After that, Patriarch Ao Xiao and Mo Jianli began to discuss some finer details in preparation for the battle against the devilish army. During this time, they would occasionally ask for Han Li's opinion, clearly making an effort to include him in the discussion.
Han Li was aware that he couldn't compare with these two Grand Ascension Stage beings when it came to tactical acumen in battles that concerned several races, so he didn't take the initiative to interject and only offered his opinions when requested to do so.
Daoist Xie and Silvermoon were also in the hall, but both of them were completely expressionless and disinterested.
As for Zhu Guo'er, she was standing off to the side in an obedient manner.
Thus, time slowly passed by, and Han Li stayed in Mo Jianli's cave abode for close to half a day before the discussion finally drew to a conclusion.
Patriarch Ao Xiao departed with Silvermoon first, while Mo Jianli and Han Li chatted for a while longer before the former summoned one of his disciples to organize a temporary place for Han Li to stay.
The disciple naturally did as he was told in a respectful manner, setting up a pavilion that was situated on a branch of the giant tree less than 10 kilometers away from Mo Jianli's cave abode.
The spiritual Qi here was nowhere near as abundant as that in Mo Jianli's cave abode, but it was still far better than anywhere else in Cottonwood City, so Han Li was quite pleased with it and moved in with Daoist Xie and Zhu Guo'er.
The next half a month was quite uneventful, and Han Li stayed in the secret chamber of his pavilion, cultivating the spiritual sense secret technique that had been given to him by Patriarch Ao Xiao.
However, this was the first time that Zhu Guo'er had been to a city in the Spirit Realm, and she would go out almost every day to explore the city.
She had somehow managed to convince Daoist Xie to accompany her on her long trips around the city, so Han Li wasn't concerned about her safety at all.
However, from what Zhu Guo'er had been telling him after she returned from her daily outings, Han Li could clearly sense that the army within Cottonwood City was in a very tense state.
It seemed that the higher-ups of all the races had made a decision to battle the devilish army, after all.
In that case, it was clear that these uneventful days wouldn't last much longer.
Sure enough, Mo Jianli arrived at his pavilion only several days later.
After detecting the arrival of Mo Jianli with his spiritual sense, he immediately welcomed Mo Jianli into the hall. They each took a seat, and after exchanging some pleasantries, Mo Jianli revealed the purpose for his visit.
"We've decided on the main strategies we'll be adopting in the battle against the devilish army. The most powerful beings among our united army are myself, Brother Ao, and Sang Hai of the Yaksha Race, so we should be able to handle the Sacred Ancestors in the devilish army. However, due to the heavy defeats the Wood Tribe has suffered, they don't have any Grand Ascension Stage beings left, so we'll have to reinforce them in that area. With your powers, you'll undoubtedly be assigned an important duty, Fellow Daoist Han."
"This battle is just as important for our human race, so I'm naturally more than willing to offer my services. Feel free to issue me any instructions that you have, and I'll do my best to complete them," Han Li replied with a smile.
"Your powers rank below only us three Grand Ascension Stage beings, so you'll be playing an extremely important role in this battle. Has Fellow Daoist Xie recovered his powers yet?" Mo Jianli asked.
"I'm afraid not, Senior; Brother Xie won't be able to make a full recovery without at least half a year of rest and recuperation," Han Li replied.
"That's quite a pity. If Fellow Daoist Xie can recover to his full power, then our chances of winning this battle will improve by at least 10%," Mo Jianli sighed in a forlorn manner.
"Brother Xie's powers are indeed not inferior to those of the average Grand Ascension Stage being, but it's not easy to employ his services. If I didn't have some special assets up my sleeve, I wouldn't have been able to convince him to come back with me," Han Li said.
"I've heard about the rules stipulated by Fellow Daoist Xie, but regardless of the price, it's definitely a good deal to be able to bring him to our Spirit Realm. Even if he doesn't do anything, the presence of a Grand Ascension Stage Faux Immortal Puppet on the battlefield will be very intimidating to the enemy," Mo Jianli replied.
"I certainly hope so," Han Li could only reply with a wry smile.
"Seeing as Fellow Daoist Xie hasn't fully recovered, we won't be sending you to the front lines. Here's what we'll do: there are three cores in the Wood Realm 36 Extremes Formation; if any of them is destroyed, the formation would become significantly less powerful, and if all three were to be destroyed, then the entire formation would collapse altogether, so these cores are extremely important. Having said that, due to their importance, the three cores are all very heavily guarded, so they'll be very safe places to stay. Brother Ao and I have decided to assign you to one of those cores; what do you think, Fellow Daoiast Han?" Mo Jianli proposed.
"I have no issues with that; I'll be sure to ensure the safety of the core," Han Li replied without any hesitation.
However, Mo Jianli shook his head, and said, "If the cores were to be destroyed, the outcome of the battle could be affected, but in comparison, your safety is far more important to our human race. If you really do encounter some insurmountable enemies, then retreat and prioritize your own safety above all else. Otherwise, if something were to happen to you, even a victory wouldn't be worth it."
Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before immediately nodding in response. "Thank you for holding me in such high regard, Senior; I understand what I have to do now."
"Just remember that your top priority is to keep yourself safe, and only after that comes the safety of the formation. With Brother Xie by your side, I'm sure you won't encounter any issues unless you encounter the true body of a Sacred Ancestor. I've heard from Brother Ao that you and Brother Xie have even managed to fight on equal footing with that Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha," Mo Jianli said with a smile.
"Senior Ao Xiao is far too kind! Brother Xie and I were only just barely able to ensure self-preservation, and it was Senior Ao Xiao who drove Yuan Cha away in the end," Han Li replied in a modest manner.
"In any case, you and Fellow Daoist Xie are able to dominate virtually all beings below the Grand Ascension Stage. The Wood Tribe and the Yaksha Race will also be sending some Body Integration Stage beings to protect the formation core with you. Fellow Daoist Ao and I are of the opinion that you and Fellow Daoist Xie will be more than enough, but those two races are unaware of your powers, so they insisted on sending some more people," Mo Jianli said.
Han Li wasn't surprised to hear this, and he asked, "I see, but who will be the leader of the group?"
"Hehe, for cultivators like us, whoever is most powerful will naturally be the one to call the shots. I don't know who the Wood Tribe and Yaksha Race will be sending, but I'm sure they won't be more powerful than you. Having said that, the high-grade beings of the Wood Tribe will definitely be quite familiar with the formation, so it would be wise to enquire them if any issues arise," Mo Jianli replied.
"I understand. When will I be required to set off?" Han Li asked.
"With the Wood Tribe's 36 backup holy trees, it'll be a lot easier to set up the formation, but it'll still take some time. Most importantly, we have to lure the entire devilish army into the formation first. Hence, Fellow Daoist Ao and I will be setting off with the united army to lure out the devilish army, while you'll be setting off with the second group to set up the formation. Once the formation is complete, you'll stay in the formation core in preparation for the upcoming battle," Mo Jianli replied.
Han Li saw no issues with this, so he nodded and gave an affirmative response.
After that, Mo Jianli didn't remain in Han Li's pavilion for much longer and quickly departed.
……
Half a month later, all types of energy fluctuations suddenly erupted within the entirety of Cottonwood City, and streaks of dazzling light erupted into the air from all levels of the city, accompanied by resounding booms.
The streaks of light contained war carriages and giant arks, and there were countless warriors from all of the races of the united army gathered on those flying treasures. These warriors were all standing ramrod straight on the flying treasures, giving off an astonishing baleful aura.
More and more of these flying treasures began to fly out of the city, and soon, the entire sky had been concealed behind a mass of tens of thousands of carriages and arks.
Right at this moment, the string of resounding booms suddenly ceased, and the entire city tremored slightly before over 100 gargantuan island-like objects emerged.
These objects were all of different shapes and forms, presenting a very chaotic sight to behold.
