The masked woman was also staring at Han Li, her gaze not retreating in the slightest, though her thoughts churned with uncertainty.
An opponent she had believed would be easily subdued had suddenly become far more powerful than she had anticipated. This startled her, and naturally, she hesitated.
Although she believed herself to have the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light and the Yuan Magnetic Mountain as her trump cards, and figured that if a fight broke out she would have at least a seventy percent chance of victory, the idea of capturing or killing her opponent single-handedly as she had originally planned was clearly no longer feasible.
And if she tried anyway and the opponent escaped, he would undoubtedly become the Star Palace's greatest enemy. Even as one of the Heavenly Star Twin Saints, she dared not act rashly.
Neither Han Li nor the masked woman spoke again. The entire Grand Void Hall fell into a heavy silence, the atmosphere so oppressive it felt suffocating.
Suddenly, Han Li's expression darkened. He raised one hand and made a casual grasping motion toward one side.
A green, misty spectral hand materialized out of thin air and snatched downward like lightning, pulling a streak of fire from the void and imprisoning it firmly within its grip.
Seeing this, the masked woman's delicate brows twitched, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.
"Fellow Daoist, you really shouldn't casually send out voice transmission talismans. I have no interest in facing a pincer attack from two cultivators of the same rank. As far as I know, I have never given offense to the Star Palace. Fellow Daoist, as the master of the Star Palace, why such hostility toward me?" Han Li said coldly, as the green spectral hand surged with a layer of emerald flame, reducing the trapped streak of fire to nothing in the blink of an eye.
"Han, you've misunderstood. I have no intention of making things difficult for you. I was merely expressing my heartfelt gratitude for the help you once gave my daughter," the masked woman said after a moment's silence, then suddenly smiled. The oppressive atmosphere in the hall seemed to ease the instant those words left her lips.
"Your daughter? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Ling is..." Han Li was taken aback, and a look of understanding flickered across his face. His tone softened as well.
Though he knew perfectly well that her earlier aggressive posture had nothing to do with expressing gratitude, he was happy to take the offered way out.
Han Li also felt that dealing with a single Late Nascent Soul cultivator was not much of a problem. After all, it was not as if Late Nascent Soul cultivators had not already fallen to his hand in the past. Now that he had advanced to the Late stage himself, his abilities were incomparable to before.
But at the same time, he had no interest in making enemies everywhere. Moreover, he was currently inside Star City, and the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was so renowned that it warranted a measure of caution.
"You've already guessed it. Yuling is the child of my husband and me. Years ago, had you not stepped in to help, she would have fallen victim to some villain's schemes. My husband and I have always been deeply grateful to you," the masked woman said gently.
"Fellow Daoist Ling possesses such exceptional talent, and now I learn she is the daughter of the Twin Saints. No wonder!" Han Li said with a faint smile.
"You flatter me, Brother Han. In terms of cultivation aptitude, Fellow Daoist advanced from Core Formation to Late Nascent Soul in fewer than two hundred years. Even if one cannot say it is entirely without precedent, there have been precious few cultivators in the Human World who have progressed so quickly from ancient times to the present. How could Yuling possibly compare to you?" the masked woman replied with a charming laugh, shaking her head.
She was still somewhat unsettled by how rapidly Han Li had advanced to the Late Nascent Soul stage and could not resist probing him.
Han Li heard the probing remark and responded with an indifferent smile, with no intention of continuing the conversation here:
"I have long heard of the Twin Saints' great reputation and would have liked to chat at length with you, but I have important matters to attend to and cannot stay here long. I need to make use of your palace's teleportation formation — surely you have no objection?"
As he spoke, he glanced toward the teleportation formation with its restrictions removed, then looked at the masked woman and spoke slowly.
"That's a trivial matter — no problem at all! I have here a Guest Elder token from our palace. If Fellow Daoist doesn't find it beneath him, please take it and use it. I know that with your standing, you would never lightly become a guest elder of any faction. Consider this token something my husband and I are lending you for the time being. With this token in hand, you may call upon all of our palace's personnel and resources throughout the Outer Sea. Consider this a small token of our regard," the masked woman agreed readily. She turned her palm and drew a glittering golden token from her waist, tossing it toward Han Li.
Though a flicker of surprise crossed his face, Han Li instinctively caught the golden token in one hand, drawing it to him through the air, and examined it:
"Such generosity from Fellow Daoist — I won't stand on ceremony." After a moment's hesitation, he accepted the token and placed it in his storage pouch.
Seeing that Han Li had not refused the Guest Elder token, a hint of delight flickered through the masked woman's beautiful eyes, and she seized the opportunity to add with a smile:
"When Fellow Daoist returns from the Outer Sea, my husband and I would like to formally invite you to our cultivation retreat for a friendly exchange of insights on breaking through to the Deity Transformation stage. Would that interest you, Han?"
"Insights on breaking through to Deity Transformation? I only recently advanced to the Late stage. Though I would very much like to seek guidance from fellow cultivators of my rank, my priority right now is consolidating my current realm. However, if I truly have the time, I will make a point of paying you both a visit," Han Li replied after a brief pause, an apologetic expression on his face.
Late Nascent Soul cultivators in the Human World were exceedingly rare, and exchanging insights with one's peers was indeed a rare opportunity. But he was even less inclined to place himself conspicuously in a dangerous situation. Though he was confident he could handle several Late-stage cultivators simultaneously, that did not mean there was nothing else in the Human World that could threaten him apart from Deity Transformation cultivators.
If he were careless enough to become trapped in an ancient restriction or some particularly formidable large-scale formation, and a fellow-rank cultivator seized the chance to attack him simultaneously, the outcome could be quite dire.