Chapter 1811: Welcoming Immortal Palace

"So that's how it is! I was wondering how Senior Han, a Body Integration stage cultivator, could just casually find a place to stay outside like an ordinary cultivator," Young Master Hai said with a chuckle.

"Exactly! I'm sure the place inside the mountain where they host seniors must be exceptionally magnificent. We're lucky enough to accompany Senior Han and get a glimpse of it," Artifact Spirit Child said, batting his eyelids and also laying on the flattery.

Han Li immediately understood their flattering intentions but simply chuckled without saying anything.

Soon after, the flying chariot passed over a marketplace and headed straight into the mountain range ahead.

For this top-tier flying magical artifact, a distance of over a thousand li was covered almost instantly.

Suddenly, a sea of blue clouds appeared ahead, completely blocking their path.

Han Li lightly tapped his foot on the magical artifact, and the flying chariot immediately spiraled to a halt.

Without a word, Han Li rubbed his hands together and then swept them towards the cloud sea.

With a roar, two streaks of golden lightning shot out, instantly vanishing into the cloud sea.

The next moment, two loud rumbling sounds echoed from within the blue clouds.

Two immense spiritual pressures erupted from the cloud sea, causing the blue mist ahead to churn violently, like raging waves or a tsunami.

Han Li then clasped his hands behind his back, standing calmly in the chariot without further movement, as if waiting for something.

Young Master Hai and Artifact Spirit Child exchanged confused glances but dared not speak, dutifully standing behind Han Li.

After a short while, several strange beast roars faintly emanated from the mist sea ahead, followed by an angry shout from a man within: "Who's so audacious as to attack this restriction? Don't you know this has been a forbidden area for three months now?"

No sooner had the man's shout faded than the blue mist began to undulate. The sea of clouds suddenly parted, revealing a massive passage several zhang wide.

With a flash of blue light, several guards riding enormous monstrous beasts flew out from within.

These guards were all tall and burly, appearing at least two heads taller than Han Li. Their upper bodies were clad in rugged white bone armor, while their lower bodies wore various leather trousers. Each held a large square bone shield in one hand and a thick black spear in the other.

The monstrous beasts they rode resembled giant wolves with enormous fleshy wings, but their fur was blue, faintly shimmering with streaks of electricity, giving them an exceptionally mysterious appearance.

However, these guards displayed no spiritual energy fluctuations; they were, in fact, a rare group of high-level Body Cultivators, whose physical strength alone was nearly comparable to that of Core Formation cultivators.

Seeing Han Li standing in the flying chariot, observing them with a slightly interested gaze and showing no signs of avoidance or flight, the four guards couldn't help but be startled.

The tallest and seemingly leading big man, whose expression had been somewhat fierce, now showed a hint of surprise and doubt.

With a wave of his hand, the four men reined in their monstrous beasts, stopping at the edge of the mist sea.

"You must be the renowned Lightning Guards of the Black Tortoise Mirror, aren't you? Your reputation certainly precedes you. But since you're here, has Daoist Ba Huang already arrived at Nine Immortals Mountain?" Han Li asked on his own accord, without waiting for them to question him.

Upon hearing Han Li's confident tone, the guards were stunned and dared not be negligent.

The leading big man's expression became solemn. He immediately cupped his fist towards Han Li and respectfully said, "We juniors are indeed the Lightning Guards of Lord Ba Huang, but Lord Ba Huang has not yet arrived here. Our squad was sent to Nine Immortals Mountain in advance to reinforce order. May I ask for Senior's esteemed name?"

"Heh heh, you might not have heard of my name. However, some time ago, your Lord Ba Huang sent someone to invite me to join the Ba Huang Palace. But due to other reasons, I had to decline," Han Li replied casually.

"What? Could Senior be Senior Han Li, who recently advanced to the Body Integration stage?"

"Oh, you know of me?"

To Han Li's surprise, the moment he spoke, the leading guard immediately called out his name, looking as if he had long heard of him.

This left him startled, and he couldn't help but scrutinize the other party. Despite his burly appearance, the leading guard now seemed quick-witted. He offered an ingratiating smile and said, "Then allow me to guide Senior inside, to the Welcome Immortal Palace to rest for a while."

"Heh heh, now that you mention it, I do feel a bit tired. Lead the way!" Han Li nodded.

"Yes, Senior, please enter!"

After the four guards respectfully bowed again, they slowly flew away, parting to either side and heading back the way they came.

Han Li urged his flying chariot forward and grandly followed them into the mist sea.

The mist sea was clearly not very large. In just a moment, Han Li flew out with the four Body Cultivators ahead, heading directly towards a towering peak in the distance.

"Of the Nine Immortals Mountain's nine peaks, our side and the demon race each typically manage four. The highest peak, Flying Immortal Peak, is a free zone, and neither race usually stations people there. Therefore, the main venue for this Million Treasures Convention is naturally on Flying Immortal Peak. Currently, some cultivators from both our races who are skilled in earth-elemental divine abilities, along with the demon race, are working day and night to arrange the entire peak. Of course, a single peak cannot accommodate people from both races simultaneously. So, during the Million Treasures Convention, the other eight peaks will also be opened, and eight additional sub-venues will be constructed to accommodate all attendees. However, from what I estimate, even with these preparations, it will still be overcrowded. After all, previous Million Treasures Conventions typically had over a million participants each time. Fortunately, preparations for this Million Treasures Convention began more than a year ago, so there shouldn't be any issues. However, I've heard that this convention will have some differences compared to previous ones."

Along the way, the leading big man very shrewdly took the initiative to introduce Nine Immortals Mountain and the preparations for the Million Treasures Convention to Han Li. However, his voice noticeably paused when he spoke the last sentence.

"Oh, what's different?" Han Li's heart stirred, and he slowly asked.

"This junior also only overheard some rumors, and I don't know if they're true. If I say anything wrong, I hope Senior won't take offense," the big man hesitated before saying.

"Don't worry. I will judge the truth of it myself. I certainly won't blame you," Han Li said indifferently, glancing at him.

"Then this junior will be bold. I've heard that this Million Treasures Convention might have participants from other races, and some priceless treasures from these foreign races will be publicly auctioned," the big man said cautiously after taking a light breath.

"Foreign races? Could it be the nearby Wood Clan, Spirit Clan, or perhaps the Barbarian and Yaksha races?" Han Li was genuinely surprised to hear this, and his expression subtly shifted as he asked.

"That... this junior truly doesn't know! After all, I'm just an ordinary Lightning Guard!" The big man gave a wry smile.

"That's true. However, I'll remember this favor. Here, take these few bottles of Heaven Mending Pills! If you consume one every few days, it can extend your lifespan out of thin air. In the future, if you hear anything else useful, feel free to inform me. I won't treat you unfairly." Han Li's expression flickered for a moment before returning to calmness. With a flick of his hand, he tossed several bottles of pills to the four guards in front of him.

"Many thanks for Senior's gift. If this junior learns anything else, I will certainly inform you in advance." Upon hearing the name "Heaven Mending Pill," the leading big man immediately accepted them with delight and replied with a slightly trembling voice.

The other three also thanked him profusely, equally surprised and delighted.

Han Li, however, waved his hand and remained silent, his eyes slightly narrowed within the chariot.

The four Lightning Guards were also exceptionally sensible and no longer disturbed Han Li. After flying for a while longer with Han Li's chariot, they finally arrived at the foot of a certain mountain peak.

There, a vast expanse of pavilions and palaces was interconnected, encompassing almost half of the mountain peak.

Among these structures, a magnificent white jade palace stood three to four hundred zhang tall, divided into about ten levels, appearing exceptionally grand and splendid.

Surrounding this palace were unusually exquisite pavilions, scattered here and there, numbering over a hundred, subtly enclosing the white jade palace in their center.

"Senior Han, this is the Welcome Immortal Palace. All Body Integration stage seniors can bring their disciples and exclusively occupy one level. Each level of the palace has a dedicated teleportation array, allowing direct teleportation to a public hall on the first floor without needing to pass through the lower levels. The surrounding pavilions are prepared for seniors in the Void Refinement stage. However, currently, only Body Integration cultivators like yourself are qualified to enter this place. And each of the mountain peaks also has a similar Welcome Immortal Palace below it, capable of receiving all attending Body Integration stage seniors," the leading big man explained diligently.

"Oh, this palace here, has anyone already moved in?" Han Li asked, a hint of interest in his voice.

"Senior's insight is sharp! Apart from True Lord Myriad Bones and his disciples who arrived a month ago, there hasn't been a second Body Integration stage senior here," the big man honestly replied.