"Your eyesight is truly piercing, Fellow Daoist — to have detected that something is wrong with my daughter? She was struck by one of my adversary's signature secret techniques while escaping with me. I blocked most of the blow, but a portion still landed on her. Your abilities are vast; if you can see the problem, I wonder whether you have a way to heal her?" The Human-Faced Flood Dragon could no longer care about anything else and hurriedly spoke.
"Have you not tried healing her yourself?" Han Li countered.
"My adversary's secret technique is inherently in mutual opposition to my own powers. If I were to intervene, my daughter's condition would only worsen. If you would be willing to lend your aid, Tu Yao will be grateful for the rest of his life." Tu Yao smiled bitterly.
"The condition of your daughter's body is really not much of a problem for me. I can even restore you to your full Mahayana-stage powers. However, as compensation, I have one condition of my own." Han Li rubbed his chin and spoke calmly.
"Brother Han, whatever your request, just name it. So long as it is within my ability, I will agree without a second word." The Human-Faced Flood Dragon's expression shifted slightly, but after letting out a soft breath, he spoke at once.
"No need to be so solemn, Brother Tu. My condition is not difficult to fulfill — I merely hope that afterward, you will help me locate a place somewhere along the nearby seabed." Han Li chuckled lightly.
"That is all?" Tu Yao was taken aback, his expression visibly relaxing.
"What kind of condition were you expecting me to make?" Han Li smiled faintly.
"Ah, I was overthinking things just now. Given the powers you displayed, I would have been no match for you even at my peak, let alone in my current state. There is no need for you to deceive me with words. Very well — if that is the only condition, I agree." The Human-Faced Flood Dragon agreed readily.
"In that case, Fellow Daoist and your daughter, please come aboard my flying boat. I will immediately perform the necessary arts to restore you both." Han Li nodded without hesitation.
The Human-Faced Flood Dragon regarded the enormous black vessel for a moment, then hesitated no further. After expressing his thanks, he carried the purple-robed girl and drifted lightly onto the boat.
At Han Li's command, the Mo Spirit Holy Vessel resumed its original course and, with a tremor, continued to slice through the air.
The next day, inside the main hall of the vessel's cabin, the Human-Faced Flood Dragon was conversing with Han Li, his face brimming with gratitude. The purple-robed girl stood behind him, her complexion looking far healthier.
Stone Ancestor and Zhu Guo'er also stood respectfully to one side.
"Your abilities are truly unfathomably profound, Fellow Daoist. I had assumed that even if my daughter and I were to recover, it would take several months at the very least. I never imagined Brother Han could accomplish it in a single night. If that Ocean Suppression Palace still dares to send people after us, I could slaughter every last one of them single-handedly." The Human-Faced Flood Dragon addressed Han Li with delight.
"Such minor tricks are nothing worth mentioning. What I am more curious about is this Ocean Suppression Palace — what kind of power is it? Those sea beasts are insignificant before us, but for cultivators at the Body Integration stage, they would be utterly insurmountable." Han Li rubbed his chin and inquired.
"The Ocean Suppression Palace is a major maritime power founded by my chief adversary. Aside from himself as the Grand Palace Master, there are two other Mahayana-stage Palace Masters, along with over a hundred of those powerful sea beasts you saw earlier serving as Elders in the palace. As for ordinary sea beasts, they are too numerous to count." Upon hearing Han Li's question, the Human-Faced Flood Dragon's expression changed slightly, but he answered honestly.
"Oh, the Ocean Suppression Palace is no small force. But if your cultivation has plummeted so severely, why didn't the Mahayana-stage members of the palace come after you personally?" Han Li nodded and pressed further.
"I have a grudge against the Ocean Suppression Palace, but I am on good terms with another major power in this region — the Azure Flood Dragon Hall. After I used my secret technique to escape from my adversary, I sent out a distress signal. Fortunately, my friends from the Hall launched a large-scale attack on the Ocean Suppression Palace in time, tying up my adversary and the other two Mahayana Palace Masters — which is the only reason I have managed to keep fleeing until now. However, the sea routes to the Azure Flood Dragon Hall have been completely sealed off by the palace's sea beasts, so I had no choice but to flee in this direction." The Human-Faced Flood Dragon answered candidly.
"So that is how things stand. The Azure Flood Dragon Hall — bearing the name of the Azure Flood Dragon — is the leader of that hall perhaps a powerhouse from the Azure Flood Dragon clan?" Han Li blinked and asked.
"Fellow Daoist Han guesses correctly. The two Hall Masters of the Azure Flood Dragon Hall are indeed Mahayana-stage cultivators of the Azure Flood Dragon clan. They are life-and-death friends of mine. Although the Hall has only two Mahayana cultivators, their combined powers are far beyond what the three Palace Masters of the Ocean Suppression Palace can match, and their overall strength is roughly evenly matched. By the way — when we last met in Cloud City, you were only at the Void Refining stage. In such a short time, you have already advanced to the Mahayana stage. Your rate of advancement is truly inconceivable. Your aptitude must be comparable only to those legendary senior masters from the ancient era." Tu Yao sighed, still harboring a measure of shock over Han Li's advancement to Mahayana.
"I have been fortunate enough to encounter several great opportunities over the years, which allowed me to advance to my current realm so quickly. In terms of foundation depth, how could I compare with a Mahayana cultivator like you, Brother Tu?" Han Li said modestly.
"You are far too humble. Ah, right — what is it that Fellow Daoist Han needs my help finding? I do not mean to boast, but while I cannot claim to know every inch of this ocean region, I have visited most of the somewhat notable areas at least once or twice." Tu Yao's expression turned serious as he finally broached the matter.
"All I need to locate is a set of coordinates on the ocean floor. As for the specifics... Stone, you explain the details to Fellow Daoist Tu. Stone is a spirit beast of the water element who has cultivated to a high level. Hearing it from his mouth should make things clearer for you." Han Li turned to Stone Ancestor beside him and gave the instruction.
"Understood. Senior Tu, the coordinates we seek were derived from the revelations of an ancient altar. The specific positional characteristics are..." Stone acknowledged the order, stepped forward respectfully, and immediately began to explain in detail.
Although the ancient altar had revealed the approximate coordinates of the entrance to the Small Spirit Heaven, given the sheer vastness of the undersea world, even the slightest deviation could mean a difference of hundreds of thousands of miles.
Even with Stone Ancestor — an expert in water-attribute powers — as an assistant, locating the entrance would likely prove to be no simple task.