Chapter 1778: Xu Family Ancestral Temple

After forming a possible answer in his mind, Han Li gazed at the distant mountain peak, his expression returning to calmness.

After watching for a while longer, as the fluctuations in the distance finally subsided and vanished, he thoughtfully stepped away from the window and returned to his meditation cushion, sitting cross-legged before slowly closing his eyes.

In the following days, aside from the obligatory greetings from Xu Qianyu, no one else from the Xu family disturbed his cultivation.

However, judging from the faint traces of worry on the woman’s face, it seemed the Xu family’s actions that night had not gone very smoothly.

Sure enough, every subsequent night, the same celestial phenomena and fluctuations erupted repeatedly.

After several nights, when Fairy Qianyu came to pay her respects, she seemed to have something she wanted to say to Han Li, but hesitated several times before swallowing her words.

Han Li observed all of this, silently pondering in his heart while maintaining an unchanged expression.

However, on the morning of the fifth day, as Han Li was studying talismans on the top floor of the pavilion, his expression shifted slightly. Suddenly, with a flip of his hand, the talisman vanished without a trace.

He clearly sensed that, in addition to Xu Qianyu, who had come to greet him as usual, there were two more people at the pavilion’s entrance—Xu Jiao and another unfamiliar presence.

This unfamiliar aura was exceptionally powerful, reaching the late-stage of the Void Refinement realm.

A flicker of surprise crossed his face.

The Xu family actually had a cultivator of such caliber hidden away—it seemed their usual concealment was quite thorough, demonstrating a deep understanding of the principle of hiding one’s strength to avoid standing out.

As Han Li pondered this, the respectful voice of the Xu family’s patriarch echoed from below:

“Junior Xu Jiao pays his respects to Senior Han. Might Senior have a moment to spare for this junior?”

“So it’s Patriarch Xu. No need for such formality. Please wait in the main hall—I’ll be down shortly,” Han Li replied indifferently before rising and descending the stairs.

A short while later, Han Li appeared at the staircase entrance of the main hall on the first floor, his gaze immediately sweeping toward the late-stage Void Refinement stranger.

Standing beside Xu Jiao was a young man in a slightly worn gray robe, appearing no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, who also smiled at Han Li.

Upon closer inspection, the young man bore some resemblance to Xu Jiao. Standing together, they looked more like uncle and nephew.

“Senior, this is our Xu family’s Grand Elder, Xu Yuan. A few days ago, he was in the midst of a critical cultivation session and thus couldn’t emerge to greet you in time,” Xu Jiao explained with a bow as soon as he saw Han Li.

“Grand Elder? Fellow Daoist Xu Yuan has already reached the peak of late-stage Void Refinement—it seems he could break through to the Body Integration realm at any moment. If successful, he would join the ranks of our peers,” Han Li remarked after studying the young man for a moment, suddenly smiling.

“Senior’s insight is impeccable. This junior has indeed begun preparations to break through the bottleneck. However, the chances of success are… exceedingly slim,” Xu Yuan replied with a sigh, bowing respectfully to Han Li.

Han Li smiled faintly but did not comment further. After taking his seat at the head of the table, he gestured for the others to sit as well.

Xu Jiao and the others expressed their thanks before seating themselves on either side of Han Li.

“Patriarch Xu, have you come today because you’ve received news of your ancestor?” Han Li asked directly, without beating around the bush.

His bluntness caught Xu Jiao off guard, causing his lips to twitch before he forced a bitter smile.

“Had Senior asked this question yesterday, this junior truly wouldn’t have been able to give a definitive answer. But today, I’ve come precisely to seek Senior’s assistance in this matter.”

“Seek my assistance?” Han Li’s eyebrows rose slightly, as if surprised.

“To be frank, Senior, the items you delivered do indeed hold the key to locating Ancestor Bingpo. However, our Xu family alone lacks the strength to accomplish this—we may need to rely on Senior’s power,” Xu Jiao stated plainly.

“What my nephew says is true. For this matter, all three of our Xu family’s Void Refinement cultivators have tried and failed due to insufficient mana. We have no choice but to turn to you, Senior,” Xu Yuan added solemnly.

“Is that so? Could the two of you explain the details first?” Han Li’s eyes flickered, though his tone remained calm.

Given his current status and cultivation, he would not rashly agree to anything.

“Of course, Senior. Even if you hadn’t asked, I would have explained,” Xu Jiao readily agreed. After a brief pause, he continued, “The matter itself isn’t complicated. Senior, have you heard of the Blood Soul Great Art?”

“Blood Soul Great Art? That does sound familiar… Ah, could it be the technique practiced by the Blood Crystal Sage tens of thousands of years ago?” Han Li frowned at first, then seemed to recall something, his expression shifting slightly.

“Senior truly is well-informed. The Blood Crystal Sage was a rare genius among our human race, not only creating the Blood Soul Art but also using it to slay beings of the same realm from other races. To be honest, though the Blood Crystal Sage perished long ago, his legacy was accidentally discovered by our ancestor, Fairy Bingpo. While the technique leans toward the demonic path and our ancestor couldn’t switch cultivation methods, she did master a few of its life-preserving secret arts and crafted several related treasures. Among the items Senior delivered was a ‘Blood Soul Vial’ refined by our ancestor, containing a wisp of her blood soul. If we can reawaken this blood soul, we can naturally trace our ancestor’s whereabouts.”

As Xu Jiao spoke, he carefully observed Han Li’s expression.

However, aside from a faint flicker in his eyes upon hearing about the Blood Soul Vial, Han Li showed no other reaction.

“The celestial phenomena these past nights were caused by your attempts to awaken the blood soul, weren’t they?” Han Li asked after a moment of silence.

“Senior is correct. Not daring to delay, I gathered our people that very night to perform the awakening ritual. But unfortunately…” Xu Jiao trailed off, his face twisting with helplessness.

“Whether due to the blood soul being sealed for too long or our impure bloodline, our attempts have repeatedly failed. And since the seal on the blood soul has already been broken, if we don’t awaken it within two days, this wisp of our ancestor’s blood soul will dissipate completely,” Xu Yuan interjected with a sigh.

“So, you want me to join the awakening ritual?” Han Li asked neutrally.

“Senior sees clearly. We’ve exhausted all methods over these past days to no avail. We have no choice but to seek your aid,” Xu Jiao said, rising to bow deeply, his expression earnest.

“If it’s truly a matter of insufficient mana, I don’t mind lending my strength. But if the issue lies with the blood soul or the ritual itself, there’s nothing I can do,” Han Li replied after stroking his chin for a long moment.

“Naturally. If it’s truly our fault, then it must be the will of heaven,” Xu Jiao said, nodding repeatedly in relief.

Xu Yuan and Xu Qianyu also brightened visibly.

“Time is of the essence. I’ll examine Fellow Daoist Bingpo’s blood soul and your ritual preparations now,” Han Li declared, standing up with an air of decisiveness.

“Of course. Though the ritual can only be performed at a specific time at night, it would be beneficial for Senior to inspect it beforehand,” Xu Jiao agreed after brief consideration.

If they could truly locate Fairy Bingpo, their ancestor, the Xu family would instantly rise to become one of humanity’s super clans.

Thus, whether Xu Jiao, Xu Yuan, or the other elders, all were doing everything in their power to awaken this wisp of Fairy Bingpo’s blood soul.

Han Li followed the three Xu family members out of the pavilion, then soared on a streak of light toward the distant mountain where the nightly fluctuations originated.

At such a short distance, they arrived in moments.

The seemingly ordinary mountain was now surrounded by clusters of multicolored restriction lights, between which figures in green armor flickered in and out of sight.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Han Li easily discerned that these guards were mostly at the Nascent Soul stage, numbering over a hundred.

To a force like Skywall City, such numbers might be insignificant, but for a single family, it was astonishing.

Moreover, each guard was expertly concealed within the restrictions, none speaking or making noise—a testament to their discipline. For a family, this was even more remarkable.

Noticing Han Li’s reaction, Xu Jiao explained, “Senior must find this amusing. These are our Xu family’s Shadow Guards, our most elite force. Though individually they’re no match for high-level cultivators, in groups of three or four, they can contend with Deity Transformation cultivators.”

“Oh? So they specialize in joint combat techniques,” Han Li mused, sounding intrigued.

“Indeed. The awakening ritual is highly sensitive to disturbances, so we’ve stationed all our Shadow Guards here as a precaution,” Xu Jiao added.

Han Li nodded and said no more.

After using a tool to part the restrictions, Xu Jiao led the group to land before a massive temple-like structure halfway up the mountain.

Above the temple’s main entrance hung a plaque inscribed with a large ancient character for “Xu” in silver.

Near the gate stood seven or eight expressionless Shadow Guards.

Strangely, the main gate was tightly shut, while a side entrance barely wide enough for one person stood open.

Han Li’s expression shifted slightly.

“Senior, please forgive us. This is our Xu family’s ancestral temple, so we must enter the underground chamber through the side door,” Xu Yuan apologized.

“It’s no matter. This is only proper,” Han Li waved off casually.

Hearing this, Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao both sighed inwardly in relief.

If Han Li had taken offense, it would have been a grave loss for them.

Thus, the group passed through the side entrance and entered the Xu family’s ancestral temple.