Chapter 1212: Volume 7: Across the Human World Chapter 1207: The Battle of Star Palace (Part 8)

Han Li, upon hearing Ling Yuling’s words, scanned the beast carriage with his spiritual sense once more, nodded lightly, and remained silent.

The four individuals below climbed into the carriage. The driver of the carriage was a bald giant standing two zhang tall. Although he only seemed to be at the Foundation Establishment Stage, his upper body was bare, his muscles appeared as if forged from refined steel, and his presence exuded a dreadful aura of killing intent.

The giant waved a white whip in mid-air, and an ear-piercing whistle immediately echoed through the skies.

The few green flood dragons that had been lazily sprawled in front of the stone hall suddenly perked up, swiftly flipping to their feet. With a shake of their heads and a flick of their tails, the beast carriage let out a roar, transformed into a ball of white light, and soared into the sky at a speed that rivaled that of an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

A quarter of an hour later, Han Li and the others appeared at one of the gates of Heavenly Star City.

At this time, the power of wind and fire in the skies above the massive island was relentlessly bombarding the pale blue protective barrier from all directions.

Even within the protection of the barrier, the continuous rumbling thunder-like sound caused the ordinary mortals and low-level loose cultivators residing within the city to tremble with fear and unease.

After all, everyone understood that although the barrier still appeared thick and sturdy, if this continued, it would only be a matter of time before it was breached by the wind and fire power of the great array outside.

Standing quietly in an unnoticeable corner near the city gate, Han Li gazed toward the outer island.

The scene outside the barrier offered nothing new–everything remained as it was when he entered. The view was dominated by shades of green and red, and even with his divine skills, Han Li was unable to see deep into it.

His gaze shifted faintly to the area just beneath the city walls. He noticed that a concealed spot near the gate had already gathered as many as two thousand low-level cultivators. Each was seated cross-legged on the ground, either meditating, fine-tuning their magic artifacts, or organizing Daoist paper talismans, all making final preparations.

The elder surnamed Zhao and the burly man in purple robes had also exited the carriage by this time and were consulting gravely with several other elders nearby.

“Brother Han, I have a matter I wish to request your assistance with. Could you perhaps agree to it?” A sound of footsteps came from behind, but before Han Li could turn around, a melodious voice called out.

“What is it?” Han Li turned and asked without a trace of surprise on his face.

Behind him stood Ling Yuling, dressed in a pale green palace robe. Her beautiful face was ever-changing, her delicate brows tightly furrowed, as if mustering immense determination to utter her previous words.

“The upcoming battle will determine the life and death of my Star Palace. However, to be honest, the Starfall Coalition has, in recent years, indeed recruited many reclusive cultivators who rarely show themselves. Even with Brother Han’s assistance, our chances of victory are no greater than fifty-fifty. If we emerge victorious, then all is well, and I would not need to trouble you further. But if a catastrophic defeat does occur, I hope that, after escaping yourself, you can take the individuals listed at the address recorded in this jade slip out of the Scattered Stars Sea and look after them to some degree.” Ling Yuling bit her lip lightly, and with a flip of her jade-like hand, she produced a pale blue jade slip in her palm and pleaded with Han Li in an expectant tone.

“What do you mean by this?” Han Li’s brows furrowed.

“It’s nothing significant. These individuals share a close bond with me. Although I am confident that almost no one would discover their ties to me, should we suffer a total defeat and the Starfall Coalition seeks to root out every loose end, this matter becomes unpredictable. It would be better to entrust them into your care. Brother Han, you are not a native cultivator of the Scattered Stars Sea, so you would surely have a way to accomplish this.” Ling Yuling’s tone unexpectedly carried the air of entrusting her legacy.

Han Li stared at her silently, at a loss for words.

However, his silence seemed to lead her to a misunderstanding. With a soft chuckle, Ling Yuling added, “Of course, I would not ask for such a favor without compensation. As I recall, my father had promised you three conditions of assistance. You have already aided us once by stepping in against Wan Tianming. Now, if you agree to this request, regardless of whether the battle is won or lost, and regardless of whether you actually need to carry it out, I will consider it to fulfill a second condition. How does that sound?”

“Fellow Daoist Ling, have you thought this through? I promised your father that I would rescue you three times in situations where your life was in imminent danger. Wasting one of these opportunities so lightly–this surely goes against the intended purpose of the Heavenly Star Sages, does it not?” Han Li was silent briefly, his gaze flickering as he replied.

“I understand this well! But since I have already become the Star Palace’s leader, if this battle ends in a devastating defeat, the Star Palace’s thousands of years of heritage will be severed. What use would the remaining two life-saving chances be? It is far better to secure the safety of my closest kin. As for me, I possess mid Nascent Soul stage cultivation, which is sufficient for self-preservation under ordinary circumstances.” She sighed softly.

Han Li looked at the desolate yet resolute expression on her face for a long moment before finally speaking in an impassive tone:

“Fine. Since Fellow Daoist Ling puts it this way, I can accept this transaction. If you are defeated in this battle, I will take them out of the Scattered Stars Sea.”

“With your words, Brother Han, Yuling will have no more worries. Considering your status as a great cultivator, I think that even in the face of unfavorable circumstances, retreating safely should be easily achievable.” Ling Yuling’s face lit up with enchanting relief and joy.

Han Li merely let out a faint smile, then turned his head back toward the scene outside the city walls.

Seeing that her purpose was accomplished, Ling Yuling sensibly refrained from disturbing Han Li further and quietly withdrew.

Several hours later, after confirming through Sound Transmission Talismans that everyone was ready, the gates of Heavenly Star City swung wide open. Tens of thousands of cultivators swarmed out from several of the gates, rushing out of the pale blue protective barrier. They plunged into the azure-red light mist formed by the wind-fire power outside, disappearing from sight.

The Star Palace’s sudden mobilization did not escape the notice of the Starfall Coalition cultivators stationed within the Wind Fire Extinction Array.

On the coalition’s side, a large contingent of cultivators was immediately dispatched to intercept them. Meanwhile, those remaining behind promptly activated the array to its full capacity, pushing its power to its limits.

Though this array wasn’t particularly effective against Core Formation cultivators or higher, it held devastating lethal potential against Foundation Establishment cultivators.

As the wind-fire columns were fully activated, the previously slowly undulating azure-red light mist churned fiercely. Balls of azure-red light began to form within, only to explode violently moments later.

Within the array, radiance flashed endlessly, explosions echoing incessantly in every direction.

Any ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators walking into the array unprepared would likely be instantly consumed by the power of wind and fire.

However, the Star Palace had prepared extensively for this battle. Almost every cultivator had protective light shields of various colors emerge around them when the array’s full power was unleashed. These light shields successfully warded off the wind-fire power’s assault, preventing significant losses among the Star Palace’s low-level cultivators.

At that moment, Starfall Coalition cultivators who had emerged near the towering wind-fire columns encountered the Star Palace forces, sparking fierce combat. Cries of battle and shouts of slaughter erupted instantly.

Nearly simultaneously, atop the peak of a wind-fire column towering three hundred zhang and as thick as a small mountain, a handful of cultivators stood, eyes narrowed as they gazed into the distance.

At their forefront was a middle-aged man in purple robes, adorned with a jade belt. His square face and thick brows framed a serene and composed expression. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back; it was none other than Wan Tianming, whom Han Li had encountered multiple times within the Heavenvoid Hall. However, this time, his demeanor seemed far more composed than before.

Not far behind him stood an eerie-looking elder with pale green skin and an elderly woman decorated in gaudy red and green garments.

These two figures also gazed into the array, their faces heavy with cautious expressions.

“It seems the Star Palace has truly mobilized its entire force this time. Yet their willingness to expend such a significant amount of mid-level talismans is surprising. Just this alone is enough to bankrupt an ordinary sect,” the green-faced elder murmured. He was none other than the cultivator surnamed Long who had fled in panic during Han Li’s earlier assault on the array.

“Such desperate measures are a last resort. Likely, it has something to do with the man who recently broke into Stalwart Star City!” Wan Tianming replied calmly.

“I see it as more of a cornered beast lashing out! But, Fellow Daoist Long, is that cultivator who killed Fellow Daoist Huai truly so formidable? Even when you both joined forces, he managed to kill one of you in an instant,” the old woman, her green-tinted eyes glimmering, suddenly asked. She was evidently a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

At the mention of Han Li, the expression of the green-faced elder darkened considerably. Rubbing the arm he had regrown from a secret technique, he hesitated for a moment before offering a bitter smile in response:

“‘Formidable’ barely scratches the surface. Fellow Daoist Huai’s divine skills were by no means weak, yet he couldn’t last even a few breaths against that man. Were it not for my quick thinking and the immediate use of an escape technique, I, too, would not be standing here now. That individual surely exceeds the mid Nascent Soul stage–he is, beyond doubt, a late-stage great cultivator.”

“Late-stage great cultivator? I believe Fellow Daoist Long must be overly shaken, perhaps even delusional. Apart from Daoist Wan, where in the Outer Star Seas could there be another late-stage cultivator? If one existed, the Star Palace would have sought that individual’s aid long ago rather than endure our prolonged suppression!” the old woman sneered, a mocking glint in her eye as she spoke.

The elder surnamed Long reddened in indignation at her words.

“That may not be entirely implausible. In fact, upon seeing the image Fellow Daoist Long recreated for us, I found it somewhat familiar. After giving it further thought these last few days, I believe I have identified this man. It is likely someone even you, Madam Qiu, are aware of,” Wan Tianming said evenly, a faint smile playing across his lips.

“Oh? Brother Wan, do elaborate,” the old woman asked with intrigue.

“Do you recall, Madam Qiu, the news from several centuries ago regarding the emergence of the Heavenvoid Cauldron? And the wanted order our alliance issued to hunt down a cultivator named Han Li?” Wan Tianming said leisurely.

“The Heavenvoid Cauldron? Han Li? Could the person who broke through the array be him? Hmm, now that you mention it, there is indeed a resemblance. But isn’t that impossible? Back then, he was merely a Core Formation cultivator!” The old woman quickly connected the dots, but even as realization dawned, she shook her head in disbelief, skepticism written all over her face.

“There’s no need to find it strange. Over a century ago, when the Heavenly Star Sages were still alive, I received intelligence that Han Li had already appeared near the Yellow Sand Sect, having reached the level of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Later, he used the Star Palace’s teleportation formation to travel to the Outer Star Seas. During this period, the two ancient sages of the Star Palace seemingly tried to recruit him but failed. Furthermore, I suspect that the unexplained disappearance of our alliance’s Nascent Soul elders such as Swift Crane might also be closely tied to him,” Wan Tianming remarked, his gaze fixed on the array as he spoke unhurriedly.

(First chapter of the day!) (To be continued. For more chapters, please visit www.wuxiaworld.site. Support the author, support legitimate works!)