Chapter 2304: Spirit King

Even though the eight Body Integration cultivators of the Spirit Race were protected by their various treasures, the direct pressure from the Grand Ascension cultivator's aura, so close at hand, still forced them to stumble back several steps, their faces betraying a hint of fear.

"Senior, please calm your anger! We absolutely meant no disrespect!" the white-horned old man cried out, his forehead slick with sweat.

Mo Jianli, however, remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard. His aura pulsed, becoming even more powerful than before.

This time, the eight Body Integration Spirit Race cultivators could no longer resist the spiritual pressure with their cultivation alone. Simultaneously, treasure light erupted from their bodies, and the phantom images of eight different exotic treasures materialized, barely managing to withstand the terrifying spiritual pressure.

Han Li's gaze sharpened, taking in the eight treasures with perfect clarity.

They were three talismans, two command tokens, a small white cauldron, and a silver Ruyi scepter. Seeing this, Mo Jianli snorted. His protective spiritual light flickered slightly as he took a step forward, ready to unleash the full force of his spiritual pressure and thoroughly teach these young Spirit Race cultivators a lesson.

But just then, a peculiar clear breeze suddenly swept down from the summit of Mount Fuling, passing right in front of Mo Jianli.

Mo Jianli felt a warm, benevolent aura hover before him, and the terrifying spiritual pressure he had unleashed instantly dissipated into nothingness.

Then, a gentle old man's voice drifted out from the wind.

"Brother Mo, there's no need to be angry. Their previous words were unintentional, and I apologize on their behalf. You two have honored this place with your presence; I couldn't be more delighted, so how could I refuse to meet you? I await your arrival at the summit. Ling Mie, I just used my divine sense to check, and Fellow Daoists Xue Ran have already arrived at the foot of the mountain. Four of you go down to greet them first. The other four will escort Brother Mo to the Purple Qi Hall."

"As you command!"

"We obey the decree!"

The eight Body Integration Spirit Race cultivators bowed respectfully towards the mountain. Then, retracting the phantom images of their magic treasures, the four bald men shot down the mountain.

The remaining four Spirit Race cultivators, including the white-horned old man, bowed again to Han Li and the others, then assumed welcoming stances.

"Since Fellow Daoist Spirit King has spoken personally, I naturally cannot disregard it. Let's meet with him first, then discuss other matters." After several changes in expression, Mo Jianli finally did not try to stop the bald men and their group. Instead, he flicked his sleeve and majestically flew up the mountain.

Han Li smiled faintly, floating effortlessly to follow, showing no trace of ostentation.

At this point, the remaining four Body Integration Spirit Race cultivators also moved to follow.

However, the white-horned old man cast a peculiar, furtive glance at Han Li's back.

Although Han Li had remained silent just now, as a powerful Holy Spirit being within the Spirit Race, how could the old man not have heard some news about this newly advanced Human Grand Ascension cultivator?

While these reports came from outside their race and were either outdated or vague, the fact that this Human Grand Ascension cultivator had once severely injured a Yaksha Grand Ascension cultivator was clearly not false.

This naturally made the Spirit Race elder feel even more fearful of Han Li, and, of course, a touch of curiosity.

After all, vast as the Spirit Realm was, few could defeat other old Grand Ascension monsters immediately upon reaching the Grand Ascension stage.

Han Li, naturally unaware of the elder's shifting thoughts and having no interest in them, flew slowly, his feet a few feet off the ground. Meanwhile, his gaze constantly swept the sides of the mountain path.

The upper half of Mount Fuling was equipped with far more array formations and restrictions than the lower half, but most of their self-triggering mechanisms had been manually deactivated.

Otherwise, even if Han Li and Mo Jianli were Grand Ascension cultivators, they would never have been able to pass through so unimpeded.

What appeared to be a journey of only a few thousand zhang took the group the time it would take to eat a full meal.

It was as if the latter half of the mountain peak was tens of thousands of zhang high.

Mo Jianli's expression became somewhat strange.

Han Li remained outwardly calm, but inwardly, he couldn't help but marvel.

It seemed that besides the visible restrictions, there was also something incredibly profound hidden within the mountain; otherwise, even their divine senses would not have been deceived.

The white-horned elder and the others maintained their normal expressions, clearly accustomed to this phenomenon.

Despite the extremely long journey up the latter half of the mountain, the group eventually passed through a thin white mist and arrived at the summit after some time.

Han Li looked up. On the vast open space at the summit of Mount Fuling, there was nothing but a three-story giant pavilion.

On a plaque above the pavilion's main entrance, three large, light-golden characters were written in a flourishing, dragon-and-phoenix style.

"Purple Qi Hall"

The area outside the pavilion was equally deserted, with not a single person in sight.

"Seniors, the Spirit King awaits inside. It is not convenient for us juniors to enter." The white-horned elder lightly coughed, then bowed respectfully to Han Li and Mo Jianli.

"In that case, you may wait outside." Mo Jianli said nothing further. After sweeping his divine sense through the pavilion, he strode towards its main entrance without hesitation.

His divine sense had clearly detected that the Purple Qi Hall had no restrictive fluctuations whatsoever; apart from a faint, peculiar aura within, it truly seemed to be just an ordinary pavilion.

Given this, he naturally had few reservations.

Han Li smiled faintly and followed him in.

Upon entering the main door, they found themselves in a vast hall, forty to fifty zhang wide.

Around the hall, lush green flowering trees, several feet tall, were placed, their branches laden with colorful, fist-sized giant flowers.

In front of one of these flowering trees stood an old man in white robes, his hands clasped behind his back, presenting only his back to the entrance.

"You are Fellow Daoist Spirit King!" Mo Jianli's gaze sharpened, asking with some gravity.

"You two have traveled far as guests; it would be best to sit down before we speak!" The white-robed old man did not answer directly, but said without turning his head.

"Since Fellow Daoist has said so, I shall respectfully obey." Mo Jianli stared at the old man's back for a few moments, then after a brief deliberation, he unceremoniously sat down on a nearby chair.

Han Li, raising an eyebrow, blurred into motion and likewise appeared on another chair, then observed the white-robed old man's back with a half-smile.

"Please forgive me, Fellow Daoists, but I am accustomed to living alone, so I can only offer you a cup of clear tea." As soon as Han Li and Mo Jianli sat down, the white-robed old man chuckled softly.

No sooner had he spoken than a side door swung open, and several white-furred monkeys hopped out.

They were only about half a chi tall, but their fur was snow-white, and their eyes were crimson.

These small monkeys, some balancing teapots and cups on their heads, others carrying tea trays, moved their limbs in unison and instantly poured a cup of exceptionally fragrant spiritual tea for both Han Li and Mo Jianli.

Han Li's gaze swept over the spiritual tea; he then seized the teacup and drank it in one gulp.

Mo Jianli, however, didn't even glance at the spiritual tea before him, but calmly asked the old man:

"I presume Fellow Daoist has some idea of our purpose in coming here?"

"Although I've long known Brother Mo by reputation, this is our first actual meeting. How could I know your intentions?" The white-robed old man chuckled, finally turning around to speak.

He had a youthful face with hair as white as a crane's, eyes like lightning, and a prominent purple-red maple leaf embroidered on the corner of his sleeve. Yet, his expression was as calm as water.

Mo Jianli and Han Li were both startled and once again scrutinized the Spirit King.

"You may not know our intentions, but why then have you invited Fellow Daoists Xue Ran here on this occasion?" Mo Jianli snorted, retorting with a question.

"Oh, my summoning of Fellow Daoists Xue Ran here is nothing secretive; it's merely for a transaction. What, is Brother Mo interested in this as well?" The white-robed old man's pupils contracted slightly, but he still replied unhurriedly.

"Hehe, that's convenient then. We also came here intending to conduct a transaction with Fellow Daoist Spirit King." This time, Mo Jianli's gaze sharpened, but he spoke without hesitation.

"Hehe, then I'm afraid I must disappoint Brother Mo. I have always only dealt with those I am familiar with and do not have the habit of trading with strangers! Brother Mo, please return." The white-robed old man yawned, refusing without the slightest hesitation.

Hearing this, Mo Jianli narrowed his eyes, then suddenly raised a hand, and a silver light shot out across from him.

The white-robed old man remained motionless, but as the silver light approached within a zhang of him, it abruptly paused, self-suspending in mid-air.

It was a dazzling silver jade slip, on its surface imprinted with a design identical to the purple-red maple leaf on the old man's sleeve.

The white-robed old man's expression turned somewhat grim. He suddenly raised his hand in a summoning gesture, and the silver jade slip instantly dropped into his palm. After a brief inspection, he slowly said:

"It seems Patriarch Stoneheart is no longer among the living. Did you act, or did he die at the hands of the Mother of Swarm Insects?"

"Although it wasn't the Mother of Swarm Insects herself who acted, it was close enough," Mo Jianli calmly replied.

"Very well. I don't care how you obtained this token. This transaction will include the two of you then. However, whether you can truly achieve your desires will depend on your own abilities," the white-robed old man said nonchalantly as a silver light flashed in his hand, and the jade slip silently vanished.

"Naturally. We are merely seeking an opportunity here," Mo Jianli finally said, his eyes brightening and a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Hehe, it's not that I underestimate Brother Mo. Attempting to complete this transaction with your abilities alone would be nearly impossible. However, the one beside you has a two or three tenths chance. This Fellow Daoist must be Han Li, who has recently shaken several races with his might, correct? Indeed, he is not comparable to ordinary Grand Ascension patriarchs." A faint hint of mockery appeared at the corner of the white-robed old man's mouth, but as his gaze fell upon Han Li, it instantly shifted to two parts solemnity.

"It truly flatters me that even Lord Spirit King has heard my name. However, Fellow Daoist seems to be underestimating Brother Mo and myself a bit too much, don't you think?" Han Li suddenly smiled faintly, speaking in an understated manner.