Chapter 1419: The Great Elder

“This is not the place for conversation. Follow me.” The girl’s bright eyes flickered as she spoke nonchalantly, then turned and flew leisurely in a certain direction.

Han Li’s expression shifted uncertainly, but he obediently followed.

Facing a terrifying existence at least at the mid-Integration stage, and being in an alien holy city, he had little chance of escape. Moreover, the other party did not seem intent on immediately turning hostile, so he had no choice but to comply for now.

The girl’s movements appeared unhurried, as gentle as a breeze or flowing water, yet her speed was astonishingly fast.

Han Li had to exert nearly seventy to eighty percent of his spiritual power just to keep up, secretly shocked. Any lingering thoughts of resistance were forcefully suppressed.

After flying for the time it took to finish a meal, the girl led Han Li to a solitary cylindrical building several dozen zhang tall.

“Greetings, Great Elder!” Two elegant-looking Tianpeng clan maidens emerged from the entrance, their faces filled with reverence.

The golden-winged girl merely nodded before casually walking inside.

Han Li followed closely behind. Upon entering, he found the interior far simpler than he had imagined.

Apart from a few stone chairs and a stone table, the room was completely bare.

The girl waved her hand, dismissing the two attendants. Then, she turned and seated herself on one of the stone chairs, her lips parting slightly as she spoke, “Sit. There are some matters I wish to discuss with you.”

“How could I presume to sit in the presence of a senior? Han will simply listen attentively,” Han Li replied calmly.

“As you wish,” the girl said indifferently.

Han Li remained standing upright.

“You are a human cultivator, aren’t you?” After a brief pause, the girl’s words startled Han Li.

“Senior has visited our human race?” Han Li asked cautiously.

“Of course. I even paid a visit to one of your three emperors, the Spirit Emperor, and greatly admired his masterful puppet techniques. In fact, I’m not the only one—several other powerful figures from our Feiling Clan have also visited your race. Given this connection, feel free to ask any questions you have, and I will answer truthfully. However, in return, when it’s my turn to ask, I hope you won’t disappoint me. Otherwise…” She spoke these last words in fluent human language.

Hearing the implicit threat, Han Li’s expression flickered briefly before returning to normal.

“How did senior see through my disguise? I’ve completely refined my Wind and Thunder Wings and used a secret technique to alter my aura to mimic one of your clansmen. Unless someone like senior personally examined my body and probed my true essence, there should be no way to detect anything amiss. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to enter your holy city so boldly.” Han Li fixed his gaze on the girl, his voice grave.

This question had been troubling him greatly.

“Your disguise was indeed quite successful—even the holy city’s protective formation was deceived by the Kunpeng aura on you. If you had encountered any other elder of our clan, unless they deliberately inspected you, nine out of ten wouldn’t have noticed anything. But I am different. As the Great Elder, I am responsible for overseeing our clan’s sacred artifact. The Tianpeng Clan’s sacred artifact has the ability to see through all disguises and directly observe the true essence within a target. No matter how formidable your illusion technique is, it is utterly useless against me.” The girl smiled faintly, answering truthfully.

Han Li felt a flicker of realization, but it was quickly replaced by frustration.

“So, if I had gone to another branch of your clan, I wouldn’t have been discovered so easily?” he said with a bitter smile.

“Among the seventy-two sacred artifacts of our clan, the You Shui Clan’s artifact possesses a similar ability,” the girl replied, her lips curling slightly without directly answering.

Han Li fell silent for a long moment before asking another question, “What is sealed inside the Spirit Sealing Tower? And what are these so-called ‘Holy Sons’ and ‘Kunpeng True Blood’?”

“The Spirit Sealing Tower contains a fragment of the soul of a true Kunpeng saint, painstakingly gathered during our clan’s golden age. It is thanks to this saint’s soul that our Tianpeng Clan has survived to this day. As for further details, you need not know. As for the Holy Sons, they are simply the collective term for those among our Feiling Clan who have the potential to inherit the true saint’s blood. If a Holy Son successfully inherits the blood and passes the trials, they can become the clan’s Holy Lord.” The girl explained patiently.

This time, Han Li showed no surprise.

These answers aligned closely with his earlier speculations. He didn’t even bother asking about the Holy Lord, merely exhaling deeply.

“It seems you have no further questions. Now it’s my turn. What Kunpeng-related material did you refine into those wing treasures of yours? They actually caused the sacred spirit to break free from the tower’s seal—something that has rarely happened since its construction.” The girl’s eyes gleamed as she got straight to the point.

“Nothing much—just a damaged Kunpeng feather,” Han Li replied honestly, frowning slightly.

“A Kunpeng feather? That’s unlikely. Even a complete Kunpeng feather shouldn’t have been enough to agitate the sacred spirit like this.” The girl seemed skeptical.

“I don’t know why either,” Han Li shook his head, equally puzzled.

“Show me your wing treasure,” the girl said after a moment of thought, her tone casual.

Han Li’s heart sank, but meeting her crystal-clear, glass-like gaze, he hesitated only briefly before his shoulders twitched. The white wings on his back flashed and vanished without a trace.

At the same time, a pair of crystalline wings, several inches long, appeared in his hand.

He raised his hand and actually handed them over.

Han Li’s straightforwardness clearly took the Tianpeng Great Elder by surprise.

She studied his calm expression for a long moment before finally accepting them with a faint smile.

Outwardly, Han Li showed no reaction, but inwardly, he sighed.

Had his opponent not been at least at the mid-Integration stage, and had his Wind and Thunder Wings not been fully refined and under his control, he would never have handed over such a treasure. Even now, he was confident that if she tried to keep them, he had a sixty to seventy percent chance of activating their spatial ability to recall them instantly.

The girl held the Wind and Thunder Wings in one hand, examining them carefully. After a while, an extremely peculiar expression crossed her face.

With a flick of her fingers, she tossed the wings back to Han Li, returning them without hesitation.

Han Li relaxed inwardly. Though his hands didn’t move, the wings vanished in a flash of white light, reappearing silently on his back the next moment.

Watching this, the girl remained impassive and spoke slowly,

“To think your treasure not only contains a Kunpeng saint’s feather but also a Phoenix feather. I think I understand now. But I’d like to hear how you obtained the Kunpeng feather.”

Han Li was slightly surprised but saw no reason to hide the truth. He briefly recounted his experience in the human realm witnessing the battle between the Kunpeng and the Luo Hou across realms.

After listening, the girl fell into deep thought. After a long while, she scrutinized Han Li once more and suddenly uttered words that left him utterly stunned:

“Brother Han, would you be interested in joining our Tianpeng Clan as a Holy Son?”

Han Li froze.

“Did I hear correctly? Senior wishes for me to join your clan?” He blinked, wondering if he had misheard.

“Indeed, that is my intention. However, this is a significant matter, and I’ll need to discuss the details with the other elders.” The girl replied calmly.

“I am human, not a true Tianpeng clansman,” Han Li said after a long silence.

“You may not know this, but the so-called Kunpeng feathers and other materials typically come from deceased Kunpeng. The feather you refined, however, came from a living Kunpeng saint. The aura within it is several times stronger than ordinary feathers, and it likely contains traces of blood essence you haven’t even noticed. Our Tianpeng Clan are descendants of the Kunpeng saint. Since you’ve refined Kunpeng materials and may already carry Kunpeng blood, it wouldn’t be wrong to consider you one of us.” The girl’s words left Han Li dumbfounded.

After a long pause, Han Li recovered from his shock. Narrowing his eyes, he studied the girl for a moment before suddenly chuckling.

“Rumor has it that the current Holy Lord of the Tianpeng Clan has fallen, and there are no clansmen left who have inherited the Kunpeng True Blood. The entire Tianpeng Clan risks being removed from the Feiling Clan’s seventy-two branches. Am I mistaken?”

“How do you know this?!” The girl’s expression finally shifted. A golden roc phantom materialized behind her, its wings fanning once.

An immense force instantly pressed down on Han Li’s shoulders, his bones creaking under the strain.

With a *thud*, his feet sank half a foot into the stone floor.

Han Li’s face turned deathly pale.

But just then, the girl frowned, and the roc phantom vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

“I don’t know where you heard this, but I hope you’ll keep it to yourself for now. I’d prefer not to see chaos in the holy city. Also, you’re mistaken about one thing—we still have two potential Holy Sons who could inherit the true saint’s blood. However, their cultivation is still low, and even if they succeed, their chances of passing the trials are slim. That’s why I’m inviting you to join us.” Her demeanor returned to normal in an instant.

“Great Elder wishes for me to act as a guardian for these two Holy Sons, doesn’t she?” Han Li, ever sharp-witted, immediately grasped her intention and smiled knowingly.