Chapter 2016: Invitation

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Volume Ten: War in the Demonic Realm

The first Demon Lord of the Demon Race, as he referred to, did not receive sufficient respect from him. His words and actions showed a distinct lack of deference. Of course, this was because he was not the true form of the Bloodlight Saint Ancestor, but merely a clone. Otherwise, even with his astonishing divine abilities, the burly man would not have dared to be so unruly.

Bloodlight lowered his head, pondering for a moment, then suddenly looked up and shouted, "Someone! Bring the Ten Great Commanders to me!"

"Yes, sir!" someone respectfully replied from outside the door, and a guard swiftly departed to convey the order.

Only then did Bloodlight unhurriedly sit back down on the main seat, beginning to meticulously ponder several matters.

Meanwhile, in Skyreach City, the massive phantom image finally retracted its radiance after absorbing a sufficient amount of spiritual energy. It transformed into a misty blue orb of light and flashed into the stone pagoda. With a dazzling flash, the orb of light mysteriously vanished without a trace.

At this moment, Han Li, deep within the base of the pagoda, let out a long breath, slowly opened his eyes, his face filled with profound joy.

"This is the late-stage Body Integration realm; it truly feels completely different from the early and mid-stages. If I can cultivate this realm to grand completion, it will be like having one foot on the threshold of a Mahayana cultivator. The path to eternal life is finally truly within sight," Han Li murmured to himself, sensing the surging increase in his spiritual power and divine sense within his body. This successful advancement to the late-stage realm had dramatically increased his spiritual power and divine sense by more than half, and this was not even the limit; both could continue to grow with further cultivation.

The only slight regret was that his physical body had not significantly improved. It seemed the rumors were true: cultivators could only reforge their physical bodies upon advancing to the Mahayana realm. As for the effects of this reforging, they would naturally depend on the cultivation technique used and each person's potential and talent.

Pondering this, Han Li quickly set aside his slight regret, closed his eyes once more, and began to consolidate his current realm, while also recovering the vast amount of vital energy he had expended during his recent tribulation. During the recent tribulation, he had already consumed a considerable amount of spiritual power and divine sense while battling his inner demons. Therefore, in the latter stages of resisting the heavenly tribulation, he had to rely on the power of numerous treasures. Even so, the ferocity of this late-stage tribulation far exceeded his imagination.

It forced him to consecutively detonate over a dozen top-tier treasures he had acquired previously. Even his seventy-two Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords suffered some damage under intense activation. If not for the two Extreme Mountains, which possessed a unique ability to resist heavenly lightning and unexpectedly displayed their might by blocking the last few waves of lightning at the critical moment, he likely would have been severely injured, if not incapacitated, even if he managed to survive the tribulation, instead of emerging unscathed as he was now.

However, it was precisely because of this late-stage tribulation that Han Li's confidence in the Five-Extreme Mountains greatly increased. He resolved to spare no effort in refining the remaining three Extreme Mountains. Otherwise, given the almost irresistible power of this late-stage Body Integration tribulation, the Mahayana and Ascension tribulations would be even more terrifying and unbelievable. Without the Five-Extreme Mountains, he had absolutely no confidence. Moreover, this potent treasure was also necessary to withstand the great heavenly tribulations that descended periodically.

After his last thought lingered in his mind for a moment, a surge of warm spiritual energy circulated through various parts of his body from his dantian. As he relaxed, his consciousness completely immersed itself in cultivation. Han Li remained in seclusion for a full dozen days.

Half a month later, a long, surging roar echoed from the secret chamber at the base of the pagoda, and with a 'bang,' the chamber door automatically swung open. With a flash of green light, Han Li appeared calmly at the doorway, his gaze sweeping left and right.

"Greetings, Master!"

"Congratulations, Brother Han, on your successful cultivation!"

Tool Spirit, Young Master Hai, Ice Phoenix, and the others had been waiting nearby. The instant they heard the roar, they swiftly rushed to the doorway. Seeing him, they immediately stepped forward with great joy, bowing and offering congratulations.

"Haha, if it weren't for the Fairy's assistance, it's uncertain whether I would have succeeded in this advancement," Han Li said, smiling at the three individually. "Friends, let's speak in the great hall. Both of you have worked hard during this time; come along with us."

Ice Phoenix and the others naturally had no objections and immediately followed Han Li towards the top floor of the stone pagoda. A short while later, Han Li and Ice Phoenix were seated on chairs in the top-floor hall. As juniors, Tool Spirit and Young Master Hai respectfully stood on either side, listening to Han Li and Ice Phoenix's conversation. This time, Han Li's successful advancement to the late-stage Body Integration realm made them almost more excited than Han Li himself. With such a master by their side, who would dare to bully them among the human and demon races from now on? In the future, even cultivators several realms higher than them would likely show them a degree of courtesy.

"Brother Han," Ice Phoenix said slowly, not bothering to hide the hint of envy on her face. "I believe my own Heavenly Phoenix spiritual blood makes my aptitude and talent second to none. Back in the Human Realm, I cultivated to an extremely high level in a short time. But now, compared to your current realm, I truly don't know what to say. Perhaps when you and I joined forces to ascend to the Spirit Realm through that node, you never imagined you would achieve such success today. With your advancement to the late-stage Body Integration realm, combined with your already astonishing divine abilities, there is no one left in the human and demon races for you to fear, apart from those two Mahayana stage existences. You can even roam freely across most of the Spirit Realm; it's truly an enviable achievement!"

"My cultivation to my current realm was largely due to some luck," Han Li said, shaking his head, his expression very calm. "Fellow Daoist Feng, you inherited an astonishing True Spirit bloodline, and your cultivation talent is not weak. In the future, with a little more time, advancing to my current realm is only a matter of time. What is there to envy?"

"I hope so," Ice Phoenix nodded, then suddenly added, "I've recently felt a faint sense of great completion in my spiritual power during cultivation, so it seems I'm not far from breaking through to the next realm."

"Haha, then I must congratulate the Fairy as well," Han Li said, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, surprised by her words.

Ice Phoenix returned his smile but said nothing further.

"Tool Spirit, has anything happened during my seclusion?" Han Li turned and asked.

"Reporting, Master," Tool Spirit stepped forward and replied respectfully. "Recently, there have been significant movements of cultivators throughout the city, and rumors are widespread that the Demon Race army will formally attack the city very soon. Also, after Master successfully passed your heavenly tribulation last time, many sect forces in the city sent congratulatory messages and valuable gifts. Your disciple has diligently recorded all the gifts and stored them in the study, awaiting your inspection. Oh, and the Elders of the Elder Council also sent their own gifts. Senior Jin even sent an invitation in advance, asking that as soon as you emerge from seclusion, you immediately come to the Elder Council, as there is a matter of extreme importance to discuss."

"Leave the gifts there for now; I'll look at them when I have time. As for the Elder Council… hehe, it's most likely related to the Demon Race army. It seems I must go. This matter shouldn't be delayed. I'll head over immediately." After a brief consideration, Han Li unhurriedly stood up.

"Then your disciple respectfully bids Master farewell!"

"Brother Han, go early and return soon!"

Tool Spirit, Ice Phoenix, and the others were somewhat surprised to see Han Li depart so hurriedly, but naturally, they dared not impede him in the slightest. After a slight nod, a flash of green light enveloped Han Li's body. He transformed into a green rainbow, circled once in place, and then shot out of the hall.

When Han Li appeared before the Elder Council's main hall, Grandmaster Jinyue and the silver-haired elder seemed to have been waiting there all along. Upon hearing of his arrival, they immediately came out to greet him and ushered him into the hall. As soon as the three of them were seated, the silver-haired elder offered repeated congratulations, then couldn't resist sweeping his divine sense over Han Li's current cultivation state. The result startled him. Han Li's current cultivation was as unfathomable as the ocean; the elder's divine sense was utterly unable to discern his specific cultivation realm.

How was this possible! He was also a mid-stage Body Integration cultivator. While he couldn't compare to the spiritual power of a late-stage cultivator, he should certainly not be unable to even discern their cultivation realm. There were naturally only two possibilities for such a situation. First, the other party might have cultivated some miraculous secret art or possessed some exotic treasure that concealed their spiritual power, making it impossible for him to probe. Second, the other party's spiritual power might far surpass that of a typical late-stage Body Integration cultivator, making it naturally impossible to clearly sense due to the vast disparity in power.

The silver-haired elder showed no change in expression, but as various thoughts spun in his mind, he immediately concluded that the first scenario was unlikely. After all, if the other party truly possessed the ability to conceal their cultivation, they would have naturally used it during the mid-stage Body Integration. Furthermore, their advancement to the late-stage Body Integration was now common knowledge, making it unnecessary to take such extra steps. If it were the latter, however... The silver-haired elder couldn't help but gasp. His tone when speaking with Han Li unknowingly became a little more deferential.

Although Grandmaster Jinyue also appeared normal, the shock in his heart was no less than that of the silver-haired elder. While he had tried to overestimate Han Li's strength previously, he now realized he had still underestimated him.

"I have received the congratulatory gifts from both Fellow Daoists, and I thank you," Han Li said straightforwardly after chatting for a few more moments. "However, since you've so urgently summoned me, there must be an important matter. Could you perhaps reveal it?"

"Well, since Brother Han has said so, I, Gu, will speak plainly," the silver-haired elder said, looking at Grandmaster Jinyue before turning back with a grave expression. "Your unexpected advancement to the late-stage Body Integration realm must have greatly increased your strength, making you arguably the foremost cultivator in our city. I dare to ask, Fellow Daoist, what is your estimated chance of victory if you were to face the Demon Race Saint Ancestor's clone outside the city?"

"A Demon Race Saint Ancestor's clone?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, then after a while, replied expressionlessly, "That's difficult to say. After all, the cultivation techniques of Demon Race Saint Ancestors vary widely, and their clone abilities differ greatly. I don't know anything about this particular Saint Ancestor's clone outside the city, so I naturally can't make a judgment. However, if it's just like the clones I've encountered before, I believe I can handle one or two of them."