Chapter 1759: Expulsion

Outside the grand hall, on a high floor of a stone tower, the green rainbow flickered a few times before vanishing without a trace.

“Did the Spirit Detection Plate show any reaction?” The gaunt elder’s expression darkened the moment Han Li’s escaping light disappeared into the distance.

“Reporting, sir, no. This Senior Han is indeed purely human!” a Qingming Guard promptly responded.

“Without a pass token, and with his expired Qingming Guard token never reclaimed, he must have been stranded in the wilderness all these years. It seems he must have encountered significant opportunities—otherwise, advancing from Nascent Soul to late-stage Void Refinement in just three hundred years would be impossible. But since he’s human, there shouldn’t be any issues. Why should I meddle?” The gaunt Heavenly Guard’s eyes flickered for a moment before he ultimately shook his head.

Such rapid advancement over a few centuries, though exceedingly rare, wasn’t unheard of in the wilderness, where countless opportunities existed. Had Han Li not previously been part of the Heavenly Abyss Guards, he might have tried recruiting him into the Heavenly Guards. But since Han Li had already left the Heavenly Abyss City once, there was no point in pursuing the matter further.

Thus, the gaunt Heavenly Guard quickly dismissed the thought and turned his gaze toward the four Confucian scholars emerging from the same hall.

…

Han Li, still in his escaping light, surveyed the city below. After more than three hundred years, the structures of Heavenly Abyss City remained unchanged.

Numerous black-and-white armored guards patrolled the lower skies, while foreign cultivators hurried in and out of various buildings. The city thrived, showing no signs of the previous alien invasion.

This spared Han Li any trouble. His escaping light shot straight toward the city’s market district.

He had no intention of lingering in Heavenly Abyss City. After a century of consolidating his cultivation and tempering his spirit through life-and-death trials, he was fully prepared to attempt breaking through to the Body Integration stage. With a bit more rest and preparation, he could begin his breakthrough.

Given his array of formidable abilities, even reaching the early Body Integration stage would allow him to contend with late-stage Body Integration cultivators, making him nearly invincible among humans and demons alike.

Thus, his next step was simply to select a secluded location near Heavenly Abyss City for seclusion and breakthrough. Until then, all other matters would be set aside.

However, after a century of consumption, he needed to replenish a large batch of supplementary materials in Heavenly Abyss City.

Though he had occasionally replenished supplies in alien territories, these regions were peripheral, limiting his acquisitions. Had he not prepared extensively before leaving Thunder Continent, some of his research and insights might have stalled midway.

Given Heavenly Abyss City’s scale, he should be able to procure everything he needed. With these materials, he could refine artifacts and elixirs to aid his breakthrough.

Having visited the market countless times before, Han Li descended onto a street within the divided architectural complex half an hour later.

On the other side of the light barrier lay the demon race’s trading grounds. At the center stood a hall where humans and demons exchanged rare items.

Han Li’s gaze swept over the distant hall, stirring a faint memory—a blurry figure of a demon woman flashed through his mind.

In the past, he had frequently traded with this unnamed demon woman in that hall, exchanging for rare spiritual herb seeds from the demon race. Without her, gathering such seeds himself would have been far more laborious.

Yet, she seemed to have unusual connections, having foreseen the alien invasion and left Heavenly Abyss City beforehand.

Withdrawing his gaze, Han Li glanced around before calmly entering a large materials shop nearby.

“Our shop specializes in materials for artifact and elixir refinement, offering everything you need. Senior, feel free to make your requests,” a young, courteous attendant greeted him with a smile.

“Step aside. I will personally attend to this senior,” the shopkeeper, who had been seated on a bamboo chair, suddenly leaped up upon seeing an object in his hand flash violently.

The Core Formation-stage elder hurried over, bowing respectfully. “Forgive my lack of welcome, Senior. I did not anticipate your arrival.”

Han Li was slightly surprised. Though he hadn’t concealed his cultivation level upon entering the city, a Core Formation cultivator shouldn’t have been able to discern it.

But spotting the Spirit Pressure Plate in the elder’s hand, he nodded in understanding. “Ah, the Spirit Pressure Plate. No wonder you sensed my cultivation. Enough talk. I need a large batch of materials—gather them for me.”

With a flick of his wrist, Han Li produced a white jade slip and tossed it to the elder.

The elder scanned the slip with his spiritual sense, his face alternating between delight and shock. “Senior requires so many materials? Our shop can provide most, but the rest will need to be sourced from neighboring stores. May I ask for a brief wait?”

“Fine. You have fifteen minutes,” Han Li replied indifferently.

Overjoyed, the elder seated Han Li, served him spiritual tea, and dispatched his staff to fetch materials while he personally sought the remaining items from nearby shops.

The attendants, realizing Han Li’s importance, regarded him with newfound awe.

Han Li sipped his tea calmly, closing his eyes in silence.

Within the time it took to finish a cup, the elder returned triumphantly, clutching a storage bracelet. Meanwhile, the attendants had assembled boxes and bottles of varying sizes.

Though these materials were merely supplementary to Han Li now, they were treasures to the shop.

After scanning the items with his spiritual sense, Han Li inquired about the price.

The elder quoted an astronomical sum, but Han Li didn’t bat an eye. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed over a small leather pouch containing slightly more than the requested amount.

Gratefully, the elder bowed repeatedly as Han Li collected his purchases and departed.

His escaping light soared from the market, heading toward the opposite side of Heavenly Abyss City.

Hours later, he exited the city openly, transforming into a green rainbow that streaked across the endless mountain ranges.

Two weeks later, he left Heavenly Abyss City’s jurisdiction but showed no signs of stopping.

Two months later, the green rainbow finally descended upon a lush, verdant peak.

Han Li appeared atop a massive boulder, scanning his surroundings before closing his eyes and releasing his formidable spiritual sense. Moments later, he nodded in satisfaction.

The area housed a decent spiritual vein—small but rich in spiritual energy, perfect for his needs.

Naturally, such a vein wasn’t unclaimed. His spiritual sense had detected over a dozen cultivator dwellings nearby, ranging from solitary peaks to small groups. The strongest among them were merely two Nascent Soul cultivators, with the rest at Core Formation or Foundation Establishment.

This made sense—higher-level cultivators wouldn’t settle in such a remote place. Those at the Deity Transformation stage or above typically claimed territories spanning thousands of miles.

But Han Li had no intention of staying long.

With a hand seal, golden light flickered around him as he silently transmitted a message.

A hundred miles away, in a heavily warded cavern, a white-haired elder in a black robe stood before a massive cauldron, nervously manipulating spells as blue flames swirled beneath it, filling the air with the scent of elixirs.

Suddenly, an overwhelming spiritual force pierced the wards, pressing the elder to the ground, immobilizing him.

“Ah!” the elder gasped in terror.

Before he could react, a cold voice echoed through the chamber: “I require this place. All who hear this must leave within a day. Those who remain will perish.”

The pressure vanished as abruptly as it came. Trembling, the elder rose, his face pale with fear.

After a moment’s hesitation, he abandoned his cauldron and fled.

Within hours, countless escaping lights shot from the mountains as cultivators evacuated en masse.

By the next day, the entire range stood empty, its caves abandoned.