“Is this Fellow Daoist Han?” The young woman carefully examined Han Li, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes.
She had naturally witnessed how Han Li effortlessly dispelled the spiritual pressure she had released earlier. Now, hearing that he was also the one who could cure the little girl, she couldn’t help but feel a chill.
She clearly sensed that he was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet there was an indescribable aura of pressure emanating faintly from him. It made her feel as though a single move from him could obliterate her in an instant.
“How could this be possible?”
The woman inwardly exclaimed, circulating her spiritual power as she scrutinized Han Li once more with her divine sense.
But this time, that oppressive aura from Han Li had completely vanished, as if it had never existed.
Her thoughts raced, and her suspicion deepened. However, for the sake of the little girl named Bai Guo’er, she forced a smile toward Han Li and the other two. “This humble one is Yue Hua. Many thanks to the three Fellow Daoists for aiding my son-in-law and Guo’er! If you don’t mind, please visit my temporary cave dwelling for a brief rest. Yue Hua must repay your lifesaving kindness!”
“This…”
Faced with a Core Formation cultivator, even the usually bold Hai Da Shao and Qi Lingzi couldn’t help but feel uneasy, their gazes involuntarily shifting toward Han Li.
Han Li, seemingly lost in thought, glanced at the little girl named Guo’er before nodding calmly. “Since Fellow Daoist Yue has extended the invitation, the three of us will trouble you briefly.”
“Not at all! It is my honor to have Fellow Daoists grace my humble abode!” Yue Hua was momentarily taken aback when Han Li addressed her as an equal, but instead of showing displeasure, she appeared delighted.
Clearly, this Yue Hua Fairy had begun to suspect something.
The middle-aged man beside her, however, gaped slightly, his eyes filled with astonishment as he stared at Han Li.
He knew better than anyone how proud and aloof his mother-in-law was. For her to treat a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator with such courtesy was beyond belief.
Hai Da Shao and Qi Lingzi, on the other hand, had never interacted with a Core Formation cultivator before and didn’t sense anything amiss. Hearing Yue Hua Fairy promise generous rewards, they beamed with joy.
Just as Han Li summoned his flying carriage and the group prepared to depart, a melodious celestial tune faintly echoed from a certain direction.
The sound was enchanting, as if it could linger in one’s ears for days.
Han Li, Yue Hua Fairy, and the others paused in surprise, turning their gazes toward the source of the music.
In the distant sky, five-colored radiance swirled as two rows of armored warriors clad in black, riding monstrous beasts with ox heads and tiger bodies, emerged one by one.
These warriors, expressionless and wielding halberds and axes, urged their mounts forward in a slow, majestic procession.
When Yue Hua Fairy swept her divine sense over them, she gasped in shock.
Every single one of these riders was at the Nascent Soul stage—and there were over a hundred of them!
After the rows of riders passed, black war chariots emerged from the five-colored radiance, each exquisitely crafted and carrying three similarly armored warriors, pulled forward by ferocious-looking avian beasts.
Once thirty-six identical chariots had flown by, pairs of cultivators in varied attire appeared—some old, some young, men and women alike—all with concealed divine light in their eyes and extraordinary auras.
There were only eighteen of these cultivators, but each had reached the peak of the Void Refinement stage.
Behind them, the radiance rumbled as a two-story pavilion faintly materialized—no, it was more accurate to call it a massive beast-drawn carriage resembling a pavilion.
The carriage stood dozens of zhang tall, grand and resplendent, pulled by eight snow-white peacocks, each ten zhang in size.
On the first level of the carriage sat a group of women in five-colored robes, each stunningly beautiful and holding pipas, flutes, and other musical instruments.
The celestial music was being played by these women.
But Han Li’s gaze didn’t linger on them. Instead, he focused on the second level, where three figures sat around a jade-green table, chatting and toasting over spirit fruits and wine.
His eyes flickered, then shifted to a massive silver banner atop the carriage.
The banner was adorned with dragons and phoenixes, radiating waves of restrictive energy, with a large ancient character for “Sacred” at its center.
“The Sacred Emperor! It’s the banner of the Tianyuan Sacred Emperor! That’s his carriage!” Yue Hua Fairy exclaimed in shock upon recognizing the flag.
Han Li’s expression shifted slightly as he focused his gaze, finally discerning the three figures on the second level.
Their appearances were peculiar.
The central figure wore a white Confucian robe, his demeanor refined, but his ears were unusually long, and he wore a faint smile.
Beside him sat an elderly man in gray robes, his face sallow like withered wood, yet his eyes gleamed with emerald light.
The third was a plump, white-robed monk in purple kasaya, appearing to be in his forties or fifties, with a round, benevolent face.
All three were Body Integration cultivators!
The old man was at the early stage, like Han Li himself, while the monk was at the mid-stage.
As for the white-robed Confucian scholar, under Han Li’s spiritual vision, his body was enveloped in a milky-white halo. Only with great effort could Han Li barely discern that he was at the late stage of Body Integration—a truly terrifying existence.
It seemed this white-robed scholar was indeed the Tianyuan Sacred Emperor, one of the Three Sovereigns!
The middle-aged man, Qi Lingzi, and Hai Da Shao were utterly dumbfounded. Upon learning that the procession belonged to the Tianyuan Sacred Emperor, even the boldest among them couldn’t help but tremble, though their expressions also held a hint of excitement.
Body Integration cultivators were rare even among the entire human race, numbering only a few dozen. The Three Sovereigns stood at the very pinnacle.
Few human cultivators ever had the chance to witness the Three Sovereigns in person.
For them to encounter the Sacred Emperor’s carriage here was an incredible stroke of fortune.
However, as Han Li scrutinized the white-robed scholar, the Tianyuan Sacred Emperor—who had been conversing with the monk—suddenly paused, stood up, and walked to the edge of the second level. His pupils shimmered with golden light as he gazed toward Han Li’s location.
“Which Fellow Daoist is present? If you do not mind, would you care to join us for a cup of spirit wine?”
The Sacred Emperor’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it reverberated across the sky, reaching the ears of everyone below with perfect clarity.
Everyone except Han Li exchanged bewildered glances.
“Senior Sacred Emperor… is he speaking to us?” Hai Da Shao muttered after a long pause, swallowing hard.
“Impossible. Only someone of his level would warrant such an address. How could it be us?” Bai Hua Ji shook his head vehemently.
“But… there doesn’t seem to be anyone else nearby,” Qi Lingzi murmured, blinking.
That much was true. The Southern Mountain Trio had lured Bai Hua Ji and his daughter to this remote location precisely to avoid witnesses—there were no other cultivators within a hundred li.
While the others were baffled, Han Li knew the Sacred Emperor’s words were directed at him. Frowning slightly, he turned to Hai Da Shao and the others.
“Fellow Daoists Hai, you two should accompany Fellow Daoist Yue Hua to her cave dwelling first. I will meet with the Tianyuan Sacred Emperor and catch up with you shortly.”
Hai Da Shao, Qi Lingzi, Yue Hua Fairy, and the middle-aged man were all stunned.
“Brother Han, what did you just say…?” Hai Da Shao stammered.
But Han Li shook his head without further explanation. A flash of cyan light enveloped him as he transformed into a streak of azure light, shooting toward the distant carriage. In just a few blinks, he had traversed over a thousand zhang.
Left behind were the dumbfounded group, with only the little girl Bai Guo’er blinking curiously at them, her expression a mix of understanding and confusion.
“So Fellow Daoist Han is a Body Integration senior… I should have guessed. Only a Body Integration cultivator could dispel the cold poison in Guo’er’s body!” Yue Hua Fairy muttered to herself before her face lit up with joy.
“Fellow Daoists Hai, are you two also…?” Bai Hua Ji stared at Hai Da Shao and Qi Lingzi, his voice trembling.
“No, no! We’re just ordinary cultivators—I’m only at Foundation Establishment, truly! We only met Senior Han on the road and had no idea he was a Body Integration cultivator!” Qi Lingzi snapped out of his daze, shaking his head vigorously.
“We… we traveled with a Body Integration senior for months… drank tea and wine with him… addressed him as an equal… Qi Lingzi, am I dreaming?” Hai Da Shao murmured in a daze.
Meanwhile, Han Li’s azure light had already reached the carriage.
The armored guards, having heard the Sacred Emperor’s words, naturally didn’t obstruct him.
His light dissipated as he appeared on the second level of the massive carriage. Cupping his hands, he smiled at the three Body Integration cultivators.
“Han Li greets the three Fellow Daoists.”
“Oh? Han Li? Could you be the newly ascended Fellow Daoist from the Tianyuan Realm? This old man is Huang Dang. A pleasure to meet you.” The gaunt elder returned the greeting, his expression shifting slightly.
“Indeed, I only advanced a few years ago,” Han Li replied with a faint smile.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage