Chapter 1799: Admonition

Han Li naturally heard Hai Dashao’s words, and the muscles on his face twitched involuntarily.

This guy really is a character!

In the distance, the giant tortoise let out an earth-shaking roar toward the sky before retracting its limbs and head back into the ground.

The black mountain formed by the beast’s body immediately became motionless.

At this point, the cultivators in the black castle atop the mountain finally began to move.

The numerous Thunder Guards circling in the air descended toward the castle, while squads of black-armored warriors soared up from the mountain, each pulling out formation tools and busily working around the black peak.

Within moments, layers of formation restrictions were set up around the “black mountain,” and a thick black mist rose, completely obscuring the castle on the peak.

Once the black-armored warriors finished their task, they swiftly plunged into the black mist and vanished without a trace.

The mist fell silent, a stark contrast to the earlier cacophony.

Just then, a dragon’s roar echoed from another mountain, and a streak of golden light shot out, flashing several times before arriving above the black mist.

As the dazzling light faded, a golden flood dragon with a silver horn on its head and a length of over ten zhang appeared. Standing on its back was a white-robed man with a faint smile—none other than the Tianyuan Sacred Emperor.

“Fellow Daoist Xuanwu, it’s been many years. Would you care to meet with Tianyuan?”

“Hmph, so it’s you, old man. If you want to see me, just come in. Though you’re not Tianmiao, a mere illusion formation shouldn’t be enough to stop the Sacred Emperor, should it?” A cold voice emerged from the black mist, showing no courtesy toward the Tianyuan Sacred Emperor.

“Ha, then this emperor shall be impolite!” The Tianyuan Sacred Emperor chuckled, unfazed by the hostility. With a step on the golden flood dragon, he transformed into a golden orb and vanished into the black mist.

Silence returned to the black mist.

The other Body Integration cultivators nearby, who had been stirred by the arrival of the Xuanwu Overlord, naturally realized there was nothing more to see and flew back to their residences one by one.

Han Li, sharing the same thought, cupped his fists toward Liu Qing, intending to bid farewell. However, the woman suddenly smiled enchantingly and said, “If Fellow Daoist Han doesn’t mind, would you care to visit my residence for a while? I have an old acquaintance of yours who wishes to see you.”

“An old acquaintance?” A flicker of surprise crossed Han Li’s face.

“Indeed. She is the child of an old friend of mine. I happened to meet her on the way and brought her into the Welcoming Immortal Palace. As for who it is, Fellow Daoist Han will know once you arrive,” the woman replied candidly.

“Since Fairy Liu has said so, I am indeed curious. Then I shall trouble you for a moment,” Han Li replied calmly, though his mind raced.

“Wonderful! Coincidentally, my residence is just one floor above yours. Since there’s nothing more to see here, let’s return together,” Liu Qing said with a smile, her demeanor so lifelike that one would never guess she was a puppet.

No wonder she was hailed as the second-greatest master of puppetry among humans. Her ability to craft such realistic puppets was extraordinary.

Now that the Tianmiao Spirit Emperor had fallen, the title of the greatest puppeteer naturally fell to this Fairy Liu.

“Good. You two, take this restriction token and return to your residence first,” Han Li nodded, tossing a silver token to Hai Dashao and the others before following the woman downward toward the Welcoming Immortal Palace.

A short while later, Han Li met a white-robed girl of about sixteen or seventeen in an emerald-green hall on the sixth floor of the palace.

The girl was beautiful, her eyes bright and lively.

“Fellow Daoist Ye!” Han Li exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her.

“Ye Ying pays her respects to Senior Han. I never imagined that since our parting in the Wood Tribe, Senior would already be a Body Integration cultivator,” the girl said with a complicated expression, performing a graceful bow.

“I also didn’t expect to meet Fairy Ye Ying here,” Han Li replied with a faint smile, flicking his sleeve to release an invisible force that stopped her from bowing.

At the same time, he scrutinized her carefully, sweeping his divine sense over her.

This Ye family girl truly lived up to her Phoenix bloodline—her cultivation speed far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators. She had already broken through the Void Refinement bottleneck and reached the early Void Refinement stage.

However, Han Li had obtained a drop of Phoenix True Blood from her in the past, so he naturally treated her with extra courtesy.

“My mother was good friends with Aunt Liu, which is why I was able to enter this place,” Ye Ying explained gently.

“Ying’er, no need for formalities. Your mother and I were like sisters. Meeting the child of an old friend brings me nothing but joy. This small favor is nothing,” Liu Qing chimed in with a light laugh.

Ye Ying thanked her again.

“However, Fairy Ye didn’t ask Fellow Daoist Liu to invite me here just to see me, did you?” Han Li suddenly asked, his smile fading.

“Since Senior has asked so directly, I suppose there’s no point in hiding it,” Ye Ying replied, slightly embarrassed.

“If Ying’er has matters to discuss with Fellow Daoist Han, I’ll leave you two to talk,” Liu Qing said tactfully, preparing to leave.

“Wait! Aunt Liu, this matter actually concerns you as well. There’s no need to leave,” the girl urgently called out.

“Oh? Then I suppose I’ll stay and listen,” Liu Qing said, surprised but stopping in her tracks.

Han Li stroked his chin, his expression growing intrigued.

“Actually, I came to see both Seniors for two matters. One may not concern Fellow Daoist Han much, but it is closely related to Aunt Liu,” Ye Ying said solemnly.

“Related to me?” Liu Qing frowned, her eyes gleaming.

“Yes. I heard that after the fall of the Spirit Emperor, Aunt Liu immediately went into seclusion and has yet to emerge. Does this mean you intend to compete for the vacant position of Spirit Emperor?” Ye Ying asked slowly.

Liu Qing’s expression shifted slightly before she nodded after a long pause.

“Indeed. I believe I have fully inherited the previous Spirit Emperor’s puppetry secrets and have crafted several formidable puppets. If this seclusion yields further gains, I may even stand a chance against late-Body Integration cultivators. Naturally, I hold a sliver of hope.”

Her voice was soft but brimming with confidence.

“Aunt Liu, my mother asked me to relay a message: do not compete for the Spirit Emperor position in a hundred years. If you were to obtain it, it would bring disaster rather than fortune,” Ye Ying said seriously.

“Such a thing? I know your mother excels in divination and possesses extraordinary wisdom, but how could she predict something that hasn’t happened yet? Or has she learned something?” Liu Qing quickly deduced.

“Aunt Liu is truly remarkable. You’ve guessed most of it before I could explain. Senior Han, I hope you can keep what I’m about to say confidential,” Ye Ying said, turning to Han Li.

Seeing her solemn demeanor, Han Li knew the matter was grave and nodded without hesitation. “I promise not to disclose what you say to a third party.”

Though he left some room in his words, Ye Ying seemed satisfied and began her explanation.

“The second matter is closely tied to the first. Senior Han may not know, but Aunt Liu must have heard rumors—within a thousand years, the Demon Calamity will descend upon our Spirit Realm.”

A trace of fear flickered across the girl’s face.

“Demon Calamity!”

Liu Qing’s expression darkened slightly, as if she already knew. Han Li, however, was visibly startled.

This was understandable. Most Body Integration cultivators had advanced centuries ago and had channels to hear such rumors. Han Li had only returned to the human race a few years prior and hadn’t yet formed connections with many peers, leaving him unaware.

After all, news of the Demon Calamity was only circulating among Body Integration cultivators, kept secret from lower-ranked cultivators to prevent panic before the ancient demons even arrived.

Han Li had read about the Demon Calamity in human records but never imagined it would strike within a thousand years.

Was his luck truly this bad? First, he encountered the once-in-tens-of-thousands-of-years siege in Tianyuan City, and now this calamity?

Yet now he understood why so many factions had extended invitations when he first advanced to Body Integration, offering increasingly tempting terms.

Had he not despised being bound, he might have been swayed by a few.

“Fairy Ye, since you mentioned the Demon Calamity, does the Spirit Emperor position have some connection to it?” Han Li took a deep breath and asked pointedly.