Three days later, in the hall of the massive black ship, Han Li sat in the main seat and summoned the three men and one woman—four human cultivators at the Body Integration stage.
Nangong Wan sat gracefully by his side, her expression gentle and composed.
“Greetings, Senior Han!”
As soon as the four entered the hall, they bowed deeply to Han Li.
“Rise. I assume you already know about my origins and my relationship with Wan’er. I also have some idea of the main purpose of your visit,” Han Li said with a faint wave of his hand, his tone indifferent.
“The four of us believe our talents are no less than anyone else’s, but we have been hindered by the limitations of the Minor Spirit Realm, unable to advance further. If Senior is willing to take us back to the Spirit Realm, we will forever remember this kindness and never forget it,” the white-haired elder among them said respectfully, speaking on behalf of the others.
“Wan’er has also received your care over the years. If you wish to return to the Spirit Realm with me, that is naturally not an issue. However, before that, you must first settle all matters in the Minor Spirit Realm. I would not want to see the remaining humans enslaved by other races the moment we leave,” Han Li said slowly.
The white-haired elder and the others stiffened at his words. The blue-robed woman among them quickly stepped forward and said deferentially, “We will follow Senior Han’s instructions without question.”
The other three also nodded in agreement.
“Very well, then I shall take charge for once. After you return, select the most outstanding hundred or so juniors. I will take them and you back to the Spirit Realm. At the same time, announce that I will periodically send people back to the Minor Spirit Realm to bring the next batch of the most talented human disciples. These matters will be left to you to handle,” Han Li commanded without hesitation.
“Rest assured, Senior. We will handle this matter flawlessly and spare you any further concern,” the white-haired elder hurriedly assured.
“Good. Additionally, before we depart for the Spirit Realm, I will visit other regions of the Minor Spirit Realm to teach the other races a lesson, ensuring they dare not easily oppress the humans. I will also leave behind a few powerful treasures for our clan, so even without Body Integration cultivators, they will be able to resist invasions from other races. With these preparations, the humans of this realm will no longer need to fear enslavement, even in the absence of strong protectors,” Han Li continued impassively.
The human cultivators before him were both shocked and delighted upon hearing this, bowing repeatedly in gratitude. With such safeguards in place, the humans of the Minor Spirit Realm would indeed be free from future worries.
After discussing a few more details regarding their departure from the Minor Spirit Realm, the human cultivators tactfully took their leave.
Throughout the entire exchange, Nangong Wan had merely sat by Han Li’s side, smiling silently.
However, once they were gone, she turned to Han Li with a radiant smile.
“Husband, it will likely take them some time to select suitable juniors. In the meantime, why don’t I accompany you on a tour of the other races? Though I’ve spent most of my time in seclusion, I am far more familiar with the Minor Spirit Realm than you are.”
“Haha, since Wan’er suggests it, I have no objections. I had the same thought,” Han Li chuckled in response.
—
Two days later, Han Li dispatched Hua Shi the Elder with a group of puppets to gather unique materials from the Minor Spirit Realm while he and Nangong Wan flew away from the massive ship.
Zhu Guo’er, now officially accepted as Nangong Wan’s disciple, remained behind on the ship.
—
Half a month later, amidst several volcanoes strewn with black boulders, a bizarre creature—human from the waist up but with a translucent lower body—was frantically teleporting through the air in an attempt to escape.
A thunderous roar echoed from the sky as a colossal golden hand, nearly blotting out half the heavens, materialized and descended. As it fell, faint chants of Buddhist scriptures emanated from it, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure.
The translucent creature panicked, darting hundreds of feet away in an instant, its speed nearly doubling.
Yet, though the golden hand seemed to descend slowly, its fingers suddenly spread and blurred, appearing directly above the creature before slamming down like lightning.
A scream rang out.
Despite possessing several rare treasures and a unique constitution, the translucent creature was utterly powerless against the golden hand, crushed like an insect.
With a *bang*, the golden hand vanished.
Only then did the air ripple, revealing the figures of a man and a woman standing side by side—Han Li and Nangong Wan.
Nangong Wan gazed at the remains of the translucent creature below, her face betraying shock.
“This was the strongest of the Wind Spirit Tribe, nearly half a step into the Mahayana realm, yet it couldn’t even withstand a single strike from you. It seems my husband is truly no ordinary Mahayana cultivator. I fully believe your earlier claims now.”
“Oh? So Wan’er didn’t fully trust my words before?” Han Li teased with a faint smile.
“How was I to know that when you said you were ‘no ordinary Mahayana,’ you meant to this extent? With your power, you must rank among the very top of Mahayana cultivators,” Nangong Wan huffed before asking curiously.
“Heh, you’ll understand once we return to the Spirit Realm. Now, let’s go. Our next target should be the strongest of the Giant Mantis Tribe—’Gang Jin,'” Han Li replied with a playful tone.
Nangong Wan rolled her eyes but said nothing further in protest.
With a sweep of his sleeve, Han Li summoned a golden mist that enveloped them, and the two shot through the sky as a streak of golden light.
—
A month later, tens of thousands of gray-green mantis-like insects surged like a tide toward a hazy gray barrier.
Within the barrier, a black mountain over a hundred feet tall floated in the air, atop which stood Han Li and Nangong Wan.
At the rear of the swarm, a monstrous insect—four or five times larger than the others, with a human-like face—stared grimly at the two within the barrier.
Strange black patterns flickered across its body, and under its influence, the other insects were shrouded in a faint bloody glow.
“Controlling so many of your kin while enhancing their strength in such a short time is indeed an impressive ability. But this swarm tactic is useless against me,” Han Li’s calm voice echoed from within the barrier.
A thunderous boom followed as a golden lightning ball the size of a house materialized, expanding before exploding with earth-shaking force.
In an instant, countless golden threads shot out, weaving together into a vast net that descended, ensnaring nearly the entire swarm.
With a crackle of lightning, all the insects within the net were instantly reduced to ashes.
However, the human-faced insect let out a hiss and spat a dark-green liquid orb, tearing a hole in the lightning net above it. It then darted through the gap.
With a *whoosh*, a pair of cyan wings unfurled from its back, flapping violently as it prepared to escape using its secret technique.
At that moment, Han Li’s arm seemed to twitch in the distance.
Space around the insect rippled as a green sword light shot forth, slicing the creature cleanly in half with impossible speed.
The sword light then spiraled, transforming into a curtain of blades that engulfed both halves of the insect.
When the green light dissipated, the human-faced insect—along with its soul—had already been reduced to a bloody mist, utterly annihilated.
—
A month and a half later, in the forbidden grounds of the Crescent Moon Tribe—the most populous of the Minor Spirit Realm’s races—the three elders of the tribe led over a hundred thousand of their kin, using the terrain to set up a grand formation against Han Li and Nangong Wan.
Yet, in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Han Li alone slaughtered thousands of Crescent Moon tribesmen and shattered their formation.
The three elders’ bodies were obliterated in an instant by a few punches from Han Li across the distance.
—
Two months later, in the depths of a swamp filled with poisonous fumes and rotting vegetation, the Grand Elder of the Night Slumber Tribe—the most mysterious race in the Minor Spirit Realm—voluntarily submitted to Han Li, swearing a blood oath that his tribe would never set foot beyond the swamp in his lifetime.
—
In just a few short months, Han Li and Nangong Wan traversed every region of the Minor Spirit Realm’s foreign races.
They slaughtered the strong, subdued the defiant, and left all the races trembling as if facing doomsday.
When news of this reached the humans, celebrations erupted.
Now, Han Li—the Mahayana cultivator from the outside world—was a household name among humans, known even to three-year-old children. Meanwhile, after fierce competition, the humans had finally selected the hundred most outstanding juniors.
Three months later, when the massive black ship descended once more over the Green Sea, it carried not only Han Li, Nangong Wan, and the others but also several Body Integration cultivators and the group of human juniors.
As for the Green Spirit Tribe of the Green Sea, they had long since fled in terror, not daring to approach within ten thousand miles of the ship.
Amidst the roaring winds, the black ship finally halted above an enormous ancient tree.
Han Li stood at the bow, scanning the area below before forming a hand seal and pointing downward.
The space around the tree rippled, and as a faint glow swirled, the scenery transformed.
The giant tree vanished, replaced by a slowly rotating seven-colored vortex.
“Let’s go. Who knows when we’ll return here next,” Han Li murmured to himself before lightly tapping his foot.
With a piercing whistle, the black ship shot toward the vortex, shrinking rapidly before disappearing without a trace.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage