Chapter 1010: Origins

"Patriarch, forgive me for speaking bluntly. This person just said he sensed the fluctuations of spells here and thus came over, but I think it's not that simple. Even if his probing techniques are superb and he can perceive the situation here through several layers of restrictions, the Great Array of Annihilating Void around the Wooden God Basin should have reacted when he infiltrated. Yet I didn't notice any anomaly in the array just now. I suspect he secretly followed the young miss and had already infiltrated this place, lurking nearby all along with some unknown scheme." Elder Qiu said in a deep voice.

"What you say is not unreasonable, but these are all speculations. Moreover, even if Fellow Daoist Han did infiltrate this place secretly, he likely bears no ill will toward the Azure Fox Clan. Otherwise, in that situation just now, he could have easily killed the three of us, and then no one in the Azure Fox Clan could have stopped him, no matter what he intended to do." Ye Luo pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said solemnly.

"Since the Patriarch thinks so, I have nothing more to say." Elder Qiu was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"It's good that you understand, Elder Qiu. Setting aside his purpose for coming here, the fact that he could so easily expel the cold poison from my body shows that his strength far surpasses ours. We must not offend someone like him." Ye Luo's expression relaxed upon hearing this, and she reiterated.

"I... understand. But if I find any sign of him harming our clan, even if it costs me my life, I will not let it go." A trace of pain flickered in Elder Qiu's eyes as he slowly nodded.

Ye Luo said nothing more this time, only gently patted Elder Qiu on the shoulder.

"Patriarch, you have just expelled the cold poison and have not yet recovered your vitality. You should rest well. I will take my leave now." With that, Elder Qiu bid farewell and left.

Ye Luo nodded, watched Elder Qiu leave, then returned to the jade bed, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate her energy to recover.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Ye Luo and Ye Susu came together to the small courtyard where Han Li resided. Elder Qiu did not come along, and the Vial Spirit was also cultivating within the Flower Branch Space and did not emerge.

"The Azure Fox City is remote and cannot compare to the bustling cities of the Gold Source Mountain Range. Moreover, our clan's architecture pursues a natural style, so there are no grand and beautiful guest quarters. We can only let Fellow Daoist Han stay in such a small courtyard. I apologize for that." Patriarch Ye Luo said apologetically.

After a day of rest, her complexion looked much better.

"Not at all. I also prefer such a quiet environment." Han Li invited the two into the room and said with a smile.

"Since Fellow Daoist Han likes it, feel free to make any requests. Don't stand on ceremony." Ye Luo nodded and said.

"Thank you for your concern, Patriarch. I have heard that the Azure Fox Clan excels in cultivating spirit herbs and would like to request some. Here is a list." Han Li took out a jade slip and handed it over.

During the years of traveling to the Gold Source Mountain Range, he had not been idle. He had been gathering materials for a Taiyi-grade pill called the "Azure Sky Pill."

He now possessed considerable wealth, not only a large amount of immortal essence stones but also many precious materials from the Gray Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Accumulated Scale Void.

Through the Reincarnation Palace mask, he had used immortal essence stones to purchase or exchanged precious materials to basically gather all the materials for the Azure Sky Pill. As luck would have it, the remaining few materials happened to be found here in Azure Fox City.

Although Ye Luo had already learned of this from Ye Susu, her expression still changed slightly when she took the jade slip and looked at it.

"The spirit herbs I need are numerous and require high years of growth. But rest assured, Patriarch, I am not asking the Azure Fox Clan to provide them for free. Here is the compensation." Han Li took out a storage artifact and placed it on the table.

"Fellow Daoist Han has shown great kindness to me and my daughter. Originally, these spirit herbs should be given as a gift. However, our clan has faced difficulties in recent years and is in a tight spot in many aspects. I will shamelessly accept these immortal essence stones." Ye Luo's expression brightened slightly as she scanned the storage artifact with her divine sense, then said with a look of shame.

"Patriarch, please don't say that. This is only right." Han Li waved his hand and said.

"Susu, go and fetch the materials Fellow Daoist Han needs." Ye Luo handed the jade slip to Ye Susu beside her and instructed.

"Yes." Ye Susu acknowledged and withdrew.

"Fellow Daoist Han, forgive my impertinence, but may I ask what exactly brings you to Azure Fox City?" After Ye Susu left, Ye Luo fixed her eyes on Han Li and asked.

"Patriarch, there is no need to be suspicious. I have no intention of harming Azure Fox City. I simply like the peace and security here and wish to stay and cultivate in seclusion for a while. Would that be convenient?" Han Li pondered briefly, then said directly.

"Is that all?" Ye Luo's face showed a flicker of surprise upon hearing this.

"Of course. I have no interest in anything else your Azure Fox Clan possesses. You can rest assured." Han Li waved his hand casually and said.

"So... I was overthinking it. If Fellow Daoist Han only wishes to stay in Green Fox City to cultivate, you are most welcome. Stay as long as you like." Ye Luo carefully observed every subtle expression on Han Li's face, and seeing that he was not lying, she relaxed and broke into a smile.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Clan Leader. However, I would ask that you help conceal the news of my presence here, as well as that of the Vile Soul. It would be beneficial for both of us." Han Li expressed his thanks, then added meaningfully.

"No problem." Ye Luo was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Having frankly discussed the important matters, both felt somewhat more at ease and began to chat idly, talking about various things in the Gold Source Mountain Range.

"Clan Leader Ye Luo, I have read in some ancient texts that there are not many demon clans in the Gold Source Mountain Range, and most of them migrated here from elsewhere. Your Green Fox Clan specializes in wood-attribute techniques and illusions, which seem quite inconsistent with the conditions here. Could it be that your clan also migrated from elsewhere?" Han Li suddenly thought of something and asked.

"Fellow Daoist Han is correct. Our clan indeed migrated here many years ago from elsewhere and settled down." Ye Luo nodded.

"Forgive my impertinence, but may I ask where your clan migrated from?" Han Li pressed further.

"I am not entirely sure about that. The clan's ancient texts have no clear record. I recall reading an ancestor's handwritten notes that suggested our clan migrated from the south of the Gold Source Continent. However, it was so long ago that I cannot be certain. Why do you ask, Fellow Daoist Han?" Ye Luo asked curiously.

"Nothing in particular. It's just that many years ago, I once encountered another fox clan surnamed Liu, which seemed quite similar to your Green Fox Clan, so I thought I'd ask casually." Han Li smiled.

"A fox clan surnamed Liu? According to the clan's records, shortly after our Green Fox Clan settled here, a female ancestor named Liu Mei joined our clan. The secret technique for cultivating spirit herbs was brought by this ancestor. In fact, Susu and I are both descendants of this ancestor. However, Ancestor Liu Mei never mentioned her origins or life story, making her a highly mysterious figure in our clan's history. Could she be related to the fox clan surnamed Liu that Fellow Daoist Han just mentioned?" Clan Leader Ye Luo's eyes lit up as she speculated.

"I am not sure about that. I have not had much contact with that Liu fox clan, so I do not know if they are also skilled in cultivating spirit herbs." Han Li shook his head.

"Fellow Daoist Han, could you please tell me more about that Liu fox clan?" Ye Luo's face showed a hint of disappointment, but she seemed unwilling to give up and pressed on.

Han Li pondered briefly, then gave a rough account of his encounter with the Liu fox clan when he passed through the Barbarian Wasteland, omitting the parts that involved himself.

Ye Luo listened, nodded slowly, and then fell silent.

Just then, Ye Susu flew over from outside and handed a storage device to Han Li.

"Senior Han, the spirit herbs you requested are all inside. Please inspect them."

Han Li took the storage artifact, swept his spiritual sense over it, and nodded with satisfaction.

"In that case, we won't disturb Fellow Daoist Han any longer. Thank you for informing us of these matters." Ye Luo suddenly stood up, pulling the still bewildered Ye Susu to take their leave.

Han Li saw the two out and closed the door behind them.

"What do you think of this Ye Luo clan leader? Were her words just now sincere?" Han Li stood silently for a moment, then suddenly spoke into the void.

As soon as the words were spoken, a door of light appeared beside him, and the figure of Ti Hun emerged from it.

"This Ye Luo clan leader's soul is quite pure, not a person of duplicity. I just carefully examined the fluctuations of her soul when she spoke, and there were no unusual changes. Everything she said was true." Ti Hun thought for a moment and then replied.

"That's good, so my efforts last night in expending my vital energy to drive out the cold poison for her were not in vain." Han Li said, his expression relaxing.

After Soul-Devouring Beast awakened, its law-based divine abilities greatly increased. Not only could it see through a person's true nature, but it could also judge whether someone was lying by sensing their soul fluctuations, which saved him a lot of trouble.

"Master, the fox clan with the surname Liu that you just mentioned to Clan Leader Ye Luo—could it be the Celestial Fox clan to which your sister Liu Le'er belongs?" Soul-Devouring Beast asked, her beautiful eyes flickering.

"Exactly, I wanted to inquire about the relationship between the two." Han Li nodded.

"So, is the Azure Fox clan truly a branch of the Celestial Fox clan?" Ti Hun asked.

"I once sensed the bloodline power of the Celestial Fox clan from Hu San and others, which bore considerable resemblance to the Azure Fox bloodline of Ye Susu and her companions. Combined with the mention of that Ancestor Liu Mei earlier, I suspect there is likely some connection between them," Han Li said thoughtfully.

"Our master once owed a debt of gratitude to the Liu fox clan. In truth, staying here in seclusion is not only for the sake of peace and quiet but also to provide a kind of protection for this Azure Fox clan," Ti Hun nodded and said.

"This is merely a temporary measure. When we leave this place, I will leave them some benefits. Next, I plan to begin seclusion and cultivation immediately. For some reason, I've been feeling restless lately, as if some danger is approaching. I must enhance my strength as soon as possible." Han Li did not dwell on this issue for long and changed the subject.