Chapter 1888: Joy and Fury

## Chapter Ten: The Battle in the Demon Realm

Upon hearing this, not only did Marquis Qingyan and Qing Yuanzi exchange bitter smiles, but Han Li's eyes also twitched rapidly, and he felt deeply astonished.

"I have some matters to discuss with you this time; it's good to sit down below first," the old man said casually, his eyes darting slightly. "Jinyan, your Green Spirit Wine is excellent. Bring me seven or eight pots."

"Seven or eight pots, Brother Xuling, you jest!" Marquis Jinyan's facial muscles twitched in exasperation upon hearing this. "It takes three hundred years to brew just one pot of that Green Spirit Wine, and the ingredients are hard to find. I only have three or four pots in total. How could I possibly have seven or eight for you to drink your fill?"

"Haha, three or four pots will do," the old man said with a hearty laugh, his eyes twinkling. "That's enough for this old man to enjoy a few drinks."

Then, without waiting for Marquis Jinyan or Qing Yuanzi to say anything further, the old man formed a hand seal with one hand. With a soft 'poof,' the enormous beetle beneath him transformed into a puff of black smoke and vanished into thin air.

The black smoke then swirled and, like a spirit snake, vanished into his wide sleeve.

Next, the old man moved, transforming into a streak of dark light as he flew towards the palace below.

Marquis Jinyan, a look of helplessness on his face, reached out and grabbed at the empty space above.

The three golden-armored guards, suspended high in the air, instantly ceased spinning, and the white threads wrapped around their bodies snapped inch by inch.

Though the three guards were still somewhat dizzy, as soon as they managed to steady themselves, they quickly approached Marquis Jinyan to salute him, saying with expressions of shame:

"Thank you for saving us, Master. We are incompetent and have brought shame upon you!"

"It's not your fault," Marquis Jinyan said, shaking his head. "The power of the one who came is so immense that even I had to retreat. You just need to repair the restrictions." Then, his body shimmered with golden flames, transforming into a streak of light, and he shot downwards.

"Little friend Han, you come over too," Qing Yuanzi said with a sigh. "That old monster is truly difficult to deal with; be extra careful." With a flash of golden light beneath his feet, he then vanished into the void.

Han Li rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, then likewise moved and flew downwards.

A short while later, Han Li and the others reappeared in the grand hall and sat down once again.

The only difference was the presence of the old man named Xuling, who was now seated opposite Qing Yuanzi.

Marquis Jinyan said nothing more. After a light clap of his hands, four beautiful maids, draped in golden gauze, immediately appeared, each carrying rare spirit fruits, which they placed on the tables in front of everyone.

"Where's the Green Spirit Wine, Jinyan? You're not just trying to fob me off with these things, are you?" the old man said, sweeping his gaze over the spirit fruits and rolling his eyes.

"Don't be impatient, Brother Xuling," Marquis Jinyan explained, suppressing the anger in his heart. "Green Spirit Wine needs to be kept in ten-thousand-year-old mysterious ice to become truly mellow. I've already sent someone to the ice cave to retrieve it."

"That's more like it," the old man nodded, grabbing a peach-like vibrant red spirit fruit from the table and swallowing it in a few bites.

He didn't even spit out the pit.

Witnessing this, Han Li was momentarily speechless.

Just then, the old man's gaze inexplicably fell upon Han Li. After a brief glance, he suddenly let out a soft "oh?"

"Little fellow, your bone age is barely over two thousand years," the old man asked with a hint of interest. "To have your current cultivation at such an age, your aptitude is truly remarkable. Are you that junior from Qing Yuanzi's clan?"

"This junior greets you, Senior. I am indeed a clansman of Senior Jiang," Han Li said, quickly rising and bowing respectfully. Hearing the old man's somewhat admiring tone, he felt a faint unease rather than flattery.

This person caused even a Grand Ascension stage cultivator like Qing Yuanzi a great headache, so Han Li naturally felt compelled to keep his distance.

Furthermore, for the other party to discern his true age with a single glance, relying solely on their naked eyes, was truly astonishing. He could only hope that the old man's previous words were merely a casual inquiry.

However, Han Li's hope was clearly in vain. As soon as the old man heard Han Li's words, his eyes lit up, and he asked again with exclamations of surprise:

"Excellent, excellent," he said. "With such aptitude, you are extremely rare in the entire Spirit Realm. Qing Yuanzi, I recall your human race seems quite unremarkable, just a small clan, right? Yet, you not only have a Grand Ascension cultivator like yourself, but also a promising junior like this Han boy. Your strength is not simple at all. Could it be that your human race is deliberately concealing its true strength?"

"Brother Xuling, you jest," Qing Yuanzi said with a dry laugh, his expression shifting. "Our human race is indeed just a small clan. Although I am of human origin, I had other fortuitous encounters later, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to cultivate to my current realm. But because of that, I can no longer be considered a pure human. As for little friend Han's astonishing progress, it's not that strange. Any race can produce one or two prodigious talents. It just so happens that Brother Xuling encountered one; how can we compare to your noble clan?"

"Is that so?" the old man grunted, glancing at Qing Yuanzi, then turning to Han Li with a half-smile. "However, while our Mayfly Race is not small, I've never seen anyone reach the late Integration stage at such an age. How about it, little friend, are you interested in joining our Mayfly Race? As long as you're willing to stay with our clan as a guest elder, our clan will provide all the materials and spiritual medicines you need for your future cultivation."

Qing Yuanzi's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. His lips moved as if he wanted to speak, but in the end, no words escaped him.

Han Li was greatly surprised, but after a quick thought, he unhesitatingly refused, saying:

"Thank you, Senior, for your kindness. However, my clan is about to face a great tribulation. Even though this junior's magic power is shallow, I must return to my clan immediately to overcome this tribulation. Thus, it's impossible for me to join your esteemed clan."

"A great tribulation? What great tribulation?" the old man scoffed. "Hmph, are you deliberately trying to fob me off with an excuse?" As soon as he heard this, his previously smiling face darkened, and he immediately turned hostile, speaking sharply.

At the same time, with a 'boom,' an invisible pressure emanated from the old man, surging aggressively towards Han Li.

"This junior absolutely has no such intention!"

Although Han Li knew the other party had a strange temper, he never expected him to act against him without any hesitation. Secretly groaning internally, he hastily clarified his position as protective spiritual light immediately appeared on his body.

With a 'boom,' he felt an enormous force press down on his shoulders, causing his body to sink slightly. The protective golden light flickered wildly, appearing as if it would shatter instantly. Simultaneously, a series of dense crackling sounds echoed from within his body, and all his joints trembled violently.

This was also a testament to Han Li's physical body strength, which far exceeded ordinary people's imagination. Otherwise, an ordinary cultivator, under such powerful pressure from the old man, even if not instantly killed, would certainly spit blood and suffer severe injuries.

"Oh? How interesting," the old man exclaimed, his severe expression momentarily replaced by one of interest as he witnessed the scene. Then, his seated body suddenly swelled, his figure inexplicably growing taller by a head, and the pressure bearing down on Han Li increased significantly.

With a 'bang,'

Han Li's shoulders shook twice, and his face paled slightly, yet he remained firmly seated. However, the wooden chair beneath him instantly turned into dust and vanished into thin air.

"Brother Xuling, please show some mercy!" Qing Yuanzi said, frowning. He swept his sleeve in front of Han Li, sending forth a surge of golden light, and finally spoke.

With a muffled thud, two immense forces collided in front of Han Li and, astonishingly, vanished together, canceling each other out.

Han Li felt the immense pressure on his shoulders dissipate, and his body immediately lightened.

He felt a sense of relief, but was even more astounded by the terrifying strength of the old man named Xuling.

No wonder Qing Yuanzi and Marquis Jinyan showed such reverence for the old man; his divine abilities were indeed far superior to theirs.

"Qing Yuanzi, are you perhaps trying to spar with this old man?" the old man asked. Seeing Qing Yuanzi make a move, he was not angry at all; instead, he immediately rubbed his fists together, looking eager for a fight. "That's excellent! It's been thousands of years since we last fought. I hear you've recently cultivated a very mysterious divine ability; this old man would love to experience it."

He, on the contrary, instantly cast Han Li aside, not even sparing him another glance.

This made Han Li blink, feeling somewhat dazed.

He wondered if the other party was truly a battle maniac or deliberately feigning madness.

Seeing the old man Xuling in such a state, Qing Yuanzi seemed to recall something, his eye twitching rapidly a few times. He quickly waved his hand with a forced smile, saying:

"Brother Xuling, you jest. How dare I, Jiang, with my meager abilities, spar with you? Little friend Han is, after all, my clansman. I hope you will show him some mercy."

"You don't want to spar?" the old man replied, a hint of disappointment in his eyes and a lazy tone, his spirited demeanor seemingly deflating considerably. "That's quite a shame. Alright, for your sake, I won't trouble this little fellow anymore. This old man still has important matters to attend to."

"I'm also a bit curious," Marquis Jinyan asked, somewhat puzzled. "I heard Brother Xuling has reached the final threshold and has been in seclusion for a thousand years, preparing to transcend the Ascension Tribulation. How do you suddenly have time to come to the Underworld River Lands and visit all of us? Is there really something important?"

"Of course there's something very important!" the old man said without hesitation. "Otherwise, even if this old man had nothing better to do, I wouldn't go to such trouble to break through the realm and come here. Let's skip the pleasantries. Hand over all the Underworld River Nectar you have. This time, I've brought 'Five-Elemental Pills' and 'Myriad Earthworm' eggs. I'll exchange them for all the spiritual nectar you possess."

"What? You want Underworld River Nectar?"

"Brother Xuling, what do you need the spiritual nectar for?"

Upon hearing this, Marquis Jinyan and Qing Yuanzi both involuntarily exclaimed.

Han Li was naturally also greatly surprised.

"Of course not," Marquis Jinyan said with an extremely strange expression, grimacing. "It's just that all the spiritual nectar I had was just exchanged away by Fellow Daoist Jiang."