Chapter 58: To Decline Would Be Disrespectful

Puff puff puff!

Green streaks appeared around the Crimson Blood Celestial Ghost, swiftly circling him to form an enormous green cocoon. The streaks slashed at his body, sending blood splattering wildly.

The Celestial Ghost flailed his arms frantically, but to no avail. The little flesh left on his body was shredded again and soon blown away.

Every time he tried to recover using the power of the sea of blood below, he was thwarted.

From the moment the Azure Luan appeared, only two or three breaths had passed, and he had already reverted to the form he had when emerging from the blood sea—a colossal blood-red skeletal frame, with not a shred of flesh on his body except for his head.

The blood ghosts that had swarmed like bees in the distance, deprived of magical support, collapsed and disintegrated before they could even reach him.

“Damn it!”

The Celestial Ghost skeleton roared, his massive bones spinning in midair as he prepared to dive down recklessly.

But the phantom of the Azure Luan spun faster and faster, and more green streaks appeared in the air. The Celestial Ghost not only failed to descend but was lifted by a wind formed by countless green streaks, flying toward the sky.

A loud clanging sound erupted!

The green streaks struck the blood-red skeleton, producing a dense patter like rain on banana leaves, causing the blood light on the skeleton’s surface to visibly weaken.

With a thick green streak slashing across, a faint crack appeared on a section of the Celestial Ghost’s forearm bone with a light “crack.”

“Stop! I concede!”

The blood light in the Celestial Ghost skeleton’s eyes shrank, and he suddenly shouted.

Hearing this, the swiftly circling green shadow halted and coalesced into a giant azure bird over thirty meters away. It folded its broad wings and stared at the Celestial Ghost skeleton with blazing blue eyes.

Countless green streaks instantly dissipated, and the raging wind gradually subsided.

Seeing this, the Celestial Ghost skeleton breathed a sigh of relief and immediately shot toward the sea of blood, plunging into it with a “plop.”

Moments later, a black-robed figure flew out—Duan Renli.

His face was pale, and his expression showed signs of exhaustion, clearly having consumed much of his vitality in the battle.

Seeing this, the Azure Luan flashed with green light, its massive body rapidly shrinking to reveal Han Li’s form.

Their eyes met.

Han Li wore a faint smile, while Duan Renli’s expression was grim.

…

Within the Demon Flame Valley.

In a corner of the valley, the four cultivators at the Combined Movement stage, including the purple-bearded man, gathered together. Liu Le’er stood at the other end of the valley, surrounded by silver flames.

They all looked up at the sky.

There, a massive blood cloud nearly covering the entire valley churned, with a giant blood banner faintly visible within, rising and falling, occasionally emitting soul-stirring blood light.

Liu Le’er’s face was full of anxiety and tension.

The purple-bearded man and the others, however, appeared quite relaxed, occasionally casting malicious glances at the young girl, which only made her more uneasy.

As high-ranking cultivators of the sect, they were well aware of the immense power of the Crimson Blood Celestial Ghost Banner.

This treasured banner was passed down from one of the Celestial Ghost Sect’s ancestors who had ascended to the immortal realm, the Bone Flame Ancestor. The Celestial Ghost sealed within was said to be a ghost king transformed from a fallen celestial being captured from the underworld. It was passed down through generations to the Supreme Grand Elder, nurtured and offered with his own essence blood, and refined countless times with special blood essence, making it incomparable to ordinary treasures.

Duan Renli’s personal strength was only average among the many Great Ascension cultivators in the Linghuan Realm, but within the blood banner space, it was a completely different story.

Although Han Li possessed remarkable divine abilities and an extremely powerful physical body, the moment he was drawn into the blood banner space, the outcome was almost predetermined.

“It’s been almost half an hour. Han Li has probably become the Celestial Ghost’s blood meal by now. This little fox spirit is an eyesore; why not just kill her?” The purple-bearded man turned to look at Liu Le’er in the distance and spoke slowly.

Han Li had not only taken one of his rare treasures but also made him lose face in front of Duan Renli. Unable to retaliate against Han Li, he naturally took out his anger on Liu Le’er.

“Elder Lu, please be patient. In my opinion, it’s better to wait for the grand elder to come out and let him decide.” The beautiful woman said after a moment’s hesitation.

“Fairy Shiyi is right. I just observed that the silver flame around this little fox spirit is extraordinary—it can even devour the Nine Heavens Demon Flame. It seems to be some kind of mutated true flame. Let’s wait a bit longer.” The hunchbacked old man said thoughtfully.

The one-eyed giant stood with arms crossed, his single eye fixed on the massive blood cloud in the sky, as if he hadn’t heard their conversation.

Seeing this, the purple-bearded man frowned slightly but still nodded.

Their conversation was not concealed, and Liu Le’er naturally heard it. Her small body trembled as she pressed against the rock wall, her already pale face turning deathly white.

Suddenly, the one-eyed giant spoke:

“It seems there’s a result.”

At these words, everyone immediately turned their gaze toward the sky, ignoring everything else.

The massive blood cloud churned violently, then split in two from the middle, fully revealing the giant blood banner within.

When the four combined cultivators saw this, their expressions all turned somewhat strange.

The blood light emanating from the surface of the giant blood banner was still dazzling, but the enormous ghost head on the banner seemed faintly dimmer than before.

Before they could think further, the banner's surface flashed, and two beams of colored light rolled out, landing on the ground below.

The light simultaneously faded, revealing Han Li and Duan Renli standing face to face.

Duan Renli stood with his hands behind his back, expressionless, staring coldly at Han Li.

Across from him, Han Li wore a faint smile, his demeanor calm.

"Big brother!"

Liu Le'er was startled, tears instantly filling her eyes, and then she rushed toward Han Li recklessly.

Perhaps due to excessive worry and dizziness, or because she was injured and had exhausted her magic power, her steps were unsteady. When she reached a short distance from Han Li, she tripped over something and fell forward.

But at that moment, she felt herself supported by an invisible soft force, and as the surroundings blurred, she appeared beside Han Li.

Han Li flicked his sleeve, and the silver fire net enveloping Liu Le'er contracted and deformed, turning back into a silver fire bird that shot back into his body and disappeared.

The girl opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly aware of the strange atmosphere around, she fell silent and stood obediently to the side.

Seeing Han Li, who should have been utterly destroyed in body and soul, now standing alive before them with a composed demeanor, the purple-bearded man and the other three were dumbfounded, standing there in a daze.

After a long while, they finally reacted, exchanging glances. They wanted to step forward and ask about the outcome, but dared not.

Just then, Duan Renli spoke slowly:

"Fetch one hundred jin of Yin Chen Stone."

His tone was calm, his voice not loud, but to the ears of the four, it struck like thunder.

Though they had guessed as much, hearing it still left them incredulous.

The meaning of Duan Renli's words was clear: he had lost.

The esteemed one of the two great太上长老 of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, a Mahayana-stage cultivator who could command wind and rain throughout the entire Linghuan Realm, had actually lost to this seemingly ordinary young man before him.

And this, within the Blood Sea Space of the Crimson Blood Heavenly Ghost Banner.

"Do you want me to say it a second time?" Duan Renli's voice remained calm.

"Yes!" The four shuddered. The purple-bearded man and the beautiful woman quickly turned and flew out of the canyon in a streak of light.

"Fellow Daoist Duan is generous. Han will not decline." Han Li's lips curled into a smile as he said slowly.

"You are good." Duan Renli gave Han Li a deep look, then said word by word.

Then he waved his hand, collecting the blood-colored giant banner in the air, and instantly transformed into a black light. With a flicker, he disappeared at the canyon mouth, leaving no trace.

…

Soon after.

In the main hall of Chuyun Peak, Cold Flame Sect.

"Though I had some expectations that this man was no ordinary, I never imagined he would be so vastly powerful that even Duan Renli of the Heavenly Ghost Sect was no match." Nangong Changshan sat in the main seat of the hall, speaking with a wry smile.

"Fortunately, he is not an enemy of our Cold Flame Sect." Luo Jun let out a long breath before speaking with a complex expression.

"The thefts in the Talisman Hall and the Sutra Library both occurred after this Elder Han arrived at our Chuyun Peak. I suspect he was responsible. But at the time, we could never have suspected him." Nangong Changshan pondered for a moment, then added.

The burly man nodded, apparently having already guessed this.

However, he did not dwell on the matter but changed the subject:

"Although the Heavenly Ghost Sect has kept silent about this from top to bottom, with such a commotion that day, it could not be hidden. Now the entire Linghuan Realm is buzzing with this affair. It is said that many forces originally affiliated with or close to the other two major sects are now leaning toward us."

"Indeed, Valley Master Yu of Fengyou Valley and Mountain Master Zhao of Wuwei Mountain have both sent trusted aides to discuss with the Sect Master. In truth, these people also want to see Elder Han in person to confirm his strength before deciding to pledge allegiance to our Cold Flame Sect. Unfortunately, Elder Han went into seclusion shortly after returning. The Grand Supreme Elder also issued an order that no one is to disturb him." Nangong Changshan said with a smile.

Luo Jun nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.

After a moment of silence in the hall, Nangong Changshan suddenly asked, "Elder Luo, what do you think of this Elder Han?"

Luo Jun's expression changed slightly. In the past, he could have spoken freely, but now he dared not speak carelessly.

After deliberating for a long while, he spoke solemnly:

"I have not had much contact with Elder Han. When Junior Gu first brought him into the sect, aside from confirming that he was a physical cultivator, I did not find anything particularly noteworthy about him. Now, looking back, I increasingly feel that he is meticulous and leaves no loopholes. However, he is not an ungrateful person."

"Oh, what makes you say that?" Nangong Changshan raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Earlier, the Sect Master suggested that Elder Han move to a cave dwelling on Sacred Flame Peak adjacent to the Supreme Elder, but he politely declined, saying he was satisfied with his current cave and did not want to trouble anyone. I think this might be his way of repaying a favor to our Chuyun Peak. After all, having such a powerful figure here will greatly enhance our peak's status within the sect." Luo Jun explained.

"Indeed. Speaking of which, Junior Gu recommended Elder Han to join the sect, which is a great merit. From now on, double his annual share of cultivation resources." Nangong Changshan nodded in agreement.

"Yes." Luo Jun quickly replied.