Chapter 876: The Invitation of Zhiyang

**A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Volume 6: Heavenly Spiritual Treasures**

Facing one of the few Grand Cultivators in Tiannan, even an arrogant old monster like Old Devil Jin showed no hint of dissatisfaction. Naturally, Molten Fire wouldn't dare offend Reverend Zhiyang, so he immediately signaled the other cultivators and flew downwards.

Senior Brother Cheng and Lu Luo exchanged glances, a touch of doubt on their faces. However, Senior Brother Cheng had witnessed Han Li's divine abilities before, so despite his surprise, he wasn't particularly worried. They likewise flew down.

Han Li glanced at the cultivators who had landed on the ground below, then looked up and said, "Reverend, can you speak now? Brother Zhiyang, your solemn demeanor has piqued my interest."

"Hehe! Before I get to the main topic, I must thank you, fellow Daoist, for holding back one of the ancient devil's main souls in the Devilfall Valley. Otherwise, if the two souls had merged, all of Tiannan would have been in grave trouble." Reverend Zhiyang casually cast an isolation barrier, then sized up Han Li with a smile and said.

"You're curious about the whereabouts of that ancient devil's main soul, aren't you?" Han Li's lips curled into a slight smile as he spoke.

"You truly are remarkably intelligent. That is indeed one of the things I wished to ask," Reverend Zhiyang paused, then said nonchalantly.

"Brother Zhiyang, rest assured. My escape from the spatial rift was merely a stroke of luck. The ancient devil's main soul was annihilated without a trace within the rift. There's absolutely no need to worry about it," Han Li stated cleanly.

"That puts this humble Daoist's mind at ease. Otherwise, that escaping ancient devil would surely return to Tiannan to devour its main soul. But with the main soul destroyed, its separated soul will undoubtedly sense it immediately. After suffering such a heavy loss here, it likely won't return." Reverend Zhiyang let out a long breath, his expression visibly relaxing.

"Brother Zhiyang, is that separated ancient devil soul, which occupied the demonic body, truly so formidable that even three late-Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't eradicate it?" Han Li asked with interest, a hint of doubt on his face.

"Are you perhaps judging its strength based on the divine abilities it displayed in the Devilfall Valley?" Reverend Zhiyang didn't answer directly, but instead asked a question in return.

"Oh. I heard that after it left the valley, it devoured many cultivators' Nascent Souls. Can it really become that powerful after recovering its strength?" Han Li was still somewhat surprised.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you may not know this. In the final battle, when it engaged us, it actually manifested the divine ability of three heads and six arms. Its cultivation immediately surged by more than double, making it comparable to an early Soul Transformation cultivator. Had it not been for the three of us having set up a restrictive formation beforehand, and more than a dozen mid-Nascent Soul cultivators assisting in holding it back, that devil-extermination battle would likely still not have been able to defeat it. Even then, we three had to expend a tremendous amount of vital energy and continuously employ secret techniques to, in the final moments of the battle, sever two of its heads and several of its arms, allowing it to escape," Reverend Zhiyang spoke slowly, his face grave.

"This devil is truly ferocious. No wonder you feared it would merge with its main soul again. If it had become even a third stronger, Tiannan truly would have no one to stop it!" Han Li likewise grimaced, sucking in a cold breath.

"Indeed! Fortunately, this devil has likely gone to Great Jin. So, naturally, those cultivators in Great Jin can worry about it!" Reverend Zhiyang suddenly chuckled.

Han Li glanced at the Daoist. He couldn't help but feel a hint of schadenfreude in the other's words. It seemed this old Daoist had a rather poor impression of Great Jin.

"Reverend, since you said the devil soul was only one of the things you wanted to ask about, I presume there's something more important, isn't there?" Han Li changed the subject, asking unexpectedly.

"Precisely. The devil soul matter was merely a side inquiry. This time, I sought out Fellow Daoist Han for another crucial matter. However, first, this humble Daoist must congratulate you on your significant cultivation breakthrough. You've finally advanced to the mid-Nascent Soul stage." Reverend Zhiyang glanced at Han Li, smiling as he spoke.

"Thank you for the kind words, Reverend. I merely got lucky through a fortuitous encounter," Han Li naturally responded politely.

"I heard Fellow Daoist Wei mention that Brother Han possesses Golden Lightning Bamboo magical treasures and can wield the fabled Devil-Dispelling Divine Lightning. Is this true?" After asking this, Reverend Zhiyang's expression became serious.

Han Li's heart jolted, his pupils constricted, and he instantly fell silent.

He wasn't sure of the other party's intention in asking, but after a brief thought, he decided that possessing the Devil-Dispelling Divine Lightning wasn't exactly a secret anymore, so there was no need to conceal it. He finally nodded and replied, "Yes, I do indeed possess a few Golden Lightning Bamboo magical treasures. Please just speak your mind directly, fellow Daoist. I don't like beating around the bush!"

"Good. Your words are enough. Fellow Daoist Han, if you can wield the Devil-Dispelling Divine Lightning, then you are precisely the person this humble Daoist has been seeking. However, the reasons behind this, being of great importance, cannot be directly discussed with you here, to avoid unnecessary trouble. I can only reveal that this matter is extremely significant, involving the entire Tiannan cultivation world, and it is related to the unnamed great vortex that recently appeared in the Boundless Sea," Reverend Zhiyang said with great joy upon hearing Han Li personally confirm his ability to use the Devil-Dispelling Divine Lightning.

"That's quite a vague statement, leaving me completely confused. However, you're likely looking for me to use the Devil-Dispelling Divine Lightning for something, aren't you?" Han Li's brow involuntarily twitched. Although he didn't know what the other party was referring to, it was likely not good news. His vigilance immediately spiked!

"I'm merely passing through Yunmeng Mountain on my way to attend to other important matters, so I cannot stay here long. How about this: could you make a trip to Seven Spirit Island in the near future? Wei Wuya, Old Devil Hehuan, and I are all there. Once you arrive, the three of us can explain the details to you thoroughly." Reverend Zhiyang glanced at Old Devil Jin and the others below, then suddenly suggested calmly.

"Seven Spirit Island? Are those the seven newly appeared islands near the vortex?" Han Li frowned.

"Precisely. These seven islands encircle the vortex and are indeed rare spiritual vein locations. For many years now, the three of us have been residing on three of these islands." Reverend Zhiyang sighed deeply when speaking of this, a look of helplessness on his face.

Han Li's heart skipped a beat. From his demeanor, it seemed their residence on Seven Spirit Island was not entirely by choice. Dozens of thoughts swirled in his mind.

He wasn't arrogant enough to flatly refuse Reverend Zhiyang's invitation. Not to mention the Three Grand Cultivators' formidable reputation, the vast powers they represented alone made Han Li unwilling to antagonize any of them. However, going to Seven Spirit Island without knowing anything made Han Li quite reluctant, and a hesitant expression involuntarily appeared on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Han, please rest assured. This invitation to Seven Spirit Island carries absolutely no ill intent, nor will it ask you to undertake any dangerous tasks beyond your capabilities. We merely wish to borrow the power of your Devil-Dispelling Divine Lightning. Furthermore, even if this humble Daoist didn't invite you now, six months from now, all mid-Nascent Soul cultivators in Tiannan will receive a joint invitation from the three of us to gather at Seven Spirit Island. If you assist us this time, you won't need to go for the next one." Reverend Zhiyang seemed to perceive Han Li's concerns and explained with a smile.

"Since Fellow Daoist Zhiyang has put it that way, this matter must indeed be very important. Then, three months from now, I shall visit the three of you on Seven Spirit Island." Han Li remained silent for a moment, then finally agreed reluctantly.

"Three months, that's a bit tight. Can you not come sooner, fellow Daoist?" Reverend Zhiyang frowned and mused.

"I'm afraid not. I've just returned to my sect and have several urgent matters to attend to, so it's impossible for me to leave Luoyun Sect immediately," Han Li shook his head, refusing directly.

"Alright, three months it is. We can just barely make it then. In three months, this humble Daoist and the other two fellow Daoists will be awaiting your esteemed presence on Seven Spirit Island." Reverend Zhiyang hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

"Actually, when you go to Seven Spirit Island this time, you might even find some unexpected gains! It could even benefit your esteemed sect," Reverend Zhiyang added, his words laden with deeper meaning.

Han Li's eyes flickered a few times. Before he could fully grasp what was happening, Reverend Zhiyang bid farewell.

He retracted the soundproof barrier, then loudly exchanged a few farewell words with Old Devil Jin and the others below. After that, he transformed into a white rainbow, turned, and flew into the restrictive formation, departing from Baiqiao Courtyard.

Han Li, however, was somewhat puzzled by the benefits Reverend Zhiyang had mentioned at the end, but after some thought, he couldn't guess their meaning, so he simply dismissed the matter. He slowly descended. Above a peak in the mountains surrounding Baiqiao Courtyard, he calmly addressed the person opposite him, showing no surprise or joy. Meanwhile, at the mountain peak below, the other cultivators were looking up at the sky.

"As the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect, I can't simply surrender the sect's interests without a word. After all, rankings are closely tied to the allocation of resources in Yunmeng Mountain. Moreover, this old man is quite curious: what divine abilities does a cultivator who only formed his Nascent Soul thirty-odd years ago possess to have earned such a great reputation? This time, if this old man is defeated, there will be no need for formal ranking battles in the future; our Ancient Sword Sect will thenceforth willingly remain beneath Luoyun Sect." Old Man Qiu, not far opposite, spoke with a solemn expression.

"Very well. Since Brother Jin has put it that way, it would be disrespectful of me not to comply."

Han Li smiled faintly, said nothing more, and raised a hand. With a 'whoosh,' a fist-sized blue fireball materialized in his palm out of thin air.

Old Devil Jin likewise remained silent, but with an open mouth, three golden rays shot forth. They were three identical small swords. These three swords were originally only an inch or so in size, golden in color, but in a flash, after circling their master's body briefly, their size suddenly surged to a foot in length, transforming into three golden rainbows, ten feet long, circling erratically in the air!

Seeing the opponent summon his flying swords, Han Li's hand, cradling the blue fireball, subtly trembled. Immediately, an explosive sound erupted, and the blue fireball instantly burst open in his hand. Then, from within the blue flames, a half-foot-sized blue firebird soared into the sky, emitting a clear bird cry.