Chapter 2035: Request

Volume Ten: Battle of the Demon Realm

"There's such a thing? This is the first time I, Han, have heard of it." Han Li's expression subtly changed upon hearing this.

"It's not surprising that Brother Han doesn't know," the Feathered Maiden replied with a giggle. "Apart from those old monsters on Sacred Island, at most a dozen other people know about this. This includes the Three Emperors, myself, and Old Monster Long."

"But what is the Fairy's intention in telling me this?" Han Li pondered for a moment before asking.

"Nothing much," the Feathered Maiden said with a playful smile after her eyes darted around a few times. "Since Brother Han is here, I presume you also know about the arrival of the Three Demon Ancestors. Has Brother Han not considered how to protect your clan and disciples if our two races were to suffer a great defeat?"

"Heh heh," Han Li chuckled, his eyes flashing. "Apart from a few disciples, I haven't established a sect, nor do I have any clan members to worry about."

"But how did I hear that some of your disciples seem to have taken in quite a few followers?" The Feathered Maiden asked with a hint of surprise.

"Oh, that's just a sect opened by my junior disciple," Han Li smiled faintly. "I've never interfered in the slightest. Whether it thrives or perishes depends on their own destiny."

"I see. Then my previous words were a bit presumptuous." The Feathered Maiden paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly again.

"Fairy Ye, are you truly so pessimistic about our final battle with the Demon Race? Although the Demon Ancestors are formidable, our Great Ascension cultivators from several races might not be unable to resist them if we unite. Besides, while the Three Ancestors have such a grand reputation, who has actually seen them with their own eyes? Perhaps their actual powers are merely exaggerated."

At this point, Han Li countered with a question.

"Truly pessimistic? Not exactly. However, the terror of the Three Demon Ancestors definitely far surpasses ordinary Demon Saint Ancestors; that's beyond doubt." The Feathered Maiden shook her head upon hearing this, revealing a worried expression.

"Oh, for the Fairy to speak with such certainty, you must know something." Han Li's heart tightened, but he asked calmly.

"Speaking of which, Brother Han once rendered a great life-saving favor to that girl from my family, so you could say you have some connection with the Ye family. In that case, I won't hide this from you. How much do you know about our Ye family's ancestors?" The Feathered Maiden pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly with a solemn expression.

"Oh, I only know that the Ye family is one of the True Spirit families that have existed since ancient times. I don't really know much else." Han Li stroked his chin and replied.

"Setting aside the founding ancestor of our Ye family, some of our ancestors throughout the generations have also reached the Great Ascension stage. And one particular ancestor, after reaching the Great Ascension stage, actually managed to unprecedentedly stimulate the spirit blood within their body to its absolute limit. Their divine abilities were immense, not to mention they secretly infiltrated the Demon Realm several times."

Upon hearing this, Han Li narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, but did not ask anything, just listened quietly.

After a slight pause, the Feathered Maiden continued without hesitation:

"My ancestor's divine abilities back then were, needless to say, legendary. It's said that he secretly fought against Great Ascension cultivators from nearby foreign races and never once suffered a defeat. However, to take that final step in cultivation, he had to venture into the Demon Realm to search for several rare spirit medicines. The first few times went smoothly, but the last time, he never returned, and all communication ceased. It's highly probable he encountered some extraordinary danger and perished there. But before he left the clan, he left behind a secret text, which documented many things about the Demon Realm. One of the entries was his personal witnessing of a major battle in the Demon Realm between one of the Three Demon Ancestors and a True Spirit. According to our Ye family ancestor, he believed his own abilities were no less than those of any past human Great Ascension cultivator, yet he absolutely wouldn't last more than seven or eight moves against that Demon Ancestor. In fact, if he had been discovered, his chances of escaping with his life were no more than fifty percent. And while Senior Ao Xiao and Senior Mo Jianli also possess unfathomable abilities, they absolutely cannot exceed our Ye family ancestor by too much. Once they face a Demon Ancestor..."

The Feathered Maiden's voice lowered as she spoke, and although she did not finish her sentence, her meaning clearly indicated she was pessimistic about the outcome of the battle between the two races' Great Ascension cultivators and the Demon Ancestors.

"Even if the Demon Ancestors' divine abilities are truly that formidable, we don't necessarily need to confront them directly. As beings from another realm, having broken through to the Spirit Realm, their cultivation will undoubtedly be suppressed and rejected. After all, the Spirit Realm is our main battlefield. I believe that Sacred Island, Senior Mo Jianli, and the others must have other countermeasures in place. Otherwise, why would we even fight? If we had heard news of the Demon Ancestors' arrival, we would have long since arranged for our entire clans to flee and evacuate." Han Li's expression also darkened after hearing this, and he spoke slowly, his thoughts rapidly turning.

"I thought so too; otherwise, I would have already led the Ye family away. However, if some Ye family members can gain the protection of Sacred Island, then even if our two races suffer a great defeat, I believe our Ye family's bloodline won't be severed." The Feathered Maiden said with such candor.

"In that case, Fairy Ye, you can just negotiate directly with the people from Sacred Island. Why tell me all this?" Han Li was genuinely a bit confused.

"It seems Fellow Daoist Han still doesn't know the value of your own clan!" The Feathered Maiden said with a light chuckle.

"Fairy, what do you mean by that?" Han Li was stunned by her words.

"Ahem," the Feathered Maiden said with a light sigh. "Even if this demonic tribulation hadn't erupted, Brother Han, how long do you think Senior Mo Jianli and Senior Ao Xiao can continue to protect our two races? One of these seniors will likely not survive the next great heavenly tribulation, and the other has been in the Great Ascension stage for a long time and probably can't withstand many more. Among our two races, besides these two seniors, there is no third Great Ascension cultivator. Among the remaining Body Integration cultivators, who has hope of advancing to the Great Ascension stage? On the demon race's side, I haven't heard of any remarkably talented Body Integration level demon kings appearing, and on the human side, the Saint Emperor and Hegemon Emperor originally had a slight chance, but now, compared to your heaven-defying talent, they can't be mentioned in the same breath. If I'm not mistaken, should our two races suffer even a slight setback in the war, the first thing Sacred Island will likely do is invite you to stay on Sacred Island. In that case, even if our two races truly lose our current dwelling places, as long as a Great Ascension cultivator emerges years later, we can still rise again in other regions."

"Your words are a bit exaggerated. But even so, Fairy Ye, what do you mean by that?" Han Li's expression shifted between cloudy and clear for a moment before he asked, his heart vaguely anticipating her meaning.

"I have several juniors who have inherited the Ye family's purest Heavenly Phoenix bloodline," the Feathered Maiden said with a sudden solemn expression. "I would like to ask Fellow Daoist to take them as your disciples and then, before the great war, send them along with your other disciples to Sacred Island. As long as Brother Han agrees to this, during our subsequent journey to the Demon Realm, I am willing to defer to Fellow Daoist in all matters."

"Take them as disciples? Fairy Ye, you must be joking!" Han Li frowned, instinctively shaking his head repeatedly.

"Of course I'm not joking," the Feathered Maiden said earnestly. "I can guarantee that every one of these Ye family disciples has aptitude far exceeding that of an ordinary genius. Once they become your disciples, they'll only need a little guidance and certainly won't be a burden to Brother Han."

"But I have no intention of taking on more disciples. Fairy, you merely want some Ye family disciples to enter Sacred Island, so why go through such trouble? If the Fairy truly believes my words would be of some use to Sacred Island, I wouldn't mind writing a letter to those elders on Sacred Island to arrange for my disciples and your clan's disciples to be sent to Sacred Island before the great war. However, whether it will actually succeed is hard to say. As for deferring to me, that's unnecessary. I believe Fairy Ye will make a wise choice when the time comes." Han Li gave a wry smile, then spoke with profound meaning.

"Since Fellow Daoist Han has put it that way, then I shall follow your suggestion. I'm just taking this precautionary measure as a contingency. However, it seems my junior lacked sufficient good fortune, which is why she cannot become your disciple. As for my previous words about deferring to you, since I have said them, I will naturally abide by them. Fellow Daoist Han can rest assured. In fact, even without my earlier request, I intended to follow your lead on this journey." The Feathered Maiden said, a hint of slyness flashing in her eyes.

"Oh, so the Fairy trusts me that much? You know, this trip is supposed to be led by Fellow Daoist Long." Han Li stroked his chin, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, as he asked.

"Hmph, the Long family has schemed against our Ye family countless times," the Feathered Maiden coldly snorted and replied without hesitation. "I don't quite trust that old monster from the Long family. Half of my reason for doing this is for the sake of my descendants, and the other half is to be able to team up with you for self-preservation after entering the Demon Realm. Who knows what other secret schemes Old Monster Long and those Spirit Race individuals might have? I certainly have no intention of being treated as cannon fodder."

"So that's what Fairy Ye was thinking. That's understandable. All right! I'll now inscribe a communication jade slip for you. I presume you have a way to deliver it to your clan members, and then have your clan's disciples bring it, along with a token from me, to Heavenly Abyss City to find my disciples. Our entry into the Demon Realm this time could last anywhere from a few years to several decades. It's quite possible we won't be able to make it back in time for the great war with the Demon Race." Han Li didn't comment further, but instead, with a smile, flipped his hand, and a jade slip appeared in a flash of spiritual light.

"Then I thank Brother Han very much." The Feathered Maiden couldn't help but beam with joy upon hearing this.

Han Li smiled faintly, said nothing more, and began imprinting strands of divine sense into the jade slip, causing a brilliant green light to burst forth from his hand.