extraordinary items, how could someone from a lower realm possibly be in possession of such a treasure? We have no clue how such ridiculous rumors came into existence, one of the female cultivators said with a smile.

Han Li nodded in an ambiguous manner as he said, It is indeed quite absurd. Alright, tell me about all of the major events that took place in the three regions and seven territories during the past 200 years.

Many major events took place during the past 200 years that shook the three regions and seven territories, but itll take a very long time for us to recount all of those events, the scholarly man said with a fawning smile.

Thats alright, we have such a long journey ahead anyway, so that should provide more than enough time for your stories, Han Li replied with a faint smile.

In that case, well do our best to provide an accurate account of the timeline of events, the scholarly man replied in a respectful manner.

At this point, he had already taken some pills and was holding a spirit stone, which he was using to slowly replenish his energy.

Thus, the scholarly man began his recount. The most important event to have taken place during the past 200 years was the death of the Heavenly Spirit Sovereign several decades ago. He passed away after failing to transcend his final heavenly tribulation, and a new spirit sovereign is about to be chosen in the human race. Second to that was the disappearance of the young daughter of one of the seven demon monarchs, the Nan Li Wyrm Monarch. His daughter mysteriously vanished from his lair, and for that, the wyrm monarch kicked up a massive fuss that almost tipped the three regions and seven territories onto its head.

Meanwhile, his three companions interjected to add details that he had missed from time to time.

Han Lis expression initially remained unchanged as he listened to these stories, but a hint of surprise gradually appeared in his eyes, only to be slowly replaced by a rather grim expression.

It seemed that a few earth-shattering events really had taken place in the human and demon races during the years that he had been away.

Only after close to half a day did the four human cultivators finally complete their recounts, and when their voices trailed off, Han Li fell into silent contemplation.

The four human cultivators naturally waited respectfully for Han Li to respond.

After a while, Han Li suddenly asked, Has a female cultivator from a lower realm by the name of Nangong Wan appeared in Deep Heaven City during these years?

Nangong Wan? Ive never heard of that name before. Lower realm cultivators who have ascended during these past 200 years have been exceedingly rare, so we should definitely be aware of all of them, the scholarly man gave a confident reply after pondering this question for a moment.

Han Lis eyes flashed, and a thought occurred to him as he continued, Oh, perhaps she changed her name. Have there been any female cultivators who have ascended to Deep Heaven City of late?

Ascended female cultivators are even rarer, but there have been a few, the scholarly man replied in a slightly hesitant manner.

Alright, thank you for disclosing all of this information to me. Ill leave you to rest and recuperate now. Han Li nodded with a pleased expression before closing his eyes and falling silent.

The four human cultivators also expressed their gratitude before closing their eyes to meditate.

Han Lis expression appeared to be quite placid, but his mind was filled with Nangong Wans gentle voice and smile.

He had thought about her regularly for so many years, and after learning that there was a large chance that Nangong Wan had failed to ascend to the Spirit Realm, his heart began to throb with pain.

The azure flying carriage flew even faster than when the four human cultivators had combined their powers, and a journey that shouldve taken over two months was completed in only about one and a half months.

The flying carriage stopped high in the air above Deep Heaven City, and a complex look appeared on Han Lis face as he looked at the monolithic city walls in the distance.

After wandering in foreign territory for so many years, he had finally returned to a home of sorts.

Should we teleport into the city now, Senior? the scholarly man asked in a careful manner.

Not far away from the carriage stood a teleportation formation that was several tens of feet in size, and there were a dozen or so azure-armored Dark Azure Guard standing around the formation.

Light flashed from the formation, and several humanoid figures conversed with the Dark Azure Guards before entering the formation and vanishing on the spot.

This was none other than the teleportation formation that led into Deep Heaven City. fгeeebove.cm

Due to the fact that this city directly faced the primordial world, it didnt have a normal city gate, so those who wanted to enter the primordial world had to do so through teleportation formations.

As for the guards in Deep Heaven City who have to complete missions from time to time, they had their own set of even more obscure teleportation formations.

The humanoid figure was an azure-robed young man with a pair of translucent wings on his back. His facial features were quite ordinary, but he wore an enraged look on his face.

The scholarly man swept his spiritual sense toward him, and he faltered momentarily before an elated look appeared on his face. He hurriedly yelled, Be careful, Senior, that Stone Origin Turtle down below has already attained intelligence and is extremely fearsome!

Stone Origin Turtle?

Only after hearing this did the young man seem to notice that there were beings below him, and he cast his gaze downward before immediately burst into laughter. The four of you are humans! That must mean Deep Heaven City isnt far away from here, right?

The young man didnt even bother to take a second glance at the giant turtle, and the ancient beast seemed to have also sensed that this man was quite a formidable being. It possessed quite a high level of intelligence, and it currently wore a hesitant look on its face, not daring to unleash any reckless attacks.

This place is still some distance away from Deep Heaven City, if you dont mind, the four of us would be more than willing to act as your guides, Senior. The crimson-armored man had also discovered that the young mans cultivation base was completely unfathomable to his spiritual sense, and he was also immediately latched onto Han Li like a life raft.

The scholarly man and the two women eagerly agreed to this arrangement as well.

I guess it cant hurt to have someone lead the way. However, youll have to wait for a bit. This Stone Origin Turtle seems to be decently powerful, let me secure its inner core before we set off! The young man turned to the ancient beast down below with a faint smile on his face.

The Stone Origin Turtle had no idea what they were saying, but it was immediately struck by a chilling sensation at the sight of the young mans menacing gaze. It immediately let loose a low roar and opened its mouth to blast forth a thick pillar of blue light. At the same time, the dozen or so tentacles lashed out in unison, sweeping toward the young man as countless black shadows.

The ancient beast had been struck by the feeling that its life was under severe threat, and it immediately went berserk.

The four human cultivators were quite alarmed by the giant turtles violent outburst, and they hurriedly activated their treasures to form protective light barriers before quickly backing away.

However, the young man merely smiled at the sight of the rampaging giant turtle. He raised a sleeve, and a grey light barrier instantly appeared in front of him.

The blue pillar of light struck the light barrier, and the former instantly vanished into nothingness amid a flash of light.

The devastating attack had fizzled out like a candle in the wind!

The young man also remained completely unflustered at the sight of the giant tentacle net that came crashing down toward him. All of a sudden, he flapped his wings, and a loud thunderclap rang out as countless arcs of azure and white lightning appeared over his wings before erupting into the air in a frenzy.

At the same time, he extended an inky-black hand out of his sleeve before making a grabbing motion toward the giant net.

An astonishing scene then ensued.

In the instant that he made the grabbing motion, all of the arcs of azure and white lightning converged to a single spot, instantly forming a huge azure and white hand that was around 10 feet in size. The hand was completely comprised of thick bolts of lightning, and all of the tentacles that came into contact with it were torn apart as if they were mere papier-mch structures.

In the next instant, a huge bolt of lightning appeared above the giant turtle before transforming into a massive palm again. The gargantuan hand swooped down at an alarming speed, and the giant turtle didnt even have a chance to react before the protective azure spiritual light around it was dispelled, and the hand locked itself tightly around the ancient beasts body.

A rumbling thunderclap erupted, and countless arcs of azure and white lightning appeared.

The arcs of lightning were clearly imbued with extremely devastating power as the Stone Origin Turtles body was reduced to ashes after just a few flashes, and it didnt even get a chance to cry out prior to its demise.

After the lightning in the air vanished, only an egg-sized demon core remained, hovering in mid-air in a stationary manner.

The young man made a grabbing motion, and the demon core was immediately drawn into his grasp. He casually inspected the demon core a few times before stowing it away amid a flash of spiritual light, then turned to face the four human cultivators. Alright, we can set off now.

The four human cultivators had already been completely rooted to the spot.

They had experienced the powers of that Spatial Tempering Stage Stone Origin Turtle for themselves, and it had almost brought about their demise. However, this young man had slain the giant beast as if it were nothing more than an ant!

This was simply incredible! Could it be his cultivation base was far superior even to what they had imagined?

The scholarly man took a deep breath before hurriedly extending a deep respectful bow. May I have the honor of knowing your name, Senior? Could it be that youre a Body Integration Stage cultivator?

Body Integration Stage? Im not quite there yet. As for my name, my surname is Han, the young man replied in a calm manner.

This young man was naturally none other than Han Li.

Over 100 years had passed since he had teleported back to the Tian Yuan Continent. Back when he was teleported from the Thunder Continent, he had found himself in an extremely secluded part of the Tian Yuan continent. Aside from a few Heavenly Cloud beings who had been sent there to guard the teleportation formation, there were no other beings around.

After he displayed his identification jade slip to those Heavenly Cloud beings, he was able to depart without a hitch. However, even Han Li hadnt anticipated just how lengthy his journey back to the human race would prove to be.

With his current powers, even Body Integration Stage beings werent all that formidable to him, but the Tian Yuan Continent was simply far too massive. On top of that, there were countless hazards that arose during his journey, and he also had to pass through the territories of some foreign races.

Even though Han Li had been extremely alert and cautious, he still almost perished on several occasions. There was one occasion where he had been chased for several months by multiple Body Integration Stage ancient beasts, and he had only managed to outlast them in a battle of stamina by relying on his abundant supply of spirit pills and spirit stones.

There was also one occasion where he had unwittingly stumbled into a glacial realm and was swept up by a type of strange glacial tide. On that occasion, if it hadnt been for his five-colored glacial flames ability to absorb this strange glacial power, he wouldve remained there forever as an ice statue. Even so, it had still taken him around a year to escape from that perilous realm, but the one positive aspect to arise from that experience was that his five-colored glacial flames had evolved from the glacial power they had absorbed.

There was another occasion where he had encountered a group of high-grade foreign beings who thought he would be an easy target as he was traveling alone, and wanted to kill him for his treasures.

During the extremely intense battle that followed, he was forced to bring out even his Gold Devouring Beetles and Profound Heavenly blade segment, slaying eight Spatial Tempering Stage beings and severely wounding two Body Integration Stage beings. However, he had also been afflicted by an extremely troublesome type of poison and barely managed to escape with his life.

Following that battle, he was forced to go into seclusion in an obscure place for over 10 years before he cured himself of that poison and fully recovered.

After those experiences, he naturally became even more cautious, but much to his frustration, he was still regularly beset by perilous situations. He now finally understood why even Body Integration Stage beings were so averse to traveling across an entire continent.

Even with his powers, he had still almost perished on several occasions, a normal Body Integration Stage being wouldve most likely already died on the journey if they had been in his place.

This was why only the most powerful beings of all races, that couldnt improve any further with normal cultivation, would set off on journeys to explore entire continents. Only through such experiences could unfathomably powerful beings like them refine their mental state and secure an inkling of an opportunity for a breakthrough.

Similarly, even though Han Li had encountered so many ordeals along his journey, he had also reaped unimaginable benefits,

Setting aside all of the precious materials he had obtained from the depths of the primordial realm, just the cultivation arts and secret techniques he had learned in secret from the foreign races he had passed through had benefited him immensely.

In order to avoid being discovered by those foreign beings, he would always limit his activity to the outskirts of their territory and only enter the small cities that werent guarded by any top-grade beings. In doing so, he was able to minimize the risk he was taking.

Even so, he wasnt always able to circumvent all risk entirely. As he was passing through a small city in the territory of the Ming Race, he encountered a foreign being who referred to himself as Lei Yunzi.

This was clearly only a mid-Spatial Tempering Stage being, but he was able to instantly see through Han Lis disguise, and thus, a fierce battle ensued between them.

Han Li had intended to kill Lei Yunzi in order to silence him, but much to his surprise, he was unable to do anything to this mere mid-Spatial Tempering Stage being.

This Lei Yunzi possessed the legendary Five Lightning Physique, which granted him the innate ability to control five completely different types of powers of lightning. Furthermore, he was also using a lightning cultivation art that had gone missing long ago, and this cultivation art allowed him to freely transition his body between a physical and lightning form at will. He was restricted by his cultivation base so he couldnt maintain the cultivation art for too long, but it was still enough for Han Li to be completely unable to do anything to him.

What was even more damning was that this Lei Yunzi was also a formation master of the Ming Race. He was able to integrate these skills with his lightning abilities to devise a unique lightning formation, which allowed him to transform the lightning within his body into any type of formation at will. These formations included trapping formations, as well as offensive and defensive formations, and their powers and versatility were truly astounding.

Of course, with Han Lis powers, Lei Yunzi also couldnt do anything to him either, and after battling for a month, the two of them eventually became friends of sorts.

Han Li was naturally extremely curious toward Lei Yunzis lightning powers and lightning formations, while Lei Yunzi was very intrigued by Han Lis Divine Devilbane Lightning, as well as his lightning beads and lightning robe.

Thus, the two of them eventually negotiated a truce and began to exchange cultivation experiences.

As a result, Han Li learned a few very practical lightning formations, and Lei Yunzi also absorbed some Divine Devilbane Lightning from him.

Only then did the two of them part ways, having benefited mutually from one another.

However, either these lightning formations were extremely difficult to cultivate or Lei Yunzi had intentionally omitted some key details, but Han Li was never able to control them as he pleased. Furthermore, it was often the case that some minor issues would arise when he tried to use them, making him feel very frustrated.

After studying these formations in greater depth, Han Li was finally able to ascertain that it was most likely the case that Lei Yunzi had indeed omitted some key details. Han Li was naturally quite disgruntled by this, although he had also given Lei Yunzi a flawed version of the lightning symbol technique, so his success rate when attempting to manifest lightning beads would be less than 10%.

In the primordial world of the Tian Yuan Continent, there were countless types of unidentifiable beasts and monsters. There were also some extremely perilous locations that were lethal to even high-grade cultivators, and countless beings of all races perished each year in the primordial world.

Even so, countless cultivators were still willing to enter the primordial world for its precious materials and potential opportunities.

The human race was situated in a secluded corner of the Tian Yuan Continent, and it was far weaker than the major races on the continent. It wasnt even much more powerful than its few neighboring races.

Thankfully, they were able to ally themselves with the demon race, which was roughly comparable in power. Furthermore, the three regions and seven territories had all been sealed away by a super restriction set up by the primordial mighty figures of the two races.

Aside from Deep Heaven City, there were no other entrances leading into the land of the two races, and this was what had allowed the two races to exist in the Spirit Realm to this very day.

Of course, Deep Heaven City was regarded as an extremely important place by the two races. Not only were there large numbers of powerful beings from both races constantly stationed there, the city itself had a panel of elders that was solely responsible for defending the city.

There were only 10 members in the panel of elders, but all of them had to be at the early-Body Integration Stage or above. If one of them were to perish, another Body Integration Stage being would immediately be elected from the two races to take the perished elders place.

It was through these arrangements that Deep Heaven City had always remained an impregnable fortress.

At the same time, Deep Heaven City was the only exit available to the cultivators of the human and demon races if they wanted to access the primordial world.

Most cultivators didnt dare to venture too deep into the primordial realm and only scoured the area that was within a months travel away from Deep Heaven City. If they were to encounter any powerful ancient beasts or other hazard, they would still have a chance to return to Deep Heaven City for refuge.

Of course, there were also many courageous characters who were confident in their own abilities and ventured much deeper into the primordial world, but the mortality rate among those beings naturally spiked dramatically.

In the air above a lake in the primordial world, there were currently several human cultivators who were in this type of imminent life-threatening danger.

This group consisted of four humans, two male and two female, and they had been trapped by a gargantuan ancient beast in the lake.

The giant beast had the body of a massive turtle, but there were a dozen or so tentacles on its back that were sweeping through the air, creating fierce gusts of wind and forming a giant net that trapped the four people within.

The four of them were all powerful Deity Transformation cultivators, and the treasures they were wielding also appeared to be quite powerful, but regardless of whether they were flying swords, flying daggers, huge wheels, or giant staves, all of them were instantly repelled by the tentacles, leaving the four cultivators completely trapped.

There was a scholarly middle-aged man among them wielding a particularly powerful silver scepter treasure that withstood most of the pressure being exerted on them by the huge net of tentacles. If it wasnt for that treasure, they wouldve already had their defenses breached and been killed by this giant beast.

Even so, all four of them were panting heavily and sweating profusely, clearly unable to last much longer.

Brother Huo, release your Extreme Lightning Bead! We have to make one final roll of the dice now! the scholarly man yelled in an urgent manner to the man beside him.

A crimson-armored man with a set of hideous facial features replied in a grim manner, The Extreme Lightning Bead is indeed powerful, but Im afraid that setting it off in such an enclosed space would harm us as well.

Im aware of that, but well just have to risk it. This Stone Origin Turtle possesses early-Spatial Tempering Stage powers, and my Hundred Spirit Scepter wont be able to last much longer against it. If we dont use the Extreme Lightning Bead now, we wont get another chance! the scholarly man insisted in a decisive manner.

The crimson-armored man was still rather hesitant. Right at this moment, the ancient beasts tentacles began to accelerate, and the sound of howling winds and rumbling thunder rang out. The enormous power erupting from the giant net also increased significantly.

The countless streaks of white light conjured up by the scepter quickly dimmed significantly after a few more clashes, and the safe enclosed space around the four human cultivators shrank even further.

This turn of events finally prompted the crimson-armored man to make up his mind, and he gritted his teeth before flipping a hand over to produce an egg-sized bead.

The bead was shimmering with blue light and had blue patterns all over its surface, giving it a rather mysterious appearance.

The two female cultivators were quite alarmed at the sight of the blue bead, and one of them hurriedly changed something before waving both of her sleeves through the air, summoning a dozen or so high-grade talismans that formed layers of light barriers around all four of them.

Meanwhile, the other woman raised a hand to send a small black bell flying through the air.

The bell then expanded drastically before releasing a layer of black light amid a faint clang, and this black light also encompassed all four human cultivators.

A ferocious look appeared in the scholarly mans eyes as he expelled several mouthfuls of blood essence in succession. With each mouthful of blood essence expelled, his complexion would pale slightly, but that didnt stop him from pointing his finger rapidly into the air.

The blood essence vanished into the scepter up above in a flash, and the spiritual light that had dimmed slightly immediately brightened, manifesting into a dense barrier of white light.

Seeing as all of his companions had adopted defensive measures, the crimson-armored man didnt hesitate any longer as he tossed the blue bead forward.

As soon as the bead left his hand, it transformed into a ball of dazzling blue light.

The crimson-armored man made a hand seal, and the ball of blue light instantly expanded to the size of a wagon wheel, then crashed directly toward an oncoming tentacle.

An earth-shattering boom rang out, and the blue ball of light exploded as soon as it came into contact with the tentacle, sending bursts of blue shockwaves erupting forth in a frenzy.

The giant net formed by the dozen or so tentacles was instantly inundated by blue light, and the shockwaves spread to cover a radius of over 500 meters. Gale-force winds howled incessantly within the blue light amid a string of explosions, and four streaks of light rushed out of the blue light before linking up in a flash and fleeing into the distance.

The four human cultivators within the streaks of light were all in an extremely sorry state. The scholarly man had blood all over his body, and one of his arms had gone missing.

His three companions also had extremely pale complexions, and their clothes were in tatters, clearly having also sustained severe injuries.

Thankfully, none of them had lost their abilities to fly, and they were still able to flee at an astonishing speed.

Moments later, the shockwaves in the air dispersed, and the blue light faded as well.

Most of the ancient turtle beasts tentacles had been destroyed, and the remaining ones were also all charred and incomplete.

A thunderous roar of fury erupted from the ancient beasts mouth, and green light flashed from its mangled tentacles, upon which they began to rapidly regenerate. Turbulent waves then surged over the nearby surface of the lake, following which a vast amount of water was swept up before enveloping the giant turtle. The vast expanse of water then formed a giant cloud that was several acres in size before setting off in pursuit of the four human cultivators.

The four of them were naturally quite alarmed by this, and they fled as quickly as they could to try and shake off the cloud.

However, despite its enormous size, the giant cloud was able to keep up with the combined speed of the four human cultivators, and not long after that, the cloud and the human cultivators had flown for hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

As time passed the gap between the two gradually dwindled. This wasnt to say that the cloud had suddenly sped up, instead, the four human cultivators were slowing down.

They were all bearing severe injuries, and after fleeing as quickly as they could for so long, they were finally beginning to exhaust their supplies of magic power.

The four of them had naturally realized the perilous situation that they were in, but in the face of the almighty ancient beast behind them, they were powerless to do anything.

Finally, after flying for around another 100,000 kilometers, the distance between the ancient beast and its prey had been whittled down to just over 1,000 feet. Right at this moment, the ancient beast let loose a thunderous roar, and the cloud suddenly blurred before exploding on its own.

White water-attribute spiritual Qi surged before dissipating, but the giant turtle was nowhere to be seen.

The four human cultivators had naturally been keeping a constant eye on their pursuer, and the scholarly mans expression immediately changed drastically upon seeing this as he exclaimed, Look out!

However, before the four of them had a chance to do anything, spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted up above, and several black tentacles swept toward them like lightning.

Even before the tentacles reached, the massive wind pressure they were exerting was already causing the spiritual light around them to flicker violently and fluctuate in brightness.

The four of them let loose cries of surprise, and they reflexively dispersed, flying in different directions to avoid the attacks.

In doing so, they were able to evade the powerful tentacles, but they had also been split apart. The four of them looked at one another, and all of them had grim expressions on their faces.

Even their combined magic power had been unable to shake off the ancient beast, now that they had been forcibly dispersed, it would be impossible for them to escape.

A massive black shadow flashed up above, and the giant turtle emerged out of thin air before appraising the four cultivators with a frosty look in its green eyes.

The human cultivators hearts sank, and they knew that there was a good chance this would be their final resting place.

However, the four of them had cultivated to their current powers and dared to venture deep into the primordial world, so they clearly possessed strong will and wouldnt just resign themselves to their fates.

Thus, they forcibly reinvigorated themselves before releasing their treasures again to prepare to make one final struggle.

The giant turtle beast let loose a low roar upon seeing this, and a humanized look of disdain flashed through its eyes. The dozen or so tentacles on its back swept forth again before transforming into black blurs, and it appeared that another battle was about to commence.

However, right at this moment, peculiar looks appeared on the faces of the four cultivators and the giant beast, and all of them abruptly looked up almost in unison.

A head-sized ball of lightning had appeared over 1,000 feet in the air above them, and the ball of lightning was flashing with countless thin arcs of silver lightning, but it was completely silent. The violently flashing lightning created a stark contrast with the complete lack of sound, creating an extremely unsettling sight to behold.

However, before the four cultivators and ancient beast had a chance to react, the lightning ball suddenly swelled to several times its original size amid a resounding boom.

A successive string of loud booms rang out immediately thereafter, and countless arcs of lightning sprang forth as the ball of lightning instantly formed a circular formation that was several tens of feet in diameter.

This was a formation that was comprised entirely of silver arcs of lightning, and countless silver runes appeared amid violent flashes of lightning.

An earth-shattering thunderclap rang out, and a bolt of lightning that was as thick as a water tank crashed down from above. The lightning faded, and a humanoid figure stumbled out onto the center of the lightning formation.

As soon as this humanoid figure steadied himself, he immediately delivered a crass tirade. Lei Yunzi, you old bastard! Dont let me catch you again or Ill make sure you get whats coming to you!

All of a sudden, black Qi erupted from Han Lis body, and a suit of black armor appeared. Countless black runes surged forth from the suit of armor, and the crimson streak of light was instantly repelled by the runes and black Qi.

The crimson shadow was sent stumbling backward and was forced to reveal its true form.

Blue light flashed through Han Lis eyes, allowing him to better glean the true appearance of the crimson shadow, and in spite of everything he had been through, even he couldnt help but be startled by what he was beholding.

At first glance, the face of the crimson shadow appeared to be a sinister ghostly face, but after a faint flash, it turned into Xiang Zhilis face, and after another blur, it transformed into the face of another man.

This man was also familiar to Han Li, it was none other than Old Devil Hu, whom Xiang Zhili had entered the spatial node with.

The crimson shadow quickly transitioned between its three faces as if it were incapable of adopting a stable form.

The crimson shadow finally righted itself before exclaiming in a shocked and enraged manner, Heavenly Devilish Armor? Impossible! How could you possess a suit of armor that should only belong to heavenly devils?

The voice resembled that of Xiang Zhili, but it also gave Han Li a strange unfamiliar feeling.

Han Li harrumphed coldly as shimmering golden light appeared all over his body. At the same time, a suit of golden scale armor emerged over his skin.

Do you think I cant do anything to you just because you have that suit of Heavenly Devilish Armor? The crimson shadows face changed several times in rapid succession before it let loose a strange cry and began to rotate on the spot.

In the blink of an eye, a crimson tornado had erupted from his body and risen up into the sky, reaching a height of over 100 feet.

Incessant rumbling rang out from within the tornado, and bolts of crimson lightning flashed violently, creating an extremely alarming sight to behold.

The crimson shadow then chanted a few strange incantations, and the tornado rapidly shrank, condensing itself into a head-sized crimson rune mere moments later. The rune hovered in front of the crimson figure, and a grim look immediately appeared on Han Lis face as he sensed the violent fluctuations proliferating from the rune.

A loud thunderclap rang out, and the crimson rune lashed out as an arc of crimson lightning.

The lightning struck the black runes up ahead amid a resounding boom, and after a few erratic flashes of light, the black runes were parted, thereby allowing the lightning to strike the surface of the black suit of armor.

A muffled thump rang out as the crimson arc of lightning vanished, revealing a palm-sized hole that had been blasted onto the surface of the suit of armor.

A sinister look reappeared on the crimson shadows face, and after a burst of wicked cackling, it rushed forward as a rapid streak of crimson light again, reaching Han Li in a flash before pouncing toward the hole on his suit of armor.

However, right at this moment, spatial fluctuations erupted nearby, and a large golden hand appeared in front of the hole on the suit of armor. The hand spread open its five fingers and caught the oncoming crimson shadow like lightning.

The crimson light receded, and the crimson shadow reappeared in the golden hand with a horrified look on its face. However, it then abruptly opened its mouths to blast a burst of crimson flames directly toward Han Lis face.

This was an extremely vicious and unpredictable attack!

Han Li was completely immobilized right now, and the crimson flames had been unleashed at point-blank range, so there shouldve been no way for him to evade it.

However, a cold smile suddenly appeared on Han Lis face, and black light flashed on his glabella, following which an inky-black eye was abruptly opened.

Black light flashed, and a beam of black light shot forth before striking the crimson flames with unerring accuracy.

The nearby space warped, and the two intertwined before vanishing into thin air together.

The crimson shadow was quite startled to see this, and bright crimson light erupted from its body as it attempted to unleash some other type of ability, but it was already too late.

A layer of silver flames suddenly appeared over the golden hand that it had been caught in, and the crimson shadow was instantly inundated.

Bloodcurdling howls rang out from within the silver flames as the crimson shadow struggled with all its might, changing its size and form at will to try and escape. However, the large golden hand was like an inescapable vice that refused to let it get away.

After just the span of a few breaths, the bloodcurdling howls ceased, and the crimson shadow was incinerated into nothingness.

Come to think of it, this crimson shadow had been quite unlucky. With its formless body, normal treasures and abilities wouldve completely failed to trap or harm it. reeebnvel.com

However, that large golden hand belonged to the Provenance Golden Body, and after its multiple refinements and Han Lis vast improvement in cultivation base, it had attained incredible abilities, thereby allowing it to pluck the formless crimson shadow straight out of the air.

As for the Spirit Engulfing Heavenly Flames, it possessed the power to devour all types of energy in the first place, and after devouring many other types of flames, it had become extremely potent against devilish beings and evil Qi.

Only then was this vastly powerful crimson shadow destroyed so easily.

Han Lis expression eased slightly upon seeing this, and the Law Destruction Eye on his glabella slowly closed before fading away.

He then began to chant something, and golden light swirled around his body as he opened his mouth to expel a fist-sized ball of light.

The ball of light was enshrouded within a layer of golden light, and it was revealed to be a clump of greyish-white threads.

The strange threads that had infiltrated his body earlier were forcibly condensed by his true essential power before being expelled from his body.

This was also a result of his massive cultivation base improvement and the significant progress hed made in his Provenance True Devil Arts. Otherwise, he still wouldnt have been able to accomplish this.

As soon as the greyish-white clump was expelled, he regained control over his body, following which he immediately pointed a finger at the silver flames.

The Spirit Engulfing Heavenly Flames instantly swept forth toward the large golden hand before encompassing the ball of greyish-white light.

Meanwhile, the golden hand vanished into thin air amid a flash of light, and the ball of light flashed a few times before disintegrating into nothingness within the silver flames.

Only then did Han Li turn around to appraise the mangled remnants of Xiang Zhilis body, and he couldnt help but heave a faint sigh.

He still couldnt figure out exactly what had happened to Xiang Zhili for such a sinister being like the crimson shadow to be lurking in his body, but this physical body definitely did belong to Xiang Zhili.

From the unsettling transitioning faces of the crimson shadow, it seemed to have already devoured Xiang Zhili and Old Devil Hus souls before fusing them as one.

Thankfully, the hibernating Weeping Soul Beast had suddenly displayed a slightly restless and uneasy reaction when he had met Xiang Zhili in Cloud City for the first time, thereby alerting him to the fact that something was amiss. Otherwise, he wouldve failed to notice anything.

If this Xiang Zhili hadnt been attempting to plot against him, Han Li naturally wouldnt have gone out of his way to kill him. However, during their two previous encounters, Xiang Zhili had clearly been intent on making him fall for some kind of sinister trap, thereby igniting the killing intent in his heart, which was why he decided to meet him as planned.

However, he wasnt 100% sure that there was something wrong with this Xiang Zhili, which was why he had waited until the trap was sprung.

Following the huge strides Han Li had made in the Vast Glacial Realm and the seed of wariness that had already been sowed into his heart, he was confident that he wouldnt fall prey to the devious plot he was potentially walking into.

Even if he hadnt used his golden body and Spirit Engulfing Heavenly Flames, there were still many other ways for him to kill that crimson shadow with ease. After all, there was too much of a disparity between his and Xiang Zhilis powers.

The crimson shadow had detonated Xiang Zhilis body before absorbing most of the bodys blood essence, but that still wasnt enough for it to unleash much of its power.

Han Li stood on the spot and heaved an internal sigh.

Xiang Zhili had once stood at the very pinnacle of the human world, yet he had fallen to such a tragic fate, it was truly a saddening sight.

Han Li didnt know if he and Old Devil Hu had fallen prey to that crimson shadow in the spatial node or after they had arrived in the Spirit Realm. If it were the latter, then that would be even more tragic.

Han Li heaved another faint sigh before gently sweeping a sleeve through the air, unleashing a wave of crimson flames that instantly incinerated the mangled set of remains into nothingness.

As for that so-called Giant Spirit Talisman, it had already crumbled into nothingness following the demise of the crimson shadow.

After that, Han Li didnt delay there any longer. He made a grabbing motion in the air around him, and barely detectable spatial fluctuations immediately erupted in the air around the mountain peak.

A dozen or so balls of light of different colors then emerged before vanishing up his sleeve in a flash, these were none other than the formation flags he had released earlier.

The formation flags had formed a simple formation that concealed spiritual Qi fluctuations.

In the instant that Xiang Zhili arrived on the mountain, Han Li had secretly activated the formation to conceal the energy fluctuations that had erupted from their battle. Otherwise, to some beings, they wouldve still been able to notice what was happening on this mountain, which was only less than 100 kilometers away from Concealed Wyrm City.

The formation wouldnt have been able to completely conceal the signs of their battle, but it wouldnt have been very noticeable even to high-grade beings.

Han Li rose up into the air as a streak of azure light before flying toward Concealed Wyrm City.

Not long after that, a group of patrolling armored warriors arrived on the scene from another direction. However, after searching around the mountain, they discovered nothing and could only return in a frustrated manner.

As for Han Li, as soon as he returned to Concealed Wyrm City, he went back to the inn and remained in his room.

During the next few days, Qian Jizi and the others sent the missing materials to Han Li in batches, and it seemed that they really were going to keep their promise.

Han Li naturally accepted them without any qualms.

A month later, Han Li finally emerged from the inn before flying toward the tallest mountain in Concealed Wyrm City.

It was said that the most important buildings in Concealed Wyrm City were situated on that peak, along with a few secrets that werent known to outsiders.

Half a day later, the entire mountain suddenly shuddered before a massive pillar of light erupted into the heavens from a certain place within the belly of the mountain.

After just a few flashes, the huge pillar of light vanished. These events drew some attention from the nearby Heavenly Cloud beings and became the topic of conversations for a few days, but as time passed, everyone gradually forgot about this and carried on with their daily lives.

At the same time, a pillar of light also erupted from the heavens from an obscure location on another continent that was countless kilometers away from the Thunder Continent. Immediately thereafter, a humanoid figure appeared at the center of a giant formation while the pillar of light receded.

Lets split these spirit medicines evenly as we agreed on, Duan Tianren said with undisguised excitement in his eyes as he looked at all of the jade boxes hovering in the air.

Cai Liuying was also very excited, but she shook her head, and countered, Hold on! We did indeed agree to split these spirit medicines evenly, but the spirit stones and Crystal Moon Liquid at the end were all given by me, so I have to take 10% more than my share.

10%? Are you planning to go back on your word, Fairy Cai? Fellow Daoist Duan and I will naturally reimburse you for your spirit stones. As for the Crystal Moon Liquid, that is indeed a holy medicine for body refinement, but how can it compare with 10% of all the precious True Immortal Realm spirit medicines here? You can have five or six extra spirit plants at most as compensation, Qian Jizi said in a cold voice as his expression darkened.

Sure, Ill take five extra spirit plants, then, Cai Liuying eagerly agreed with a smile on her face.

Qian Jizi faltered slightly upon seeing before immediately realizing that hed fallen for a trap, and an indignant look on his face, but he merely gave a cold harrumph before falling silent.

Meanwhile, Duan Tianren was inspecting the unfolding scenes with his arms crossed and a faint smile on his face.

Thus, the three of them immediately began to allocate the hundreds of spirit medicines between them, and after several rounds of intense bartering, they were finally able to split up all of the spirit medicines.

Hehe, with these spirit medicines, the bottleneck that has troubled me all these years will surely be broken with ease, Duan Tianren said in a pleased manner as he stowed away his jade boxes.

Im sure he didnt bring out all of the spirit medicines, though, arent you two interested in what he has left? Qian Jizi suddenly asked as a sinister look flashed through his eyes.

Duan Tianren and Cai Liuying naturally immediately understood what he was implying, but after exchanging a glance with one another, wary looks appeared on both of their faces.

Duan Tianren contemplated the matter for a while before shaking his head in response. The three of us will naturally be able to take him down with ease, but dont forget the order that Senior Weng issued to us a few days ago. He instructed us to allow that kid to access the teleportation formation, so he must be related to Senior Weng somehow. Also, Ive heard my disciple describe the size of that medicine garden, and even if hes kept some spirit medicines in reserve, it definitely wouldnt be a lot. Its not worth risking Senior Wengs wrath to try and secure those remaining spirit medicines. On top of that, that kid is quite powerful in his own right, and hes been very cooperative, so theres no need to do something like this.

I second Brother Duans opinion. Even as holy race beings, we definitely dont want to risk incurring Senior Wengs wrath over something like this, Cai Liuying chimed in in a solemn manner.

In that case, just pretend like I never said anything. It appears I was indeed a little too greedy. Qian Jizi glossed over the matter with a sheepish chuckle.

Without Cai Liuying and Duan Tianrens support, his scheme was naturally laid to rest.

At this point, Han Li had already arrived at the foot of the mountain. His robes were fluttering around him in the wind, and he had a calm and collected look on his face.

However, his mind was racing rapidly as he assessed the exchange that had just taken place.

On the surface, it seemed that he had ended up with the short end of the stick by exchanging so many True Immortal Realm spirit medicines for some materials and spirit pills. However, in his heart, he was well aware that he had actually profited greatly from the exchange.

He had naturally retained one of every type of spirit medicine that he had brought out earlier, and with the assistance of his mysterious small vial, he would be able to mass cultivate them given some time.

As such, all he was sacrificing in this exchange was actually time, and not a lot of it, at that.

With the Red Silk Fruits and Corrosive Poisonweed, he didnt know if his standard nurturing method would work, so he only handed over a few of those plants each and kept most of them for himself.

As for the unique spirit medicines and that mysterious silver lotus seed pod, he naturally hadnt handed them over either.

As such, Han Li had essentially received such immense benefits from Qian Jizi and the others at the cost of virtually nothing, so he was naturally in a very good mood.

After departing from the mountain, Han Li went to an inn on a different nearby mountain and temporarily settled there.

During the next three days, he either stayed in his room or traveled to all types of material shops in Concealed Wyrm City to purchase large amounts of materials.

These materials werent necessarily all that precious, but they were all unique to the Thunder Continent. He was preparing to return to the Tian Yuan Continent, so he naturally had to purchase a vast quantity of these materials to ensure a sufficient supply.

On the morning of the fourth day, Han Li departed from the inn and left Concealed Wyrm City, traveling to Azure Wyrm Peak, which was a mountain that was close to 100 kilometers to the west of the city.

In this massive mountain range, this mountain was completely nondescript and didnt stand out in size, nor appearance. If it werent for the fact that the mountain was filled with a type of tree that remained azure all year round and the shape of the mountain resembled an ascending wyrm, it would most likely completely escape ones notice.

Han Li flew over into the air above the mountain as a streak of azure light before the light faded to reveal him, and he cast his gaze downward.

With his immensely powerful spiritual sense, he was naturally able to instantly inspect the entire mountain. As a result, he discovered that the mountain was completely empty, so Xiang Zhili clearly still hadnt arrived yet.

Han Li wore a contemplative expression as he hovered in the air for a while, before suddenly sweeping a sleeve through the air, sending a dozen or so formation flags flying downward. The formation flags then vanished in a flash into the air surrounding the mountain, and only then did he descend onto its summit.

He found a clean mountain rock and sat down on it with his legs crossed and his eyes closed.

Time passed by quickly, and several hours flew by in a flash.

All of a sudden, Han Lis expression stirred slightly, and he abruptly opened his eyes as he cast his gaze toward Concealed Wyrm City.

Spiritual light flashed in the distant sky in that direction, and moments later, a streak of light appeared in the air above the mountain before descending onto it.

Sorry to keep you waiting, Junior Martial Brother Han, I had some things to take care of, which delayed my arrival. The light receded to reveal a yellow-robed elderly man, who cupped his fist in a salute toward Han Li in an apologetic manner.

It was none other than Xiang Zhili.

Thats alright, I only arrived not long ago as well. Can you tell me what you have to say now, Senior Martial Brother Xiang? Han Li asked in a calm manner.

Of course. However, before that, I have to show you something first. Xiang Zhili reached one of his hands out of his wide sleeve to reveal a shimmering green jade box before handing it over to Han Li with a smile on his face.

Han Li glanced at the jade box before sweeping his spiritual sense toward it, only for his spiritual sense to be immediately repelled. A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes, and he asked, Is this the item that you want to give me, Senior Martial Brother Xiang? What is it? Youre certainly being very secretive about this!

An extremely profound restriction seemed to have been set up inside the jade box.

Hehe, youll know once you open it, Junior Martial Brother Han, Xiang Zhili encouraged with a mysterious smile.

Han Li nodded in response before accepting the green jade box to find that it was as light as air.

He then took another glance at Xiang Zhili with a peculiar look on his face before suddenly tossing the jade box into the air. A streak of azure sword Qi that was around 10 feet in length flew out of his sleeve before striking the box viciously in a flash.

Argh!

Xiang Zhili immediately let loose a cry of surprise upon seeing this, but it was too late for him to stop Han Li.

The jade box was sliced open by the sword Qi amid a faint crack, and an item drifted out of it.

Han Lis eyes narrowed slightly to inspect the item, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

This was a shimmering golden talisman with profound silver patterns all over its surface. On top of that, there were countless golden and silver runes surrounding the talisman, giving it an air of mystery.

A calm expression reappeared on Xiang Zhilis face, and he made no mention of how Han Li had sliced open the box. Instead, he said in an earnest manner, This is a Giant Spirit Talisman that I obtained by chance in the human world, but it requires someone of the Deity Transformation Stage or above to be able to refine it. Its all thanks to this talisman that I was able to survive my tumultuous trip through the spatial node into this realm. However, my cultivation base has plummeted all the way to the Core Formation Stage, so I have no use for it anymore. As such, I decided to give it to you, but in exchange, I want you to do something for me once you return to the human race. Rest assured, this is something thats well within your capabilities.

Han Lis brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but he didnt immediately respond. Instead, he made a grabbing motion upward, and a burst of invisible force drew the golden talisman into his hand.

His heart stirred slightly as he sensed the pure spiritual power emanating from the Giant Spirit Talisman, and several thin translucent threads suddenly erupted out of his glabella before vanishing into the talisman in a flash.

Spiritual sense crystallization! Xiang Zhili couldnt help but exclaim as a hint of shock flashed through his eyes.

Right in the next instant, a startling turn of events suddenly unfolded.

The Giant Spirit Talisman suddenly began to release a faint buzzing sound while its golden color instantly turned black. At the same time, a burst of grey Qi appeared over its surface, and a plume of greyish-white thin threads erupted from the talisman.

The threads reached Han Li in a flash, but Han Li seemed to have anticipated that this would happen, and he remained completely unflustered. Spiritual light flashed, and a dense indestructible-looking golden light barrier appeared in front of him.

At Han Lis current cultivation base, the protective spiritual light formed by his Provenance True Devil Arts was completely impervious to the effects of normal treasures.

However, this proved not to be the case here! The greyish-white threads punctured through the golden light in a flash before vanishing into his body.

A bone-chilling sensation immediately spread through Han Lis body from the greyish-white threads, and within the span of a single breath, his body had become completely numb and immobilized.

At the same time, a sinister look suddenly appeared on Xiang Zhilis face. As soon as the greyish-white threads vanished into Han Lis body, he immediately made a hand seal, upon which his body abruptly exploded.

Blood and flesh flew in all directions, revealing a crimson shadow. Bright crimson light then erupted forth as the crimson shadow hurtled toward Han Li, leaving an overwhelming stench of blood and gore in its wake.

Han Li wasnt surprised to hear this. He had already plundered the entire medicine garden before Liu Shuier and Shi Kun had a chance to reach it, but from the size of the medicine garden, one could still roughly deduce the number of spirit medicines that had been planted in there, which was why Qian Jizi was convinced that there were more.

I do indeed have some spirit medicines that Ive yet to reveal, but shouldnt you show me some sincerity as well, Senior? Han Li countered with a smile.

Qian Jizhis expression darkened slightly upon hearing this. Are you doubting our integrity, Fellow Daoist Han?

I wouldnt dare. Its just that Ive already brought out all of the spirit medicines Ive collected from the Vast Glacial Realm, and I only have repeats of the same spirit medicines left. Hence, I would like to see the spirit pills being offered to me in exchange, Im sure thats not asking too much, Han Li replied in a slow voice, displaying no intention of backing down.

Duan Tianren was holding a thumbs-sized red fruit in his hand, and after engaging in a brief voice transmission conversation with Cai Liuying, he said, Fellow Daoist Hans request is a reasonable one. Lets show him the spirit pills that we have as confirmation that were serious about this exchange.

Many of the spirit medicines that Fellow Daoist Han has brought out are ones that we need, so it is indeed only fair that we also show him what we have to offer. Hence, Im willing to take the lead and show Fellow Daoist Han the spirit pills I have to offer first, Cai Liuying said with a smile.

Qian Jizi faltered slightly upon hearing this before suddenly bursting into laughter. Seeing as neither of you has any objections, I would only be making myself look bad if I were to turn down this request.

Thank you for your kindness, seniors! Han Li immediately cupped his fist in a grateful salute.

Thus, Cai Liuying flipped a hand over, and spiritual light flashed, upon which three medicine vials appeared before being tossed to Han Li.

These three types of spirit pills will all assist in breaking your bottleneck, and theyre all quite renowned, so Im sure youve heard of them. They are Silver Floss Pills, Myriad Wonder Pills, and Bitter Azure Pills. I had to expend countless time and effort to secure these pills, and Ive used up half of them already, but the remaining half should be sufficient for your consumption. In particular, the three Myriad Wonder Pills will be extremely potent in assisting you in your breakthrough attempt…

Han Li caught the medicine vials before carefully inspecting their contents while listening to Cai Liuyings introductions.

With Han Lis pill refinement prowess, he was able to easily identify the authenticity of these pills, and after confirming this, he gave a slight nod.

At this moment, Duan Tianren also produced two medicine vials, as well as two medicine boxes, while Qian Jizhi brought out two palm-sized gourds, one of which was red while the other was blue.

After a few minutes, Han Li had verified all of these pills. The pills that Duan Tianren was offering were not inferior to Cai Liuyings, while the two gourds brought out by Qian Jizi contained two types of precious spirit liquids that could only be found on the Thunder Continent.

Directly consuming the spirit liquids wouldnt do anything, but they were important ingredients for refining several types of spirit pills, and they were extremely rare in the Spirit Realm.

A pleased look appeared on Han Lis face, and he flicked his wrist again, upon which even more jade boxes were released from his storage bracelet.

The spirit pills and spirit liquids that have been offered are indeed all priceless treasures, but just these alone wont be enough to exchange for all of my spirit medicines, Han Li said in a slow voice as he looked at the hundreds of jade boxes he had just summoned.

Duan Tianren was ecstatic at the sight of the hundreds of jade boxes in front of Han Li, and he chortled, Haha, with our collective wealth, well be sure to have something that catches your fancy, Fellow Daoist Han. Go right ahead and tell us what youd like.

Indeed, well be taking all of these spirit medicines, please feel free to raise any conditions you have, Fellow Daoist Han.

Qian Jizhi was aware that Han Li had a vast quantity of spirit medicines, but he didnt expect Han Li to be willing to bring out so many at once, so he was also ecstatic.

I dont need any treasures at the moment, but Im in need of some rare materials. I have a list with me here, and I was wondering if you had any of the items on there. Ive also heard that the Crystal Races Crystal Moon Liquid was considered to be a holy medicine for body refinement, so I would like to secure a vial from Senior Cai if possible. On top of that, Im also interested in the refinement methods for sentient puppets and Myriad Wonder Pills, and I was hoping to secure those as well. Han Li rattled off a list of many conditions.

Qian Jizi and the others couldnt help but exchange a glance upon hearing this.

Arent you going too far, Fellow Daoist Han? Setting aside the materials, only the pill refinement masters have the refinement method for Myriad Wonder Pills. Crystal Moon Liquid is also something that many holy-grade beings are desperately searching for… Cai Liuyings brows furrowed in a display of displeasure.

I dont think Im asking for too much. These are almost all of the spirit medicines I obtained from the Vast Glacial Realm, and if any of them were to be presented to an auction house, countless holy-grade beings would undoubtedly fight to get their hands on them. There are hundreds of these spirit medicines here, and many of them are already extinct in the Spirit Realm. Furthermore, the ages of these medicines are also completely unfathomable, so I think Im already making a huge concession by asking for such an exchange, Han Li countered in a calm manner.

Theres no way we can give you the refinement methods for Myriad Wonder Pills and sentient puppets. Those are fundamental to our Heavenly Cloud Races and cant be leaked to outsiders no matter what, Qian Jizhi refused in an implacable manner.

Crystal Moon Liquid is also extremely precious, but I guess I can spare a vial, Cai Liuying said with a pained expression.

Duan Tianrens expression had also darkened slightly, but Han Li didnt pay this much heed. He had only been trying to probe the bottom lines of the three seniors with his proposed conditions, and even though Qian Jizi clearly wasnt open to negotiation, being able to secure a vial of Crystal Moon Liquid was still a massive victory.

Thus, after a brief pause, Han Li said in a calm voice, Seeing as the refinement methods of the pills and sentient puppets cant be leaked to outsiders, then I wont force the issue. Ill simply ask for the other half of the spirit stones required to activate the super teleportation formation as well, that should be a far easier condition to fulfill.

Cai Liuying faltered slightly upon hearing this before replying with a smile. Spirit stones? Thats certainly no problem at all.

Qian Jizi and Duan Tianren also agreed to this arrangement as their expressions eased slightly.

Seeing as the conditions for the exchange had been established, Han Li summoned an azure jade slip before tossing it toward Cai Liuying.

Cai Liuying raised an eyebrow before catching the jade slip, then injected her spiritual sense into it to find that it was a list of many materials, quite a few of which were vastly renowned to her.

She glanced at Han Li with a hint of a smile on her face before flicking her wrist and tossing the jade slip to Duan Tianren. Meanwhile, she began to examine the spirit medicines Han Li had brought out.

Moments later, all three of them had examined the new spirit medicines, and after confirming that nothing was amiss, they each began to summon different containers such as wooden boxes and jade vials out of their storage bracelets.

Within mere moments, around 60% to 70% of the materials on the list had been assembled.

Han Lis expression remained unchanged, but he was actually extremely astonished.

This naturally wasnt a list of random materials, most of them were actually ones that Qing Yuanzi had requested, and even though most of these materials werent the ones on the list that were of the utmost importance, they were still all extraordinary items.

As such, Han Li was naturally quite stunned that Qian Jizi and the others were able to assemble so many of them without even batting an eyelid.

However, this also indicated that these three Body Integration Stage beings had indeed made extensive preparations in advance, so they were sincere in their offer to trade with Han Li. Otherwise, they wouldnt be carrying so many precious items with them.

After examining all of the materials, Han Li stowed them away into his storage bracelet in a pleased manner.

At this moment, Duan Tianren suddenly said, Aside from a few of the materials that we cant track down, Ill get the rest delivered to you within 10 days. Will that be an issue, Fellow Daoist Han?

Of course not, I have full trust in your word, Senior, Han Li replied with a smile.

These are the spirit stones and Crystal Moon Liquid that you asked for. You really are stripping us bare, Fellow Daoist Han, we might have to start borrowing from our friends to make ends meet, Cai Liuying chuckled as she swept a sleeve through the air.

A black leather pouch and a shimmering blue vial were immediately sent flying toward Han Li within a ball of five-colored light.

Surely you jest, Senior, Han Li chuckled in response as a hint of elation flashed through his eyes, and he made a grabbing motion to draw the two items into his grasp.

He only gave the spirit stones within the leather pouch a rough examination with his spiritual sense before tossing it into his storage bracelet, but he was a lot more thorough in his inspection of the small blue vial.

Not only did he open the vial and use his spiritual sense to examine it several times, he even held it up to his nose and took a whiff of the contents. Only after that careful assessment did he stow the vial away.

Seeing as the exchange had been completed, Han Li naturally wasnt going to stick around any longer. Thus, after extending a bow to the three Body Integration Stage beings, he bade them farewell and departed.

The three Body Integration Stage beings clearly didnt want Han Li to stay any longer, either, so they also bade him farewell.

Spiritual light flashed from the teleportation formation, and Han Li instantly vanished.

You two can go as well, Cai Liuying said to Liu Shuier and Shi Kun.

Yes…

Liu Shuier naturally accepted the instruction, whereas Shi Kun glanced at Duan Tianren before also doing as he was told after receiving a nod of confirmation from Duan Tianren.

Thus, the two of them also stepped onto the teleportation formation and disappeared in a flash.

When the two of them arrived in the hall on the first floor of the pavilion, Han Li was already nowhere to be found.

The two of them exchanged a glance with wry smiles on their faces.

Han Li extended a respectful greeting, in response to which Qian Jizi merely waved a hand with a smile. No need for formalities, Fellow Daoist Han. He then swept his spiritual sense toward Han Li, upon which his expression suddenly changed slightly. Hmm? Youve already reached the ninth tier, Fellow Daoist Han?

Han Li heaved an internal sigh, but his expression remained unchanged as he replied, I encountered some minor opportunities that allowed me to make these breakthroughs.

Even though his cultivation base had progressed to the pinnacle of the Spatial Tempering Stage, he had used a secret technique to conceal it, so Liu Shuier and the others naturally failed to detect this.

As for Fairy Yue, she had progressed to the Body Integration Stage, but her progression was quite recent, so her spiritual sense was still inferior to Han Lis, and she naturally also failed to detect anything as a result.

As for the young man with the Weng surname, he was able to immediately identify Han Lis progression, but as a Grand Ascension Stage being, he naturally didnt pay much heed to this and didnt even bother to mention it.

As a late-Body Integration Stage being, Qian Jizi was also able to identify Han Lis progression.

The surprise on Qian Jizis face quickly disappeared, and a calm smile returned. Surely progressing two ranks in succession cant be referred to as a minor opportunity, hehe. In any case, I came here especially to see you, Fellow Daoist Han. Please come with me, there are two other people who would also like to see you.

Two other people? Han Li was naturally slightly taken aback to hear this.

Indeed, but dont worry, these two are both acquaintances of yours, Fellow Daoist Han, Qian Jizi assured in a meaningful voice.

A series of thoughts rapidly raced through Han Lis mind upon hearing this, but his expression remained unchanged as he replied, Im naturally happy to comply with your wishes, Senior.

Alright, then come with me. Qian Jizhi nodded in a pleased manner before turning and walking into the pavilion.

Han Li hesitated momentarily before also following along. He wasnt afraid that Qian Jizi would turn on him. After all, he was the elder of a race, and there were so many witnesses around, so he certainly wouldnt do something that would ruin his own reputation here in the Starcloud Pavilion.

With Qian Jizhi leading the way, the silver-robed guards on either side of the gate naturally granted them free passage.

Inside the pavilion was a large hall that was completely empty aside from a few small teleportation formations.

Qian Jizi led Han Li directly into one of the formations, and light flashed before Han Li found himself in another hall.

This hall was only just over 200 feet in size, and the teleportation formation underfoot lay at the direct center of the hall.

There were some tables and chairs positioned around the hall, and there were huge head-sized crystals embedded into the ceiling, releasing white light that illuminated the entire hall so that it was as bright as day.

Han Li cast his gaze around the hall, upon which his attention was immediately drawn to the four people in it.

There were two men and two women, two of whom were seated while the other two were standing. All of them were indeed acquaintances of his, they were Cai Liuying and Liu Shuier, as well as Duan Tianren and Shi Kun.

Han Li was rather perplexed about why they would want to see him, but his expression remained unchanged as he extended a respectful salute. Han Li pays his respects to Senior Cai and Senior Duan.

Hehe, no need for formalities, Fellow Daoist Han. It was all thanks to you that Fellow Daoist Cai and I were able to secure the items we were looking for, Duan Tian replied as he appraised Han Li, upon which a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.

It was quite clear that he had also identified the startling progress Han Li had made.

Cai Liuying hadnt said anything yet, but a peculiar look also flashed through her eyes.

I was only doing what was expected of me, Im not worthy of your gratitude, seniors, Han Li replied with a modest smile.

However, he was feeling a little befuddled by this situation. Qian Jizi was standing right beside him, but he wasnt surprised at all by what Duan Tianren was saying. It seemed that he already knew of their agreement.

Theres no need to be so modest, Fellow Daoist Han. I heard from my disciple that youre far more powerful than even we had anticipated, and if it werent for your efforts, we wouldnt have been able to secure the treasures from the Vast Glacial Realm anywhere near as smoothly as we did. Now that youve made such significant progress in your cultivation base, your powers are most likely no less inferior to those of a holy race being, so you can refer to us as equals, Cai Liuying said with a smile.

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before glancing at Qian Jizi and Duan Tianren, both of whom wore calm expressions and raised no objections to Cai Liuyings words.

A series of thoughts quickly raced through his mind, and he smiled as he asked, I mustve been called here for a reason right? Could it be that there are some difficulties surrounding the super teleportation formation, seniors?

We promised to let you use the formation, so we naturally wont go back on our word. Besides, Senior Weng has also spoken to us about this matter, and none of us would dare to go against his wishes, Qian Jizhi replied as he stroked his beard.

Then… Han Li could roughly deduce what he had been summoned here for, but he gave nothing away.

Please dont misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. We heard from our disciples that you emptied the entire medicine garden within that restriction, and Im sure many of the spirit medicines in there are extremely rare or even extinct in the Spirit Realm, and most of them would likely be very useful to holy-grade beings like us. You are indeed very powerful, but you havent progressed to the holy race yet, so those spirit medicines wont be overly useful to you at the moment. As such, the three of us would like to propose a mutually beneficial exchange, Cai Liuying said with a smile.

An exchange? What do you propose, seniors? Han Li remained quite calm upon hearing this, and his calm demeanor came as a slight surprise to Qian Jizi and the others.

The three of them exchanged a glance before Duan Tianren cut straight to the chase. All three of us have reputations to uphold, so we definitely wont force you into any unfair trades. The three of us each have some spirit pills that will assist in breaking through the holy-grade bottleneck, as well as some treasures and materials that will be of use to you, and we would like to use them to exchange for your spirit medicines. Those medicines must indeed be extremely precious, but Im sure making a breakthrough to the holy grade is more important to you, Fellow Daoist Han.

Pills that can assist in breaking the holy-grade bottleneck? Han Lis expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

Indeed. We all prepared large quantities of such pills back when we made our breakthroughs, and even though most of them were consumed during that process, the three of us combined naturally still have quite a few of these pills left. With these pills, your chances of making a successful breakthrough will be increased by at least 20% to 30%, Duan Tianren said in a proud manner.

Of course, the amount of pills and treasures were willing to offer will depend on the types and quantity of spirit medicines you obtained from the medicine garden, Cai Liuying added.

Liu Shuier and Shi Kun were naturally already aware of the reason why Duan Tianren and the others had summoned Han Li here, and both of them were appraising him with envy in their eyes.

They had also received immense benefits from Duan Tianren and Cai Liuying following their return from the Vast Glacial Realm, but those benefits still couldnt compare with what was currently being offered to Han Li.

A hesitant look appeared on Han Lis face as he pondered this proposal.

Qian Jizi and the others also fell silent to allow Han Li to process the situation.

After a long while, Han Li finally exhaled as he made a decision. I did indeed secure a large quantity of spirit medicines in the restriction, but most of them are completely unrecognizable to me. It would naturally be fantastic for me if I could exchange them for the aforementioned pills, but Im not sure if the spirit medicines will be of interest to you.

Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han, the three of us have some experience, and Im sure well be able to identify most of the spirit medicines. Even if we cant identify some of them, well be sure to do our best to give you a fair price, Qian Jizi hurriedly reassured. He was ecstatic that Han Li was willing to proceed with the exchange, as were Duan Tianren and Cai Liuying, who also made similar promises.

In that case, Ill bring out the spirit medicines for inspection.

Han Li nodded before flicking his wrist, and a loud buzzing sound rang out from his storage bracelet as a burst of azure light erupted forth.

The azure light flashed through the air, upon which hundreds of jade boxes of different styles appeared, and all of them were shimmering with faint spiritual light.

Duan Tianrens eyes lit up as he made a grabbing motion toward the nearest jade box to him, and the lid of the box flew off on its own to reveal a crimson coral-like spirit plan that was around a foot in length and emitting a faint glow.

What a massive Flame Coral Herb! Duan Tianren exclaimed with a stunned look on his face.

Han Lis pupils contracted ever so slightly upon hearing this, but his expression remained unchanged. This was one of the spirit medicines that he had been unable to identify, and if he recalled correctly, he had collected about six of them in total. Out of all of them, he had only brought out one. Cai Liuying and Qian Jizi exchanged an excited glance upon seeing this before also beginning to carefully inspect the contents of the jade boxes.

As expected of holy-grade beings who had lived for over 10,000 years, most of the spirit medicines that Han Li couldnt identify had been recognized by them, and judging from their elated reactions, these were clearly all extremely precious spirit medicines.

There were over 100 jade boxes that had been summoned, but the inspection of their contents was soon complete.

After Qian Jizi appraised the spirit flower in the final box, he put the flower back into the box in a slightly reluctant manner, then turned to Han Li with a smile. These are indeed all spirit medicines that are very difficult to find in the Spirit Realm, but judging from the size of that medicine garden, Im sure there wouldve been more spirit medicines in there. How much more do you have, Fellow Daoist Han? You can bring them all out for our inspection.

The Jiao Chi Race army had reached Cloud City, but the area beyond Cloud City was still devoid of Jiao Chi presence for now. As such, the flying carriage didnt encounter any mishaps as it flew away from the direction the battle was being waged at.

Over half a month later, Han Li caught sight of the other major city of the Heavenly Cloud Races, Concealed Wyrm City, in the distance.

In contrast with Cloud City, which hovered high up in the air, this city was nestled within a set of boundless mountain ranges.

Close to half of the city wall was constructed from a series of interconnected mountains, and there were also thousands of mountains of different sizes within the city.

There were buildings of different sizes littered all over the city, regardless of whether it was on or between the mountains, and a series of spiral paths could be seen winding down the mountains, creating quite an interesting sight to behold.

Concealed Wyrm City had clearly also been impacted by the Jiao Chi Race army, and even from several tens of kilometers away, one could sense a tense atmosphere from the city.

Not only were there bursts of restriction fluctuations proliferating from the city, there were also armored warriors who were constantly patrolling the nearby area, split up into groups raging from a dozen or so to over 100.

Even though the giant flying carriage that Han Li was on clearly bore the Heavenly Cloud crest, it was still stopped on several occasions to be checked by the armored warriors.

However, after verifying the authenticity of an identification badge that the burly man produced, all of them backed away and allowed the flying carriage passage into the city without any impediment.

Thus, the flying carriage landed in front of the city gate, and a Spatial Tempering Stage armored warrior conducting checks at the gate immediately identified the burly man, upon which he hurriedly greeted in a respectful manner, Welcome, Senior Bing. These are the fellow Daoists who have just returned from the Vast Glacial Realm, right? The elders of Cloud City have already notified us of your arrival in advance, so Ill take you to the Starcloud Pavilion right away to see them.

The burly man wasnt surprised at all by this arrangement, and he nodded at the armored warrior before turning to Fairy Yue and the others. In that case, all of you can enter the city. I still have some matters to attend to, so Ill be returning to Cloud City.

Everyone else naturally agreed, and after extending respectful words of gratitude toward the burly man, they all disembarked from the flying carriage.

The burly man let loose a low cry, and the six spirit beasts immediately rose up into the air before quickly vanishing into the distance along with the flying carriage.

After Han Li and the others entered through the city gates, they immediately discovered that the city was extremely lively and bustling, but everyone wore anxious and concerned expressions.

This made sense considering Concealed Wyrm City was the closest major city to Cloud City. Most of the Heavenly Cloud beings who had been evacuated from Cloud City had gathered here, thereby resulting in such high population density.

They hailed two snowy-white beast-drawn carriages on the street before instructing the drivers to take them to the Starcloud Pavilion, and the carriages quickly flew toward a certain spirit mountain in the city.

Han Li sat beside one of the windows of the beast-drawn carriage and looked out at the passersby and buildings on the streets in an expressionless manner, seemingly in deep thought about something.

All of a sudden, his expression changed slightly as he caught sight of a certain figure on the street.

This was a man in a set of grey robes with a head of white hair. He had a slightly sickly complexion about him, and he was currently speaking with someone in front of a materials shop.

The other person wore a set of yellow robes and his skin was of a light purple color. He had a menacing look on his face, and Han Lis brows furrowed slightly at the sight of him.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he suddenly said, Stop the carriage. I have something that I need to do here, Ill join all of you at the Starcloud Pavilion soon.

Everyone else was rather taken aback to hear this, but they naturally had no excuse to stop him.

Thus, the coach driver stopped the carriage as he was told, and Han Li drifted down from it.

The two people on the side of the street were clearly arguing about something, and their argument was quite loud.

You have to repay the spirit stones you owe me within three days. Otherwise, dont blame me for turning on you, the purple-faced man said in a threatening manner.

Im sure you know about my situation, Fellow Daoist Huang, theres no way I can gather so many spirit stones in three days. The elderly man with the sickly pallor shook his head in a troubled manner.

I dont care. Im sure you know what consequences await you if you dont repay the spirit stones. If I dont get my spirit stones in three days, hehe… the purple-faced man chuckled coldly.

The elderly mans expression changed slightly, and he was just about to say something when a hint of bewilderment suddenly appeared in the eyes of the purple-faced man standing before him.

A calm male voice then rang out from behind the elderly man. How many spirit stones does Senior Martial Brother Xiang owe you? Ill repay you in his stead.

The elderly mans heart jolted upon hearing this. The voice seemed to be coming from right behind him, but why couldnt he sense the person who had spoken when they were clearly so close to him?

He hurriedly turned around to find a young azure-robed man standing around 10 feet away from him. This was a man with a set of ordinary facial features, and he had a hint of a smile on his face. It was naturally none other than Han Li.

Junior Martial Brother Han? An elated look immediately appeared on the elderly mans face at the sight of Han Li.

Long time no see, Senior Martial Brother Xiang! Han Li said with a smile.

Indeed, it had been many years since Han Li had last seen Xiang Zhili in Cloud City.

I see youve come to Concealed Wyrm City as well, Junior Martial Brother. Prior to leaving Cloud City, I tried to find you, but I was unable to find any information on your whereabouts, Xiang Zhili said with a smile.

Ive indeed been in a rather secretive place of late, my apologies for making you go through so much trouble, Senior Martial Brother Xiang. How many spirit stones do you owe him? Han Li asked.

The purple-faced man was at around the same cultivation base as Xiang Zhili, so he was only at the Core Formation Stage, and his spiritual sense was completely unable to identify Han Lis unfathomable cultivation base. As such, his face immediately paled, and he hurriedly extended a deep respectful bow toward Han Li. I wouldnt dare to ask for spirit stones from you, Senior! I didnt know that Fellow Daoist Xiang had such connections. Please accept those spirit stones as an offering from me to you, Senior.

Hehe, do you take me for someone who threatens people into waiving debts? Tell me how many spirit stones he owes! Han Li insisted in a cold voice.

Its not much, only… The purple-faced mans heart immediately jolted as he hurriedly revealed a number that was completely insubstantial to Han Li.

Thus, he flipped a hand over to summon a leather pouch, which he tossed toward the purple-faced man. Theres your spirit stones, you can leave now.

The purple-faced man hurriedly bowed several times in a panicked manner before fleeing the scene. rewebnovel.com

I am truly embarrassed to show you such a sorry state and make you pay for my debts, Junior Martial Brother Han, Xiang Zhili said as he cupped his fist with a wry smile following the purple-faced mans departure.

Han Li raised a hand to conjure up a grey light barrier, then smiled as he said, Its alright, those spirit stones arent of any consequence to me. Im truly surprised to see you here, Senior Martial Brother Xiang. I recall that you asked me to come and meet you before I return to the Tian Yuan Continent, you can tell me what you have to say now.

With the temporary restriction set up by the Divine Essencefused Light, no one would be able to eavesdrop on them.

Xiang Zhili was naturally unaware of what kind of ability Han Li was using, but he clearly had great confidence in it, so Xiang Zhili naturally knew that this was quite a powerful restriction. His eyes immediately lit up with excitement, and he asked, Are you saying this because you can return to the Tian Yuan Continent, Junior Martial Brother?

Indeed. I did some things for the Heavenly Cloud Races not long ago, so theyve granted me permission to use their super teleportation formation once. Ill be leaving the Thunder Continent soon, Han Li said in a calm manner.

Thats great to hear! However, the item I wanted to entrust to you isnt on me right now, and this isnt a suitable place to discuss these matters anyway. How about this? Can you go and wait for me on the Azure Wyrm Peak close to 100 kilometers outside of the city and wait for me there? We can discuss things in greater detail there, Xiang Zhili said in an elated manner.

A barely detectable hint of surprise flashed through Han Lis eyes upon hearing this before he nodded in response. Azure Wyrm Peak? In that case, Ill meet you there.

Then its settled. By the way, youve made significant strides in your cultivation base again, havent you? I cant identify your exact cultivation base, but from the pressure Im sensing from you, youve clearly become more powerful than last time! Xiang Zhili exclaimed.

I only made a minor stride in my cultivation, Han Li replied with a nonchalant smile.

Thus, the two of them chatted for a while longer before the Divine Essencefused Light barrier was withdrawn, and Han Li departed on another beast-drawn carriage.

Meanwhile, Xiang Zhili remained standing on the spot, looking on at the departing carriage with a slightly unnatural smile on his face…

Concealed Wyrm City was quite a massive city, but it was still slightly smaller than Cloud City.

After only around an hour, the beast-drawn carriage that Han Li had taken arrived at the foot of a mountain, and on that mountain was a set of interconnected buildings that surrounded the entire mountain peak.

Han Li followed the coach drivers instructions and traveled up the mountain path, but many armored warriors suddenly emerged in a cautious manner halfway up the mountain.

Thankfully, Liu Shuier and the others had clearly just traveled through the same point, so after Han Li revealed his identity to the armored warriors, they allowed him to pass through without any fuss.

After a short while, Han Li appeared outside a massive pavilion atop the mountain peak.

There was a golden plaque above the pavilion gate, upon which the words Starcloud Pavilion were inscribed in large shimmering silver ancient characters.

There were eight silver-robed beings with longswords on their backs standing on either side of the gate in an expressionless manner and to Han Lis surprise, there was a slightly chubby yellow-robed elderly man who was standing in front of the pavilion with his hands clasped behind his back.

As soon as Han Li appeared, the yellow-robed man immediately approached him with a smile. This elderly man was none other than Qian Jizi of the Myriad Ancient Race.