Han Li drew his gaze and lightly stepped with one foot. The massive, jade-colored flying chariot immediately made the surrounding Qingming Guards aware of their presence, and instantly, a series of divine senses swept over them. With a gentle sweep of his sleeve, a flash of emerald light, the flying chariot vanished suddenly. As the five of them moved, they landed near the teleportation array. "Huh! Captain!" a sudden exclamation came from one of the Qingming Guards. Han Li paused, slightly startled, and upon scanning the guards, spotted a tall man with green eyes—his appearance was remarkably familiar. The man was none other than Zhu Chong, one of the ten Black Guards Han Li had led in Tianyuan City years ago. Now, Zhu Chong had advanced from the late Yuan婴 stage to the initial stage of Huashen, and he was staring at Han Li in astonishment. "Ah, it's Zhu, my friend! Congratulations on becoming a Qingming Guard as well," Han Li smiled warmly and said slowly. "Indeed, it's you, Captain!" Wait, has the Captain Lady advanced to the Liangxi stage?!" Zhuo Chong was delighted upon seeing Han Li, then immediately surprised, asking. With a swift sweep of his spiritual awareness, he could not discern Han Li's cultivation level, so naturally assumed this. "After wandering outside for several years, I have indeed reached the Liangxi stage. I didn't expect to encounter you, Zhuo Brother, even before entering the city. How are the other fellow cultivators from our team these days?" Han Li smiled and inquired. "Well, to put it simply. Shortly after the Captain departed, the foreign tribes launched an attack on Datiyuan City. Half of them perished in this battle. The remaining few either chose to leave the city or have since departed. Today, only I and Xu Lady remain in Datiyuan City." Zhuo Chong explained. "Xu Lady is still in the city?" Han Li's eyes flashed with interest upon hearing this. This young lady was a descendant of Bingpo Lady—the very clue that had led Han Li to fulfill the young Weng family's request in the Tianyun Clan. Naturally, he was deeply concerned. "Xu Xianzi has also advanced to the Huashen stage, specifically the mid-stage, and is now leading a group of Black Guards. By the way, Xu Xianzi has repeatedly mentioned the队长's name. She often says that without the队长's guidance and advice back then, she wouldn't have reached her current level." Zhu Chong smiled warmly, as if he believed there was some unspoken connection between Han Li and this lady. "Heh, back then, I merely did what came naturally—I never thought of myself as offering any special guidance. Xu Xianzi's achievements are truly due to her own exceptional talent and potential." Han Li shook his head, speaking calmly. Zhu Chong smiled slightly and said nothing further. The four scholars, upon seeing that Han Li recognized Zhu Chong as a Qingming Guard, felt their last concerns ease. It seemed that the statement Han Li had made about Zhu Chong's origin from Tianyuan City was indeed accurate. They no longer feared that he might be an artificial creation of a foreign race, or someone pretending to be from the city to gain closer access to them. Such things were not uncommon in the past. The scholar recognized Zhu Chong and, after a slight nod of his eyes, bowed respectfully and said, "It's wonderful that Master Han and Brother Zhu have known each other. We too were only able to reach this place thanks to Master Han's timely rescue." "Indeed, you four must have encountered danger," Zhu Chong expressed some surprise. "Far from just danger—we nearly perished at the jaws of a stone yuan turtle of Lingxu stage!" the scholar chuckled. "Ah, our captain once defeated a Lingxu-level foreign being with a Huzheng-level cultivation, so defeating a mere stone yuan turtle now should be no problem at all," Zhu Chong said with a warm smile. Hearing this, the scholar and his companions nodded in agreement. "Perhaps we can chat again at a later time," Han Li said, with a smile that was both composed and slightly reserved. "I have some matters to attend to, so I shall head into the city now." "Yes, yes," replied Zhu Chong, slightly embarrassed. The captain must have come from a very distant place—definitely quite weary now. Zhu Chong only then felt a bit enlightened, quickly stepping aside to make room for the transmission array behind. After a slight nod to Zhu Chong, Han Li entered without hesitation. With a flash of light, he vanished suddenly. The scholars naturally followed, likewise disappearing into the humming array. Zhu Chong, gazing at the now empty array, looked deeply thoughtful. "Zhu brother, do you truly know this elder Han?" "Is he indeed your former captain? How could someone at the Stage of Transcendent Spirit-level defeat a being at the Stage of Immortal Realization?" "Why can't we perceive his true cultivation level? Could it be he has mastered some unique divine technique?" The other Qingming Guards, who had remained silent until now, now couldn't help but speak up. "Of course. This captain Han was renowned within the Qingming Guard back then—his array of abilities even surpassed those of ordinary Tian Wei officers." Zhuo had also greatly benefited under his guidance back then, otherwise he might not have successfully advanced to the Huashen stage. After such a long time apart, it's no surprise that he has now reached the Lianxi level, and his divine powers are naturally far beyond comprehension. "It's not at all strange that you can't perceive his cultivation," Zhuo replied, while silently wondering about Han Li's movements over the years. Yet he certainly never imagined that the reason Han Li had vanished from Tianyuan City for so many years was that he had been wandering abroad ever since, even making a journey to other continents. At the same time, Han Li appeared in a seemingly ordinary hall, his spirit glowing with activity, and slowly stepped out of the teleportation array, gazing around. The scholars and scholars also arrived via teleportation shortly thereafter. "We have now reached Tianyuan City. It's time for me to part ways with my companions," Han Li said, turning to the four of them. "Thank you, elder, for your great kindness to us four. We are currently residing at the Chunmian Pavilion. Should the elder have any tasks for us, we shall never hesitate to fulfill them." The scholar bowed deeply, speaking with sincere earnestness. Without Lord Han, they surely could not have survived this ordeal—these words truly came from the depths of his heart. "Chunmian Pavilion! I understand. I may indeed find myself needing your assistance in the future." Han looked at the scholar intently, nodded, then with a sweeping motion of his sleeve, turned and walked steadily toward the hall's entrance. The scholar was slightly taken aback, and together with the other three, he also bowed respectfully as a gesture of farewell. Upon stepping outside the hall, they found themselves in a vast hall stretching over a hundred paces in diameter. Several people were moving in and out of the pavilions surrounding the hall, though the number was not large. Yet at the hall's exit, two rows of Qingming Guards were carefully inspecting each arriving or departing cultivator, holding one "Yiling Disk" at a time. Behind the Qingming Guards stood a celestial guard clad in golden armor, arms folded, coldly observing each person in the grand hall. "Late Stage of Transcendent Realm!" Han Li immediately recognized the cultivator's level and, after a brief thought, walked forward without hesitation. The Qingming Guards stationed outside the city were solely responsible for safeguarding the transportation array from destruction by foreign tribes and beasts; the guards here, however, were in charge of verifying the identities of those entering and exiting. Originally, the Tianyuan City issued temporary pass tokens to all visitors entering the wild wilderness. Since Han Li had not returned to Tianyuan City for so many years, he naturally no longer held such a token—this proved somewhat troublesome. The hall itself had only a few people present, and cultivators at the Transcendent level were represented by Han Li alone. The celestial guard's gaze instantly shifted toward him. Han Li showed no outward surprise, though the subtle cultivation aura he had previously concealed began to radiate freely and openly. The wan-faced celestial guard instantly frowned, his eyes widening with surprise. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yu Lingzi. Your cultivation is truly remarkable. May I ask your name and your origin?" As soon as the guard stepped forward, he seemed to flicker like a ghost, materializing suddenly before the other Qingming guards, and with a graceful bow, politely inquired of Han Li. "I am Han Li. As for my origin—well, I must have been a member of the Tianyuan Guard over three hundred years ago!" Han Li said, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "Tianyuan Guard! Are you jesting? Yang has served as a celestial guard in this city for several centuries now, and I have personally known every single one of them. I have never seen you before." The guard was first stunned, then his expression grew serious. Upon hearing this, Han Li only chuckled softly. Suddenly, he raised his hand, and a shimmering blue light flew toward the guard. The thin guard's eyes narrowed, and with a single hand reaching out into the air, he caught the glowing blue orb in his palm. To his astonishment, it was a jade pendant of a One side of the jade pendants is inscribed with some silvery script, while the other bears several pale golden characters, "Bing Fifty-Six." It is precisely the Qingming Guard token from Han Li's time! "Qingming Guard?" This heavenly guard officer seemed quite incredulous. "Indeed. Does my friend have any concerns?" Han Li replied calmly. "Nothing seems amiss. However, I would like to verify the token first." The named heavenly guard smiled slightly, speaking with caution. "Please go ahead—there's no need for any urgency," Han Li replied with composed ease. The thin, wiry officer nodded, then gently rubbed his hands, and the jade pendant immediately began to glow with a soft, faint green light. "Indeed, it is authentic—without a doubt, a Qingming Guard token. However, your Qingming Guard designation was officially discontinued over a hundred years ago. You have now been a free individual for a long time," the officer said, his face expressing clear surprise. "Indeed, when I completed my mission—my task—my life was already in peril, and upon its completion, I became a free man." Han Li did not find it strange, and calmly replied. "A mission of life and death. Three hundred years ago?" The thin-bodied Tian Wei's eyes brightened, as if suddenly remembering something, and he seemed surprised. "It seems your memory of those events is also vivid!" Han Li chuckled. "So you were one of the individuals who carried out those missions back then. Truly, I didn't expect that. You have no further issues—please go. However, I shall reclaim this Qingming Wei's token." The Yang-named Tian Wei showed a touch of respect, bowing both hands. "Of course. I myself have not returned to the city for many years and have no other documents to prove my identity, so I've only been able to bring this token." Han Li said lightly. The thin-bodied Tian Wei nodded, then with a single wave of his hand, the several Qingming Wei instantly cleared the path. Han Li took no time at all, launching into a streak of azure light and swiftly exiting the grand hall.