The group of cultivators before him were clad in Star Palace attire, clearly indicating that they had just come from the Heavenly Star Island. Han Li was flying through the air without any intention of obscuring his own presence, so he was naturally spotted by this group of cultivators.
As such, they immediately flew toward Han Li.
However, Han Li had used a technique to completely obscure his cultivation base. Thus, regardless of whether a Foundation Establishment or Core Formation cultivator tried to ascertain his cultivation base with their divine sense, they were struck by the feeling that Han Li was like a ball of cloud and mist, thereby preventing them from being able to determine his cultivation base.
Right at this moment, a cry of surprise rang out from the group.
Han Li's expression changed as he turned toward the cultivator with the snowy white cloak obscuring their features. This cultivator's entire body was enshrouded in a massive cloak, making it impossible for Han Li to determine their gender. Furthermore, even Han Li's powerful spiritual sense was unable to see through the cloak.
This was quite a surprising discovery to him.
However, the aura emanating from this person was rather familiar to Han Li, and they were the only Nascent Soul cultivator in the group, so he was naturally determined to find out who this person was.
As such, a blue light flashed through his eyes as he attempted to use his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to forcibly see through the cloak.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Han. Long time no see; how have you been?"
However, right at this moment, an attractive chuckle sounded from beneath the cloak, following which the hood of the cloak was lifted to reveal a set of gorgeous porcelain-like features that carried a hint of a smile.
"Ling Yuling!" Han Li exclaimed upon seeing the face beneath the hood.
This person was none other than the beautiful Star Palace cultivator whom he had saved all those years ago outside the Heavenly Star City.
Han Li laid a finger on his own nose as a smile also appeared on his face.
"To think that you would still recognize me after so many years apart; I feel extremely honored! Also, I must congratulate you on progressing to the Nascent Soul Stage!" Ling Yuling smiled as he appraised Han Li carefully, upon which a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
He was also unable to ascertain Han Li's cultivation base, but he knew that Han Li's cultivation base was definitely not inferior to his. Upon establishing that, the smile on his face became even warmer and more inviting.
"You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist Ling. Haven't you also progressed to the Nascent Soul Stage?"
Ling Yuling smiled but didn't reply right away. Instead, he turned his head and instructed in a cold voice, "You guys go on ahead first. I have some things I have to discuss with Fellow Daoist Han, and I'll catch up to you guys later."
"Yes, Elder!" The other Star Palace cultivators all bowed respectfully upon hearing this. From the respectful expressions on their faces, it could be seen that they were extremely obedient and reverent toward this "elder".
A hint of surprise appeared in Han Li's eyes upon seeing this, but his expression remained unchanged.
Those cultivators continued on their way, led by a late-Core Formation Stage elderly man, and disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Ling Yuling turned back to Han Li, and sighed, "Sorry about that, Brother Han. I've received orders to reinforce an island that's being attacked by the Starfall Coalition, so I won't be able to stay here for too long."
"I've also heard on my way here that the Star Palace is engaged in battle with the Starfall Coalition again. It's no wonder that you're burdened by these duties," Han Li replied in a slow voice.
A wry smile appeared on Ling Yuling's face upon hearing this. However, he quickly turned his attention to Han Li again, upon which a peculiar look appeared on his face.
He hesitated momentarily before asking, "Brother Han, you've gone beyond the early-Nascent Soul Stage, haven't you?"
In response, Han Li chuckled and gave an ambiguous reply, "Haha, I've only gone slightly ahead. With your aptitude, it's only a matter of time before you exceed your current cultivation base."
Ling Yuling's expression faltered slightly upon hearing this as waves of shock churned through his heart.
It was incredible to him that Han Li had already become a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. It had only been less than 200 years since they had last met, yet Han Li had progressed from the Core Formation Stage to the mid-Nascent Soul Stage. That was simply unheard of.
After a brief stunned silence, Ling Yuling finally managed to recompose himself, but his expression was still filled with envy as he said, "Looks like you really are an extraordinary prodigy, Brother Han. To think that you've been able to make such drastic improvements in such a short time; I am truly in awe!"
"I'm no prodigy; I've simply been lucky and encountered many opportunities," Han Li gave another ambiguous reply.
Ling Yuling didn't linger any further on this topic. Instead, a smile appeared on his face as he asked, "Is there something you want to do here, Brother Han? I'd be happy to offer my assistance if required."
"I'd like to take a trip to the Outer Star Seas, so I was hoping to be able to use the Star Palace's teleportation formation." Han Li didn't try to hide his intentions.
"If that's the case, then it's a good thing that you ran into me, Brother Han. Due to the fact that we're trying to guard against Starfall Coalition cultivators infiltrating the palace from the outer seas, most of the teleportation formations leading to the outer seas have been shutdown. There are only two left that are currently in use; I'll give you a badge and with it, you'll be granted access to the teleportation formations."
Ling Yuling gave Han Li a gentle smile and he appeared to be completely identical to an exquisite beauty. However, the way in which he spoke and acted wasn't feminine in the slightest. The combination of the two presented a unique and indescribable allure.
At his current cultivation base, Han Li was naturally immune to the effects of Ling Yuling's beauty. Furthermore, he was confident that he would be able to take care of the guards and restrictions standing between him and the teleportation formations he wanted to access. However, it was always a good thing to be able to avoid such troubles and hindrances.
Thus, Han Li accepted the badge with a smile.
The two of them chatted for a while longer before Han Li bade farewell to Ling Yuling, transforming into a streak of azure light as he hurtled toward the massive island in the distance.
Ling Yuling looked on in the direction that Han Li had disappeared in, and the smile on his face gradually faded. He lowered his head and contemplated momentarily before suddenly patting his storage pouch to produce a silver voice transmission talisman.
He said something in a low voice into the talisman before raising his hand into the air. The talisman transformed into a ball of light before disappearing into space.
After doing all that, Ling Yuling heaved a faint sigh with a resigned expression before putting on his hood again. He then transformed into a streak of light in pursuit of his subordinates, who had gone on ahead.
After Ling Yuling had flown away into the distance, a silver light flashed in the air nearby as an azure figure emerged from thin air. He turned toward the direction that the voice transmission talisman had flown away in before disappearing once again.
Ten minutes later, at a certain location several tens of kilometers away, there was a man hovering in the air. This man was none other than Han Li himself.
He currently had his hands clasped behind his back and was completely expressionless.
A humanoid figure suddenly flashed before him, upon which his puppet appeared. It raised a hand to reveal what appeared to be a fiery snake scrambling over his palm. However, it was sealed within a ball of silver light and was unable to escape.
Han Li raised an eyebrow before reaching out to grab the fiery snake. The latter immediately exploded on its own, transforming into a ball of raging fire.
Han Li quickly scanned through the fireball with his spiritual sense, upon which a dark expression appeared on his face.
A cold light flashed through his eyes before he abruptly brought his five fingers together, crushing the fireball as he did so. He turned toward the massive island upon which the Heavenly Star City was situated, and his eyes narrowed.
"So everyone in the Scattered Star Seas knows that I have the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Looks like I'll need a disguise," Han Li murmured to himself. His face was then abruptly enshrouded under a layer of light, making his facial features blurry and indistinct. At the same time, a series of crackles and pops rang out from all over his body, instantly making him around a foot taller.
A short while later, he had transformed into a burly man with a dark complexion. He put away his puppet and flew toward the Heavenly Star City.
Unbeknownst to Han Li, in the instant that he had crushed the voice transmission talisman, someone sitting in a dim underground cave of the Heavenly Star City's sacred mountain was alerted to what he had done. The humanoid figure abruptly rose to his feet before feigning a grabbing motion. Spots of fiery light then began to appear in the air nearby before converging to form the very same fireball that Han Li had just crushed.
The humanoid figure scanned through the information in the fireball with his spiritual sense before flipping his hand over, upon which the fireball instantly disappeared.
"What's going on? Why is Yuling using voice escape talisman we gave him? These talismans are very rare and he wouldn't use them for no good reason. Did something happen to him? He's only just left the Heavenly Star City." A voice suddenly sounded from another corner of the cave. The voice was very pleasant and enticing and it sounded as if a young woman had just spoken.
"He's fine. It's just that he encountered a rather interesting person nearby and alerted us of this. He wants us to try and recruit this man to our side!" the first humanoid figure replied. However, his voice was a little slow and stiff, as if he didn't speak very often.
"Oh? Who is it? It's not often that Yuling develops an interest in anyone." The woman's heart was immediately put at ease upon learning the fact that Ling Yuling was not in danger. As such, she began to develop a curiosity toward this "interesting person" in question.
"You still remember what happened with the Heavenvoid Cauldron over 100 years ago, right?"
"Of course I do. Does this person have something to do with the cauldron?" the woman asked with a hint of surprise in her voice.
"The man who had taken the cauldron right under the noses of Man Huzi and Wan Tianming is actually the same person as the cultivator who saved Yuling all those years ago. Now, he has arrived outside our Heavenly Star City and wants to use our teleportation formation to get to the outer seas. Yuling just so happened to bump into him on his way here," the man explained.
"I see. If I recall correctly, this man's surname seems to be Han, and he was only a Core Formation cultivator back then. How is he worth recruiting?" The woman was rather perplexed.
"Hehe, you might not believe this, but Yuling suspects that this man has already become a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator! If that really is the case, then this man is truly an extraordinary talent," the man chuckled.
The woman seemed to be very familiar with the situation in the Great Jin, and she immediately said, "When the Heavenvoid Cauldron was first taken from the Heavenvoid Hall, we had sent people to investigate the person who had obtained the cauldron. Didn't they determine that he was most likely a foreign cultivator who went back to where he had come from after the event? Could it be that he's a cultivator from a certain major sect in the Great Jin? Otherwise, even if he is an extraordinary prodigy, without the support of a large sect, there's no way he would be able to become a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator in such a short time."
