The high-ranking beings in the vicinity felt their hearts tremble at the sound. After exchanging glances, most of them swiftly retreated, streaking away into the distance.
However, a small handful among the two races showed a flicker of hesitation, their expressions torn. Yet under the cold, piercing stares of the silver-haired elder and his companions, they had no choice but to leave — awkwardly shuffling off one after another.
"Hmph. These fellows actually intend to steal Tianyuan Qi from Fellow Daoist Han at a time like this. Truly blinded by greed." The silver-haired elder let out a cold snort through his nose as he watched the scene unfold.
"Can you blame them? Fellow Daoist Han has successfully advanced to the late stage of Integration. The heaven and earth yuan qi drawn by his reconstruction of his Primordial Spirit must contain the purest spiritual energy in this entire realm. If they could secretly absorb even a small portion of it, the benefits would be enormous." Zen Master Jinyue chuckled lightly in response.
"But doing so could potentially affect the outcome of Fellow Daoist Han's Primordial Spirit reconstruction. Though the impact would be negligible, I still don't want Fellow Daoist Han to harbor any displeasure toward us because of it." The silver-haired elder gazed toward the colossal phantom in the distance, speaking slowly, his eyes still filled with an extremely complex expression.
"That is true. These fellow daoists fail to consider that if Fellow Daoist Han were to suffer even the slightest mishap during this step of reconstructing his Primordial Spirit because of their meddling, how could he possibly let them off? But regardless, Fellow Daoist Han's successful advancement to the late stage of Integration is momentous news for our city. To this day, I still feel as though I'm trapped in a dream. I had some confidence in him, but I never truly expected him to weather such a terrifying heavenly tribulation so smoothly." Zen Master Jinyue let out a soft sigh as he replied.
"Fellow Daoist Han progressed from the early stage of Integration to the late stage in a mere few hundred years. Compared to that, I feel as though this old man has wasted his entire life. In the future, he may very well have a real chance of becoming another Mahayana cultivator for our race!" The silver-haired elder stroked his beard with one hand, his expression turning exceptionally solemn.
"Mm, with such astonishing talent, it is certainly not impossible. However, while advancing to the late stage of Integration is already a feat of extraordinary difficulty, it still cannot be compared to entering Mahayana. We can only say Fellow Daoist Han has a sliver of a chance." Zen Master Jinyue pondered for a moment before speaking with a grave expression.
"That is only natural. But even a sliver of a chance means the possibility of true immortality and ascension. How I wish we hadn't already lost that path, left only to wait for our final deadline in silence." The silver-haired elder's expression dimmed considerably.
"Why must Fellow Daoist Gu dwell on this so? Since ancient times, those among the entire human race who have advanced to Mahayana have been exceedingly few. That our generation has Senior Mo Jianli is already a great blessing." Zen Master Jinyue recited a soft Buddhist verse and replied.
"Heh heh. I never expected the master to show such an air of true enlightenment. Still, your words hold merit. Even after reaching Mahayana, there remains that final hurdle of ascension. I've heard that among the alien races, there are occasionally mighty cultivators who manage to ascend by sheer luck, but in the records of both our races, there has never been a precedent of any predecessor successfully ascending. Truly becoming an immortal and ascending — how could it be so easy?" The silver-haired elder glanced sidelong at the monk with a wry laugh.
"Among the documented predecessors of our two races who faced the ascension tribulation, nearly all of them vanished without a trace in the end, unwilling to let outsiders witness the moment of their tribulation. It's entirely possible that one or two of them did not perish under the heavenly tribulation, but instead ascended successfully." Zen Master Jinyue offered a somewhat hopeful remark.
"Perhaps. But whether it's true or not, this matter is of absolutely no use to our city's current situation. For now, we should leave as well. Otherwise, if Fellow Daoist Han were to misunderstand our intentions, that could spell trouble." The silver-haired elder shook his head dismissively, then swept his gaze once more toward the phantom in the distance, which had already swelled to three thousand zhang in size. A flash of shock crossed his eyes once more.
Zen Master Jinyue naturally had no objection. The two of them immediately rose into the air, transforming into two streaks of brilliant light that shot back into the distance.
The colossal phantom in the distance was still frantically gathering the heaven and earth yuan qi from its surroundings, the range of its pull growing ever wider, as if the very fabric of the world were a funnel that had drained nearly all the spiritual energy from Sky Harbor City.
In the end, the phantom swelled to a staggering five thousand zhang in height. Every inhabitant of the two races within Sky Harbor City could see the enormous apparition from afar, and the ensuing panic naturally manifested in a wide variety of ways.
It was not only the human and demon race members within the city who could clearly see the phantom formed from Han Li's Primordial Spirit. Some of the demon race fortresses and towering structures closer to the city could also make out vague glimpses of the scene from a distance, and could deeply feel the violent fluctuations of heaven and earth yuan qi emanating from Sky Harbor City.
Inside one of the tallest demon race towers, a slender youth in blood-red robes stood at the window, gazing in the direction of Sky Harbor City, the blood-colored light in his eyes flickering ceaselessly.
"This aura… That's right. Someone has advanced to the late stage of Integration. Hmph, this is somewhat troublesome. The aura is so enormous — this doesn't seem to be an ordinary late-stage Integration cultivator. It looks like for the upcoming general assault, I'll need to specifically assign someone to deal with this person." The youth narrowed his eyes after observing for a while and muttered to himself.
He was none other than the final Blood Light Sacred Ancestor avatar commanding the demon race army in the Spirit Realm.
"Blood Light, what's a mere late-stage Integration cultivator? If you trust me, just leave it to me to handle. Heh heh — you summoned me all the way here precisely because you wanted me to solve some of your headaches, didn't you!" From a stone chair not far from the window, a hulking man with one bare shoulder and a silver beast pelt wrapped around his waist gnawed noisily on the raw, blood-dripping hind leg of some beast, speaking with his mouth somewhat full.
The man's features were actually rather well-proportioned, but every muscle on his body bulged prominently, his bronze skin gleaming as though forged from tempered steel. He radiated a savage, predatory aura that made one's heart run cold.
"Hmm, I won't need Brother Xiong to handle this matter. I invited you here to deal with another, far more troublesome opponent. However, I'm not certain whether this person has already returned to Sky Harbor City. If he hasn't, then handing this late-stage Integration cultivator over to Brother Xiong would be perfectly fine." The blood-robed youth withdrew his gaze and turned back, speaking with a detached air.
Despite the big man possessing only a late-stage cultivation in Integration, Blood Light seemed to treat him with extraordinary wariness, conducting himself as though they were equals.
"Oh? This late-stage Integration cultivator who's clearly no ordinary figure — you don't even want me to deal with him. Could it be that the person you want me to handle is even more formidable than this one?" A sharp gleam flickered in the big man's eyes, a note of surprise in his voice.
"He should be even more troublesome than this newly advanced cultivator. I don't know the specifics, but I do know that my three great avatars hunted him down on two occasions. The first time, they returned empty-handed. The second time, they never came back at all — all three perished simultaneously for reasons I still cannot fathom." Blood Light furrowed his brow as he spoke.
"What — that actually happened? Now that you mention it, I do recall hearing from others recently that you seemed to have projected three avatars into this realm simultaneously. But for all three to be killed in this realm, even working together — how is that possible? The person you want me to fight… is this one of the Mahayana cultivators of the human or demon races?" The big man lost all interest in eating. He flung the half-gnawed beast leg to the ground and his expression turned grave.
"Heh heh. Rest easy, Brother Xiong. Even if I wanted you to face a Mahayana cultivator, it would only be after you yourself have advanced to Mahayana. The one I want you to handle is a mid-stage Integration human cultivator. This person's abilities are truly extraordinary — ordinary late-stage Integration cultivators are no match for him whatsoever. My three avatars most likely perished at his hands. Brother Xiong, known throughout our Sacred Race as the foremost Demon Venerable beneath the Sacred Ancestors, is the ideal candidate to deal with him." Blood Light Sacred Ancestor spoke in a measured, unhurried tone.
"Don't flatter me. If this person could really kill all three of your avatars simultaneously, then even if his strength falls short of mine, it certainly wouldn't be far behind. The compensation for my involvement must be doubled. Otherwise, I won't lift a finger." The big man rubbed his jaw with a thick palm, considered for a moment, and made his demand without the slightest hesitation.
"Done. But everything on this person's body must be handed over to me." Blood Light agreed instantly, without so much as a blink.
"It seems this human cultivator either carries a priceless treasure, or possesses something you desperately need. Otherwise, you'd never agree so readily. Very well — the original compensation was already generous, and doubling it means no matter what treasure it might be, I, Xiong, won't covet it. It's settled then. I'm rather curious to see what kind of abilities this human cultivator possesses, the one who managed to kill all three of your avatars. I have a feeling this fight might actually let me enjoy myself for once. I only hope the day comes soon." The big man clenched all ten fingers, producing a series of sharp cracking sounds, and bared his wide grin.
His exposed teeth gleamed white and bright, and in that instant, the man seemed to transform into a ravenous beast poised to tear apart its prey.
Faced with this reaction from the big man, Blood Light Sacred Ancestor appeared thoroughly satisfied. He nodded with a smile: "That is precisely why I trust Brother Xiong's reputation — and why I spared no expense to summon you from the Sacred Realm. The day our army launches its assault on Sky Harbor City is not far off. Take some time to rest first, replenish the yuan qi you expended breaking through the void to get here, so that you'll be prepared to face this formidable opponent."
"What's a bit of yuan qi expenditure? I, Xiong, need no rest at all. Since you have nothing else for me at the moment, I'll go look around on my own and see if there's anything to entertain myself with! We're in the Spirit Realm — surely you Sacred Ancestors won't bother restricting my hand again, now that we're in enemy territory." The big man's face darkened with a sudden surge of murderous intent.
"Naturally not. This is alien territory, after all — there will be no further restrictions. Brother Xiong, feel free to do as you please and enjoy yourself to the fullest." Blood Light's expression flickered for just an instant before he quickly covered it with a hearty laugh.
The big man let out a wild burst of laughter, rose to his feet in a single motion, and strode out the door without so much as a farewell, leaving the premises without another word.
Blood Light's eyes followed the big man to the corridor where he disappeared, and he shook his head. A look of unmistakable helplessness crept across his face.
(End of chapter)