Chapter 1801: Worries

“Ying’er, if Fellow Daoist Han agrees to join the Ye Family, you would be the one assisting him in cultivating the Nirvana Grand Technique, wouldn’t you? Indeed, given Fellow Daoist Han’s status as a Body Integration cultivator, the Heavenly Phoenix True Blood of ordinary Ye Family disciples might not be pure enough to achieve the desired effect. I’ve long heard that although this generation of the Ye Family has many disciples, few seem to truly inherit the Heavenly Phoenix True Blood. And Fellow Daoist Han has remained unattached all this time—how fitting!” The young woman momentarily cast aside her earlier worries and spoke in a teasing tone.

“This… How would Ying’er know? It would be up to my mother to decide, and only if Senior Han truly joins the Ye Family.” The young girl’s face flushed crimson as she stammered in response.

Liu Qing, meanwhile, stood by with a smile but remained silent.

Han Li was no fool and immediately understood that the so-called Nirvana Sacred Spirit Technique was, in fact, a dual cultivation method.

Judging by the young woman’s bashful demeanor, if he were to join the Ye Family, the one assisting him in cultivation would likely be this very Ye Ying.

A strange feeling flickered in Han Li’s heart, but outwardly, he remained composed. After swiftly turning the matter over in his mind, he shook his head and said, “I appreciate the Ye Family’s kind offer, but my mind is already made up—I do not wish to be bound by any constraints. I can only thank your esteemed family for their generosity.”

Upon hearing Han Li’s outright refusal, Ye Ying seemed to exhale in relief, though a trace of disappointment flashed deep in her eyes before she quickly composed herself and replied, “Since Senior truly remains unmoved by external temptations, I naturally won’t press the matter of joining the Ye Family. But if we were to propose another condition, would Senior be willing to assist the Ye Family once, ten years from now?”

“Ten years from now… Are you referring to the True Spirit Ceremony?” Han Li couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.

“Oh? Senior Han is already aware of this matter? Could it be that you’ve already…” Ye Ying reacted swiftly, immediately guessing the truth.

“Indeed. You’ve arrived a step too late, Fairy. I’ve already promised Fairy Xiaofeng of the Gu Family to assist during the True Spirit Ceremony,” Han Li said with a regretful expression.

“The Gu Family? That’s no issue. The Gu Family has always maintained excellent relations with our Ye Family. Senior Han won’t be opposing us during the ceremony,” Ye Ying said, visibly relaxing.

“I see. That does put my mind at ease.” Han Li nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The young woman had said all she needed to say.

Naturally, Han Li couldn’t linger in their residence for too long. After exchanging a few more polite words, he courteously took his leave.

Liu Qing escorted the young woman to the teleportation formation.

As they watched Han Li’s figure vanish in a flash of spiritual light, Liu Qing sighed faintly and murmured, “What a pity.”

“Aunt Liu, what do you mean by that? What’s a pity?” Ye Ying asked, puzzled.

“Naturally, it’s a pity that your mother failed to recruit him into the Ye Family. For someone so young to already have reached the Body Integration stage—if he can survive the upcoming demonic tribulation, his future prospects would be limitless,” Liu Qing said with a light chuckle.

“Though Body Integration cultivators are considered top-tier among humans, my grandmother has already reached mid-Body Integration. With the activation of her Heavenly Phoenix Blood, she could even contend with late-Body Integration cultivators. And now that Aunt Liu has also joined the Ye Family, even if Senior Han were to join, it would merely be icing on the cake. Whether it’s the upcoming True Spirit Ceremony or the impending demonic tribulation, our clan should have more than enough strength to protect itself. Besides, given the conditions the Ye Family can offer, there’s still ample opportunity to recruit other Body Integration rogue cultivators,” Ye Ying said with a light hum, her tone seemingly indifferent, though a hint of unwillingness lingered beneath her words.

“Perhaps. Your mother likely values him for his potential. But this Fellow Daoist Han strikes me as rather peculiar—it truly seems as though he didn’t even consider the Ye Family’s offer. It’s a shame this is only a puppet avatar of mine. If my true body were here, I might have invited him for a spar to gauge his true capabilities,” Liu Qing said slowly, a strange glint in her eyes.

“Why bother probing? No matter what tricks he has up his sleeve, he’s only just advanced to Body Integration. He wouldn’t last long against Aunt Liu. Besides, my mother mentioned that before the Heavenly Wonder Spirit Sovereign perished during his tribulation, he apparently passed several meticulously crafted puppets to you. With your current abilities, Aunt Liu, you likely rival the Three Sovereigns and the Seven Demon Kings,” Ye Ying said playfully, her eyes twinkling.

“Your Ye Family is truly well-informed. Very few should know of this matter, yet word still reached your mother’s ears. For that, I truly can’t help but admire you,” Liu Qing said, her expression shifting momentarily before she shook her head with a bitter smile.

The young girl pressed her lips together and chuckled softly…

Meanwhile, upon returning to his residence, Han Li gave a few instructions to Hai Da Shao and the other disciple who had been waiting in the hall before immediately retreating into a secluded chamber to sit cross-legged in meditation.

Originally, having just advanced to Body Integration, Han Li had considered taking a brief respite from cultivation. But upon learning of the impending demonic tribulation, that notion vanished entirely.

Now, he needed to carefully reconsider and reorganize his plans for the next few centuries to swiftly enhance his strength and avoid perishing in the demonic tribulation.

After all, even among the Three Sovereigns and Seven Demon Kings, some had fallen during the last demonic tribulation. And this upcoming one was said to far surpass the previous!

What unsettled Han Li even more was that back in the human realm, he had once offended the Sacred Ancestor Yuan Sha of the demon realm. One of her divine avatars, which had descended into the human realm, had been devoured by Silvermoon due to his involvement.

And the Sacred Ancestors of the demon realm were beings equivalent to human Mahayana cultivators.

With her power, if she truly took advantage of the demonic tribulation to descend upon the spirit realm, there was a high chance she would either send subordinates or come personally to seek him out.

Thus, for this reason alone, he needed to elevate his cultivation to late-Body Integration before the tribulation arrived.

Only then could he rely on his myriad abilities and treasures to ensure his survival—even if he were to face a demonic Sacred Ancestor, he wouldn’t be entirely powerless.

That said, although he had only recently advanced to Body Integration, his interactions with other cultivators of the same rank had already made it clear that progressing further in this stage was far more difficult than he had initially imagined.

Ordinary early-Body Integration cultivators often spent thousands or even tens of thousands of years—some until the day they perished in a heavenly tribulation—without ever breaking through to mid-Body Integration.

As for those who reached late-Body Integration, they were even rarer.

Even among the successive generations of the Three Sovereigns and Seven Demon Kings, not all had attained late-Body Integration.

Moreover, time was not on his side. Fortunately, he had obtained some immortal realm spirit medicines from the Broad Cold Realm, which could be refined into potent pills to aid Body Integration cultivators.

At the very least, this would allow him to save several times more time in cultivation compared to ordinary cultivators. If he devoted the next few centuries to relentless cultivation, accumulating spiritual power shouldn’t be an issue.

The real challenge lay in overcoming the bottlenecks.

Even after consuming numerous spirit medicines to refine his physique and spiritual roots, his innate aptitude wasn’t significantly superior to that of ordinary cultivators. The only solution was to make ample preparations and rely on external stimuli to forcibly break through these bottlenecks.

At the very least, the Void Spirit Pill in his possession and the Netherworld Divine Milk from Qing Yuanzi held great promise.

With these thoughts in mind, Han Li felt slightly reassured. His gaze then flickered as he recalled something, and with a flip of his hand, a spirit beast ring appeared in his palm.

Han Li probed the ring with his spiritual sense and frowned.

Inside, a faint black mist swirled, within which a small black monkey lay motionless in deep slumber.

It was the Soul Devouring Beast.

Ever since its transformation to annihilate the extraterrestrial demon, it had remained unconscious within the spirit beast ring.

Had it been awake, the unfathomable power it had displayed would have been a formidable trump card against powerful foes.

Fortunately, the demonic tribulation was still far off. He refused to believe the beast would sleep for a full millennium.

With this thought, Han Li flicked his wrist, and the spirit beast ring vanished.

In its place, a golden scroll of the Myriad Swords Diagram appeared in his hand. He tossed it lightly into the air before him, where it unfurled and hovered motionlessly.

The Sword Thought Art concealed within this diagram was an extraordinary divine ability. Previously, he had only grasped a fraction of it and integrated it into the Emerald Swarm Sword Formation, significantly enhancing its power.

If he could fully comprehend it, it would undoubtedly become a major means of boosting his strength in the near future.

After all, by now, he had already encountered quite a few Body Integration cultivators—though most were rogue cultivators or members of sects and clans, it was sufficient.

Interacting with figures like the Three Sovereigns and Seven Demon Kings would require further opportunity.

Particularly the Heavenly Wolf Sovereign—though Han Li had yet to meet him in person, the mere thought of Silvermoon’s situation filled him with a vague sense of frustration and displeasure.

He wondered how Silvermoon, now restored as the Enchanting Imperial Consort and having returned to the spirit realm for so many years, had changed.

As the consort of the Heavenly Wolf Sovereign, she had likely long since returned to his side. Perhaps she might even appear at the upcoming Myriad Treasures Grand Auction.

But when Han Li recalled the peculiar look she had given him before parting all those years ago, a deep melancholy welled up in his heart.

He was no greenhorn—he knew exactly what that gaze had conveyed.

Having spent so many years by his side, sharing life-and-death struggles, it was impossible for him to claim he felt nothing for her.

But back then, he had been nothing more than a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, powerless to change anything. Now, even though he had advanced to Body Integration and reached the spirit realm, so many years had passed. Was the current Enchanting Imperial Consort still the same Silvermoon from back then?

Han Li didn’t know, and he subconsciously avoided dwelling on the matter, lest it create a fatal flaw in his mental state.

His emotions churned for a long while before he finally regained his usual composure. His eyes then flashed with blue light as he focused on the Myriad Swords Diagram before him.

Within moments, his expression turned impassive, and his mind became wholly absorbed in the intricate patterns of golden swords.