Chapter 186 Plans

To be honest, Han Li originally had no particular interest in the Candle Dragon Sect; his main purpose in coming here was to retrieve his lost treasure and, incidentally, to take a look at the sect's scripture containing the laws of time, to see if he could find anything worth borrowing.

Although the crystalline grains he now refined using the Celestial Bottle also contained a trace of the laws of time, for now he could only use them to refine heavy water for his Earthly Deity incarnation; beyond that, he could not yet comprehend anything from them.

The laws of time, being hailed as one of the three supreme laws, were full of profound mysteries. Without some great fortune, relying solely on one's own talent to comprehend them was nothing short of wishful thinking. These sects, however, had often studied this path for millions or even tens of millions of years, and among them were many exceptionally gifted individuals, so they should have accumulated considerable insights.

Of course, if he truly had no chance to glimpse the mysteries, he would not force it. Time was precious, and he could not afford to waste it. The Northern Cold Immortal Domain was vast, and he would eventually find other avenues.

But on the way to the Candle Dragon Sect, he had managed to glean some information from Bai Suyuan through indirect questioning, and combined with the materials he had previously gathered, his ideas had already undergone considerable change.

The Candle Dragon Sect had a long history and deep foundations, with countless high-level immortal scriptures within the sect. Most crucially, this sect did not reject external cultivators.

Although it was difficult for a rogue cultivator like Han Li to enter the Candle Dragon Sect, once admitted, the sect did not overly restrict such individuals, granting them considerable freedom.

This point greatly appealed to Han Li.

It had been some time since he returned to the Immortal Realm. Apart from the first few years spent in the Black Wind Sea studying how to break the chains, he had been constantly on the move and had hardly had any proper cultivation.

Although the Black Wind Sea was safe, its resources were far too scarce, and there was not a single high-level immortal scripture to be found.

The Candle Dragon Sect, on the other hand, offered various cultivation resources without overly restricting his movements, making it an ideal place to settle down for the time being.

Previously, relying on his status as a Profound Immortal and some techniques he had fortuitously cultivated in the lower realms, such as the Vajra Saint True Demon Art, he thought he could handle some early or mid-stage True Immortal rogue cultivators. But once he encountered a True Immortal who understood the power of laws, he would be at a disadvantage; after all, he could not always count on the good luck he had when dealing with Fang Pan.

Although True Immortals seemingly possessed endless lifespans, they were not immune to perishing. At the very least, if a True Immortal cultivator met with disaster, they would still have their souls scattered and their millennia of bitter cultivation turn to smoke.

Strength—powerful strength—was his foundation for standing in the Immortal Realm. As it stood, he did not even have a suitable immortal cultivation technique and was still only at the early True Immortal stage.

Just as Han Li's thoughts were turning and he was pondering his future plans, a sound of footsteps came from outside, causing him to immediately open his eyes and look in that direction.

The tall, thin young man was accompanying a middle-aged man in his forties as they entered.

This man was also dressed in a white robe, with a square face and stern features. Although his五官 were ordinary, his eyes were bright and piercing, giving an impression of authority without anger. Most notably, his aura was vast, clearly indicating he was also a True Immortal realm cultivator, and his immortal spiritual power was extremely pure.

Han Li stood up, and Bai Suyuan quickly rose as well.

The square-faced man was holding the piece of fiery red jade in his hand. He looked over the two in the hall, his gaze lingering a moment longer on Han Li, and said, "I am Qi Liang. May I ask what relation you two have to Elder Bai Fengyi, that you possess his token?"

"Reporting to Senior, Bai Fengyi is our family's ancestor. This junior, Bai Suyuan, is his descendant." Bai Suyuan curtsied to Qi Liang as she spoke.

"Oh, so you are Brother Bai's descendant. And this Fellow Daoist Li is..." Qi Liang nodded, then looked at Han Li.

"I am but a wandering cultivator, accompanying Fellow Daoist Bai to Candlegu Sect. It is an honor to make your acquaintance today, Fellow Daoist Qi." Han Li smiled and bowed.

"Fellow Daoist Li is too polite. Please, both of you, sit down first." Qi Liang returned the bow with a smile.

The tall, thin young man served the three of them spirit tea once more, then quickly bowed and withdrew.

"Niece Suyuan, do you know where Brother Bai is now? Is he well? If I recall correctly, it has been several thousand years since he left the sect, and we have heard nothing from him. I have been quite worried." Qi Liang asked Bai Suyuan.

"To be honest, Senior, since the ancestor left the Bai family several thousand years ago, there has been no word from him. We do not know where he is or if he is safe." Bai Suyuan's expression dimmed as she spoke softly.

"Oh, Brother Bai did not return to his family?" Qi Liang seemed somewhat surprised, then a thoughtful look crossed his face.

"Senior Qi, do you know the reason why my ancestor left the sect last time?" Bai Suyuan quickly asked upon seeing this.

"When Brother Bai left the sect, it seemed he was going to carry out some mission... Niece, you need not worry. His soul lamp in the sect has not gone out. Perhaps he was delayed by important matters. Several thousand years is not that long for us; maybe he will return in a few more days." Qi Liang avoided the topic and did not answer directly, offering a word of comfort at the end.

"Is that so? That's wonderful!" Bai Suyuan was overjoyed, her beautiful eyes shining with excitement.

Throughout, Han Li sat quietly to the side, watching the two speak without interrupting.

"Nephew Suyuan, and this Fellow Daoist Li, what business do you have in coming to Candragon Dao?" After the pleasantries were concluded, Qi Liang straightened his expression, glanced at Han Li and the other, and asked.

Bai Suyuan and Han Li exchanged a look; Han Li raised his eyes slightly, signaling her to speak first.

"Candragon Dao's reputation is illustrious, and I have admired it deeply since childhood. I have come presumptuously to pay my respects, hoping to enter Candragon Dao for cultivation. I know this is not the time for Candragon Dao to recruit disciples widely, but I wonder if Senior Qi could trouble himself to recommend me? These gifts are a small token of my regard, and I hope Senior will accept them." Bai Suyuan stood up, performed a grand bow, then took out a storage artifact and was about to place it on the table beside Qi Liang.

"Nephew, your words are mistaken. I am a close friend of Brother Bai; helping with such a small matter requires no gifts. Put them away quickly." Qi Liang's face darkened as he scolded, waving his sleeve to emit an invisible force that lifted Bai Suyuan upright.

"In that case... I'll trouble Senior Qi." Bai Suyuan's intelligent eyes flickered slightly; she did not insist and went along with the flow, putting away the storage artifact.

"Recommending you is no big deal, but Candragon Dao's conditions for accepting disciples are strict. If your aptitude is insufficient, there is nothing I can do." Qi Liang waved his hand and added.

"Of course. If my aptitude is lacking and I am not destined for the Great Way, I would never dare complain." Bai Suyuan said immediately.

Qi Liang nodded, his gaze shifting to Han Li. Though he did not speak, the inquiry in his eyes was unmistakable.

He had naturally noticed the exchange of glances between Han Li and Bai Suyuan earlier.

"I have come for the same purpose as Fellow Daoist Bai—to enter Candragon Dao for cultivation. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Qi could also put in a good word for me. Whether I succeed or not, I will surely repay you handsomely in the future." Han Li cupped his hands and said.

Upon hearing this, Qi Liang's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Bai Suyuan's entry was one thing; although he said he was not entirely certain, he had secretly examined her and found her spiritual root aptitude not bad—entry would likely be no problem.

But this Li Feiyu before him was a True Immortal cultivator; naturally, he was not seeking to become a disciple.

Candragon Dao's recruitment of external True Immortal cultivators was far stricter than its general disciple enrollment, requiring thorough verification of identity, background, cultivation level, and bone structure.

Moreover, if this person had any issues, he, as the recommender, would also face collective punishment from the sect.

"Fellow Daoist Qi need not worry. Although I am a loose cultivator, I have never done anything heinous. And with this item, you need only mention it to your sect." Han Li naturally saw Qi Liang's concerns and flipped his hand to produce the Candragon Token.

"The Candragon Token!" Qi Liang stood up in surprise, then looked at Bai Suyuan.

"That's right. This Candragon Token was my grandfather's. Our Bai family recently suffered a calamity of near annihilation, and it was only with Senior Li's help that it was quelled. This Candragon Token is a token of gratitude to Senior Li." Bai Suyuan explained.

"I see. Since Fellow Daoist Li has shown kindness to the Bai family, as cause and effect dictate, obtaining the Candragon Token is only natural. Please follow me." Qi Liang nodded and stood up.

The three left the pavilion and arrived at a nearby cyan hall, above whose door hung a plaque inscribed with three large characters: "Provisional Transmission Hall."

"Our Candragon Dao sect is truly vast; wherever important places are located, a Provisional Transmission Hall is set up, and travel between them is done via teleportation arrays." Qi Liang explained.

"Truly worthy of being the number one sect on Guyun Continent." Han Li remarked sincerely upon hearing this.

The three entered the hall and found the interior not large, with only several stone pillars standing in the center, around which a small teleportation array was arranged, faintly shimmering with white light.

Besides this, a middle-aged man stood beside the array, at about the Deity Transformation stage. Seeing Qi Liang enter, he quickly bowed.

"To the Zhaoyao Hall." Once all three had stepped onto the teleportation array, Qi Liang instructed.

"Yes." The middle-aged man nodded hastily, chanted an incantation, and shot out a beam of white light.

As the teleportation array activated, a dazzling white light rose from it, flooding the three's vision.

Han Li's vision blurred, and the next moment, he appeared in another cyan hall.

His expression remained calm, but inwardly he was secretly shocked.

After arriving in the immortal realm, he had ridden teleportation arrays many times and could roughly judge the distance based on the sensation during teleportation. The distance just now was considerable; if he were to fly on his own, it would probably take him a month or so.

For the first time, he had a concrete sense of the vastness of Candragon Dao's territory.

"Truly a behemoth..." Han Li murmured to himself.