Storms Rise Beyond the Seas, Nanming Island

Han Li raced toward the waters near Heaven Star City with such astonishing speed that more than a few cultivators turned their heads to stare.

With only a few days of travel remaining before he reached his destination, Han Li suddenly switched to ordinary flying light, putting away his blood-colored cloak.

These waters were certain to be a chaotic mix of all kinds of cultivators. It wasn't even impossible for a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator to be present.

Han Li had no desire to attract the attention of beings at that level, so he naturally chose to keep a low profile.

Fortunately, he hadn't yet heard word of the Rebel Alliance appearing nearby. It seemed he wasn't too late, and his mood relaxed considerably.

Ahead lay the last transit island before Heaven Star City: “Nanming Island.” Though small in area, it housed a large garrison of Star Palace cultivators and served as an outer sentry post for the city.

In ordinary times, the island's harbor would be filled with ships of all sizes coming and going, with a constant stream of mortals and cultivators passing through.

But now, a sweep of Han Li's gaze from above revealed only a sparse dozen or so small boats. As for cultivators, only a handful flew in or out.

It seemed that both mortals and cultivators who did business here understood that a great battle was imminent and had wisely chosen to keep their distance during this period.

Most of the cultivators who now dared to enter or leave this island were scouts sent by various powers to gauge the situation.

After his long journey, Han Li was feeling somewhat fatigued. He decided to stop briefly on this island to rest and, while he was at it, visit the market district to replenish his supplies for the journey into the Outer Star Seas.

After all, who knew what state Heaven Star City was in now? It would be best to stock up here, just in case something unexpected happened later and left him unprepared.

The moment Han Li flew down, he felt that the security alert level on “Nanming Island” had clearly increased compared to before.

The instant he entered the range of the harbor's formation, he sensed at least three Core Formation cultivators sweep their spiritual sense over him simultaneously. One of them even tracked him for a considerable period before automatically withdrawing only after finding nothing suspicious.

Clearly, the Star Palace was also on guard against a sudden attack from the Rebel Alliance.

Undisturbed, Han Li headed straight for the island's market district.

The market district of Nanming Island was located in a small town not far from the harbor, established purely for the convenience of passing cultivators and merchants.

Han Li had visited this place once before.

While it was far less famous and extensive than the markets of the larger islands, the goods sold here were surprisingly complete, in no way inferior to those elsewhere. In fact, some things were even a bit cheaper than in Heaven Star City.

This was because many goods destined for Heaven Star City were simply offloaded here first, and then Star City merchants would transport them from this island.

Han Li had no time to waste. As soon as he entered the town, he took out the formula for the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng that the old ghost Xuan Gu had given him and studied it carefully.

After memorizing the required ingredients and spiritual herbs, he unceremoniously began to scour every material shop, large or small.

...

“Senior, I sincerely apologize! I have run a material shop for over a hundred years and have never heard of the ingredient ‘Thousand Leaves Dew.’ As for the ‘Agate Horn,’ it is the unique horn of the rare demon beast, the Agate Beast. Ordinary cultivators have no chance of ever seeing one. I'm afraid you'll have to try other shops or the major auction houses.”

This was a moderately sized hall. Standing before Han Li was a middle-aged cultivator with regular features, who spoke to him with great care.

“You are the largest material shop here. If you don't have these items, the other shops certainly won't. As for the auction houses, I don't have the time right now to wait for some auction.” Han Li furrowed his brow. Seated in a wooden chair in front of the middle-aged cultivator, he lightly tapped the armrest with one finger, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.

Hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator wore an awkward expression. He truly had no way to get Han Li what he wanted and could only maintain an apologetic smile.

After all, the person before him was a rare Core Formation senior; he dared not offend him lightly.

Seeing the shopkeeper's demeanor, Han Li knew he genuinely didn't have these two items. He could only sigh and stand up to leave.

It seemed he would have to find another way to procure the last two spiritual herbs needed for refining the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng.

Still, the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng wouldn't be needed until he reached the peak of the late Core Formation stage and began to condense his Nascent Soul, so there was no great hurry.

Just as the middle-aged cultivator was seeing Han Li to the door, he seemed to remember something. After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly spoke to Han Li again.

“Actually, that ‘Thousand Leaves Dew’ isn't necessarily something this shop doesn't carry. It's possible it has simply changed its name.”

“Oh? What do you mean by that?” A flicker of interest flashed in Han Li's eyes as he stopped and asked curiously.

“It's not that I'm boasting, but I've worked in this material shop for over a hundred years. I've seen all kinds of strange ingredients. If there truly is an ingredient or spiritual herb I've never heard of, then nine times out of ten, it's an ancient cultivator's name for something that has since been renamed. I've encountered this a few times before. Perhaps the ‘Thousand Leaves Dew’ you speak of is just a very common spiritual herb by its current name,” the middle-aged man said honestly.

This gave Han Li pause. He felt the man's reasoning made a great deal of sense.

After all, the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng was a legendary immortal herb. Its refining formula was likely passed down from ancient times. He would probably have to consult some ancient texts to find the true identity of the Thousand Leaves Dew.

With this thought, Han Li's expression softened slightly as he nodded, then silently walked out of the shop.

In the time that followed, Han Li searched for and gathered various pill formulas that a Core Formation cultivator could use, preparing for future alchemy.

As for the other auxiliary materials needed for alchemy, he procured enough of them in quantities that couldn't be cultivated using his small vial.

If he went to the Outer Star Seas this time, it was unlikely he would be able to return anytime soon. Han Li didn't want his alchemy plans to fail due to a shortage of common materials, which would in turn hinder his rapid cultivation progress.

With several ancient treasures in his possession, and with some formations to assist him, dealing with rank six or seven demon beasts shouldn't be a problem. Of course, if he happened to encounter a rank eight demon beast, he would still have to flee for his life.

After all, once a demon beast reaches rank eight, it was said that parts of its body could transform into human form, and its intelligence would become comparable to a human's. Worse still, due to their exceptional innate talents, they were often even more formidable than a human cultivator of the same tier.

Han Li had no desire to run into such a truly demonic beast!

After a short half-day, Han Li had finished gathering everything he needed. He left the market district and flew straight for the harbor.

By then, dusk had fallen. The night was hazy, making it difficult to see clearly.

Han Li had only flown a short distance when a burst of multicolored light suddenly erupted from up ahead, followed by a rumbling sound from the direction of the harbor.

Han Li's expression changed drastically. He immediately poured his magic power into full force, transforming into a streak of green light that shot through the air.

But before he could even reach the harbor, his flying light came to an abrupt halt.

His face darkened as he looked at the scene before him.

In the sky not far away, countless beams of light—green, red, and every color in between—pressed down like a blanket toward the great formation at the harbor, producing constant explosions and the sound of cracking energy.

Judging by the sheer scale of the attack, it seemed at least a thousand cultivators were striking in unison.

Below, the great formation had raised a layer of rosy-red light, stubbornly blocking the majority of the assault.

Beneath this light shield, several cultivators in white robes were also fighting back with their magical tools, desperately counterattacking the ambushers in the sky.

A bitter smile spread across Han Li's face.

The Rebel Alliance certainly moved fast. He had rushed and rushed, but the great battle had still erupted before his eyes.

Now that the battle had begun, Heaven Star City would surely have received word through a special teleportation channel.

Even if he rushed back to Heaven Star City now, it would probably be too late.

Extremely frustrated, Han Li's expression shifted between gloom and indecision for a long moment. Then, suddenly stamping his foot, his form twisted and vanished from sight as he completely concealed himself.

He had no desire to get caught up in a battle between two major powers.

But his spiritual sense quietly extended outward, spreading slowly.

If his guess was correct, this area near the harbor would soon become quite lively.

And indeed, before long, numerous streaks of flying light shot out from Nanming Island proper. But after arriving nearby, they all followed the same pattern: they fell silent, landed quietly nearby, and watched the great battle from a distance.

Most of these onlookers were at the Foundation Establishment stage—over a hundred of them—along with several dozen daring Qi Condensation cultivators mixed in.

As for Core Formation cultivators like Han Li, there were only five or six. The highest cultivation level among them was a mid-Core Formation cultivator about four kilometers away.

This man was hiding atop a hill, perfectly silent. Since Han Li's spiritual sense far surpassed his, he hadn't discovered Han Li's observation.

Having cultivated the Great Derivative Art, Han Li's spiritual sense, even if not as strong as Ji Yin's or the others', was not far behind. If even an early Nascent Soul cultivator were hiding nearby, Han Li should have been able to sense them.

And as far as Han Li knew, most Nascent Soul cultivators spent their entire lives stuck at the initial stage, unable to advance a single step further.

Seeing that there were no such old monsters at the Nascent Soul stage nearby, Han Li finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Still, since the Rebel Alliance dared to attack Nanming Island, it seemed likely that the person in charge would include at least one Nascent Soul cultivator. Han Li had no intention of rashly revealing himself and encountering such a person.

He could only wait patiently for the battle to end before quietly slipping away.

(A new month begins. I hope everyone will continue to enjoy this book!)

(End of Chapter)