The giant silver ship was noticed by the guards on the city wall once it reached within 50 kilometers of the city, and a group of demonic cultivators immediately rose up into the air before flying toward the ship.
"We pay our respects to our patriarch!"
These demonic beings wore suits of armor of different colors, and most of them were at the Core Formation Stage or Nascent Soul Stage. After flying to around 500 meters away from the ship, all of them stopped before falling to their knees in a fervent manner.
"No need for formalities. I'm going back to my cave abode, so you can continue with what you've been doing," Patriarch Ao Xiao instructed in an implacable voice from inside the ship.
"Yes, Patriarch!"
Patriarch Ao Xiao had ruled over the demon race for tens of thousands of years and was worshipped as a god by normal demonic beings, so the guards naturally didn't offer any objections.
All of them immediately parted to open up a path, and the flying ship continued to fly toward Cottonwood City as a ball of silver light.
All of the restrictions up ahead also parted on their own, thereby granting the ship passage straight into the top level of the city, where it slowly descended onto a heavily guarded plaza.
Almost at the exact same moment, a white-haired elderly man emerged from a teleportation formation on the corner of the plaza amid a flash of spiritual light, then immediately made his way over to the ship with a faint smile on his face.
The elderly man had a very benevolent appearance with a pair of remarkably long earlobes that almost trailed down to his shoulders. With each step he took he covered a distance of over 100 feet, and after just a few flashes, he had arrived beside the silver ship.
All of the guards on the plaza immediately extended deep bows, seemingly filled with respect and admiration for the elderly man.
"Hehe, you finally came back, Ao Xiao. You've been away for a very long time; if you had been away for much longer, I would've been worried that you may have been killed by the devilish army," the white-haired elderly man chortled in a boisterous voice.
"Hmph, those devilish brats aren't enough to pose a threat to me. Having said that, it sounds like you were genuinely worried about me," Patriarch Ao Xiao harrumphed coldly in response from within the ship.
Immediately thereafter, the ship began to rapidly shrink amid a flash of silver light, and once the light faded, the ship also disappeared, only for several humanoid figures to take its place.
These were none other than Han Li, Silvermoon, and Patriarch Ao Xiao, as well as his entourage.
The white-haired elderly man smiled as he cast his gaze toward Ao Xiao, and said, "Brother Ao Xiao, our human and demon races have always been close allies; if you had gone missing under these circumstances, I would struggle to hold down the fort on my own."
"That is indeed true, but rest assured, I may not have much time left, but I won't be dying anytime soon. At the very least, I have to last through this devilish tribulation. By the way, this is Fellow Daoist Mo; I'm sure you've heard of him, Fellow Daoist Han," Patriarch Ao Xiao said as he motioned toward Han Li.
"Junior Han Li pays his respects to Senior Mo Jianli!" Han Li immediately stepped forward before extending a respectful bow toward the white-haired elderly man.
Even though Patriarch Ao Xiao hadn't mentioned the elderly man's name, his Mo surname and Grand Ascension Stage cultivation base, as well as the fact that he was a human, were sufficient factors for Han Li to deduce his identity.
Mo Jianli faltered slightly upon hearing this before an elated look quickly appeared on his face. "Han Li? Are you the cultivator from our human race who only took less than 1,000 years to reach the Body Integration Stage? I heard that you entered the Elder Devil Realm with that Long brat and the others; did you just return from the Elder Devil Realm?"
It was clear that he had also been keeping tabs on Han Li.
Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this, but he immediately replied, "Indeed, Senior Mo. I only returned from the Elder Devil Realm not long ago, and I just so happened to run into Senior Ao Xiao in the Wood Tribe territory."
"Haha, it's extremely impressive that you were able to survive in the Elder Devil Realm for so many years; you really are an incredible talent!" Mo Jianli praised.
"Hold on, Old Man Mo; take a look at who this is," Patriarch Ao Xiao suddenly interjected.
Mo Jianli turned toward Daoist Xie upon hearing this, and a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes. "Hmm? This aura seems to be really familiar somehow."
"Hehe, take a closer look Old Man Mo," Patriarch Ao Xiao chuckled.
Mo Jianli was even more curious upon hearing this, and golden light flashed through his eyes, upon which his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "You're not a living being! Could it be that you're that golden crab from the Elder Devil Realm?"
"I remember you. Tens of thousands of years ago, you tried to enter the Bitter Spirit Island with some other Spirit Realm beings, but you were severely wounded by the sea of lightning and forced into retreat," Daoist Xie said in an expressionless manner.
A slightly awkward look flashed through Mo Jianli's eye, and he asked, "So it really is you! Why did you take on a human form and leave the Devilish Origin Sea? And why has your cultivation base plummeted to the Body Integration Stage?"
"Hehe, Brother Xie has taken a liking to Fellow Daoist Han, and they made an agreement for Brother Xie to stay with Fellow Daoist Han for some time," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied.
"Is that true, Han... Fellow Daoist Han?" Mo Jianli was ecstatic to hear this, and he was even referring to Han Li as an equal.
"There were some other circumstances involved, but that's the gist of the matter. As for the fall in Brother Xie's cultivation base, this is a result of a special ability that he used a while ago, and his powers will recover soon," Han Li replied with a smile.
"That's great to hear! Fellow Daoist Xie has remained in the Elder Devil Realm for countless years, and many powerful beings from a whole host of different realms have tried to recruit him as an ally. There have even been Grand Ascension Stage beings among them but all of them have failed, who would've thought that you would succeed? Looks like I have an exceptional successor!" Mo Jianli said with glowing eyes.
"There's another piece of good news I have to tell you, but if I reveal it to you here, you'll most likely make an absolute fool out of yourself, so let's head to your abode first," Patriarch Ao Xiao said.
"There's more good news? I'm very much looking forward to hearing it. Come, I have two flagons of Immortal Leaf Wine offered to me by the people of the Wood Tribe in my cave abode; let's sample the wine together as we talk," Mo Jianli said in an excited manner.
Han Li and the others naturally had no objections to this, and they all left the plaza using the teleportation formation.
Around an hour later, everyone arrived in a hall constructed entirely from purple spirit wood. Mo Jian occupied the main seat, and Patriarch Ao Xiao, Han Li, and Daoist Xie were also sitting in chairs, while Silvermoon and Zhu Guo'er were standing behind them.
Silvermoon's expression was completely aloof and indifferent, while Zhu Guo'er was virtually brimming with excitement.
Han Li was currently downing a cup of viscous nectar-like spirit wine, and as soon as the wine slid down his throat, it immediately transformed into a burst of pure energy that spread through his entire body, striking him with a sense of comfort and warmth.
"This is exceptional wine!" Han Li couldn't help but praise with a hint of surprise on his face.
"This Immortal Leaf Wine is brewed from the sap that flows from the holy tree of the Wood Tribe, and the entire Wood Tribe can only produce around 100 flagons of this wine per century. If it weren't for Fellow Daoist Han and Brother Xie's arrival, I wouldn't have been willing to bring out something so precious," Mo Jianli said with a smile.
"It's a pity that the holy tree had to be moved during the invasion of the devilish army, and the tree was
harmed quite substantially during the process," Patriarch Ao Xiao sighed in a forlorn manner.
"Not only that, but the grand elder of the Wood Tribe is currently also resting in the holy tree, hoping to draw upon the tree's spiritual Qi to recover to his former Grand Ascension Stage powers, but if you ask me, even if he manages to recover, it'll take many years, and he most likely won't be able to play a further role in this devilish tribulation," Mo Jianli also sighed in response.
"The Wood Tribe is currently sorely lacking in top-tier powerful beings as a result of its battles against the devilish army. It's only with the assistance of our races that it's just barely able to maintain its current situation, so we never expected much from them in the first place," Patriarch Ao Xiao said with a cold smile.
"In the Wood Tribe's current state, it's hard to say whether it's even going to be able to continue to maintain its independence in the Spirit Realm, but that has nothing to do with us. Now then, can you tell me this good news that you were referring to earlier, Fellow Daoist Ao Xiao?" Mo Jianli sighed before changing the subject.
"Hehe, the good news is that Fellow Daoist Han managed to enter the Spirit Cleansing Pond and consume the Clean Spirit Lotus in the Elder Devil Realm, something that even we were unable to do," Patriarch Ao Xiao chuckled in response.
Mo Jianli's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he immediately rose to his feet as he exclaimed, "What?! Is that true?!"
Chapter 2156: Re-emergence of the Devilish Shadow
Even though Han Li had recently returned from the Elder Devil Realm, Mo Jianli didn't even consider the possibility that Han Li had managed to enter the Spirit Cleansing Pond.
After all, countless powerful beings from many different realms had ventured into the Elder Devil Realm in pursuit of the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus, but barely any of them had ever succeeded. Han Li was indeed an exceptional prodigy among those of the human and demon races, but he may not be all that special when it came to the prodigies of the other realms.
However, unbeknownst to Mo Jianli, Han Li was no ordinary late-Body Integration cultivator. His physical body and spiritual sense were virtually as powerful as those of the average Sacred Ancestor, and after unleashing his Second Nirvana Transformation, he could even match a Sacred Ancestor in battle.
On top of that, all of the high-grade devilish beings had been in a state of turmoil in the face of the tribulation of the Elder Devil Realm, so none of them were able to focus on stopping Han Li and the others. Otherwise, it would've only taken several Sacred Ancestors to pay some attention to them, and there would've been no way that they could've made it to the Devilish Origin Sea.
"That is indeed fantastic news! With Fellow Daoist Han's brilliant aptitude and the effects of the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus, there's at least a 30% to 40% chance that he'd be able to progress to the Grand Ascension Stage with our unreserved assistance!" Mo Jianli said with glowing eyes.
"Hmph, he's a cultivator from your human race; why should I give him my unreserved assistance?" Patriarch Ao Xiao harrumphed coldly.
"Our human and demon races are one unified entity in the Spirit Realm. If Fellow Daoist Han can progress to the Grand Ascension Stage, he'll be a powerful backer for your demon race for tens of thousands of years to come, so why insist on differentiating between our two races? If someone from your demon race had hopes of progressing to the Grand Ascension Stage, I would also offer them my unreserved assistance," Mo Jianli replied.
"Is that a promise, Old Man Mo?" Patriarch Ao Xiao asked with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Of course! Hold on, are you saying there's someone from your demon race with a chance of progressing to the Grand Ascension Stage?" Mo Jianli asked with a stunned expression.
"Hehe, you've met my granddaughter a few times already, but did you know that she possesses the Seven Star Moon Physique? If she can progress to the late-Body Integration Stage, her chances of becoming a Grand Ascension Stage being would be slightly lesser than those of Fellow Daoist Han, but there definitely won't be too much of a disparity," Patriarch Ao Xiao said in a proud manner as he gestured toward Silvermoon.
"Ling Long possesses the Seven Star Moon Physique? Why didn't you tell me this before? Do you not trust me?" Mo Jianli asked with an astonished expression as he turned toward Silvermoon.
"Of course I trust you; it's just that Ling'er wasn't born with this physique, and she only awakened it not long ago, so I certainly wasn't intentionally keeping it a secret from you," Patriarch Ao Xiao explained.
"Hmph, even so, I can tell you're clearly plotting something by revealing this in conjunction with all of this good news about Fellow Daoist Han," Mo Jianli harrumphed in a displeased manner.
"You're right. Ling'er possesses the Seven Star Moon Physique, but she's encountered some trouble in her cultivation, and I'll require your assistance to resolve the issue," Patriarch Ao Xiao sighed.
"What's the problem? I'll do everything in my power to assist you," Mo Jianli immediately replied.
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded in response before his lips began to tremor in a soundless manner as he transmitted his voice toward Mo Jianli instead of speaking directly to him.
Mo Jianli listened intently to what Ao Xiao had to say, and as time passed, a grim look began to appear on his face.
Following the conclusion of Ao Xiao's voice transmission, Mo Jianli hesitated momentarily before making a decision. "I understand; I'll give you everything you asked for. However, if Fellow Daoist Han requires anything for his future breakthrough to the Grand Ascension Stage, you have to do your best to satisfy those needs as well."
"Of course. Regardless of whether Fellow Daoist Han or Ling'er can progress to the Grand Ascension Stage, our human and demon races will have an additional powerful backer," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied with a smile.
"Thank you for your kindness, seniors, but I'm not that confident in my own ability to progress to the Grand Ascension Stage, and I don't want to disappoint you if I were to fail," Han Li suddenly interjected.
"Who can say that they're absolutely confident in their ability to successfully progress to the Grand Ascension Stage? Back when I made the breakthrough, it was mostly down to luck. At the time, I had several good friends who possessed superior aptitude to my own, but I was the only one who succeeded, so there really is no need to put any pressure on yourself, Fellow Daoist Han," Mo Jianli reassured.
"Indeed. The two of us are willing to assist you because there's no one in our two races with a greater chance of progressing to the Grand Ascension Stage, and this has always been the convention. Whenever a Grand Ascension Stage being among our two races is reaching the end of their lifespan, they are obligated to gather the resources within their race to nurture the brightest talents of the next generation. We're not the only ones doing this either, those on the holy island are also doing the same thing, and this is one of the reasons why the holy island was founded in the first place.
"However, compared to those cultivators on the holy island, we're more confident in you. If it weren't for the special nature of your situation, you would've most likely been invited to the holy island long ago. Even now, if you wish to cultivate on the holy island, we can send you there," Patriarch Ao Xiao explained.
"I wasn't aware that the holy island had such a duty. I've grown accustomed to cultivating on my own, so I won't go to the holy island for now. Perhaps I'll pay the island a visit when I get a chance to do so in the future," Han Li quickly decided.
"Alright, in that case, we naturally won't force the issue. By the way, there's something else I wanted to ask you; have the Long Family patriarch and that girl from the Ye Family both perished in the Elder Devil Realm?" Mo Jianli asked with a serious expression.
"They did indeed perish in the Elder Devil Realm," Han Li replied.
"That's quite a pity. The Long Family and Ye Family are the two most powerful true spirit families, so their deaths will most likely impact the tru
e spirit families and our human race very severely. Having said that, once Brother Xie recovers his powers, he'll be more than enough to make up for this loss." A dejected look initially appeared in Mo Jianli's eyes, only to be replaced by one of hope and excitement as he cast his gaze toward Daoist Xie.
"The high-grade cultivators of the true spirit families are indeed more powerful than normal high-grade cultivators of the same caliber, but similarly, it's a lot more difficult for high-grade cultivators to emerge from those true spirit families, so if you ask me, there's no need to pay too much heed to them," Patriarch Ao Xiao said in a dismissive manner.
"I beg to differ! The true spirit families may have their fallacies, but the fact of the matter is that they have ties with ancient true spirit beings. Body Integration Stage beings that emerge from those families are very formidable, so I think we can still count on them to bolster our two races in the future," Mo Jianli countered with a shake of his head.
"That may be true, but if you ask me, the true spirit families are nowhere near as valuable as the premier branches of our demon race. After all, many more Body Integration Stage beings have emerged from those branches than in the true spirit families," Patriarch Ao Xiao said with a cold smile.
"The premier branches of your demon race do indeed produce far more talent than the true spirit families, but there's no point in discussing this now. I had hoped that someone would've returned from the Elder Devil Realm aside from Fellow Daoist Han, but it looks like I was being too optimistic," Mo Jianli said with furrowed brows.
"Are you lacking people? Is the united army plotting something?" Patriarch Ao Xiao asked.
"The Wood Tribe is currently preparing a plan to counterattack the devilish army, and it's received support from Fellow Daoist Sang of the Yaksha Tribe. They're hoping that this plan will allow them to recover all of their lost territory in one go," Mo Jianli replied with a grim expression.
"Have they gone insane? If the lost territory were that easy to recover, we would've done so long ago! Setting aside the Wood Tribe for now, has Old Man Sang gone senile? Did you not object to this plan?" Patriarch Ao Xiao immediately flared up with rage upon hearing this.
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