“Of course, this junior understands your meaning, Senior. Please convey my farewells to the two ladies, Yuanyao and Yanli, on my behalf. I shall not return to your cave abode and will depart this realm directly.” Upon hearing these words, Han Li’s expression shifted slightly. After a long silence, he sighed lightly and bowed respectfully to Qing Yuanzi.
“Heh, young friend Han, do not blame this old man for being unfeeling. It is simply that at this critical juncture, it would do Yao’er no good to interact with you further. If she spends too much time with you, the inner demons during her advancement might become insurmountable. I must take precautions.” Seeing Han Li agree so readily, Qing Yuanzi’s expression softened slightly, offering a brief explanation.
“Senior misunderstands. This junior harbors no other thoughts toward Lady Yuanyao; I merely regard her as a close confidante.” Han Li gave a bitter smile, unsure how to clarify the matter further.
“Young friend, you may see Yao’er as a confidante, but my adopted daughter may not share the same sentiment.” Qing Yuanzi narrowed his eyes, speaking with a faint, enigmatic smile.
“This junior does not know how to explain further, and I suspect Senior has no interest in hearing my justifications. Regardless, Han Li owes the successful acquisition of the Netherworld Spirit Milk to your generous support. This kindness shall be etched in my memory. I shall not linger here any longer. I hope that by our next meeting, Senior will have successfully transcended the tribulation.” Clearly unwilling to dwell on the matter, Han Li bowed once more and made his farewells.
“Mm, then this old man also wishes young friend the opportunity to advance to the Mahayana stage!” Qing Yuanzi likewise clasped his hands solemnly toward Han Li.
Seeing this, Han Li nodded. A shimmer of spiritual light enveloped him as he transformed into a green streak, soaring toward the spatial rift he had previously departed from.
In the past, his cultivation had been insufficient, requiring Qing Yuanzi’s assistance to traverse the rift. But now, having reached the mid-stage of the Body Integration realm, he could easily tear through the rift alone.
Qing Yuanzi stood motionless in the sky, his robes fluttering, until the green streak vanished beyond the horizon. Only then did he release a nearly inaudible sigh: “This boy advances at such an astonishing pace. With the Netherworld Spirit Milk he obtained this time, reaching the late-stage of Body Integration should pose no issue. But ascending to Mahayana? Without some extraordinary opportunity, it seems unlikely. Yet he is an anomaly, laden with treasures and secrets. Perhaps the impossible is possible for him. This time, I have done my utmost to aid him. Should he one day become a Mahayana cultivator, I may yet have need of him again.”
After murmuring these words, Qing Yuanzi retracted his gaze and soared back toward his cave abode in a streak of light.
Half a day later, above an unnamed peak in the Netherworld Realm, violent spatial fluctuations erupted. The gray mist parted, revealing a massive black rift. With a thunderous roar, a five-colored beam shot from the mountaintop, vanishing into the rift in a flash. The spatial disturbances gradually subsided, and the rift slowly sealed itself, as if nothing had ever occurred.
Time flew by—three hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. For the vast Spirit Realm, this span was but a fleeting moment in its endless epochs. Yet for ordinary mortals, it was a lifespan beyond their wildest dreams. Even for those with the power to soar through the skies and traverse the earth, such a duration was not to be overlooked. Clans and sects could cultivate several generations of disciples and kin within this timeframe.
But for the entire human race, these three centuries brought earth-shattering changes.
Today, the three territories of the human realm were teeming with armored warriors and fortress-like cities. Centered around these colossal cities, intricate arrays and restrictions sprawled like spiderwebs, layering defenses that would crush the hopes of any would-be invaders.
Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators, once rare sights in ordinary cities centuries ago, now frequently appeared before mortals. Some fortunate souls even caught glimpses of Deity Transformation-stage experts.
The number of mortal body refiners had skyrocketed under the frenzied expansions of major factions, increasing more than tenfold. They were now equipped with weaponry far superior to the past. Even ordinary mortals incapable of body refinement were organized into groups to train in martial arts, bolstering their health and self-defense capabilities.
All of this was undertaken voluntarily by the mortal populace. By now, even three-year-old children knew of the impending demonic tribulation.
A century ago, envoys from the Sacred Island appeared in every major city, announcing that the demonic tribulation would arrive within two hundred years. They solemnly warned that this calamity would be fiercer and more devastating than any before, capable of annihilating the entire human race if mishandled. Panicked, the factions redoubled their preparations, sweeping clean the markets of materials and spiritual herbs. Only the private gardens of major sects and clans retained any growing herbs, now predominantly fast-maturing common varieties instead of rare, long-cultivated ones.
Secrets once jealously guarded by major factions now flooded into the open. Some groups even began exchanging coveted techniques and arts, desperate to elevate their strength before the tribulation struck.
Naturally, the most formidable forces among the humans remained Sky Origin City and the three imperial capitals. The former housed the elites of both human and demon races, guarded by ten Body Integration cultivators, rendering it virtually unshakable. The latter gathered high-ranking cultivators from the three territories, personally overseen by the three emperors, and were similarly deemed impregnable in the public eye.
Next in prominence were the ten great sects and the three true spirit families of the human race. These factions attracted swarms of mortals and rogue cultivators, their populations swelling tenfold in mere centuries, nearing their limits of accommodation.
Not only the humans but also the demon race and neighboring foreign tribes mobilized en masse. Over these three centuries, envoys frequently exchanged critical intelligence about the demonic tribulation, each faction bracing itself with utmost vigilance.
Amid this militarized atmosphere, atop a mountain not far from Sky Origin City, three to four hundred cultivators gathered, listening intently to a white-robed woman seated on a boulder as she expounded an exceptionally profound cultivation method.
The woman appeared young, no more than seventeen or eighteen, yet her body was enveloped in layers of milky-white lotus shadows. A deep blue lotus mark adorned her forehead, enhancing her ethereal, otherworldly beauty, as if she were an immortal untouched by mortal concerns.
Her audience, though diverse in age and gender, mostly wore Daoist robes, while a smaller faction donned blue robes and carried swords, suggesting affiliation with a particular sect.
Their cultivation levels were modest, with only a handful at the Core Formation stage and the majority at Foundation Establishment.
“Today’s lecture ends here. In three months, your martial uncle will expound on the Dao of the Five Elements. You may depart now.” After a full hour, the beautiful woman concluded her teachings and dismissed the assembly with calm authority.
“As you command, Master Aunt!” The hundreds of cultivators bowed solemnly before dispersing, some on magical tools, others on treasures.
The white-robed woman watched their retreating figures, then frowned slightly and addressed a figure beneath a nearby tree: “Senior Brother Hai, these disciples are yours and Senior Brother Qi Lingzi’s. Yet you foist the responsibility of lecturing onto me. Don’t you find that excessive?”
“This young master never intended to take disciples in the first place! I was tricked by our elder brother into accepting this horde of nuisances. Besides, your Divine Guidance technique far surpasses mine and Elder Brother’s. Without it, these disciples wouldn’t have progressed so remarkably in mere centuries, with several even reaching Core Formation.” From beneath the tree, a handsome man in blue robes materialized, grinning mischievously.
“Their progress is hardly my doing. Most credit goes to the remnants of Master’s elixirs, which we no longer needed but proved invaluable to your disciples. While Senior Brother Qi Lingzi took disciples to uphold the legacy of Mist Sea Temple, why did you follow suit?” The woman retorted, clearly exasperated.
“Blame Qi Lingzi for provoking me into this mess!” The blue-robed man groaned, feigning grievance.
“Heh, Second Junior Brother, such words are disingenuous. Who was it that couldn’t stop grinning when addressed as ‘Master’ by so many disciples?” A light chuckle sounded from behind another tree as a yellow-robed Daoist materialized—none other than Qi Lingzi.
The trio—Bai Guo’er, Qi Lingzi, and Hai Da Shao—were Han Li’s three nominal disciples. Though three centuries had passed, their appearances remained unchanged, yet their demeanors and auras were wholly transformed.
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