“Brother Han, I heard from my grandfather that you have a way to mitigate the effects of the Heartless Mantra, but for a period of time, I must stay by your side. Is this true?” Silvermoon’s smile faded as she suddenly asked with a serious expression.
“Venerable Ao Xiao has already told you about this? Indeed, there is such a thing. He possesses a divine sense secret technique that can somewhat suppress the Heartless Mantra, allowing you, Silvermoon, to continue your cultivation. However, this technique is only effective if I practice it. Therefore, for the next period of time, you will need to stay by my side.” Han Li was not surprised and instead explained with a smile.
“My grandfather truly has such a secret technique? I’ve never heard him mention it before! And why is it only effective if you practice it?” Silvermoon frowned slightly as she asked.
“You should actually be able to guess this. As your grandfather said, ‘It takes the one who tied the bell to untie it.’ Since your inner demon arose because of me, my cultivation of this technique will be more beneficial to you. This divine sense technique was created by your grandfather over a hundred years, specifically before he handed you the Heartless Mantra, as a precautionary measure. After I practice it, as long as you stay by my side, the technique will subtly and imperceptibly influence your mind.” Han Li sighed after a moment of contemplation.
“Is it really that simple? Once the Heartless Mantra continues to be cultivated, its effects on me will grow stronger. Can a hastily created divine sense technique truly suppress it?” Silvermoon seemed somewhat skeptical.
“Regarding this point, I haven’t started practicing it yet, so I can’t be entirely certain. But since it was painstakingly created by Venerable Ao Xiao, it should be genuine. Moreover, like the Heartless Mantra, the restraining effect of this divine sense technique should grow stronger as cultivation deepens.” Han Li replied after a moment of thought.
“Alright, even if the divine sense technique is truly effective, how long must I stay by your side? Does it mean that as long as I cannot free myself from the Heartless Mantra, Brother Han will have to keep me by his side?” A strange glint flashed in Silvermoon’s eyes as she asked leisurely.
“That’s not necessarily the case. According to Venerable Ao Xiao, as long as you can advance to the Great Ascension stage, you can break free from the constraints of the Heartless Mantra.” Han Li answered without hesitation.
“Advancing to the Great Ascension stage—that’s far too remote! It seems I’ll truly have to stay by Brother Han’s side for a very long time.” A peculiar light flickered in Silvermoon’s eyes as she smiled faintly.
“You possess the Seven-Star Moon Body, which gives you a much greater chance of advancing to the Great Ascension stage compared to ordinary cultivators. There’s no need to be disheartened. Moreover, during this process, Venerable Ao Xiao and I might very well find another solution to the Heartless Mantra, so you won’t necessarily have to reach the Great Ascension stage to resolve it.” Han Li said with a smile.
“That’s true. But at the very least, for the next few hundred years, I’ll be sticking with Brother Han!” Silvermoon smiled sweetly.
In the following time, the two chatted about other matters and even exchanged some insights on cultivation.
Time passed unnoticed.
“Alright, it’s getting late. The Heartless Mantra is about to act up again, so I’ll return to meditate and rest. If I behave impolitely toward Brother Han under the influence of the Heartless Mantra, I hope you’ll forgive me.” Silvermoon glanced at the sky outside the window, stood up, and bid her farewell.
“Of course, I wouldn’t take it to heart.” Han Li smiled slightly and also stood up.
With that, Silvermoon gave a slight bow and left the room without another word.
The door flashed with white light and silently closed on its own.
Han Li sat back down cross-legged, his smile fading as a contemplative expression appeared on his face.
At the same time, Silvermoon, who had already left the room, turned a few corners in the hallway and arrived at a secluded spot. Suddenly, she stopped and said calmly, “Shadow Fang, come out. I have something to ask you.”
Before her voice faded, the nearby space rippled, and a nearly transparent shadow flickered into existence, gradually solidifying into a slender woman clad in tight black robes.
The woman wore a bronze wolf-head mask, her hands covered by black gloves, with not an inch of skin exposed. Her feet hovered a foot above the ground, floating lightly in the air.
“What are your orders, my lady?” the masked woman asked in a cool voice.
“Shadow Fang, I know you were in the hall when Brother Han and my grandfather had their private discussion. Aside from the divine sense technique, did my grandfather make any other requests of Brother Han? Don’t hide anything from me.” Silvermoon turned to stare at the masked woman, her voice firm.
The masked woman’s eyes flickered slightly, as if she smiled, before replying, “Since Venerable Ao Xiao transferred the contract to you, I am now solely your shadow guard. Naturally, I won’t conceal anything. That day, Venerable Ao Xiao didn’t start with the divine sense technique. Instead, he proposed marrying you to Fellow Daoist Han. He promised that if Fellow Daoist Han agreed to the marriage, he would not only impart his experiences and insights on advancing to the Great Ascension stage but also offer the majority of his lifetime treasures as dowry. However, Fellow Daoist Han declined, only agreeing to assist you with the divine sense technique later.”
“So Grandfather really did that. He likely thought that by arranging my marriage to Brother Han, the flaw in my heart would naturally mend once my wish was fulfilled. But this time, he was mistaken. With Brother Han’s temperament, it was impossible for him to agree. Had he actually accepted the proposal, I might have been somewhat disappointed. But Grandfather must have been displeased after being rejected.” Silvermoon murmured softly.
“Fellow Daoist Han is no ordinary late-Body Integration cultivator. Though Venerable Ao Xiao was unhappy after being refused, he didn’t say much.” the masked woman replied indifferently.
“Of course. Brother Han is now the most likely candidate to advance to the Great Ascension stage after Grandfather and Venerable Mo Jianli. He is the greatest hope for the human and demon races to establish themselves in the Spirit Realm. No matter how displeased Grandfather was, he wouldn’t do anything to harm Fellow Daoist Han. That’s fine. Shadow Fang, you may leave.” Silvermoon stood dazed for a moment before dismissing her.
“Then I shall take my leave.” The masked woman bowed slightly before her figure blurred and vanished into thin air.
Silvermoon remained in place, lost in thought for a while, before sighing lightly and departing.
The Heartless Mantra was about to act up, and she truly dared not delay any longer.
In the secret chamber, Han Li also reminisced about his private discussion with Venerable Ao Xiao.
During their confidential talk in the hall, the Great Ascension demon elder not only proposed marrying Silvermoon to him but also revealed something that greatly surprised Han Li.
Silvermoon’s nominal husband, the Heavenly Wolf King of the demon race, had perished decades earlier during a battle between the demon and demonic races, ambushed and killed by several demonic overlords.
With this, the last trace of hesitation in Venerable Ao Xiao’s heart vanished, and he directly broached the subject of Silvermoon’s marriage upon meeting Han Li.
Han Li naturally declined politely.
In his heart, his true feelings for Silvermoon were four parts the affection of a confidante, four parts akin to sibling love, and only two parts romantic admiration.
Under such circumstances, he naturally couldn’t agree to Venerable Ao Xiao’s proposal.
However, he secretly resolved that if Venerable Ao Xiao’s divine sense technique ultimately failed to free Silvermoon from the Heartless Mantra, he would seek other methods to resolve the issue.
With his mind made up, Han Li ceased further contemplation. Closing his eyes lightly, he resumed his meditation.
Thus, in the following days, Han Li began practicing the divine sense technique provided by Venerable Ao Xiao in the ship’s secret chamber.
According to Venerable Ao Xiao, once the technique reached a certain level of mastery, it would naturally emit a divine sense fluctuation that countered the Heartless Mantra.
Of course, the technique also offered some benefits in enhancing the practitioner’s divine sense, though it couldn’t compare to specialized divine sense strengthening techniques.
To Han Li’s delight, after briefly practicing it, he found the technique, which Venerable Ao Xiao had described as difficult to master, surprisingly easy. It felt as though it came naturally to him.
Upon reflection, he realized this was likely due to his prior mastery of the Spirit Refinement Technique.
Having mastered such a celestial secret art, ordinary divine sense techniques naturally seemed simple by comparison.
In just two short months, he had mastered the initial layers of the divine sense technique, reaching a minor achievement.
During this period, Silvermoon visited him several times when the Heartless Mantra wasn’t acting up. Each time, they conversed at length, parting only when satisfied.
Thus, the ship continued its uneventful journey back. After another half-month, it finally entered the Wood Clan’s spiritual domain, now under the control of the allied races.
Under Venerable Ao Xiao’s command, the ship didn’t pause, heading straight for the allied forces’ headquarters in “Cottonwood City.”
Along the way, the ship encountered numerous patrols from various races. However, recognizing Venerable Ao Xiao’s flying treasure, they all saluted respectfully from afar, making no attempt to intercept or inspect it.
After another ten days of flight, a dozen towering giant trees, each several thousand feet tall, loomed in the distance.
Each of these colossal trees stood five to six thousand feet high, with trunks thirty to forty feet in diameter. Their emerald-green bodies shimmered with a faint glow.
Built around these giant trees was a massive, multi-layered city, entirely constructed from various types of wood, without a trace of stone or tile.
On the towering wooden walls of each layer, patrols of guards from various races could be faintly seen.
This was the allied forces’ stronghold, “Cottonwood City,” once the second most important city of the Wood Clan.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage