Chapter 1436: Trading Hall

"Correct, that is precisely my intention. Although you are qualified to join our Sky Roc Tribe, you are, after all, of human origin. Even if you were to pass the trials and tests, it would be impossible for you to serve as the tribe's Holy Master. However, Fellow Daoist Han could use the identity of a Holy Son to assist the two Holy Sons, helping them pass the trials. Naturally, if you were to do so, I would not treat you unfairly. Not only can I allow you to integrate some True Kunpeng Blood, but there will also be a heavy reward." The young girl did not deny it and spoke unhurriedly.

With such a good opportunity landing at his doorstep, an ordinary person would likely have agreed immediately in their joy. But Han Li's eyes flickered, and he did not reply right away.

The young girl did not intend to urge him either; she simply sat quietly on her chair, looking at Han Li indifferently.

After a full cup of tea's time, Han Li spoke again:

"Senior, for the sake of the Holy Sons, you are even willing to let an outsider like me join your tribe. This test must be quite dangerous, right? Could you tell me about it first? It won't be too late for me to make a decision after that."

"The trial is indeed very dangerous. Generally speaking, the attrition rate for the Holy Sons of various tribes who participate is about sixty to seventy percent. And the cultivation base of a Holy Son is usually that of a Flying Spirit General, equivalent to the Spirit Severing stage of your race. This time, because our tribe's Holy Master fell unexpectedly, the two Holy Sons are only at the level of junior Flying Spirit Generals and have not fully prepared. If they participate in the trial, they will almost certainly fail. Although I do not know much about your divine abilities, Fellow Daoist, to have traveled alone from the human race across more than half of the Wind Origin Continent to reach here, your strength is definitely extraordinary. Even if the trial contents are dangerous, they should not be a problem for you." Although the young girl's prediction had some discrepancies, her final judgment was not wrong.

"Only at the Flying Spirit General level?" Han Li's eyes twitched as he asked cautiously.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, this Elder would not speak falsely to deceive you." The young girl smiled slightly.

"I need some time to consider this." After pondering for a while, Han Li finally made up his mind.

"This is a matter of great importance; it is only right to deliberate. How about this: I will give you three days. In three days, I will wait here for your reply. During this period, you may move freely within the city. No one will harass you. Additionally, my name is Jin Yue; you may remember this name." The young girl spoke calmly, as if Han Li's answer had been within her expectations all along.

Han Li naturally thanked her and then left without further hesitation.

Seeing Han Li walk out the door and vanish in a flicker of movement, Jin Yue smiled slightly, raised the cup of spirit tea on the table, and took a light sip.

"Great Elder, are you really just letting him leave like this?" A gray light flashed on a stone wall of the stone room, and suddenly, two other Sky Roc tribesmen—one tall and one short—appeared from within.

"Why, how would you have me treat this person?" Jin Yue glanced at the red-bearded old man who had spoken and asked directly.

"Those feathered wings have integrated Kunpeng feathers; why must we let an outsider impersonate a Holy Son? Wouldn't it be better to forcibly keep the wings and have someone else from our tribe inherit the True Blood?" The red-bearded old man was tall and rubbed his hands together as he spoke.

"If it were truly that easy, would I have gone to the trouble of saying so much to an outsider? I would have killed him on the spot and snatched the wings." A cold sneer appeared on the young girl's lips as she retorted unceremoniously.

"Then, Great Elder, your meaning is..." The other petite, beautiful woman saw that the red-bearded old man still wanted to say something, so she hurriedly pulled his sleeve and spoke respectfully first.

"When it comes to understanding the human race, I believe no one in the entire Sky Roc Tribe can compare to me. The human race is different from our Flying Spirit Race. Their own strength is ordinary; most of their divine abilities lie in the treasures they cultivate. Therefore, they can thoroughly refine certain treasures over many years until they are under their complete control. It is not that such treasures cannot be forcibly seized, but after snatching them, the traces of the original owner are very difficult to remove in a short time. Moreover, the power of the treasure will be greatly reduced due to the change in ownership. I have already carefully investigated this person's feathered wing treasure; it is precisely this type of magic treasure. And I have already received news that the Holy Sons' Earth Abyss trial is imminent; we simply do not have the time to snatch the treasure and have another tribesman re-refine it." Jin Yue pondered for a moment before explaining.

"So that's how it is. But in that case, won't our tribe's True Saint Blood really fall into the hands of an outsider? This is not a small matter either." The red-bearded old man still shook his head repeatedly.

"Elder Xu, are you confused? If our tribe does not have a Holy Son pass the trial this time, the entire tribe will be swallowed by other branches; compared to that, the True Blood matter is just a small affair. Besides, it is not as if there are no other remedial measures to prevent this from happening." The young girl's bright eyes flashed with a sharp light as she spoke.

"Hehe, the Great Elder's words are reasonable. Once this outsider helps us survive this calamity, whether we kill or keep a mere Flying Spirit General-level existence will be up to us." The middle-aged woman paused, then a smile appeared on her face.

"Killing is impossible. Even if he is an outsider, once he has integrated the True Kunpeng Blood, he is truly half a tribesman. We are also restricted by the Sky Roc Oath. Furthermore, if the tribe survives this great calamity because of this, he is also a benefactor of our tribe. If there is no need, it is best not to harm his life. We can simply place him under house arrest and never let him leave the Holy City again." Jin Yue glanced coldly at the woman and spoke without emotion.

"That would also work. Should we notify the guards and send people to follow this outsider in secret? Don't let him suddenly run away in these few days." The red-bearded old man suddenly suggested.

"Elder Xu, do not worry; I have already played a small trick on his wings. If he tries to flee the city, I will know immediately." Jin Yue did not care about this at all. "It seems the two of us were overthinking; the Great Elder has already considered everything very thoroughly." The woman's eyes flashed with brilliance as she smiled.

"It is not overthinking. Of the five Great Elders of our tribe, only the three of us are currently in the tribe. Since this matter concerns the survival of our tribe, the three of us must reach a consensus before acting. Otherwise, I would not have sent a voice transmission on the way to summon you two here. Elder Xu, do you have any other opinions?" The young girl looked at the two and spoke slowly.

"No, the Great Elder's method is already very sound." This time, both the woman and the old man agreed in unison.

The young girl nodded upon hearing this.

From beginning to end, these three Sky Roc Tribe Elders never once mentioned the possibility that Han Li might refuse.

This was hardly surprising; in the eyes of this Sky Roc Great Elder, as well as the old man and the woman, how could a mere Spirit Severing-stage outsider possibly refuse their request?

At this moment, hundreds of miles away from where the young girl and the others were, Han Li was flapping his wings, flying at a low altitude.

On the surface, his expression was normal, and he was looking at the various buildings below with great interest. But in his heart, thoughts were churning as he secretly pondered his own predicament.

This time, having carelessly exposed his identity, his situation was truly not very good.

With his rich experience from years past, how could he not know that regardless of whether he completed the young girl's request or not, his outcome would definitely not be very good.

Refusing openly was certainly impossible.

As for the thought of fleeing immediately, it had already crossed his mind several times the moment he left the young girl's residence.

But after his spiritual sense subconsciously swept over the Wind and Thunder Wings on his back, Han Li could only smile bitterly.

That Sky Roc Great Elder had actually brazenly planted a mark on his wings; within a certain area, his every movement was under the other party's control.

With his current cultivation base, it was not that he couldn't forcibly erase this mark, but it would take at least several days to do so. And in such a long time, that Great Elder could have found him countless times.

It seemed the only way was to propose some conditions beforehand that would make the other party wary of acting against him.

Otherwise, he would rather take a huge risk and find a way to escape than truly become some Saint Son of an alien race.

As for what conditions to propose, he would need to first understand the general situation within the Sky Roc Tribe before he could properly deliberate.

Fortunately, having experienced countless risks since he began cultivating, although he was currently in a situation where he could neither advance nor retreat, he was not overly panicked.

Han Li simply flew slowly while his mind raced with various thoughts.

Thus, for the next period, Han Li went to a tall stone house in the Holy City that resembled a library.

He spent nearly half the day reading books there, and after a day and a night, he left with a weary expression.

Returning to his residence, Han Li remained behind closed doors at the guest house until the morning of the third day, when he left calmly once more. His target this time was the Trading Hall he had wanted to visit from the very beginning.

This time on the road, he did not encounter any more trouble.

After flying for a while, Han Li finally arrived at the edge of the Holy City and stood before a strange building constructed against a mountain.

This building was right next to a steep cliff about a thousand feet high, and a huge rectangular plaza extended directly from the cliff. At one end of the plaza, an arched stone gate about a hundred feet high was carved into the cliff face.

On both sides of the giant gate, more than a dozen fully armed guards stood in formation, and many Sky Roc people were moving in and out, presenting a very lively scene.

Han Li narrowed his eyes and observed from afar for a moment, then his wings moved, and he flew forward enveloped in a ball of green light.

A guard in front of the gate swept his gaze over Han Li, his expression changed abruptly, and he hurriedly bowed deeply to Han Li.

Han Li nodded slightly at him and then flew into the giant gate in a grand manner.

His eyes brightened; what a vast space.

Behind the giant gate, it was as if another world had appeared.

A long passage that seemed to have no end, with tall, hall-like buildings on both sides. Looking closely, these buildings were divided into more than ten levels, each level thirty feet high, and every hundred feet or so, a hall gate more than ten feet high would appear.

Countless Sky Roc people were flying in and out of these buildings; it seemed that inside the hall gates were the trading places for the Sky Roc people.

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