Upon seeing Han Li, Yin Yue first took in his appearance from head to toe before her face finally broke into a smile, and she warmly congratulated him: "Congratulations, Brother Han, on your successful attainment of the Great Perfection stage. From now on, you will be the third Great Perfection Elder of both human and immortal races. It seems that I shall have to treat you as a senior from now on." "Yin Yue, are you jesting with me? Given our long-standing friendship, even if I reach the Great Perfection stage, we shall remain peers," Han Li replied with a gentle smile, without hesitation. Hearing this, Yin Yue felt deeply delighted within. "Brother Han, is it really you? You've truly attained the Great Perfection stage?" Xu Qianyu, standing behind Yin Yue, carefully studied Han Li for a while before finally hesitating and asking with some uncertainty. Upon hearing this, Han Li was momentarily taken aback and then glanced around at the newly arrived group. He immediately recognized several familiar faces, and a subtle, half-smiling expression appeared on his lips. As for the black-dress woman and the bearded man with knotted beard, both stared at Han Li, the newly attained Great Transcendence cultivator, with expressions of astonishment and disbelief, equally amazed within. Yet, compared to the Tian-Di Mouse King, the black phoenix queen—now in the form of a woman—felt even more stunned. Having once encountered Han Li before, she immediately recognized him as he had only just reached the early stage of Consolidation then, and her sense of shock was therefore unimaginable. Yet she was merely a blood-soul duplicate, but with her experience and insight at the Consolidated Stage, she surely wouldn't have anything amiss," Han Li said, somewhat surprised but speaking calmly. "I sincerely hope so, relying on the blessing of the elder. Our ancestors' blood-soul is the only hope we have of recovering the true form of our forebear. Should anything truly go wrong, I fear the Ice-Soul Ancestor may never return to the family again." Xu Qianyu replied with a wry smile. Han Li nodded, said nothing further, then turned his gaze to the black-dressed woman, and smiled gently. "I didn't expect Xiao Sister to be here as well. It's been so many years since we last saw you, yet you remain as beautiful as ever, unchanged in every way." "Black Phoenix Sister, do you recognize this elder?" the bearded man beside him, unable to contain his curiosity, glanced at the black-dressed woman with a slightly unusual gaze and quietly asked. "Han Brother... no, I should now call you Elder Han." I never expected that, since our last parting, when we met again, the senior would have already attained the stage of a Great Perfection cultivator. This truly brings great fortune to both our families! The Daoist from the Heavenly Abode, Master Han—well, you've surely heard of him before—he is actually the fastest-rising cultivator among the human race. The black-dressed lady exhaled deeply, then stepped forward to pay a deep bow to Han Li, while turning to the tall man beside her with a significant expression. "Wait—Master Han himself! I mean, the very one famed in the stories—Master Han!" The bearded man's face fell, his expression filled with disbelief, his words even stammering. "The Heavenly Abode? Are you really that famed Heavenly Abode Mouse King?" Han Li's eyes brightened as he glanced at the man. Though the man's cultivation level was one tier below that of the Black Phoenix King, his aura was dark and profound, clearly indicating mastery of an exceptionally powerful cultivation technique—far from to be underestimated. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Your insight is truly remarkable, Master. Indeed, I currently hold the lineage of the Jade Mouse." It is truly a great fortune that I have personally witnessed Master Han's advancement to the Great Perfection stage today. The King of the Heavenly Cave, the mouse, indeed changed his expression swiftly—his face shifting several times before instantly brightening into a joyful smile. Upon hearing the respectful words of the bearded man, and after carefully observing the mouse king for a while, Master Han suddenly uttered a remark that once again startled the bearded man. "Have I seen you before, in some place? There's a familiar sensation about you—your aura reminds me of someone I knew long ago." "Master Han is jesting," the bearded man replied, his face slightly pale as he quickly explained, "This is the first time I have had the pleasure of meeting you. It may have been during the Universal Treasures Assembly, when you once encountered one of my incarnations. My incarnation was particularly skilled in transformation, so perhaps we crossed paths by chance, though you may not recall it." "That makes sense. Yet, as both of you are royal beings of the spirit realm, why have you appeared here alone?" Do not tell me you knew in advance that Han would be pushing his great transcendence threshold here, and thus came specially to observe! Han Li chuckled lightly, and instead of pressing further, suddenly turned serious and changed the subject. "I have come with my celestial friend to attend to a matter of some urgency—it is actually like this..." Well then. I have little interest in your affairs, and don’t wish to know much more. However, I have just attained the Great Transcendence stage, and for the sake of stability, I need to remain here for a while. In the meantime, I would prefer not to have too many people know of my advancement. So, you may stay as guests in my abode for now, and when the time comes, you may depart at your own convenience." Han Li, without waiting for the black-dress lady to finish speaking, suddenly remembered something, waved her hand to cut off the rest of her words, and spoke with firm authority. "Then, with your kind instruction, I shall certainly comply without hesitation." Black Phoenix King silently groaned in his heart, yet showed no outward sign of concern, merely agreeing wholeheartedly. The bearded man, however, displayed a moment of hesitation before quickly recovering and nodding repeatedly in assent. As for the group of Xu family cultivators led by Xu Qianyu, they naturally had no hesitation at all in their compliance. Seeing this, Han Li nodded and then suddenly raised his hand toward the sky. Instantly, a sharp crack of air broke the silence, and three golden blossoms shaped like carriages descended from the heavens, hovering continuously above Han Li's head with a low hum. The onlookers were startled and focused intently, only to realize that they were three massive golden beetle-like creatures, each covered in purple spots, with a fierce and imposing appearance, radiating an overwhelmingly powerful aura. Han Li did not even allow the crowd to gaze at them long, merely shaking his sleeve, and a wave of jade-like light swept past, vanishing the three giant golden beetles in an instant. Following Han Li, the group then swiftly took flight, converging together toward Han Li's temporary dwelling. Thus, under Han Li's guidance, the group all rushed together, their light trails blazing, toward the temporary dwelling that Han Li and his companions had established. After two hours, in the main hall of the dwelling, Xu Qianyu sat nervously on a wooden chair, carefully recounting her words, while Han Li sat calmly at the head of the hall, and on the adjacent chair sat Yin Yue. As they listened to Xu Qianyu's account, their expressions gradually grew serious. As for the other Xu family members and figures such as Black Phoenix King, their traces had vanished one by one—seemingly assigned to other accommodations. Eventually, Xu Qianyu's voice suddenly ceased. Han Li and Yin Yue exchanged a glance. After a while, Yin Yue furrowed her brow and asked Xu Qianyu carefully: "According to your account, the demonic realm had already separated from our spiritual realm thirty years ago, and the demonic army likewise withdrew from the spiritual realm." "But just now, I also encountered a group of demonic beings, including several ancient demons at the combined stage. What exactly happened?" "Senior, you may not be aware of this. Although the main force of the demonic clans has withdrawn from the Spiritual Realm, a significant number of demons remain unwilling to leave so easily. Some have even chosen to stay and haven't withdrawn at all. Under the joint efforts of our various clans, we swiftly defeated these remaining demonic forces. However, the number of scattered and fleeing demons across different regions remains astonishing, including several high-ranking elders among them. Therefore, it will take far more than a short period of time to completely eliminate all the demonic forces. As for why I brought a group of Xu family descendants here, it was actually at the behest of my superiors—originally intended to launch an assault on a group of lower-tier demons hiding nearby. Yet, unexpectedly, we were caught in the very trap laid by the demons. Had it not been for Senior Linglong's timely rescue, none of us would have had any chance of survival." Xu Qianyu quickly explained, her expression briefly brightening with gratitude. "Indeed, but during my period of seclusion, the demonic race had already occupied the woodland realm of the woodfolk, yet they managed to abandon it so decisively and thoroughly. This is unlike the demonic race's usual demeanor. What agreements must have been reached among the various clans and the demonic race, enabling them to make such concessions?" Silver Moon nodded, still displaying a touch of bewilderment. "This aspect, however, is beyond the understanding of a mere stage-four cultivator like myself. I once heard from the clan elder that certain high-stage cultivators represented the various clans in signing a mysterious pact with the three primordial ancestors of the demonic race, after which the demonic race willingly withdrew from our spiritual realm." Xu Qianyu replied after a moment's thought. "What kind of pact could have prompted the three primordial ancestors to abandon all their prior efforts in the spiritual realm?" Han Li's eyes flashed several times, and he murmured thoughtfully. "Brother Han, please don't worry! With your current cultivation level, you should be able to find either your ancestor or Master Mo, and from them, you will learn the full details." Regardless of all that, the fact that the magical race has decided to abandon its invasion of our spiritual realm is truly a great blessing," Silver Moon said with a smile. "That's true! Silver Moon, go arrange a place for Xu Xianzi to stay. I'll go find another old friend and chat with him a bit." Han Li nodded and then suddenly smiled, standing up. "Another old friend! Are you going to find Xiao Daoist, Han brother?" Silver Moon was momentarily surprised, asking with some astonishment. "No—it's the Lord of the Heavenly Mouse Realm." With a single step, Han Li vanished into the shimmering golden light before the space in front of him, leaving only a soft echo in the hall. "The Lord of the Heavenly Mouse Realm! When did he become an old friend? We've only just met!" Silver Moon was now quite surprised. At the same time, in a quiet, secluded chamber, the Lord of the Heavenly Mouse Realm was sitting motionless on a mat, his mind restless. Suddenly, a ripple of light surged before him, and Han Li stepped into view, glowing with golden radiance. "Indeed, you've come personally," said the Celestial Mouse King, his earlier unease fading considerably as he smiled wistfully. "It seems you've been waiting for me a long time! You're quite perceptive—aware that my earlier words could never be easily brushed off." Han Li chuckled, seating himself casually across from the bearded man, as though entirely at ease.