"This junior once spent a considerable period of time on the Blood Sky Continent and does have some understanding of its cultivation techniques." Xue Po paused briefly before continuing.
"The Blood Path demonic arts need not be mentioned — they are the most common techniques on the Blood Sky Continent. Nearly four or five out of every ten Blood Sky cultivators practice some form of them. Several of the great Blood Path sects command massive followings and are considered first-rate powers on the Blood Sky Continent. As for the mysterious lineage Senior Han mentioned, it does exist on the Blood Sky as well, and quite a few people practice it in secret. However, these cultivators are at daggers drawn with the Blood Path sects, and their movements are extremely secretive — outsiders rarely encounter them. Years ago, I once had the fortune of witnessing a mysterious cultivator who claimed to practice the path of sorcery battling others. Using nothing more than a few puppet-like magical artifacts, he effortlessly caused numerous powerful enemies to perish and vanish. It was truly a bizarre and uncanny set of abilities."
"The path of sorcery — this lineage did appear a few times in ancient times on our Wind Origin Continent as well, but it was immediately eradicated by the powerful beings of that era acting together. I didn't expect that the Blood Sky Continent still preserves this lineage. It seems we'll need to exercise extra caution if we're heading there. Oh, Xue Po — which faction did you offend on the Blood Sky Continent?" Han Li nodded and asked another question.
"The one I offended is the Blood Bone Gate, one of the great Blood Path sects. But rest assured, Senior — I was only at the Void Refining stage at the time, and the person I offended was merely a somewhat influential Elder within the Blood Bone Gate. After so many years, they may not still be bent on pursuing me. And if it comes to that, I could alter my appearance slightly to minimize the trouble." Xue Po said after a slight hesitation.
"Altering your appearance — that won't be necessary. The Blood Sky Continent, while not as vast as the Wind Origin or Thunderclap Continents, is still far too large for you to easily run into your enemy. And if you do happen to cross paths with them while traveling with me, I'll naturally deal with them for you." Han Li said lightly, not particularly concerned.
"Then this junior thanks Senior in advance." Xue Po's face brightened with delight upon hearing this, and her heart was completely put at ease.
While Xue Po was conversing with Han Li, in a mysterious great hall, a purple-robed woman was respectfully reporting something to the red-haired old man called Ming Zun.
"So the recipient accepted the Fragrance Maiden but returned all the other gifts." The red-haired old man's expression remained unchanged as he spoke.
"Yes," the purple-robed woman said truthfully.
"Interesting. It seems this person isn't so easily won over, but neither has he shut our alliance out completely. Fei Yun, if this fellow Daoist Han has any further requests from now on, do your best to satisfy them. There's no need to report to me about it specifically." The old man chuckled softly.
"Chief Steward, may this junior ask why we're going to such lengths to court this elder? Even if he is a Mahayana cultivator with some remarkable abilities, other Mahayana elders have entered this place before, and I recall you never gave such special instructions for any of them." Fairy Fei Yun said with some puzzlement.
"If he were an ordinary Mahayana cultivator, he naturally wouldn't warrant such grand treatment from our alliance. But this man — heh heh — Fei Yun, have you read all of the relevant materials on fellow Daoist Han?" Ming Zun smiled and asked in return.
"This junior has read them, but the records regarding Senior Han are extremely sparse. Aside from the fact that his advancement to the Mahayana stage was remarkably swift and that he once entered the Demon Realm, there's nothing else of note." After a brief moment of thought, Fairy Fei Yun answered respectfully.
"That's because fellow Daoist Han rose to prominence far too quickly — so quickly that our alliance had only just begun collecting information about him, and important details hadn't yet been archived. In any case, don't think too hard about it. Just know that if the Spirit Realm were to list its ten most powerful beings, this fellow Daoist Han would very likely qualify for a spot." Ming Zun said gravely.
"What — Senior Han possesses such extraordinary power!" The purple-robed woman's composure finally cracked, her face draining of color.
"Hmph. If that weren't the case, did you really think I'd have nothing better to do than forcibly befriend someone for no reason?" The red-haired old man rolled his eyes.
The purple-robed woman's heart clenched with alarm. She hastily lowered her head, repeatedly saying, "I wouldn't dare."
The red-haired old man said nothing more and simply waved his hand, dismissing her.
After she left, Ming Zun pondered for a moment. Then he swept his large sleeve toward a nearby stone wall, and a brilliant swath of radiant light surged forth and flashed into it.
Instantly, the stone wall began to hum and buzz. A layer of white mist churned and rolled across its surface, and suddenly a blurred human figure materialized within.
"Ming Zun, so it's you. You're supposed to be over on the Wind Origin side preparing for the auction — why have you suddenly contacted this old man?" The figure turned its head to glance at the other side of the stone wall, seeming somewhat surprised. It spoke in a shrill voice.
"Bi Ying, if I remember correctly, the matter you're scheming about — don't you still need a powerful helper?" The red-haired old man asked calmly.
"And what if I do? Have you changed your mind and decided to come assist me personally?" The blurred figure snorted, sounding none too pleased.
"You know perfectly well that I swore a binding oath never to set foot on the Blood Sky Continent for the rest of my life. How could I possibly change my mind!" The red-haired old man said flatly.