Chapter 1980: Unexpected Trouble

At this moment, Han Li had already stepped off the teleportation array and swaggered straight toward the main gate.

Meanwhile, another flash of white light erupted from the teleportation array, revealing two more figures—none other than the white-bearded elder and the grotesquely ugly old woman.

Several guards, led by a golden-armored captain, immediately approached them.

Han Li paid no further attention to any of this. Once outside the hall, he soared into the sky and flew straight toward his residence.

As he sped through the air, he extended his spiritual sense outward, sweeping it continuously across his surroundings.

Compared to when he had left, Tianyuan City was noticeably quieter now. Apart from patrols of guards marching through the streets, few ordinary rogue cultivators could be seen wandering about.

The number of patrolling guards had also increased severalfold compared to before, and most passing cultivators were subjected to questioning before being allowed to proceed.

A heavy, oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire city.

However, given the overwhelming spiritual pressure Han Li exuded, none of the patrols dared to be so tactless as to stop him. Thus, he smoothly reached the towering stone tower where he resided, his light converging as he entered the highest floor and appeared in a modestly sized hall.

With a quick glance around, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Han Li’s lips.

Everything remained exactly as it had been when he left, though the hall was spotless—clearly, someone had been diligently cleaning it.

It seemed his two disciples had been quite attentive.

With this thought in mind, Han Li unceremoniously took a seat in the center of the hall and flicked his sleeves outward.

Two talismans shot out in a flash, circling once before transforming into two balls of flame and vanishing into the void.

Han Li then closed his eyes and sat motionless, waiting silently.

A short while later, flashes of light appeared outside the main gate, and two figures emerged in the hall.

One wore a blue robe and had a face as fair as jade, while the other was clad in Daoist robes but wore a mischievous grin.

These were none other than Han Li’s two disciples—Hai Dayue and Qi Lingzi.

The moment they saw Han Li, their faces lit up with joy, and they hurried forward to bow deeply.

“Master, it’s truly wonderful that you’ve returned!”

“Congratulations on your safe return, Master!”

“Hmm? From the sound of it, did you think something had happened to me?” Han Li waved his hand, signaling them to rise, and spoke with a faintly amused expression.

“Master, you were gone from Tianyuan City for so long that some rather unpleasant rumors began circulating. Some even claimed you might have fallen at the hands of a Sacred Ancestor of the demon race. But now that we see you unharmed, those were clearly nothing but baseless rumors,” Hai Dayue said excitedly.

Qi Lingzi nodded repeatedly beside him, looking equally relieved.

“Not entirely baseless. I did encounter some trouble during this trip and even clashed with an incarnation of a Sacred Ancestor. It was indeed extremely perilous,” Han Li replied, his brow furrowing slightly.

At these words, the smiles on Qi Lingzi and Hai Dayue’s faces faded.

“But that’s all in the past now. I’ve returned safely, and this journey even turned misfortune into fortune—I gained an unexpected opportunity. Soon, I’ll begin preparing to break through to the late-Body Integration stage,” Han Li added with a light chuckle.

“Master is advancing to late-Body Integration?! That’s truly cause for celebration! With this, it won’t be long before you become Tianyuan City’s foremost cultivator!”

“Disciple congratulates Master on this great achievement! With your divine abilities, once you reach late-Body Integration, even Sacred Ancestor incarnations will be nothing before you!”

Qi Lingzi and Hai Dayue were overjoyed, showering Han Li with flattery.

Han Li chuckled wryly and shook his head at them before suddenly asking about someone else: “How is your Aunt Feng doing? I scanned with my spiritual sense earlier and didn’t detect her in the tower.”

“Master, Aunt Feng was invited to a gathering,” Hai Dayue replied, exchanging a glance with Qi Lingzi, their expressions turning slightly uneasy.

“What are you two hiding from me?” Han Li’s eyes flashed, his voice suddenly turning cold.

“Disciple wouldn’t dare deceive you! It’s just… we weren’t sure how to tell you. Aunt Feng didn’t attend this gathering of her own volition,” Qi Lingzi quickly explained, his heart pounding.

“Not of her own volition? Was she forced by someone?” Han Li’s expression shifted slightly in surprise.

“It seems someone discovered Aunt Feng’s true form. During your absence, this person has been relentlessly harassing her. Without you here, Aunt Feng had no choice but to play along,” Hai Dayue said bitterly.

“Bing Feng is a Void Refinement cultivator. Ordinary people wouldn’t dare harass her, especially now when humans and demons are allied against the demon calamity. Her demon race identity shouldn’t be a major issue. This person must be someone of considerable status. I know all the elders in the city—even if I was temporarily absent, none should have dared to act so brazenly. Is this someone who recently joined Tianyuan City?” Han Li narrowed his eyes, his voice icy.

“Master is wise! According to Aunt Feng, this person is indeed a newly arrived former elder from Yitian City. After you risked your life to aid their city, they’ve turned around and targeted Aunt Feng—utterly ungrateful!” Qi Lingzi said angrily.

“Yitian City? Interesting. After my battle with the Sacred Ancestor, they fled here with their elite disciples. But I’ve met both of Yitian City’s Body Integration elders. Which one is responsible for this?” Han Li stroked his chin, intrigued.

“It’s that Venerable Azure Dragon from the Nine Stars Sect!” Hai Dayue blurted out without hesitation.

“Venerable Azure Dragon… I should have guessed. What reason does he have for harassing your Aunt Feng? Knowing her connection to me, he wouldn’t dare act so boldly unless there were immense benefits involved,” Han Li said coldly, his expression darkening.

“Aunt Feng hasn’t spoken of it, but I’ve heard from others that Venerable Azure Dragon wants her to become his cultivation partner, even offering her status in return,” Hai Dayue replied after some thought.

“Cultivation partners? Hmph, the old fool has quite the scheme,” Han Li sneered, his mind quickly piecing together most of the truth.

Though he didn’t know how Bing Feng’s true form had been exposed to Venerable Azure Dragon, it seemed this elder of the Nine Stars Sect was aware of the unique benefits of her primordial yin energy—hence his relentless pursuit.

As for why he hadn’t succeeded yet, it was partly due to Bing Feng’s resistance and partly because Han Li’s absence hadn’t been long enough for the elder to disregard the opinions of Tianyuan City’s other Body Integration cultivators. Most importantly, Venerable Azure Dragon likely assumed Han Li had perished, emboldening him to act so brazenly.

“What is your Aunt Feng’s stance on this? Is she truly willing to agree?” Han Li’s expression flickered before he asked another question.

“Aunt Feng has refused outright. At first, she hid in the tower to avoid Venerable Azure Dragon, but later, he somehow forced her to meet him a few times. Still, Aunt Feng was careful—she only met him in crowded places to avoid trouble. But I’ve heard Venerable Azure Dragon is growing impatient. He’s threatened more than once to use force if she doesn’t comply. We’ve been worried—if he acts, we don’t know if the other elders will intervene. I suspect he’s hesitated this long precisely because he’s unsure of their stance,” Qi Lingzi explained, his analysis far more astute than Hai Dayue’s.

“Perhaps. But do you know where this gathering is being held?” Han Li nodded noncommittally before asking with a trace of killing intent in his voice.

“I heard it’s at the Douyuan Pavilion—a rather secretive small-scale trade fair. Only Void Refinement cultivators and above can attend, otherwise we would have accompanied Aunt Feng,” Hai Dayue said helplessly.

“With your current cultivation, what could you have done even if you went? I’ll go myself and bring your Aunt Feng back,” Han Li said flatly, rising to his feet.

With that, his light flared, transforming into a long azure streak as he shot out of the hall.

Qi Lingzi and Hai Dayue, caught off guard by Han Li’s abrupt departure, hastily bowed in farewell.

But by the time they straightened, the space beyond the gate was empty—Han Li’s light had long vanished. The two exchanged bewildered glances.

“Master and Aunt Feng never seemed particularly close before, but who knew he’d be so concerned about her? Do you think… Master might have taken a liking to Aunt Feng? Could she become our mistress soon?” Hai Dayue blinked, grinning mischievously at Qi Lingzi.

“Whether or not that’s the case, we shouldn’t gossip about our elders. But… it’s not impossible,” Qi Lingzi said solemnly, though his expression betrayed his curiosity.

Hai Dayue rolled his eyes at him.

Meanwhile, Han Li was already dozens of miles away, flying swiftly toward his destination.

Having spent considerable time in Tianyuan City, he was quite familiar with the famed “Douyuan Pavilion,” having visited it two or three times before.

The location was quite far from his residence, and since he couldn’t fly at full speed within the city, it would take some time to reach it.

As he flew, his eyes flickered with thought, as if pondering something deeply.