Chapter 1964: Black Rain Sage

**Volume Ten: War in the Demon Realm**

After the blood mist dissipated, all the demon creatures had vanished without a trace!

The cultivators, who had just recovered from the chilling shock, were naturally dumbfounded by the sight around them.

“Who was it that lent a hand? This junior, Jian Feitian of the Heavenly Steed Sect, thanks the senior for this life-saving grace!” The white-bearded elder was the first to react, his face alight with surprise and joy. He immediately bowed deeply to the figure in the green light high above.

Hearing the elder, the other cultivators, regardless of gender or age, suddenly realized what had happened. Overjoyed, they too immediately knelt down and paid their respects.

“As fellow humans, since I encountered this, it was impossible for me to stand by idly,” the figure in the air said calmly. “Head west immediately. There are no demons there, so it is temporarily safe. I cannot assist you with anything else.” With a flick of his sleeve, the radiant light that filled the sky instantly retracted, vanishing in a flash.

“May I ask for your esteemed name, Senior? Our Heavenly Steed Sect will forever honor your life-saving kindness by establishing a shrine in your name!” Although the white-bearded elder tried his best to discern the figure’s face within the green light, it was futile. He immediately bowed again, speaking with utmost respect.

“Heh heh, there’s no need for such grand gestures. I merely acted on instinct,” the figure in the green light chuckled noncommittally. “Well then, I must be on my way. Take care of yourselves.” Before the white-bearded elder could say anything more, the figure suddenly erupted with dazzling spiritual light, transforming into a streak of green rainbow and shooting away.

After a few whooshing sounds, the escaping light vanished without a trace into the horizon, as if it had traveled a thousand miles in an instant.

Seeing such an astonishing speed of escape, the white-bearded cultivator couldn’t help but be startled. He stood there dazed for a while before unconsciously standing up.

“Master, do you know which senior it was who saved our sect?” A Nascent Soul stage man walked a few steps to the elder’s side and asked cautiously.

“Hmm, to kill so many high-tier demon creatures in one go is something a Void Refinement cultivator simply couldn’t achieve. Even an ordinary Body Integration stage cultivator would find it difficult to do so easily. As far as I know, there are only two seniors with the surname Han who are Body Integration stage or higher in this vicinity. One is Senior Han Qing, the True Lord Nine Tears, who recently joined the Holy Emperor’s command. The other is Senior Han Li, who resides near Heavenly Abyss City. Both of these seniors possess profound and unfathomable magic power, and their divine abilities are vast. It must be one of them. As for who it truly was, we will certainly inquire further once we are truly out of danger. This life-saving grace, we must never forget,” the white-bearded elder said after pondering for a moment, letting out a soft sigh.

“Yes, Master, I will follow your teachings. However, since demons have appeared here, it is no longer very safe. Should we continue in our original direction and seek refuge with the Hidden Sect branch concealed in the Blackwater Mountains, or should we go west as this senior advised? As far as I know, the west is quite desolate, mostly plains, and there might not be many secret hiding places there,” the middle-aged man asked respectfully again.

“The Blackwater Mountains are not too far from here, so that place can’t be considered a safe haven anymore. Since Senior Han mentioned that no demons have appeared in the west, I believe it to be true. As for it being a bit desolate and mostly plains, what does that matter?” the white-bearded elder said with a cold sneer, narrowing his eyes. “Do you truly believe that by hiding in the mountains, you can evade the spiritual sense scans of those high-tier demons? As long as we can find a remote place, set up a spell formation, and hide deep underground, it’s not impossible to avoid this demonic calamity. After all, the demon race can’t possibly search every single region we inhabit.”

“Yes, disciple will now order everyone to head west.” The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly after a brief moment of thought.

“Oh, right—check the storage artifacts on those demon creatures. They are demon elites, so their possessions must be considerable. Since Senior Han didn't take them, he must not have valued them. But for our Heavenly Steed Sect, they would be significant,” the elder suddenly remembered something and quickly added.

The middle-aged man naturally assented and turned to loudly convey the white-bearded elder’s orders to the others.

Thus, the dozens of human cultivators first scattered their escaping light and flew towards the ground. After a moment, they all gathered their escaping light again, changed direction, and flew westwards.

As for the vanished demons, it would likely take at least ten days to half a month before the demon side discovered anything.

The figure in the green light was, of course, Han Li, who had taken action.

He had encountered such instances of demons encircling and attacking human cultivators at least five or six times on his journey. When he found no Demon Lords present, he unhesitatingly unleashed his thunderous methods, sweeping away all these wandering demon creatures.

Now, unless he encountered a large demon army allied with several Demon Lords, he truly had little to fear.

Half a month later, a dark, primeval forest appeared ahead. Its trees were tall, and its foliage was dense. Occasional low roars of beasts emanated from within, giving off an eerie and chilling sensation.

Han Li retracted his escaping light, revealing himself at the edge, and gazed deep into the forest. In the extreme distance, he vaguely saw seven peaks of varying sizes connected together, forming a small mountain range.

“Underworld Earthfire! I’ve heard of this place before; it truly lives up to its reputation as a place of extremely strong Yin energy. Perhaps very few cultivators would come here, apart from those who practice Yin-attribute cultivation arts,” Han Li murmured. He retracted his gaze and once again transformed into a long rainbow, shooting directly towards those peaks.

What seemed like an extremely distant place was reached in an instant by the astonishing escape speed of the green rainbow.

Han Li had no intention of stopping. He shot directly towards the second highest of the seven peaks. After a few flashes, he appeared at its summit and revealed himself once more.

However, after a quick glance, Han Li paused slightly, a look of surprise on his face.

At the summit, there were two human cultivators seated cross-legged by the edge of a crater-like depression. One was plump, with a fair face and large ears, and was surprisingly a monk wearing a purple kasaya. The other was as thin as a stick, with dark skin, resembling an ugly old man who looked like a charred piece of wood.

Both of them, like him, were at the Mid-Body Integration stage. He didn't know what method they had used to conceal their aura, but it had prevented Han Li from detecting their presence beforehand.

Upon seeing Han Li’s sudden appearance, both individuals’ gazes swept over him almost simultaneously.

“Oh, it’s Fellow Daoist Han! This humble monk, Tianchan, greets you.” The plump monk, seeing Han Li’s face clearly, was first startled, then strangely called out Han Li’s name.

This monk was none other than Grandmaster Tianchan, one of the Holy Emperor’s two main subordinates, whom Han Li had met once before!

“So it is Grandmaster Tianchan. Han Li offers his respects.” Han Li was equally surprised inwardly, but his expression remained calm as he simply cupped his hands from a distance.

“Tianchan, you know this person?” The other ugly-faced elder also noticed Han Li's Mid-Body Integration stage cultivation. His expression changed, and he spoke with an unusually hoarse voice.

“Heh heh, no wonder Brother Yu doesn't recognize Patron Han,” Monk Tianchan replied with a faint smile. “Fellow Daoist Han only advanced to the Body Integration stage a few hundred years ago. Brother Yu has been in seclusion, so naturally, he finds him a bit unfamiliar.”

“A few hundred years? I didn’t misinterpret, Fellow Daoist Han must be at the Mid-Body Integration stage, right?” The ugly elder was startled and, turning his gaze, couldn’t help but ask Han Li.

“I have only recently advanced to the Mid-stage. And Fellow Daoist, are you…?” Han Li, facing someone of the same cultivation stage, naturally showed no disrespect and also cupped his hands, asking in return.

“This old man is Yu Xiaotian, also known as Venerable Black Rain,” the ugly elder said, his eyes flickering and making no attempt to hide his astonishment. “Tsk tsk, to advance to this level within a few hundred years—Fellow Daoist Han’s talent is unparalleled; I’ve never seen anyone comparable on the Holy Island.”

“Holy Island? Brother Yu, are you an envoy of the Holy Island?” This time, Han Li was truly taken aback, asking with a slight change in his voice.

“I wouldn’t dare claim to be an envoy of the Holy Island, but this old man does indeed reside on the Holy Island currently!” Venerable Black Rain replied, appearing unusually courteous.

“The Holy Island’s reputation precedes it for me; I've long heard of its fame, but unfortunately, I’ve never had the opportunity to visit and see it for myself,” Han Li said, his look of surprise subsiding as he suddenly smiled. “If you have time, I hope Brother Yu can tell me more about it.”

“Heh heh, originally, every thousand years, the Holy Island would invite newly advanced Body Integration stage cultivators to the island, and some would even be invited to stay and cultivate there,” Venerable Black Rain chuckled. “If this demonic calamity hadn’t erupted early, Brother Han might have already realized his wish.”

“I see. This is actually the first time I’ve heard of such a thing. Please forgive my ignorance, Fellow Daoists,” Han Li nodded, looking somewhat surprised.

“It's nothing. The Holy Island used to require cultivators who visited the island to keep this a secret, so cultivators below the Body Integration stage would have no way of knowing,” Venerable Black Rain said, showing understanding.

“Patron Han, after we parted ways back then, I heard you were living in seclusion near Heavenly Abyss City, and that you moved directly into the city before the demonic calamity erupted. May I ask what the situation is like in Heavenly Abyss City now?” the monk suddenly interjected, asking Han Li.

“Indeed, I am currently residing in Heavenly Abyss City as a guest elder,” Han Li replied, his expression grave after hearing the monk’s question. “As for the situation in Heavenly Abyss City, it’s not particularly good. Apart from Heavenly Abyss City itself, all other large strongholds seem to have fallen.”

“The situation in Heavenly Abyss City is that perilous? Although there are far fewer strongholds in that region compared to others, I heard that several large ones were quite powerful and even had Body Integration cultivators garrisoning them. How could they have fallen so quickly?” The monk’s expression changed drastically.

“That’s a long story; I’ll explain it in detail to you later, Grandmaster,” Han Li said with a wry smile, a hint of curiosity appearing on his face. “However, given your identities, Grandmaster Tianchan and Fellow Daoist Yu, how is it that you both ended up here? Would it be convenient to tell me a bit about it?”