Chapter 184: A Request

"A fool of your level, worthy of signing a Heavenly Demon Contract with him?" As soon as Demon Light appeared, he looked at the pitch-black old man on the ground and let out an emotionless shout.

The moment the pitch-black old man saw Demon Light, his face filled with terror. A black light flashed on his body, and his form began to dissipate.

He clearly intended to turn into mist and flee again!

"Where do you think you're going!"

Demon Light gave him no chance. His hand suddenly reached out, and a burst of black light erupted from his palm, forming a faint black net that descended, enveloping the black mist the old man had become, and began to contract.

"No!"

A wail came from the black mist. It twisted within the shrinking net, then condensed back into the form of the old man.

Demon Light softly chanted an incomprehensible incantation. His eyes flashed black, and he opened his mouth to inhale sharply. The pitch-black old man, under the net's sudden contraction, turned into a wisp of mist that flowed into Demon Light's mouth.

The half of the Heavenly Demon's corpse on the other side of the abyss did not escape either; it also turned into a wisp of mist and was devoured by Demon Light.

The storage bracelet on its body fell to the ground with a clatter.

Meanwhile, Han Li put away the two wheel-shaped spiritual treasures he had knocked away earlier, then flickered back to his original spot.

Demon Light's form blurred and then vanished back into Han Li's shadow, his voice echoing in Han Li's mind:

"Fellow Daoist Han, please take a look at that person's storage artifact. As a Heavenly Demon, he should have collected quite a few Demon Contract Stones. With those, I can recover a bit more."

His voice carried a hint of liveliness, unlike its previous woodenness.

Hearing this, Han Li waved his hand toward the ground ahead, and a black bracelet floated up lightly.

Just then, a white shadow flashed swiftly, and the black bracelet disappeared.

Han Li frowned slightly at this.

The white shadow landed not far away, revealing Bai Suyuan's figure, clutching the black bracelet tightly in both hands.

"Thank you, Senior Li, for slaying this demon and avenging me! But this bracelet is our Bai family's property. As an immortal, you wouldn't covet such a small thing from our family, would you?" Bai Suyuan said, looking at Han Li with pleading eyes.

Seeing the pitch-black old man who had impersonated Bai Songshi killed on the spot, the woman's expression visibly relaxed, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief. She showed no fear toward the sudden appearance of Demon Light.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, don't misunderstand. I won't touch a single thing belonging to your Bai family. But since that man was an otherworldly Heavenly Demon, he should have collected some Demon Contract Stones. Those are very important to me. Please check if there are any in the storage bracelet. If there are, I'm willing to buy them with spirit stones," Han Li said, slightly startled.

Hearing this, Bai Suyuan smiled and nodded, sending her divine sense into the black bracelet.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

After a moment, she waved her hand, and a piece of pitch-black stone appeared in her hand, its surface wreathed in black mist, exuding an eerie aura.

After communicating with Demon Light through his soul and receiving a confirmation, Han Li said, "That's it. How many are there? I'll take them all."

"Wait, let me count... Twenty pieces in total," Bai Suyuan said.

"I'll give you twenty top-grade spirit stones in exchange for these Demon Contract Stones. Is that acceptable?" Han Li said, flipping his hand to produce twenty top-grade spirit stones.

"No," Bai Suyuan said, shaking her head directly.

"Do you find it insufficient, Fellow Daoist Bai?" Han Li raised an eyebrow.

"Given your status, you naturally wouldn't take advantage of a young woman like me. Besides, one top-grade spirit stone in our Baiyou Country is worth at least a hundred high-grade spirit stones. Even during the Bai family's heyday, my annual allowance was only three high-grade spirit stones, and that was because the patriarch valued me highly," Bai Suyuan said, shaking her head again.

"Then what do you want, Fellow Daoist Bai?" Han Li put away the spirit stones and asked.

"I want Senior Li to grant me a request," Bai Suyuan said with a slight smile, raising a fair finger to indicate the number one.

"A request?" Han Li looked at Bai Suyuan as if seeing her anew.

He vaguely felt that after the Heavenly Demon was slain, this woman seemed to have changed, revealing a hint of mischievousness.

"That's right. As for what the request is, I haven't thought of it yet. But rest assured, it won't exceed your abilities, and it won't be dangerous... Just a small request," Bai Suyuan said, nodding seriously.

"Very well. But I'll give you three days to think it over. After that, it's off the table," Han Li said after a moment's deliberation, agreeing.

"It's a deal," Bai Suyuan said with a radiant smile, tossing a small pouch to Han Li.

"Since I've completed the task you entrusted, give me the agreed reward," Han Li said, putting away the pouch.

"We've caused quite a commotion here. Let's leave first. Rest assured, even if I don't pay you, the Wuchang Alliance won't let me off," Bai Suyuan said, winking at Han Li.

Then, without waiting for Han Li's response, she transformed into a beam of white light and sped away into the distance.

Han Li said nothing more, and his遁光 rose to follow.

Before long, the two landed on a green slope thousands of miles away from Tai'e.

The surroundings were serene, with a river like a white ribbon at the foot of the mountain. The scenery was refreshing to the soul.

On the slope stood a grave, with an old bluestone tombstone bearing faint, illegible inscriptions, though the first character 'Bai' was still discernible.

Bai Suyuan landed in the open space before the grave, looking at the tombstone. A faint mist formed in her bright eyes, and she slowly knelt before the grave.

"Grandfather, that demon is finally dead. May your spirit rest in peace..." Bai Suyuan's voice choked, her slender shoulders trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Han Li did not urge her. He turned around and gazed into the distance.

Sporadic sobbing came from behind, gradually subsiding after a long while.

"Senior, I couldn't control my emotions. I hope you'll forgive me," Bai Suyuan said softly as she approached.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, you're mistaken. It's only human. There's no need for forgiveness. But the departed are gone; don't grieve too much," Han Li said, turning around and offering a faint consolation.

The young woman's eyes were still slightly red, with traces of tears at the corners, like dewdrops on petals. Her expression and aura showed no pretense.

Although Han Li was not truly moved, he was not completely heartless, so he offered some words of comfort.

"Thank you, Senior," Bai Suyuan sighed softly. She flipped her hand and produced a palm-sized emerald token. One side bore the characters 'Candle Dragon,' while the other depicted a strange dragon with a single horn and a pair of wings.

Han Li's eyes brightened slightly as he fixed his gaze on the token.

"This token is called the Candle Dragon Token. Since you're not from the Guyun Continent, you may not know that the Candle Dragon Sect has very strict entry requirements, accepting only those with exceptional talent and clean backgrounds. But with this token, anyone can directly enter the inner sect regardless of qualifications. My grandfather obtained it for rendering a great service to the Candle Dragon Sect," Bai Suyuan said softly, gently stroking the token.

"I see. This is indeed precious," Han Li nodded.

"After my grandfather passed away, I originally planned to use this token to join the Candle Dragon Sect, but I couldn't let go of my hatred, so I used it to post this task," Bai Suyuan sighed, handing the emerald token to Han Li.

Han Li looked at the delicate young woman before him, his eyes flickering, but he still reached out and took the token.

"Senior, the request you promised me earlier—is it still valid?" Bai Suyuan suddenly lifted her head and asked.

"Oh, have you thought of something, Fellow Daoist Bai?" Han Li's heart stirred as he asked.

"I don't have much attachment to the rest of the Bai family. Because of past events, there are some misunderstandings and grudges. I can't stay here. Although I no longer have the Candle Dragon Token, I still plan to try my luck at the Candle Dragon Sect. Perhaps I'll find some immortal destiny. Since your goal is to obtain a Candle Dragon Token, you must be thinking of joining the Candle Dragon Sect. So, I'd like to ask you to take me along," Bai Suyuan said.

Han Li was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to have such an idea.

The Guyun Continent was vast beyond measure. From here to the Bell Cry Mountain Range where the Candle Dragon Sect was located was tens of thousands of miles. Although the journey wasn't as wild and dangerous as the Huanglan Continent, it was by no means a smooth road.

Given her Nascent Soul stage cultivation, reaching her destination safely would be no small risk. Any danger along the way could spell her end.

It seemed this woman, though seemingly delicate, was quite shrewd. Under these circumstances, it was hard for him to refuse.

"If you've made up your mind, Fellow Daoist Bai, I can take you along. But once we reach the Bell Cry Mountain Range, this request will be considered fulfilled," Han Li said after a moment's thought.

"Really? Thank you so much! I won't trouble you with anything else once we get there," Bai Suyuan said, her face breaking into a brilliant smile.

Han Li said nothing more. He waved his hand and produced a white jade shuttle in the shape of a bird, then floated onto it.

This item, found in Fang Pan's storage artifact, was a top-grade spiritual treasure, almost on par with an immortal artifact.

Seeing this, Bai Suyuan quickly flew up and sat down against a panel at the edge of the shuttle. Her smile faded, and she said solemnly, "Senior, I will remember your help today."

Han Li said nothing, simply forming a hand seal.

The jade shuttle emitted a brilliant white light, transforming into a bird-shaped white shadow that shot swiftly into the distance.