Chapter 1217: Just What I Wanted

Han Li swept a glance and saw that the iron-tower giant had flying eyebrows and horizontal eyes, a rough and rugged countenance, and an exceedingly deep aura. He was unmistakably a mid-stage Great Luo cultivator.

Although the other's words carried a hint of familiarity, Han Li did not recognize him.

But after just a few thoughts back and forth, Han Li understood the trick of it, and so he also pretended to be familiar and went up to meet him, saying with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, it's been many years since we parted—truly a long time..."

The two walked up to each other, quickly exchanged a glance, and then began to exchange pleasantries.

The long-bearded old man who had been guiding them narrowed his eyes slightly and breathed a silent sigh of relief, glad that he had not made things difficult for this person earlier; it seemed he really was an old friend of the sect master.

Zhou Xianyang and Han Li, arm in arm and chatting happily, made their way to the inner hall of the villa.

"Elder Zhu, prepare a feast. Today I will use the ten-thousand-year-old 'Blue Mist Jade Dew' to welcome an old friend." Zhou Xianyang said with a full smile to the long-bearded elder.

"As you command." The latter nodded in response.

After he left, Zhou Xianyang ushered Han Li into the house and waved his hand, causing a silver light door to appear.

Without a word, the two stepped through the light door and entered a secret chamber.

"The Elder Zhu you just saw is a spy placed by the Jinyuan Immortal Palace by my side, so I had to put on this act of reuniting with an old friend. I hope Fellow Daoist Han will not take offense." Zhou Xianyang said with a cupped fist salute.

"It seems that being an undercover agent as Sect Master Zhou is not easy either." Han Li said with a smile.

"Not at all. Fortunately, Elder Zhu has some petty schemes but lacks great wisdom, so I have lived in peace these years. This time, the higher-ups are planning a major move, and I am already prepared." Zhou Xianyang said in a low voice.

"Earlier, Fellow Daoist Jiao San did not go into specifics with me; he only said that once I arrived, I should follow all of Sect Master Zhou's arrangements." Han Li said, cupping his fist slightly.

"Brother Han is too polite. That's not what Fellow Daoist Jiao Three told me. She explicitly said that I should defer to you in everything and provide you with all necessary assistance." Zhou Xianyang said with a smile.

"It's not about politeness. I actually know very little about this mission. I must trouble you, Sect Master Zhou, to explain it to me in detail." Han Li said, his gaze sharpening.

"The天庭's Bodhi Banquet is held roughly once every five million years, inviting ten thousand immortals from the celestial realm to share the Bodhi fruit. It's extremely rare. In the past, only those invited were eligible to attend. This time, however, they've only allocated名额 without restricting who can participate—that's truly a first." Zhou Xianyang said.

"Oh, it wasn't like this before... Is there any particular reason for this arrangement?" Han Li asked.

"I'm not sure, but for our Reincarnation Hall, it's not a bad thing. This time, the Great Golden Source Immortal Domain has received a total of one hundred名额. Nine Yuan Temple and Hundred Creations Mountain take up more than half, while Golden Source Immortal Palace and Sun-Moon Alliance take up the rest, leaving only twelve名额 for the other sects. We'll have to compete for one of those." Zhou Xianyang shook his head and continued.

"May I ask which sects are participating and what their respective strengths are?" Han Li inquired.

"The Sun-Moon Alliance already governs most of the medium and small sects in the Golden Source Immortal Domain, and their名额 are allocated internally. These twelve名额 are for the remaining medium-sized sects that are not part of the Sun-Moon Alliance to compete for. Although this eliminates many competitors, there are still ninety-six sects that will participate." Zhou Xianyang said.

"Selecting twelve out of ninety-six would require at least three rounds of competition to win. And given the high prestige of the Bodhi Banquet, I imagine every sect will spare no effort, sending their most powerful combatants to compete, right?" Han Li frowned slightly and asked.

"Indeed. But rest assured, the founding elders and sect masters usually refrain from participating in the matches due to their status. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that some sect leaders, coveting the Bodhi fruit, might disregard their dignity and personally enter the competition." Zhou Xianyang nodded and said.

"If you say that, Sect Master Zhou, you must think someone will actually do it?" Han Li smiled and asked.

"Yes. Our Xianshan Sect's archrival, Lone Sun Peak's Peak Master Sikong Jian. This man is cunning and treacherous, never caring about his status to achieve his goals. Once, to avenge his only son, he ambushed and killed a highly talented junior disciple of our sect. Since then, he has hidden away on Lone Sun Peak and never come out, even when we hunted down hundreds of his sect's disciples who had descended the mountain." Zhou Xianyang said indignantly.

"May I ask about his cultivation level and combat strength?" Han Li asked.

"Sikong Jian was previously at the early stage of the Great Luo realm. In recent years, he has been in seclusion, and I don't know if he has successfully severed one corpse and broken through to the mid-stage. However, even at the early stage, his combat strength was half a level higher than cultivators of the same rank, so he must not be taken lightly. Of course, the best scenario would be not to encounter him at all." Zhou Xianyang said gravely.

"In a draw-based competition, it's hard to avoid him. I hope you can compile a detailed dossier on him for me later. If I do encounter him in the selection, I'll be prepared. Aside from him, who else should I watch out for?" Han Li nodded and said.

"Luo Yuanshan of Green Regret Forest, Zhao Bolao of Wuji Mountain, and Fairy Ziluo of Tianyou Lake... These individuals are all formidable and likely to represent their sects. I'll compile their information for you as well." Zhou Xianyang listed a dozen names in one breath and said.

"That would be excellent." Han Li smiled.

"This time, Fellow Daoist Han, you will need to borrow the identity of my junior apprentice brother, Chang Qi, for the selection. He has been wandering outside all year round, and few within the sect have seen his face, so passing off as him won't be a problem. The difficulty is that my junior brother is a body cultivator by origin; he hasn't even practiced much of our sect's own techniques, relying solely on his body-tempering mystic arts to reach the late Taiyi stage. If you, Fellow Daoist Han, participate in the battle under his identity, I'm afraid many immortal arts will be unusable." Zhou Xianyang said with some concern.

"Body cultivation? Heh... That suits me perfectly." Han Li smiled upon hearing this, but inwardly he began to understand why Jiao San had sent him here.

"Could it be that Fellow Daoist Han is also a body cultivator by origin?" Zhou Xianyang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Han Li's mind stirred slightly, and he silently activated the Heavenly Fiend Prison Suppression Art. A powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body, and over nine hundred mystic acupoints lit up, illuminating the entire secret chamber.

"I never expected that Fellow Daoist Han's body cultivation attainments had reached such a level. My junior brother can't even compare to you, even if he gallops at full speed." Zhou Xianyang's expression changed drastically as he murmured.

Little did he know that Han Li had not revealed all his immortal acupoints, for fear of startling him.

"You flatter me, Sect Master Zhou." Han Li laughed.

"In that case, there is no need for worry. Junior Apprentice Brother Chang Qi, come out." Zhou Xianyang relaxed his expression and said.

Han Li looked toward the inner chamber of the secret room and saw a thin, frail-looking young man, who seemed as weak as if a gust of wind could knock him over, emerge from a hidden door. Dressed in a blue robe, he appeared refined and gentle—how could he look like a body cultivator?

"Greetings, Senior Brother, and Fellow Daoist Han." The young man approached, cupping his hands in salute.

"It is no easy feat for you to have your body cultivation power so well-concealed, almost reaching the state of returning to simplicity and storing strength within the bones." Han Li returned the salute and said.

"Fellow Daoist Han can see through my foundation at a glance; it seems my cultivation is still insufficient." The frail young man named Chang Qi's eyes lit up as he spoke.

"Fellow Daoist Chang is too modest." Han Li smiled.

"Fellow Daoist Han, there is still over a month before the selection day for the Bodhi Feast quota. Within this month, you must familiarize yourself as much as possible with my junior brother's techniques. Even if you cannot achieve perfect imitation, you must at least be able to bluff others and avoid exposing your identity. Also, you should know how to use the Reincarnation Palace mask, right?" Zhou Xianyang asked.

"Fellow Daoist Jiao San has already taught me." Han Li nodded.

"Then let's not delay. You may begin now." Zhou Xianyang said.

Han Li exchanged a glance with Chang Qi. The latter's expression remained unchanged as he nodded at Han Li.

"Forgive me..." Han Li said with a hint of apology.

As he spoke, he formed hand seals and silently chanted an incantation. The handsome features on his face immediately blurred, and the black mask covering his original face materialized.

Talismanic patterns on the mask lit up, and a thick, sticky black mist emerged from it, flowing down Han Li's body and enveloping him entirely.

After the mist touched the ground, it coalesced into a single thread, moving like a living creature, and slithered to Chang Qi's feet.

Chang Qi clasped his hands behind his back, a hint of nervousness on his face, but he remained standing still without any unnecessary movement.

The black mist gathered more and more at his feet, eventually spreading upward and enveloping him as well.

Han Li and Chang Qi stood facing each other, with the black mist forming a bridge between them. Both their faces were blurred and unreadable, but it was clearly perceptible that the aura on Chang Qi was being continuously drawn by the black mist, converging toward Han Li.

Zhou Xianyang stood to the side, watching the two wrapped like black zongzi, a look of anticipation in his eyes.

After about half a quarter of an hour, the black mist on Chang Qi receded first, falling down and retreating along the black line formed by the mist on the ground, returning to Han Li.

Han Li's figure then visibly shrank, becoming the same height as Chang Qi.

Next, gurgling mist flowed upward, all returning to the black mask, which then absorbed it entirely. A dark light shone on the mask.

As the dark light faded, a completely new face appeared on Han Li—one that was exactly the same as Chang Qi's.

Zhou Xianyang's eyes brightened, and he quickly looked up and down, but found that the two 'Chang Qi's before him were identical in figure, demeanor, and even aura fluctuations. He could not distinguish between them.

The real Chang Qi, because much of his immortal spiritual power had been absorbed by the mask, was now unstable in aura, making him look more like an impostor than the fake Han Li.