The silver armored puppets had clearly already received instructions from Patriarch Ao Xiao, and they merely stood on the spot and allowed Han Li's trio to enter the ship.
However, after making his way to the entrance of the hall, a thought suddenly occurred to Han Li, and he instructed Zhu Guo'er to remain outside while he entered the hall with Daoist Xie.
"I pay my respects to Senior Ao Xiao!" Han Li said as he extended a slight bow toward Patriarch Ao Xiao, who was seated on a golden chair.
Instead of immediately offering a response, Patriarch Ao Xiao merely appraised Han Li with a hint of a smile on his face.
As for Silvermoon, she was standing behind Patriarch Ao Xiao with her head lowered, seemingly unable to muster up the courage to look at Han Li.
"So you're the Han Li who managed to cultivate from the Deity Transformation Stage to the Body Integration Stage in mere centuries. After seeing you in action, I now realize that the rumors of your aptitude still haven't done you justice. You've already reached the late-Body Integration Stage, right?" Patriarch Ao Xiao finally spoke, and his tone was quite benevolent.
"I have indeed already progressed to the late-Body Integration Stage. I'm very honored that you've heard of me, Senior," Han Li replied in a calm manner, but he couldn't help but steal another glance at Silvermoon.
However, she still had her head lowered and didn't meet his gaze.
"I had heard about you ever since Silvermoon returned to the Spirit Realm, but I only started to pay attention to you after you reached the Body Integration Stage. After all, all Body Integration cultivators are extremely important to our human and demon races, so I had to keep some tabs on you. Silvermoon, come and thank Fellow Daoist Han. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have been able to fuse the two halves of your soul back together and return to the Spirit Realm," Patriarch Ao Xiao said with a smile.
Silvermoon finally raised her head upon hearing this, but her expression was completely indifferent, creating a stark contrast with her earlier excitement. "Greetings, Brother Han, we may not have met ever since we separated in the human world, but I've never forgotten what you've done for me."
A hint of surprise appeared in Han Li's eyes as it didn't seem to him like Silvermoon was intentionally feigning indifference, but he quickly smiled, and said, "I was unaware of your true identity back in the human world, so please forgive me for any prior offense I may have caused. Furthermore, I didn't have to go to a lot of trouble to save you back then, so don't mention it."
"Haha, there's no need to be so cold and distant even though the two of you haven't met for so many years. Regardless of what you say, the fact of the matter is that you saved Silvermoon's life, and I'll be sure to reward you handsomely for that," Ao Xiao chuckled.
A thought suddenly occurred to Han Li, and quickly changed the subject. "Senior, this area is already under the control of the devilish army; have you come here to spy on the devilish army?"
"Yes and no," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied in an ambiguous manner after a brief pause.
Han Li was rather perplexed by this answer.
"Several months ago, our united army received news that the three devilish patriarchs seem to have changed their plans, and the devilish army has begun expanding their territory while corrupting a larger area with devilish Qi. I came here to verify if this was actually the case under the request from several fellow daoists, as well as to see if I could destroy a few Devilification Formations set up in this area," Ao Xiao replied.
"I see. What is this Devilification Formation, Senior? I recall that there are some areas in our human race that have displayed signs of having undergone devilification; is that the same as what's happening here?" Han Li asked in a perplexed manner.
"If the Elder Devil Realm wants to truly claim a territory for itself in our Spirit Realm, then they have to devilify an area to completely convert the spiritual Qi in that area into devilish Qi, and this transition requires a type of devilish formation that can make normal trees undergo this change. The devilish army has attempted to set up the same formations in our human and demon territories, but we discovered them very early and destroyed most of them before they could produce much of an effect.
"However, the situation in the Wood Tribe is a lot more troublesome. Not only have Devilification Formations been set up over most of their territory, they've also begun setting up a super formation that will act as the primary formation several years ago. With this primary formation, they'll be able to connect tens of thousands of Devilification Formations as one entity, and if they were to succeed, it would become extremely difficult to destroy the connected formations. However, if I can destroy a few of these formations, it would delay the devilification process," Patriarch Ao Xiao explained.
After a brief pause, a hint of a smile appeared on his face, and he suddenly asked, "I haven't heard anything about you for the past few decades, Fellow Daoist Han; did you venture into the Elder Devil Realm with those from the true spirit families?"
Han Li's heart jolted upon hearing this, and after a brief hesitation, a wry smile appeared on his face as he replied, "How did you know about that, Senior? I did indeed enter the Elder Devil Realm with some fellow daoists from the true spirit families and the Spirit Race."
"All of you vanished off the face of the realm at the same time, and I'm aware of the existence of the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus, so it was easy for me to make the connection. Every devilish tribulation, cultivators from our races would venture into the Elder Devil Realm to seek out those two things, but barely any of them have ever succeeded. Seeing as you're the only one who's returned, I presume everyone else has already perished," Patriarch Ao Xiao said in a calm manner.
"Your wisdom is truly unmatched, Senior. Indeed, our journey into the Elder Devil Realm had been extremely perilous, and unfortunately, I'm the sole survivor of our group," Han Li sighed.
"With your cultivation bases, it would indeed be an extremely dangerous undertaking to venture into the Elder Devil Realm, but I'm sure you've reaped far more rewards than you imagined. Setting aside everything else, this fellow daoist is the golden crab within the Devilish Origin Sea, right? Why has his cultivation base dropped to this extent? Tsk tsk, if this Faux Immortal Puppet were at the height of its powers, even I would be no match for it. How did you manage to abduct it from the Elder Devil Realm?" Patriarch Ao Xiao chuckled as he cast his gaze toward Daoist Xie with a hint of yearning in his eyes.
"I see you're aware of Brother Xie's existence as well. Fellow Daoist Xie has already attained intelligence, so he's certainly not someone that I can simply abduct; he's only temporarily following me as I was able to offer him a mutually beneficial deal," Han Li replied in an ambiguous manner.
"I see," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied, but he was clearly unconvinced.
If the giant golden crab were that easy to lure away, then it wouldn't have remained in the Devilish Origin Sea for so many years.
Ao Xiao was extremely envious of this Faux Immortal Puppet, but he had no intention of trying to take it for himself. After all, obtaining such a puppet still didn't change the fact that he would struggle to transcend his next major heavenly tribulation.
On top of that, the fact that Han Li had progressed to the late-Body Integration Stage and seemed to have a chance of reaching the Grand Ascension Stage was extremely astonishing to him.
As a result, there was now potential for him to undo the one thing that he had always regretted.
With that in mind, he cast a glance toward Silvermoon, and even though his expression remained quite relaxed, a serious tone crept into his voice as he said, "Fellow Daoist Han, I won't force you to tell me what you experienced in the Elder Devil Realm, but I hope you can answer one questions truthfully: did you manage to enter the Spirit Cleansing Pond and consume the Clean Spirit Lotus?"
Chapter 2152: Art of Indifference
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this before immediately returning to normal as
he asked, "Do you think I succeeded, Senior?"
Patriarch Ao Xiao hesitated momentarily before replying, "The Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus are extremely renowned, and many powerful beings from several realms have tried to obtain them, but I've never heard of anyone who's actually succeeded. You've returned safely from the Elder Devil Realm, but there's still a very low chance that you've obtained those two things. However, for some reason, I can't help but feel like you've encountered greater opportunities than I imagine, so I'm going to go with my instinct and say that you've succeeded."
"Your instincts are very sharp, Senior," Han LI replied with a smile.
In the past, he wouldn't have revealed this information to such a powerful being, but now that he had cultivated his Holy Nirvana Physique to the Second Nirvana Transformation and he had the Profound Heavenly Spiritslash Sword and Daoist Xie as trump cards, he no longer had such inhibitions.
Furthermore, Han Li was very curious to see how Ao Xiao would respond to this news.
"That's fantastic! Seeing as you've already entered the Spirit Cleansing Pond and consumed the Clean Spirit Lotus, there's a very good chance that you'll be able to reach the Grand Ascension Stage in the future. In that case, it looks like I've made a grave mistake. If I had known that this would happen, I would've allowed Silvermoon to meet you rather than encourage her to use that cultivation art," Patriarch Ao Xiao sighed in a remorseful manner.
"What do you mean by that?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.
"I was the one who made the choice to cultivate the Art of Indifference, so you're not to blame, Grandfather. If I hadn't used this cultivation art, how would I have been able to overcome the flaws in my mental state to progress to the Body Integration Stage? On top of that, after using this cultivation art, I've realized that emotions are completely superfluous and will only inhibit one's pursuit of the Great Dao," Silvermoon finally said in a calm manner.
"Art of Indifference? Why did she turn to such a cultivation art, Senior? Did an issue arise in her cultivation?" Han Li asked.
"This is what I wanted to speak to you about. However, this is not a good place to talk, and I've completed my mission here, so let's go back to the territory of our united army; I'll explain the situation to you along the way," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied.
Thus, Han Li could only repress his curiosity for now as he nodded in response.
"Fetch Fellow Daoist Han and Fellow Daoist Xie some tea, and set off for Cottonwood City right away. Take a seat, fellow daoists," Patriarch Ao Xiao said.
"Yes, Master!" Several mechanical voices rang out in unison outside the hall, following which the silver ship began to move.
Han Li and Daoist Xie sat down as they were told, and almost at the exact same moment, several silver-haired female servants made their way into the hall with platters in their hands, then poured cups of fragrant green tea for everyone.
Han Li was still thinking about Silvermoon, so he had no interest in tasting the tea and only took a customary sip as a polite gesture before setting the teacup down onto the table beside him.
In contrast, Daoist Xie appraised the tea momentarily before downing the entire cup in one go before asking, "This tea contains a special type of spiritual power that seems to be rather beneficial to me; do you have any more of this, Fellow Daoist Ao?"
"Haha, you're a straightforward man, Brother Xie. Rest assured, this Green Dragon Tea is quite rare, but I have a good supply. If you like it, you can take some with you," Patriarch Ao Xiao chuckled in response, clearly interested in establishing good relations with this powerful Faux Immortal Puppet.
"You have my thanks," Daoist Xie replied with a nod before falling silent.
Patriarch Ao Xiao naturally didn't take any offense to Daoist Xie's aloof attitude, and he turned to Silvermoon with a sympathetic look in his eyes as he said, "Ling'er, you've only recently begun cultivating the Art of Indifference, so your mental state isn't very stable yet. As such, you should go back to rest so no mishaps occur; I'll attend to our two guests here."
"Yes, Grandfather," Silvermoon replied before extending a slight curtsey toward Han Li and Daoist Xie, then departed from the hall.
Throughout this process, her expression remained completely aloof as if Han Li were nothing more than a stranger to her.
Han Li opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it in the end as a slightly dejected look appeared in his eyes.
A wry smile appeared on Patriarch Ao Xiao's face, and following Silvermoon's departure, he continued, "Fellow Daoist Han, I'm sure you've already learned about Ling Long's life before she met you, right?"
"I have indeed heard about it from some other fellow daoists, but I've also heard that she seems to have remained by your side ever since she returned to the Spirit Realm," Han Li replied.
"That is indeed the case. After she returned from the human world, she went to the place where I was cultivating in seclusion and knelt outside for seven days and seven nights. I can still recall how thin and frail she looked when I finally caved and opened the restriction to let her in..." Thus, Patriarch Ao Xiao began to divulge a recount of events, and Han Li listened intently.
Time slowly passed by, and Patriarch Ao Xiao's account also progressed very slowly.
Even the most mundane parts of his story were elaborated on with great detail, and Han Li's emotions were constantly fluctuating during this time, but his expression remained unchanged.
"By the time I sensed that something was wrong, it was already too late. Ling'er had already attained initial mastery in the Art of Indifference, and even though she hadn't completely cut off her emotions yet, I didn't dare to allow her to leave my side, so I brought her along with me even on this dangerous mission. However, never did I think that you would be able to return from the Elder Devil Realm alive and run into me here; it seems that the heavens have brought all of us together," Patriarch Ao Xiao sighed as he finally completed his account.
Han Li was silent for a long while before he finally asked, "So the reason for Fellow Daoist Ling Long's indifference is the Art of Indifference? On top of that, only after she reached the Body Integration Stage did you discover that she's actually incompatible with this cultivation art, and if she were to ever attain full mastery of the Art of Indifference, she would suffer magic power backlash and lose her entire cultivation base. At the same time, Art of Indifference is a cultivation art that will regress if progress isn't made, so even if she gives up on it, she will still suffer from a host of negative after-effects."
Patriarch Ao Xiao was silent for a moment before replying, "Not only that, but due to her incompatibility with the Art of Indifference, it's had far less of an effect on her than expected. In her current state, she can return to her true self for around a third of a day, while the rest of the day would be spent in a state of complete indifference as you saw earlier. As she continues to progress, this window of time will only continue to dwindle until it completely disappears."
"So what you're saying is that Silvermoon can return to her true self for some time each day? I was wondering why her expression had differed so drastically from when she first saw me," Han Li said in an elated manner.
However, Patriarch Ao Xiao was far less optimistic. "Do you think it's a good thing for one's emotional and mental state to fluctuate violently every single day? If someone with lesser willpower were in her place, they would most likely go insane over time. Currently, I have to use a secret technique to forcibly mask the wounds on Ling Long's psyche once every few days, and that's why I can't allow her to leave my side."
Han Li's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he hurriedly asked, "Isn't there some way to undo the Art of Indifference? With your powers as a Grand Ascension Stage being, surely this wouldn't be too difficult a task, Senior."
Patriarch Ao Xiao hesitated momentarily before finally revealing, "If I had a way to undo all this, I would've undone everything long ago. Having said that, if it were
n't for the fact that she had awakened her Seven Star Moon Physique, I would've been able to reverse her Art of Indifference. However, the situation has become extremely complex due to the incompatibility of her physique with this cultivation art, so there's nothing I can do."
Chapter 2153: Conversation
Han Li fell silent upon hearing this, but a hint of surprise appeared on Daoist Xie's face as he repeated, "Seven Star Moon Physique?"
"Have you heard of this physique, Fellow Daoist Xie?" Patriarch Ao Xiao asked.
"I heard my former master mention it once. This is quite a special physique that's very rare even in the True Immortal Realm," Daoist Xie replied.
"Your master must've been an extremely powerful being to have refined a Faux Immortal Puppet like yourself, so I'm sure they're right. There aren't many people who know about the Seven Star Moon Physique in the Spirit Realm, but it's not a secret among some of the realm's most powerful beings. However, it's exactly because of this that I've become so invested in Ling Long. With this physique, even without entering the Spirit Cleansing Pond and consuming the Clean Spirit Lotus, she'll still have a chance of progressing to the Grand Ascension Stage," Patriarch Ao Xiao sighed.
"The Seven Star Moon Physique will indeed grant her a greater chance of progressing to the Grand Ascension Stage than normal cultivators," Daoist Xie said in an expressionless manner.
Han Li suddenly asked, "Senior, is there any way that I can help reverse Ling Long's current situation?"
Patriarch Ao Xiao was ecstatic to hear this, and he hurriedly replied, "I knew you were a man who holds past ties dear to your heart, Fellow Daoist Han. After realizing that Ling'er wasn't compatible with the Art of Indifference, I did indeed manage to think of a way to minimize the effect that the cultivation art would have on her and perhaps even to undo it in its entirety at some point."
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