Seeing as Han Li was asking her to leave, the woman naturally obliged. She immediately extended a respectful bow toward Han Li before departing from the courtyard atop her white cloud.
Han Li stood on the spot and looked on as the white cloud disappeared into the distance. Only then did he turn around and walk into the wooden cabin that had been prepared for him.
The cabin wasn't very large, and it was only sparsely furnished with some wooden furniture.
Han Li didn't look at anything else; he made his way straight over to the wooden bed in one corner of the room, then sat down upon it with his legs crossed.
He exhaled as an exhausted look appeared on his face.
"Just standing up for a while has completely expended all of the magic power I'd just saved up. Looks like I really have lost far too much blood essence," Han Li murmured to himself. He then brushed a hand over his storage bracelet, and faint white light flashed as four or five vials of different designs appeared in his hand.
Han Li poured out a few pills from each vial, then stuffed them all into his mouth at once before closing his eyes to digest the powers of the pills.
Moments later, he felt a scorching sensation in his dantian, following which a few bursts of cool and refreshing energy began to circulate throughout his body and meridians, nurturing and repairing his injuries in the process.
Han Li was quite elated by this development.
As expected of regenerative pills refined using myriad year spirit medicines; they were truly very effective.
A short while later, a faint layer of golden light surfaced over Han Li's body, and a faint flickering golden projection also appeared over his head.
The wooden cabin fell completely silent...
At the same time, the woman returned to the earthen city atop her white cloud, and descended in front of the palace on the plaza.
Several tens of white-robed low-grade priests were still waiting for her there in silence.
"Come with me, Yan Wu. Also, summon the hunting party that first discovered Mr. Han; I have some questions to ask them," the woman instructed.
"Yes!"...
The white-robed serpentine beings did as they were told while Yan Wu followed the woman into the palace again.
"You stayed with that man throughout the entire trip here; tell me your impression of him, as well as all of the observations you made. Make sure not to skip any details!" the woman said with a serious expression.
"I'll be sure to tell you everything I know! At the time, I was on duty at the dock..." Yan Wu was rather nervous in the face of the high priestess' steely demeanor, but she still gave a detailed recount of the observations she'd made during her time spent with Han Li.
Even though the events being recounted were all quite boring and mundane, the woman still listened with an expression of rapt focus on her face.
Several hours later, the serpentine hunters who had first discovered Han Li arrived at the palace in the earthen city atop their lizard steeds. They said something to the white-robed serpentine beings outside the palace, then hurriedly rushed in through the gates. The group was in there for over an hour before they finally re-emerged with Yan Wu.
At this moment, the woman was sitting on the main seat within the palace with an indecisive look on her face, seemingly grappling with some kind of dilemma.
"Are you experiencing some troubles, Mother?" A clear voice suddenly sounded within the palace.
The woman faltered initially upon hearing this voice before an elated look appeared on her face. "Zhu'er, is that you? When did you get back?"
Right at this moment, white light flashed in front of the woman, and a slender serpentine being emerged.
This was a young serpentine woman who appeared to be around 16 to 17 years of age with a head of long black hair and a set of peerlessly beautiful facial features.
There was a string of shimmering silver rings woven into her hair, and a large yellow bow as well as three bone arrows strapped to her back. There was also a black leather pouch hanging from her waist, and she was holding a white flag in her hand.
This woman also had the lower body of a snake, but it was extremely white, to the extent that her scales were barely visible at all.
She stood there with a vibrant smile on her face, revealing a pair of sweet little dimples on her gorgeous face.
"It really is you, Zhu'er! Your cultivation base really has progressed markedly since I last saw you."The woman hurriedly rose to her feet with a doting look on her face before enveloping the young serpentine woman in a tight hug.
"I should be saying that to you, Mother. We've only been apart for a few years, but you've already reached the metamorphosis stage," Zhu'er giggled.
"You think far too highly of me, Zhu'er. I didn't have the power to break through to this stage on my own; I merely consumed that immortal fruit to assist me," the woman sighed as her smile faded.
"What? You ate that immortal fruit, Mother? Then doesn't that mean your lifespan's been severely shortened?" The young woman's expression changed drastically as she grabbed onto her mother's wrist, and her face turned deathly pale as she gauged the woman's condition with her spiritual power.
"What's the point of having a long lifespan if I won't get to live it? By the way, did your master come back with you?" the woman asked with a hopeful expression.
"When I received your letter, my master just so happened to be visiting a friend on another island. I was afraid that I wouldn't get back in time, so I took the treasures that Master left behind to protect the island and came back on my own. When I got here, I saw that you were asking some people about a certain Mr. Han, so I decided to refrain from showing myself until now," the young woman explained with a concerned expression.
"If your master can't make it, then the situation does not bode well for us." The woman's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
"Mother, is our race really in such grave danger? I've even brought back Master's Heaven-splitting Bow with me. As long as we don't get attacked by someone that's more than 10 times as powerful as me, I should be able to kill them with a single arrow," the young woman said in a confident manner.
"Zhu'er, your cultivation base has indeed improved markedly, but you're only at around the same stage as I was back before I consumed the immortal fruit. Even if your powers were to be enhanced by tenfold, you still most likely wouldn't be able to handle this ordeal. If your master had come back with you, perhaps we'd be saved, but as things are now..." The woman's voice trailed off into a resigned sigh as she stroked her daughter's hair.
"The letter that you sent to me was quite vague, Mother. Just what is our race facing for you to be so desperate? You've even consumed the immortal fruit and are trying to suck up to some unknown upper race cultivator." The young woman lay in her mother's arms and looked up at her with a pained look on her face.
The woman hesitated momentarily before finally patting her daughter on the shoulder as she said, "Seeing as you've already returned to the island, asking you to leave now will most likely place you in even more danger. So be it, I'll tell you what's happened."
"I presume that you already know that the other two races have already been eradicated."
"Yes, you mentioned that in your letter, Mother. Even so, surely that's not a cause for such alarm. Those two races have always been slightly weaker than our Fire Yang Race, and the cultivation bases of their high priests were inferior to yours even before you consumed the immortal fruit," the young woman replied with a perplexed look.
"But do you know what kind of being was responsible for wiping out those two races?" the woman asked in a slow voice.
"Didn't you say that there were no leads, Mother?" The young woman faltered slightly upon hearing this.
"Two entire races were completely eradicated; no matter how discreetly they did things, there's no way that they wouldn't have left behind any traces. If I'm not mistaken, then the perpetrators behind these attacks were most likely
the sworn enemy of our Naga Race, the Black Rakshasa Race," the woman said with a hint of fear in her eyes.
"The Black Rakshasa Race? That's impossible! According to our historical records, that race was completely eradicated by our Naga Race countless years ago. How could they have appeared in this region?" The young woman had clearly also heard of this Black Rakshasa Race, and she spoke in a trembling voice as her face paled even further.
"Indeed. Theoretically, the Black Rakshasa Race should have been driven to extinction during their battle against our Naga Race on the Thunder Continent. However, it's not impossible that some of them had managed to survive and escaped the battle. Aside from the Black Rakshasa Race, what other types of beings would abduct our men and devour the flesh of our women? The only thing I don't understand is that our three races have been here for thousands of years; if the Black Rakshasa Race were also nearby, why did they wait so long before attacking us?" A hint of bewilderment appeared in the woman's eyes as she spoke.
Chapter 1545: Enclosing the Profound Sword Within the Arm
The young woman was naturally unable to answer her mother's questions, but she took a deep breath and responded with a question of her own. "Even if it really is the Black Rakshasa Race that's targeting us, won't we be able to take care of them with your current cultivation base and my assistance?"
"I'd naturally be quite confident if we were facing normal Black Rakshasa beings, but from the traces that they'd left behind, it appears that there are Black Rakshasa royals among them," the woman replied with a shake of her head.
"Black Rakshasa royals? That's impossible! Several of our Naga Race's heavenly priests combined their powers to unleash a powerful divination technique countless years ago; didn't they discover at the time that all of the royalty of the Black Rakshasa Race had been destroyed back then?" the young woman exclaimed with incredulity in their eyes.
"We'd also thought at the time that all Black Rakshasa beings had been driven to extinction, but that clearly wasn't the case. Hence, it's certainly not impossible that a few Black Rakshasa Monarchs had managed to escape from that battle. Those Black Rakshasa royals possess abilities that place us Naga beings at a severe disadvantage, and aside from Naga royalty, other Naga beings wouldn't even be able to unleash a tenth of their powers in the face of Black Rakshasa royals. Furthermore, the rate at which Black Rakshasa royals progress in their cultivation is definitely not inferior by much compared to the beings of the major races on the Thunder Continent. Now that they're slaughtering our three races with reckless abandon, it's quite clear that they're absolutely confident in their ability to destroy all of us," the woman said with a concerned look on her face.
Her daughter also fell silent upon hearing this. However, moments later, she suddenly continued, "I still think there's no need to be so worried, Mother. If those Black Rakshasa beings truly are so terrifying, then why would they allow our Fire Yang Race time to prepare? They must've sustained casualties to their forces while wiping out the other two races, which means that they're still susceptible to our powers."
"That would be best, but don't forget about all of the male beings that they've abducted."
A thought abruptly occurred to the young woman upon hearing this, and her face paled even further. "What you're saying is, they're currently..."
"That's right. This is why their race had become the sworn enemy of our Naga Race in the first place. They'll most likely only attack us after they finish doing that. After all, our Fire Yang Race is the most powerful among the three races, and our island is more heavily guarded than that of the other two races as well. It would only make sense for them to attack us after making ample preparations. If that Mr. Han truly possesses a cultivation base as powerful as I predict, then it could well be the case that he could be the key to our race's survival," the woman said with a grim expression.
"Is that man really that powerful? I heard from your conversation with the others that he's carrying extremely severe injuries; will he even be useful to us at all?" The young woman furrowed her brows with a perplexed look on her face.
"I've already decided to give him the Scorching Sun Divine Pill," the woman said in a calm manner.
"What? You're giving him the divine pill? You can't! If you consume the divine pill for yourself, you could recover part of your lost lifespan, but you'll be stuck like this if you give the pill to him," the young woman objected vehemently as she struggled free from her mother's arms.
"That's what I was hesitating about. If that man's cultivation base is comparable to that of your master, then it would naturally be a worthwhile investment to give him the divine pill. However, if he's not much more powerful than me and he's only concealing his cultivation base using a special treasure, then that would be a massive waste," the woman sighed with a wry smile.
"How can that man possibly compare with my master? She's a fifth-tier upper race being; one of the five most powerful cultivators in this nearby region!" the young woman said in a skeptical manner.
The woman hesitated momentarily before replying in a cautious manner, "I couldn't ascertain that man's cultivation base, but I could deduce that he's most definitely far more powerful than me. Even with such severe injuries, my instincts still told me that he could kill me with ease. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made such an effort to beg him to stay. If that man really can help our race survive this ordeal, then giving him the divine pill wouldn't be a big deal."
"From your conversation earlier, it sounds like that man hasn't shown you any of his power this entire time. If we give him the Scorching Sun Divine Pill like this, it would simply be a blind investment. Even if we do choose to give him the pill, we have to test him first," the young woman said with furrowed brows.
"Test him? How are we going to do that when he's currently nowhere near his peak condition?" The woman was tempted by this notion, but she didn't see how it was possible.
"Even if he's carrying severe injuries, a high-grade upper race being like him would undoubtedly possess powerful spiritual sense. How about I accompany you to visit him when you give him the Scorching Sun Divine Pill? I'll work something out when I see him in person. If that man really does possess unfathomable power, then we can give him the pill for the future of our Fire Yang Race. If not, then we definitely can't hand over such an important pill," the young woman said with a determined expression.
"Well..." The woman became rather hesitant upon hearing this.
The Scorching Sun Divine Pill could indeed restore her lifespan to a significant extent, so she was quite reluctant to offer it to someone else unless it was for a worthy cause.
"Alright, you can give it a try, Zhu'er, but no matter what you do, don't overstep the mark and get on that man's bad side." The woman nodded in agreement in the end.
"Don't worry, Mother, I'll do things within reason," the young woman replied with a sweet smile.
"I should be able to extract the divine pill from the earthen flames after three days. You can come with me to visit the man then. The Black Rakshasa Race most likely won't delay for much longer, and I've sent out requests for help to a few races that we're on friendly terms with, but I don't think we can count on them. During this time, I'll discuss with our race's elders to further bolster our island's defenses," the woman decided in the end.
Zhu'er nodded emphatically in response, and after that, the two of them began to discuss some details regarding their defensive efforts against the Black Rakshasa Race.
A day passed by in the blink of an eye.
Han Li was sitting with his legs crossed at the foot of a small mountain close to 100 kilometers away, and he suddenly opened his eyes as the golden light emanating from his body faded.
His slightly dull eyes seemed to have brightened a little, and he remained expressionless as he held up a hand in front of his face before slowly clenching it into a fist.
He then heaved a faint forlorn sigh.
Even though he'd recovered some of his magic power, he'd expe
nded far too much spiritual power and blood essence. Even with his vast supply of pills, it would most likely take three or four years before he could recover to his peak condition.
However, he had agreed to stay on this island, so he was naturally confident in his ability to protect himself.
With that in mind, Han Li suddenly rustled his sleeve, and a black bracelet emerged from within, following which a streak of black light and a ball of golden light shot forth.
The black and golden lights then revealed themselves to be a small black monkey and a small leopard-like beast, respectively.
These were none other than his Weeping Soul Beast and his Leopard Kirin Beast!
Han Li wasn't sure about the extent of the Weeping Soul Beast's powers, but he knew that the Leopard Kirin Beast was already comparable to a Deity Transformation Stage being.
He had only been barely able to summon these two beasts following an extensive period of rest and recuperation that had allowed him to recover some magic power and spiritual sense. Back when he had just awoken in that valley, there was no way that he would've been able to accomplish this.
As soon as the two spirit beasts appeared, the Weeping Soul Beast leaped onto Han Li's shoulder with a cheeky smile on its face. The Leopard Kirin Beast charged into Han Li's arms, leaving an afterimage in its wake before licking the back of Han Li's hand in an affectionate manner, leaving a rather warm and abrasive sensation on his skin.
Han Li smiled as he patted the two beasts, then forcibly activated his spiritual sense again to issue a few instructions to them.
Thus, the Weeping Soul Beast leaped out off his shoulder, then swelled drastically amid a flash of black light before taking on an appearance that was completely identical to Han Li's, even down to the robes that they were wearing. Immediately thereafter, this "Han Li" sat down beside Han Li with his legs crossed and began meditating as well.
Meanwhile, the Leopard Kirin Beast shot forth from within Han Li's arms and abruptly disappeared, having hidden itself somewhere within the room.
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