Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 1047

“There’s no need to be so formal. You and I have known each other for quite some time, so let’s sit down and talk.”

Han Li smiled at the descendant of Immortal Bing Bai in front of him.

“Ah, then I’ll take my leave.”

Fellow Daoist Xu hesitated before carefully sitting down on a chair. Then, a maid quietly approached and poured two cups of fragrant tea.

“You may leave, and don’t let anyone in before I give the order.”

“Yes!”

The maid retreated, and Han Li flicked his sleeve towards the main door. Then, a white aura flashed, and the pavilion door closed. A navy blue light surrounded the hall, cutting it off from the outside.

Seeing this, Fellow Daoist Xu was startled and became alert. Unless it was a secret conversation, the other party would not have used a restriction.

“The reason I came to see Fellow Daoist Xu this time is because I have something to ask. Are you truly a descendant of Immortal Bing Bai?”

“That is true. How could I deceive a senior like you with such a matter?”

“That’s good. Then, do you know anything about the whereabouts of Immortal Bing Bai? I have something I need to see her about, so I’m asking.”

“You need to see her in person?”

“Why? Does Fellow Daoist not know her whereabouts either?”

Han Li frowned at the woman’s reaction.

“Although it is true that I inherited the blood of my ancestor, I heard from the elders of my family that when our ancestor reached the Combination stage, she refused the position of elder in Heavenly Fiend City and left for other important matters, and her whereabouts became unknown.”

Fellow Daoist Xu gave a wry smile.

“If that’s the case, it will be difficult to meet her directly. Are there any other descendants of Immortal Bing Bai besides Fellow Daoist Xu?”

“To be honest, the lineage of our ancestor, Immortal Bing Bai, has already split into more than a dozen branches. Some of them have even established small sects based on the cultivation methods left by our ancestor. However, the closest is our Xu family. The direct lineage of our ancestor has continued, and we have continued the family to this day, following her surname.”

The woman, guessing that he had some connection with Immortal Bing Bai, answered frankly.

“Then who is currently in charge of the Xu family? Is it not you?”

“Are you joking? Although we are not as powerful as the Jinling family, we have a certain reputation in Heavenly Fiend City. Currently, my father is the head of the family, and there are a few other uncles and granduncles.”

“I need to meet your father, but I don’t know if it will be okay.”

“It would be an honor for our Xu family if a senior like you were to visit. However… could you at least tell me the reason, even roughly?”

The woman hesitated before asking the reason.

“Haha, it’s nothing to worry about! I have an item that I was asked to deliver to Immortal Bing Bai, but if that’s not possible, I think I should deliver it to her direct descendant. If the Xu family is the closest lineage of Immortal Bing Bai, then it is only right to deliver the item to your father, the head of the family.”

“I see. May I ask who asked you to do this?”

“You probably don’t know them. Maybe someone else in the Xu family might.”

Han Li shook his head at the woman’s surprised question.

“I understand. Then, I will personally guide you, Senior! I just finished my patrol duty and received a half-year vacation. It’s enough time to travel using the teleportation array.”

“It would be best if Fellow Daoist Xu could guide me personally.”

“Can I return to the East to prepare and depart in two days?”

Fellow Daoist Xu stood up and respectfully asked Han Li.

“I don’t have anything to prepare, so anytime is fine. If it’s convenient for you in two days, then let’s do that.”

Han Li agreed and nodded.

“I’ll see you in two days! By the way, Senior, my given name is ‘Xu Tianyu,’ so you can just call me by my name from now on. How can I be called Fellow Daoist by a senior like you?”

“Haha, if Fellow Daoist Tianyu is uncomfortable, then I have no choice.”

Han Li smiled and shook his head at the woman’s unexpected words. Xu Tianyu left the Drunken Immortal Pavilion shortly after. Her home in the East was near Heavenly Fiend City, but it would take two days to prepare, excluding travel time.

Han Li went to the place where the four cultivators were staying, collected the materials they had gathered, and gave them a new list. After that, he returned to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and did not step out.

* * *

Inside a hall in a certain place in Heavenly Fiend City, about six cultivators were gathered, discussing confidential matters.

“Then, we should assume that there is no possibility that he will enter Heavenly Fiend City!”

A frail-looking old man with white hair frowned.

“Elder Qu, this humble monk has done his best. Fellow Daoist Han is a cultivator who is wholeheartedly devoted to cultivation and has no intention of joining any faction.”

A golden-robed old monk sighed and replied. It was none other than Venerable Jin Yue, who had gone to see Han Li. The white-robed old man, as well as everyone else gathered here, were all Combination stage cultivators like Venerable Jin Yue.

“Does that mean there is no way to replenish the members of the Elder Council? Before the invasion of the alien races, the Elder Council was complete, and even Fellow Daoist Yin Guang was considered a candidate for elder. If a demonic disaster were to occur and the demons were to surround and attack this city, we would be finished. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.”

A giant with a faint golden glow on his face spoke coldly.

“It can’t be helped. The Human Overlord, the Saint Emperor, and even the Seven Great Demon Kings of the demon race are unwilling to release their Combination stage cultivators. Everyone expects that the Demon Realm might descend within a thousand years, so wouldn’t they try to gather their strength and find a way to survive first? Half of the Three Sovereigns and Seven Demon Kings died in the last demonic tribulation, so they wouldn’t want to repeat that.”

Venerable Jin Yue replied with a sigh.

“Venerable Jin Yue, is it true that the Demon Realm will overlap with the Spirit Realm within a thousand years?”

A woman wearing a silver mask asked in a soft voice.

“It is certain. The Holy Island has also sent news to be vigilant, and Lord Makganli has personally visited the True Demon Realm using the Star Plate. The Demon Realm is currently preparing for war to invade the Spirit Realm.

Before the senior could investigate in detail, he was unfortunately discovered by the Demon Realm’s Saint Ancestor and had to return to the Spirit Realm. This means that the Demon Realm could descend not in a thousand years, but within a few hundred years. Our area, where the human race, the demon race, and several nearby races reside, is all adjacent to the Demon Realm, so we will not be able to avoid a great disaster.”

“If the words of the Holy Island and Lord Mak are evidence, then it cannot be false. The Three Sovereigns, Seven Demon Kings, and other forces have all received similar news, which is why our Heavenly Fiend City’s Elder Council cannot replenish its elders.”

At Venerable Jin Yue’s words, the white-robed old man narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard.

“That must be the case. During the demonic tribulation, alien races such as the Wood Race and the Yaksha Race also refrain from attacking the human and demon races. If so, the Three Sovereigns and Seven Demon Kings have no reason to send troops to Heavenly Fiend City. After all, the restrictions that protect the two races are useless against the descent of the Demon Realm.

The reason why the Three Sovereigns and Seven Territories were established was originally to deal with the demonic disaster that occurs once every tens of thousands of years. Since the last invasion of the alien races, the Combination stage elders of this city, as well as the Void Refinement and Soul Transformation stage soldiers, have hardly been replenished. Even now, we are barely managing to gather supporters from everywhere.”

The masked woman calmly summarized the situation.

“Our Heavenly Fiend City’s power has greatly declined due to the invasion of the alien races. If we cannot replenish our personnel and the demonic tribulation strikes, we will be too busy defending the city to be able to subjugate the demons like last time.”

A young woman with purple hair frowned and opened her mouth.

“What else can we do? The demonic disaster is, as it is, a calamity that returns once every tens of thousands of years for us cultivators. It’s fortunate that the demons are not very interested in mortals and beasts who do not possess spiritual power, or else the human and demon races would have been slaughtered every tens of thousands of years. It is, in a way, fortunate that the demons are only obsessed with plundering the resources of the Spirit Realm and slaughtering cultivators.”

At the white-robed old man’s words, Venerable Jin Yue’s kind face turned slightly cold.

“It’s not because the demons are showing mercy. They deliberately keep mortals and ordinary beasts alive like livestock. That way, they can carry out slaughter during the next demonic disaster. Aren’t the Nascent Souls [Core of a cultivator] and Demon Cores of cultivators like us the best tonics for them?”

“Also, we cannot give up some resources that are essential for cultivation. If we can protect those, it will give us the strength to endure until the Demon Realm and the Spirit Realm are separated.”

The purple-haired woman added.

“Since other forces are busy finding their own way to survive, Heavenly Fiend City can no longer expect outside help. From today, let’s remove the restrictions on the hidden subsidiary cities and relocate the nearby mortals. In addition, let’s send cultivators who are proficient in earth-attribute techniques to repair the other empty cities.”

The white-robed old man said, tapping the armrest.

“It’s still early, but we need to prepare in advance. Even if we hold out with restrictions, the more high-level cultivators we secure, the more helpful it will be. The most difficult hurdle to overcome in a demonic disaster is the first few explosive offensives. If we can block that, the demons will no longer rush in with all their might and will enter a state of confrontation.

Fellow Daoist Po, it seems that no new Combination stage cultivators will appear in the human race within the next few hundred years. I heard that there is someone in the demon race who is about to reach the Combination stage, so please pay attention.”

The white-robed old man turned his head and looked at the giant with a golden glow on his face.

“I understand. There are a few among the demon race’s royalty who have remarkable talents and show promise of reaching the Combination stage.”

The golden-faced giant nodded seriously.

“Speaking of the demon race, I don’t know if I should say this to Fellow Daoist Yin Guang.”

The white-robed old man hesitated and then turned his gaze to the masked woman.

“Elder Qu and I have known each other for a long time, so what is there to be unable to say?”

“Since you say so, I will ask comfortably. How is Senior Oso doing?”

“Ah, I thought it was something else! Elder Qu was worried about Elder Oso. But there are other demon race elders besides me, so I don’t know why you’re asking me.”

“Why are you pretending not to know? Although Fellow Daoist Yin Guang is not from the Silver Moon Wolf Clan, she has inherited some of the Silver Moon Wolf Clan’s bloodline and has been under Senior Oso’s tutelage for over a thousand years. So, wouldn’t you know best how Senior Oso has been doing recently?”

When the masked woman’s gaze reached him, the black-robed giant raised his eyebrows and spoke calmly.

“Fellow Daoist Po is right. Senior Oso’s news has been cut off since he visited Mount Juyun three thousand years ago. With the demonic tribulation just around the corner, it’s inevitable to feel anxious when one of the two Great Ascension stage cultivators is missing.”

The white-robed old man asked again with a cautious face, and the other elders all sent concerned glances. In response, the masked woman seemed to be lost in thought, closing her mouth, and then opened it after a long time.

“I know what you are worried about. It is true that there have been few cases where the human and demon races have survived more than twenty Great Heavenly Tribulations [A major trial for cultivators] after establishing themselves in the Spirit Realm. So, you must be wondering if the elder successfully passed the twenty-first Great Heavenly Tribulation a few years ago. Elder Oso did not lose his life during the last Great Heavenly Tribulation. He only slightly injured his primordial spirit and has been recuperating ever since.”

“Is that really true?”

The black-robed giant’s face brightened instantly. As a fellow demon race elder, he was naturally more concerned about the safety of a demon race Great Ascension stage senior than the human race cultivators. At her words, the white-robed old man and the old monk, among other human race elders, were relieved.

“I heard this directly from Fellow Daoist Yeongrong, who is guarding the elder’s side, a few hundred years ago. Elder Oso is recovering his primordial spirit smoothly and will be leaving seclusion soon.”

The masked woman answered with certainty.

*