"Oh? You don't seem surprised by our visit, Fellow Daoist Xie Lian," Han Li said as his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Are the three of you from the Spirit Realm or the Black Flame Realm?" Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian asked in an expressionless manner.
"How can you be so sure that we're from one of those two realms?" Han Li asked.
"Among the realms that have sent out powerful beings to assist our holy realm, only the Black Flame Realm and Spirit Realm are still yet to contact us," Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian replied.
"What do you mean by 'us'?" Han Li asked as his expression changed slightly.
"I'm referring to the Sacred Ancestors who have still yet to enter the original sealed site. Even though I've been residing in seclusion in this mountain range, I've kept in constant contact with the other fellow daoists. For foreign beings like you who want to learn about the situation in the original sealed site, your best option is naturally to seek out one of us," Xie Lian replied.
"I see. We are indeed from the Spirit Realm. Judging from what you just said, it seems you're very familiar with the situation in the original sealed site," Han Li said.
"So you're from the Spirit Realm. You look rather familiar, Fellow Daoist; have you entered our holy realm before?" Xie Lian asked with a contemplative expression, seemingly completely unbothered by the fact that Han Li's trio had come from the Spirit Realm.
Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this before a smile appeared on his face.
"I have indeed visited this realm once before. It looks like you've already identified me, so why ask a question you already know the answer to?"
"So you really are the cultivator with the Han surname that Yuan Yan and Liu Ji had once placed on their wanted list. Back when you left our holy realm, you were still a Body Integration cultivator, yet you're already at the Grand Ascension Stage now. I finally understand why those two held you in such high regard. In that case, this fellow daoist must be Fellow Daoist Xie from the Devilish Origin Sea. I'm one of the very few Sacred Ancestors who have yet to travel to the Devilish Origin Sea to see Brother Xie; it's a pleasure to meet you now," Xie Lian said, completely ignoring the early-Body Integration Stage Silvermoon.
It was clear that she didn't regard anyone below the Grand Ascension Stage as worthy of her attention.
Daoist Xie's expression remained indifferent, and he displayed no intention of replying.
However, Han Li raised an eyebrow as he said, "Seeing as you've identified Brother Xie, I won't have to make an introduction. You still haven't given me any information about what's happening in the original sealed site."
"I know a thing or two about the situation there, but this is a very important matter that we shouldn't be discussing here. Please come with me to my palace first, fellow daoists," Xie Lian invited.
Han Li cast his gaze toward the mountain down below, and his brows furrowed ever so slightly.
An amused look appeared on Xie Lian's face as she chuckled, "Are you worried that I would try to plot against you, Fellow Daoist Han?"
"I'm sure someone of your lofty status wouldn't stoop to something like that, unless you're confident enough to think that you can take on two Grand Ascension Stage beings at once," Han Li chuckled.
"Then please go ahead," Xie Lian said with a smile as she turned slightly to the side.
Thus, Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, releasing a burst of golden light that encompassed both Daoist Xie and Silvermoon before flying toward the mountain in the distance, followed closely by Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian.
The five-colored light enshrouding the mountain parted, and Han Li and the others flew into the restriction before landing in front of the entrance of the palace on the mountain peak.
Right at this moment, a pair of burly men in a set of strange attire emerged from within the palace.
These two men had very dark skin and were both wearing suits of silver armor. However, their arms were bared and etched with a series of crimson spirit patterns. Furthermore, their eyes were of a shimmering silver color and were devoid of pupils, presenting a very peculiar appearance.
One of the two men was completely bald, while the other had a head of disheveled long hair.
Both of them had thick golden bands around their arms and were very muscular in appearance.
As soon as their eyes fell upon Han Li, a slight chill ran down Han Li's spine, and he murmured, "Those two are both Grand Ascension Stage beings!"
Silvermoon immediately drew a sharp breath upon hearing this.
Indeed, both of these burly men were also Grand Ascension Stage beings, but their auras were completely different compared to those of devilish beings.
"Are these three also reinforcements from another foreign realm, Fellow Daoist Xie Lian? Why is there a Body Integration Stage being among them?" the bald man asked in a gravelly voice.
"Fellow Daoist Han, these two are Brother Jin Chai and Brother Shi Ding from the White Light Realm; they arrived here around half a month earlier than the three of you. Brother Jin, this is Fellow Daoist Han and this is Fellow Daoist Xie; both of them are from the Spirit Realm," Xie Lian introduced with a smile.
"The Spirit Realm? Isn't that the realm that was in conflict with your Elder Devil Realm not long ago? I thought they weren't even going to send anyone," the bald man said with a hint of disdain in his voice.
"If the Stemborer Queen breaks out of its seal, all of the nearby realms will be in grave peril, so our Spirit Realm naturally can't just stand by and watch. Having said that, it's the first time I've heard of the White Light Realm," Han Li said in a calm manner.
"Hmph, your ignorance is truly astounding. Don't tell me you've only just progressed to the Grand Ascension Stage," the bald man said in a cold voice, while his companion remained completely silent and expressionless, just like Daoist Xie.
Han Li was just about to say something in response when Xie Lian interjected, "I'm sure you didn't come to my palace to bicker with one another, right, fellow daoists? Seeing as all of you came here for the Stemborer Queen, let's talk about that. You've always wanted to hear about the situation in the original sealed site, right, Brother Jin? Now that Fellow Daoist has also arrived, I'll elaborate on the situation to all of you."
Jin Chai's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he nodded in response. "Brother Shi and I are naturally happy to hear what you have to say."
After that, Jin Chai returned to the palace with his companion, and Xie Lian turned to Han Li before making an inviting hand gesture. "After you, Fellow Daoist Han."
Han Li gave her a faint smile before making his way into the palace with Silvermoon and Daoist Xie, followed by Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian.
"We pay our respects to Mistress Xie Lian!"
The palace wasn't very large, but the corridor behind the front gate was lined with around 40 female servants in palatial dresses, and they all extended respectful bows toward Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian.
"Prepare some spirit fruits and spirit tea; we have some important guests," Xie Lian instructed.
Some of the servants immediately gave affirmative responses before departing, while Han Li and the others followed Xie Lian into the main hall of the palace.
The two Grand Ascension Stage beings from the White Light Realm were already seated there, and their lips were trembling slightly as they communicated with one another through voice transmission.
Han Li's trio took a seat across from those two, while Xie Lian sat down on the main seat.
"Fellow Daoist Xie Lian, now that everyone's here, can you disclose the information to us?" Jin Chai asked in a direct manner.
Xie Lian's smile faded slightly upon hearing this, and a serious look appeared on her face. "Of course, but before that, I have a question for all of you: have you come here to help our holy realm seal the Stemborer Queen again, or are you here to rescue your brethren from your respective races?"
"Why do you ask, Fellow Daoist Xie Lian? Do these two objectives conflict with one another?" Jin Chai asked as his expression changed slightly.
Han Li's brows also furrowed slightly upon hearing this unexpected question.
"I don't want to disappoint all of you, but the situation is very urgent, and we'll only have time to do one of those things. On top of that, regardless of which option we choose, we have to focus all of our power on that one objective for any chance of success. This is why I haven't disclosed the situation at the original sealed site to you before this, Brother Jin," Xie Lian said as a wry smile appeared on her face.
"Hmph, so you're telling me that the arrival of these two gave you the confidence to disclose this information to us?" Jin Chai harrumphed in a displeased manner.
"Even if Fellow Daoist Han hadn't arrived, I would've disclosed the information to you in another month at most anyway. Us Sacred Ancestors are going to be meeting up in a month to discuss how to save our holy realm with all of our allies that have arrived from the other realms, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss that occasion," Xie Lian revealed.
"Fellow Daoist Xie Lian, regardless of what our objectives are, I think it would be better if you disclose the situation in the original sealed site first before we make our decision," Han Li said.
