"Oh? Which senior of the Bai Family is this? It looks like I really will have to pay him a visit," Han Li said with an intrigued expression.
"This senior of our family is rather renowned in our holy realm, and he's cultivated the Heaven Refinement Devilish Arts to the extreme. He's only one step away from becoming a Sacred Ancestor, and he's known as Layman Futian; have you heard of him, Brother Han?" Bai Yunxin replied with a smile.
"I haven't, but it would surely be a fantastic opportunity for me to receive guidance from a senior with such a high level of mastery in devilish body refinement techniques. I wasn't planning to go anywhere in particular next, so I'll accompany you to Illusion Night City. When are you planning to return to the city? I don't have too much time on my hands," Han Li replied in a calm manner.
"Rest assured, Brother Han; we ventured into these plains solely for the Purple Spirit Fruits. Now that we've obtained them, we'll head back to the city after resting for a few days to recover our magic power," Bai Yunxin replied with an ecstatic expression.
Han Li nodded in response and didn't say anything further.
After that, they settled down at a nearby small mountain and opened up a temporary cave abode to meditate in.
Five days later, after the members of the Bai Family had recovered most of their magic power, they immediately released a giant flying ark that was over 100 feet in length, which carried them and Han Li back toward Illusion Night City.
Several months later, there were seven Nascent Soul Stage devilish beings split up into two groups locked in an intense battle on the border of the plains.
Three of them were wearing yellow brocade robes and wielding three identical black flying daggers that were releasing black devilish flames.
As for the other four, they wore long white robes and were controlling four translucent white flying swords that were releasing bursts of snowflakes that swept forth in a frenzy.
The devilish flames and glacial Qi intertwined in mid-air before exploding into balls of devilish Qi, and the seven devilish beings appeared to be quite evenly matched.
On the ground down below laid the carcass of what appeared to be a giant devilish mouse. It was over 100 feet in length with shimmering golden fur, and it was quite clear that this was no ordinary devilish beast.
The seven devilish beings were clearly fighting over this carcass.
All of a sudden, a white-robed young man harrumphed coldly as he suddenly patted a leather pouch that was hanging from his waist. A burst of black Qi immediately surged out, then transformed into a menacing two-headed devilish lion.
The lion was entirely inky-black in color and was around 50 to 60 feet tall. It opened its two mouths in unison, releasing countless inky-black wind blades.
The three flying daggers flashed incessantly in the face of the torrential downpour of wind blades, and they were forced onto the back foot by the four flying swords.
The three yellow-robed devilish beings were stunned to see this, and a long-haired elderly man among them exclaimed, "That's a Nightmare Lion! You dare to bring out your family's guardian beast? Aren't you afraid of being punished if any harm were to befall this beast?"
"Hehe, three pieces of trash like you won't be able to harm our Ning Family's guardian beast. If you know what's good for you, then piss off! I'm not handing over this Golden Dawn Mouse to you," the white-robed young man who had released the devilish lion sneered.
The long-haired elderly man's expression darkened significantly upon hearing this.
One of the other yellow-robed men transmitted his voice to the long-haired elderly man. "Big Brother, this situation is heavily against our favor; we should make a retreat."
The elderly man hesitated for a long while before a determined look finally appeared on his face. "I've already been stuck at the late-Nascent Soul Stage for centuries, and this Golden Dawn Mouse is extremely rare; it's inner core will be extremely important for me to make a breakthrough, so please lend me your assistance! If we succeed, you'll have my eternal gratitude."
"What? Are you planning to unleash that secret technique? But if you do that, not only will your true essence be severely depleted, you'll be struck by a variety of negative after-effects as well," the final yellow-robed man interjected in an alarmed manner.
"If I can't progress to the Deity Transformation, then my life will be close to coming to an end, so I have no choice but to make this gamble," the elderly man said as he gritted his teeth.
"In that case, we'll do everything in our power to protect you."
"Be careful, Big Brother; we'll try to stall the enemies for as long as possible."
The other two yellow-robed men agreed in unison after exchanging a glance, and the elderly man naturally extended words of gratitude toward them.
In the next instant, the two yellow-robed devilish men abruptly stepped forward, and the devilish flames around the two flying daggers they were controlling reared upon by about twofold. The two daggers then transformed into a pair of devilish pythons that managed to just barely withstand the attacks from the flying swords and devilish lion, but judging from their strained expressions, it was quite clear that they wouldn't be able to keep this up for too long.
Meanwhile, the long-haired elderly man pointed a finger toward his own flying sword, and it flew back to him as a streak of black light before vanishing into his body in a flash.
Immediately thereafter, he made a grabbing motion with both hands, several thin and long blades that resembled wicker leaves appeared between his fingers. However, just as he was about to plunge these blades into his own dantian, spiritual light suddenly flashed in the distance, and a giant ball of light appeared before hurtling toward them at an incredible speed.
The elderly man's heart jolted as he hurriedly stopped what he was doing and turned toward that direction.
Within the ball of yellow light was a giant flying ark that was over 100 feet in length, and it was clearly not a flying treasure that a normal devilish being could possess.
At the front of the ark stood several people, who were appraising the seven combatants from afar.
The elderly man's eyes immediately lit up with elation at the sight of this giant ark. "That's our family's Vast Yellow Wood Ark! Could it be that seniors of our family have just returned from the plains?"
Everyone else stopped what they were doing as well, and the other two yellow-robed men were also looking on with elation, while the four white-robed devilish beings were far less ecstatic.
After just a few flashes, the giant ark appeared in the air above the seven devilish beings before drawing to a halt.
Immediately thereafter, a cold female voice rang out.
"Aren't you the three brothers from my ninth uncle's family? Why are you battling these people from the Ning Family?"
The one who had spoken was none other than Bai Yunxin, and she was accompanied at the front of the ark by her two brothers and Han Li.
After several months of nonstop travel, they had finally reached the border of the plains and stumbled upon these battling devilish beings.
Bai Yunxin immediately identified the three white-robed devilish men, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face.
The long-haired elderly man's elation grew even more pronounced at the sight of Bai Yunxin, and he hurriedly replied, "Junior Bai Ming pays his respects to his seniors. These members of the Ning Family are trying to take the Golden Dawn Mouse that we killed; please stand up for us, seniors!"
"Oh? Golden Dawn Mice are quite rare; it's a brilliant stroke of luck that you were able to hunt one down at the border of these plains. This beast was slain by my juniors, so what right do you have to try and take it? Piss off!" Bai Yunxin said in a cold voice as she turned toward the four white-robed devilish men.
The four of them were naturally furious upon hearing this, and the young man who had released the two-headed devilish lion opened his mouth to try and argue, but one of his companions immediately clamped a hand over his mouth to stop him. After that, they dragged him away and immediately fled from the scene.
Bai Yunxin didn't pay any heed to this, and she turned to Han Li with a smile as she said, "Sorry you had to see that, Brother Han; that was just a conflict among some juniors. Seeing as we've already reached the border of the plains, we're not far away from Illusion Night City. Illusion Night City is situated between the plains and the Illusion Howl Desert, so we should arrive back at the city in about a month."
"I see, but aside from Illusion Night City, I'm also very interested in the Illusion Howl Desert; I heard it's one of the most renowned restricted regions in our holy realm," Han Li replied with a calm smile.
Bai Yunxin was rather taken aback to hear this, but she put on a slightly seductive smile, and replied, "Hehe, I didn't think that you'd be interested in the Illusion Howl Desert, Brother Han. It would indeed be extremely dangerous for people outside of Illusion Night City to venture into the desert, but if you're interested, I can tell you about it in greater detail during the rest of our journey."
"That would be great," Han Li also replied with a smile.
Thus, the giant ark continued onward, and Han Li and Bai Yunxin made their way toward the guest cabin of the ark.
Meanwhile, Bai Yin and Bai Ying exchanged a knowing smile upon seeing this.
As for the long-haired elderly man, he extended an elated bow toward the giant ark before descending onto the ground with his companions and began to dissect the Golden Dawn Mouse carcass.
As for whether they had slain the beast or were stealing the prey of the four members of the Ning Family, that was no longer important.
