The person being discussed by the elders was none other than Han Li, and those who were supporting handing over Han Li's disciple immediately fell silent upon hearing what Buddhist Monk Jin Yue had just said.
As the only two Grand Ascension Stage beings in the two races, Ao Xiao and Mo Jianli's influence outstripped even that of the holy island.
If it weren't for the fact that a rule had been established in ancient times, stating that Grand Ascension Stage beings were prohibited from interfering with the general affairs of the holy island, no one would bat an eyelid even if Mo Jianli and Ao Xiao were to take over control of the holy island.
Now that these two Grand Ascension Stage beings had been introduced into the conversation, no one dared to express any opinions, and the entire hall suddenly fell completely silent.
"I have verified this rumor in person. Apparently, our two seniors believe that Fellow Daoist Han is the one who's most likely to progress to the Grand Ascension Stage among our two races, which is why they hold him in such high regard. On top of that, Fairy Ling Long, who is a direct lineal descendant of Senior Ao Xiao is currently in seclusion with Fellow Daoist Han for some reason. If we were to irk Fellow Daoist Han, the outcome may not be much better for us than opposing the holy island," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said in a grim voice.
Different expressions appeared on everyone's faces upon hearing this, and it was clear that they weren't going to be reaching a consensus anytime soon.
"Not necessarily. The holy island is asking for that disciple of Fellow Daoist Han's for the future of our two races. According to the holy island, Fellow Daoist Du Yu, who has been in seclusion on the holy island for over 10,000 years, has come out of seclusion as a late-Body Integration cultivator, and he's also cultivated the peerless Buddhist ability, the Evil Vanquishing Arts, to the paramount level. With his powers and the supplementary pills and treasures provided by the holy island, there's a roughly 20% chance that he'll be able to break through the Grand Ascension Stage bottleneck.
“It's just that they don't have any potent measures against the true lightning tribulation, and the people on the holy island were somehow made aware of the fact that Fellow Daoist Han's disciple possesses the extremely rare recessive lightning spiritual root, which can help one withstand lightning tribulations. As such, they're determined to bring him to the island to assist Fellow Daoist Du Yu in transcending his true lightning tribulation. If we can add a Grand Ascension Stage being to our two races for doing this, I'm sure Senior Mo Jianli and Senior Ao Xiao will be extremely pleased, and Fellow Daoist Han wouldn't be able to blame us, either,” a black-robed man said in an emotionless manner.
"You're right, Brother Yan. The holy island is only asking Fellow Daoist Han's disciple to help Fellow Daoist Du Yu transcend his true lightning tribulation; it's not set in stone that something bad will happen to him. In fact, this may be an opportunity for him," the golden-faced man chimed in in agreement.
"Hmph, I wish I had half your optimism. Fellow Daoist Han's disciple has only just reached the Deity Transformation Stage; even though he possesses a recessive lightning spiritual root, how will he be able to resist the true lightning tribulation? They'll most likely force him to stimulate his latent potential and burn through his lifespan to forcibly enhance his own cultivation base. Even if he manages to survive the true lightning tribulation, he'll definitely be completely disabled; do you think Fellow Daoist Han will be willing to just let things slide then?" Fairy Silver Light countered with a hint of fury in her voice.
"If we can sacrifice a Deity Transformation cultivator for a Grand Ascension cultivator, then that is a fantastic exchange for the greater good of our two races," the black-robed man said as his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hehe, if Fellow Daoist Han doesn't manage to become a Grand Ascension cultivator, then we can just ask the holy island to forcibly keep him in check, but what if he succeeds in his breakthrough? How will we face him then? When that time comes, perhaps even the holy island will ask us to sacrifice ourselves in order to assuage Fellow Daoist Han's fury. Our panel of elders has promised Fellow Daoist Han that we would look after his disciples in his absence no matter what happens; do you really think we can just detach ourselves from this?" the purple-haired woman said in a cold voice.
The black-robed man's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he didn't offer any response.
Thus, the entire hall fell silent again, and everyone was quickly mulling over the pros and cons of the situation.
"What do you think, Brother Gu?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue sighed as he turned toward the silver-haired elderly man.
"My opinion doesn't matter here! This is an extremely troublesome matter, and I don't think we're equipped to make a conclusive decision here," Elder Gu replied with a wry smile.
"We have to make a decision that will appease both sides. We can't directly oppose the orders of the holy island, but Fellow Daoist Han is the most powerful Body Integration Stage being among our two races, so we can't irk him, either. On top of that, Fellow Daoist Han is not someone who's easy to fool, so I'd suggest we don't fabricate any excuses or try to play any little tricks on him. I don't want to see a repeat of what happened to Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon all those years ago," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said with a concerned expression.
Everyone's heart jolted slightly upon hearing the mention of Master Azure Dragon.
No one had witnessed the fall of Master Azure Dragon in person, but everyone knew that Han Li was most likely the culprit.
Han Li had killed a Body Integration cultivator like Master Azure Dragon without any hesitation for the sake of his so-called junior martial sister; who knew if he would do the same to the members of the panel of elders?
If they were to irk Han Li, they could be making an enemy for themselves who could easily take their lives at any moment. Thus, even though the holy island was an almighty entity, they couldn't make a decision on who to side with.
"Let's set this matter aside for now. This issue concerns our entire panel of elders, and we definitely won't be able to arrive at a conclusion on our own. The holy island envoys will take some time to arrive at our city, so why don't we discuss this when we've gathered all of the other elders? Of course, during this time, Fellow Daoist Han's disciples will be temporarily prohibited from leaving Deep Heaven City. Also, please try to contact Senior Ao Xiao and Senior Mo Jianli again, Fairy Silver Light. If either of them can make a decision for us, then we'll be out of this predicament."
"Fellow Daoist Yan, I'll entrust the duty of corresponding with the holy island to you. Find out who the holy island envoys will be, and whether there's a chance they can rescind their order. As long as the holy island is willing to give up on Fellow Daoist Han's disciple, we can accept any other condition of theirs as long as it's within reason," Elder Gu finally decided after a long pause.
"Ever since the truce agreement was made with the Elder Devil Race, Senior Ao Xiao and Senior Mo Jianli have mysteriously disappeared; even their disciples have been unable to contact them, so I can only do my best," Fairy Silver light replied in an unconfident manner.
"I have several good friends on the holy island, so it'll be easy for me to find out some information, but I'm guessing that it'll be next to impossible to convince the holy island to rescind its order," the black-robed man sighed.
"I'm naturally aware that both of these tasks are very difficult, but we have to at least make an attempt. If we manage to succeed in either of these endeavors, then the issue will be completely resolved," Elder Gu said.
The black-robed man and Fairy Silver Light could only nod in response.
Thus, the issue regarding the holy island and Han Li was set aside for now, and the elders began discussing the extermination of the remnant devilish beings near Deep Heaven City…
Three months later, over 100 armored guards were standing on either side of Deep Heaven City's giant city gate. On top of that, there were also several people in different-colored attire standing atop the city wall, peering into the distant sky.
At the center of the group were Elder Gu and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, and they were accompanied by several other elders, including Elder Yan and Fairy Silver Light.
All of them were waiting atop the city wall in silence, as if they were waiting for someone.
However, a long time passed, and there was still no sign of anyone arriving.
Elder Gu looked up at the sun in the sky, and his brows finally furrowed slightly as he asked, "Elder Yan, didn't you say that the holy island envoys will arrive at noon sharp? Has there been a miscommunication?"
"I wouldn't make a mistake on such a simple matter, Brother Gu; perhaps the holy island envoys were unexpectedly delayed for some reason," the black-robed man replied.
"What could they possibly have been delayed by? There are three holy island envoys in total, yet even you were unable to find out any of their identities; it looks like the holy island has already run out of patience with us," Elder Gu sighed with a slight shake of his head.
Elder Yan offered no response to this, but Buddhist Monk Jin Yue suddenly said, "We've discussed this issue on several occasions, but have still been unable to arrive at a consensus. As things are now, we can only go with the flow and make decisions on the fly."
Wry smiles appeared on the faces of all of the elders upon hearing this.
All of a sudden, Fairy Silver Light exclaimed, "They're here!"
Everyone's hearts stirred upon hearing this, and they hurriedly looked up into the distant sky again.
Azure light flashed in the distance, and a streak of azure light approached at an incredible speed, reaching the city gate in just a few flashes.
The azure light then abruptly faded, and an azure jade ark appeared.
At the front of the ark stood an azure-robed young man, and a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes at the sight of the elders down below, but he immediately cupped his fist in a smiling salute.
"Brother Gu, Master Jin, why are you all here? Did you know that I was going to return to the city today?"
All of the elders were immediately flabbergasted upon ascertaining who the young man was.
