Chapter 1819: Worry

“Ying’er, if Fellow Daoist Han agrees to join the Ye family, you would be the one to assist him in cultivating the Nirvana Great Technique, wouldn't you?

That’s right. Given Fellow Daoist Han’s status as a Body Integration cultivator, the True Wind Blood of ordinary Ye family disciples might not be pure enough to achieve the desired cultivation effects. I’ve long heard that although there are many disciples in this generation of the Ye family, very few truly inherit the True Wind Blood. And Fellow Daoist Han also seems to be single, so this arrangement is quite suitable!” The young woman, momentarily casting aside the worries that had been weighing on her mind, spoke with a teasing tone.

“This,” Ying’er stammered, her face turning completely crimson, “how would I know? It depends on whether Senior Han truly joins the Ye family, and only then can my mother decide personally.”

Liu Qing, meanwhile, simply smiled without speaking.

Han Li was not a dull person; he immediately understood that the so-called "Mixed Disk Holy Spirit Great Technique" was, in fact, a dual cultivation method.

And seeing the young woman’s shy demeanor, it was clear that if he were to join the Ye family, the Ye family woman assigned to assist him in cultivation would most likely be Ye Ying.

Han Li felt a strange sensation in his heart, but his expression remained unusually calm. After his thoughts raced for a few moments, he shook his head:

“Thank you for the Ye family’s kind offer, but my mind is truly made up. I am unwilling to be bound by such physical ties. I can only express my gratitude for your esteemed family’s goodwill.”

Hearing Han Li’s immediate refusal, Ye Ying seemed to let out a sigh of relief, though a hint of disappointment flickered deep within her beautiful eyes. However, she quickly composed herself and replied as usual:

“Since Senior is truly unmoved by external matters, I naturally won’t mention the matter of joining the Ye family again. But if we were to propose a different condition, would Senior be willing to assist the Ye family once, ten years from now?”

“Ten years from now? Fellow Daoist, are you perhaps referring to the True Spirit Grand Ceremony?” Han Li couldn't help but show a wry smile upon hearing this.

“Oh, Senior Han also knows about this? Could it be that you’ve already...” Ye Ying reacted quickly, immediately guessing what he meant.

“Indeed, Immortal Maiden, you’re a step too late. I’ve already promised Immortal Maiden Xiaofeng of the Gu family that I will assist them at the True Spirit Grand Ceremony.” Han Li’s face showed regret.

“The Gu family? That’s fine then. The Gu family and our Ye family have always had excellent relations. Senior Han won’t be opposing our Ye family at the ceremony.” Ye Ying said, her expression relaxing.

“I see. In that case, I feel a little more at ease.” Han Li nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The young woman had almost finished saying all she intended to.

Han Li naturally found it inconvenient to linger long at this residence. After speaking for a while longer, he politely bid farewell and departed.

Liu Qing naturally accompanied the young woman to see him off at the teleportation array.

As the two watched Han Li’s figure vanish in a flash of spiritual light, Liu Qing let out a faint sigh and softly uttered, “What a pity.”

“Aunt Liu, what do you mean by that? What’s a pity?” Ye Ying asked, feeling somewhat puzzled.

“Naturally, it’s a pity your mother couldn’t draw this person into the Ye family. Otherwise, for someone so young to already reach the Body Integration stage, if he can safely pass through the Demon Tribulation, his future prospects would be limitless.” Liu Qing said with a light chuckle.

“Although Body Integration cultivators are top-tier existences among humans, my grandmother is already at the mid-Body Integration stage, and if she were to further activate her Heavenly Phoenix Blood, she could even fight a late-Body Integration cultivator. And now that Aunt Liu has also joined the Ye family, even if Senior Han truly joined, it would merely be adding icing to the cake. Whether it’s the upcoming True Spirit Grand Ceremony or the Demon Tribulation that will erupt later, our clan should still have more than enough power. Furthermore, there’s still a great chance to attract other rogue Body Integration cultivators using the conditions the Ye family offers.” Ye Ying scoffed lightly. Her words seemed indifferent, but it was clear she felt quite unwilling in her heart.

“Perhaps. Your mother values him, likely because of his potential. But Fellow Daoist Han gives me a very peculiar feeling; it’s as if he truly doesn’t take your Ye family’s conditions seriously. It’s a pity that what’s here is merely a puppet clone of mine. If my true body were present, I could invite him for a spar or two to probe his true capabilities.” Liu Qing said slowly, a strange glint flashing in her beautiful eyes.

“What’s there to probe? With Aunt Liu’s methods, even if he has some divine abilities, he’s only just advanced to the Body Integration stage; he certainly wouldn’t be able to last long in front of you. Moreover, I heard my mother say that before Lord Tianmiao Spiritual Emperor perished during his tribulation, he seemed to have passed on several meticulously refined puppets to Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu’s current divine abilities are probably truly no less than those of the Three Sovereigns and Seven Great Demon Kings, are they?” Ye Ying said with a giggle, her eyes darting playfully.

“Your Ye family really does have good information channels. Very few people should know about this, yet it even reached your mother’s ears. For that, I truly can’t help but admire you!” Liu Qing’s expression initially changed upon hearing this, but then she remembered something and could only shake her head with a wry smile.

The young woman pursed her lips and chuckled softly.

At the same time, Han Li, who had returned to his residence, gave a few instructions to Young Master Hai and the other person who had returned to the main hall earlier to wait, then immediately entered the secret chamber within the hall and sat down cross-legged.

Han Li had originally planned to temporarily put his cultivation on hold after reaching the Body Integration stage, but upon learning about the impending Demon Tribulation, that idea naturally vanished completely.

Now, he needed to think carefully and re-plan his strategy for the next few centuries to quickly strengthen his power and avoid truly perishing in the Demon Tribulation.

After all, during the last Demon Tribulation, some of the Three Sovereigns and Seven Great Demon Kings had fallen. And this Demon Tribulation seemed to be far more formidable than previous ones!

What made Han Li even more apprehensive was that in the Human Realm, he had once offended Ancestor Yuancha of the Demon Realm. A spiritual sense clone of this demon, which had descended to the Human Realm, was also devoured by Yin Yue because of him.

An Ancestor in the Demon Realm was equivalent to a Mahayana stage existence among humans.

Given the opponent’s divine abilities, if they were to truly come to the Spirit Realm during the Demon Tribulation, it was highly probable they would send subordinates or even come seeking him personally.

Therefore, for this reason alone, he needed to raise his cultivation to the late-Body Integration stage before the Demon Tribulation descended.

Only then could he rely on his full array of divine abilities and treasures to ensure his survival during the Demon Tribulation, and even if he truly faced an Ancient Demon Ancestor, he wouldn’t be without the power to fight back.

However, despite having only recently advanced to the Body Integration stage, his interactions with other cultivators of the same level in recent days had already made him realize that the difficulty of further advancement after Body Integration was far greater than he had originally imagined.

Many ordinary early-stage cultivators spent thousands or even tens of thousands of years, or even perished in heavenly tribulations, without ever breaking through the mid-stage bottleneck.

As for those who could reach the late-Body Integration stage, they were naturally even rarer.

Not even all of the Three Sovereigns and Seven Great Demon Kings throughout history had cultivated to the late-Body Integration stage.

Moreover, the time left for him was simply not that long. Fortunately, he possessed some immortal realm spirit medicines obtained from the Guanghan Realm, which could be refined into a large quantity of spirit pills to aid Body Integration cultivators in their advancement.

At the very least, this would save him several times the cultivation time compared to ordinary cultivators. If he truly were to cultivate diligently for the next few centuries, accumulating magical power should not be an issue.

The only remaining challenge was breaking through bottlenecks.

And even though he had consumed many spirit medicines to improve his physique and spiritual roots, his innate talent wasn’t significantly stronger than that of ordinary cultivators. He would have to make more preparations and try to forcibly break through bottlenecks by relying on certain external stimuli.

At least the Void Spirit Pill and Ancestor Qing Yuan’s Styx Divine Milk in his possession were highly promising items.

As Han Li thought this, he felt a slight ease in his heart. Then, his gaze flickered as he recalled something, and with a flip of his hand, a black beast ring appeared in his palm.

Han Li sent his divine sense into the ring, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Inside, he saw a faint black mist coalescing into a ball within the ring’s space, and vaguely, a small black monkey lay deeply asleep within it.

It was precisely the Soul Sifting Beast.

After this beast transformed and killed the extraterrestrial demon, it had remained in an unbroken slumber within the Spirit Beast Ring.

Otherwise, the incredible divine abilities it had displayed previously would undoubtedly be a major trump card when facing powerful enemies.

Fortunately, the Demon Tribulation was still a long way off, and he didn't believe the beast would truly sleep for a thousand years.

Thinking this, Han Li’s palm twitched, and the Spirit Beast Ring vanished.

In its place, a shimmering golden Myriad Sword Diagram appeared in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it into the air before him, where it slowly unfurled and then remained still.

The Thought Sword Art contained within this diagram was an extraordinary great divine ability. He had only comprehended a small part of it initially and integrated it into his Azure Python Sword Array, which vastly increased the array’s power.

If he could fully comprehend it, it would undoubtedly be a major means to rapidly enhance his strength.

In any case, by now, he had already come into contact with quite a few Body Integration cultivators. Although most of them were rogue cultivators or those from sectarian families, it was enough.

Contact with beings like the Three Sovereigns and Seven Great Demon Kings still required certain opportunities.

Especially the Sky-Quelling Wolf King—though Han Li had yet to see his true form, the thought of Yin Yue brought a faint sense of depression and unease to his heart.

He wondered what Yin Yue had become, after regaining her identity as the Exquisite Demon Consort and returning to the Spirit Realm all these years.

However, as the Sky-Quelling Wolf King’s consort, she had most likely returned to his side long ago. Perhaps he might even truly meet her at the Myriad Treasures Convention, which wasn’t far off.

Yet, recalling the strange look she had given him when they parted ways all those years ago, Han Li felt a great deal of melancholy again.

He was no novice fresh out of the mountains; he naturally understood what that look implied.

Yin Yue had accompanied him for so many years, sharing life and death together; it was impossible to say he felt no affection for her.

But back then, he was merely a Nascent Soul cultivator, utterly powerless to change anything. Now, even though he had advanced to Body Integration and reached the Spirit Realm, so many years had passed. Was the current Exquisite Demon Consort still the Yin Yue of old?

Han Li didn’t know, and subconsciously tried not to think about it, to avoid leaving too great a flaw in his state of mind.

His emotions churned with a strange turmoil for a while before his state of mind finally returned to normal. Only then did Han Li’s eyes flicker with blue light as he gazed intently at the Myriad Sword Diagram before him.

A moment later, Han Li’s expression was composed, and his mind was completely immersed in the dense golden sword patterns.