Chapter 843: For the Sake of a Beauty

"As for the other matter, the ascendant named Zi Ling you asked me to find—there's news." Shi Chuankong glanced at Han Li with a hint of teasing.

"Is that true!" Han Li was startled, then abruptly stood up, his face showing surprise and delight.

He had previously asked Shi Chuankong to search for Zi Ling without really expecting to find her, after all, he himself had only recently ascended to the True Immortal Realm, and given Zi Ling's cultivation speed, she might not have reached the level required for ascension.

He had only done so to have Shi Chuankong and the others keep an eye on her, so that when Zi Ling eventually ascended to the Demon Domain, they would look after her. He never expected Shi Chuankong to actually find her.

"Of course. Third Brother has taken your matter quite seriously. He sent people to investigate all ascendants from the lower realms in various parts of the Holy Domain. At the ascension platform in the Blackwater Region, they indeed found a female cultivator who ascended over a hundred years ago, very similar to the Zi Ling you mentioned—a true stunning beauty!" Shi Chuankong first sighed, then flipped his hand to produce a palm-sized green orb, and made a hand seal, pointing at it.

The orb immediately emitted a soft green light, and within it appeared the figure of a woman in a black dress. She had long black hair reaching her waist, delicate features, and especially her eyebrows were like a painting—truly a peerless beauty. However, her expression carried a faint coldness, which only added to her charm. It was indeed Zi Ling.

Han Li gazed at the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar graceful silhouette, his body trembling slightly, a trace of tenderness appearing in his eyes. It took over a dozen breaths before he returned to normal.

"Hey, Brother Li, are you alright? It seems there's no mistake. In all the time I've known you, this is the first time I've seen you so lost in thought. When will you tell me the story between you and this beauty? It must be quite exciting!" Shi Chuankong, seeing Han Li's expression, couldn't help but tease.

"Yes, she is the one I'm looking for. Where is she now?" Han Li showed no embarrassment and immediately pressed for an answer.

"Brother Li, calm down first. Here's the thing... Ascendants from the lower realms, due to their extraordinary potential, are often invited by nearby powers. This Fairy Zi Ling is not only exceptionally beautiful but also said to have remarkable talent. Thus, she caught the eye of a Great Being in the Blackwater Region and was taken under his wing." Shi Chuankong hesitated, his expression somewhat strange.

"It seems there's something problematic about this Great Being?" Han Li frowned slightly and asked.

"His name is Black River Ascetic, a well-known Great Being in the Holy Domain. He's generally normal, but he has a bit of a..." Shi Chuankong trailed off, stammering.

"A bit of what?" Han Li's heart sank, a sense of foreboding creeping in.

"Well, men, after all... they have their... desires. Although he has achieved the Great Being realm, he is not immune to such things. Especially with Fairy Zi Ling's beauty, which is quite rare in the entire Holy Domain, so... you understand, right?" Shi Chuankong gestured vaguely and gave a dry laugh.

Hearing this, Han Li's expression turned extremely grim, and he immediately strode toward the exit.

"Brother Li, rest assured. Black River Ascetic has a good relationship with Third Brother; they are allied. After Third Brother found out, he immediately sent a warning to Black River Ascetic, though we haven't received a reply yet." Shi Chuankong quickly followed, speaking rapidly.

Han Li said nothing and soon left the Third Prince's mansion. Outside the gate, a beast-drawn carriage was waiting, clearly prepared by Shi Chuankong.

"I recall that within Night Sun City there are teleportation arrays connecting to various places. Is there one that leads to the Blackwater Region?" After a brief pause, Han Li turned to ask Shi Chuankong.

"Yes. Come with me, Brother Li." Shi Chuankong sighed, then leaped onto the carriage.

The carriage sped forward with the two of them, and half an hour later, they arrived before a huge palace-like building in the Luojia District.

The hall was a full hundred zhang high, covering an area of over a dozen mu. It was entirely black, and a golden plaque hung above the massive doors, inscribed with three large characters: "Tai Xuan Hall."

The place was quite bustling, with many carriages parked at the entrance and many people coming and going.

"There are two teleportation halls in Night Sun City. One is here, Tai Xuan Hall, reserved for the royal family or nobles. The other is Tai Yue Hall in the Maha District, used by ordinary cultivators or merchants. In terms of scale, Tai Xuan Hall is larger." Shi Chuankong explained.

Along the way, Han Li remained silent, while Shi Chuankong tried to find topics to lighten his mood.

"Brother Shi, don't worry. I'm fine. I just lost my composure upon hearing the news." Han Li took a deep breath, his expression calming.

"That's good." Shi Chuankong nodded.

The two then mingled with the crowd and entered Tai Xuan Hall.

The floor inside was paved with exceptionally beautiful white jade bricks. The walls and ceiling were inlaid with bowl-sized white crystals, emitting a soft white light that illuminated the entire hall brightly.

Rows of stone pillars stood tall, supporting the roof, while on the ground sat one white stone platform after another, over a hundred in total.

Each stone platform housed a teleportation array, humming as it operated, emitting a soft white light. Beside each stood a stone tablet inscribed with the destination.

The situation here was much the same as the teleportation halls Han Li had seen before, except that every teleportation array here was exceptionally complex.

Shi Chuankong seemed to be familiar with the place, leading Han Li directly to a teleportation array deep inside. A stone tablet beside it bore the three large characters "Black River City."

At the moment, the teleportation array was empty. Han Li did not hesitate and stepped forward to board it.

"Fellow Daoist, is this your first time using the teleportation array at the Grand Profound Hall? You need to purchase a teleportation talisman before boarding..." A purple-robed man beside the array reached out to stop Han Li, then pointed to one side of the hall.

There was a long stone table there, with over a dozen queues lined up in front of it.

Seeing this, Shi Chuankong flipped his hand and produced a purple-gold token. One side was carved with two intertwined flood dragons, and the other bore the three large characters "Heavenly Merchant Marquis."

"Ah, so it's His Highness the Thirteenth Prince. This humble one was rude; please forgive me!" The purple-robed man's expression changed, and he hastily apologized, stepping aside.

Han Li paid him no heed and stepped onto the teleportation array. Shi Chuankong also walked up.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, you still have many matters to attend to. There's no need to accompany me on this trip. Once I finish this business, I will naturally return to find you." Han Li frowned slightly and said.

"What are you saying, Fellow Daoist Li? Matters in the Heavenly Rainbow Domain won't have results anytime soon. Besides, after all these years of scheming against my elder brothers, I'm a bit weary. I'll go with you on this trip, consider it a way to relax." Shi Chuankong waved his hand and laughed.

"Very well, then I thank you." A trace of gratitude flickered in Han Li's eyes.

Black River Superior was a Daluo realm existence, a full major realm higher than himself. He had little confidence in safely taking Zi Ling from him. With Shi Chuankong, a prince, accompanying him, many things would likely be much easier.

"Your Highness the Thirteenth Prince, your Marquis token allows three free teleportations every hundred years. This time you are teleporting two people, which uses two opportunities." The purple-robed man took out a purple bronze mirror-shaped demon artifact, shone it on Shi Chuankong's token, and said respectfully.

"Spare me the nonsense. I know all this. Hurry up and activate the teleportation array." Shi Chuankong waved his hand impatiently.

The purple-robed man immediately nodded, flipped his hand to produce a white token, chanted a spell, and pointed it out.

The teleportation array began to operate rapidly, emitting a dazzling white light that shot into the sky.

The two figures flickered and then vanished without a trace.

White light flashed before Han Li's eyes. When his vision returned, he found himself in another hall.

This hall was only about ten zhang in size, with only three teleportation arrays. The flow of people inside was sparse, giving it a desolate appearance.

Han Li and his companion did not linger. They immediately left the hall. Outside was a city of modest size, built beside a great black river.

The surging river rushed past, producing a thunderous roar like rolling thunder, clearly audible even within the city.

The city's appearance was quite ordinary, not particularly prosperous, far inferior to Xiongju City.

"The Black Water Domain has many rivers and lakes, hence its name. But this place is remote, with few resources, minerals, or fierce beasts to hunt. It's one of the most barren domains." Shi Chuankong said.

Han Li nodded. The worldly spiritual and demonic qi here was indeed much poorer than in Yeyang City.

One good thing was that there were no flight restrictions within the city. The two left the hall and immediately soared into the air, quickly exiting the city.

Shi Chuankong promptly offered up the Crow God Shuttle, carrying the two as they flew off in one direction.

"That Black River Superior resides in a large lake in the Black Water Domain, about two months' journey from here. Fellow Daoist Li, don't be impatient. It's best to conserve your strength first. Black River Superior is not a magnanimous person; this trip may not go smoothly." Shi Chuankong said with a frown.

Han Li heard this and furrowed his brow slightly.

Because of his physical traversal, the time patterns on the Truth Dharma Wheel, Taiyi Divine Wood, and others had only partially recovered, greatly reducing the power of many time techniques.

But no matter what, he could not retreat.

Han Li then let out a light breath and sat down cross-legged.

Shi Chuankong flicked his sleeve. With a soft "bang," a purple talisman shot out, instantly transforming into countless purple runes that merged into the Crow God Shuttle.

The surface of the Crow God Shuttle flickered with purple light. Its front end transformed into a curved bird's head. With a flash of purple light in the middle, a "puff" sound came as two wide purple wings, over ten zhang long, condensed. The entire shuttle turned into a purple-black giant bird.

The shuttle's speed suddenly increased by nearly half, turning into a long purple-black rainbow that shot forward like lightning through the air.