Chapter 2037: The War of the Demon Realm Destined Copper Coin

A massive green boat and three streaks of dazzling light appeared almost simultaneously above the small valley. Facing each other from afar, both parties were visibly surprised.

"What a coincidence," the Old Ancestor of the Long Family said with a smile as his escape light faded, revealing his figure. "I didn't expect fellow Daoists from the Spirit Race to arrive here at this exact moment. Long offers his greetings."

"Qianqiu assumed Brother Long had already entered the valley; it seems you've only just made it yourself," Saintess Qianqiu's voice drifted from within the large boat. A moment later, her figure shimmered into view at the vessel's bow.

Behind her, four other figures were distinctly visible. Three were the same Spirit Race holy spirits who had been seen on the giant boat previously. The fourth, however, was a new presence: an unusually pale young man, wreathed in a faint blue mist, his face utterly devoid of expression.

"Haha, I was actually supposed to arrive two days ago," the Old Ancestor of the Long Family chuckled. "But I ran into some trouble on the way, which wasted a little extra time. It's truly commendable that you all managed to be so punctual after such a long journey." After sweeping his gaze over the five individuals opposite him, his eyes lingered briefly on the figure shrouded in white light, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

"Trouble?" the yellow-robed woman asked cautiously, her expression tightening. "It won't significantly jeopardize our mission, will it?"

"Rest assured, Fairy Qianqiu," the Old Ancestor of the Long Family replied with a smile. "We simply encountered a few high-level demon cultivators on the way, but they have already been dealt with. There will be no leaks regarding our journey."

"Since Brother Long has said so, I feel relieved," Saintess Qianqiu replied, her expression easing. "It appears some noble Daoists from your side have already arrived. Let's descend and discuss further."

"Indeed, these are the auras of Fellow Daoist Han and Fairy Ye," the Old Ancestor of the Long Family remarked, having swept the valley below with his spiritual sense. "Let us descend and join them."

Both parties then descended into the valley. The Spirit Race's colossal green boat, which had been suspended mid-air, suddenly flickered and vanished from its spot, a result of some unknown secret art deployed by the old scholar.

Several holy spirits followed the Old Ancestor of the Long Family and his companions, gracefully landing in the center of the valley.

The moment their feet touched the ground, a clear male voice suddenly resounded:

"Fellow Daoists, you've finally arrived! Fairy Ye and I have been waiting for quite some time."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a flash of escape light appeared at the other end of the valley. Two streaks of dazzling light materialized, swiftly approaching the two groups with a rush of air.

As the light shimmered, Han Li and the feathered-robed maiden silently materialized.

"It truly is the two of you, fellow Daoists! With your arrival, everyone is now present," the Old Ancestor of the Long Family said, a smile immediately gracing his face upon seeing Han Li and the maiden.

"Aside from Fellow Daoist Qianqiu, the other Spirit Race Daoists are quite unfamiliar to us," Han Li said calmly, nodding in acknowledgment as his eyes swept over Saintess Qianqiu and her companions. "Might you introduce them?"

"Fellow Daoist Han is already at the late-stage Body Integration Realm!"

In stark contrast to Han Li's composure, Saintess Qianqiu's spiritual sense swept over him, and her beautiful face paled as she gasped in surprise.

It was widely known that when Han Li first met her at the Myriad Spirits Platform, he was merely at the early-stage Body Integration Realm. Now, after only a few centuries, his cultivation had astonishingly surged to the late-stage, a fact that naturally greatly shocked Saintess Qianqiu.

"Indeed, I was fortunate enough to advance to the late-stage realm," Han Li replied with a faint smile, "which must amuse Fellow Daoist Qianqiu."

With his current cultivation, he could no longer conceal his true realm when facing cultivators of the same late-stage Body Integration level, unless he deliberately employed secret concealment techniques.

Upon hearing her words, the lean man and the other holy spirits instinctively turned their gaze to scrutinize Han Li, their faces similarly betraying expressions of astonishment.

These Spirit Race holy spirits had thoroughly studied the profiles of the human cultivators they were to cooperate with before their departure, so they naturally recognized Han Li at once.

However, the human cultivator who was initially expected to be the lowest in cultivation, at the early-stage Body Integration Realm, had now become a formidable late-stage presence, striking awe into all of them.

"Heh heh, Brother Han is a cultivation genius rarely seen in our human race for a hundred thousand years, which explains his rapid progress," the Old Ancestor of the Long Family chuckled, a knowing look on his face. "With Fellow Daoist Han's cultivation having increased so dramatically, our chances for this mission are naturally much higher."

"I have indeed heard rumors of Fellow Daoist Han's extraordinary cultivation talent, but I never imagined that even after entering the Body Integration Realm, he could maintain such monstrous advancement speed," Saintess Qianqiu said, her thoughts racing, the surprise on her face finally subsiding considerably. "But as Brother Long said, this is indeed a great advantage for our journey to the Demon Realm. Oh, right, allow me to introduce the other fellow Daoists from our race. These individuals are reclusive cultivators of our Spirit Race, rarely known to outsiders. This is Elder Jingu of our Spirit Race's Gold element lineage; he is proficient in sonic abilities and adept at handling large numbers of enemies…" She then pointed to the lean, grey-robed man and began the introductions.

The feathered-robed maiden and the others listened intently, mentally cross-referencing and observing the other holy spirits as they were introduced.

From the yellow-robed woman, they learned that besides Elder Jingu, the old scholar was named "Cangxing," proficient in the ways of formations and restrictions.

The divine being shrouded in white light, whose features remained indistinct, was called "Baiqi." Besides possessing several powerful divine abilities that countered demonic techniques, he was also remarkably knowledgeable about matters concerning the Demon Realm.

Lastly, the pale-faced youth was casually introduced by the yellow-robed woman as "Zhishui," a recently advanced Body Integration Realm elder from the Artifact Spirit Race, who possessed unique secret arts for shattering space.

Among these holy spirits, only Saintess Qianqiu and the figure shrouded in white light were at the late-stage Body Integration Realm. The old scholar and the lean man were both at the mid-stage, while the youth named "Zhishui" was merely at the early-stage.

On the surface, if Han Li had not unexpectedly reached the late-stage Body Integration Realm, the Spirit Race would indeed have possessed a clear advantage in terms of demonstrated strength over the human contingent.

The Old Ancestor of the Long Family concluded his observations, his face betraying no particular expression. Instead, he smiled and offered greetings to each of the holy spirits.

On the Spirit Race's side, only the old scholar and the lean man offered polite smiles in response. Baiqi and the youth named "Zhishui," however, remained completely unresponsive; one was cold and aloof, the other utterly expressionless.

Being a profoundly astute individual, the Old Ancestor of the Long Family was naturally unfazed by this. He then briefly introduced Han Li and the others to the Spirit Race members.

Given that the late-stage spiritual pressure emanating from the holy spirit named Baiqi was noticeably stronger than Saintess Qianqiu's, the human cultivators subconsciously directed most of their attention towards this mysterious being.

However, it was unclear what entity this late-stage holy spirit's true form was, as the white light radiating from his entire body flickered unpredictably, waxing and waning. Even Han Li felt a dizzying sensation after a few prolonged glances, prompting a silent surge of surprise within him.

For the remainder of the time, both parties wasted no words. They immediately sat down cross-legged under a nearby colossal tree and began discussing the specifics of entering the Demon Realm.

As both parties had begun preparing for this expedition to the Demon Realm many years in advance, all steps had naturally been meticulously planned. Now, only minor, on-the-spot adjustments were required.

Consequently, in just two hours, all arrangements were finalized. Everyone then ascended into the air once more and boarded the massive green boat that had reappeared above them.

With a low hum, the colossal green boat's surface shimmered with seven-colored light. It then transformed into a faint green streak and swiftly soared towards the horizon.

In a matter of moments, the green streak vanished without a trace at the edge of the sky, having traveled hundreds of miles.

Unbeknownst to those on the colossal boat, merely tens of miles away, at an altitude of thousands of feet, a nearly translucent white orb of light was silently and swiftly trailing them, maintaining a close pursuit of the green vessel.

Within this peculiar orb of light, an ugly, black-armored man was surprisingly conversing with a woman in palace attire, whose body shimmered with pink light.

"Master," the black-armored man asked in astonishment, "you said someone among those foreign races made even you, venerable one, feel a degree of apprehension? That can't be. Although you, venerable one, cannot fully utilize Saint Ancestor-level divine abilities due to your injuries, it shouldn't be an issue to eliminate these Body Integration Realm cultivators, given a bit more time."

The palace-attired woman's face was veiled by the pink light. In one hand, she held a purple-gold copper coin, which she incessantly rubbed between her fingers. After a considerable pause, she replied faintly:

"I am not wary of those Body Integration Realm cultivators," she replied. "Rather, my 'Heaven's Mandate Coin' suddenly reacted on its own, indicating that among them, someone possesses a rare treasure capable of posing a threat to me. I have no desire to sustain further injuries due to a moment's carelessness." The copper coin in her hand bore a smiling, benevolent human face on one side and a fierce, malevolent ghostly visage on the other, flickering alternately with an uncanny intensity.

"What kind of treasure could possibly pose a threat to even you, Master?" the black-armored man asked, his expression turning grim with shock.

"Were my divine abilities not lost, how many treasures in this world, besides Xuan-Heaven artifacts, could truly threaten me?" the palace-attired woman said slowly, her eyes shifting. "But now, with my magical power greatly diminished, it's hard to say. Some heaven-reaching spirit treasures possessing unique divine abilities could now potentially have a restraining effect on me."

"Master, did you sense any traces of the spirit medicine among them just now?" the black-armored man asked cautiously, his expression shifting uncertainly.

"As for the spirit medicine's whereabouts," the palace-attired woman said, her brow furrowing, a hint of bewilderment in her beautiful eyes, "I did vaguely sense something from one of them, but it's rather peculiar…" She seemed to be hesitating over something.

The black-armored man, witnessing this, was utterly bewildered. He stared blankly at the palace-attired woman, but dared not press her for further details.