"Is that so? This is the first time I've heard of such a thing." Han Li's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.
"It's not strange that Brother Han doesn't know. Apart from those old monsters on Holy Island, fewer than a dozen people outside are aware of this matter. That includes the Three Sovereigns, myself, and Old Monster Long." The feather-robed young girl giggled and replied.
"But what exactly is Fairy's purpose in telling me this?" Han Li murmured for a moment before asking.
"Nothing, really. Since Brother Han has appeared here, you must already know about the descent of the three great Devil Ancestors. Haven't you considered what you would do to protect your clansmen and disciples in the event that our two races suffer a catastrophic defeat?" The young girl's eyes rolled about as she said this with a cheerful smile.
"Heh heh, aside from a few disciples, I haven't established any sect, nor do I have any clansmen I need to worry about." Han Li's gaze flickered, and he chuckled.
"But I've heard that some of your disciples have already taken in quite a few followers of their own?" The young girl asked, sounding somewhat surprised.
"Oh, that's merely a small sect one of my disciples founded on his own. I've never interfered in it in the slightest — whether it thrives or perishes depends on their own fortune." Han Li replied with a faint smile.
"I see. Then I was being a bit meddlesome just now." The young girl paused for a moment in a daze, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"Does Fairy Ye truly have so little confidence in our final battle against the Devils? Though the Devil Ancestors are fearsome, if all our Mahayana cultivators join forces, it's not necessarily the case that we cannot contend with them. Besides, the three great Devil Ancestors may carry great renown, but who has ever laid eyes on them? Perhaps their actual powers have been somewhat exaggerated." At this point, Han Li posed a counter-question.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say I have no confidence at all. But the terror of the three great Devil Ancestors far exceeds that of ordinary Devil Sovereigns — of that, there is absolutely no doubt." The young girl shook her head upon hearing this, her expression clouding with worry.
"Oh? If Fairy is so certain, she must know something." Han Li felt a chill in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged as he asked.
"To tell the truth, Brother Han once saved the life of that girl of ours, and you could say you have some friendship with the Ye family. In that case, I won't conceal this from you. How much do you know about our Ye family's ancestors?" The young girl pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly with a grave expression.
"Oh, I only know that the Ye family is one of the True Spirit families passed down from ancient times. Beyond that, I don't really know much." Han Li rubbed his chin and replied.
"Setting aside the founding ancestor of our Ye family, many of our subsequent ancestors also reached the Mahayana stage. One particular ancestor, after advancing to Mahayana, managed to stimulate the spirit blood within his body to an unprecedented degree. His powers were immense, to say the least, and he even infiltrated the Devil World on several occasions."
Han Li narrowed his eyes thoughtfully upon hearing this, but said nothing, simply listening quietly.
The young girl paused briefly, then continued without hesitation: "My ancestor's powers need no further description — it is said that he secretly battled Mahayana cultivators from neighboring alien races and was never once defeated. However, in order to take the final step forward, he had no choice but to risk entering the Devil World to search for several rare spirit medicines. The first few trips went relatively smoothly, but on the last one, he never returned. His whereabouts have been unknown ever since. He most likely encountered some extraordinary danger and perished within. However, before he departed the clan, he left behind a secret scripture that recorded a great deal of information about the Devil World. Among its contents was an account of how he personally witnessed one of the three great Devil Ancestors engaged in a fierce battle with a True Spirit. According to our Ye family ancestor, he considered himself no inferior to any human Mahayana cultivator of his era, yet he was absolutely certain he could not last more than seven or eight exchanges against that Devil Ancestor. If discovered, his odds of escaping with his life were no better than half. And while Ao Xiao and Lord Mo Jianli are certainly unfathomably powerful, they could not possibly surpass our Ye family ancestor by much. If they were to face a Devil Ancestor directly..."
The young girl's voice dropped as she trailed off. Though she left the sentence unfinished, the implication was clear — she had little confidence in how the two races' Mahayana cultivators would fare against a Devil Ancestor.
"Even if the Devil Ancestors are truly that powerful, we don't necessarily need to face them in direct combat. As beings from another realm who have broken through to the Spirit World, their cultivation would certainly be suppressed and met with resistance. The Spirit World is, after all, our home ground. I imagine that Holy Island, Lord Mo Jianli, and the others must have devised some other countermeasure. Otherwise, what would be the point of fighting? The moment news of the Devil Ancestors' descent arrived, we would have arranged for the entire race to flee." After hearing all this, Han Li's expression turned somber, and he spoke slowly while his thoughts raced.
"That's what I thought as well. Otherwise, I would have already led the Ye family away. However, if some of our members can gain Holy Island's protection, then even if our two races suffer a devastating defeat, at least the Ye family line won't be severed." The young girl said this quite frankly.
"In that case, Fairy Ye should go directly to Holy Island and negotiate with them. Why tell me all this?" Han Li was genuinely puzzled.
"It seems Fellow Daoist still doesn't know his own value to his race!" The young girl said with a light laugh.
"What does Fairy mean by that?" Han Li was taken aback.
"Sigh. Even without this Devil calamity, how much longer do you think Lord Mo Jianli and Senior Ao Xiao can protect our two races? One of them most likely cannot survive the next Great Heavenly Tribulation, and the other has been at the Mahayana stage for a long time and probably can't endure many more. And apart from these two seniors, we have no third Mahayana cultivator among us. Among the remaining Body Integration cultivators, who among them has any hope of advancing to Mahayana? Among the demon race, I haven't heard of any Body Integration demon king with exceptional talent, and among the human race, the former Holy Emperor and Tyrant Emperor each had a sliver of a chance, but compared to Fellow Daoist's heaven-defying talent, they're simply not in the same league. If I'm not mistaken, the moment our two races show even a slight sign of defeat in battle, the first thing Holy Island would do is invite you to take up residence there. That way, even if we lose our current territories, as long as a Mahayana cultivator eventually emerges among us, we can rise again in some other region years from now." The young girl said with a soft sigh.
"Fairy's words are somewhat exaggerated. But even so, the implication behind Fairy Ye's words is..." Han Li's expression shifted between light and shadow for a moment before he asked, a vague premonition forming in his mind.
"I have several juniors who carry the purest Heavenly Phoenix bloodline of the Ye family. I would like to ask Fellow Daoist to take them as disciples, and then, before the great battle, send them along with your other disciples to Holy Island. If Brother Han is willing to agree to this, I am willing to follow your lead in all matters during our subsequent journey to the Devil World." The young girl's expression turned solemn at once.
"Take them as disciples? Surely Fairy Ye is jesting!" Han Li furrowed his brow and instinctively shook his head repeatedly.
"I am most certainly not joking. I can guarantee that every one of these Ye family disciples possesses talent that far exceeds what is considered extraordinary. After joining your sect, they would only need a bit of guidance — they would absolutely be no burden to Brother Han." The young girl said with utmost seriousness.
"But I have no intention of taking on any more disciples. Fairy merely wishes for some Ye family members to enter Holy Island — why go to such lengths? If Fairy truly believes my words carry some weight with Holy Island, I wouldn't mind writing a letter to the Elders there, requesting that my disciples and your clansmen be arranged to go to Holy Island before the battle. Whether it will actually succeed, however, is hard to say. As for following my lead, there is no need. I trust that Fairy Ye will make her own wise choices when the time comes." Han Li let out an amused laugh, then added with significant meaning.
"Since Brother Han has said so, then let it be as you suggest. I was merely taking precautions in case of the worst. It seems my juniors simply don't have the fortune to become your disciples. As for my earlier words about following your lead — since I've said them, I will certainly keep my promise. Fellow Daoist can rest assured. In truth, even without my earlier request, I had planned to follow behind you on this journey." A glint of cunning flashed through the young girl's eyes.
"Oh? Is Fairy truly so trusting of me? After all, this expedition should be led primarily by Fellow Daoist Long." Han Li rubbed his chin, a trace of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"Hmph. The Long family has schemed against our Ye family more times than I can count. I don't trust that old monster of the Long family very much. My decision is half for the sake of those younger generations and half because I want to join forces with you for mutual protection after entering the Devil World. Who knows what secret schemes Old Monster Long and those Spirit Race people might be plotting by then? I have no intention of being used as cannon fodder." The young girl snorted coldly and answered without a moment's hesitation.
"So that's how Fairy Ye sees it. That's perfectly reasonable. Very well — I'll inscribe a message jade slip for you right now. I trust you have a way to deliver it to your clansmen, and then have your family's young ones bring it along with one of my tokens to find my disciples at Heavenly Mystery City. This expedition into the Devil World could last anywhere from several years to several decades. When we come out, we may very well be unable to make it back in time for the battle against the Devils." Han Li offered no further commentary. With a flip of his palm, a flash of spiritual light appeared and a jade slip materialized in his hand.
"I thank Brother Han most sincerely." The young girl's face broke into a delighted smile upon hearing this.
Han Li smiled faintly, said nothing more, and began threading wisps of his spiritual sense into the jade slip. A brilliant green glow erupted from his hand.
(End of chapter)