Chapter 704: Basking in Reflected Glory

Now that he was in the Gray Realm, Han Li was extremely cautious in everything, afraid of being noticed by anyone with ulterior motives, so he had not released his divine sense before.

However, after the incident with the Yi Snake Clan, he had a rough grasp of the strength of the various clans on the June Grasslands. At least under the current circumstances, there should be no risk he couldn't handle.

Han Li paced slowly while using his divine sense to examine the various materials displayed by the clans in the trading area. He soon found a type of ore that also existed in the Immortal Realm.

But this item was quite expensive in the Gray Realm as well, with no arbitrage value.

He was about to continue searching when his brow suddenly twitched slightly, and he looked ahead.

Two tall figures draped in gray cloaks walked toward him, their faces covered with masks that could block divine sense, making their features indistinguishable.

Although the auras within these two were concealed by some power, Han Li's divine sense was formidable; with a sweep, he saw through the disguise.

Both of them had cultivation bases at the Golden Immortal level.

For Han Li now, Golden Immortals were nothing special, but in this region of the Gray Realm, a Golden Immortal cultivation was somewhat conspicuous—at least the level of a clan leader.

The two figures seemed to notice Han Li's gaze. They immediately lowered their heads, quickened their pace, and soon disappeared into the crowd.

Seeing this, Han Li's eyes flickered slightly.

These two were so furtive; there must be some hidden story.

But he shook his head, not intending to meddle, and continued walking forward.

After half a day, aside from finding a few more Kulou flowers, he had no special gains.

Although there were many items with price differences between the two realms, none had as much value as the Kulou flowers, unless traded in large quantities.

Han Li was not surprised by this. After all, the True Immortal Realm and this place were vastly different, and finding items that existed in both realms with significant price differences would naturally not be easy.

In the following time, he did not continue searching but returned to the Gray Lizard Clan's camp, only to find that Shi Chuankong had not yet returned.

He went back into the tent, closed his eyes to regulate his breath for a moment, then took out the books he had bought earlier and began to flip through them one by one.

For him, finding a way back to the True Immortal Realm was the real priority.

Time passed bit by bit, and half a day went by in the blink of an eye.

A figure flickered in the tent, and Shi Chuankong suddenly emerged from underground, a slight smile on his face.

“You seem in good spirits, Fellow Daoist Shi. Did you find clues about returning to the Immortal Realm?” Han Li looked up at Shi Chuankong and asked.

“Well... I saw that many Gray Realm materials here are cheap. If sold in the True Immortal Realm, they could make a huge profit. So I was busy collecting various materials and forgot about investigating the way back to the Immortal Realm. My apologies,” Shi Chuankong said, slightly startled and a bit embarrassed.

“No matter. There’s still time. If we can’t find it on the June Grasslands, we can try our luck elsewhere. By the way, I didn’t expect you to be so interested in trade and commerce,” Han Li said with a slight smile.

“Yes! By moving goods around, if handled properly, one can turn one into ten, ten into a hundred, quickly accumulating resources and wealth. As cultivation improves, the demand for cultivation resources also rises. Many high-level immortals remain stuck in one realm for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years, often due to a lack of cultivation resources,” Shi Chuankong’s eyes lit up as he spoke excitedly about business.

“If we can open a channel to trade goods between the two realms, it would be a tremendous business opportunity. But if we can’t find a way back to the True Immortal Realm, it’s all just wishful thinking,” Han Li nodded first, then changed the subject.

“You’re absolutely right, Fellow Daoist Li. The top priority is to find a way back before discussing anything else,” Shi Chuankong nodded in agreement.

…

Over a month later.

At dusk, the thick clouds hung low. The three suns had not yet fully set, and the six round moons had already risen, facing each other from afar—one growing fainter, the other clearer.

Not far away, the Boleng Lake shimmered with rippling light. Along the shoreline, dozens of bonfire platforms several zhang high had been erected, piled high with gray grass and scattered white phosphorus ore.

The clans attending the Tamuda Grand Assembly had temporarily set aside other matters and gathered around these tall bonfire platforms. Han Li and the other man also followed the Gray Lizard Clan to the lakeside.

Clan Chief Xi Yan walked at the front, already dressed in a neat light gray robe that covered his broad frame, with a circular clan emblem representing the Gray Lizard Clan pinned to his chest, holding a torch burning with white flames.

Han Li and Shi Chuankong, draped in gray cloaks that concealed most of their faces, followed closely behind Xi Yan.

During this time, they had not found any valuable clues about returning to the celestial realm, so they did not force the issue. On one hand, they continued to familiarize themselves with the local customs; on the other, they pinned their hopes on the upcoming assembly, wondering if they might gain something from it.

The group stopped before a bonfire platform. Xi Yan turned back, his eyes filled with both reverence and gratitude, and said to Han Li and the other:

"Two immortals, in previous Tamuda assemblies, our Gray Lizard tribe never had the honor of lighting the fire. This year, thanks to your presence, we have the chance to ignite the Heavenly Flame. If you were willing to show yourselves, you would be sitting before that large tent right now, waiting to watch the 'Saye' assembly."

"It's fine. After all, we are not from your Black Tooth Domain, so it's inconvenient for us to appear." Han Li's heart stirred, but he said calmly.

If he guessed correctly, this move was likely arranged by the black-clad girl named "Miao Xiu."

Having said that, he gazed into the distance at a huge black stone platform a bit farther from the lake. It was brightly lit, surrounded by gray realm creatures in various strange costumes.

"Saye," like "Tamuda," is a local dialect of the Black Tooth Domain, roughly meaning "warrior's combat"—an assembly where tribes from the Black Tooth Domain send their own cultivators to compete.

The Gray Lizard tribe, as a nomadic tribe without a fixed settlement, naturally had no qualification to participate.

After a moment, the halos of three full moons deep within the clouds completely vanished. Then, a low, prolonged horn sound came from the black stone platform.

Chief Xi Yan, who was guarding the bonfire platform, immediately threw the torch in his hand into the bonfire pit.

With a "whoosh" sound!

A burst of white flames soared up. The piled gray grass ignited instantly, and clusters of bright white flames leaped out, burning fiercely with crackling sounds.

The scattered white phosphorus ore also caught fire quickly. Wispy white light flakes, like willow catkins, drifted out from the blazing white bonfire, slowly floating toward the nearby Boleng Lake.

White flames lit up on dozens of bonfire platforms simultaneously. Dense white light flakes filled the entire sky like countless fireflies, contrasting with the gloomy clouds. Han Li, who had not seen stars since entering the gray realm, suddenly felt as if he were seeing the starry sky again—a strangely beautiful sight.

Han Li stared at the sky, slightly lost in thought. In his ears rang a low chanting sound, clearly mixed with slightly different dialects of the Black Tooth Domain. The tone was ancient and deep, like an ancient war song, evoking a sense of desolation in the listener.

After a long while, the war song gradually ceased. Cheers and shouts erupted around the bonfires, and people from various tribes began to gather around the black stone platform.

Han Li and his companion, along with the Gray Lizard tribe, followed the crowd to the edge of the stone platform and looked up.

On the north side of the high platform stood a large tent with its curtain open. Inside sat the elders of the Sanmiao tribe and the chiefs of several other major tribes of the Black Tooth Domain, seated side by side.

Sitting in the center of the tent was the black-clad girl named "Miao Xiu."

Her gaze swept across the crowd below, paused briefly on the Gray Lizard tribe, and then moved away.

"Miss, what's wrong? Still looking for that hidden expert among the Gray Lizard tribe?" The tall young man named Miao Kui leaned over and asked in a low voice.

Miao Xiu shook her head slightly noncommittally upon hearing this.

"That person is utterly ungrateful. Miss visited him personally the day before yesterday, and he still refused to show himself. After the assembly ends, I will definitely capture him and make him apologize to you." Miao Kui spat lightly, somewhat indignantly.

"Cousin, don't talk nonsense. Since he doesn't want to see us, there must be a reason. As long as he harbors no ill intentions, we shouldn't create trouble. Don't turn a good connection into a bad one." The girl frowned slightly and said.

Though she said this, she was somewhat annoyed by the person's lack of courtesy, and at the same time, she grew more curious about what that hidden expert looked like.

"What you say is very true. I spoke rashly..." Miao Kui quickly apologized.

"It's about time. Announce the official start of the Saye assembly." Miao Xiu nodded and said.

"Yes." Miao Kui responded, rose, and left the tent.

After arriving at the front of the platform, he first walked over to a black war drum and struck it heavily three times. Seeing that the noisy clamor below gradually subsided, he announced, "This session of the Saye assembly officially begins. Which tribe's warrior will be the first to step up and accept challenges?"

As soon as he finished speaking, two dark figures landed on the stone platform one after another.

"Uheli of the Thorn Bone tribe..." The first to land was a humanoid creature covered in black scales. On its cheeks, elbows, and knees, white bone spurs protruded, making it look extremely ferocious.

As soon as he spoke, cheers erupted from below the stone platform, especially loud from where his tribesmen gathered. It seemed that being the first to step up was a great honor for them.

"Muduo of the Water Tiger tribe..." Another man with a tiger's head and a human body, but with fish gills on the sides of his face and a hunched back, also announced himself.

The fish gills on his cheeks kept fluttering, and a hint of excitement hung on his face. His hunched back kept heaving. Compared to the previous one, his cheers were much quieter.

"Very well. For this first battle, do you want to decide victory or life and death?" Miao Kui looked at the two and asked with a smile.