"Your disciple will indeed be incurring a certain level of risk here, but the prosperity of our two races hinges on this matter; I'm sure I don't need to educate you on which is more important between a single person and two entire races, Fellow Daoist Han," the yellow-haired man seated beside Du Yu interjected.
"I am, of course, well aware of that, but I want to know if my disciple's inclusion will guarantee that a new Grand Ascension Stage being will arise from the holy island. If you can swear that on your inner demons, then I'd be happy to let him go with you. Otherwise, if the chances of success are very slim, then why should my disciple sacrifice himself for nothing? Do you think I'm someone that you can walk all over without repercussions?" Han Li had done away with all semblance of pleasantries at this point.
The three holy island envoys' expressions all became quite strained upon hearing this, while the elders of the city exchanged a few glances before choosing to continue to remain silent.
It was clear that the panel of elders had decided that they were going to take no further part in this issue.
"Brother Han, I think that if your disciple can increase the chances of a new Grand Ascension Stage being arising among our two races even by just a sliver, then it's not a sacrifice for nothing. You're not planning to completely disregard the orders of the holy island and the entirety of our two races, are you? If so, then you might have to answer to the elders of our holy island," the hideous woman accompanying Du Yu threatened.
"Oh? Is that supposed to be a threat? You three are constantly going on about the holy island and our two races; do you really think the three of you can represent our two races? I haven't been cultivating for all that long, but if you think you can fool me with such broad and abstract terms, then you're dead wrong. If I hand over my disciple to you like this, I'll be viewed by everyone as a master who can't even protect his own disciples," Han Li countered in a frosty voice.
The hideous woman immediately flared up with rage upon hearing this, but Han Li raised a hand to cut off what she was about to say, and continued, "I can tell you now that unless your holy island is 100% confident that sacrificing my disciple will produce a Grand Ascension Stage being for our two races, then I won't let him go with you."
"Is the Grand Ascension Stage bottleneck a joke to you, Fellow Daoist Han? If it were that easy to produce Grand Ascension Stage beings, then there would be far more of them in our two races than there currently are; you're being extremely unreasonable here, Brother Han." Du Yu had also run out of patience at this point.
"You want me to sacrifice my disciple for nothing, yet you're calling me unreasonable? I can see that you're quite a powerful cultivator, Fellow Daoist Du; you must be one of the candidates selected by the holy island for a Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough, right?" Han Li asked with a cold smile.
"I am indeed one of the chosen candidates; do you think I'm not up to standard, Fellow Daoist Han?" Du Yu asked as a cold look flashed through his eyes.
"That's not for me to decide. However, seeing as you're doing everything for the greater good, would I be correct to assume that you'd be willing to offer all of your treasures and pills to help me when I attempt my Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough? If you can truthfully say that you'd be willing to do that, then I have nothing to say," Han Li replied in an expressionless manner.
This question clearly caught Du Yu off guard, and he faltered momentarily before replying in an awkward manner, "I'm... afraid that I can't do that, Fellow Daoist Han. The pills and treasures provided to me for my breakthrough attempt were all prepared by the holy island, so I don't have the right to give them to anyone else."
"That's quite a pity. Seeing as you're not willing to make sacrifices for the so-called greater good, then don't even think about sacrificing my disciple. If that's all you want to discuss with me, then you can return to the holy island now," Han Li said with a mocking expression as he gave a dismissive wave of his hand.
The expressions on the faces of the three envoys darkened even further upon hearing this.
"Brother Gu, Master Jin Yue, both of you are on friendly terms with Fellow Daoist Han; would you be able to persuade him? If I don't return to the holy island with Fellow Daoist Han's disciple, neither your city nor I would be able to answer to the elders," Du Yu said in a meaningful voice.
Elder Gu cursed Du Yu internally for involving him in this matter again, and after a long hesitation, he finally said with a wry smile, "It's... not really my place to be interfering with this matter. How about both sides compromise slightly?"
Chapter 2200: Bullying the Weak
"What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist Gu?" Du Yu asked in a perplexed manner.
"Neither of you is willing to comply with the other, so why don't you each compromise a little. Seeing as Fellow Daoist Du is determined to take Brother Han's disciple back to the holy island, then why don't you accompany them as well, Brother Han? If you feel that they're doing anything inappropriate, then you can immediately intervene. With your powers and reputation, I'm sure the elders of the holy island would be inclined to heed your advice, Brother Han," Elder Gu proposed in a cautious manner.
"That's a good idea; you can accompany us to the holy island if you wish to do so, Fellow Daoist Han," Du Yu agreed after a brief moment of contemplation.
"There's no need for that. Seeing as Brother Gu would like me to make a compromise, then that's what I'll do. If one of you three envoys can withstand a single attack from me, then I'll let you take my disciple. If not, hehe..." Han Li chuckled coldly as his eyes narrowed slightly.
"What? How dare you belittle us like this, Fellow Daoist Han?" Even with Du Yu's steadfast nature, he couldn't help but flare up with fury.
The hideous woman and yellow-haired man were also enraged to hear this.
"Do you not trust me? Would you like me to swear an inner demon vow as well?" Han Li asked.
Du Yu's rage quickly subsided, and he immediately began to consider exactly what Han Li was intending to do here. "There's no need for that; I'm sure you're a man of your word, Fellow Daoist Han."
He certainly didn't believe that Han Li was doing this as a compromise, but he was even more unconvinced that the three of them wouldn't even be able to withstand a single attack from Han Li.
The elders of Deep Heaven City also exchanged a few bewildered glances upon hearing this.
They were aware that Han Li was virtually the most powerful being in the entire Spirit Realm below the Grand Ascension Stage, but they also didn't believe that Du Yu's trio wouldn't even be able to withstand a single attack from him.
Elder Gu and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue quickly exchanged a glance, and just as the former was about to say something, Fairy Silver Light suddenly transmitted her voice to them.
Elder Gu's expression changed slightly upon hearing what she had to say, and he cast a quick glance toward Silvermoon, who was sitting beside Han Li, and decided to remain silent in the end.
Meanwhile, Du Yu was appraising Han Li with a dark expression, and only after a long while did he finally reply, "Seeing as you insist on settling this with violence, then I'll be one to face your attack. I want to see just how you plan to defeat me with just a single attack."
After discovering that the elders of Deep Heaven City were determined to adopt a neutral stance, Du Yu decided to accept Han Li's proposal in the end.
Even though he was rather suspicious of Han Li's conceited display, he was even more confident in his own powers.
With the powerful Buddhist cultivation art that he had mastered and the treasures in his possession, he was confident that he would be able to withstand an attack from a cultivator of the same caliber.
The yellow-haired man and hideous woman were clearly also very confident in Du Yu's powers, and they offered no objections to this, but they were displaying even greater animosity toward Han Li.
As holy island envoys, they were always treated with respect everywhere they went. Occasionally, they would encounter
some rather cold and aloof Body Integration cultivators, but no one had ever been as openly hostile as Han Li had been toward them.
Upon receiving agreement from Du Yu, Han Li immediately burst into laughter.
"You're a straightforward man, Fellow Daoist Du. I'll be waiting for you in the sparring hall on the lower level."
As soon as his voice trailed off, Han Li stood up, then vanished into thin air amid a burst of spatial fluctuations, leaving only his laughter still resounding throughout the hall.
Han Li's display of nonchalance and spatial abilities immediately brought a hint of wariness to Du Yu's eyes.
He was also able to teleport away by tearing through space, but he couldn't do it as easily and casually as Han Li could.
This made him a little more cautious, but he was still quite confident in his own abilities.
Right at this moment, Daoist Xie also rose to his feet before sweeping a sleeve toward Silvermoon and Zhu Guo'er releasing a burst of silver light to envelop both of them.
Immediately thereafter, the three of them also vanished amid a flash of silver lightning, and Du Yu's heart jolted again upon seeing this.
He immediately turned to Elder Gu, and asked, "Who was that fellow daoist, Brother Gu? He seems to be quite powerful as well."
Their attention had been entirely focused on Han Li before, and Daoist Xie had intentionally repressed his own aura, so no one had paid him much heed.
However, Elder Gu was just as shocked as Du Yu was, and after exchanging a glance with the other elders, he shook his head, and replied, "This is the first time I've seen that fellow daoist as well."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Du Yu's expression returned to normal, and he said, "I guess we'll find out who he is soon enough. Besides, I'll be facing Fellow Daoist Han anyway, so it doesn't matter how powerful he is. Let's go, Brother Gu."
Elder Gu could only repress his own astonishment as well upon hearing this, and nodded in response.
Thus, everyone also departed from the hall one after another.
Around 15 minutes later, a giant light barrier was activated within a massive hall with an area of several thousand feet, encompassing virtually the entire hall beneath it.
High up in the air within the light barrier, Han Li and Du Yu were facing one another from afar.
Du Yu was wearing a rather wary expression, while Han Li was relaxed as ever and had his hands clasped behind his back.
"Let me just ascertain one final time that you'll allow me to take your disciple as long as I can withstand an attack from you," Du Yu suddenly said.
"That's right. As long as you can withstand a single attack from me, I won't oppose you even if you intend to take all of my disciples to the holy island. However, if you can't, then you'll have to go back to the holy island empty-handed," Han Li replied in an uncompromising manner.
"Alright, then go ahead," Du Yu prompted with a dark expression.
Han Li chuckled coldly upon hearing this, and all of a sudden, his Provenance True Devil Projection appeared behind him amid a flash of golden light.
Immediately thereafter, a gust of fierce winds erupted from the projection's body, and it made a hand seal with each of its six hands in unison, upon which it swelled to around 800 feet in size with countless arcs of golden lightning coursing all over its body.
The projection opened all six of its eyes at once, then slowly reached out with a giant hand before making a grabbing motion.
The massive hand seemed to be moving very slowly, but it was exerting a terrifying aura that threatened to crush the entire space.
Du Yu's expression changed drastically upon sensing this fearsome aura, and he immediately laid a hand onto the back of his own head, then opened his mouth to release a jade book that was enshrouded in a ball of white light.
At the same time, he swept his other sleeve through the air, summoning a pristine white inkstone amid a burst of white mist.
The inkstone contained a type of unknown silver liquid, and as soon as the two items emerged, they began to revolve above Du Yu's head, with one treasure releasing a burst of five-colored light, and countless golden and silver runes surging out of the other in a frenzy.
Among these two items, one was a powerful Divine Spirit Treasure, while the other was an even rarer treasure refined from a fragment of a Profound Heavenly Treasure.
A hint of surprise flashed through Han Li's eyes at the sight of these two treasures, but he then immediately harrumphed coldly, and a series of silver patterns surfaced on the descending giant palm, forming around a dozen silver formations of different sizes at once.
In the next instant, the massive golden hand swelled slightly in size, then instantly turned a purplish-golden color.
The spiritual pressure it was releasing immediately became four times more powerful, and it continued to descend with astonishing might.
In the face of this burst of terrifying spiritual pressure, Du Yu shuddered slightly and took several involuntary steps backward, following which a hint of fear surfaced in his eyes.
Even though he was at the pinnacle of the late-Body Integration Stage, he felt like this burst of spiritual pressure could crush him to a pulp in an instant.
"No, this definitely isn't late-Body Integration Stage power; only a Grand Ascension Stage being could unleash such fearsome power!" Du Yu almost instantly realized exactly what he had gotten himself into, and he immediately tried to call for help, but the terrifying spiritual pressure weighing down upon him prevented him from being able to utter so much as a single sound.
Chapter 2201: Crushed by a Single Attack
Du Yu's horror had mounted to a peak, and in the face of the unstoppable purplish-golden hand, he knew that he had to fight for his own life.
"Evil Vanquishing Holy Projection!"
He quickly made a hand seal, following which a white Nascent Soul that was around half a foot tall immediately flew out of the top of his head.
The Nascent Soul bore a strong resemblance to Du Yu, and as soon as it appeared, it opened its mouth in an urgent manner to expel a ball of shimmering golden blood essence.
In the instant that the ball of blood essence was expelled, Du Yu's youthful face suddenly became wizened and shriveled, as if he had instantly aged over 10 years, and his eyes also became completely blank and soulless.
At the same time, a white humanoid figure that was over 100 feet tall emerged behind the Nascent Soul, standing in the air right above Du Yu.
The giant humanoid figure was as clear as an actual person, but its facial features were completely blurred. It wore a set of white scholarly robes with a scholarly hat on its head, and its entire body was radiating a burst of indescribable pure Yang energy.
However, the giant projection merely hovered still in mid-air as if it were incapable of movement.
All of a sudden, Du Yu pointed a finger upward, and the ball of golden blood essence instantly exploded, forming a huge golden rune that vanished into the projection's body in a flash.
A burst of translucent light flashed over the projection's face, following which an extremely authoritative set of facial features appeared.
At this point, the massive purplish-golden hand was only around 70 feet away from the white projection.
In the face of the terrifying power crashing down upon it, the projection's body was beginning to blur slightly, as if it were about to be crushed into nothingness.
Right at this moment, the white projection suddenly opened its eyes to reveal a pair of silver pupils, then raised a hand upward before making a grabbing motion.
A burst of white mist immediately surged out of its sleeve, then transformed into a massive white hand that clashed violently with the purplish-golden hand.
An earth-shattering boom rang out as the two clashed, sending powerful shockwaves erupting forth in all directions, causing the entire light barrier to tremor violently.
However, the purplish-golden hand was only stopped momentarily before it cr
ushed the giant white hand and continued to descend.
However, during this split-second delay, the two treasures above Du Yu instantly appeared in front of him, then began to radiate dazzling light in unison.
The holy projection raised a hand to conjure up a huge five-colored brush, which was dipped into the unknown silver liquid in the inkstone before being tapped onto a page of the jade book.
A burst of Buddhist chants rang out as brilliant five-colored erupted from the jade book, following which countless silver runes surged out in a frenzy, converging to form a gigantic rune that was around an acre in size.
The massive purple hand grabbed onto the huge silver rune like five steel hooks, while all of the world's origin Qi within the entire light barrier surged toward the giant rune in a frenzy, causing it to swell by close to half its original size.
Golden and silver light flashed violently, and the purplish-golden hand was temporarily rendered unable to descend any further.
"Interesting! But if that's all you've got, then it won't be enough to stop me," Han Li chuckled as he pointed a nonchalant finger from afar.
A near-transparent incantation seal vanished into thin air in a flash, following which the silver spirit patterns on the fingertips of the giant purplish-golden hand converged to form profound formations.
Five balls of dazzling golden light emerged from the formations, then swelled drastically to around 10 feet in size each, then combined as one to create a massive golden vortex.
All of a sudden, a burst of tremendous force surged out of the vortex, and in the face of this enormous force, the huge silver rune was unable to hold itself together any longer.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1262