Upon hearing Aoxiao’s words, Yuansha’s expression darkened. Her gaze swept over the distant giant ape and the enormous golden crab, her eyes flickering slightly before she suddenly sneered. With a single hand, she made a grasping motion in the air, and the small white hammer flashed into existence before vanishing again in a golden glimmer.
The massive wolf shadow above her head lunged downward, disappearing into the grand hall in an instant.
The next moment, countless blue runes swirled out from the hall, which trembled violently before transforming into a ball of blue light that shot into the sky. In just a few flashes, it reached the horizon.
Only then did Yuansha’s voice faintly echo from afar:
“Aoxiao, since you’ve intervened, I’ll retreat this time. But your luck won’t always be this good. Next time you’re alone, I won’t let you off so easily.”
As soon as her words faded, the blue light flickered a few more times at the horizon before vanishing completely.
Despite being a woman, Yuansha acted decisively. The moment she saw Aoxiao appear, she knew she wouldn’t be able to kill Han Li and the others as planned and might even put herself in danger. Without hesitation, she withdrew immediately.
Han Li, seeing this, let out a sigh of relief. He called out to Crab Daoist, and the two of them shimmered with light as they reverted to their human forms.
The two frozen mountains in midair were melted by Han Li with two bursts of silver flame, and he swiftly stored them away with a sweep of his sleeve.
Aoxiao turned and glanced at Han Li before raising a hand. A streak of white light shot out, swirling in the air before expanding into a massive silver ship, five stories tall and over a hundred zhang long. Silver-armored guards wielding halberds stood on its deck.
“Come aboard,” Aoxiao said indifferently before floating onto the ship with Silvermoon and entering the top-floor hall.
The armored guards silently parted, bowing slightly in a gesture of respect.
“Puppets!”
Han Li immediately recognized their true nature. After a brief hesitation, he made his decision and flew over with Crab Daoist and Zhu Guo’er.
The silver-armored puppets, having received Aoxiao’s orders, remained still as the trio boarded the ship, making no move to stop them.
However, upon reaching the hall’s entrance, Han Li seemed to recall something and instructed Zhu Guo’er to wait outside while he and Crab Daoist entered.
“Greetings, Senior Aoxiao!”
As soon as Han Li stepped inside, he saw Aoxiao seated on a golden chair. He approached and bowed slightly.
Aoxiao didn’t speak immediately, instead scrutinizing Han Li with an enigmatic smile.
Silvermoon stood behind Aoxiao, her head lowered as if she lacked the courage to look at Han Li.
“So, you’re the ‘Han Li’ who advanced from Nascent Soul to Body Integration in just over a thousand years? Seeing you in person, I realize the rumors underestimated your talent. You’re already at the late-stage Body Integration realm, aren’t you?” Aoxiao finally spoke, his tone surprisingly amiable.
“Indeed, I’ve reached the late stage. Did Senior know of me before?” Han Li replied calmly, though he couldn’t help glancing at Silvermoon.
The silver-haired woman remained silent, her head still bowed.
“I learned of your name when Silvermoon returned from the human world. But it wasn’t until you reached Body Integration that you truly caught my attention. After all, every Body Integration cultivator is a top-tier asset for our races. Naturally, I had to take notice.” Aoxiao smiled before turning to Silvermoon. “Silvermoon, come greet him properly. If not for Han Li’s help, how could you have reunited your souls and returned to the Spirit Realm?”
“Silvermoon greets Brother Han. It’s been so long since we parted in the human world. I’ve never forgotten the great kindness you showed me back then,” Silvermoon finally raised her head, her expression eerily calm—a stark contrast to her earlier agitation upon seeing Han Li.
Han Li’s expression flickered slightly in surprise. After studying her for a moment, he realized her demeanor wasn’t feigned. With a quick mental exchange, he smiled and replied, “Back then, I didn’t know your true identity and may have been disrespectful. I hope Fellow Daoist Linglong won’t hold it against me. As for my assistance, it was merely a matter of circumstance. There’s no need to dwell on it.”
“Haha, there’s no need for such formality after all these years. But regardless, Han Li did save Silvermoon’s life. I will repay this debt generously,” Aoxiao laughed, though a strange glint flashed in his eyes.
“This is already demon-controlled territory. Why has Senior come here? To scout the demons’ movements?” Han Li shifted the topic, his thoughts unreadable.
“Yes and no,” Aoxiao replied unexpectedly after a brief pause.
“Senior means…?” Han Li was taken aback.
“Months ago, the allied forces received word that the three Demon Ancestors stationed here had been rotated out, and the demonized regions were expanding rapidly. I was entrusted by fellow Daoists to verify this and, if possible, destroy a few of the demonization mother arrays,” Aoxiao explained gravely.
“The Demon Ancestors’ rotation makes sense, but what are these mother arrays? I recall some demonized areas in human territory—are they the same?” Han Li blinked in confusion.
“For the demons to truly establish themselves in our realm, they must demonize certain regions, converting spiritual energy into demonic energy. This requires arrays that transform ordinary plants into demonic flora. They tried this in our lands, but we destroyed most arrays early on, limiting the effects. But with the Wood Tribe, it’s worse—most occupied areas have these arrays underground, and they’ve begun constructing mother arrays. These mother arrays link countless smaller ones, making them nearly impossible to dismantle. Destroying even a few could slow the demonization process.”
Aoxiao sighed before suddenly asking a question that startled Han Li:
“Han Li, you’ve been missing for years. Did you enter the Demon Realm with the True Spirit families?”
“How did Senior know? I did enter the Demon Realm with Fellow Daoists Long and Ye, along with some Spirit Tribe members,” Han Li admitted after a moment of hesitation.
“It wasn’t hard to guess. Your disappearances coincided, and the secrets of the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Pure Spirit Lotus aren’t unknown to us. Every time our realms connect, people sneak into the Demon Realm seeking such opportunities—though few succeed. Since only you returned, the others likely perished.”
“Senior sees clearly. We did seek that opportunity, and the journey was perilous. I alone was fortunate enough to return,” Han Li sighed.
He hadn’t realized his actions in the Demon Realm mirrored past attempts—though most predecessors probably never even reached the Demon Source Sea.
“At your cultivation level, entering the Demon Realm was a death wish. But your gains must be immense. For instance, this ‘Fellow Daoist’ behind you—isn’t its true form the Golden Saint Crab of the Demon Source Sea? But its cultivation has dropped so low. Tsk, if this pseudo-immortal puppet fought at full strength, even I might not withstand it. How did you manage to bring it out?” Aoxiao’s eyes gleamed with barely concealed envy as he studied Crab Daoist.
“So Senior has met Crab Brother before. He possesses intelligence—I couldn’t possibly ‘abduct’ him. We simply struck a mutually beneficial deal,” Han Li replied vaguely.
“Is that so?” Aoxiao chuckled skeptically.
If the Golden Saint Crab were so easily swayed, it wouldn’t have remained in the Demon Source Sea for millions of years.
Though envious, Aoxiao had no intention of seizing the puppet. At his level, he knew such things couldn’t be forced.
Moreover, upon sensing Han Li’s late-stage Body Integration cultivation—and his potential to break through to the Mahayana realm—Aoxiao’s mind churned with possibilities.
A long-regretted matter now seemed to have a glimmer of hope.
His gaze flicked to Silvermoon, but her expression remained serene. Suppressing his thoughts, he turned back to Han Li with a solemn question:
“I won’t pry into your other experiences in the Demon Realm. But answer me truthfully—did you enter the Spirit Cleansing Pond and consume the Pure Spirit Lotus?”
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