"It appears that my concerns were unwarranted," Zhu Guo'er said in an obedient manner.
"What you said isn't entirely wrong; it would indeed be best for me to exercise caution regardless of the situation. We've become extremely renowned in the Elder Devil Realm as of late, so not only will we have to alter our appearances, we'll have to temporarily split up as well. Guo'er, you stay with Fellow Daoist Xie for a while; I'll enter Blue Waterfall City to gather some information first. With my disguise techniques, I should be able to conceal my own identity as long as I don't encounter any Grand Ascension Stage beings," Han Li said.
Zhu Guo'er naturally gave an affirmative response, and she was very elated to hear that she would be able to spend time alone with Daoist Xie.
She was still unaware that Daoist Xie was a puppet, and she had developed a sense of affection toward him.
Daoist Xie merely nodded in response before continuing to stand still in silence.
Han Li had already issued him many drops of Faux Immortal Elixir in advance, so he was happy to follow Han Li's instructions.
After interacting with Daoist Xie for such a long time, Han Li was already accustomed to his indifference, so he didn't pay any heed to Daoist Xie's aloof reaction.
Even though Daoist Xie currently appeared to be a normal human, he was actually bound by several restrictions imposed upon him by his former master. Despite that, he possessed a very high level of autonomy. Otherwise, Han Li wouldn't have been able to lure him out of that sea of lightning with his Faux Immortal Elixir.
Of course, Han Li was well aware that he wasn't completely free of concerns in the Elder Devil Realm just because he had Daoist Xie by his side.
The devilish patriarchs all had other matters to attend to, and none of the Sacred Ancestors were willing to join forces with one another. Otherwise, there was no way that he would've been able to remain safely in the Elder Devil Realm for such a long time.
Thus, after issuing a few more instructions to Zhu Guo'er and Daoist Xie, a string of cracks and pops rang out from Han Li's body, and he grew around a foot taller. At the same time, his facial features had been significantly altered, giving him the appearance of a refined middle-aged man.
After that, he rose up as a streak of black light before flying toward the lake.
Following his departure, Daoist Xie swept a sleeve through the air, releasing a burst of golden light that swept up both himself and Zhu Guo'er, following which the duo instantly vanished.
Even though Han Li wasn't flying at his full speed, he was still traveling extremely quickly, and it didn't take him long to cover a distance of close to 100,000 kilometers.
At this point, some small islands had appeared in the distance on the surface of the lake. There were some small buildings on these islands, and some devilish beings could be seen entering and exiting these buildings.
A series of black wooden boats of different sizes were moored next to the islands, occasionally carrying some devilish beings deeper into the lake.
Prior to coming here, Han Li had conducted some extensive research into the Blue Waterfall Lake, and he knew that Sacred Ancestor Lan Pu had once invited several Sacred Ancestors that he was on friendly terms with to set up a massive flight restriction deep within the Blue Waterfall Lake. Anyone below the devilish lord level would immediately lose the ability to fly once they entered the lake, so they had no choice but to travel into the core region of the lake by boat.
Even though Han Li wouldn't be affected by this restriction, he didn't want to attract too much attention, so he descended onto a nearby island.
As soon as he landed on the island, a short dark-skinned devilish man immediately rushed over to him.
"Guan Yang pays his respects to his senior. Are you traveling to Blue Waterfall City, Senior? My boat isn't very large, but it's definitely the fastest one on all of these nearby islands," the low-grade devilish being said with a smile.
"Oh? I can see that you're only at the Foundation Establishment Stage; can I trust what you have to say?" Han Li asked in an indifferent manner as he glanced at the wooden boats moored beside the island.
Guan Yang was unable to ascertain Han Li's exact cultivation base, but judging from Han Li's demeanor, he could tell that this definitely wasn't some ordinary Core Formation or Nascent Soul Stage being. As such, he immediately replied in a respectful manner, "Rest assured, Senior; if you find that I'm not telling the truth, I'll return double the devil stones you issue to me." Han Li could see that this Guan Yang didn't seem to be lying, so he nodded in response. "In that case, I'll go with your boat. The number of devil stones isn't an issue as long as you can get me to Blue Waterfall City as quickly as possible."
Guan Yang was ecstatic to hear this, and he hurriedly bowed before pointing toward a boat that was several tens of feet in length. "Rest assured, Senior; I won't disappoint you! Right this way, Senior."
Han Li strode directly toward the boat, and Guan Yang naturally followed along behind him in an elated manner.
After a while, the black wooden boat left the small island and began traveling over the lake like a speeding arrow.
Han Li sat at the front of the boat while the devilish man stood at the rear end of the boat while quickly rowing a pair of black metal oars.
The surfaces of the oars were flashing with faint blue light, and they propelled the boat rapidly over the lake with each and every stroke.
"I see you have a pair of low-grade devilish treasures; it's no wonder that you're so confident," Han Li remarked with an intrigued smile.
"These two low-grade devilish tools have been passed down in my family for generations, and they've put food on the table for all of my forefathers as well. It's not that there aren't any better devilish tools out there; it's just that no one else with devilish tools of this caliber would stoop to doing a job like this. I don't have any other talents, so this is the only job I can do to feed my family," Guan Yang replied as he continued to row vigorously.
"You sound like you're from the local area; you must be quite familiar with Blue Waterfall City, right?" Han Li asked.
"I know all of the common knowledge there is to be known about the city, but I can't make any guarantees beyond that. After all, my cultivation base is very limited, so there are many things that are beyond my reach," Guan Yang replied.
"Hehe, don't worry, I wouldn't ask you anything that's overly complicated," Han Li assured.
"Then go right ahead, Senior; I'll be sure to tell you everything I know," Guan Yang hurriedly replied.
"I want to know where Bloodtooth Rice can be purchased from Blue Waterfall City. I'm sure it wouldn't be available in ordinary shops, right?" Han Li asked.
"Hehe, so you're also here for Bloodtooth Rice; you've asked the right person, Senior. Are you only looking to buy one or two pieces or would you like to purchase Bloodtooth Rice in bulk?" Guan Yang asked as a hint of excitement appeared on his face.
"Do the circumstances change depending on the quantity I wish to purchase?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.
"If you're only looking for a small quantity, then you can purchase Bloodtooth Rice from the few designated shops in the city. However, these shops only sell to seniors at or above the Deity Transformation Stage, and each person can only purchase two pieces at a time. If the same person wishes to purchase more than that, then they'll have to stay in Blue Waterfall City for a year before they'll be allowed to purchase more. Alternatively, there are some underground avenues through which more pieces of Bloodtooth Rice can be purchased, but the quality standards may be rather lacking in comparison," Guan Yang explained.
"What if I want to purchase a large quantity and am only looking for Bloodtooth Rice of the highest quality?" Han Li asked.
"I'm afraid it won't be possible to satisfy both of those conditions at once. The city has very strict regulations surrounding premium Bloodtooth Rice, so very little of it will be sold to outsiders," Guan Yang replied in a slightly awkward manner.
"I'm well aware of that. If I could purchase premium Bloodtooth Rice elsewhere, then I wouldn't have come to the Blue Waterfall Lake. However, I believe nothing is impossible in this world as long as the right price is offered," Han Li said.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to help you here, Senior. Perhaps you can ask around in the city to see if anyone else can arrange this," Guan Yang replied with a wry smile.
Han Li merely nodded in response before slowly closing his eyes, while Guan Yang continued to row vigorously as the small boat sped toward the center of the Blue Waterfall Lake.
Four hours later, a black dot appeared in the distance, and as the boat approached it, the dot expanded further and further before revealing itself to be a massive island.
Blue light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and he was able to immediately ascertain that a large city had been constructed on the border of the island.
The city walls were constructed from giant blue stones and were several hundred feet tall. There were armed devilish guards standing atop the walls, and everything appeared to be no different compared to the average devilish city. Directly up ahead was a huge city gate, in front of which stood a group of halberd-wielding devilish guards.
