At this moment, Han Li had already stepped down from the teleportation array, strolling confidently toward the main gate. The array shimmered once more, and two figures emerged—clearly an elderly man with white hair and a strangely unattractive old woman. Several guards, led by Jin Wei, immediately approached them. Han Li paid no attention to what was unfolding and, upon leaving the hall, ascended into the air, swiftly flying toward his residence. As he flew, his spiritual awareness extended outward, constantly scanning the surroundings. Compared to when he had first left, Tianyuan City now seemed noticeably quieter. Along its streets, aside from patrols of guards, few ordinary cultivators were seen wandering about. These patrols had clearly increased in number, and they routinely questioned and inquired of any passing cultivators before allowing them to proceed. The entire city exuded a strong, pervasive atmosphere of stillness and martial tension. Yet, with Han Li radiating such a powerful spiritual pressure, no patrol guards dared to approach and obstruct him without good reason, allowing him to smoothly see the tall stone tower where he resided and, upon gathering his light, directly enter the highest level and appear in a moderately spacious hall. A quick glance was enough to bring a gentle smile to Han Li's lips. Everything remained exactly as it had been when he left—only the floor of the hall was spotless, clearly indicating that it was regularly cleaned. It seemed his two disciples had put in considerable effort. With these thoughts in mind, Han Li settled himself comfortably into the central seat of the hall and, at the same time, shook his sleeves outward. Two scrolls flashed into the air, spiraling before vanishing into the void as two orbs of flame. Then, Han Li closed his eyes and remained motionless, silently waiting. A short while later, the outer gate shimmered with light, and two figures materialized within the hall. One clad in blue robes, with a face as bright and noble as jade, and another dressed in a Taoist robe, yet with a cheerful, smiling expression—these were precisely Han Li’s two disciples, Hai Dashi and Qi Lingzi. Upon seeing Han Li, both were filled with joy and hurried forward to pay him a respectful bow and tribute. "Master, you’ve returned! That’s truly wonderful!" "Congratulations, Master, on your safe return!" "Wait—did you think something had happened to me?" Han Li waved them to rise, his expression both amused and slightly skeptical. "Master has been absent from Tianyuan City for such a long time, and indeed, there have been some unfavorable rumors circulating. It was said that Master might have fallen into the hands of the Magistrate Saint of the Demon Clan. But now that we see Master unharmed, all these stories must simply be mere speculations." Hai Dashi said, his face glowing with excitement. Qi Lingzi nodded eagerly beside him, fully in agreement. "It's not entirely just rumors. This time, I did indeed encounter some difficulties and fought against the avatar of the magical race's sage-ancestor—truly perilous." Upon hearing this, Han Li's brows slightly furrowed. Upon hearing Han Li's words, the two spirit-spirit companions gently softened their smiles. "However, all of that is now behind us. I'm not here without purpose. Moreover, this journey has been a blessing in disguise—my master has gained new opportunities. I will soon begin preparing to break through the late consolidation stage." Han Li smiled again. "Master is now aiming for the late consolidation stage! This is truly wonderful news—thus, Master becoming the foremost cultivator of Tianyuan City is now within reach." "First, I would like to extend my congratulations to Master on achieving the Dao-level attainment. With Master's current abilities, once he reaches the late consolidation stage, even the avatar of the sage-ancestor will surely be within easy reach." "Li and Hai, both delighted, quickly expressed their congratulations, acting as though they had just witnessed a great event. Han Li blinked, smiled slightly, shook his head at them, and then suddenly turned to ask about someone else: 'Has Feng Shigū been well? I just scanned the tower with my divine awareness, and she seemed absent.' 'Master, Feng Shigū has been invited to a gathering.' Upon hearing Han Li's question, both Hai and the spirit of the vessel exchanged a look of subtle unease before hesitating to reply. 'What have you been hiding from me?' Han Li asked, his gaze sharp, his tone suddenly serious. 'How could I possibly deceive you, Master? It's just that I didn't know how to tell you. The visit of Feng Shigū to the gathering was not entirely of her own volition.' The spirit of the vessel, startled, quickly responded. 'Not by choice, then—was she perhaps compelled by someone?' Han Li was somewhat surprised, his expression now reflecting genuine curiosity. "It seems that the true form of Feng Shigū has been revealed to outsiders. That person has been persistently pressing on Feng Shigū throughout the time since Master went missing. With Master away, Feng Shigū has had no choice but to handle the situation with mere pretense and formalities." This time, Hai Dashi spoke with clear frustration. "Ice Phoenix is also a Lingxu cultivator. How could an ordinary person dare to pursue such a matter—especially now, when the human and elven clans are jointly resisting the demonic calamity? The elven lineage should not be a significant weakness. This person must be someone of considerable standing. I know all the elders in the city. Even though I am currently away, such a public breach of dignity should not have occurred. Could it be one of the newcomers recently joined the Tianyuan City?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, asking coldly after a pause. "Master's grace! As Feng Shigū has informed me, this person is indeed a Senior Master from the original Yitian City, recently joined. Master risked his life to assist that city—yet they now treat Feng Shigū unfavorably. How utterly ungrateful!" "The spirit of the artifact frowned and said, 'Yitian City—this is indeed quite interesting. When I fought the Holy Ancestor of the Demon Clan, they managed to evacuate their elite disciples to Tianyuan City. However, I've personally met both of Yitian City's senior elders. I wonder who among them took the initiative to do this.' Han Li stroked his chin, expressing some surprise. 'It was precisely the Qinglong Master from the Jiuxing Sect!' Hai Dashi replied without hesitation. 'Qinglong Master—indeed, it's him. What exactly is the reason he's been pursuing your sister-in-law? Given that he knows your Wind Sister's close relationship with mine, how could he have dared to act so boldly without some great benefit at stake?' Han Li raised an eyebrow, his expression darkening. 'I haven't heard this from Feng Sister, though. From other sources, however, I've learned that Qinglong seems to have proposed a mutual cultivation arrangement with your sister-in-law, and even offered her a certain status.' Hai Dashi thought for a moment before responding. 'A mutual cultivation arrangement!' Heh, this old fellow really has a good plan. Upon hearing this, Han Li quickly grasped the reason and gave a cold smile. Though he didn't know exactly how the Ice Phoenix had been revealed as her true form before Long Dragon Master, he clearly sensed that the Nine-Star Sect's senior elder was well aware of the unique benefits of the Ice Phoenix's Yin Qi. That's why he had been so determined to pursue a dual cultivation path with her. As for why he hadn't yet succeeded, it was partly because the Ice Phoenix herself was unwilling, and partly because he had only recently arrived in Tianyuan City and had to consider the opinions of other Consolidated Stage cultivators. Of course, the most crucial reason was that Long Dragon Master likely believed Han Li had already perished—thus making him so bold and unconstrained. "What is the Ice Phoenix's stance on this matter?" Han Li asked suddenly, after a moment of shifting expression. "Is she truly unwilling to agree?" "Master Feng naturally wouldn't agree, and had been hiding in the tower all along, unwilling to see the Jade Dragon Monks. But somehow, the Jade Dragon Monk must have employed some clever strategy, eventually compelling Master Feng to meet him several times. Still, Master Feng remained extremely cautious, always choosing crowded places for their meetings—only then could she勉强 manage. However, I've heard that the Jade Dragon Monk has grown increasingly impatient, repeatedly sending messengers to urge and threaten him with firm measures to compel Master Feng to comply. My two brothers and I have been deeply concerned about this development, unsure whether the other elders in the city would actually step in to intervene if such actions were taken. I suspect the Jade Dragon Monk himself is also mindful of this possibility, which is why he has been able to delay matters thus far." The spirit of the artifact clearly proved more effective than Hai Xia's. As he spoke to Han Li, he also shared his own observations. "That makes sense. However, could you tell me where exactly your master usually gathers for her meetings?" Han Li nodded indifferently, then suddenly frowned and asked a question. "I heard it was held at Douyuan Pavilion—seemingly a rather private, small-scale trading event. However, only cultivators at the Lingxu stage or above are allowed to attend; otherwise, we would have definitely accompanied our senior sister there." Hai, the young lord, spoke with a touch of resignation. "With your current levels of cultivation, what could you possibly do there? I'll personally go and bring your senior sister back." Han Li's expression darkened, and with a calm tone, he rose to his feet. With a flash of light, he instantly transformed into a long streak of emerald light and shot out from the hall. The Qi Ling and Hai, the young lord, had not expected Han Li to leave so decisively, and thus hurriedly bowed to show their farewell. But when they looked up again, the main gate was empty—there was not even a trace of Han Li's light trail. They exchanged glances, surprised and at a loss. "Usually, Master and Feng Shigū have not been very close, yet I didn't expect Master to care so much about her. Think of Master—could it be that he has always had a special fondness for Shigū from the very beginning? Might it not be possible that Shigū becomes our mistress in the near future?" Hai Dazhao blinked his eyes, suddenly saying this to Qi Lingzi with a most unusual, strange smile on his face. "Heh, whether or not—well, we should probably refrain from discussing matters concerning elders. Still, I believe it's quite possible." Qi Lingzi spoke with serious gravity, yet his expression clearly revealed genuine curiosity. Seeing this, Hai Dazhao could only roll his eyes in exasperation. ... At that moment, Han Li had already taken off into the sky, several dozen miles away, flying steadily in a direction he had chosen. Having stayed in Tianyuan City for a long time, he was well acquainted with the well-known "Douyuan Pavilion," and had even visited it on several occasions. The location was quite distant from his residence, and even within the city, he could not fully rely on his flight abilities. It would likely take him some time to reach there. Thus, while mastering his flight, his eyes flickered constantly, as though pondering something.