Chapter 2156: Volume 10: The War of the Demon Realm, Chapter 2133: Undercurrents Stirring

However, before that, he must obtain the method for refining the Earth Fiend Yin Essence.

Additionally, he must get his hands on the Blood Tooth Rice as soon as possible. He had already obtained a means of contact from the Guangyuan Pavilion, so he figured this matter shouldn't be difficult.

While Han Li pushed his escape light to the limit to hurry on his way, he carefully pondered his next moves.

Several days later, he finally returned to Blue Waterfall City without incident.

But in the inn where he was staying, Zi Ling was unexpectedly already waiting there.

"What happened? Why did you come here yourself?" Han Li asked with a solemn expression, feeling somewhat surprised.

According to what he and Zi Ling had discussed beforehand, in order to prevent their contact from attracting the attention of those with ulterior motives and to avoid bringing unnecessary trouble to Zi Ling, if there was anything truly urgent, it would suffice to send a sound transmission talisman through one of Zi Ling's trusted aides.

On the surface, it was better for the two of them to avoid meeting as much as possible.

Yet now, Zi Ling had suddenly appeared in person, and it seemed she had been waiting for quite some time, which naturally made Han Li feel somewhat surprised.

"I had no choice but to come here in person. My master, Liu Ji, has already arrived at Blue Waterfall Lake, and not long ago, she summoned me to bring all my subordinates to meet her!" Zi Ling, however, could not care about other matters and blurted out words that made Han Li's heart skip a beat.

"Liu Ji is here? Is it her true body?" Han Li asked subconsciously.

"That is not the case; it is only an incarnation at the late Body Integration stage. But even so, given her divine abilities and the treasures she carries, she is not much different from an ordinary Ancestor." Zi Ling shook her head, saying with great apprehension.

"Since it is not her true body that has arrived, I don't need to worry too much. But why would Liu Ji come to this region? It shouldn't be aimed at me! I ask myself, I haven't really offended this Progenitor. If she truly wanted to deal with me, she wouldn't just send an incarnation. Zi Ling, do you know the specific purpose of her trip?" Han Li thought for a moment, his brows slightly furrowed as he asked.

"The order given to me didn't state it in too much detail; it seemed to be asking me and my subordinates to help her search for a person in the nearby area. As for anything more specific, the order didn't reveal a single thing. I also feel it isn't aimed at you. But for the sake of caution, Brother Han, you should still be extra careful." Zi Ling said with great concern.

"Alright, I understand. Liu Ji is a Progenitor of the Demon Realm; her vigilance must be extremely high. During this period, Zi Ling, you should temporarily stop contacting me to avoid being discovered by her and suffering for it. After some time, I will also leave Blue Waterfall Lake as soon as possible, preparing to return to the Spirit Realm." Hearing this, Han Li looked at Zi Ling's peerlessly beautiful face, his heart feeling a sudden warmth, but he instructed her with extreme calmness.

"I understand. That is to say, the next time we meet, it might be hundreds or even thousands of years from now. Even if you have the boundary-breaking treasure provided by Sister Lan, you cannot use it to return to the Demon Realm at will." Zi Ling's expression dimmed slightly, revealing a trace of imperceptible resentment.

"That is not necessarily true. I have recently obtained some opportunities that can save me some bitter cultivation, and I should be able to break through the Great Ascension stage bottleneck sooner. As soon as I successfully advance, I will immediately return to the Demon Realm to rescue you from Liu Ji's sect. During this period, Zi Ling, you must temporarily endure it and try your best to protect yourself in the Demon Realm first. If there are any accidents, and Liu Ji intends to refine you into an incarnation before then, you can send a message to the Guangyuan Pavilion and have them notify me with a treasure. I will still break through the boundary in time to see you." Han Li promised without hesitation.

Hearing Han Li's words, the gaze Zi Ling cast toward Han Li was somewhat unusual, and after a long while, she said softly:

"Thank you for your promise, Brother Han; this little sister is deeply grateful. I believe that with Brother Han's heaven-defying talent, you will certainly be able to break through to the Great Ascension stage and become the most top-tier existence in the world. Zi Ling will wish Brother Han success here. I should not linger here any longer, so I will take my leave now."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, she suddenly bowed to Han Li and turned to leave without any further hesitation.

Watching Zi Ling's peerlessly beautiful back disappear outside the door, Han Li moved his lips a few times, but in the end, he sighed softly and said nothing more, his expression also becoming somewhat dejected.

Two days later, on the top of a small mountain near the lake outside Blue Waterfall City, Han Li stood on a mountain rock, quietly gazing at the boundless, enormous lake surface in the distance, his figure motionless.

It was currently morning, the sky had not yet fully brightened, and the lake surface was filled with a faint water mist, making the air appear exceptionally humid.

Suddenly, Han Li raised his brows and said without turning his head:

"Since the honored guest has arrived, why bother with the concealment? Fellow Daoist can be considered half a local host; are you afraid of an ambush by me?"

"Hehe, for such a large deal, being careful is never a bad thing." Fluctuations arose in the high sky, and a gray-robed person wearing a bamboo hat flashed out. After a chuckle, he replied in a sharp voice.

"How you choose to be careful is naturally up to you, Excellency. However, have you brought the Blood Tooth Rice I requested in full?" Han Li finally turned around and said indifferently to the sky.

"The Blood Tooth Rice has naturally been brought along.

However, the quantity you requested, Fellow Daoist, is truly somewhat shocking. I spent quite a price to barely scrape enough together. Therefore, as for the price, I'm afraid it will have to be raised by another twenty percent." After a flash of sharp light in the eyes beneath the gray-robed person's bamboo hat, he said this.

"Raised by another twenty percent? I have never heard of a business raising prices on the spot." Han Li was startled, and his face immediately darkened a few shades.

"If you want to pay the original price, that is naturally fine. However, for the quantity you requested, Fellow Daoist, we can only provide one-third. You can't expect us to suffer a loss to do this business, right!" The gray-robed person did not care at all and replied with a sharp laugh.

"Hmph, you would suffer a loss? Forget it, I have other matters to attend to and no time to haggle with you here. Furthermore, let it be as you said; the price can be raised by twenty percent. But the quality of the Blood Tooth Rice must pass, and the quantity cannot be a single bit less." Han Li snorted, and after his expression shifted between light and shadow for a while, he finally said as if he had made up his mind.

"Haha, please rest assured, Fellow Daoist. This batch of Blood Tooth Rice is absolutely of the most top-tier variety, and not a single grain will be missing." The gray-robed person was overjoyed and replied with a loud laugh.

"I hope so. Let's begin the transaction." Han Li wore a noncommittal expression, shook his sleeve, and a black ring flew out from within, shooting straight toward the gray-robed person.

"You are truly quite trusting of me, Fellow Daoist, to actually take out the Demon Stones first." Seeing Han Li's action, the gray-robed person was slightly surprised, but his hand did not hesitate in the slightest; he grabbed the ring with one hand and swept his spiritual sense into it.

Han Li sneered but did not answer this question.

A moment later, the face beneath the gray-robed person's bamboo hat revealed a satisfied expression.

"It seems you truly are a person of great background, Fellow Daoist, to actually be able to take out so many Demon Stones at once. Since you are a person who keeps their word, I naturally will not break my promise. Brother Fang, show yourself; you can bring out all the Blood Tooth Rice." The gray-robed person put the ring away, clapped his hands with a 'pa' sound, and said with great joy.

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of green light appeared in the void higher up, and a faint green figure flashed out like a ghost.

One of this person's arms seemed to move. A sound of breaking air rang out!

A verdant green storage pouch shot out from his body, circled once, and flew steadily toward Han Li.

Seeing this, Han Li's expression changed slightly, but with a flick of his sleeve, he grabbed the ring that had flown before his eyes, placed it on his forehead, and began to check the contents inside as well.

Clearly, Han Li's inspection was much more careful than the gray-robed person's.

After a full meal's time, he finally relaxed his expression, retracted his arm, and said calmly to the gray-robed person:

"Although the price was a bit expensive, the goods are indeed quite good."

"That is only natural. I won't hide it from you, Fellow Daoist; mobilizing this batch of top-tier Blood Tooth Rice truly delayed our transactions with several other families. That is why I had no choice but to temporarily raise the price a bit." The gray-robed person said with a sharp laugh.

"Since the goods and money have been cleared, I will not linger any longer and will take my leave first." Han Li put away the verdant green ring and said with a cupped-fist salute.

Following that, a surge of azure light appeared on his body, and he transformed into a streak of azure radiance that tore through the air; with just a few flashes, he suddenly vanished at the edge of the horizon.

"To be able to move so easily under the suppression of the forbidden air. It seems this person's divine abilities are likely even greater than you and I originally anticipated!" After watching the sky for quite a while, the gray-robed person suddenly said.

The voice, originally sharp, suddenly became exceptionally deep!

"Since this person is not a target we can attack, we should naturally just treat it as a completed transaction. Speaking of which, the people who have come to the city to buy Blood Tooth Rice during this period seem to have cultivation bases that are mostly not weak. We haven't made many moves." The green figure in the high sky said coldly.

"Facing those people from large factions, the Progenitor Ancestor is also unwilling to offend them easily. The targets we can secretly attack can only be those small factions or nameless lone travelers. This person before us not only has a cultivation base that is not weak, but also openly purchased Alien Demon Gold upon entering the city; he should be a person from some not-so-small faction, so it is naturally inconvenient for us to truly offend him. Being able to knock out a few more Demon Stones can already be considered not returning empty-handed." The gray-robed person seemed to be very open-minded and said with a light laugh.

"In any case, this person's background is quite mysterious; the time is too short, and it's impossible to find out his true identity for the time being. And we have already received the summons from the Progenitor Ancestor and must leave the city immediately; it is not bad if we can avoid creating extra trouble." The green figure replied emotionlessly, and immediately, a flash of light appeared on his body, and he once again escaped into the void, disappearing without a trace.

"Not just 'not bad'! I have a premonition that if we truly were to fight that person, it might be the two of us who would end up regretting it." After watching the place where the green figure disappeared for a moment, the gray-robed person suddenly narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself in a voice so low it was almost inaudible. (To be continued)

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