The Wind Rises Overseas, Meeting Zi Ling Again

Han Li did not need to deliberate long. He was almost certain that what the Profound Bone Saint had said was likely true.

After all, the Star Palace had stood firm in the Chaotic Star Sea for so many years without falling—it was inevitable that they had employed certain methods. There was no way they had come here for the sake of mere supervision. They most likely had their own schemes.

Having come to this conclusion, a cold glint flashed in Han Li's eyes. Though he did not reply to the Profound Bone Saint, in his heart he immediately raised his guard toward the two white-robed elders.

But in the following days, the two white-robed old men sat motionless in their original positions, completely entering a state of meditation. They did not open their eyes again, nor did they utter a single word.

Thus, in a strange atmosphere, another three days passed.

In those few days, only three or four new cultivators arrived. Not a single Nascent Soul cultivator came.

Then, on the morning of the fourth day, an unexpected change occurred.

A series of rumbling sounds came, and without any warning, a white jade stone door descended from the entrance of the hall, instantly sealing the entire hall shut.

The surface of the door was hazy white, clearly bearing a powerful restriction.

From the direction of the distant palace gate, there was also a loud boom, as if it too had been sealed closed.

This caused a few people in the hall to show a trace of panic. But when they saw that all the Nascent Soul cultivators present were calm, they settled down.

At this moment, the two white-robed elders of the Star Palace unhurriedly opened their eyes and suddenly stood up.

Immediately, the gazes of the other cultivators fixed on them. Those who knew what was happening wore expressions of understanding; those who did not looked puzzled.

The Nascent Soul cultivators watched the two with expressionless faces, not saying a word.

The two calmly walked toward the front of the hall.

But before they had reached the end, the ground at the far end of the hall trembled slightly. Then, a few stone slabs emitted a dazzling white light.

To the astonishment of the crowd, a small teleportation array about three meters wide appeared there.

None of the many cultivators in the hall had noticed how the array had appeared there. Even those who thought highly of themselves were greatly surprised.

The two white-robed elders walked to the array without any change in expression, bending down to inspect it carefully.

After a while, the two exchanged a glance and nodded.

"Alright. This teleportation array is functional. From here, you will go to the outer hall of the Void Heaven Palace. Take care of yourselves."

With these words, the two white-robed cultivators stepped onto the array, one after the other.

Two flashes of light later, their figures vanished without a trace.

Now, the other cultivators in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

But before they could react, Wan Tianming led the old Daoist and the thin, dark-skinned old man, launching off the jade pillar without hesitation, landing at the array and teleporting away.

Only then did the rest of the cultivators snap out of it. Those closer rushed over.

Instantly, the array flashed with white light continuously. Within the blink of an eye, less than half of the cultivators in the hall remained. The Profound Bone Saint had mixed in with the crowd and left first.

A strange gleam flickered in Han Li's eyes. He could not help but glance at Extreme Yin Patriarch and his group.

But Extreme Yin Patriarch happened to return his gaze with a meaningful look, startling Han Li greatly. He quickly averted his eyes, his unease deepening.

It seemed Extreme Yin Patriarch truly would not let him off.

Feeling oppressed, Han Li simply stood up and walked forward.

Seeing Han Li's move, Extreme Yin Patriarch revealed a sinister smile. This caused Wu Chou, who had been pretending to be mute at his side, to finally ask in a low voice:

"Patriarch, you seem very interested in that fellow? Is there something off about him?"

Wu Chou was genuinely curious.

"Nothing much. It's just that this person is very useful to me. I must make use of him for a while." Extreme Yin Patriarch shook his head, speaking somewhat nonchalantly, as if he did not wish to explain.

This left Wu Chou, who had always been favored by Extreme Yin, somewhat puzzled.

At this moment, the Confucian-robed Qingyi Hermit gave a light cough and said unhurriedly:

"Shouldn't we be leaving too? There are only a few people left in the hall now."

Startled, Extreme Yin glanced around the sparsely populated hall and replied with a faint smile:

"Of course. If we don't go now, the teleportation array will disappear. It won't reappear for another month."

With that, Extreme Yin Patriarch pulled Wu Chou, transforming into a dark cloud and drifting gently downward.

Seeing this, Qingyi Hermit and Man Brutal Beard leisurely flew down from the jade pillar as well.

As for the beautiful woman, she had already left earlier. It seemed she had no intention of mingling with Extreme Yin and his group.

...

After a spell of dizziness, Han Li found himself standing on a desolate small hill. Looking around, he was taken aback.

Not far from him were only two men and one woman. The other cultivators were nowhere to be seen.

Among the two men and one woman, the female cultivator, upon seeing Han Li, revealed a look of surprise and delight. It was actually Fairy Zi Ling.

Without hesitation, she walked toward Han Li with a smile.

As for the male cultivator who had been with her earlier, he had been teleported elsewhere. Han Li could not help but smile wryly, feeling that trouble was about to land on him again.

The other two were a gray-clothed old man and a black-robed, masked figure.

The old man seemed fine, but the black-robed man was entwined with dark green mist—clearly a demonic cultivator who practiced evil arts.

The two stood apart, apparently not on good terms.

Since Fairy Zi Ling had walked toward him, it naturally drew the attention of these two. They appraised Han Li as well.

The old man's gaze was friendly; he even gave Han Li a kind smile. The black-robed man's gaze was icy cold, devoid of any emotion.

Han Li returned their looks calmly, showing no unusual reaction.

By then, Fairy Zi Ling had reached him. She said with a light laugh:

"I didn't expect to be teleported together with Senior Han. It seems I will have to trouble you to look after me a little. Otherwise, I might not even get through this first trial."

As she said this, Fairy Zi Ling bit her lip slightly, seeming a little embarrassed.

Han Li frowned but did not immediately reply. Instead, he asked in a doubtful tone:

"Fairy Zi Ling's cultivation has greatly improved—you have reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. That is cause for celebration. But why would you come to this place? It is far too risky. Even Core Formation cultivators cannot guarantee their safety in this Void Heaven Palace."

Although Han Li only knew a little about the Void Heaven Palace, that did not prevent him from judging the danger. Naturally, he was puzzled.

Hearing this, a trace of bitterness appeared on Fairy Zi Ling's delicate face. She said in a helpless tone:

"I did not want to come either. As you can see, I am currently at the Half-Foundation stage, about to attempt Core Formation. But my talent is not good, and the supplementary pills I have been able to gather are pitifully few. So I had no choice but to purchase a fragment map of the Void Heaven Palace at a high price to try my luck here. I heard that there are many spirit herbs in the Void Heaven Palace. Perhaps Heaven will take pity on me and let me encounter a few herbs that are greatly useful for Core Formation. I have long since made up my mind—I will only attempt this first trial and then stop. I won't try the second."

Her expression darkened, and she looked dispirited.

Han Li sighed inwardly and fell silent.

If it had not been for his training in the "Three Revolutions Heavy Origin Art" and the "Great Derivative Art," and the many spirit medicines that had forcibly boosted his chance of forming a core, he would have been even more hopeless than Fairy Zi Ling.

Thinking of this, Han Li felt a sense of shared suffering with her.

Thinking further, the Divine Thunder Bamboo had come from her after all, and the Sublime Sound Sect sent him a certain amount of spirit stones every year. Though not a large sum, he still owed her a favor. He might as well repay it now.

Having reached this decision, Han Li's expression relaxed slightly. He said in a calm tone:

"Since I have ended up together with you, I will naturally take some care of you. However, if even I cannot protect myself, you will have to find your own way out."

"Thank you, Senior Han. I fully understand that. I will never hold you back." Seeing Han Li agree, Fairy Zi Ling's beautiful face immediately lit up, her radiance almost blinding. Han Li could not help but stare blankly.

Then, realizing his lapse, he turned his head away, his face slightly warm, not daring to look any longer.