Chapter 1256: Magic Palace Visitor

A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

The guests, both men and women, sat cross-legged on either side of the main hall, each smiling and possessing an extraordinary bearing.

After a short while, the palace-dressed women in the hall finished their dance, then respectfully curtsied to the elder on the main seat before promptly exiting the hall.

"Elder Hu, this batch of your maidservants seems to be of a higher caliber than the last time I saw them. Fellow Daoist Yu and his companions have truly put their hearts into this matter," a blue-robed scholar seated on the left suddenly remarked with a smile.

"Heh heh, I have no other hobbies in my life, except that I find it very difficult to overcome my weakness for female beauty. If I can ever comprehend this point, perhaps that will be the time for another breakthrough in my cultivation. If Junior Nephew Yu and the others are truly dedicated, I still hope they will put more effort into their cultivation, so that someone can advance to the Deity Transformation stage as well. That way, should I pass away one day, the Demonic Sect won't be easily bullied," the wood-crowned elder said nonchalantly after a light cough.

"Elder Hu, what are you saying? The cultivation of the various fellow Daoists of the Demonic Sect is merely a step away from the Deity Transformation stage; reaching it is only a matter of time. And with the current prestige of the Demonic Sect, which power in the Human Realm would dare to bully us?" the blue-robed scholar said with an apologetic smile.

"Is that so? But I heard that the Yinluo Sect is about to be removed from the Ten Demonic Sects recently. Back then, wasn't that sect firmly established as the number one Demonic Sect for thousands of years? Its prestige was in no way inferior to our current sect. Yet it also fell to such a plight. Even if it can preserve its legacy now, it has already become a second-rate sect," the wood-crowned elder scoffed.

The blue-robed scholar and the other cultivators exchanged bewildered glances. They truly did not understand the Master of the Demonic Palace's intention in saying this, and for a moment, no one dared to readily respond.

"I heard that this time, not only were seven or eight Nascent Soul stage elders of the Yinluo Sect inexplicably wiped out, but even Fellow Daoist Fang of the Yinluo Sect did not escape and also perished. The Yinluo Sect doesn't even have a clue who was behind the attack. This is quite strange. Could it be that the Yinluo Sect angered some Deity Transformation stage senior?" a brocade-robed man suddenly shifted the topic subtly and asked cautiously.

"Heh heh, I presume most of you fellow Daoists are here because of the Yinluo Sect's matter? You can rest assured, although I don't know who made the move, it was definitely not done by us old fellows of Great Jin. Otherwise, I would not be completely unaware of it. It's possible some old monster outside Great Jin just happened to do it. However, if this person makes a move again, a few of us will not stand idly by." A sharp glint flashed in Hu Qinglei's slightly closed eyes, then vanished without a trace.

Hearing the elder say this, the other cultivators present all breathed a sigh of relief. They immediately tacitly avoided mentioning the matter again and instead began discussing strange occurrences and anecdotes from the cultivation world.

"By the way, Elder Hu. Your last concubine was taken two hundred years ago. This time, you've suddenly opened the doors of the Demonic Palace widely again. I wonder which female cultivator has caught your discerning eye?" a green-robed woman, about thirty years old, suddenly chuckled softly, appearing quite charming.

Seeing the woman ask this, the other cultivators also showed interest.

After all, although this Grand Elder of the Demonic Sect enjoyed female beauty, female cultivators with the true status of concubines were indeed few in this Demonic Palace.

"Taking concubines again was something I didn't even expect myself. These three women are all absolute talents, extraordinary in both beauty and cultivation. Especially one of them, who surpasses the other two by a margin. My decision to take concubines is largely because of this particular woman." As Hu Qinglei heard someone mention the three concubines he was about to take, a hint of a smile appeared on his face, seemingly very satisfied with the three women.

"Heh heh, since Elder Hu praises them so highly, may we have a glimpse of them before the ceremony?" a fierce-looking, dishevelled ascetic heard this and couldn't help but ask.

The others also felt a stir of interest upon hearing this, all wanting to see just how beautiful these three female cultivators were to actually move the heart of the Master of the Demonic Palace.

"We cultivators naturally do not have many of the taboos of mortals. If a few fellow Daoists wish to see them first, of course you may. I'll have them called to serve a few cups of light wine to you fellow Daoists." The wood-crowned elder smiled slightly and readily agreed.

As soon as he spoke, the ascetic's expression subtly changed, and he quickly waved his hands, saying he wouldn't dare.

But Hu Qinglei waved his hand, and a palace-dressed maiden behind him immediately bowed and stepped forward:

"Go, invite the three immortal ladies out," Hu Qinglei commanded.

"Yes, this servant will go at once..." the palace-dressed maiden respectfully replied. But before she could finish speaking, a red light suddenly flew in from outside the hall, flashing past and arriving instantly before the wood-crowned elder. It was a transmission talisman.

A strange glint flashed in Hu Qinglei's eyes. He made a grasping motion in the air with one hand, and immediately the fiery light landed in his palm, then transformed into a fiercely burning ball of flame.

"Oh, so it's Old Freak Feng and Old Ghost Xiang who have arrived. They even brought a distinguished guest for me. Who could it be, to be treated with such solemnity by those two old fellows?" A hint of surprise and doubt flashed across Hu Qinglei's slightly sallow face, but with a flick of his palm, the flame immediately extinguished itself.

"Could it be Elder Feng from Heaven Beyond Island and Elder Xiang from West Spirit Mountain who are arriving?" The blue-robed scholar, hearing Hu Qinglei's muttered words, asked in sudden surprise.

The other male and female cultivators also changed their expressions.

"Who else could it be besides those two old fellows? But from their tone, it seems they've brought an outsider with them. I'm rather curious now. Since they've arrived outside the palace, I must go out to greet them," Hu Qinglei chuckled.

"Then let us also pay our respects to the two seniors together," the brocade-robed man quickly stood up and said.

The others also dared not be slow in expressing the same sentiment.

The wood-crowned elder nodded imperceptibly. He immediately stood up and slowly walked out of the hall, with the other cultivators following closely behind him.

The entire Demonic Mountain was enveloped by an extraordinarily fierce icy wind. Beyond this wind, a vast hazy yellow light barrier covered the palaces below. Although somewhat blurry through this light barrier, one could broadly discern the situation inside.

At this moment, somewhere above the light barrier, three figures hovered. Two elders and one young man floated there motionless, with serene expressions.

They were Xiang Zhili, Old Freak Feng, and Han Li.

"This Demonic Palace seems to have been expanded by a third compared to before. It appears Old Demon Hu has acquired more maidservants. Tsk tsk, it seems being the Grand Elder of the number one Demonic Sect is indeed quite good," Old Freak Feng said, looking at the palace complex beneath the light barrier.

"What, Brother Feng, are you envious of Old Demon Hu? If that's the case, just tell him, and Old Demon Hu would surely be more than willing for the Demonic Sect to have another Grand Elder. He would certainly build a cave dwelling for you that is no less grand than this Demonic Palace," Xiang Zhili said with a half-smile.

"Forget it, my cultivation technique emphasizes tranquility. If I were to truly live in a place like this for long, my state of mind would inevitably regress," Old Freak Feng sighed and quickly shook his head.

Xiang Zhili smiled and said no more. Just then, a group of cultivators flew out from the palace complex below, heading straight for them.

Although Han Li had spoken little throughout the journey, he now focused his gaze intently. With a single glance, he identified the wood-crowned elder leading them as a Deity Transformation stage cultivator. However, after his gaze swept over the faces of the cultivators behind the elder, he couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

"What, Junior Brother Han, do you recognize someone?" Xiang Zhili turned his head, a little surprised. "Yes, there is one person I've met once before," Han Li quickly withdrew his gaze and said calmly.

"I see!" Xiang Zhili nodded noncommittally.

By this time, the wood-crowned elder had already flown behind the light barrier. He formed a hand seal and muttered incantations.

As a result, the light barrier before Han Li and the two others flickered with spiritual light and automatically opened a rift.

Xiang Zhili and Old Freak Feng did not stand on ceremony and immediately shot in with a grand air. After a slight hesitation, Han Li also transformed into a green rainbow and followed them in.

The yellow light barrier then closed back to its original state.

A moment later, their escape light vanished, and the three appeared before the wood-crowned elder and his party.

"Brother Xiang, Fellow Daoist Feng, you two seem to be a bit late this time. I received news a long time ago that you set off quite early, so why have you only just arrived now? Did something happen on your way?" Upon seeing Xiang Zhili and the other, Hu Qinglei first smiled slightly, then asked languidly.

"Brother Hu, you guessed accurately! The two of us did indeed encounter some matters along the way, causing a slight delay. But let's discuss that later. First, let me introduce a fellow Daoist to you, Fellow Daoist Hu. This Fellow Daoist Han will also be joining us, becoming an existence just like us..." Xiang Zhili chuckled, then pointed a finger at Han Li and began the introduction.

Among the cultivators behind the wood-crowned elder, one person, upon clearly seeing Han Li's face, revealed a look of shock.

"Joining us?" The wood-crowned elder was somewhat moved upon hearing this. His previously slightly closed eyes suddenly opened completely, and he gazed at Han Li without speaking.

"I am Han Li. Greetings, Brother Hu!" Han Li's expression was calm as he cupped his hands and bowed. He showed neither arrogance nor inferiority, appearing to treat him as an equal.

This caused the blue-robed scholar and the others to open their eyes wide, and each of them kept their mouths tightly shut.

"Hmph! Old Ghost Xiang, Old Freak Feng, have you two gone senile? What qualifications does a mere late-Nascent Soul stage cultivator have to join us?" Hu Qinglei's face darkened, and he questioned bluntly.

"Heh heh, I naturally have my reasons for doing so," Xiang Zhili's expression remained unchanged as he chuckled softly. Then his lips moved subtly, with no sound transmitted.

He had actually begun to transmit his voice directly.

The expression on Hu Qinglei's face was initially grim, but after only a few sentences, his eyes shone with a strange light. First came surprise, then excitement, and finally, he nodded repeatedly.