"Please rest assured, Brother Long. As long as the Zhao Family doesn't have a Demon Lord presiding over them, we won't need to reveal our Body Integration stage powers. We'll grab the Demon Lizard and leave immediately — no unnecessary business." The Saintess of the Thousand Autumns smiled gracefully, her reply brimming with confidence.
Han Li and the feather-robed young woman had no objections to this either.
The Long Family Patriarch nodded upon seeing this.
With that settled, the group began meticulously discussing the details of their operation, pinning down every step of the plan they intended to carry out.
Several hours later, the Long Family Patriarch, Han Li, and the others departed from the cave dwelling and returned separately to Profound Night City.
Over the next two months, Han Li remained in the pavilion, cultivating quietly and waiting for the appointed time to arrive.
During this period, he received several message transmissions from the Long Family Patriarch, and everything seemed to be proceeding exceptionally smoothly.
The Long Family Patriarch had not only managed to genuinely stir the Zhao Family's malicious intentions, but through his carefully laid arrangements, had even goaded two of the Zhao Family's Demon Lords into deciding to act personally.
Yet throughout this time, the Long Family Patriarch had remained in Profound Night City the entire period, never giving the Zhao Family the slightest opportunity to strike.
One day, while Han Li was meditating in the pavilion, a low hum suddenly came from his waist. A ball of white light flew out, flickered, and transformed into a dozen or so hazy white characters that unfurled before his eyes.
Han Li's gaze swept over the characters, a faint smile crossing his face. He then rose and headed downstairs.
When he reached the ground-floor hall of the pavilion, Zhu Guo'er was sitting obediently on a chair near the entrance, chin resting on one hand in a daze.
The moment she saw Han Li descending from above, the girl immediately snapped to her senses and hurried over in a fluster to greet him.
"You won't need to stay here this time. Come with me," Han Li said blandly, then strode toward the front door without waiting for a response.
Zhu Guo'er was first taken aback, but delight quickly bloomed across her face. She hurriedly agreed and hastened to follow behind Han Li.
After all, even though Han Li had never mistreated her during this time, being confined to the small pavilion had left her feeling stifled to the extreme — it was practically like being in prison. Now that she could leave and go out with him, her heart naturally swelled with joy.
Once they had left the pavilion, Han Li took Zhu Guo'er on a beast-drawn carriage out of Profound Night City.
The moment they passed through the city gates, Han Li's light-escaping arts erupted, enveloping Zhu Guo'er, and they shot toward a nameless hill nearby.
After a short while, Han Li's light descended and landed.
Under a large tree atop the hill, the loose-haired man from the Lin family had been waiting. The moment he saw Han Li appear, a smile broke across his face and he stepped forward to greet them.
This Body Integration cultivator, though still looking aged, had seen his originally gray-white hair turn back to black, and his face had regained a noticeable amount of color.
All of this was clearly thanks to the Essence Refining Pill Han Li had given him that day.
"Brother Han is as punctual as ever. Is this little girl the junior you mentioned?" The loose-haired man's gaze swept over Zhu Guo'er beside Han Li, a glint of interest flashing in his eyes.
"That's right. This girl has some connection to me. I'll trouble you to bring her back to the Spirit Realm. Once matters in the Demon Realm are settled, I'll come and collect her immediately," Han Li replied calmly.
"Rest assured — since I accepted the pill, I'll naturally guarantee her safety. Brother Long and the others will set the plan in motion within the next two days or so. There's no time to waste; I'll be departing today," the loose-haired man said with a serious expression.
"Mm. It's just as well for you to leave a couple of days early, Fellow Daoist Lin. If you got caught up in things, it would only get troublesome." Han Li nodded in agreement, then turned to Zhu Guo'er and said: "Meeting me here counts as a bit of fate between us. I'll help you return to your clan. This Fellow Daoist Lin is the Supreme Elder of one of the great human clans. You'll have a safe journey with him. As for everything else, the next time I see you, I'll explain it all in detail."
Zhu Guo'er had been listening from the side with her jaw hanging open. Her lips trembled several times as she was about to ask something in shock.
But at that moment, Han Li flicked his wide sleeve.
A swath of azure light swept outward as Han Li transformed into a streak of azure radiance that shot into the sky, vanishing from the spot in an instant.
On the hilltop, only two solitary figures remained — the loose-haired man and Zhu Guo'er.
"Little girl, no need to keep staring. Brother Han has entrusted you to me. I'll take you to the Spirit Realm," the loose-haired man said to Zhu Guo'er casually.
"The Spirit Realm... Senior, you really are a human! Could Senior Han be one too?" Zhu Guo'er was exceptionally perceptive, and even after recovering from her shock, she still spoke in a tone of disbelief.
"Heh heh. With Brother Han's and my status, would we really go out of our way to deceive a little Core Formation girl?" The loose-haired man chuckled.
"But... Senior Han just said he has some connection to me. What is that really about? Could Senior tell me a little?" After buzzing with excitement for a while, Zhu Guo'er suddenly remembered something and asked.
"That, I wouldn't know. Hasn't Brother Han mentioned it to you?" The loose-haired man asked, a trace of surprise in his voice.
"I only just learned that Senior Han isn't even a demon. How could I possibly know about some connection that suddenly exists between us?" Zhu Guo'er shook her head repeatedly, confusion clouding her face.
Yet in her heart, she suddenly recalled how Han Li had asked about the Innate Woman's Reincarnation Technique when they first met, and a vague, uncertain suspicion began to take shape in her mind.
Though the loose-haired man was somewhat curious about the relationship between Zhu Guo'er and Han Li, he had no intention of pressing the matter at this point. After exchanging a few more calm words, he raised his hand and produced a dark-colored flying carriage, with several dragon-like puppet beasts crouching in front of it.