Chapter 1848: Appointment

Golden Seal Script is different from Silver Tadpole Script. It is estimated that no more than ten individuals across both the human and demon races can comprehend this spiritual script. They all treasure this script, never revealing anything about it to outsiders. Thus, while it was known that some individuals in both races understood the Golden Seal Script, few actually knew who those specific individuals were. At the very least, that Bloodlight individual likely didn't understand the script, or he wouldn't have been unable to do anything with the scroll until now. If Han Li hadn't learned this spiritual script in the Glacial Realm, he too would have been staring blankly at these golden runes.

Han Li gazed at the golden runes for a moment before the Golden Seal Script vanished in a flash. He frowned slightly. Without hesitation, he flicked his fingers, and seven or eight streaks of azure sword energy shot out again. As the sword energy continuously struck, more golden runes appeared, looking slightly different from before. Han Li's heart stirred. The sword light in his hand became an endless torrent, sweeping forth as a sheet of azure sword shadows, instantly enveloping the scroll in azure light.

Instantly, the golden scroll trembled, and clusters of golden light burst forth from its surface, revealing a complete golden text. Blue light flickered in Han Li's eyes as he stared unblinkingly at the golden runes. After the time it takes to eat a meal, his expression shifted, and the sword energy in his hand ceased. The spiritual light on the scroll's surface receded, and the golden runes scattered and vanished. Han Li reached out and, with a whoosh, drew the scroll into his hand, then fell into deep thought.

He had already memorized the entire Golden Seal Script and had roughly understood its contents. If he wasn't mistaken, this spiritual text actually described the method for setting up a profound magical array. Although the description was somewhat vague, there was no doubt that by thoroughly comprehending this Golden Seal Script, one could replicate the entire array. While the array wasn't very large, its subtle and profound aspects far surpassed the many arrays Han Li had encountered in the Spirit Realm previously. If he hadn't already studied the restrictions within the few discarded runes he obtained from the Glacial Realm, he wouldn't have been able to comprehend the entire Golden Seal Script's meaning just now. After all, recognizing the Golden Seal Script and comprehending the array restrictions written within it are two fundamentally different things, poles apart!

According to Han Li's estimation, truly comprehending this array would be impossible without several decades of dedicated study. Even though he was very interested in what was sealed within the scroll, he couldn't afford to waste so much time on it now. Han Li exhaled lightly and then placed the golden scroll into his storage bracelet.

After a moment of thought, he clapped his hands together and then separated them, revealing a strange, black-red, winding piece of wood, half a foot long and thumb-thick, between his palms. This wood was dull and emitted faint wisps of bloody mist; it was none other than the Crying Spirit Blood Wood he had acquired earlier at the auction. After taking out the wood, Han Li's storage bracelet continued to flash with spiritual light, and various bottles and jars of auxiliary materials eagerly appeared on the floor of the secret chamber.

A faint smile touched Han Li's lips as he looked at the items. He suddenly tossed the blood wood into the air, then opened his mouth and spewed out a ball of silver flame. The silver flame instantly enveloped the blood wood. As the blood mist and silver flame intertwined, they emitted crackling sounds. Han Li formed a hand seal with one hand while rapidly grabbing at the ground with the other. Immediately, the colorful auxiliary materials flew up one after another and submerged into the silver flame. Blue light flickered unsteadily in Han Li's eyes as he stared intently at the silver flame in the air, his mind completely focused.

By evening, Han Li still hadn't left the secret chamber. Even his routine instruction to Qi Lingzi and Young Master Hai was conducted via sound transmission through the secret chamber door. After seven or eight consecutive days, Han Li finally emerged from the secret chamber. But as soon as he emerged from seclusion, that very night, under the dim night sky, he sent Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi in one go to a location a million li away from Nine Immortal Mountain. He then gifted them some elixirs and magic artifacts, sending them on their way towards Tianyuan City. He, meanwhile, returned to Wuxian Mountain.

Two days later, Realized White Bone made a mysterious visit. After conversing quietly with Realized White Bone in the main hall for a while, Han Li then left with him. Almost simultaneously, in several other Immortal Gathering Palaces on Nine Immortal Mountain, some solitary rogue cultivators at the Integration stage also left their residences and vanished at a certain point in time. It wasn't until half a day later that the group of old rogue cultivators at the Integration stage, including Han Li, reappeared. Because of the short duration, naturally, not many people noticed this strange event, except for a few observant individuals.

During the remainder of the Myriad Treasures Convention, Han Li frequently went out, making purchases in various markets and occasionally acquiring materials that caught his eye. The rest of the time, he resumed interacting with some Integration-stage cultivators and occasionally participated in other secret small exchange gatherings, where he made some unexpected acquisitions. During this period, the girl Dai'er would visit Han Li every few days. Although there was nothing urgent, they always conversed happily and left satisfied. However, whenever he saw Dai'er's face, which closely resembled Nangong Wan's, a strange feeling would naturally stir within him.

As the Myriad Treasures Convention neared its end, Emperor Xuanwu and Saint Emperor Tianyuan again sent emissaries to invite those human rogue cultivators at the Integration stage to join them, promising extremely generous conditions. Indeed, two individuals were swayed and joined the two factions respectively. Han Li, of course, flatly refused the invitation and gracefully left Nine Immortal Mountain a few days before the Myriad Treasures Convention concluded. Disappearing with him was Bai Guo'er, who possessed an Ice Marrow Physique. For a time, both were completely gone without a trace!

With the conclusion of the Myriad Treasures Convention, the human and demon races gathered at Nine Immortal Mountain gradually dispersed. The Three Emperors, Seven Demon Kings, and other powerful beings even departed from the mountain range on the very day the convention ended. A month later, Nine Immortal Mountain, which had once hosted millions of individuals from both races, returned to its former tranquility, save for the original guards who remained. As time passed, the various rumors surrounding this Myriad Treasures Convention were gradually mentioned less and less.

In the blink of an eye, four years passed. On this day, near a secluded and hidden mountain peak in the Tianyuan Region, a group of human cultivators suddenly appeared from a certain direction. They were of all ages and genders, dressed in varied attire, but each had a green character "Gu" embroidered on their cuffs and collars. However, women clearly made up the majority, each possessing a graceful figure and beautiful face. These nearly one hundred cultivators landed directly on the mountain peak. Some of them immediately set up a simple defensive array around them, while most others found clean rocks, sat down cross-legged, and closed their eyes to rest.

Leading this group of cultivators were a yellow-haired old man and a fair-skinned young woman in blue palace attire, standing at the center of the peak. Both were at the late-stage of Void Refinement cultivation. They stood upright, conversing via sound transmission with barely moving lips.

"Patriarch Xiaofeng," the yellow-haired old man said, glancing at the sky and sending a sound transmission to the young woman, "The meeting place arranged by that person is this Turtle-Gazing Peak, correct? Look at the time; it seems almost here."

"Elder Xiao, rest assured," the fair-skinned young woman replied without hesitation. "Given that person's current status, it's impossible for them to break a promise. Moreover, meeting here was their initiative, sending this message through someone, so there's even less chance of any issues."

"Hmm, that's for the best," the yellow-haired old man sighed. "This time, the Grand Elder unexpectedly returned wounded from the Barren World and will immediately enter seclusion for a century upon his return. In that case, he will miss our True Spirit Family's tri-millennial True Spirit Grand Ceremony! And the Grand Elder is the only Integration-stage cultivator in our Gu Family. Without his venerable presence, our prospects for this ceremony are grim. Fortunately, the Patriarch had the foresight to invite an Integration-stage senior to assist us. Otherwise, it would be better for our Gu Family not to participate in this ceremony at all!"

"Indeed," the young woman said, forcing a smile that turned slightly bitter. "The True Spirit Grand Ceremony affects the number of True Spirit Family disciples who can enter the Hidden Spirit Cave, as well as various other interests, so we absolutely cannot give up easily. Last time, because the Grand Elder intervened, our Gu Family's ranking was quite good. This time, we had originally planned to hire outside help to advance our ranking further. But we never expected the Grand Elder to be unexpectedly unable to attend. In that case, simply maintaining our original ranking would be considered fortunate."

"That's true," the yellow-haired old man said with a bitter smile. "After all, this Senior Han invited by the Patriarch only advanced to the Integration stage a mere decade or so ago. Even with extraordinary talent, he cannot compare to the Grand Elder, who has been renowned for nearly ten thousand years. What's more, the Grand Elder also possesses True Spirit Blood; once activated, the two become even more incomparable."

"But if we don't have an Integration-stage cultivator holding the fort," the young woman added with a gloomy expression, "our performance at this True Spirit Grand Ceremony will certainly be even worse."

"That's also true!" the yellow-haired old man said, the corner of his mouth twitching, seemingly equally helpless. "Which of the top five families in the True Spirit Grand Ceremony doesn't have an Integration-stage cultivator presiding?"

At this point, both fell silent for a moment, as if they had lost interest in further conversation.

Time passed slowly.

Two hours later, when a flash of azure light appeared in the sky and an azure rainbow emerged, the young woman's face lit up with joy, and she couldn't help but murmur quietly:

"They're here! This person is indeed very punctual."

When the yellow-haired old man saw this, his eyes also flickered with bright light as he carefully gazed into the rapidly approaching azure rainbow. But that azure rainbow was exceptionally dazzling, and one could only vaguely discern two figures, one tall and one short, within the azure light. The next moment, the sound of tearing through the air suddenly echoed above the mountain peak. Then the azure light paused, and the azure rainbow instantly appeared directly above the cultivators' heads. The escape light receded, revealing a young man in a green robe and a cute girl who looked thirteen or fourteen.