"Although you once did Senior Brother Ling a great favor, some necessary questions must still be asked. These are extraordinary times; you should understand!" The yellow-faced cultivator stared straight at the direction where Ling Yuling had vanished for a long while before finally coming back to his senses. He looked Han Li up and down and spoke in a tone that was neither warm nor cold.
"Fellow Daoist, feel free to ask whatever you need." Han Li's expression remained unchanged, and he replied without the slightest hesitation.
"Very well. Let's start with your identity. I must verify if it's genuine." The yellow-faced cultivator nodded faintly, his tone indifferent.
Seeing this, Han Li gave a faint smile.
"This humble one is an elder of the Mysterious Sound Sect. This is my identity token. And this is the restriction token for my cave dwelling in the city. You should be able to recognize whether they are real or not." Han Li reached into his storage pouch, produced two different tokens, and calmly handed them over.
"Mysterious Sound Sect? Check if there is indeed an elder named Han in the Mysterious Sound Sect." The yellow-faced cultivator took the tokens without courtesy, barking the order without turning his head.
The female cultivator standing behind him, who was reasonably pleasant-looking, was slightly startled upon hearing this but immediately responded.
She then rummaged through her own storage pouch and finally produced a jade slip. After scanning it with her spiritual sense, she stared at Han Li for a few more moments before respectfully saying:
"Protector Zhao, the Mysterious Sound Sect does indeed have an elder surnamed Han. Moreover, his appearance matches the portrait exactly."
"Oh! These two tokens are also real. It appears his identity is genuine, then!" The yellow-faced cultivator, Protector Zhao, nodded with no particular expression upon hearing this.
"Alright, you four continue patrolling the area. I will take this Fellow Daoist to complete the entry procedures." Protector Zhao tossed the tokens back to Han Li and issued his instructions.
"Yes!" the four people behind him answered in unison.
Protector Zhao then said nothing more, gestured for Han Li to follow, and took the lead, flying toward Star City in a streak of light.
Han Li transformed into a green streak and followed closely behind.
Before long, Protector Zhao led Han Li to the vicinity of Star City's towering outer wall and hovered above one of the city gates.
Along the way, although no one else had come forward to question them, Han Li had released a sweep of his spiritual sense and discovered that there were at least four or five hidden groups of cultivators along the path. While Foundation Establishment cultivators were the majority, there were also two Core Formation cultivators concealed among them who did not reveal themselves.
Although Han Li's expression didn't change, a chill ran through his heart. It seemed that after the attack on South Bright Island, security had indeed become extremely tight.
If not for someone vouching for him and leading the way, slipping into Star City probably wouldn't have been an easy task at all.
This particular city gate looked somewhat deserted. Besides a dozen or so white-robed cultivators, there was no one else entering or exiting.
As they drew closer, Han Li also noticed that the high wall and the gate itself now shimmered with a pale white light, as if some form of restriction had been activated.
As soon as Protector Zhao landed, he went without hesitation toward the sole figure sitting amongst the white-robed cultivators—an old man.
The elder had a short goatee, his face was covered in wrinkles, and he was reclining in a bamboo chair, resting with his eyes closed.
"Protector Yu! This is Elder Han of the Mysterious Sound Sect. I have already verified his identity and tokens; there are no issues. I will trouble Protector Yu to explain the procedures for entering the city now. I must continue my patrol of the perimeter, so I cannot stay longer." He clasped his fists toward the old man, speaking with considerable respect.
Han Li's gaze flickered over the old man, and a touch more wariness arose in his heart.
This person was actually a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator. No wonder Protector Zhao didn't dare to offend him.
"The Mysterious Sound Sect?"
The old man's eyelids moved, slowly opening, as if he wasn't quite awake yet.
"Yes. And this Fellow Daoist once intervened to assist Senior Brother Ling on the road." After a moment's hesitation, Protector Zhao reluctantly added another sentence.