“The avatar of the Sacred Ancestor commanding the demon army outside the city has remained hidden within the troops without showing itself. We are not entirely clear about its exact divine abilities and cultivation level. However, based on some intelligence, we speculate that it should not be stronger than the avatar that once pursued you. Both avatars originate from the same Sacred Ancestor, Bloodlight. Even if there are differences in their divine abilities, they must share some connection in their techniques. Brother Han, dealing with this one should be somewhat easier for you than facing other Sacred Ancestor avatars,” the silver-haired elder said earnestly.
“Oh? From Elder Gu’s tone, it seems you intend for me to be the one to face this demon Sacred Ancestor avatar,” Han Li replied without surprise, speaking slowly.
“Brother Han is indeed perceptive! Under normal circumstances, I would never ask you to take such a great risk. We would have arranged a more secure method to eliminate this avatar. However, this demon army is exceptionally formidable. The number of demon Venerables alone is nearly double that of our Elder Council. After much deliberation with several other fellow Daoists, we concluded that even with the advantage of terrain, we can barely hold our ground. As for the Sacred Ancestor avatar, it is far stronger than an ordinary late-stage Body Integration cultivator. If it were to personally attack, the city truly has no reliable means to counter it. Should it exploit a weak point in our defenses and breach the city, allowing the demon army to flood in, the fate of Tianyuan City would be sealed,” the silver-haired elder explained without hesitation.
“What was the Elder Council’s original plan to deal with this Sacred Ancestor avatar? Don’t tell me you had no preparations at all,” Han Li asked after a moment of contemplation.
“What else could we do? We could only rely on numbers and the power of restrictions. Our initial plan was to lure it into a prearranged grand formation once the battle began, using the formation’s power and a specially assigned team to trap it. We didn’t expect to kill the avatar, but buying time by restraining it would have been beneficial. However, while this plan seems simple, executing it is extremely difficult, and the chances of success are slim,” the Golden Zen Master interjected.
“Hmm, that makes sense. These demon Sacred Ancestor avatars are all cunning and treacherous. Luring one out alone would indeed be fraught with challenges,” Han Li nodded gravely, as if recalling something.
“Indeed. Originally, Fellow Daoist Jin and I considered asking you to be the one to lure it out. But given your previous cultivation level, the risk was too great, so we refrained. Now that you’ve advanced to the late-stage Body Integration realm, such concerns are unnecessary. You wouldn’t need to engage the avatar directly—just keep it occupied once the battle begins, preventing it from assaulting the city’s defenses. As for the demon army and other Venerables, the Elder Council will handle them. This matter concerns the imminent decisive battle with the demons and the survival of our city. We sincerely hope you won’t refuse,” the silver-haired elder pleaded earnestly.
“Since I previously promised to assist your city in resisting the demons during this calamity, I won’t go back on my word. Moreover, if it’s merely about restraining the opponent, I have some confidence in that. I’ll take on this Bloodlight Sacred Ancestor avatar,” Han Li agreed after a brief consideration, smiling faintly.
“Thank you, Brother Han, for your noble sacrifice! If our city survives this ordeal, we will surely repay you handsomely,” the silver-haired elder replied with immense relief.
“It’s nothing. I’m merely doing my part. This battle concerns the fate of the entire human race, and I will exert my utmost effort. That said, I’ve only recently advanced and need time to consolidate my realm. I won’t linger here any longer,” Han Li said with a faint smile, rising to take his leave.
The silver-haired elder and the Golden Zen Master were slightly surprised but, respecting Han Li’s words, did not press him to stay. They thanked him profusely and escorted him to the hall’s entrance before returning to their seats.
“Elder Gu, why didn’t you take the opportunity to invite Fellow Daoist Han to join our city?” the Golden Zen Master asked abruptly, his smile fading.
“Do you think it would have worked? I once held a sliver of hope, but after seeing Fellow Daoist Han today, I realized he would never agree to join any faction. How do you assess his current strength compared to other late-stage cultivators of our two races?” the silver-haired elder countered after a moment of contemplation.
“Hmm, I’ve met most of the other late-stage Body Integration cultivators of our two races. None give me the same unfathomable feeling as Fellow Daoist Han. Given his track record of slaying several peers even at the mid-stage and his encounters with demon Sacred Ancestor avatars, I’d say he’s likely among the top figures of our two races, second only to Senior Mo and Senior Ao,” the Golden Zen Master mused after a long pause.
“Precisely. With such strength, why would Fellow Daoist Han bind himself to any faction? And what could our Tianyuan City possibly offer to make him stay willingly? Given that, there’s no need for me to risk displeasing him,” the silver-haired elder said with a wry smile.
“True. But considering his origins, who could have imagined that an ordinary guard from our city over a thousand years ago would achieve such astonishing heights, surpassing even us on the path of the Great Dao?” the Golden Zen Master remarked slowly after a moment of silence.
“Heh, as the saying goes, the world is full of unpredictability. But now is not the time for lamentation. Let’s return to our earlier discussion. I still believe we should deploy those heavy treasures atop the city walls to suppress the initial frenzied assault of the low-level demon beasts,” the silver-haired elder said, shifting the topic back to business.
“No, those treasures are among our trump cards, painstakingly crafted at great cost. We cannot waste them on low-level demon beasts. Once revealed, they’ll lose their element of surprise in the later stages of the battle,” the Golden Zen Master objected firmly.
“But the sheer number of low-level demon beasts is overwhelming. Without using them—”
The two resumed their debate within the hall.
Unaware of this discussion, Han Li had already left the hall and was flying back to his residence.
As he had mentioned to the Golden Zen Master and the others, stabilizing his late-stage realm would require considerable time. Every additional day of cultivation before the battle would further solidify his mana. Moreover, after advancing to the late-stage Body Integration realm, his True Devilish Sage Art was nearing completion, and several of its recorded grand divine abilities could finally be unleashed.
However, to wield these abilities effectively in combat, he needed time to familiarize himself with them.
Thus, after concluding his conversation with the silver-haired elder, Han Li wasted no time in returning.
Back at his residence, he summoned Qilingzi and Ice Phoenix, gave them brief instructions, and retreated into his secluded chamber.
Sitting cross-legged on a cushion in the center of the chamber, Han Li did not immediately begin meditating. Instead, he pondered silently for a long while before flipping his hand to reveal two milky-white jade tokens.
Each was no larger than a thumb, their surfaces shimmering with silver light and densely inscribed with intricate silver runes.
These were the two outer pages of the Golden Jade Tome he had acquired years ago.
One page recorded the methods for crafting several profound talismans, while the other bore the esoteric technique known as the Hundred Meridians Treasure Refinement Art.
Though the first jade page was incomplete, through extensive research and borrowing from other sources, Han Li had already mastered most of the talismans described, leaving only one—the “Heavenly Halberd Talisman”—yet to be crafted.
This talisman, the last recorded on the jade page and the sole offensive one, was said to possess nearly unimaginable power.
Unfortunately, comprehending it was several times more difficult than the previous talismans. Had it not been for certain fortuitous encounters and exchanges with talisman masters of other races, crafting it would have been nearly impossible.
Han Li had long grasped the method to create this talisman but had been frustrated to discover that it required not only rare materials but also an astonishing amount of mana. Even at the mid-stage Body Integration realm, his mana had been insufficient to sustain its creation.
This had vexed him for quite some time.
Upon reflection, this was hardly surprising. Given the talisman’s described might, it was likely no ordinary artifact even in the Immortal Realm. For denizens of the lower realm to craft it was naturally an immense challenge.
Fortunately, Han Li had delegated the material gathering to his disciples, who, through the expenditure of vast amounts of spirit stones, had gradually collected everything over the centuries.
Now, having advanced to the late-stage Body Integration realm, his mana was finally sufficient to craft the Heavenly Halberd Talisman, which he planned to do during this seclusion.
As for the Hundred Meridians Treasure Refinement Art recorded on the other jade token, it appeared to be an arcane body-refinement technique from the Immortal Realm, treating the physical body as a treasure to be forged.
Regrettably, this technique demanded an exceptionally robust physique. When Han Li first obtained it, he could barely practice it in a rudimentary fashion, using shortcuts to merge treasures like the Magnetic Yin Mountain with parts of his body, temporarily enhancing his abilities.
However, shortcuts were no substitute for proper cultivation. At his current level, the marginal gains from such methods were negligible, prompting him to revisit the Hundred Meridians Treasure Refinement Art for genuine cultivation.
With his current physical strength, practicing this technique would now face no obstacles.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage