Chapter 1452: Zhu Yingzi

"Thank you, fellow Daoist." Although the other party's cultivation was not high, a Holy Son of the Crimsonflame Clan still spoke without daring to be negligent.

Among the three clans, the Crimsonflame Clan had the most members, dispatching seven Holy Sons at once. Next was the Five-Light Clan, with five members. The Heavenly Roc Clan had the fewest, totaling only three even with Han Li. This was under the condition that the Heavenly Roc Clan held nothing back; other clans undoubtedly had some hidden Holy Sons they hadn't yet dispatched.

Moreover, most of the Holy Sons from these two clans were at the late-stage Core Formation or above, truly much stronger than Bai Bi and Lei Lan.

It was evident that the Heavenly Roc Clan was indeed in decline among the Flying Spirit Race. No wonder the higher echelons of the Heavenly Roc Clan were willing to go to great lengths to win him over. It was also normal for other powerful branches to covet them.

The law of the jungle applied universally to all clans in the Spirit Realm.

Han Li pondered this, then walked behind the Crimsonflame Clan members, side by side with Bai Bi, Lei Lan, and a few individuals from the Five-Light Clan.

Unconsciously, they automatically maintained a considerable distance between the two groups.

Among the many Holy Sons of the Heavenly Roc Clan, Han Li was most interested in a man with a stern face and murderous eyes.

Other Crimsonflame Holy Sons had cultivation levels similar to his, but only this person gave Han Li a sense of danger upon their first meeting.

Thinking of this, Han Li narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man's back.

"What, Brother Han, are you very interested in Zhu Yinzi?" A charming woman in her twenties from the Five-Light Clan suddenly smiled and said to Han Li.

Among the Heavenly Roc Clan's group, although Han Li was an impostor Holy Son, his high-level Flying Spirit General cultivation was genuine. Therefore, both the Five-Light Clan and Crimsonflame Clan Holy Sons regarded Han Li as the leading figure among the Heavenly Roc Holy Sons.

Coupled with his unfamiliar face and his appearance as a hidden trump card of the Heavenly Roc Clan, the other two clans paid close attention to Han Li.

At the time, because Elders Jin Yue and others were present, no one had the opportunity to speak. Now, as soon as they separated from their clan elders, this woman from the Five-Light Clan spoke first.

Of course, this was also because the Heavenly Roc Clan and the Five-Light Clan had always been on good terms.

The Crimsonflame Holy Sons would never initiate a conversation.

"Nothing, this Brother Zhu has considerable murderous aura; I'm afraid his combat experience is quite extensive," Han Li replied calmly.

"It seems the rumors of Brother Han always cultivating overseas are true. Zhu Yinzi is very famous among our younger generation. He once ventured deep into the Trial Grounds seven times alone. Although he didn't go very far, he killed many renowned demonic beasts. He's as famous as Ao Qing of the Seven-Yue Clan and Fei Ye of the Nanlong Clan.

They say his divine abilities are even comparable to those below a mid-level Spirit Commander," the Five-Light Clan woman replied with a smile, not fearing that the Crimsonflame Clan members ahead would hear her.

"I see," Han Li nodded calmly, saying nothing more.

Seeing Han Li's nonchalant demeanor, the Five-Light Clan woman became more interested. However, before she could say anything further, the group was led by the white-robed maiden to several pavilions, six or seven stories high.

She turned and said, "Each of your three clans can choose a pavilion to stay in. There's one thing I, your humble servant, must remind everyone: At Jade Emperor Peak, fighting is forbidden everywhere except the dueling grounds to the far east. Otherwise, you'll suffer minor injuries, or, in severe cases, have your cultivation crippled."

"We understand. Thank you, young lady." Most of the group felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this. A handsome Crimsonflame Clan man, in particular, expressed his thanks.

"My name is Xiaozhu. From now on, I will be solely responsible for all miscellaneous matters for your three clans. You may come to me if you need anything." The white-robed maiden smiled sweetly, curtsied to Han Li and the others, and then departed.

Below, Han Li and the others did not converse further. Each chose a pavilion and settled in.

Han Li chose the top floor of a pavilion, while Bai Bi and Lei Lan chose the two floors below him.

Having traveled almost continuously for several months, even Han Li felt greatly fatigued.

Without another word, he sat cross-legged on the bed and began meditating to rest.

He didn't know how long passed. When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside the window had grown dim.

He lightly got out of bed and stretched.

He then calmly descended the stairs.

As it turned out, Bai Bi was meditating in her room on the lower floor of the pavilion, but the woman named Lei Lan was nowhere to be seen.

Han Li felt a slight surprise.

He remembered that before their departure, Jin Yue had repeatedly emphasized that they should not easily separate when going out, to avoid giving others an opportunity.

After a moment's thought, Han Li felt a little uneasy. With his hands clasped behind his back, he left the pavilion.

These two were crucial to the success or failure of the Trial Grounds test, and he truly couldn't just ignore it.

"Oh, isn't this Brother Han? What a coincidence!" Just a few steps out of the pavilion's main door, a lazy voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

Han Li's eyes flashed, and he looked over in the direction of the voice.

He saw a round-faced young man emerging from another pavilion; it was one of the Crimsonflame Holy Sons, but his face was full of smiles.

Han Li remained expressionless but scoffed inwardly.

If the other party had truly met him by chance, that would be a ghost story; most likely, he had been waiting there, quietly anticipating their appearance.

Although he didn't know what the other party was planning, it certainly wasn't good.

Han Li stared at the other party without saying a word.

"Haha, Brother Han, why be so distant? Even if our two clans have some conflicts now, there's no need to be so tense before entering the Trial Grounds. If your clan truly merges with our Crimsonflame Clan in the future, we might even become brothers of one clan." This Crimsonflame Clan youth did not care about Han Li's cold demeanor.

"If our two clans truly unite, such a possibility might indeed exist," Han Li's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly broke into a slight smile.

Seeing Han Li's expression change so quickly, the round-faced youth was momentarily stunned but then smiled.

"My name is Chi Tian. This is also my first time at Jade Emperor Peak. How about we explore together, Brother Han?" This Crimsonflame Holy Son spoke as if they were old friends.

"With you?" Han Li's eyebrow twitched.

"Fighting is forbidden here, Brother Han. Are you afraid I'll ambush you?" Chi Tian said with a smile.

"While I'm not afraid of any ambushes, I'm also not interested in forming a party with anyone," Han Li's expression darkened again.

Feeling that Han Li had toyed with him, Chi Tian's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, and his smile finally vanished.

"Brother Han, you're going out this time to find Miss Lei from your clan, aren't you?" The round-faced youth paused, then slowly said.

"What do you mean by that?" Han Li's voice turned icy.

"Nothing. I just saw earlier that Miss Lei Lan seemed to have gone out with our clan's Senior Sister Hong Sha. They supposedly went to the dueling grounds to take a look. I'm telling you this, so Brother Han won't have to search many places in vain," Chi Tian said with a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"In that case, I should thank Brother Chi for the reminder," Han Li's brows furrowed internally, but his expression showed no change. After a slight clasp of his fists, he drifted away.

Watching Han Li's receding figure, Chi Tian's eyes flashed, then he sneered again.

"Junior Brother Chi, you did well." After Han Li's figure completely disappeared in the distance, a faint voice suddenly came from the pavilion behind them.

As a figure flickered from the back pavilion's large door, a tall, thin man emerged. His skin was much darker than that of normal Crimsonflame people, and a hint of murderous aura shone in his eyes.

"Senior Brother Zhu! This is a trivial matter, anyone could have handled it. But although this person is a high-level Spirit General, why are you paying so much attention to him, Senior Brother? Any one of us could easily deal with him." Chi Tian's expression changed, and he quickly turned around, respectfully speaking.

"Junior Brother Chi, you are mistaken. If this person is truly the one I suspect, you certainly wouldn't be his match," Zhu Yinzi said, surprising the round-faced youth.

"Senior Brother already knew about this person?" Chi Tian was stunned.

"Junior Brother should know about Tian Ming and the others returning empty-handed a few months ago, right?" Zhu Yinzi suddenly retorted.

"I naturally heard a little about that. I heard that Senior Brother Tian Ming not only failed to complete the mission but also lost a high-level Chihou Beast and damaged a sub-orb of the Fire Dragon Orb," Chi Tian hesitated for a moment, then replied honestly.

"The person who repelled Tian Ming and killed the Chihou Beast by himself back then should be this Great Holy Son Han," Zhu Yinzi licked his lips, a strange expression on his face.

"How is that possible? Senior Brother Tian Ming is a mid-level Spirit General, and the others also have Spirit-level cultivation. That Chihou Beast's divine abilities were no less than a mid-level Spirit General's." Chi Tian's face changed drastically, finding it hard to believe.

"Tian Ming personally described that person's appearance to me. Plus, this Heavenly Roc Holy Son was just recalled from overseas. It should be him, indeed. I'm afraid this person has at least a high-level Spirit General's cultivation, otherwise Tian Ming and the others wouldn't have known they were outmatched and retreated," Zhu Yinzi said grimly.

"So, the Heavenly Roc Clan truly has some tricks up their sleeve. When their former Holy Lord just perished, they said they had no Holy Sons at all, and would surely be swallowed by our Crimsonflame Clan this time. Yet, three Holy Sons suddenly appeared, one of whom is a high-level Spirit General. This is truly beyond expectations," the round-faced youth blinked, still somewhat skeptical.

"That's nothing. After all, in ancient times, the Heavenly Roc Clan was one of the few strong branches among our Flying Spirit Race. It's not surprising for them to secretly keep some unknown trump cards. However, the clan elders made it very clear this time: we would rather ally with other clans to carve up the Heavenly Roc Clan than allow them to produce another Holy Lord. This Han Li is most likely the Heavenly Roc Clan's most promising candidate. So, before entering the Abyss, we must first ascertain his true divine abilities. I don't want to do anything without certainty," Zhu Yinzi said in a deep voice.

"Senior Brother is right. Let's go to the dueling grounds now too. This person will definitely go there," Chi Tian said with a grin.

"Naturally. The Heavenly Roc Clan has so few Holy Sons; if he doesn't go there at all, if something truly happens, he won't be able to escape responsibility," Zhu Yinzi chuckled as well.

Then, the two immediately soared into the air and flew directly eastward.