The high-grade devilish beings present exchanged a few glances upon hearing this and didn't dare to say anything further.
Right at this moment, the crimson-robed man raised his head, and he seemed to cast his gaze through the ceiling of the hall toward an extremely distant place.
Meanwhile, on a giant mountain near the Spirit Sovereign City, there was an elegant woman with a pair of pristine white horns on her head standing on a huge rock. She also withdrew her gaze from a certain direction, and a hint of disdain flashed through her eyes.
There were 50 to 60 high-grade devilish beings standing behind her, and all of them had their hands hanging by their sides, looking down from the mountain summit with solemn expressions.
There was a sea of devilish Qi down below, within which there were countless armored devilish warriors and giant flags that stretched as far as the eye could see.
There were also many types of unheard of high-grade devilish beasts intermingled among the armored warriors, and they would let loose the occasional vicious snarl.
Up ahead, the Spirit Sovereign City had been completely surrounded by the devilish army. In contrast with what was happening at Deep Heaven City, the devilish army here had deployed all of their troops from the get-go, and it seemed that they were planning to conquer the Spirit Sovereign City in one fell swoop.
In the distance, the Spirit Sovereign City was enshrouded within layers of green light barriers, and there were rows of human cultivators standing atop the city wall.
The remains of tens of thousands of fortresses lay around the Spirit Sovereign City, and it seemed that they had been destroyed by some type of overwhelming power.
"Begin the attack!" the horned woman commanded, and the killing intent in her voice completely belied her gorgeous appearance.
"Yes, Mistress Liu Ji!" The 50 to 60 high-grade devilish beings didn't even dare to look directly at her as they bowed in unison, and a burst of astonishing baleful Qi erupted into the heavens from the summit of the massive mountain.
At the very edge of the group of high-grade devilish beings stood a devilish woman in a purple palatial dress. She raised her head slightly to reveal a set of peerlessly beautiful features, and even though she also wore a respectful expression toward the horned woman as all of the other high-grade devilish beings did, there was a hint of complex emotion deep within her eyes.
......
After getting back to his abode, Han Li immediately returned to the secret chamber on the top floor to continue refining the golden gourd and the Myriad Sword Artwork.
If he could refine these two treasures before the true battle against the Elder Devil Race began, then he and his disciples would all be better equipped for the upcoming battle.
A month later, Han Li completed the refinement of the gourd and bestowed the treasure upon Hai Yuetian. After that, he focused the entirety of his attention on refining the Myriad Sword Artwork.
Thus, time passed by one day after another, and over half a year flew by in the blink of an eye.
During this time, no messengers were sent to Han Li by the elders of Deep Heaven City. However, his disciples were keeping him up to date on the current situation, so he knew that the Elder Devil Race had virtually never ceased their attacks against Deep Heaven City.
Regardless of how many devilish beings were slain, a new army would turn up in front of the city in a few days; it was if there were no end to their numbers.
Furthermore, the high-grade devilish beings leading these devilish beasts paid no heed whatsoever to the number of casualties suffered. The city had unleashed several types of super formations to almost decimate those high-grade devilish beings on several occasions, but they were completely fearless and would quickly return with another devilish army.
What was even more concerning was that during the past few months, the human settlements closest to Deep Heaven City had been breached one after another.
Most of the human cultivators in those settlements perished in battle, while a small proportion of them were captured and were to be transformed into devilish humans through injections of devilish Qi. As for the human mortals, they were all spared by the devilish armies and were allowed to continue living in the settlements.
According to reports, the devilish beings that attacked these settlements were true devilish elites rather than armies of low-grade devilish beasts. Not only were they all individually extremely powerful, they were also very proficient in combination techniques, and even the Body Integration cultivators in these settlements hadn't been able to survive the attacks.
Han Li was naturally quite alarmed to hear this. It seemed that the true power of the Elder Devil Race was far more fearsome than the rumors suggested. If they were to sweep through all of the human settlements in the nearby area, then find a chink in the defenses of Deep Heaven City, it would really be difficult to say if the city would be able to keep them at bay.
However, this wasn't a situation that he could change on his own; he would just have to rely on the panel of elders to address this perilous situation.
All of the Deep Heaven City elders had lived for over 10,000 years, so they definitely weren't just going to surrender and wait for death. Han Li had a feeling that these days during which he could refine his treasures in peace were numbered.
Sure enough, a month later, Han Li received a message from Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, inviting him to discuss some matters with the panel of elders.
Han Li naturally immediately set off to meet with the elders of the city.
Less than half a day later, Han Li found himself seated in a chair within a certain hall. Aside from the elders that Han Li had met before, there were also several other unfamiliar Body Integration cultivators in the hall, and they were clearly the members of the panel of elders that he had yet to meet.
It was said that these elders all had important matters to attend to recently, which was why Han Li had never met them.
Han Li was rather curious about what these supposed "important matters" were, but he naturally knew better than to pry and merely exchanged some small talk with these elders.
All of these elders were at the early-Body Integration Stage, so they were naturally very polite toward the mid-Body Integration Stage Han Li.
However, during their conversation, Han Li noticed that Elder Gu and the others all seemed to be quite concerned about something.
"Alright, now that you've all met Brother Han, let's get straight into our discussion. Yesterday, the panel of elders received news that the Elder Devil Race has deployed an army to attack the joint city of the four major sects. The four sects know that they won't be able to withstand this attack, so they sent out a suicide squad of messengers to request for reinforcements from our Deep Heaven City. The stronghold of the four major sects is an important human settlement that's second in scale only to our city, so if that stronghold is conquered by the devilish army, then we'll truly be on our own. Hence, we have to send out reinforcements," Elder Gu said in a grim voice.
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and the others also adopted solemn expressions upon seeing this, and Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, while looks of surprise appeared on the faces of the new elders. It seemed that they had only just been made aware of this news as well.
"Brother Gu, didn't the Heavenlean Sect manage to force the Elder Devil Race into retreat on several occasions and even severely wounded a few high-grade devilish beings? How did the situation deteriorate so quickly?" an elder with a red complexion asked in an urgent voice.
"The four major sects combined form an extremely powerful force to be reckoned with, and the Heavenlean City they erected may be lacking in defensive prowess compared with our Deep Heaven City, but it definitely won't be lacking by much. The reason why the situation suddenly deteriorated is because the Elder Devil Race suddenly deployed over 10 high-grade devilish beings at once to attack the city, then tricked the grand elders of the four major sects into coming out of the city before unleashing a snea
k attack. As a result, two of the grand elders were killed, thereby severely denting the top-end offensive prowess of the four major sects, so they're naturally in a very perilous situation," Elder Gu explained in a grim manner.
Chapter 1892: Battle Between Humans and Devils (6)
"I see. I presume you've gathered all of us here to discuss how we should reinforce them, then," the red-faced elder said with a nod.
"Indeed. Heavenlean City is the only major human settlement near our city, so we have to save it. The city was able to survive the entirety of the last devilish tribulation, and on this occasion, all they actually require are a few high-grade cultivators to replenish the grand elders they've lost," Elder Gu sighed.
"So what you're suggesting is that all we need to send out are a few Body Integration Stage cultivators," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue mused with a contemplative look in his eyes.
"That's exactly what I'm thinking. After all, our Deep Heaven City is the ultimate target for the devilish army. It's necessary for us to save Heavenlean City, but at the same time, we have to make sure we don't fall into a trap where too much of our forces are diverted away to reinforce them. Heavenlean City isn't lacking in low-grade and mid-grade disciples, and the city itself also possesses powerful defensive prowess. All we have to do is send over two or three Body Integration cultivators to reinforce them. That way, we'll be able to help them tide over this perilous situation, while also ensuring that we're not weakening our own forces too much," Elder Gu replied, having clearly thought extensively about this matter in advance.
After hearing Elder Gu's proposal, all of the elders naturally began to discuss their options, but in the end, it was decided that Elder Gu's proposed course of action was the most feasible one.
However, all of the elders then began to argue about who was going to be sent to reinforce Heavenlean City.
"You want me and Fellow Daoist Yu to go and reinforce them? I don't think that's a good idea. It's not that I'm unwilling to take the risk; as you know, I'm currently overseeing a very important matter, and I can't leave at a crucial juncture like this," a white-haired middle-aged man said with furrowed brows.
Elder Gu had just suggested for him and another elder to go and reinforce Heavenlean City, and he had refused without any hesitation.
"I'm sure you know what I've been up to, Brother Gu; my Celestial Fragrance Pills are also at a crucial stage in their refinement, and if I leave now, all my prior efforts will go to waste," another elder, presumably Elder Yu, also refused with a shake of his head.
"Then what about Brother Qin and Brother Lei?" Elder Gu turned toward another pair of elders with furrowed brows.
Reluctant expressions appeared on both of those elders' faces in response.
"I'm afraid we've hit a dead-end, then. Fellow Daoist Jin Yue, myself, and the others are responsible for overseeing the defense of Deep Heaven City, so we certainly can't leave," Elder Gu said as a displeased look appeared on his face.
"I'm willing to make the trip, Brother Gu. I'm good friends with Fairy Lin of the Heavenly Sovereign Sect, so I would be happy to lend them my assistance," Fairy Silver Light suddenly said.
"That would be great! I'm sure you'll be welcomed with open arms there. However, it won't be enough to send you on your own; we have to at least send another person with you." Elder Gu was given a massive pleasant surprise by Fairy Silver Light's decision to volunteer herself, and he reflexively cast his gaze toward Han Li as he spoke.
Han Li heaved an internal sigh upon seeing this. He knew that he most likely wouldn't be able to escape this task, so he also volunteered himself. "I'm also willing to make a trip to Heavenlean City. Ever since I came to Deep Heaven City, I still haven't done anything, and this would be a chance for me to make myself useful."
"You have my thanks, Brother Han. You're a mid-Body Integration cultivator, and you once fought on equal footing with a late-Body Integration cultivator, so I'm sure Heavenlean City's troubles will soon be no more with your assistance!" Elder Gu was very elated that Han Li had also stepped up to accept the task.
Han Li smiled, and replied, "Heavenlean City is a very important human settlement, so it's only right that I do my part to help it in its time of need. The situation sounds quite urgent, so how about Fellow Daoist Silver Light and I set off tomorrow?"
Even though he was going to have to directly face high-grade devilish beings during this trip to Heavenlean City, no devilish beings aside from Sacred Ancestors would be able to pose any threat to the current Han Li, so even though he knew there would be some risk involved, there was no fear in his heart.
"That would be best. However, the Elder Devil Race has already cut off long-distance teleportation, and the teleportation formations in the city won't be able to take the two of you directly to Heavenlean City, so we can only send you to the secret teleportation site located the closest to there. From there, you'll have to fly the rest of the way to the city," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said in an apologetic manner.
"That's alright, with Brother Han and my abilities, I'm sure the remaining portion of the journey won't delay us too much," Fairy Silver Light said in a nonchalant manner, and Han Li didn't see this as a problem, either.
Thus, having made those arrangements, all of the other elders were quite relieved, and they began to discuss strategies to counter the Elder Devil Race's attacks, which were only becoming fiercer and fiercer.
However, despite the elders' vast wealths of knowledge and experience, they were completely stumped by these armies of countless low-grade devilish beasts. Even though Deep Heaven City had prepared an astonishing supply of spirit stones, more than 10% of this supply had been exhausted by the countless formations that were set up around the city. This didn't seem to be much of an issue until one considered that according to past conventions, a devilish tribulation would generally last over 100 years. Less than a year had passed since the commencement of this devilish tribulation, so how could the elders not be concerned?
Han Li suddenly smiled, and said, "There's no need to be overly concerned about this, fellow Daoists. Even if there really are virtually infinite low-grade devilish beasts in the Elder Devil Realm, I'm sure it'll require a lot of effort and resources for the Elder Devil Race to search for and tame these beasts. On top of that, it definitely won't be a simple matter for them to bring these devilish beasts into our Spirit Realm. After all, even though the resistance from the power of our realm has abated significantly, some of it still remains, and it has to be an extremely great burden for the Elder Devil Race to transport so many low-grade devilish beasts between realms. Otherwise, they would simply overwhelm us from the get-go rather than go through all this effort to test out our defenses."
"We're naturally aware of this, but this devilish tribulation is truly more fierce than we anticipated, and we don't know if the resources in our Deep Heaven City will last," Elder Gu said with a wry smile.
"Compared to the armies of devilish beasts and the high-grade devilish beings that have already appeared, I'm more concerned about just how many of the Elder Devil Race's Sacred Ancestors will be able to descend into our realm," Fairy Silver Light said in a grim voice.
"What do you mean by that, Fairy Silver Light?" Han Li asked.
"In past, once the devilish tribulations have reached approximately the halfway mark, the power of our realm will no longer be able to prevent the true bodies of the Sacred Ancestors from descending into the Spirit Realm, but for some reason, only a few of them are able to descend into our realm each devilish tribulation. In the past, we were able to keep these Sacred Ancestors at bay by joining forces with the other Grand Ascension Stage beings of the nearby foreign races, but seeing as this devilish tribulation is far more perilous than previous ones, the number of Sacred Ancestors that descend into our realm could quite possibly be increased as well. There doesn't have to be too many; if more than 10 Sacred Ancestors appear in our realm at once, then our human and demon races will definitely be crushed," Fairy Silver Li
ght explained.
Elder Gu wasn't surprised by Fairy Silver Light's words at all. Instead, a cold light flashed through his eyes as he said, "Fellow Daoist Jin Yue and I have actually developed theories in the past about why this is the case, but the holy island should've set up countermeasures for such a scenario; all we have to do is prepare as best as we can."
Fairy Silver Light's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and after a brief pause, she said, "That's true. The holy island has many individuals of vast wisdom from our two races; seeing as they were able to predict that this devilish tribulation would be different from previous ones, I'm sure they've prepared measures to address the situation. In that case, I'll be taking my leave now so I can prepare for the trip to Heavenlean City tomorrow."
Elder Gu and the others naturally all agreed to this arrangement. Not long after she left, Han Li also took his leave, citing the same alibi.
Less than half a day later, Han Li returned to his cave abode before immediately summoning Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi. After bestowing upon them some treasures and pills, and giving them some further instructions, he returned to the top floor to meditate.
This trip most likely wasn't going to be a very perilous one for him, but it would naturally still be best for him to ensure that he was in prime condition before setting off.
The next morning, Han Li flew toward the hall where Deep Heaven City's teleportation formations were situated.
Several hours later, he was greeted by the sight of a white-robed woman wearing a mask standing outside the hall.
Han Li landed beside her before cupping his fist in a salute. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Fellow Daoist."
"Not at all, Brother Han; I only just got here as well. Let's set off," Fairy Silver Light replied in an indifferent manner.
Thus, the two of them made their way into the hall, where several guards were already waiting for them. As soon as they entered the hall, the guards immediately extended respectful salutes toward them, and their leader said, "We've already prepared the teleportation formation, and the place you'll be teleported to will be around a month's travel away from Heavenlean City. In order to keep that teleportation site a secret, it hasn't been used ever since the commencement of the devilish tribulation, so please do take care in case the teleportation site has already been exposed."
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1093