Chapter 1775: Return to Abyss

As a result, Han Li had to rely solely on his intelligence and mastery of array formations, spending immense effort during his journey to gradually repair and correct these lightning-powered formations.

The sudden lightning teleportation array that had just appeared was the lightning-powered formation he valued most. This formation could harness the power of lightning to create a short-distance teleportation array, capable of transporting someone within ten thousand li. If Lei Yunzi used this formation, he could pinpoint the teleportation destination to within a hundred zhang, completing the entire process in just a few breaths. However, due to several incomplete crucial magical formulas, even with meticulous revisions, Han Li could only teleport randomly within ten thousand li. Furthermore, the entire process, from casting to completion, took more than ten times the time Lei Yunzi would spend.

The recent teleportation was naturally another one of Han Li's attempts at improvement. The result, predictably, was the same as before. This made him intensely resentful of Lei Yunzi, and he couldn't help but curse a few times.

At this point, he had spent nearly a hundred years walking back to this place from the other side of Fengyuan Continent. Therefore, upon seeing the scholar and his companions, Han Li's heart was once again filled with joy. Although he knew he should be approaching human territory based on some very rough continental maps, he couldn't calculate his exact position precisely. Moreover, these were the first members of his own race he had seen in many years, and confirming that he was indeed not too far from Tianyuan City, his excitement was understandable.

After so many years of wandering abroad, constantly interacting with non-human races and beasts, Han Li naturally felt a strong sense of homesickness. More importantly, Han Li had always been worried about Nangong Wan's ascension, wondering if his beloved wife had successfully ascended to the Spirit Realm and also arrived at Tianyuan City.

Various thoughts surged through Han Li's mind like a tide, but his expression remained unchanged. He raised his hand and released a shimmering green flying carriage. It was seven or eight zhang long, its surface inscribed with numerous mysterious runes. In front of it, surprisingly, were two giant wolf-shaped puppet beasts with wings on their backs, suspended in the air.

"From the looks of it, your injuries are not light," Han Li calmly instructed. "Since a long journey on foot is impossible, just rest quietly and recuperate in the carriage and guide the way for me."

"Thank you for your great kindness, Senior!"

"This junior obeys!"

The four scholars were delighted and thanked him repeatedly. Although Han Li didn't acknowledge himself as an Incarnation-stage cultivator, they knew he was definitely not an ordinary Void Refinement stage being. Otherwise, how could he have so easily killed Shi Yuangui, who was also at the Void Refinement stage? Naturally, they dared not disobey his instructions in the slightest. What's more, the few of them were gravely weakened, so this kind of command was exactly what they wished for. Their originally difficult return journey, now accompanied by such a powerful being, would be safe and worry-free.

So the four of them, enveloped in their escape lights, flew into the carriage one after another. Han Li raised a hand, and two streaks of green magical light shot out, instantly disappearing into the bodies of the two green puppet beasts. The puppet beasts, which had seemed lifeless, let out a low growl from their mouths. Immediately, as if alive, they flapped their wings and flew forward rapidly. The runes on the green flying carriage glowed, and a layer of green light shield instantly appeared, enveloping the few people within. Then, with a flash, it transformed into a streak of green light and shot towards the horizon.

"Which realm are you cultivators from? How long have you been away from Tianyuan City?" Han Li asked the few people, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the flying carriage.

"Reporting to Senior, we four juniors are from a sect in the Xuanwu Realm. We have only been away from Tianyuan City for half a year!" the scholar, evidently the leader among the four, replied respectfully.

"Half a year!" Han Li asked, his eyebrows twitching slightly. "So, you should be very familiar with the recent situation in Tianyuan City."

"We juniors once stayed in Tianyuan City for several years and indeed know a little about matters in the city," the scholar replied somewhat cautiously, faintly guessing Han Li's meaning. "But as Senior also knows, our cultivation level is not high, so we are not very clear about some secret matters."

"Heh heh, don't worry about it," Han Li chuckled softly. "I am also from Tianyuan City. I just left unexpectedly many years ago and wish to know about the situation of our race and Tianyuan City. However, since Tianyuan City is still safe and sound, it seems the foreign race's attack back then did not succeed."

"A foreign race attack? Senior, you left Tianyuan City at that time!" the scholar was first startled, but immediately replied honestly. "Back then, several nearby races jointly attacked our city, but under the combined defense of our human and demon races, both sides suffered heavy casualties. We heard even Incarnation-stage beings fell. However, we heard that at the peak of the fierce battle, these foreign armies suddenly withdrew without any warning, which is why Tianyuan City remained safe and sound."

"Withdrew their forces!" Han Li stroked his chin, revealing a pensive expression.

"That's right," the red-armored man chimed in. "But the specific reasons are numerous and varied. Some say our human and demon races sent elite beings to attack the homelands of those races, forcing them to retreat. Others say a new Profound Heaven Treasure appeared, and the foreign races went to contend for it."

"What are the rumors about this Profound Heaven Treasure?" Han Li's heart tensed, but he showed no change in expression.

"This matter was indeed rumored to be miraculous back then!" the scholar said with a bitter smile. "Some say this spirit treasure suddenly appeared within a certain foreign race. Others say a Saint-tier being from another continent suddenly arrived on our continent with this spirit treasure. There are even more bizarre rumors claiming that someone who ascended from the lower realms appeared among our races carrying this spirit treasure."

"Heh heh, someone who ascended from the lower realms!" Hearing this, Han Li was not surprised; he laughed instead.

"Senior must also find it a bit absurd, right?" one of the two female cultivators said with a sweet smile. "What kind of treasure is a Profound Heaven Treasure? How could a mere person from the lower realms possibly possess such a treasure? We also don't know how such a rumor spread."

"It is indeed a bit hard to believe," Han Li said, nodding noncommittally. "Alright, tell me about the major events that have occurred in the Three Realms and Seven Lands within the last one or two hundred years."

"In the last one or two hundred years, many sensational major events for both races have indeed occurred in the Three Realms and Seven Lands," the scholar replied with an apologetic smile. "However, it might take a while to finish telling you about them."

"It's alright," Han Li said with a smiling expression. "The journey is long enough for you fellow daoists to tell me in detail."

"Since Senior has said so, we juniors will naturally elaborate," the scholar said respectfully. At this moment, he had already taken some pills and taken out a spirit stone, beginning to slowly recover his vital energy.

"Speaking of the major events in the last two hundred years," the scholar began, his expression turning serious, "the most important is that the Celestial Incarnation Spirit Emperor of the Three Realms exhausted her lifespan decades ago, and a new Spirit Emperor is about to be re-selected among the entire human race. Secondly, there is the mysterious disappearance of the young daughter of the Southern Dragon King, one of the Seven Demon Kings, from her old lair. For this matter, the Southern Dragon King almost turned his territory upside down." The red-armored man and the other two female cultivators occasionally interjected from the side to add any missed details.

As Han Li listened to their narration, his expression, initially calm, gradually showed some emotion, but soon after, it became unsettled and gloomy again. It seemed that during the years he had been away, truly momentous events had occurred among the human and demon races.

A good half-day passed before Han Li finally finished listening to their accounts. When the voices abruptly ceased, he couldn't help but fall into contemplation. The four scholars, understanding the situation, said nothing, merely waiting respectfully for Han Li's reaction.

After retracting his pensive expression, Han Li suddenly asked, "In these past years, has there been any female cultivator from the lower realms named 'Nangong Wan' who appeared in Tianyuan City?"

"Nangong Wan!" the scholar said with certainty after thinking for a moment. "We haven't heard that name. As for other guards in Tianyuan City, we four might not be very clear, but ascended cultivators from the lower realms are extremely rare; it's unlikely we wouldn't know."

"Oh, perhaps she changed her name," Han Li asked, his eyes flickering a few times as if remembering something else. "Have many female cultivators ascended to Tianyuan City in recent years?"

"As for ascended female cultivators, they are even rarer," the scholar said after a moment's hesitation. "However, there have been a few."

"Good, thank you, fellow daoists, for telling me these things. Now, you all just need to rest quietly in the flying carriage." Han Li nodded with a satisfied expression, then closed his eyes and said no more.

After the scholars thanked him, they naturally and discreetly closed their eyes and entered meditation. At this moment, Han Li's face appeared calm, but in his heart, he involuntarily felt a sense of daze, his mind filled with Nangong Wan's gentle voice and soft smiling face. So many years of longing seemed to erupt all at once after he learned that Nangong Wan likely hadn't successfully ascended to the Spirit Realm. He felt a faint ache in his heart...

Under Han Li's urging, the green flying carriage's escape speed was a third faster than when the four scholars personally controlled their escape lights. What should have been a journey of over two months surprisingly took only a month and a half to fly to the vicinity of Tianyuan City.

When the flying carriage quietly stopped high in the sky, Han Li stood on it, looking at the distant walls of Tianyuan City, which were as massive as mountains, his face inevitably filled with a complex expression. After so many years of wandering outside his race, he had finally returned to the human and demon races.

"Senior, shall we teleport back into the city immediately?" the scholar asked carefully from the side.

In front of the flying carriage, on the ground not far from the city wall, stood an imposing teleportation array several zhang in size. Standing on both sides of the array were more than ten Qingming Guards in green battle armor. With a flash of light from the array, several figures teleported out, and after exchanging a few words with the Qingming Guards stationed nearby, they transformed into several startling rainbows and shot away into the sky. This was precisely the teleportation array for entering Tianyuan City. Because this city faced the desolate wilderness, there were no city gates at all. Ordinary people who wished to enter the wilderness could only do so through these teleportation arrays. As for the Tianyuan City guards temporarily performing missions, there were other, more secretive teleportation arrays.