With Han Li's current strength, having already advanced to the Mahayana stage, he believed there was virtually no trouble among humanity that he could not handle. His earlier question had therefore been casual in tone, as though the matter weighed on him not at all.
"Brother Han, since you are already seated here, I, Gu, will naturally lay everything out plainly. Fellow Daoist Du, now that Fellow Daoist Han has returned to the city, there should be no objection if I brief him on the relevant matters. After all, this concerns one of his disciples." The silver-haired elder gave a light cough and spoke solemnly to both Han Li and the white-robed young man in turn.
"One of my disciples?"
"Of course there's no objection!"
Du Yu's mind raced, but he agreed without hesitation.
"Indeed, this matter does involve one of Fellow Daoist Han's subordinates. Brother Han, do you have among your disciples one who possesses what is commonly known as a Hidden Thunder Root?" The silver-haired elder dropped all further hesitation and asked Han Li directly.
"The one you're speaking of is my disciple, Hai Yuetian. Yes, he does possess a Hidden Thunder Root. However, I have never disclosed this to outsiders before. How did you all learn of it?" Han Li's expression shifted subtly, and he shot back a question of his own.
"Er… it seems this disciple of yours let it slip inadvertently while drunk at a gathering." Jin Yue, the Chan master at his side, gave a light cough and answered before the elder could respond.
"So that's how it is. I've always known this disciple of mine to be rather careless and slipshod — something like this happening isn't the least bit surprising. Brother Gu, do continue." Han Li sighed, sounding somewhat helpless.
The silver-haired elder gave an awkward laugh upon hearing this, then rallied his energy and went on: "As for the peculiar properties of a Hidden Thunder Root cultivator, I expect Fellow Daoist Han understands better than we do. The matter reached the ears of several elders on Holy Island, and a few days ago they sent a formal invitation to our city, requesting that Brother Han's disciple visit Holy Island, to make use of his Hidden Thunder Root in some capacity. As for the specific details that follow, it would be inappropriate for me to go into further explanation — I shall leave it to Fellow Daoist Du to elaborate."
The silver-haired elder had said only half of what needed saying before pushing the rest onto the white-robed young man.
Silver Light Fairy and the other Heavenly Origin City elders saw this and inwardly praised it as a deft move.
If the silver-haired elder had laid out everything himself, the people from Holy Island might not have said anything to his face at present, but they would almost certainly have harbored resentment afterward.
Now, by ceding the remainder of the explanation to Du Yu, even if nothing changed in the end, they would at least have done Holy Island a small favor — making it harder for them to blame the city elders afterward.
Du Yu's gaze flickered at those words. He seemed to see through Elder Gu's goodwill gesture in an instant, but nodded immediately and said: "Since Brother Gu has put it that way, then I shall explain the rest. This disciple of yours, Brother Han — his Hidden Thunder Root is of extraordinary importance to our entire race at present. Our human and demon races have only two Mahayana seniors remaining: Lord Mo Jianli and Lord Ao Xiao. There is no third Mahayana existence. And both of their remaining lifespans are limited; they cannot serve as our two races' pillars of support for much longer."
At this point, Du Yu paused briefly.
Every cultivator present heard this, and their expressions turned grave.
"Once we are without a Mahayana-stage existence, the standing of our human and demon races in the Spirit Realm can well be imagined. For that reason, Holy Island — apart from its single-minded efforts to recover the losses our two races suffered from the Devilish Tribulation — has been devoting even greater energy to producing another Mahayana cultivator for our races. Whether human or demon, if even one more Mahayana emerges, then though we still would not be comparable to the great races, the safety of our peoples for the next several tens of thousands of years would be assured. Accordingly, the elders of Holy Island have deliberated and resolved to pool all available resources at once, enabling several cultivators from both races who have already reached the late-stage Integration realm at its peak to simultaneously attempt their breakthrough to the Mahayana bottleneck. The conscription of Fellow Daoist Han's disciple is therefore a measure born of last resort. I, Du, earnestly hope that Fellow Daoist Han will consider the greater situation and allow this disciple to visit our Holy Island."
Du Yu was clearly well aware that the greatest obstacle to his mission had become Han Li himself, so he made no mention whatsoever of the Heavenly Origin City Elder Council or anyone else — appearing to focus all his efforts on persuading Han Li.
"So Holy Island sent the three of you here, and it was all for this one small disciple of mine?" Han Li's face darkened, and his voice turned cold.
Anyone could hear the displeasure in his words.