Han Li was ecstatic to see this, and he began to inspect the miniature cauldron with blue flashing within his eyes.
On the surface of the cauldron were many unidentifiable runes, and it was also enveloped in a layer of faint black Qi.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as spiritual light flashed from his hand, and several golden and silver runes emerged before vanishing into the small cauldron in a flash.
The cauldron only had a chance to let loose a low ringing sound before it suddenly fell completely still, seemingly having been deprived of its spiritual nature.
Immediately thereafter, countless arcs of golden lightning sprang forth from Han Li's fingertips amid a rumbling thunderclap, then formed a golden lightning net that encompassed the entire cauldron.
The lightning net then shrank and converged to form a small golden ball over his palm.
A relieved look appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this, and he flipped his other hand over to produce a pristine white jade box, which he placed the golden ball into.
After that, he swept his sleeve over the box, and a dozen or so talismans of different colors emerged before instantly forming several miniature formations that embedded themselves onto the surface of the box.
After stowing the jade box away, Han Li heaved a sigh of relief, and only then did he dare to truly relax.
Using the secret technique that Che Qigong had bestowed upon him, he was able to easily take the Purple Word Cauldron from Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang. However, the fact of the matter was that the cauldron still contained a wisp of Che Qigong's spiritual sense. Prior to eradicating that wisp of spiritual sense and refining the treasure again, Han Li naturally didn't dare to use it.
Even so, he was still truly elated to have obtained such a precious treasure, but at the same time, he was lamenting the loss of his Myriad Sword Artwork.
He had only just completely refined the treasure, and he had planned for it to be one of his trump cards against the devilish army, so it was naturally quite unfortunate that the treasure was destroyed in just a single battle.
The parting threat that the devilish giant had issued prior to his departure then surfaced in Han Li's mind, and a grim look appeared on his face.
Just as the devilish giant had said, he had only been able to force these three clones into retreat as they were ill-prepared and overly confident as they had two incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasures up their sleeves.
Next time, the three clones were going to be better prepared and more well-versed with Han Li's abilities, so the outcome of that battle could easily go against Han Li's favor.
All of a sudden, Han Li shook his head as he chuckled to himself. He had realized that he was worried about a hypothetical situation that would never eventuate as there was no way he would give Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang another chance to trap him.
If the three clones were to return to the main devilish city, it would take them at least three to four months, which was more than enough time for Han Li to sneak back to Deep Heaven City.
As long as he didn't leave Deep Heaven City thereafter, he wouldn't have anything to fear. However, prior to that, he had to visit the place where Earthly Hellish Flames could be found. He had sworn a vow to Che Qigong, and he certainly didn't want to suffer backlash from inner demons.
On top of that, the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi really was very alluring to him as well. Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's clones had just retreated, so there was no way that they would return in a short time. As such, this was the perfect opportunity for him to fulfill the promise that he had made.
However, that Che Qigong was a Sacred Ancestor as well, so he naturally wasn't going to believe everything that he said; he had to set up some defensive measures before he carried out the tasks that he had promised to complete.
As for Heavenlean City, all of the Body Integration cultivators had already fled, so there was no way that the city could've survived. As such, there was no point in returning to it.
With that in mind, Han Li immediately made a decision and flew away as a streak of azure light.
...
Meanwhile, the devilish giant was already tens of thousands of kilometers away, and he had reverted back to his normal humanoid form. On top of that, he had released his crimson canoe again, and the three clones were traveling toward Heavenlean City atop the flying treasure.
Along the way, all three clones remained completely silent.
Several days later, the three clones caught sight of the collapsed city wall of Heavenlean City. The air above the entire city had been enshrouded by inky-black devilish Qi, and when the crimson canoe approached the city, a group of armored warriors riding devilish steeds instantly emerged to greet the three clones in a respectful manner.
Once the All-encompassing Devilish Cavalier drew a little closer, Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang instructed in a cold voice, "Activate the teleportation formation closest to our sacred army right away!"
"Yes, Sacred Ancestor!"
All of the mid-grade and high-grade devilish beings present were already aware of Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's arrival, so this All-encompassing Devilish Cavalier naturally recognized the three clones, and he immediately gave an affirmative reply with a respectful bow.
...
Half a month later, Han Li was flying through the air as a streak of barely visible azure light. His magic power fluctuations were also extremely subdued, and no one would be able to detect the streak of azure light unless they were an extremely powerful being or possessed a spirit eye ability.
Han Li was currently flying over a small human city, one that had been abandoned over 100 years ago in anticipation for the devilish tribulation. The city was currently nothing more than a conglomeration of ruins and overgrown weeds, but as Han Li was flying over it, he casually swept his spiritual sense through the abandoned city, upon which a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
He abruptly drew to a halt and looked down at the abandoned city with blue light flashing through his eyes.
Chapter 1941: Encountering an Old Acquaintance
His brows suddenly furrowed slightly, and he flew down toward a certain direction as a streak of azure light. After just a few flashes, he appeared in the air above an ordinary-looking building.
There were currently five cultivators in different attire surrounding the building and discussing something in hushed tones, and Han Li's sudden arrival naturally gave all of them a massive fright.
They reflexively summoned treasures or made hand seals as they prepared to defend themselves, but Han Li didn't even bother to take a glance at them. "Piss off!"
"What did you say? How dare... Ah, our sincerest apologies, we'll be taking our leave right away!" These five cultivators were all at the Deity Transformation, and they were initially enraged by Han Li's words, but when he released his enormous Body Integration Stage aura, all five of them were completely petrified and immediately backtracked before fleeing the scene.
During their escape, they didn't even dare to turn around to look behind them, as if they were being pursued by a malicious ghost.
Han Li cast a cold glance toward these people and hesitated momentarily, but decided not to do anything in the end. Right at this moment, an elated female voice rang out from the first floor of the building that had been surrounded.
"Senior Han! I didn't expect to see you here; I'll come out to meet you right away!"
As soon as the voice trailed off, the front door was opened, and three women emerged from within the building. The first woman was tall and slender with fair snowy-white skin; it was none other than Xu Qianyu.
"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Xu," Han Li greeted with a smile.
The last time they had met was when Han Li had visited the Xu Family, so it was quite a surprise for him to meet her again here.
"Thank you for stepping in, Senior. Otherwise, we would've been in deep trouble." Xu Qianyu hurriedly extended a respectful curtsey toward Han Li with an elated look on her face, a
nd the two women accompanying her immediately followed suit.
Han Li merely waved a hand and replied in a nonchalant manner, "No need to thank me, I just so happened to be passing by. Who were those people? Are they enemies for your Xu Family?"
"They're just a group of scoundrels who tried to take advantage of us! You should've torn them from limb-to-limb, Senior!" a woman with an oval face behind Xu Qianyu said with an enraged pout.
"Shush, Xiao Qing! We're already immensely fortunate to have encountered Senior Han here; how could you be so rude? Please forgive her, Senior Han; Xiao Qing is a niece of mine, and she's always been cultivating in our Xu Family, so she's a little spoiled," Xu Qianyu scolded with a stern expression before turning to Han Li with an apologetic look in her eyes.
"Ah, please forgive me, Senior; I meant no offense." The woman by the name of Xiao Qing had also realized that her words had been rather inappropriate.
"That's alright, I'm not one to be bothered by minor things like this. If I had known that those people were such scummy individuals, perhaps I would've put an end to them," Han Li replied with a nonchalant smile.
Xu Qianyu heaved an internal sigh of relief before making an inviting hand gesture. "Thank you for your understanding, Senior; please come in and take a seat."
Han Li nodded in response before making his way into the room.
The devilish army was situated very far away, and he hadn't spotted any devilish beings nearby, so he wasn't concerned about any potential hazards arising.
The interior of the room wasn't very large, but all of the furniture and decor gave off a unique antiquated feel, seemingly indicating that they had been around for quite a long time.
However, what drew Han Li's attention the most was the barely detectable restriction fluctuations near the room. As soon as they strode into the room, those restrictions instantly vanished, and even with his spiritual sense, he was unable to detect their source. This made him rather curious.
Han Li sat down on the main seat in the room, then turned toward the three women who were standing respectfully beside him. "This doesn't seem to be a place inhabited by mortals; is it somehow connected to your Xu Family?"
"Indeed, Senior Han; this is a temporary lodging place that our Xu Family abandoned many years ago. We were chased here by that group of cultivators, and forced to make use of the restriction here to protect ourselves," Xu Qianyu replied in a respectful manner.
Han Li nodded in response before asking, "I see. This place is quite far away from your Xu Family, and I've heard your entire family has already moved to the holy city; why are the three of you here?"
The three women exchanged a hesitant glance upon hearing this question, and in the end, a wry smile appeared on Xu Qianyu's face as she replied, "Our Xu Family did indeed move to the Holy Sovereign City, but Mistress Blood Spirit had some important matters to attend to recently, so she left the city and took some members of our family with her. After we had taken care of those matters and were heading back to the city, we encountered a devilish army along the way, and after a fierce battle, we were defeated and forced to flee for our lives. My nieces and I were pursued by a group of devilish beings, and we had only just shaken them off when we encountered that group of cultivators."
"Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit left the holy city?" Han Li was rather surprised to hear this.
"Indeed. Initially, the elders of our family were opposed to her departure, but she insisted on leaving, so they could only let her go," Xu Qianyu replied.
Instead of prying into exactly what important matters they had attended to, Han Li asked, "Are you aware of Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit's current situation?"
"Rest assured, Senior Han; prior to our departure, we witnessed Mistress Blood Spirit make her escape. She was pursued by several high-grade devilish beings, but with her powers, self-preservation definitely wouldn't be an issue," Xu Qianyu assured.
"I see, that's good to hear. By the way, what's the situation in the Holy Sovereign City currently like? The communication between the major cities has been completely cut off by the devilish army, and even communication talismans are no longer effective," Han Li enquired.
"The situation is not very good. Our Holy Sovereign City is fine as the devilish army over there hasn't even attempted an attack on the city. However, they've targeted the human settlements around the city instead, and many of the nearby sects and major families have been wiped out. On top of that, this devilish tribulation seems to be different from all of the previous ones; the devilish army is beginning to attack mortal cities to enslave mortal humans on a wide scale," Xu Qianyu replied as a concerned look appeared on her face.
Han Li's expression also darkened upon hearing this, and he sighed in a grim voice, "So the rumors are true; the devilish beings are planning to permanently settle in the Spirit Realm."
Before Xu Qianyu had a chance to reply, the other voluptuous woman standing beside her exclaimed, "What? Are you saying that the Elder Devil Race is planning to conquer our human territory?"
"Not just our human race; the demon race and even the nearby foreign races are all most likely targets that the Elder Devil Race is planning to invade. I don't know much about the specific details, but these are the rumors that are circulating among the higher level cultivators. In any case, there's no need for you to be overly concerned; even if the sky falls down, there will be people in higher-up places to support it. I'm sure the holy island has already devised appropriate countermeasures," Han Li reassured with a faint smile.
"That's true. With the holy island and Master Mo Jianli to oppose them, I'm sure the Elder Devil Race won't be able to succeed," Xu Qianyu said in a relieved manner.
The other two women were also very relieved to hear this. It was quite clear that the resounding reputations of the holy island and Mo Jianli had instilled them with a lot of confidence.
After that, Han Li enquired about some details surrounding the devilish army near the Holy Sovereign City, and before he knew it, close to an hour had passed.
Finally, Han Li stood up and prepared to leave. "I still have some important matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave now. I hope to see you again someday. By the way, this is not a safe place to stay; I recommend you return to the Holy Sovereign City as soon as possible."
The three women naturally didn't dare to stop him, and they accompanied him out of the room.
Azure light flashed from Han Li's body, and he quickly flew away into the distance while Xu Qianyu looked on with a complex expression.
As soon as Han Li vanished into the distance, the woman with the oval face asked in an eager voice, "Aunt Xu, is that Senior Han the same senior who returned Mistress Blood Spirit to us? Is he really a Body Integration cultivator?"
An intrigued look also appeared in the other woman's eyes.
"Indeed. Back when he visited our Xu Family, he was already at the early-Body Integration stage, and I heard that he made another breakthrough to the mid-Body Integration Stage not long before the devilish tribulation," Xu Qianyu replied with a wry smile.
"What? He's a mid-Body Integration Stage cultivator? That's the first time I've seen someone with such a high cultivation base! I heard that you share quite a close bond and even worked with him in Deep Heaven City for some time; is that true, Aunt Xu?" the woman with the oval face asked in an excited manner.
Chapter 1942: Void Emperor Cauldron
"What's the point in mentioning the past? My cultivation base has improved somewhat since that time, but it's nothing compared to the strides that Senior Han has made. He progressed from the Deity Transformation Stage to the mid-Body Integration Stage in less than 2,000 years; that's virtually completely unheard of in human history," Xu Qianyu replied with a dejected shake of her head.
After a brief silence, the other woman asked, "If that Senior Han really is that powerful, why didn't you try to keep him? With his assistance, we'll definitely be able to complete our task without a hitch."
"We'v
e been separated from Mistress Blood Spirit, but she specifically told us that the tasks we've been assigned are the key to deciding whether Matriarch Ice Soul will be able to return to our Xu Family; there aren't even that many people in our Xu Family who are aware of what we're doing. Senior Han is a benefactor to our Xu Family, but it would still be best not to disclose something like this to him. In any case, he's already chased those cultivators away, so this place should be safe for now. If we work as quickly as we can, we should be able to secure that item soon, then reunite with Mistress Blood Spirit. At this stage, it would be best not to get other people involved," Xu Qianyu replied in a calm manner.
The other two women shared a glance upon hearing this before nodding in unison.
After a brief pause, Xu Qianyu strode into the room again, and said, "Alright, let's go down again."
The other two women naturally followed closely behind her.
...
Meanwhile, in an underground cave countless kilometers away, a crimson-armored beauty was pulling an ice blade that was flashing with crimson light out of a high-grade devilish being's body.
The devilish being's lifeless body thumped heavily down onto the ground, and there were two more inky-black devilish bodies lying completely still in the cave. Furthermore, all three bodies were covered in a layer of ice and frost.
The woman glanced at the bodies expressionlessly before flying deeper into the cave along a narrow passageway. After making a few turns, then descending deeper underground, she appeared in front of an ordinary-looking stone wall.
Her eyes immediately lit up, and she flipped a hand over to produce a ball of azure light, within which was contained a miniature azure cauldron. The cauldron rotated on the spot and instantly swelled to around 10 feet tall. It was shimmering with azure light, and had projections of flora and fauna surfacing around it; this was none other than the Heavenvoid Cauldron that Han Li once possessed.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1121