Chapter 353: Returning to Dark Veil Island
Lu Yuqing seemed to have identified Han Li's concerns, and she promised in a solemn voice, "Rest assured, Brother Liu, I won't tell anyone about this, including my father."
Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, then nodded in response. "You have my thanks. I'm just an itinerant cultivator, and I really don't want to get involved in the conflict between your Black Wind Island and Azure Feather Island."
"I should be the one thanking you, Brother Liu! You just saved my life!" Lu Yuqing chuckled.
Han Li merely responded with a faint smile.
After considering the situation, he had realized that it wasn't much of a problem even if his identity were exposed.
All Lu Yuqing knew was that he was an itinerant cultivator by the name of Liu Shi, and he had altered his appearance back when he first arrived on Black Wind Island, so there was very little chance that they would be able to make the connection that he was Liu Shi of Dark Veil Island. After all, there were countless cultivators in the Black Wind Sea, and it wouldn't have been uncommon to see people with the same name.
With that in mind, he felt even more reassured.
"Having said that, the conflict between our Black Wind Island and Azure Feather Island will most likely only increase in scope, and it's only a matter of time before the entire Black Wind Sea is swept up in the conflict, so it won't be easy to remain uninvolved. You've saved my life twice, and I'm extremely grateful to you.
“My father also has a very high opinion of you, so if you're willing to come to our Black Wind Island, you'll definitely be given very favorable treatment. Our Black Wind Island has always been very kind to its elders," Lu Yuqing said.
Han Li merely smiled in response, silently turning down her offer.
A hint of disappointment flashed through Lu Yuqing's eyes upon seeing this, but she then pulled out a black badge before offering it to Han Li.
"I can see that you've already made up your mind, so I won't try to persuade you any further. This is my personal badge. If you ever need to go to Black Wind Island for whatever reason, you'll be able to come and go as you please with this badge."
Han Li accepted the badge, then took a brief glance at it before stowing it away.
"I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave. I suggest you return to Black Wind Island as quickly as possible, Fellow Daoist Lu. This is not a safe place," Han Li said, then sped away as a streak of azure light, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Lu Yuqing looked on at his departing figure with a slightly forlorn expression, then quickly flew back toward Black Wind Island as well.
After flying for some time, Han Li suddenly changed directions in his flight, and around half a day later, he had finally left the area in which the conflict between Black Wind Island and Azure Feather Island was taking place.
From there, Han Li immediately accelerated, hurtling through the air like a bolt of azure lightning.
After flying for about half a month, he had reached a very secluded area in the Black Wind Sea, and there were barely any islands to be seen.
All of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks, then released his spiritual sense throughout the surrounding area.
In the next instant, he abruptly swooped downward and plunged into the sea.
After roaming over the seabed for a moment, he arrived at a deepsea chasm, and he flew to the bottom of the chasm without any hesitation.
There, he found a patch of flat ground before summoning a stack of array tools, which he set down one after another.
This was a rather complex array, and it took Han Li over two hours to set it up to completion.
After that, he chanted an incantation, and a blue light barrier emerged, instantly encompassing the surrounding area in a radius of several hundred feet.
The blue light barrier was very faint in color, and it was even more difficult to catch sight of in the sea. Furthermore, it wasn't giving off any magic power fluctuations, so even if one were situated very close to it, they could still easily miss it.
After doing all of this, a pleased look appeared in Han Li's eyes, and he swept a hand through the water to release around a dozen lengths of Lightning Restraining Wood, all of which were engraved with countless runes.
This was none other than his long-distance lightning teleportation array.
Even though Lu Yuqing had promised not to expose him, he didn't dare to grow complacent.
After a day and a night, he was finally able to complete the lightning array.
He then cast an incantation seal through the water, and a burst of golden lightning instantly emerged within the lightning teleportation array as it began to operate.
However, the aura of the array was completely isolated within the blue restriction, so it was completely undetectable outside.
Han Li gave a pleased nod upon seeing this, and after taking some more time to examine the array to ensure that there weren't any issues, he promptly departed.
A month later.
The sun gradually rose up over the horizon, but the entirety of Dark Veil Island was still enshrouded in a murky veil of mist.
The mist slowly began to dissipate as gusts of sea breeze blew over the island, and the branches of the trees all over the island were rustling incessantly. Smoke from stove fires was rising up from all of the mortal settlements on the island, and everything appeared serene and peaceful.
All of a sudden, Han Li appeared in the sky above the island amid a burst of spatial fluctuations.
At this moment, his entire body was enveloped within a faint watery light barrier, giving him the appearance of an indistinct shadow that could vanish at any moment.
His expression eased slightly at the sight of the serene scenes down below.
In the current Black Wind Sea, only secluded islands like Dark Veil Island could still enjoy this level of peace and serenity.
He cast his gaze downward, and a hint of a surprise suddenly appeared on his face.
The island remained virtually unchanged, except the village-like settlement of the Luo Clan had been completely replaced with a stretch of luxurious palaces complete with exquisite pagodas and pavilions, as well as some lotus flower ponds, resembling a glorious immortal abode.
Streaks of light were flying over the palaces, and all of them were members of the Luo Clan.
There were far more of them than before, and their cultivation bases had also improved significantly on average. It seemed that Dark Veil Island had been thriving since he was last here, and some of the mortal cities all over the island had also enjoyed large population spikes.
A pleased look appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this, and abruptly vanished into thin air, then reappeared in front of a certain place down below.
Inside the palace was a huge altar, upon which stood a deity statue of none other than Han Li.
At this moment, two people were kowtowing and praying to the deity statue.
Both of them were at the Grand Ascension Stage, and bursts of formidable power of faith were converging toward the statue.
Moments later, the two of them rose to their feet, then raised their heads to look up at the statue.
One of these two people was Luo Feng, and he had made significant strides in his cultivation base.
The other person was a middle-aged man with large eyes and bushy brows, and Han Li recalled that he was a Body Integration Stage elder by the name of Luo Ming, but he had also progressed to the Grand Ascension Stage during the past few centuries.
Right at this moment, the sound of footsteps rang out from outside the palace, and a young man who was also dressed in Luo Clan attire arrived.
Instead of entering the palace, he extended a respectful curtsey while standing outside as he declared, "Clan Head, Grand Elder, the preparations for the ceremony are complete."
"Good. Have all of the island masters arrived?" Luo Feng asked as he rose to his feet.
"Island Master Tie Yan and Island Master Chen Zhong have already arrived. Island Master Ling Yun says that he has some matters to attend to on Dusk Cloud Island, so he'll be coming a little later, but he definitely won't delay the ceremony tomorrow," the young man replied in a respectful manner.
A hint of surprise flashed through Han Li's eyes upon hearing this.
Tie Yan and Chen Zhong were a pair of itinerant cultivators who had pledged their subordination to Dark Veil Island in the wake of Han L's slaying of Han Qiu and Mistress Gu Gu, and they had been sent by him to oversee those two islands.
As for Dusk Cloud Island, that was a nearby island, and judging from what the young man had just said, it seemed to have pledged its subordination to Dark Veil Island as well.
Han Li gave a pleased nod upon hearing this.
It seemed that Luo Feng and the others had done quite well, and at this point, Dark Veil Island was most likely one of the most powerful islands in this area.
As for the ceremony, this was an event that was held on Dark Veil Island once every 50 years.
"Alright, you can go now. Proceed according to the plan, and do not gloss over any details," Luo Feng instructed with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Yes, Clan Head," the young man replied with a respectful bow before departing.
Following the young man's departure,Luo Ming asked,"Clan Head, will Master Liu Shi be attending this ceremony?"
He then hesitated momentarily before continuing, "Master Liu Shi has already been in seclusion for several centuries. Is it possible that something's gone wrong with his cultivation?"
"Cease your baseless speculation! Master Liu Shi's powers are unfathomable, how could any problem have possibly arisen in his cultivation? At his cultivation base, it's very common to go into seclusion for hundreds or even thousands of years, so don't say anything like that ever again," Luo Feng scolded with a stern expression.
"I naturally also attribute no weight to these baseless claims, but after the disappearance of Ancestral God Luo Meng in the past, even though our island has been peaceful these past few centuries, many of our people are still quite anxious about the possibility of the ancestral god disappearing again.
“On top of that, with all the conflict taking place in the Black Wind Sea, those concerns have only been heightened, and to further compound these woes, Master Liu Shi hasn't made an appearance in several centuries. Tie Yan, Ling Yun, and the others appear quite respectful and obedient on the surface, but if Master Liu Shi continues to remain in seclusion, there's no telling whether they could hatch some nefarious plans," Luo Ming said.
Luo Feng's brows also furrowed slightly upon hearing this.
"Clan Head, I suggest you go and see Master Liu Shi and implore him to make an appearance at this ceremony, even if it's just this once," Luo Ming advised.
"Alright, I'll put that on my agenda," Luo Feng replied with a nod.
After that, the two of them began to discuss some finer details pertaining to the ceremony, and Han Li discreetly departed.
He had come to see whether Luo Feng had been acting according to his instructions these past few centuries, and he was quite reassured to see that Luo Feng was still performing his duties and obligations.
After leaving Dark Veil Island, Han Li arrived at a nearby region of the sea, where there was a vast vortex that was swirling incessantly.
Han Li flew into the water in a flash, quickly reaching the seabed.
There was a hemispherical blue light barrier that was around an acre in size overlooking the seabed, and layers of rippling blue light were flashing over its surface.
Seawater was able to pass through the light barrier without any impediment, and Han Li cast an incantation seal through the water, upon which an opening immediately appeared on the light barrier, allowing him to fly through.
At this moment, his Earthly Deity Avatar was seated with its legs crossed on the seabed with a thread of blue light hovering above its head. This was a water law thread, and it was far thicker than when Han Li last saw it, with countless tiny runes flashing within it.
The avatar was enshrouded within a thick layer of blue light that was rippling incessantly, and all of the surrounding seawater was swirling around it.
Judging from the formidable spiritual pressure that it was giving off, the Earthly Deity Avatar had already reached the mid-True Immortal Stage, and it was approaching the pinnacle of that stage, so it wasn't far away from the late-True Immortal Stage.
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