Chapter 2292: Return

Han Li raised his hand and made a gesture towards the ancient green spear.Immediately, a green light flickered on its surface, and with a whoosh, the object shot towards Han Li.Han Li extended his arm, easily catching the green spear. He held it in front of him, examined it for a moment, then suddenly smiled and handed it to Yin Yue, who was standing nearby. He said, "This treasure appears to be a sacred artifact imbued with fragments of Profound Heaven, so it's not very useful to me. However, it should be perfect for you.""Thank you, Brother Han. I won't stand on ceremony then," Yin Yue replied, her heart filling with joy. Without hesitation, she took the ancient spear and happily began to inspect it.

At that moment, Han Li made another single-handed gesture, and the yellow gourd instantly flew into his hand."This is..." Han Li briefly examined the object in his hand, a hint of surprise flashing across his face. After a moment's thought, he flipped his palm, silently putting away the gourd, then looked towards the last of the three treasures.The miniature, pitch-black flying boat was clearly the legendary 'Ink Spirit Saint Boat.' Han Li narrowed his eyes, gazing at it for a while, then a smile reappeared on his face. He performed a hand seal and pointed into the air towards the boat.With a soft puff, the black flying boat trembled slightly, then slowly rose from the stone platform. Black runes surged across its surface, and its size began to expand rapidly, so much so that even the other treasures in the entire hall started to hum.

Half an hour later, the lake on the surface suddenly began to churn violently. A huge wave materialized from thin air, sweeping outwards in all directions.A deafening roar!The ten-thousand-mu ice plain, including the lake surface, shattered inch by inch. Amidst the flying ice and snow, a colossal, mountain-like black mass flew out.It was, astonishingly, a colossal sky-reaching boat, over a thousand zhang long. The boat was over a dozen stories high, its entire body gleaming dark, covered in countless intricate spiritual patterns. On both the front and rear sides of the massive vessel, more than a dozen silver banners of varying heights were erected, faintly etched with images of various exotic beasts and strange birds. On each deck of the giant boat, straight-standing demon crystal puppet guards were arrayed.With a booming sound, the giant boat transformed into a black streak of light and shot through the air, vanishing without a trace on the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Two months later, above an unknown small mountain range in the Spirit Realm, a sudden roar erupted. Rolling dark clouds converged from all directions towards a single point, swirling into a massive black vortex.Ripples of spatial fluctuations emanated from it!After a thunderous roar, countless silver arcs intertwined within the vortex. Following this, a pitch-black giant boat slowly emerged from it, while the surrounding void twisted violently, as if the entire sky was being forcibly ripped apart.On a high platform on the topmost level of the giant boat, Han Li stood motionless, his eyes slightly closed. Yin Yue stood behind him, a hint of excitement on her face.

"Finally, we're back in the Spirit Realm, and it was much easier than expected! This Demon Spirit Saint Boat also possesses spatial abilities. That's an unexpected bonus." Han Li opened his eyes and spoke with a look of satisfaction as the entire boat flew out of the vortex."The node entrance we found wasn't very stable. I originally thought returning to the Spirit Realm from there would take more time," Yin Yue replied with a charming smile."Regardless, this trip to the Demon Realm was certainly worthwhile," Han Li said with a smile."Indeed!" Yin Yue thought of the treasures she had received from the Crying Spirit Secret Trove and nodded repeatedly, overjoyed."Alright, now that we're back in this realm, let's first determine our location, then return directly to Saint Island. Brother Mo and Senior Ao Xiao should be waiting for us there." Han Li calmly stated after swiftly scanning the entire mountain range with his divine sense."Oh, from Brother Han's tone, it sounds like we're not too far from the Human Race's territory," Yin Yue's spirits lifted."Although there was a slight calculation error, this location is actually closer to the Human Race than we expected," Han Li replied."That's wonderful! Let's go now," Yin Yue exclaimed, delighted.

Han Li chuckled softly without directly answering, but the Demon Spirit Saint Boat beneath him vibrated, then hummed as it shot forward.The black vortex remaining at the original location slowly dissipated and vanished not long after the giant boat departed.

Half a year later, on Saint Island at the border between the Human and Demon races, a silver-haired youth and an elder were conversing in the main hall. They were none other than Patriarch Ao Xiao and Mo Jianli.On either side of the hall, below them, more than ten Saint Island elders stood respectfully with their hands clasped."By my reckoning, that young Han should have returned long ago. He hasn't run into any more trouble in the Demon Realm, has he?" Patriarch Ao Xiao's brows were tightly furrowed this time, and he spoke to the elder opposite him with a hint of worry."Don't worry," Mo Jianli replied, shaking his head. "Fellow Daoist Han's divine abilities are now far beyond what you or I can imagine. Even the Mother of Mandi Worms couldn't defeat him; what else could possibly happen?""Hmph, that's true enough," Patriarch Ao Xiao retorted with a dismissive curl of his lips. "But there are countless powerful beings in this world, and that lad isn't exactly a peaceful one. Who knows if he'll stir up some more enormous trouble?""Haha, Fellow Daoist Ao Xiao," Mo Jianli chuckled, stroking his beard, "your tone is starting to sound more and more like a father-in-law lecturing his son-in-law. You aren't seriously thinking of pairing your granddaughter with young Han, are you?""Even if this old patriarch did have such a thought, what's so strange about it?" Patriarch Ao Xiao retorted, rolling his eyes and pointing at the Saint Island elders on either side. "Given Ling'er's aptitude, I wouldn't say she's guaranteed to advance to the Grand Ascension stage in the future, but she's certainly more promising than these fellows below. Besides, if she were to become young Han's companion, wouldn't our Human and Demon races become even more like a single family?"Upon hearing this, the Saint Island elders in the hall looked embarrassed, but they repeatedly nodded in agreement."You old rascal..." Mo Jianli gave a wry smile upon hearing this, but in his heart, he had to admit that Patriarch Ao Xiao's words did hold some truth."However, I seem to have heard that Fellow Daoist Han already had a cultivation partner in the Human Realm, and their bond was very deep. Otherwise, he wouldn't have refrained from seeking other female cultivators since ascending to the Spirit Realm," Mo Jianli added after further thought."For beings like us, what's so strange about having multiple cultivation partners?" Patriarch Ao Xiao chuckled. "Besides, my old eyes aren't failing me; I can clearly see that this young man isn't entirely without feelings for my Ling'er.""Now that you mention it, that's quite true. And speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Han's age, compared to ours, is still just the beginning. If he were willing to find a few more partners within the clan, there would be a very high chance of producing descendants with astonishing cultivation potential," Mo Jianli said slowly, blinking his eyes.Upon hearing this, Patriarch Ao Xiao was momentarily stunned, but then he pointed at Mo Jianli, a wry, helpless smile on his face, about to say something more.

But just then, a wry chuckle echoed from the void, and a familiar male voice suddenly resonated in the hall:"Fellow Daoists, please don't make fun of this junior anymore. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare meet with the two of you again."As soon as his voice faded, a ripple appeared at the entrance of the hall, and two figures, one male and one female, materialized.One of them, a young man in green robes with a helpless expression, was Han Li. The beautiful woman beside him, however, had a flushed face and eyes filled with bashfulness. She was Yin Yue."Ah, greetings, Senior Han!" The Saint Island elders on both sides were naturally startled by this sight and hastily stepped forward to pay their respects.Patriarch Ao Xiao and Mo Jianli exchanged glances, both appearing surprised and delighted."Fellow Daoist Han, you've finally returned. Only now can this old man truly rest assured.""Haha, young Han, this old patriarch thought you had really run off with my Ling'er!"Both Grand Ascension Patriarchs rose simultaneously to greet him."You two are joking," Han Li said with a smile. "Miss Yin Yue and I are perfectly safe! Everyone, there's no need for such formality." He then waved his hand, signaling for all the Saint Island elders on both sides to rise."We don't need you here for now. All of you may leave. Fellow Daoist Han and I have much to discuss," Patriarch Ao Xiao directly instructed the elders.Hearing this, the Saint Island elders dared not disobey. They all assented and withdrew from the hall.In an instant, only Han Li and the other three remained.Han Li didn't stand on ceremony, casually found a chair, and sat across from the two Grand Ascension stage cultivators. Yin Yue, meanwhile, took a few steps closer to Patriarch Ao Xiao, gave her grandfather a few sidelong glances, then stood behind him. She was clearly still feeling a bit shy about his earlier remarks.

"Fellow Daoist Han," Mo Jianli said sincerely, clasping his fist towards Han Li, "if it weren't for you this time, Brother Ao Xiao and I might truly have perished in the Demon Realm. Regardless, this old man will keep this favor etched in his heart.""Indeed," Patriarch Ao Xiao added with a solemn expression, thanking him gravely. "If it weren't for young Han's timely intervention, we two might very well have been buried alongside those demon spawn in that ancient seal. I will also repay you handsomely in the future.""Please, don't mention it!" Han Li replied, waving his hands repeatedly. "For countless years, you two fellow Daoists have dedicated yourselves tirelessly for the survival of our two races. What I did to rescue you is truly insignificant in comparison.""Hehe, that's entirely different," Mo Jianli said with a chuckle. "Even if we did our best for our clans in the past, it cannot be confused with your life-saving grace. This debt absolutely must be repaid."Patriarch Ao Xiao also nodded in agreement.Seeing this, Han Li smiled and shook his head, finding it difficult to say much more.

For the following period, Han Li naturally discussed their respective experiences in the Demon Realm with the two Grand Ascension Patriarchs, as well as matters related to the Mother of Mandi Worms. Of course, Han Li did not mention anything about the ancient True Immortal still hidden in the Prime Demon Land. Instead, he attributed the demise of the Mother of Mandi Worms entirely to Baohua and the ancient seal. This indeed left Patriarch Ao Xiao and Mo Jianli with no suspicions.

"Fellow Daoist Han, now that you've returned to the clan, take some time to rest well. Don't go out for a while," Mo Jianli suddenly said to Han Li, his expression somewhat unusual.