As soon as the male voice trailed off, a loud thunderclap rang out, and a humanoid figure appeared no more than 10 feet away from the elderly man, then made a grabbing motion upward in a nonchalant-looking manner.
The five devilish treasures that were descending from above abruptly shuddered before being repelled as if they had been struck by some kind of tremendous force. At the same time, the four high-grade devilish beings instantly lost control over their treasures, and this was naturally quite an alarming turn of events for them.
Chapter 1979: Entering the City
Only then did they catch a clear glimpse of the humanoid figure beside the elderly man, and they discovered it to be a young man who appeared to be in his twenties.
It was none other than Han Li!
Before the high-grade devilish beings had a chance to seize back control over their treasures, spatial fluctuations erupted overhead, and a streak of golden light shot forth before rapidly revolving around them at an incredible speed, then appeared over 100 feet away in a flash.
The golden light faded to reveal a yellow beast that was around 10 feet in size.
The beast had a lithe and streamlined body, and it resembled a leopard with a pair of small green horns on its head.
As soon as it appeared, it turned toward the four devilish beings with a derisive look in its eyes.
Strangely enough, the four devilish beings remained rooted to the spot, and the expressions on their faces were also quite peculiar.
In the next instant, countless thin gashes suddenly appeared over their bodies, and they fell apart as piles of dismembered body parts right before the elderly man's astonished eyes.
Their blood rained down into the devilish cloud from above, and as soon as the low-grade devilish beasts within the devilish cloud came into contact with their blood, they were immediately driven insane and began to tear viciously into one another.
The armored devilish warriors were completely stunned and horrified to see this, and one of them suddenly yelled out an order for retreat, upon which all of them instantly fled the scene as quickly as they could, leaving the frenzied horde of devilish beasts behind.
Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this. There was no way he was going to let these devilish beings escape. He immediately transmitted his voice to the Leopard Kirin Beast. "I'll leave these devilish beasts to you; I'll take care of those devilish warriors myself!"
The Leopard Kirin Beast nodded in response, then conjured up several tens of faint golden projections of itself, all of which pounced directly toward the low-grade devilish beasts like lightning.
As for Han Li, he merely remained still on the spot before extending a hand out of his sleeve. He made a casual grabbing motion, and a ball of piercing golden lightning suddenly emerged amid a loud thunderclap.
Immediately thereafter, he spread his fingers open, countless arcs of lightning that were as thick as human fingers erupted forth in all directions.
Radiant golden light flashed, and the arcs of lightning reached the fleeing devilish beings in a flash before striking them viciously from behind.
These low-grade devilish beings were naturally no match for the fearsome powers of the Divine Devilbane Lightning, and all of them were quickly reduced to dust amid rumbling thunderclaps and flashes of golden light.
The nearby devilish cloud and devilish winds were also eradicated by the golden lightning, and at this point, all of the low-grade devilish beasts had also been reduced to piles of blood and flesh by the Leopard Kirin Beast.
Everything had transpired within the span of just a few breaths, and before the elderly man even had a chance to react to the situation, all of their pursuers had been slain.
Only then did the elderly man return to his senses, and he hurriedly turned to Han Li with an ecstatic look in his eyes. "Thank you for saving us, Senior! Are you an elder of Deep Heaven City?"
"I guess I technically am. Where did all of you come from? Why did you come here instead of hiding somewhere more secure? Don't you know that the area around Deep Heaven City has already been taken over by devilish beings?" Han Li asked in an indifferent manner.
"We are cultivators of the Huo Li Sect. Unfortunately, the location of our sect was discovered by devilish beings, so we had no choice but to leave. We stumbled into an ambush near the teleportation formation up ahead, and we were almost all killed as a result," the elderly man hurriedly explained.
"So the teleportation formation up ahead really has been taken over by devilish beings, eh? Are there any other high-grade devilish beings up ahead aside from the ones I just killed?" Han Li asked.
"There are a few more high-grade devilish beings near the teleportation formation, but all of them are injured. Otherwise, they would've pursued us as well," the elderly man replied in a truthful manner.
"I see. In that case, I'll have to take care of them quickly. Otherwise, if they receive news of what happened here, they could destroy the teleportation formation to prevent us from using it," Han Li murmured to himself with furrowed brows.
The elderly man's expression also changed slightly upon hearing this.
At this moment, the remaining Huo Li Sect disciples were led toward the elderly man by the hideous elderly woman, and they were all appraising Han Li with awe and veneration in their eyes.
Before they had a chance to say anything, Han Li waved a hand toward the Leopard Kirin Beast, and azure light flashed from his body as he hurtled directly toward the canyon up ahead.
The Leopard Kirin Beast also quickly followed along as a streak of golden light.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished into the distance.
The elderly woman hurriedly flew over to the elderly man with a solemn look on her face. "What should we do, Senior Martial Brother?"
"We follow that senior, of course. With him leading the way, we should be able to make it into Deep Heaven City. Follow me, everyone; this will be our final chance to make it to safety," the elderly man replied without any hesitation.
The elderly woman immediately nodded in response.
After quickly taking a few more pills to replenish his magic power, a slightly abnormal flush appeared on the elderly man's face, and he immediately flew toward the canyon, followed by all of the remaining disciples of the Huo Li Sect.
In contrast with the unease and anxiety they had been experiencing before, all of them were now filled with hope and excitement.
A distance of less than 1,000 kilometers naturally didn't take very long to cover for cultivators like them, and a short while later, they arrived near the canyon, but before they had a chance to descend toward it, they were greeted by an earth-shattering boom!
Several streaks of azure sword Qi erupted into the heavens from within the canyon, then vanished in a flash.
Immediately thereafter, an anguished howl rang out, and a gust of black devilish winds swept out of the canyon, within which was a horned devilish shadow that was fleeing in a horrified manner.
The elderly man and elderly woman exchanged a glance upon seeing this, and both of them could see their own elation mirrored in one another's eyes.
It seemed that the senior they had just encountered had made short work of the high-grade devilish beings in the canyon as well!
The elderly man immediately drew his flying swords while the woman opened her mouth to expel a remarkably thin silver flying blade.
The two of them naturally intended to stop the devilish being's Nascent Soul from escaping.
However, before they had a chance to do anything, a cold harrumph rang out from within the valley, and a streak of sword Qi that was over 100 feet shot forth before sweeping through the Nascent Soul.
A cold light flashed, and the Nascent Soul was reduced to nothingness before it could even utter a single sound.
The azure sword Qi then faded into an azure flying sword that was only around a foot in length before flying back into the canyon.
Han Li's indifferent voice then rang out from deep
within the canyon. "If you want to enter Deep Heaven City as well, then hurry up; the devilish reinforcements could get here at any moment."
The elderly man was ecstatic to hear this, and he immediately yelled, "Everyone, full speed ahead!"
All of the cultivators immediately hurtled through the air as if their lives depended on it, descending straight into the canyon as streaks of spiritual light.
Inside Deep Heaven City, two Nascent Soul Stage guards were chatting idly as they stood at the entrance of a teleportation hall, which had been surrounded by many powerful restrictions.
All of a sudden, one of the dozen or so teleportation formations in the hall began to radiate dazzling white light and emit bursts of loud buzzing sounds.
"Someone's teleporting into the city! Activate all of the restrictions right away and inform our superiors of this!" one of the Nascent Soul Stage guards immediately yelled in an alarmed manner.
The other guard immediately flipped a hand over to produce a palm-sized blue formation plate, then slammed his other hand onto it.
A burst of five-colored light erupted from the formation plate amid a dull thump, and all types of fluctuations instantly appeared around the entire hall. At the same time, light barriers and golden and silver runes emerged to seal off the entire hall.
In a pavilion near the hall, over 100 meditating guards abruptly rose to their feet without any warning, then flew out of the pavilion as streaks of spiritual light.
Spatial fluctuations suddenly emanated from the buzzing teleportation formation, following which an azure humanoid figure emerged.
As soon as Han Li opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of around a dozen guards appraising him with wary expressions as if they were anticipating a battle, and he smiled as he said, "I've only been away for a few years; have you all forgotten about me already?"
The leader of the guards identified Han Li right away, and an ecstatic look appeared on his face as he said in a respectful manner, "Ah, it's Senior Han! This is fantastic news; I'll inform the elders right away! Many of the elders have left us with instructions to report back to them as soon as we receive any news about you."
"I see, I'll be paying a visit to the elders in person. By the way, there will be some more people arriving through this teleportation formation," Han Li said in a nonchalant manner.
The guard was rather surprised to hear this, but he still immediately bowed in response. "There are others? That's no problem; we'll be sure to take good care of them."
Chapter 1980: Unexpected Trouble
Thus, Han Li emerged from the teleportation formation and strode out of the hall.
Not long thereafter, white light flashed again, and another two humanoid figures emerged within the teleportation formation; they were none other than the sword-bearing elderly man and the hideous elderly woman.
Han Li paid no heed to this and rose up into the air before flying back toward his own abode.
During his flight, he released his spiritual sense throughout the surrounding area, and he discovered that compared to when he had first left, Deep Heaven City was currently a lot more peaceful.
Aside from the patrolling guards on the streets, there were very few vagrant cultivators around.
The number of patrolling guards had also increased by severalfold, and all passing cultivators had to undergo stern examinations before being granted passage.
There was a tense atmosphere throughout the entire city.
With the enormous spiritual pressure that Han Li was giving off, there were naturally no patrolling guards who dared to get in his way. Thus, the stone pagoda that he had been residing in quickly appeared in the distance, and he flew directly into the hall on the highest level.
After looking around, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Everything was identical to how he had left it, but the floor was spotlessly clean, clearly indicating that the room had been regularly cleaned and looked after. It seemed that his disciples hadn't slacked off during his absence.
Han Li sat down onto the chair at the center of the hall, then swept a sleeve through the air.
Two talismans immediately shot forth before vanishing into thin air as two balls of fire, following which Han Li closed his eyes and waited in silence.
Moments later, two humanoid figures appeared outside the hall amid flashes of spiritual light. One of them was a handsome blue-robed young man, while the other was a young daoist priest with a wide grin on his face.
They were none other than Han Li's disciples, Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi.
Elated looks immediately appeared on their faces at the sight of Han Li, and they immediately rushed forward before extending respectful bows.
"We're so glad you've made a safe return, Master!"
"Oh? Did you two think that something had happened to me?" Han Li asked with a hint of a smile on his face.
"It's been a long time since you returned to Deep Heaven City, and there were some rumors being spread in the city, stating that you may have already perished by the hands of a Sacred Ancestor. However, those rumors are clearly all false now that you've returned safe and sound," Hai Yuetian said in an excited manner.
Qi Lingzi also nodded emphatically in agreement.
"Those rumors aren't entirely unfounded; I did indeed encounter some trouble and was forced into an extremely perilous situation by some Sacred Ancestor clones," Han Li said as his brows furrowed slightly.
Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian's smiles immediately faded upon hearing this.
"But that's all in the past; I'm back now, aren't I? On top of that, I encountered a great opportunity during this trip, and I can now begin preparing for a breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage," Han Li continued with a smile.
"You're going to make another breakthrough? That's fantastic! I look forward to the day Master becomes the most powerful cultivator in Deep Heaven City!"
"Allow me to congratulate you in advance, Master. With your incredible powers, even a Sacred Ancestor clone would be no match for Master after you reach the late-Body Integration Stage!"
Qi Lingzi and Hai Yuetian were both extremely elated to hear this and immediately began to flatter Han Li.
Han Li couldn't help but chuckle with amusement, but a thought then suddenly occurred to him. "How is Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix doing? I don't seem to have detected her presence with my spiritual sense."
Hai Yuetian and Qi Lingzi's smiles stiffened upon hearing this, and they exchanged a peculiar glance before one of them replied in a hesitant manner, "Master, Senior Ice Phoenix was invited to a gathering."
Han Li was immediately able to identify that something was amiss, and his expression darkened slightly as he asked, "Are you two hiding something from me?"
Qi Lingzi's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he hurriedly replied, "We wouldn't dare, Master; it's just that we're not sure how to inform you of the situation. Truth be told, Senior Phoenix isn't attending this gathering of her own volition."
"What do you mean? Is she being forced by someone else?" Han Li was rather surprised to hear this. "It seems that someone became aware of Senior Phoenix's true form, and they've constantly been nagging Senior Phoenix during the time you've been away. Due to your absence, there was no way for Senior Phoenix to avoid his harassment," Hai Yuetian said as a resentful look appeared in his eyes.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, and after a short while, he asked in a cold voice, "Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix is a Spatial Tempering cultivator; who would dare to harass her? Our human and demon races have forged an alliance during this devilish tribulation, so her identity as a demon shouldn't be an issue here. I know all of the elders of the city; even during my absence, I'm sure they wouldn't do something like this. Could it be that this is an outsider who only recently joined Deep Heaven City?"
"Your wisdom is truly unmatched, Master! I heard from Senior Phoenix that this man is a grand elder of Heavenlean City who only recently joined Deep Heaven City.
You took such huge risk to reinforce their city, yet he's repaying your kindness by doing something like this; what an ungrateful piece of scum!" Qi Lingzi grumbled in an enraged manner.
"Heavenlean City? That's rather interesting. I've met both of the Body Integration Stage grand elders of the city; which one of the two is behind this?" Han Li asked as he stroked his own chin.
"It's Master Azure Dragon of the Nine Star Sect!" Hai Yuetian replied without any hesitation.
Han Li raised an eyebrow as he said in a cold voice, "I see. What reason does he have for harassing Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix? There must be some enormous benefit to be reaped for him if he dares to do something like this despite knowing the relationship between Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix and myself."
"Senior Ice Phoenix never mentioned this to us, but we heard through other avenues that this Azure Dragon seems to wish to engage in dual cultivation with Senior Ice Phoenix, and is willing to make her one of his concubines," Hai Yuetian replied after a brief pause.
Everything immediately became clear to Han Li upon hearing this, and he chuckled coldly, "Dual cultivation, eh? Hehe, what a sly old bastard!"
He didn't know how Master Azure Dragon had managed to identify the Ice Phoenix's true form, but it seemed that he was aware of the benefits of Ice Phoenix Origin Yin Qi, and that was why he was trying to court the Ice Phoenix at all costs.
As for why he still hadn't achieved his objective, this was partially due to the Ice Phoenix's unwillingness to oblige, and also due to the fact that he couldn't force himself upon her as he had to maintain his reputation in the eyes of the other Body Integration cultivators in the city. Of course, the reason why he dared to be so reckless in the first place had to be because he had thought that Han Li had already perished.
Han Li contemplated the situation for a moment before asking, "What is Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix's stance on this? Is she against this?"
"Of course she's against this! In the beginning, she constantly hid in the pagoda to avoid this Master Azure Dragon, but after that, he somehow forced her to meet him a few times outside the pagoda. Senior Ice Phoenix was very careful and made sure to meet him only in places where there were many people around, but I heard that this Master Azure Dragon is becoming quite impatient and has threatened on multiple occasions to use force if Senior Ice Phoenix continues to resist. We've always been very concerned about this, but we know that the elder of the city won't step in unless that Master Azure Dragon actually does something out of line. I'm assuming this is also why Master Azure Dragon had refrained from taking drastic measures up to this point." Qi Lingzi was clearly smarter than Hai Yuetian and offered his own analysis.
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