Chapter 1168 Hostility

Seeing Han Li nod, Liu Le'er happily led him forward, soon arriving at an entrance to the building complex.

"Miss Le'er!"

At the entrance stood four guards in cyan battle armor, holding weapons. When they saw Liu Le'er approaching, they bowed respectfully.

Han Li nodded inwardly at this sight.

These four guards were not weak, having reached the mid-to-late Golden Immortal stage, yet they treated Liu Le'er with such respect. It seemed Liu Le'er held a high status in the Celestial Fox Clan, which put him at ease.

Liu Le'er paid them no heed and hurried inside, as if impatient, still retaining a hint of her lively and adorable nature from years past.

Han Li was about to follow, but the four guards extended their weapons to block his path.

"This is a restricted area. Please stop, sir!"

Han Li frowned slightly and halted.

"What are you doing?" Liu Le'er noticed the commotion behind her, her brows knitting as she snapped coldly.

"Miss Le'er, please forgive our rudeness. This is the Celestial Fox Clan's territory. This fellow daoist is not a member of our clan and requires Elder Mu's approval to enter," said the highest-ranking cyan-armored guard, bowing to Liu Le'er with neither humility nor arrogance.

"Hmph! He is my brother. I will explain to Elder Mu. Now, all of you step aside!" Liu Le'er said coldly.

"Miss Le'er, we are ordered to guard this place. Please do not make things difficult for us," the guard leader said after a brief pause, but still did not move aside.

"Insolent!" Liu Le'er flew into a rage and grabbed with her jade hand.

A gray-white light shot out like a wild dragon, wrapping around the weapons in their hands and flinging them away.

Han Li's eyes brightened slightly, but he was even more incredulous.

Liu Le'er seemed to be wearing some treasure that concealed her cultivation. He hadn't been able to sense her cultivation level when they first met, but now he could see it clearly.

Liu Le'er had actually reached the Taiyi stage, albeit only early Taiyi. Back in the Spirit Realm, her cultivation was far inferior to his, but now she had nearly caught up.

The four guards simultaneously let out a low shout, their bodies blazing with light as they gripped their weapons tightly.

Although they were only at the Golden Immortal stage, they seemed proficient in some joint combat technique. They swiftly shifted positions, and their protective light merged instantly, emitting a powerful aura that managed to withstand Liu Le'er's grab, though blood trickled from the corners of their mouths.

Liu Le'er had just advanced to the Taiyi stage, and her internal energy was not yet stable. Failing to succeed with one strike, her pretty face darkened, and the gray-white light around her surged as she prepared to strike harder.

"Stop!"

At that moment, a dignified voice rang out, and a tremendous force appeared between Liu Le'er and the four guards, separating them.

A gray-robed old man with graying hair but sharp eyes appeared out of thin air.

Han Li looked at the gray-robed old man, a gleam flashing in his eyes as he secretly activated the power of the Roc bloodline to conceal his identity as a human cultivator.

This gray-robed old man was unremarkable in appearance but possessed a profound aura, unmistakably a Daluo stage existence.

"Elder Mu!" The four guards quickly sheathed their weapons and bowed to the gray-robed old man.

"Elder Mu," Liu Le'er also bowed.

"Cultivators from all clans are now gathered at the Eight Desolations Mountain. How can you fight at the entrance of our residence? What kind of behavior is this!" the gray-robed old man scolded coldly.

"Yes, we admit our fault. But Miss Le'er insisted on bringing this stranger into the residence, which violates the rules, so we had to stop her," the guard leader immediately said.

"Elder Mu, he is my brother and once saved my life. He is no outsider..." Liu Le'er quickly interjected.

"Enough, I know everything. You continue guarding this place. Le'er, bring your brother inside." The gray-robed old man raised his hand to stop Liu Le'er, instructed the four guards, then glanced at Han Li with a barely perceptible glint in his eyes—seemingly mocking—before turning and walking inside.

Han Li noticed the old man's expression and frowned slightly but said nothing, following Liu Le'er through the gate.

After turning several corners, the three arrived at a magnificent hall.

The hall was furnished with tables and chairs made of precious materials, evidently used for receiving guests.

"Le'er, the Blood Sacrifice Convention will soon commence. This is the most critical time; every moment is extremely important for you. How can you wander outside? You've delayed so much time, and the clan leader is already displeased. Return to the Celestial Fox Hall at once!" The gray-robed old man immediately put on a stern face as soon as they entered the hall.

Han Li's eyes flickered at these words, but he remained silent.

"Yes, Le'er admits her mistake. But since my brother has come to the Eight Desolations Mountain, I request one day of rest. Tomorrow I will redouble my efforts in training and will not delay the important matter," Liu Le'er said, lowering her head slightly before pleading.

"Whether it will delay the important matter is not for you to judge! This matter concerns the rise and fall of our Celestial Fox Clan; not a single detail can be taken lightly. Return to the Celestial Fox Hall immediately. I will receive your brother," the gray-robed old man said, but he never once looked directly at Han Li.

Liu Le'er's brows furrowed, and she looked hesitant.

"Le'er, since you have important matters to attend to, you don't need to keep me company," Han Li said with a faint smile after a moment's thought.

"Alright then, brother, stay here and don't leave. After the Blood Sacrifice Convention is over, I will have free time." Liu Le'er looked at Han Li with warm eyes, then instructed the gray-robed old man to take good care of him before quickly leaving the hall.

Soon, only Han Li and the gray-robed old man remained in the hall.

"I..." Han Li activated the Roc bloodline even more carefully and cupped his hands, about to introduce himself.

"Fellow Daoist Han, I know all about your affairs. There's no need for such petty concealment tricks. You might fool those other clans outside, but you can't fool our Celestial Fox Clan," the gray-robed old man interrupted Han Li, sizing him up with a cold smile.

"Since Elder Mu already knows Han's identity, that saves me some effort." Hearing this, Han Li raised an eyebrow, then smiled calmly, dispersing the gathered Roc bloodline, and said indifferently.

He sighed inwardly, thinking that with his relationship with Liu Le'er and his friendship with Hu San, coming to the Celestial Fox Clan to inquire about some matters would be convenient.

Unexpectedly, the Celestial Fox Clan still did not welcome him, just like before.

"Fellow Daoist Han, what business brings you to our Celestial Fox Clan?" The gray-robed old man, seeing Han Li neither humble nor arrogant and treating him as an equal, showed a trace of displeasure in his eyes and spoke even more coldly.

"Rest assured, Elder Mu. Although Han is a human cultivator, I bear no ill will toward the various barbarian clans. I came to the Eight Desolations Mountain this time and happened to meet Le'er, so I dropped by the Celestial Fox Clan for a short visit. Since the host does not welcome me, I will take my leave." Han Li stood up and walked toward the exit.

But with a flicker, the gray-robed old man appeared in front of Han Li, blocking his way.

"The Celestial Fox Clan is not a place you can come and go as you please. State your purpose clearly before you leave," the gray-robed old man said with a cold smile, his gray-white light surging as he blocked the hall's exit.

"What do you mean by this? Do you intend to detain me?" Han Li's expression also turned cold. In his sleeve, five lightning patterns silently formed on his palm, arranged in a ring, faintly forming a lightning formation.

Over the years, he had been refining the Time Lamp and studying the Heavenly Sword Formation, but focusing on one thing for too long would tire him. So whenever his mind grew weary, he would take out the "True Scripture of the Five Thunders" and browse through it to relax.

This true scripture contained a vast amount of information. Han Li had not read it carefully before, but on the road, he studied it more thoroughly and gained considerable insights.

What delighted him most was finding a lightning teleportation technique within it, which shared the same principle as his Lightning Formation.

However, compared to the Lightning Formation originally created by Lei Yunzi and later refined by Han Li, this lightning teleportation technique was far more profound and mysterious.

After carefully studying this technique, Han Li extracted some of its exquisite aspects and integrated them into his own Lightning Formation and the Lightningwood Teleportation Formation, greatly enhancing both teleportation techniques—increasing the range and reducing the time required.

In particular, the Lightningwood Teleportation Formation was exceptionally compatible with the lightning teleportation technique. When combined, it could be executed almost instantaneously.

The Lightningwood Teleportation Formation had been destroyed by Qimozi, but over the years, Han Li had refined a new set using other lightning materials and set it up in a secluded place along the way.

It was precisely because of this lightning teleportation formation that he dared to venture to the Eight Desolations Mountain.

Not only this lightning formation, but Han Li also secretly connected the Time Law within him to the Vial Gourd on his chest, just in case. If the lightning teleportation formation was blocked, he would immediately use the Vial Gourd's ability to travel through time and space to escape.

Although using the time-space travel ability would consume Time Law Crystals, it was better than losing his life.

"Boy, don't think I don't know what you're scheming. You know that Le'er has been carefully nurtured by our Celestial Fox Clan, so you want to exploit the small favor you did her to gain some benefits, don't you? Unfortunately, you've picked the wrong target. Our Celestial Fox Clan is not as easy to fool as Young Master Liqima. Surrender obediently!" The gray-robed old man sneered, his gray-white light surging as he prepared to act.

Hearing this, Han Li sneered inwardly but had no intention of fighting the gray-robed old man. He was about to activate the lightning teleportation formation to leave.

"Elder Mu, stop." At that moment, a dignified voice rang out.

Then, the space in the hall rippled, and a figure appeared out of thin air—the white-robed middle-aged man Han Li had met once before in the Barbarian Realm.

"Clan Leader." The gray-robed old man quickly stopped and bowed to the white-robed man.

Han Li's pupils contracted sharply at the sight of this man, but he also stopped activating the lightning formation, though he secretly raised his immortal spiritual power to the fullest.

When he had met this man before, his cultivation was still low. Although he felt the man was powerful, he had no concrete concept of it.

Now that his cultivation had reached the peak of Taiyi, he could clearly sense that the white-robed man's strength far exceeded that of Chi Meng and the Wondrous Dharma Celestial Venerable. Although he was still far inferior to the Black Heaven Demon Ancestor, he could be somewhat compared.

Han Li recalled the conversation between Hu San and Liu Qi Patriarch back in the Gray Realm, and he quietly activated the Time Law within him.

Meanwhile, a flash of light appeared on the Vial Gourd, and a pair of bean-sized eyes emerged, blinking softly, ready to teleport away at any moment.