"Dealing with an existence on the same cultivation level is no simple matter. I'll need to give this some serious thought." Daoist Sanquan's brow was tightly furrowed, and he gave his reply after a long pause, his expression grave.
"That's only natural. Very well, I, Huang, will wait here for you a few days. If you're willing to leave the mountains and lend me a hand within three days, we'll set out together. If not, I'll go find Fellow Daoist Chouyuan of Blood Resentment Abyss. His Marrow-Extracting Grand Art is remarkably effective against beings of the same level." Huang Yuanzi's expression remained unchanged as he spoke.
"Very well. In three days, I'll give you my answer." Daoist Sanquan nodded calmly. After forming a hand seal, his figure blurred and vanished from above the grassland.
Huang Yuanzi let out a low chuckle, gave his wide sleeve a shake, and something flew out from within.
A tremendous boom rang out.
Golden light filled the grassland in every direction as a resplendent, golden-robed palace materialized out of thin air.
Several beautiful women dressed in courtly robes walked out through the palace gates, bowing in unison to Huang Yuanzi and repeatedly calling out "Master."
Huang Yuanzi smiled faintly and strode into the palace with an air of great self-importance. ……
On another part of the map near the Flying Spirit Race, a massive black vessel was hurtling through the sky at tremendous speed.
On both the fore and aft decks of the great ship, over a dozen powerful demon-crystal puppet warriors stood guard.
Whenever some foolish sea beast leapt out of the water, several of the puppets would immediately raise their arms, unleashing dense volleys of light beams.
These sea beasts that dared to block the path were instantly riddled with holes and dissipated into nothingness.
On the uppermost level of the vessel, in an elegantly appointed hall, Han Li sat in a pale silver chair with his eyes gently closed, lost in thought.
Ancestor Shi and Zhu Guo'er stood respectfully behind the chair.
Though the Mo Spirit Sacred Ship carried them on their way, and this was not Han Li's first journey into the Wilderness, more than two years had passed since their departure from Endless Sky Island.
In another chair near Han Li sat a cold, white-robed woman. Her eyes held a faint reddish tint, and between her brows a strange crimson rune flickered in and out of sight.
"Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit, we'll be entering the Flying Spirit Race's territory not far ahead. The Wind Source Continent is so vast — this must be your first time here." Han Li turned his head toward the woman in the chair and smiled as he spoke.
The white-robed woman was none other than Blood Spirit, the blood-spirit avatar of Ice Spirit Fairy.
Two years earlier, after departing the Endless Sky Sea, Han Li had not entered the Wilderness immediately. Instead, he had first traveled to the Xu family to retrieve this woman.
Hearing Han Li's question, she immediately rose and bowed, replying with a measure of deference: "Senior Han, this junior has indeed never had any contact with the Flying Spirit Race. However, I have heard that this race possesses several supernatural abilities related to the ancient True Spirits, and they are quite renowned for it."
"The Flying Spirit Race's territory was one of the places I traveled through in the past. I have an old friend living in seclusion and cultivating here, so naturally I intend to pay a visit while passing through. But that matter you mentioned about the intercontinental teleportation slots — is it truly reliable? I'd rather not have us travel all that way only to end up disappointed."
"Don't worry, Senior. The Helian Merchant Alliance is one of the few covert organizations in the Spirit Realm that spans three continents. Even compared to superpowers like the Chi Di or other great clans, it's no weaker — which is precisely why it possesses intercontinental teleportation formations. For certain special reasons, the Alliance holds auctions for cross-continental teleportation slots every so many years. Back when my original body happened to qualify as a VIP of the Alliance and gained the right to participate in these auctions, that was the only way I learned of their existence. This year marks the next scheduled auction. The following one could be decades away — perhaps even two or three hundred years. So there will be no shortage of powerful cultivators from various races eager to attend." Blood Spirit explained in detail.
"I know a thing or two about the Helian Merchant Alliance now as well. But had I known about this auction back then, my return from the Thunder Continent might not have been nearly so troublesome. Then again, with my standing at the time, I probably wouldn't have been eligible to deal with the Alliance anyway." Han Li chuckled softly.
"Exactly so. An auction offering cross-continental teleportation slots is a matter of tremendous significance even for the Alliance itself. To participate, an outsider needs either a recommendation from an existing member or a certain level of status within their own race. Alternatively, anyone with Integration Stage cultivation or above may attend unconditionally. Given Senior Han's current standing, the people running this auction would likely consider it a blessing rather than a burden." Blood Spirit smiled sweetly.
"Let's hope it goes smoothly. Also, now that we're this far along, I won't hide it from you — while you're accompanying me this time because of our earlier agreement, once we teleport to the Thunder Continent, we won't be able to continue onward immediately. We'll need to stay on that continent for a time, as I have something to find. I hope Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit will understand."
"I've already waited this long — what's a little longer? Please go ahead and take care of your business first, Senior. This junior has no objections whatsoever." Blood Spirit replied without hesitation.