Chapter 1770: The Demon Shadow Reappears

Not to mention the burly Azure Guard who, upon hearing the old man’s words, also wore a dumbfounded expression.

After leaving the stone tower, Han Li pondered briefly before flying toward the market.

Although he had delegated the task of purchasing supplementary spiritual medicines to the four scholars, it didn’t stop him from visiting the market himself to acquire some of the readily available materials.

Han Li had visited the Tianyuan City market several times before. This time, he returned to the same materials shop as last time and handed the list to the shopkeeper, requesting assistance in gathering the items.

Afterward, he left the shop and headed straight for the massive hall at the center of the market.

With the human faction assisting him, he had little to worry about. However, the demon faction might possess materials he lacked, so he intended to explore whether he could secure additional gains.

Yet, merely purchasing supplementary materials required him to personally visit the market. In this regard, compared to joining a major faction, it was indeed far less convenient—at least such errands could have been delegated to others.

Of course, compared to being constrained by others, directly controlling one’s own faction was naturally preferable. Given Han Li’s current cultivation and abilities, establishing his own faction was entirely feasible. However, the process would inevitably demand considerable effort and distract him from his own cultivation.

In the long run, it might prove counterproductive! In that case, securing the position of Spirit Emperor seemed like a viable alternative.

After all, the Three Emperors’ factions differed from ordinary sects and clans—most of their authority stemmed from the emperors’ positions themselves. Anyone who ascended to one of the Three Emperors’ thrones would instantly become one of humanity’s most powerful figures.

Lost in thought, Han Li arrived before the grand hall where human and demon factions conducted trade.

Just as he handed over spirit stones and stepped through the hall’s entrance, in a hidden underground cavern far from the human region, a massive formation guarded by over a dozen puppet warriors suddenly buzzed loudly, its runes glowing with multicolored light.

The previously motionless puppet guards immediately reacted, their eyes flashing red as they slowly raised their massive blades toward the formation.

Almost simultaneously, a shimmer of light appeared at the cavern’s entrance, revealing a blurred figure wreathed in silver radiance.

The next moment, a brilliant white light erupted from the center of the teleportation formation, revealing two figures. As the light faded, their forms became unmistakably clear.

One was a tall, burly man in black robes, and the other an elegant woman in white. The man appeared to be in his thirties, with dark skin and a fearsomely ugly countenance. The woman, in contrast, had snow-white skin and eyes as dark as stars.

“Who are you? You are not of our Silver Race. How did you activate our clan’s teleportation formation?” the silver figure shrieked, clearly startled.

“Oh? There’s a Silver Race guardian here too. Sacred Ancestor, may I devour him?” The black-robed man licked his lips, eyeing the silver figure with undisguised hunger.

“This Silver Race cultivator’s strength is no less than yours. Are you not afraid of breaking your teeth?” the white-robed woman remarked coolly.

“Haha, with the Sacred Ancestor present, how could a mere Silver Race Saint-tier cultivator possibly escape?” The black-robed man laughed obsequiously, showering the woman with flattery.

“Audacious!” The silver figure, realizing they were enemies, let out an enraged shriek.

Simultaneously, the surrounding puppets swung their massive blades toward the formation’s center. With a series of sharp hisses, over a dozen streaks of silver light shot forth.

“Pathetic tricks!” The black-robed man sneered, flicking his sleeve to release a dark mist that blocked the incoming attacks.

A series of explosions erupted as the silver light collided with the dark mist, shattering harmlessly against what seemed like an impenetrable barrier.

Then, to the Silver Race cultivator’s shock, the man opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing all the dispersed silver light.

With another movement, a thick black shadow lashed out from behind him.

Another deafening crash! The dozen puppets were simultaneously struck and shattered as if made of clay, utterly incapable of resistance.

The Silver Race cultivator’s eyes widened in horror as he focused on the shadow—a massive black tail, over a hundred feet long, covered in thick scales, coiled several times around the man’s body.

The black-robed man grinned savagely, his aura surging to Saint-tier levels.

The silver figure’s heart pounded. Against the black-robed man alone, he had no confidence of victory, let alone with the even more formidable white-robed woman present.

“I can’t fight them!” he thought frantically, his body flickering as he prepared to flee.

“Trying to escape?” The black-robed man’s eyes gleamed with malice as his tail lashed out like a serpent, piercing through the silver light—only for the figure to vanish moments before impact.

Yet, at that moment, the white-robed woman smiled faintly and lightly tapped a finger forward.

A pink spiritual flower blossomed at her fingertip, expanding into a colossal phantom that enveloped the entire cavern. In an instant, the space within dozens of feet was bathed in pink light, suffused with an intoxicating fragrance.

With a muffled thud, the silver figure was forcibly ejected from the void, his escape thwarted.

“Impossible!” he roared in fury, his body flickering as he attempted to flee again.

The white-robed woman frowned slightly.

The next moment, beneath the silver figure’s feet, space rippled as another giant pink flower silently emerged.

The silver figure stiffened, finding himself completely immobilized. His face drained of color.

The black-robed man laughed heartily, his body erupting into a rolling black mist that surged toward the trapped cultivator.

Within the mist, a gaping maw lined with jagged teeth opened wide, reeking of blood…

Meanwhile, the white-robed woman seemed to lose interest, her gaze shifting to another pink flower she now held delicately to her nose. A faint, melancholic expression crossed her face.

Simultaneously, the black mist engulfed the silver figure, his agonized screams echoing through the cavern.

—

Deep beneath the ocean at the border between the Wind Yuan Continent and the Thunder Continent, within a palace shrouded in darkness, a massive blood-red cocoon floated in midair, pulsing rhythmically as if nurturing something within.

Beneath it lay twelve grotesque beasts—some with two heads and six eyes, others with four wings and three claws, and even a golden-scaled flood dragon with nine slender tails.

Yet all twelve lay motionless, devoid of any life force.

Under the flickering crimson light, their withered forms were visible, their bodies shriveled as if drained of blood and shrunken unnaturally. Otherwise, the chamber would never have accommodated their original sizes.

In one corner of the room, twelve ancient lamps stood extinguished.

Opposite them, a low green jade table held a fist-sized crystal orb emitting a faint glow.

On its surface, an image shimmered—a radiant silver lotus pod, suspended as if real.

—

Back in the Tianyuan City market hall, Han Li stared at the demon woman shrouded in black mist, his expression one of surprise.

“I never expected to encounter you here again. This is quite a shock.”

“Giggle, I too never thought I’d see Fellow Daoist Han again. I assumed you’d fled the city to avoid the alien siege. It seems I underestimated your methods,” the demon woman, with whom Han Li had once traded, replied with a light laugh.

She seemed genuinely pleased, even excited, to see him.

Due to the hall’s restrictions, Han Li couldn’t discern whether her cultivation had advanced in the centuries since their last meeting.

But logically, given the abundance of ten-thousand-year spiritual medicines he’d provided, she should have progressed significantly. Of course, she was equally unaware of Han Li’s own staggering improvements.

Han Li smiled faintly.

“I didn’t escape unscathed back then. Without some fortuitous encounters, I might not be standing here today. I assumed you’d have gone into seclusion after obtaining those medicines.”

“Do you think I didn’t want to? But the medicines you provided couldn’t last forever—they were eventually exhausted. However, I’ve since acquired another batch of rare seeds. Would Fellow Daoist Han be interested in another exchange?” she asked hopefully.

“If they’re seeds I lack, I won’t refuse. But after all these years, my collection is nearly complete. Any further trades would be limited,” Han Li replied calmly.