Chapter 2162: Purple Spirit Calamity

“It’s a restriction, yet not entirely so. It’s simply that the demonic cultivation technique I practice is a unique grand art she created, which naturally includes a countermeasure. Unless my cultivation surpasses that ancestor’s, with a single thought from her, all my magical power would be completely controlled, rendering me utterly unable to resist. Moreover, Six Extremes had explicitly mentioned the backup avatar matter beforehand, and it was my own choice. I truly can’t harbor much resentment. Furthermore, she had shown me immense kindness before this. Had it not been for her assistance back then, I wouldn’t have had the chance to ascend; I would have long since turned to dust, trapped in the mortal realm.” Zi Ling sighed, yet spoke thus.

“What exactly happened to you in the mortal realm back then, that this Saint Ancestor Six Extremes was able to help you ascend?” Han Li’s thoughts raced as he asked, his voice grave.

“There’s not much to say, really. Restricted by my innate talent back then, though I formed a Nascent Soul, I was always unable to achieve the Deity Transformation stage. With such cultivation, even risking entry into a spatial node would have offered virtually no chance of survival. Having no other option, I had to seek external assistance. That year, I began to travel through all the secret lands of the mortal realm, hoping to find useful spiritual herbs for alchemy to aid my breakthrough. I figured that even if I could only find some potent protective treasures, I would still dare to risk traversing a spatial node before my lifespan ran out. However, to my complete surprise, after spending hundreds of years, I failed to find suitable spiritual herbs or treasures, but instead stumbled upon an ancient demon altar left from antiquity, which I inadvertently activated.” At this point, Zi Ling paused with a helpless smile.

“Did you contact Saint Ancestor Six Extremes through that altar?” Han Li seemed to grasp the situation.

“While the process was somewhat complex and not so straightforward, the final outcome was largely the same. A wisp of Saint Ancestor Six Extremes’ divine consciousness indeed descended through the altar. There’s no need to elaborate on what followed. Persuaded by that wisp of Six Extremes’ divine consciousness, I eventually underwent demonic energy infusion, utilizing some true demonic energy remaining in that secret land. This allowed me to switch to demonic cultivation and rapidly advance to the Deity Transformation stage. The speed and ease of my cultivation were beyond anything I could have imagined. According to Six Extremes, I possess the rare ‘Chanyi Suyin Body,’ which makes cultivating demonic arts twice as effective; I was naturally destined for the demonic cultivation path. This was also why she actively assisted me in ascending to the Demon Realm. If it had been an ordinary mortal realm cultivator, even one who could contact her, why would she bother with such matters? It was only after I ascended to the Demon Realm and met Six Extremes in person that I truly understood her help was merely to prepare an additional candidate avatar body for herself.” Zi Ling explained slowly.

“Since you knew her purpose, there was no need to agree to become her disciple. As for the favor of helping you ascend, you could have found another way to repay it later.” Han Li asked, his expression suddenly darkening.

“Things weren’t that simple. Back then, Six Extremes did give me a choice: either she would immediately retract the true demonic energy she’d bestowed upon me and abolish the unique demonic technique she taught, causing me to fall back to the low-level cultivator realm; or I would become her seventh disciple, serving as a backup body for her avatar. She made it very clear that due to cultivation method restrictions, she could only possess six avatars, including her main body. If the existing avatars remained unharmed, there would naturally be no need to use us disciples as replacements. And given Six Extremes’ ancestral status, even her avatars wouldn’t easily encounter danger or mishap. Thus, it was highly probable that we could continue as her disciples indefinitely. Her eldest disciple had long since advanced to the late-stage Body Integration realm, living carefree for tens of thousands of years without incident. Moreover, Six Extremes promised that if she ever underwent tribulation and ascended, she would no longer require avatars, and we would truly gain our freedom. Furthermore, until then, all cultivation resources for us disciples would be supplied without limit, eliminating the need for us to painstakingly search like other demon races. And from what I know, the Demon Realm’s level of danger is simply incomparable to the mortal realm or even your Spirit Realm; countless high-level demon races perish annually in various perilous areas and conflicts. Under such circumstances, Brother Han, what choice would you have made?” Zi Ling uttered all these words in a single breath, finally asking back with a darkened expression.

“Me…?”

Han Li’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this, and he murmured, looking up at the sky.

“Brother Han, your steadfast willpower has always earned my utmost admiration. Perhaps your choice would indeed have been different. But for me, one path meant a drastic drop in cultivation and from then on, taking enormous risks, struggling to survive in this Demon Realm, unsure when I might easily perish. The other path offered the high probability of living safely for tens of thousands of years, or even longer, without worrying about cultivation resources. The temptation was simply irresistible for a young woman like me, who had just ascended to the Demon Realm. So, it was only natural that I became the seventh disciple under Six Extremes; now I even have a bit of fame in the Demon Realm and a group of subordinates.” Zi Ling sighed again, a hint of melancholy in her voice.

“No wonder you made that choice. If I were in your situation back then, I would have had to yield too. However, being controlled by others like this isn’t a long-term solution. Haven’t you thought about a way to break free?” Han Li asked, taking a deep breath, fully able to imagine Zi Ling’s helpless acquiescence at the time.

“If there were a way to escape Six Extremes’ control, how would the other six disciples above me—all high-level demon races who have reached the Body Integration realm—have remained obediently under Six Extremes for so long? Six Extremes herself is a demon ancestor, with numerous avatars and countless subordinates at her command. Even if I could temporarily escape her grasp, how long could I truly remain hidden? Unless I hid in another realm. But if I left the Demon Realm, a place abundant in demonic energy, my demonic cultivation would essentially be crippled. Not only would I have no possibility of further advancement, but my cultivation would likely diminish significantly.” Zi Ling’s face was etched with bitterness, clearly having pondered this problem countless times.

“In that case, it is indeed extremely difficult! However, if one is willing to take some risks, it’s not entirely without a solution.” After hearing this, Han Li’s expression shifted slightly, and his eyes flickered as he began to ponder.

“What, Brother Han, you have a way? Never mind. Even if your powers are considerable now, you are still no match for an existence like Six Extremes. The risk involved in my situation is too great; it’s better not to drag you into it.” Zi Ling was startled at first, but then recalled something and shook her head repeatedly with worry.

“With my current strength, contending against an ancestor like Six Extremes is indeed quite impossible. But my cultivation isn’t stagnant. Given more time, I have a fair chance of advancing to the Grand Ascension stage. By then, even if I acknowledge I can’t defeat Six Extremes, I won’t be too far behind. At that point, I will have the right to negotiate with this demon.” Han Li’s eyes flashed, and he said with a cold laugh.

“You have confidence in reaching the Grand Ascension stage!” Even though Zi Ling already held Han Li’s strength in high regard, upon hearing his words, she couldn’t help but exclaim, her voice even trembling slightly!

“Rest assured. I wouldn’t speak this way if I didn’t have some confidence.” Han Li smiled faintly, radiating confidence.

Zi Ling gazed blankly at Han Li’s confident face, a strange feeling flitting through her heart. After a long moment, she gently replied:

“Since you say so, I naturally believe you. Let’s do this: we can discuss this matter once you’ve reached the Grand Ascension stage. Once you truly possess the divine abilities of the Grand Ascension stage, tearing through space and returning to the Demon Realm should be a simple matter.”

“That’s good. Your cultivation isn’t too high right now. Even if Six Extremes truly has an avatar perish, she won’t come looking for you immediately. You might as well endure for a while longer.” Han Li pondered for a moment, knowing that this matter truly couldn’t be resolved on a whim. He forcibly suppressed his worries and slowly nodded.

“Alright, Brother Han, you’ve been discussing my situation. Why don’t you tell me about your own experiences? You were able to advance to the late-stage Body Integration realm in such a short time; I imagine your experiences in the Spirit Realm were far more remarkable than mine.” As if to distract Han Li from dwelling on her situation, Zi Ling’s eyes shimmered, and she suddenly changed the topic, asking.

“Hmm, I ascended a bit earlier, and indeed experienced many things in the Spirit Realm. It wouldn’t hurt to tell you about them.” Han Li was momentarily surprised but immediately replied with a smile.

For the rest of the time, Han Li slowly recounted some of his experiences after he originally passed through a spatial node from the Human Realm to the Spirit Realm. Of course, Han Li naturally omitted many highly secretive details.

His experiences in the Spirit Realm were naturally extremely exciting.

Listening, Zi Ling’s expression changed repeatedly, and she even became animated, her charming demeanor—occasionally covering her mouth with one hand in surprise—was truly alluring!

After Han Li finished speaking, Zi Ling naturally recounted a few incidents she had encountered in the Demon Realm, and also briefly explained how she had met Lan Ying.

It was then that Han Li learned Zi Ling had, by coincidence, once inadvertently saved this woman’s life. This was why such an extraordinary young woman from then on called Zi Ling ‘sister’.

At this point, Han Li suddenly remembered something and couldn’t help but ask Zi Ling what the girl in linen clothes had actually divined for her, which had led her to proactively seek them out today.

As soon as Han Li asked this, a flush of red appeared on Zi Ling’s face, and she refused to tell him the details of the divination.

Han Li looked at the beautiful woman’s shy expression, understanding about seventy to eighty percent of the situation in his heart. He immediately chuckled and didn’t press further, but instead asked if Lan Ying had a way to resolve her predicament of being a Six Extremes avatar.

Upon hearing this, Zi Ling shook her head repeatedly.

She explained that since the matter involved a demon ancestor, even the Guangyuan Study, despite its great powers, was helpless in this regard. Even divination wouldn’t be of much use!

The previous head of the Guangyuan Study happened to be Lan Ying’s grandmother. It was only after she perished in an accident that the girl in linen clothes was able to take over as head.

However, many high-level protectors of the original Guangyuan Study perished alongside the linen-clad girl’s grandmother. Therefore, even though Lan Ying took over as head, the current Guangyuan Study is outwardly strong but inwardly weak, actually extremely fragile. It relies entirely on the Guangyuan Study’s past reputation, along with Aunt Zhu and one other remaining high-level protector, to barely maintain its public image. Otherwise, with the Guangyuan Study’s former formidable strength, Six Extremes would have been wary, and if they had truly interceded before, there might have been a chance to help Zi Ling escape. But now, they truly have the will but lack the power.”

After hearing this explanation, Han Li secretly nodded, accepting what she said.

Just like that, Han Li and Zi Ling talked for nearly half a day.

They even discussed small matters related to their cultivation and daily lives, both finding the conversation absorbing, completely oblivious to the passage of time.

After an unknown amount of time, the five-colored light barrier that enveloped the entire room suddenly swayed.

Just as Han Li’s expression shifted, a magnetic female voice suddenly pierced through the light barrier:

“Have you two finished talking? It’s already evening. If you continue chatting, our study will have to close its doors. Brother, don’t you still have something you needed my help with, to clear your doubts? I wonder if you still require my assistance now?”

The voice, of course, belonged to the girl in linen clothes.