Chapter 2030: Unexpected Guest

Other Body Integration cultivators, upon hearing this, did not find it surprising, and most of them nodded in agreement.

Thus, the silver-haired elder, with the assistance of several elders of Tianyuan City, quickly assigned tasks, and most of the human and demon beings present were sent out of the city to continue suppressing the remnants of the demon race that had previously controlled the surrounding areas.

Another portion remained to guard Tianyuan City and were responsible for repairing all damaged formations and defensive prohibitions as quickly as possible.

Of course, the most important matter was to send others to immediately destroy the "nodes" of the demon realm passages in the surrounding areas, so that even if the demon race sent reinforcements, they could not descend near Tianyuan City.

Since these matters were extremely urgent, once the assignments were completed, everyone present immediately took their leave and went about their respective duties.

In the blink of an eye, only the silver-haired elder Jin and the elder called "Cui Weng" remained in the hall.

This elder was indeed one of the envoys sent by the Holy Island, and after secretly discussing with the silver-haired elder in the main hall for a long time, he departed gracefully.

However, after the discussion, the silver-haired elder wore a look of joy, as if he had received some good news from the old man.

Not long after, thanks to the efforts of the many Body Integration cultivators dispatched by Tianyuan City, the remnants of the demon race that had lingered nearby were again surrounded and annihilated in a batch.

However, the remaining demons, under the leadership of some demon venerables, gradually withdrew from the Tianyuan City region and moved toward other demon armies in adjacent regions.

Under these circumstances, the pursuers from Tianyuan City naturally dared not continue the chase, but after setting up numerous outposts in the border areas, they returned to the city.

At this point, the great battle of Tianyuan City could truly be said to have ended.

In the entire battle, the human and demon races ultimately achieved a great victory, but their defensive forces were destroyed by more than one-third, and even several Body Integration elders perished unexpectedly in this battle; as for those below the Void Refinement realm, casualties were countless.

Fortunately, they had managed to repel the demon army and even killed more demons than their own number, which could be considered the first major victory since the demon calamity. It is believed that this will greatly boost the morale of both races and carry decisive significance.

Of course, the victory of Tianyuan City does not mean that the two races truly gained the upper hand in the demon calamity; on the contrary, at this time, other regional strongholds also faced the same predicament of being besieged by demon armies.

As for whether these strongholds could also turn the tide, only heaven knows.

In contrast to this, Tianyuan City had already achieved a great victory and driven the demon race out of the controlled area, whereupon many remnant forces of loose cultivators and clan families emerged from this land and flocked to join Tianyuan City.

Even in the regions adjacent to those controlled by the demon race, numerous loose cultivators and small factions willingly braved the dangers to flee to the Tianyuan City region for refuge.

In this way, the manpower lost by Tianyuan City was easily replenished. It is believed that after a period of time, even if the demon army returns in force, Tianyuan City will still have the strength to fight again.

Thus, everything in Tianyuan City is recovering rapidly, and they are desperately accumulating all usable strength.

Time flies like a shuttle, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, a special guest arrived at the stone dwelling where Han Li resided; Hai Dasha and Qilingzi, upon hearing the news, were startled and hurriedly ushered him into the upper hall.

As soon as this person sat down in the hall, he immediately bluntly asked Qilingzi:

"I have come this time to see your master on urgent business; please inform him for me."

"Reporting to Senior, my master is in seclusion and has long instructed not to receive guests," Qilingzi replied honestly, though he felt some unease in his heart.

"No matter, I had previously made an appointment with your master; just inform him. Han Daozhu will not blame you." The person spoke with a cold expression, indifferent.

"Since Senior has said so, then I, the junior, will give it a try!" Qilingzi hesitated slightly, but knowing that the person before him was certainly no ordinary Body Integration cultivator, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

He then flipped his palm, a transmission talisman flashed into view, he lowered his head and spoke a few words to it, then flung it out.

……

In the secret chamber at the base of the stone tower, Han Li, who had not moved an inch since entering seclusion, suddenly felt a flash of golden light on his body, and his tightly closed eyes slowly opened.

Only then could one see his eyes flashing with spiritual light, clearly indicating that his vital energy had largely recovered.

With one hand, he made a grasping motion in the void; with a "puff" sound, a streak of firelight directly tore through the void and flew out, flashing into his palm.

After sweeping his spiritual sense over it, his eyes moved slightly, and he could not help but murmur:

"I wonder who it is, that he has arrived. It seems I cannot avoid going out to see him."

As soon as the words fell, he rose from the futon, his form blurred, and directly transformed into a streak of azure light, vanishing from the stone tower's gate.

After a short while, a flash of azure light converged at the center of the upper hall of the stone tower, and Han Li's figure appeared there, standing upright.

"Greetings, Master!"

Upon seeing Han Li, Qilingzi and Hai Dasha immediately rejoiced and bowed their heads in salute.

"You may rise. Long Brother, your timing for this visit is not quite right; it seems you have come much earlier than agreed. Moreover, now that you have arrived in Tianyuan City, are you not afraid that the demon race might seize the opportunity to raze your Long family's stronghold?" Han Li waved his hand at the two disciples, then turned to the visitor and spoke lightly.

The guest, who had been scrutinizing Han Li up and down, had a face of pale gold, and a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes—he was indeed the Long family elder who had made a secret agreement with Han Li in the past.

"Long dares to come so far only because he had made preparations before leaving. I heard that Daozhu has advanced to the late stage and, not long ago, in the great battle, each slew an incarnation of a demon holy ancestor and a late-stage demon venerable; this news I originally did not believe, but now it seems true. After advancing to the late stage, Daozhu's cultivation has suddenly surged to such an extent that I feel ashamed in comparison. However, this gives me even more confidence in our agreement. As for the early timing, it was due to some changes in circumstances at that time." After withdrawing his gaze, the Long family elder spoke with a calm expression, though his eyes could not conceal a hint of alarm.

"I have had some unique opportunities in recent years, which is why I could advance to the late stage so quickly; as for slaying that demon holy ancestor's incarnation, it was not solely due to my own power—Gu Daozhu and others also contributed greatly." A flicker of surprise crossed Han Li's face, but he did not press further, instead lightly explaining the two points.

"No matter how one says it, being able to slay a demon holy ancestor's incarnation is a great honor even among Body Integration cultivators. Moreover, Daozhu has only just entered the late stage realm; one can imagine that once his magic power is cultivated to perfection, his divine abilities will advance further. And Long, upon self-reflection, is currently no match for Daozhu." The Long family elder sighed and said.

"Hehe, Long Brother's words are overly modest. Well, Daozhu, please tell Han Li in detail what changes have occurred in that matter." Han Li chuckled lightly and finally got to the point.

"This matter involves a long story. If we speak here……" The Long family elder's eyes flashed, he glanced at Qilingzi and Hai Dasha beside him, and showed some hesitation.

"You go out first; when I call you, come back in to see me." Han Li immediately understood the other's intention, turned his head, and without hesitation told Qilingzi and Hai Dasha.

"Yes, Master!"

The two disciples naturally had no objections and respectfully agreed.

Then they silently withdrew from the hall.

Han Li flicked his sleeve, a streak of azure-colored radiance flew out, but vanished in a flash.

The next moment, a humming sound arose in the nearby void, layers of white light spread out, and the entire hall was instantly shrouded.

"Very well, now aside from you and me, there is no one else here. Long Brother, you may speak freely." Han Li inwardly withdrew his magic formula, smiled slightly, and said to the Long family elder.

"Since Han Daozhu has lifted the restrictions, I naturally feel at ease. The matter is this: our original agreement to enter the demon realm may need to be advanced. Because I received news that our two races' counteroffensive against the demon race will occur in a few years. And at that time, it seems the three great ancestors of the demon realm will also descend together into our spirit realm. Whether this battle ends in victory or defeat, we will likely have no chance to infiltrate the demon realm again. To obtain those two spiritual objects, we must enter the demon realm beforehand, or we will have no opportunity." The Long family elder's expression suddenly became extremely solemn.

"The Three Great Ancestors of the Demon Realm!" Upon hearing this, Han Li's expression changed abruptly.

"It seems Han Daozhu has also heard of the names of the demon realm's three great ancestors. These three old demons are the three existences with the greatest divine powers among the primordial ancient demons of the demon realm, far surpassing ordinary demon holy ancestors. It is said that in our spirit realm, there are several Mahayana existences of other races who have each perished at their hands." Upon saying these words, the Long family elder's pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

Han Li's expression suddenly darkened, and he stood in place, his eyes flashing as he pondered something.

The Long family elder also did not speak further, merely waiting silently for Han Li's response.

"As far as I know, the Three Great Ancestors of the Demon Realm never leave the demon realm. Those of other races who perished at their hands in the past likely entered the demon realm before meeting their end. Long Brother, can you confirm this news is accurate?" After a while, Han Li slowly spoke.

"What, does Han Brother doubt what I have said?" The Long family elder showed no surprise and countered with a question.

"It is not that Han Li doubts Daozhu, but rather that what Daozhu just said is of great importance, and I cannot help but be more cautious." Han Li replied with an unchanged expression.

"If that's the case, Fellow Daoist Han, you can rest assured. This piece of news was obtained by me from the Holy Island. However, the source of this news comes from the mouth of Senior Ao Xiao of the demon race. Fellow Daoist Han, I feel that there is a chance his words might be false." The Long Family Patriarch stared at Han Li's face, saying each word clearly.

"Senior Ao Xiao, he went to the Holy Island?" Han Li's heart jolted, his eyes narrowed as he quickly asked.

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