Chapter 1164: Token

The Qingyuan clan member was surprised, but his heart hardened, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

If he lost in a contest of strength, he would utterly disgrace his clan and have no face to return to them.

With a sudden roar, a bloody light shone in his eyes, the two horns on his head extended sharply, muscles on his body bulged rapidly, veins swelled, and his entire form doubled again.

"Die!"

The Qingyuan clan member bellowed, pressing his massive fist downward with force, causing wisps of blood-red mist to seep from his knuckles, the power within surging tenfold.

Han Li, pressed by this immense force, involuntarily sank lower.

But then, lightning flashed again in his eyes, and with a sudden push from his deeply sunken feet, he shot upward like a thunder spear, directly colliding with the Qingyuan clan member's fist.

His form flickered, and he suddenly appeared high in the sky, spreading his arms like an eagle spreading its wings.

In the next instant, thunder roared from the nine heavens, and a torrent of silver lightning poured down like a storm, within which a massive figure dove straight toward the Qingyuan clan member.

The latter had just steadied himself after Han Li's collision when he saw a giant silver-winged thunder peng, like a mountain, bearing down on him with thunderous force, crashing directly into him.

"Boom!"

This strike, heavy and forceful, was accompanied by powerful lightning. The Qingyuan clan member was knocked to the ground, struck by countless bolts of lightning, his body torn open and charred black.

He lay stiffly on the ground, his limbs twitching as if trying to struggle, but unable to move at all.

After unleashing this attack, Han Li's form suddenly shrank, instantly reverting to human shape, and amid a flash of lightning, he retreated to his beast-drawn carriage, expressionlessly watching the fallen Qingyuan clan member.

Though the latter's flesh was torn and he seemed seriously injured, it was actually not severe, demonstrating the clan's formidable physique.

Han Li had no intention of killing him; making him sufficiently embarrassed was enough.

After struggling for a moment, the Qingyuan clan member's numbness faded slightly. He slowly sat up from the pit on the ground and looked at Han Li again, his contempt completely gone, replaced by shock and disbelief.

"Thrilling, thrilling!"

"Wasn't this guy arrogant before? Why can't he be arrogant now?"

"I say this Thunder Peng clan senior is powerful and low-key, a hidden master. I wonder which elder of the clan he is?"

The onlookers were stunned for a moment, then burst into cheers, jeering at the Qingyuan clan member, while looking at Han Li with reverence.

Sangtu and Yunbao were especially excited, their gazes toward Han Li changed, and any previous dissatisfaction with him vanished.

Clearly, in their eyes, effortlessly defeating a Qingyuan clan member—known for strength among the sixteen great wild clans—demonstrated his extraordinary ability.

Seeing that the other party had no intention of continuing, Han Li calmly turned and walked toward the carriage.

But at that moment, the jeers abruptly stopped. Han Li frowned and turned to look.

From the city gate, another Qingyuan clan member emerged, clad in bronze armor but with half his body exposed. He was even larger than the previous one, with a more沉稳 aura, at least comparable to a Taiyi peak cultivator.

"Qingchu, you waste, you've disgraced us," the man said in a hoarse voice.

"Brother, I..."

"Get lost!"

Before Qingchu could finish, the man slapped him, sending him rolling away.

"Brother... Qingchu's brother? Could he be the newly emerged blood seed of the Qingyuan clan?" The crowd stirred, someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, he must be Qingdian, the purest inheritor of the Zhu Yan bloodline in the past million years, and the next confirmed chieftain of the Qingyuan clan," another cried out.

"Heh, this should be interesting!"

"Shh, keep it down. They say he has a bad temper. If you don't want to die, be careful."

Han Li listened to the chatter, frowning deeply.

"My brother may be a waste, but not just anyone can beat him. Since he couldn't restore our clan's honor, I, as his elder brother, will. Tell me, do you want to settle victory or life and death?" Qingdian asked expressionlessly.

Han Li felt exasperated. After beating the younger one, the older one came; if he beat the older one, would the elder come too?

He had important matters to attend to and couldn't endure this endless entanglement.

"Forget it, let's be straightforward. How do you want to die?" Seeing Han Li silent, Qingdian added, his arm muscles tensing, veins bulging.

Hearing this, Han Li narrowed his eyes, his expression turning cold.

He stood with hands behind his back, and in his sleeve, his palm crackled with tiny silver arcs of lightning.

The crowd had fallen silent, all eyes on the two, wondering how many moves it would take for the legendary Qingdian to kill this Thunder Peng clan youth.

Sangtu and Yunbao didn't even dare to breathe, cold sweat on their foreheads, hesitating whether to flee now.

After all, in their view, though Han Li was strong, he was no match for the next chieftain of the Qingyuan clan. If their small clans offended him, they would suffer greatly.

Just as the atmosphere at the city gate was tense and conflict imminent, a clear voice suddenly broke the stalemate: "Eh, brother, isn't this Stone Brother..."

Hearing the familiar voice, Han Li was startled, then looked toward the gate.

A lovely girl in a white short skirt, light and graceful, came hopping toward him. Her flawless face seemed naturally tinged with allure, making everyone involuntarily swallow.

Even Qingdian couldn't look away when his gaze fell on the girl.

But the girl's eyes sparkled with pure joy, her pupils reflecting only Han Li, ignoring everyone else.

"Le'er..." Han Li's brows curved, and he smiled.

In the next instant, a fragrant breeze swept in, and Han Li's arms were filled with a soft, boneless figure.

The onlookers' eyes nearly blazed with envy, their goodwill toward Han Li from defeating Qingchu instantly erased.

This girl was naturally none other than Liu Le'er, the little fox who had depended on Han Li in the Spirit Realm.

"Brother, why are you here? Why didn't you tell me? I would have welcomed you!"

"I sensed your aura in the city earlier, but it was faint, and I wasn't sure. I came on a whim, and it really is you!" Liu Le'er was extremely excited, speaking rapidly.

Han Li held her shoulders, gently pushed her back, looked her up and down, nodded, and smiled: "You've really grown up, no longer the little girl who used to ride on my neck."

Hearing this, Liu Le'er recalled the past and blushed.

This scene made the onlookers' eyes glaze over; though the girl used no charm techniques, they felt as if drunk on celestial wine, hearts swaying.

"Where did this little girl come from? Get out of the way!" Qingdian, stunned for a moment, suppressed his thoughts and roared.

Han Li's anger rose. Not only was he provoked for no reason, but the delay would attract more onlookers. Once a Daluo-level figure appeared, his identity would be exposed.

Just as he was about to step forward to resolve the trouble, Liu Le'er suddenly extended a delicate hand and took his arm.

Then, she stepped past Han Li to stand before him and gracefully bowed to Qingdian.

"Fellow Daoist from the Qingyuan clan, do you recognize this item?" Liu Le'er said, flipping her hand to reveal a palm-sized round scale.

She raised the item for Qingdian to see clearly.

Han Li glanced at it and saw the scale was pure white with layers of water-mark patterns. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He realized that the item Li Qima had given him when they parted after leaving the Time Tower secret realm was identical to this.

Not only he, but many around him, upon seeing and recognizing the item, bowed respectfully, and some even prostrated themselves in kowtow.

This astonished Han Li even more.

"This is a token of the True Spirit King. How do you have it? Could it be..." After bowing, Qingdian couldn't help asking.

"Indeed, I am of the Tianhu clan," Liu Le'er said with a bright smile.

"Le'er, what is this scale? It seems very precious..." Han Li transmitted.

"Brother, this Huayu Scale is a unique token of the True Spirit King, only seven in existence. It represents the True Spirit King's trust. Our Tianhu clan, after long service, was granted one. The patriarch favors me, so I always carry it," Liu Le'er explained via transmission.

Han Li was even more puzzled. Why would Li Qima give him such an important item?