Chapter 933

After a meal's time, Han Li's figure appeared atop a low hill. WM. com

He gazed afar at the massive, faintly visible city gate and the bustling carriages and pedestrians before it, his expression as dark as water.

"Forget it. Since you now know this demon truly resides in Da Jin, that's already an unexpected gain. You'll have chances to reclaim your flying sword, but now is not the right moment. Your cultivation hasn't fully recovered, and the Three Flame Fan hasn't been forged yet. Even if this demon was severely wounded before, given his brutal demonic art of absorbing souls and swallowing pills, he's likely restored seven or eight tenths of his strength by now. Facing him now, your odds of victory are slim." In Han Li's spiritual sense, the Great Expansion Spirit Lord calmly transmitted his voice.

"You're right, Elder. Even if I caught up to him now, my chance of reclaiming the sword is no more than one or two in ten. This ancient demon is simply too powerful. Earlier, I only wanted to retrieve the flying sword to activate the Great Geng Sword Array, so I grew impatient. It seems I must wait until your golems and that fan are forged before attempting to confront him again. But this demon seems to have urgent business—he flew so fast that he never noticed our presence. Yet clearly, he cannot handle the two Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords. He can't subdue them, nor can he bring himself to abandon them. Made primarily from ten-thousand-year Golden Thunder Bamboo, mixed with refined crystal and Geng Jing, these two flying swords are truly unmatched by ordinary magic treasures. Moreover, to destroy them, one would have to expend vast primordial energy, slowly refining them with demonic fire. This demon would never do such a pointless, exhausting thing." Han Li sneered.

"That's true. But come to think of it, if you truly devoted yourself to refining these dozens of flying swords with your Nascent Soul fire for four or five hundred years each, and then formed them into a sword array, their power could be terrifying—perhaps even rivaling a Spirit Treasure." The Great Expansion Spirit Lord sighed, his tone tinged with nostalgia. In his own prime, he had never dared dream of using such rare materials to forge his core magic treasure.

"Hmm, perhaps. But I won't spend half my lifespan solely refining magic treasures." Han Li gave a bitter laugh.

"Hah! You're far more prudent than this old man was. Had I possessed even half your caution back then, I'd have entered Soul Transformation long ago. This demon appearing in Jinjing now? Nine times out of ten, he'll attend the auction. Han boy, stay alert—don't let him recognize you."

"Thank you for your concern, Elder. I'll be careful. I originally planned to use General Zhu Nan's influence to learn the auction's details, but now I'll have to inquire myself. If I recall correctly, Jinjing has a tavern owned by the Feng family—I'll go there first. Better than staying at an inn and drawing unwanted attention." Han Li muttered softly, straightened his robes, and strode down the hill with bold steps toward the distant massive city gate.

Though ordinary mortals and low-level cultivators boasted endlessly about Jinjing's beauty, grandeur, and uniqueness—as if it were peerless—in Han Li's eyes, this city paled by many degrees compared to the Star City of the Chaos Star Sea. That was the first true metropolis he had ever seen.

Yet Jinjing had its own unique marvels. Aside from its outermost wall, from outside to inside, every li, six additional massive walls were built, each rising five or six zhang higher than the last. The final, innermost stone wall reached over forty zhang in height—constructed entirely by mortal hands, a truly astonishing feat.

Besides its many walls, Jinjing was divided into thirteen major districts. The imperial palace in the north alone spanned dozens of li, and the other districts were no smaller—each equally vast. Yet compared to the Star City, Jinjing's streets and buildings were densely packed like countless hairs. Han Li spent half a day just walking through two districts after passing through the city gate.

This sluggish pace, so foreign to him after years of swift travel, made him frown inwardly.

Now, Han Li glanced at the two-story tavern before him, kept his expression unreadable, and turned his hands behind his back as he stepped inside.

The tavern's business was still brisk; most tables were occupied.

After a casual glance, Han Li headed straight for the counter. A thin, middle-aged man, dressed as the shopkeeper, stood there.

Han Li approached without preamble, shifted his body slightly to block the view of others, swept his sleeve, and silently placed a jade pendant on the counter. The pendant's front faced upward, clearly engraved with the characters "Guan Ning Feng."

The shopkeeper's face changed slightly upon seeing the pendant. He studied Han Li once, then calmly picked up the jade and examined it closely.

Moments later, he suddenly tucked the pendant away and lowered his voice:

"Follow me."

The shopkeeper turned and slipped through a side door on the tavern's first floor, unseen by the other patrons.

Han Li followed him inside.

"So the eldest young master has arrived. Servant Feng Quan bows before you." As soon as they entered a quiet room, the shopkeeper returned the jade pendant with both hands and spoke respectfully.

Clearly, he mistook Han Li for Feng Yue, who had died from poison.

"Find me a lodging where no one will disturb me—not in this tavern, preferably far from any other people. Only you must know I'm here. No one else in this tavern must find out." Han Li gave cold, direct orders.

"Yes, I'll arrange your lodging immediately. Please rest here for a moment—it will take only half a day." The Feng shopkeeper replied without hesitation, showing clear competence.

"Good. Hurry back." Han Li nodded, satisfied.

The Feng shopkeeper backed out of the room, carefully closed the door, and hurried away.

Han Li pulled over a chair, sat down, and closed his eyes to meditate.

After some time, Han Li's expression shifted—he opened his eyes as footsteps sounded again outside the door.

Moments later, the Feng shopkeeper entered, beaming.

"Master, the place is ready. The owner is an old acquaintance—he moved his entire family away, leaving the house empty. They won't return for at least a year or two. I've made minor adjustments to it. You can move in right away."

"Hmm. Well done. Lead the way." Han Li praised briefly.

"Thank you for your kind words, Master. Please follow me." The Feng shopkeeper stepped ahead; Han Li followed him out of the room.

Exiting through the back door, a half-new two-wheeled carriage waited at the entrance. A slightly hunched old man sat on the driver's seat.

"You've thought of everything—even arranged a carriage. But didn't I say not to mention me to anyone in the tavern? Who is this man?" Han Li glanced at the carriage, then studied the old driver with white hair and beard, narrowing his eyes.

"Your Highness, this old man Wu is deaf—he hears no sound and won't speak out of turn. And the residence is quite far from here; we must use the carriage." The Feng shopkeeper replied respectfully.

"I see. Very well." Han Li frowned slightly, hesitated a moment, then stepped into the carriage.

The Feng shopkeeper climbed in after him.

Without waiting for instruction, the old driver tugged the reins, and the carriage began to move slowly forward.

Han Li sat cross-legged inside, expressionless, closing his eyes again. The Feng shopkeeper remained in one corner of the carriage, head bowed, silent.

The carriage moved slowly, passing through more than a dozen narrow and wide streets before suddenly turning toward another district.

An hour later, the carriage halted before a secluded courtyard. No other homes surrounded it—it stood alone, appearing desolate.

Han Li and the Feng shopkeeper stepped down, one after the other.

"Here it is, Master! I'll go ahead and check if the servants have prepared the house for you." The Feng shopkeeper smiled, stepped forward, and reached for the gate.

But at that moment, Han Li's calm voice came from behind:

"You plan to rush into the front formation first, then let the three inside capture me, don't you?"

The Feng shopkeeper froze in shock. Without thinking, he lunged forward and shoved the courtyard gate with both hands, desperate to enter the nearby yard.

But suddenly, a red thread appeared mysteriously behind his head, flashed once, and pierced through. Instantly, flames erupted from his body, and in an instant, he vanished into nothing.

The hunched old man on the carriage, seeing Han Li's action, roared without hesitation: "Attack!"

He raised his hand, and a greenish flying knife shot forth as a brilliant emerald light. Simultaneously, thick yellow mist suddenly erupted from the silent courtyard, spreading everywhere, then three weapons shot out: a black flying fork and two crimson long spears—all striking Han Li at once.

Han Li sneered, flicked one sleeve lightly toward the incoming emerald streak.

A swath of blue mist burst from his sleeve, engulfing the knife's light, swirling once, then retracting back into his sleeve.

His other arm casually reached out into the air toward the three approaching magic tools. A pale blue hand of light appeared mysteriously, flashed like lightning, and seized the fork and spears, pinning them motionless.

The cultivators in the yellow mist cried out in shock. The hunched old man turned pale as death.

The opponent had effortlessly seized their magic tools—what did that mean? He knew all too well.

Without hesitation, the old man flipped his palm, revealing a faintly blood-red talisman. He gritted his teeth and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto it. The talisman flew from his hand, transforming into a blood cloud that enveloped him, then shot through the air, carrying him to a height of over ten zhang in an instant.

The cultivators in the yellow mist reacted just as swiftly. Three colored light orbs shot out from within, then scattered in all directions, fleeing in panic.

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