Chapter 1962: Encountering the Past

Volume Ten: War in the Demon Realm

Suddenly, he frowned and, with a swift movement, transformed into a dazzling streak of light, shooting towards a spot below.

The streak of light was as fast as lightning. After a few flashes, it carried Han Li, who suddenly appeared above what seemed to be an ordinary residence.

There, five cultivators, dressed in various attires, were gathered around a house shrouded in milky-white mist, whispering and discussing something.

Han Li's sudden, ghostly appearance above the house naturally startled the others. Some immediately flipped their palms to retrieve treasures, while others formed hand seals, preparing for defense.

"Get out!"

Han Li, without even glancing at them, said coldly.

"What did you say? How dare you be so rude..."

"Ah, it's a senior! We will leave immediately!"

These cultivators were all Nascent Soul stage existences. Upon hearing his words, they instantly became enraged.

However, when Han Li unceremoniously released his immense Aura of the Integration Stage, the five were terrified out of their wits. They quickly changed their tone, retreating repeatedly, then scattered and fled in disarray.

As they fled, they didn't even dare to look back, as if a malevolent spirit was relentlessly pursuing them to claim their lives.

Han Li coldly swept his gaze over them. After a slight hesitation, he ultimately took no further action. But at that moment, a woman's voice, filled with extreme surprise, came from within the house, which was protected by a layer of restriction:

"Senior Han! Why, it's you! How did Senior appear here? Qianyu will come out to meet you now!"

As soon as her voice fell, the white mist outside the house swirled, and a gust of wind blew through, causing it to vanish into thin air.

At the same time, the tightly shut door of the house opened, and three women emerged. The woman leading them was tall and had fair skin; she was none other than Xu Qianyu of the Xu family.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, it's been many years," Han Li said with a smile, acknowledging her with a nod.

He had not seen her since their parting at the Xu family all those years ago, and her presence here during the Demonic Tribulation was truly unexpected.

"Thank you, Senior, for your assistance. Otherwise, this junior would have truly struggled to escape this time."

Xu Qianyu, seeing Han Li so abruptly, appeared both surprised and delighted. She quickly led the other two women forward to offer Han Li a deep bow.

"It's nothing; I merely happened to pass by and acted on impulse. Who were those people, and why were they attacking you? Are they your enemies?" Han Li waved his hand, asking casually.

"Enemies? They simply saw that the three of us were isolated and decided to act maliciously. Senior should have dismembered those people!" said a round-faced woman following behind Xu Qianyu, sounding somewhat indignant.

"Xiao Qing, silence! To have encountered Senior Han is already a great fortune for us. How can you speak to a senior with such disrespect? Senior Han, Xiao Qing is one of my nieces. She has always cultivated within the family and has not traveled much. I hope Senior will not take offense!" Xu Qianyu's jade-like face changed upon hearing this, and she sternly reprimanded her.

"Ah, Senior, please forgive me. This junior did not mean to offend." The round-faced female cultivator suddenly realized that the person before her was a senior with unfathomable magical power, and she was not within the Xu family's territory. Her words just now had indeed been somewhat reckless.

"It's fine. Am I someone so unreasonable? If I had known those people were such detestable characters earlier, I might have simply dealt with them on the spot," Han Li replied with a slight smile, unconcerned.

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Senior. This is not a suitable place for conversation. Please, Senior, come inside the house for a chat." Xu Qianyu felt a weight lift from her heart and, with a smile, stepped aside to open the door behind her.

"Then I shall impose!" Han Li thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

This place was quite far from where the demon army was stationed, and there seemed to be no other demons nearby, so he felt quite at ease.

The interior of the house was not particularly spacious, but both its furniture and decorations exuded a unique, antique aura, suggesting it had existed for a very long time.

What piqued Han Li's interest, however, was that the faint restrictive fluctuations near the house vanished without a trace the moment they stepped inside. Even his divine sense couldn't immediately pinpoint the source of these restrictions.

This sparked even more curiosity in him.

When Han Li was invited to sit on the main seat in the center of the room, he looked at the three women respectfully standing by and began to ask:

"This doesn't seem like a place for mortals. Does it have some connection to your Xu family?"

"Senior Han, your insight is keen. This is indeed a resting place that our Xu family abandoned many years ago. This junior and her companions were relentlessly pursued by those evil cultivators and had no choice but to take refuge here, relying on the existing restrictions to offer some resistance," Xu Qianyu replied respectfully.

"I see. However, this place is quite far from the Xu family, and I heard that the entire Xu family has already moved to Sacred City. How did the three of you, with insufficient magical power to protect yourselves, end up out here?" Han Li nodded, but didn't hesitate to directly voice his doubts.

Hearing Han Li's question, the three women couldn't help but exchange glances, showing a hesitant expression. But in the end, it was Xu Qianyu who spoke with a bitter smile:

"Senior, you might not know, but our Xu family did indeed migrate to Sacred Emperor City, guarded by Senior Sacred Emperor, before the Demonic Tribulation arrived. However, not long ago, Lord Blood Spirit left the Sacred City to handle an important matter, taking some of our clansmen with her. After the task was completed, on their way back, they unexpectedly encountered a demon army. After a fierce battle, our clansmen were defeated and could only flee for their lives individually. My two nieces and I were pursued by a small group of demons, which led us to flee in disarray and end up here. We didn't expect that after much effort to shake off our pursuers, we would then run into these evil cultivators."

"Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit left Sacred City?" Han Li was startled, looking somewhat surprised.

"That's right. Originally, the clan elders were unwilling for Lord Blood Spirit to leave, but the matter she had to attend to seemed extremely urgent, so they could only allow Lord Blood Spirit to depart temporarily," Xu Qianyu replied honestly.

"Then, after encountering the demons, Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit should be safe, right?" Han Li didn't press for details about the Xu family's specific undertaking. After a brief contemplation, he instead inquired about Blood Spirit's safety.

"Senior Han, please rest assured. Before I left, I personally saw Lord Blood Spirit break out of the encirclement. Although a few high-ranking demons pursued her, with Lord Blood Spirit's divine abilities, self-preservation will certainly not be an issue," Xu Qianyu frankly informed him.

"In that case, I am relieved. By the way, how is the situation in Sacred Emperor City now? The entire human territory has been forcibly fractured by the demon army, and even some talismans and communication methods are no longer functioning," Han Li asked again, his expression shifting.

"Not very good. Our Sacred Emperor City is still fine; the demon army there hasn't touched the city itself. Instead, they've launched multi-pronged attacks, directly sweeping through other human strongholds. Now, apart from Sacred City, many other human strongholds have been breached, and several sects and prominent families have been completely wiped out. Moreover, this demon attack seems different from previous sieges where they merely plundered after breaking a city. This time, demons have begun to garrison the conquered mortal cities and are starting to extensively enslave our human common folk." As Xu Qianyu spoke, her face grew visibly worried.

"It seems the rumors are true. This Demonic Tribulation is different from all previous ones; it seems they intend to permanently reside in the Spirit Realm." Han Li's expression also darkened upon hearing this. After a long silence, he spoke in a solemn tone.

"What? Senior, do you mean the demons intend to truly occupy our human territories?" Before Xu Qianyu could reply, another woman, pale but with a voluptuous figure, cried out in alarm.

"Not just our human race, but also the demon race, and even other exotic races like the Wood Race and Yaksha Race nearby, are likely targets for the demon invasion. As for specifics, I am not entirely clear, but such rumors among the higher echelons are indeed true. However, you don't need to worry too much. When the sky falls, naturally, taller individuals will bear the burden. I imagine Sacred Island already has countermeasures in place for this," Han Li said with a sudden relaxation of his expression and a light chuckle.

"That's true. With Sacred Island and Lord Mo Jianli present, even if the demons have grander schemes, it will be difficult for them to succeed," Xu Qianyu said, also letting out a sigh of relief.

The other two women's expressions also brightened considerably upon hearing this.

Clearly, the prestige of Sacred Island and Mo Jianli instilled significant confidence in the three women.

For the remainder of the time, Han Li meticulously inquired about the demon army's situation near Sacred Emperor City. Unbeknownst to them, a little less than an hour passed.

"It's getting late. I still have matters to attend to, so I won't stay here much longer. Perhaps we will meet again in the future, fellow Daoists! Also, this place is not suitable for a prolonged stay; it would be safer for the three of you to return to Sacred Emperor City sooner," Han Li finally stood up, bidding farewell, and offered a final piece of advice.

Hearing these words, Xu Qianyu and the two women naturally dared not stop him. They immediately assented and respectfully escorted Han Li out the door.

A flash of green light enveloped Han Li, and he once again transformed into a green rainbow, breaking through the air and departing.

After watching the green rainbow vanish with a flash at the edge of the sky, a trace of complex emotion suddenly flickered in Xu Qianyu's eyes, and she let out a soft sigh.

"Aunt Xu, is Senior Han truly the senior who brought Lord Blood Spirit back to our Xu family all those years ago? Is he truly an Integration Stage senior?" As soon as Han Li left, the round-faced woman impatiently asked a series of questions.

The other woman's beautiful eyes gleamed, and she similarly perked up her ears to listen.

"Yes, it is indeed Senior Han. When he first arrived at our Xu family, he was already an Integration Stage existence. I heard that not long before the Demonic Tribulation, he advanced again and is now at the Mid-Integration Stage," Xu Qianyu replied with a bitter smile.

"What! A Mid-Integration Stage cultivator? This niece has never seen such a high-ranked existence before. I've heard others say that Auntie has quite a close relationship with Senior Han, even working together in Tianyuan City back then. Is that true?!" The round-faced woman, evidently not very old, first gasped in a low voice, then excitedly pressed for more details.