"No need for formalities. You and I are old acquaintances, so take a seat," Han Li said with a smile.
"Thank you, Senior." Fairy Xu hesitated momentarily before doing as she was told and taking a seat beside Han Li.
At this moment, a servant strode in with a platter, upon which sat two cups of fragrant spirit tea.
"You can all go now. Don't come in unless I tell you to," Han Li instructed.
"Yes!" the servant replied before exiting the room.
Only then did Han Li sweep a sleeve toward the door, and it immediately swung shut on its own.
At the same time, a layer of blue light flashed, and the pavilion's built-in restriction was activated to isolate the entire hall.
Fairy Xu's heart stirred slightly upon seeing this, and a slightly solemn look appeared on her face. Han Li clearly wouldn't be doing this unless he had a secretive topic to discuss with her.
"Fairy Xu, I wanted to see you as I wanted to verify one thing. You're a descendant of Fairy Ice Soul, is that correct?" Han Li asked in a serious manner.
Fairy Xue faltered momentarily before replying, "Fairy Ice Soul is indeed an ancestor of mine; I wouldn't dare to lie to you about this, Senior."
"Alright, in that case, do you know where Fairy Ice Soul is? I would like to meet her," Han Li said in a slow voice.
"You want to meet her?" Fairy Xu was slightly stumped by this request.
"Do you not know where she is, either?" Han Li asked with furrowed brows.
"I am indeed a descendant of Fairy Ice Soul, but by the time I was born, she had already been missing for tens of thousands of years. However, I heard from the seniors of my family that at the time, she had also just reached the Body Integration Stage and had been invited to join Deep Heaven City. However, she seemed to have something to do at the time and turned down the offer. After that, she left the city and was never seen again," Fairy Xu replied with a wry smile.
"I see. Looks like there's no way to meet her, then. Aside from yourself, are there any other descendants of Fairy Ice Soul?" Han Li asked.
Han Li seemed to have some ties with Fairy Ice Soul, so after a brief pause for contemplation, Fairy Xu decided to give a truthful reply. "Truth be told, after so many years, Fairy Ice Soul's descendants have already split up into a dozen or so branches of different sizes. Some of them have even used the cultivation arts left behind by Fairy Ice Soul to found two small sects. However, from a bloodline perspective, our Xu Family is definitely the most direct lineal descendant branch of Fairy Ice Soul. Even our surname is the same as Fairy Ice Soul's."
"Who is the current leader of your Xu Family? Is it you, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li asked with a smile.
"Surely you jest, Senior. Our Xu Family may not be one of the legendary true spirit families, but we're still quite a renowned family in this region. The current leader of the family is my father, and there are also a few important seniors in our family as well," Fairy Xu replied after a brief hesitation.
Han Li stroked his chin with a smile before asking, "In that case, you wouldn't mind if I paid your father a visit, would you?"
The woman was quite taken aback to hear this, and she said in a hesitant manner, "It would naturally be an honor for our Xu Family to be graced with your esteemed presence, but would you be able to reveal the reason behind this, Senior Han?"
"Hehe, there's no need for you to worry. I was simply given a request to deliver an item to Fairy Ice Soul or one of her direct lineal descendants. Seeing as your Xu Family is the most direct lineal branch of Fairy Ice Soul's bloodline, then I'll just deliver this item to your father," Han Li explained in a truthful manner.
"I see. Would you be able to tell me who is asking for this item to be delivered? Would it happen to be someone I know of?" Fairy Xu asked in a rather surprised manner.
"Hehe, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't know this person. As for whether anyone else in your Xu Family knows of him, that's not something that I'm aware of," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.
A hesitant look appeared on Fairy Xu's face upon hearing this, and only after a long while did she finally make a decision. "In that case, allow me to accompany you back to our Xu Family. I just returned from a patrol mission, so I have a six-month break. Our Xu Family is in the Tian Yuan Region, so the teleportation formations in the city should be able to take us there."
"Hehe, it would naturally be best if you could accompany me in person, Fairy Xu," Han Li said with a smile.
"Alright, then allow me to return to my cave abode to prepare for the trip. If it's alright with you, we can leave in two days." Fairy Xu rose to her feet as she spoke.
"I don't have to make any preparations, so I can go at any time. Departing in two days will be fine for me as well," Han Li agreed with a nod after a brief pause for contemplation.
Chapter 1773: The Grand Ascension Cultivators of the Two Races
"Seeing as you have no objections, I'll be sure to meet you at the center of the city at the agreed time. Also, my real name is Xu Qianyu, and you can refer to me as such, Senior. I wouldn't dare to refer to myself as 'fairy' in your presence," Xu Qianyu said as she lowered her head in a respectful manner.
Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before shaking his head with a smile. "Haha, there's no need to be so subdued, Fellow Daoist Qianyu."
Not long after that, Xu Qianyu took her leave and departed. Even though she had two days and her cave abode was quite close to Deep Heaven City, the return trip would still be quite time-consuming, so she didn't dare to delay.
Han Li paid a visit to the scholarly man and the others again, and gave them another list, this time with the materials he had already purchased removed.
After that, he returned to the Immortal Gathering Pavilion and didn't go anywhere else.
Almost at the exact same time, there were five or six cultivators gathered within a mysterious hall, and they seemed to be discussing an extremely important and confidential matter.
A white-robed elderly man with a head of silver hair sat with his brows furrowed, and said, "So you're saying there's no chance at all that he'll join our Deep Heaven City."
"I've already done my best, Elder Gu. However, this Fellow Daoist Han is solely dedicated to pursuing the Heavenly Dao and has no intention of joining any power," an old monk in a golden kasaya sighed in response.
It was none other than that Buddhist Monk Jin Yue!
Everyone gathered here possessed very powerful auras, and they were clearly all Body Integration cultivators as well.
These people were naturally none other than the elders of Deep Heaven City.
"In that case, we'll still be unable to fill our quota of 10 members on the panel of elders, which will severely compromise the power of our city. Prior to the battle against the foreign races, not long did our panel of elders have 10 members, we even had Fellow Daoist Silver Light, the backup elder that no outsiders know about. In the city's current situation, once the devilish disaster strikes, we'll be in an extremely dire situation. It's not like this hasn't happened in the past," a burly man in a black leather robe said in a cold voice.
"It's no use. There's no way that the Tyrant Sovereign, Holy Sovereign, and the seven demon monarchs would release any of their Body Integration cultivators to join Deep Heaven City. Everyone knows that the devil realm's arrival is inevitable, and perhaps it'll happen within the next 1,000 years. Everyone's gathering forces to try and protect themselves. After all, the last devilish tribulation only lasted just over 100 years, but during that time, almost half of all of the three sovereigns and seven demon monarchs at the time perished. No one wants to suffer the same fate as them," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said in a resigned manner.
"Are you sure that the devil realm and the Spirit Realm will overlap once again within 1,000 years, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue?" a woman wearing a silver mask suddenly asked in a voice that was very pleasing to the ears.
"I'm absolutely sure that's the case. Not only have warning signs arisen on the h
oly island, Master Mo Jianli took a risk and used the star disc to make a trip to the Elder Devil Realm. There, he discovered that the elder devils of the devil realm are currently mobilizing troops on a widespread basis to prepare for battle, and it's clear that they're preparing to invade our Spirit Realm. Unfortunately, before Senior Mo had a chance to conduct any further investigation, he was discovered by a Sacred Ancestor of the devil realm and was forced to return to the Spirit Realm.
"From the current situation, it seems extremely likely that the devil realm will descend upon us, perhaps in only several hundred years. Our human and demon territories, as well as the territories of the neighboring few races, all constitute one of the regions where the devil realm will fuse into our spirit realm, so a massive tribulation is unavoidable," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue replied in a grim manner.
"If both the holy island and Master Mo have verified this, then it has to be true. In that case, the three sovereigns and seven demon monarchs, as well as the other major powers must've also received this information, so there's no way they'll be willing to replenish our panel of elders," the white-robed elderly man mused as he stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes.
"Indeed. At the same time, the neighboring foreign races will also be compressing their forces in anticipation for the upcoming devilish tribulation, so they definitely won't be attacking us during this time. The three sovereigns and seven demon monarchs were actually first established as a countermeasure to these devilish tribulations. In reality, not only have no Body Integration Stage elders joined our city since the attack from the foreign races, we haven't even managed to replenish many Spatial Tempering Stage and Deity Transformation Stage guards, and that was even after our panel of elders made a concerted recruitment effort," the masked woman said in a calm manner.
"Our Deep Heaven City suffered extensively at the hands of the foreign races during the previous battle. If we can't replenish our members, then we'll only be able to focus on self-preservation during the upcoming devilish tribulation, instead of sending people to actively slay the invading devilish beings like we did during the last tribulation," a man with a head of hair that resembled purple flames said with furrowed brows.
"There's not much we can do. These devilish tribulations are truly horrific ordeals for cultivators like us. It's a good thing that the devilish beings aren't interested in mortals without any spiritual power. They focus solely on plundering the resources of our Spirit Realm and slaughtering us cultivators, and they very rarely target mortals and ordinary beasts. Otherwise, our human and demon races would've most likely been wiped off the face of the Spirit Realm by these past devilish tribulations already," the white-robed elderly man said with a dark expression.
"Hmph, that's not because those devilish beings are kindhearted philanthropists; they're intentionally leaving the mortals behind like livestock so more cultivators like us can emerge from them, thereby giving them more targets to slaughter when they invade next. After all, the demon cores and Nascent Souls of cultivators like us are the best delicacies for devilish beings," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said as a cold light flashed through his eyes.
"Furthermore, there are some resources that our two races can't relinquish. Otherwise, we could minimize casualties by gathering in one place and holding the fort until the devil realm separates from the Spirit Realm," the purple-haired man sighed in a resigned manner.
"Seeing as all of the other powers have already made other arrangements in anticipation for the upcoming devilish tribulation, we won't be able to force them to do anything. All we can do is protect Deep Heaven City as best as we can. From this day forth, let's withdraw the restrictions between this city and the neighboring cities so we can transfer the nearby normal people into Deep Heaven City en masse. On top of that, we'll send out some cultivators who are adept in earth-attribute cultivation arts to construct a few empty cities. All we can do is protect the mortals from the nearby area," the white-robed elderly man concluded.
"We still have some time before the devilish tribulation strikes, but it's a good idea to make some preparations in advance. Even though we have formations and restrictions to rely on, it would still be best to recruit as many high-grade cultivators as possible. After all, the most difficult parts of this ordeal to overcome will be the first few waves of attacks, which will be the most ferocious. If we can keep the devilish beings at bay, they'll most likely be forced to ease off to limit their casualties as well, thereby resulting in an impasse.
“It won't be possible for any beings of our human race to progress to the Body Integration Stage in the next few centuries, but I've heard that there are some beings in your demon race who are recently making breakthrough attempts to the Body Integration Stage, so I'll have to ask you to keep an eye on them, Fellow Daoist Bao," the white-robed elderly man suddenly said to the black-robed man.
"I'll be sure to do so. There are indeed a few exceptionally talented juniors who have recently appeared in our demon race, and there's a decent chance that one or more of them will be able to progress to the Body Integration Stage," the black-robed man replied with a nod.
Following a brief hesitation, the white-robed elderly man then turned to the masked woman. "Speaking of the demon race, there's something I would like to ask Fellow Daoist Silver Light, but I'm not sure if I should."
"We've been acquaintances for so many years; you can feel free to ask me anything, Brother Gu," the masked woman said in a rather curious manner.
"In that case, I'll go right ahead. Is Senior Ao Xiao of your demon race still alive and well?" the white-robed elderly man asked.
The masked woman faltered slightly before taking a glance at the black-robed man before chuckling, "Oh, so that's what you wanted to ask? That's certainly not a taboo topic. However, I'm not the only demonic elder here; why did you decide to ask me?"
"Why ask a question you already know the answer to, Fairy Silver Light? You may not be from the Silvermoon Wolf Race, but you possess part of the Silvermoon Wolf bloodline, and you had once stayed with Senior Ao Xiao for over 1,000 years. If anyone here were to know anything about Senior Ao Xiao's recent situation, then it can only be you," the black-robed man countered as he raised an eyebrow.
"That is indeed true. Senior Ao Xiao was sighted once on the Giant Cloud Mountain over 3,000 years ago, but no news of him has emerged since. Senior Ao Xiao is one of the two Grand Ascension Stage beings among our human and demon races, so we're naturally very eager to hear how he's doing in the face of the imminent devilish tribulation," the white-robed elderly man said in a solemn manner.
Everyone also turned to appraise the masked woman with concerned expressions upon hearing this.
A hint of hesitation flashed through the woman's eyes, and only after a long pause did she reply in a resigned manner, "I'm naturally aware of your concerns. Indeed, ever since our human and demon races were established in the Spirit Realm, no one has been able to transcend more than 20 major heavenly tribulations, and Senior Ao Xiao was approaching his 21st major heavenly tribulation all those years ago, so many fellow Daoists were quite concerned for him. After all, Senior Ao Xiao and Senior Mo are the two pillars who have ensured the safety of our two races for countless years. Rest assured, Patriarch Ao Xiao didn't perish during his last major heavenly tribulation. However, he had expended a lot of energy during the ordeal, so he's been in seclusion this entire time."
"Is that true?" An elated look immediately appeared on the black-robed man's face upon hearing this.
As a demonic elder, he was naturally more concerned than the human elders present about this Grand Ascension Stage patriarch of the demon race.
The white-robed elderly man and the others also heaved a collective sigh of relief.
"Several hundred years ago, I met Fairy Ling Long, who has been by the patriarch's side all these years, and according to her, the patriarch's recovery is going very smoothly, so he should be able to emerge from seclusion in full health soon," the masked woman assured.
/> Chapter 1774: The Xu Family
The purple-haired man was a human cultivator, but he also seemed to know about this, and he said in a slightly surprised manner. "Fairy Ling Long? Is that the concubine that returned with Divine Wolf Celestial Kui from the lower realm? I heard that not only is this Fellow Daoist Ling Long a direct lineal descendant of Senior Ao Xiao's, she's also extremely adored by Divine Wolf Celestial Kui."
"That's right. Back when Fellow Daoist Ling Long returned from the lower realm, she was only at the late-Deity Transformation Stage, yet last time we met, she had already reached the pinnacle of the mid-Spatial Tempering Stage and seems to be about to progress to the late-Spatial Tempering Stage soon. Perhaps she'll also be able to make a breakthrough before the devilish tribulation arrives. After all, that woman's aptitude was vastly renowned even in the Silvermoon Wolf Race. If it hadn't been for the fact that she had been trapped in the lower realm for so long, perhaps she would be one of us already," the masked woman sighed.
"No matter how outstanding her aptitude is, the fact that she was able to improve so drastically by staying by Senior Ao Xiao's side for just a few centuries is testament to Senior Ao Xiao's extraordinary powers. However, if she's the divine wolf's concubine, then why is she staying with Senior Ao Xiao? Does Senior Ao Xiao have some plans for her?" the purple-haired man asked in an intrigued manner.
The masked woman hesitated momentarily before speculating, "I'm not particularly sure about the details there. However, I heard from others in my race that some strain seems to have appeared in Fairy Ling Long's relationship with Fellow Daoist Celestial Kui after she emerged from the lower realm. Apparently, it was Senior Ao Xiao who stepped in to take her away. Perhaps it's because they're both displeased by how Divine Wolf Celestial Kui had left her in the lower realm for so many years."
"Alright, the important thing is that Senior Ao Xiao is alive and well; there's no need for us to speculate about others. Next, we should discuss the imminent arrival of the envoys from the Yaksha Tribe and the Wood Tribe. Those two tribes have most likely sent envoys to us with the devilish tribulation in their consideration." The white-robed elderly man suddenly moved on to another topic.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1021