“You have agreed to join our Tianpeng clan,” the young woman said, her bright eyes gleaming as she fixed her gaze on Han Li’s face and spoke slowly.
“If I were to refuse, I doubt I could leave your esteemed clan easily,” Han Li sighed and replied with unusual honesty.
At that moment, he was already inside Jin Yue’s pavilion. Beside her sat an elderly man and a beautiful woman, both newly appeared Tianpeng elders at the early Body Integration stage. They scrutinized Han Li intently, their eyes lingering on the Wind and Thunder Wings behind him, their expressions betraying a hint of fervor.
“Fellow Daoist Han, your choice is truly wise. As long as our clan’s Holy Son passes the trial, we will not mistreat you,” the young woman said joyfully, though her tone remained calm and composed, as if she had long anticipated Han Li’s agreement.
“If the trial is truly as you described, assisting you will not be overly difficult for me. However, I do not wish to be discarded once my usefulness ends. Therefore, I have two conditions I hope your clan can promise me in advance. Only then can I act without reservation and fully assist your Holy Son,” Han Li paused, then shifted the topic.
“Conditions? Outsider, speak your mind,” the elderly man surnamed Xu frowned and asked.
“I require one Kunpeng Relic and the right to inscribe my name on the secondary volume of the Tianpeng Oath,” Han Li said with a light smile.
“Kunpeng Relic… Tianpeng Oath’s secondary volume?” Upon hearing Han Li’s words, not only did the man surnamed Xu and the other woman’s expressions change drastically, but even Jin Yue’s face showed a flicker of surprise.
“Impossible! Our clan possesses only a dozen or so Kunpeng Relics, each a sacred relic left behind by our past Grand Elders upon their passing. How could we give one to you? As for the Tianpeng Oath, even the secondary volume—our clan has only three copies, with almost no space left for additional names,” the red-bearded elder’s face darkened as he flatly refused.
“Indeed, these two items are our clan’s treasures, and we cannot easily agree. Young friend, perhaps you could propose another condition?” the beautiful woman sighed and advised.
The young woman, however, remained silent, her eyes flickering as if deep in thought.
“I require the Kunpeng Relic not solely for myself. Only by consuming it can I master the power of the Kunpeng and assume the form of a Tianpeng. Only then can I convincingly impersonate your Holy Son without detection by other clans. With the relic, along with the Kunpeng feathers I’ve refined and the Kunpeng blood I’ve fused with, I should qualify to inscribe my name on the secondary volume of the Tianpeng Oath. Only then can I be certain your clan will not have ulterior motives toward me afterward,” Han Li said calmly.
“How do you know these things? Did someone in our clan secretly inform you?” The elder surnamed Xu asked, his face turning livid.
“Not at all. Fellow Daoist Han spent a day in the Tianzhi Pavilion within the city and likely learned these details from its archives. I nearly forgot—once humans achieve a certain level of cultivation, they gain the ability of perfect recall,” Jin Yue said indifferently.
“Even so, we absolutely cannot agree to these two conditions,” the elder shook his head repeatedly.
“Why not? If your clan fails to produce a Holy Lord in this trial, you will likely lose your ranking among the seventy-two branches of the Feiling Race and be absorbed by stronger factions. Compared to that, my conditions are hardly excessive. Unless, of course, the three of you already plan to dispose of me afterward,” Han Li said slowly.
Hearing his words, Elder Xu and the beautiful woman’s expressions darkened.
“Very well, I agree,” the young woman suddenly declared after a moment of silence.
“How can this be—”
“Grand Elder, this matter requires further consideration—”
The elder and the beautiful woman exclaimed in unison, urgently dissuading her.
“Enough. As Fellow Daoist Han said, these two conditions are trivial compared to the survival of our clan. I have made my decision,” the young woman waved her hand, her tone turning cold.
The other two exchanged hesitant glances but ultimately fell silent.
“I can fully agree to your two conditions. However, to ensure you wholeheartedly assist our Holy Sons in passing the trial, I will also have you sign a blood oath. If our clan fails to produce a Holy Lord after the trial, I, as Grand Elder, will pay a small portion of my lifespan to break the Tianpeng Oath and eliminate you,” the young woman’s gaze sharpened like a blade.
Han Li felt a chill in his heart, but his expression remained composed as he smiled and replied, “Rest assured, Senior. If the trial fails due to my lack of effort, I will accept any punishment without complaint.”
“Good that you understand. Return and prepare yourself. Tomorrow, once everything is arranged, I will send someone to fetch you for the Spirit Awakening Ceremony to formally join our clan,” the young woman said in a tone brooking no argument.
Han Li naturally had no objections. He cupped his hands in salute to the three Tianpeng elders and took his leave.
Watching Han Li’s figure vanish beyond the door, the red-bearded elder took a deep breath and said gravely to the young woman, “Grand Elder, I still oppose this. The Kunpeng Relic is one thing, but once his name is inscribed on the secondary volume of the Tianpeng Oath, unless he commits one of the grave crimes listed, none of our clan can act against him. This could easily be exploited by outsiders, bringing disaster upon us.”
“I am aware. But Elder Xu seems to have forgotten one thing—the Tianpeng Oath only binds members of our clan. Have you forgotten the traitor from three thousand years ago?” The young woman’s expression turned peculiar.
“Grand Elder, you mean—” The beautiful woman suddenly seemed to understand.
“A few days ago, I met with several Feiling Generals who had just returned to the city escorting tribute. They spoke of this human. According to them, though he appears to be only a mid-tier Feiling General, his abilities are at least on par with an early-stage Spirit Commander. With his help, our Holy Sons stand a far greater chance of passing the trial. The cost is negligible in comparison. Moreover, once this matter is concluded, as long as this outsider remains quietly in our Holy City and avoids contact with others, we need not resort to extreme measures. Instead, we should be wary of any interference from our rivals during the trial,” the young woman said leisurely, lightly stroking the hair at her shoulder.
“Grand Elder is wise!” This time, the red-bearded elder and the beautiful woman were truly reassured.
Meanwhile, upon returning to his residence, Han Li encountered several visitors—Feng Xiao, Bai Lei, and Bai Ning, the siblings who had accompanied him back to the city.
The three greeted him with unusual enthusiasm and chatted with him for nearly half a day before departing in high spirits.
After personally seeing them off at the door, Han Li’s smile faded. He pondered briefly before returning inside and firmly closing the door.
Early the next morning, eight Tianpeng youths—four boys and four girls—arrived at his door. Though their cultivation was only equivalent to the Foundation Establishment stage, they were exceptionally young and gifted.
Han Li glanced at them but said nothing, immediately following the group as they led him from the guesthouse to a peculiar structure in a corner of the Holy City.
After traversing most of the city, Han Li arrived at a massive, coliseum-like plaza. The circular plaza, spanning several miles, was enclosed by hundred-zhang-high stone walls adorned with hundreds of eagle statues. These statues shimmered with multicolored light, forming a seven-colored barrier that enveloped the entire plaza.
At the center stood a raised altar of pristine white jade.
Han Li now stood atop this altar, surrounded by over a dozen Tianpeng men and women in white robes, all at the Void Refinement stage.
Jin Yue and the red-bearded elder, along with the other Tianpeng elders, stood before him. Behind them were two young female attendants, each holding a silvery-white disk.
“Fellow Daoist Han, we have prepared everything. To ensure you can fully utilize the Kunpeng Relic and blood before the trial, the three elders and I will employ our powers to help you refine them swiftly and teach you the Tianpeng transformation technique. I trust you will not disappoint us,” the young woman said, her eyes gleaming as she stared at Han Li.
“Senior, rest assured. Since I have agreed, I will spare no effort,” Han Li replied solemnly.
“Good. First, you will fuse with the Kunpeng blood. Elder Xu will fully activate its power and forcibly merge it with your own blood, making them inseparable. This will be painful, but I trust you can endure it. Then, you will consume the Kunpeng Relic, and I will personally assist you in refining it. Be cautious—if you are careless, the relic’s Kunpeng power may backlash, inviting inner demons. As you are not a true Tianpeng, this carries some risk,” the young woman added.
Han Li naturally agreed to everything.
Satisfied with his compliance, the young woman nodded and beckoned to the attendants behind her.
One of the maids stepped forward respectfully, presenting the silver disk.
Jin Yue glanced at it indifferently, then flicked a finger against the light barrier.
After several flashes of white light, the barrier dissipated silently, revealing a thumb-sized cyan vial of ancient design, neither metallic nor jade.
As the young woman gazed at the vial, a faint silver light shimmered around her, and her expression turned solemn and sacred.
The other Tianpeng members simultaneously bowed slightly toward the vial, their faces filled with reverence.
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