Chapter 1419: Grand Elder
A bright glint s.h.i.+ned from the young woman’s eyes and she casually said, “This isn’t the place to talk. Follow me.” She then turned around and slowly flew off.
Han Li’s expression wavered for a moment, but he decided to honestly follow her.
Facing a fearsome existence like a mid-Body Integration stage being and finding him in the holy city of a foreign race, Han Li didn’t have any opportunity to escape. And when she hadn’t turned hostile, he could only comply with her words.
The young woman appeared calm like a gentle wind as if she didn’t possess an ounce of anger, but she flew at an immense speed.
Han Li had to use a majority of his strength to follow her. He couldn"t help but feel overwhelmed as he forcefully stifled his wandering thoughts.
After flying for the time it took to finish a meal, the young woman brought Han Li to a solitary cylindrical building that was a hundred meters tall.
“I pay my respects to the grand elder.” Two young dainty Tian Peng women walked out from the entrance and wore respectful faces.
The young gold-winged woman nodded and walked inside.
Han Li closely followed after her into the building, discovering that the interior was more simple than he had expected.
Apart from a stone table and a few stone chairs, there was nothing else.
The young woman waved her hand and the two maids withdrew. Then, she took a seat and faintly moved her lips, uttering, “Sit down. I have questions to ask.”
“How could I take a seat in front of Senior? I will listen to you with complete attention,” Han Li calmly said.
“Do as you wish,” the woman indifferently replied.
Han Li then remained standing stiff and straight.
After a moment of thought, she asked, “Are you a human cultivator?”
Startled by her question, Han Li carefully asked, “You’ve visited humans before?”
With fluent human language, she said, “Of course, I’ve even visited one of your three sovereigns, the Spirit Sovereign. I held his superb attainments in puppet techniques in great admiration. In truth, there have been many powerful existences in the Flying Spirit Tribe that have visited the humans. With regards to the friendly relations between our races, I will answer your questions. But I will expect you to answer my questions as well. Otherwise...”
When Han Li heard her threat, his calm expression broke for just a moment.
“How did Senior see through my disguise? Regardless of anything else, I’ve refined my Thunderstorm Wings to completion. I’ve even altered its aura with secret techniques to match your kin. So long as something on Senior’s level doesn’t touch me or examine my true essence, they shouldn’t be able to discover anything wrong. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to enter the clan.”
This question had left him perplexed.
The young woman smiled and answered, “Your transformation is entirely complete. The Kun Peng Qi on your body allowed you to pa.s.s through the holy city’s grand restriction undetected. If you encountered the other elders in the clan, you would most likely pa.s.s them by if they didn’t undergo a deliberate examination. However, I am different. As the grand elder, I wield the holy artifact, the symbol of power in the clan. Our Tian Peng’s holy artifact can see through all illusions and directly peer into your body’s true essence. No matter how impressive your illusions may be, they are no use against me.”
Han Li suddenly came to a realization, but he soon felt extremely gloomy.
Han Li wryly laughed, “You mean, if I went to the other branches of your tribe, I wouldn’t have been discovered?”
The young woman smirked and indirectly answered, “Of the seventy-two branches, only the You Shui Race’s holy artifact has a similar ability.”
Han Li grew silent for a moment. He eventually asked, “What does the holy disciple and the Kun Peng True Blood have to do with what is sealed in the Spiritseal Tower?”
The young woman explained, “The Spiritseal Tower contains the lesser half of a Kun Peng True Ancestor’s holy soul, which was gathered at astronomical cost during our golden age. By relying on the holy soul’s power, our Tian Peng Race was able to persist until today, but there is no need for you to know the specifics. As for the matter regarding the holy disciple, it is quite simple; it is the general t.i.tle within the tribe for those with the potential to inherit true blood. If a holy disciple is truly capable of inheriting the holy true blood of a race and pa.s.ses a trial, they could become the race’s holy master.”
Han Li didn’t reveal any surprise when he heard this.
He had already guessed as much. He was even disinclined to pursue the topic of the holy master any further.
The young woman blinked and asked, “It seems you have no other questions for me, so it should be my turn. The wings on your back should’ve been refined by something from a Kun Peng. it caused the holy spirit to struggle free of the Spiritseal Tower. This is something that rarely occurred since the creation of the tower.”
Han Li frowned and truthfully answered, “It wasn’t anything much. I only refined a remnant fragment of a Kun Peng feather.”
The young woman doubtfully said, “Kun Peng feather? That can’t be. Even if it was a complete Kun Peng feather, it shouldn’t have provoked the holy spirit to such a degree.”
“I’m not sure about this myself.” Han Li shook his head, also confused over the matter.
After muttering to herself, she indifferently said, “Hand over the winged treasure over to me for inspection.”
Han Li’s heart sank, but when he met her bright jewel-like eyes, he only hesitated for a second before shaking his shoulder. In a flash of white light, the wings disappeared, only for them to reappear in miniature size in his hands.
Han Li raised his hand and presented the small crystalline wings to her.
Han Li’s unexpected forwardness had surprised the grand elder.
She looked at Han Li’s serene face for a long while and eventually took the wings with a smile.
While nothing odd appeared on his face, he could only wry laugh in his mind.
If he weren’t facing a mid-Body Integration grade existence, he would’ve refined the wings into his mind. Even if he was forcibly detained, he’d most likely be able to still use the wing’s spatial abilities and directly summon them back. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t have given them over.
The young woman held the Thunderstorm Wings in hand and closely examined them for a short moment. A curious expression soon appeared on her face.
She flicked her finger and sent the wings back in Han Li’s direction.
Relieved, Han Li had the wings silently disappear in a flash of white light and momentarily reappear on his back.
The young woman appeared indifferent at the sight and slowly asked, “In truth, not only do the wings have the True Ancestor Kun Peng feather, but it also has the feature of the Heavenly Phoenix. I have a rough understanding of how this came to be, but I’d like to hear how you acquired the Kun Pung Feather.”
Han Li was surprised when he heard this, but he didn’t conceal anything and described the battle he witnessed between the Kun Peng and the Rahu at the realm boundary.
When the young woman finished listening, she appeared pensive. A moment later, she examined Han Li once more and said, “Brother Han, would you be interested in entering our Tian Peng Race and becoming our holy disciple?”
Han Li was dumbfounded.
Han Li blinked and asked, “Did I hear correctly? Does Senior wish for me to join your race?”
“That’s right. I have a plan in mind, but the matter is incredibly important. I’ll need to discuss the matter with the other elders.”
Han Li went silent for a moment and eventually noted, “But I am a human, not a true Tian Peng being.”
“So you still don’t know. Normally, Kun Peng feathers and other Kun Peng items are left behind from deceased Kun Peng. However, the feather you have refined was an item left behind from a living Kun Peng True Ancestor. The feather contains an aura several times stronger than an ordinary Kun Peng Feather. In addition, this feather most like contains blood essence that you haven’t yet perceived. Since our Tian Peng Race had been the descendants of a Kun Peng True Ancestor and you"ve refined the Kun Peng item, you may have refined the Kun Peng blood into your body as well. It wouldn’t be mistaken to consider you our kin.” Her words left Han Li at an even greater loss.
A short moment later, Han Li woke up from his amazement and he looked at the young woman with narrowed eyes. He laughed and said, “I heard that your Tian Peng Race’s current holy master has already perished, and now there is no one in your race that can inherit the Kun Peng True Blood. It is also said that the Flying Spirit Tribe is possibly removing your race from the seventy-two branches. Could this be true?”
“How do you know about that?” The young woman’s face slightly changed and the image of a golden bird appeared behind her.
The phantom simply unfolded its wings, but Han Li felt an immense pressure on his shoulder, and he soon heard his bones begin to crack.
With a thud, Han Li’s legs sank a half foot deep in the stone floor.
Han Li’s complexion also turned incredibly pale.
But at that moment, the young woman frowned and the bird phantom disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, the young woman restored her calm and said, “I don’t know how you came across this information, but I hope you’ll keep it secret for the time being. I don’t wish for the holy city to fall into chaos. Also, there is a mistake in your words. We do have two holy disciples that can inherit the true ancestor blood that we’ve kept concealed. However, their cultivation is still too low to succeed in the trial placed by the various races. That is why I’ve invited you to join our clan.”
After s.h.i.+fting his eyes, a thought quickly went through his mind and he smiled, “The grand elder means that I’ll be standing in the two holy disciples’ place as their protector?”