"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue; have you been well?" Han Li fully intended to continue in his assault, but he could only forcibly repress his fury for now.
After all, he was on relatively good terms with Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, so he couldn't just afford him no consideration at all.
Master Azure Dragon was naturally very relieved to see the arrival of Buddhist Monk Jin Yue.
He was well aware of just how fearsome Han Li was so, he naturally wanted to avoid a battle. It was just that Han Li was insulting him in front of these juniors, so he had to protect his own pride and reputation.
He immediately cupped his fist a polite salute toward the monk, and said, "Forgive me for not coming out to greet you, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue."
"I received news that Fellow Daoist Han had returned to the city, so I immediately set off to come here. Thankfully, I managed to get here in time before the situation escalated any further. I notified two of the fellow daoists who just so happened to be nearby on my way here, so they should arrive soon as well; please allow the three of us to mediate this conflict. After all, we are in the midst of a devilish tribulation, and both of you are top-grade powerful beings of the city, so any conflict between the two of you could affect the internal stability of the city, isn't that right, Fellow Daoist Gu?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue suddenly turned toward the entrance of the hall with a meaningful expression as he spoke.
"I really must thank you, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue. If you hadn't stepped in, perhaps my Origin Pocket Pavilion would cease to exist from this day forth!" A burst of hearty laughter rang out, following which a grey humanoid figure appeared outside the door without any warning.
It was a grey-robed elderly man with a dark complexion.
"Fellow Daoist Gu!" Han Li was immediately able to identify this man as the owner of the Origin Pocket Pavilion, whom he'd met on several previous occasions.
"It's fantastic to see that you've made a safe return, Fellow Daoist Han; you have to come pay me a visit when you have some spare time. I really am very interested to hear how you managed to escape from a Sacred Ancestor," the grey-robed man said with a smile.
Even though he had only met Han Li on a few fleeting occasions, he was speaking to Han Li as if they were old friends."You're speaking far too highly of me, Brother Gu; I only escaped from a Scared Ancestor clone. If a Sacred Ancestor's true body had come after me, there's no way I would've been able to escape," Han Li explained with a wry smile.
"Even so, it's still a testament of your powers that you were able to escape from a Sacred Ancestor clone, Brother Han," the grey-robed man countered with a shake of his head.
Han Li naturally wasn't going to argue the issue any further, and he merely smiled before turning to Buddhist Monk Jin Yue. "Who's the other fellow daoist you were referring to aside from Brother Gu, Fellow Daoist Jin Yue?"
"Hehe, rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han; it's an acquaintance of yours," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said with a smile.
"An acquaintance of mine?" Han Li's eyes narrowed lightly upon hearing this, and a certain person instantly sprang into his mind.
Master Azure Dragon cleared his throat and was just about to say something when silver light suddenly flashed outside. A streak of silver light flew into the hall, then faded to reveal a silver-robed woman.
The woman was none other than Fairy Silver Light, and an elated look immediately appeared on her face at the sight of Han Li. "Brother Han, your powers have progressed significantly again! I must congratulate you. After the battle at Heavenlean City, I was pursued by a devilish lord and encountered some additional unexpected troubles, so I only recently made it back to the city as well."Han Li faltered slightly before a smile appeared on his face. "Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Silver Light."
"Alright, seeing as everyone's here, let's all take a seat and discuss the matter at hand," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said.
"You're asking me to take a seat with Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon? I'll pass; I have no interest in wasting any further time with the likes of him," Han Li said with a cold expression.
Master Azure Dragon's expression darkened even further upon hearing this.
"How dare you insult me like this? If you want a fight, then I'll give you a fight!" he yelled in a furious voice.
"I'm more than happy to oblige!" Han Li replied without any hesitation, and azure light flashed from his body as he prepared to resume the battle.
"Hold on, fellow daoists! Please listen to what I have to say. Fellow Daoist Silver Light may not be aware of the details behind this, but Fellow Daoist Gu and I are both aware of what's been going on. It's just that the devilish army has recently increased the intensity of their assault against the city, so we haven't had a chance to step in. Come to think of it, we really must apologize to you, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix," Buddhist Master Jin Yue said in an apologetic manner as he hurriedly stepped in again.
The Ice Phoenix was indeed rather displeased with Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and the other elders, but she displayed no sign of this. Instead, she replied in a respectful manner, "Azure Dragon is the one behind this; it has nothing to do with you or anyone else, Senior."
Buddhist Monk Jin Yue shook his head as he replied in an earnest manner, "I may not be directly responsible for this, but as an elder of Deep Heaven City, I certainly can't shake off all responsibility. However, seeing as Azure Dragon is now also an elder of the city, I hope that you can let things slide, Brother Han. After all, Benefactor Azure Dragon did indeed do something wrong, but he hasn't caused any harm to Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix. How about we get Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon to offer some spirit stones to Fairy Ice Phoenix as compensation? As for the sum of the spirit stones, I'll make sure that it's satisfactory to Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix."
"Do you think I'll be in need of spirit stones, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.
"You naturally won't be in need of spirit stones, but I'm sure they'll be greatly welcomed for Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix. Of course, if you have some other conditions, you can state them as well," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said.
After pondering this proposition for a moment. Han Li didn't give an immediate response. Instead, he turned to the other two Body Integration Stage elders, and asked, "Brother Gu, Fellow Daoist Silver Light, what do you think?"
"I normally wouldn't offer my opinion in something like this, but in the face of the pressure exerted on the city by the devilish army, I also hope that the two of you can set aside your differences to ensure the internal cohesion of the city isn't disrupted," Elder Gu replied in a slightly ambiguous manner.
Han Li displayed no reaction to this wily as he turned toward Fairy Silver Light.
"I only recently returned to the city, but I've some things about this, and I also think that Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon has gone too far. However, every Body Integration cultivator is an extremely precious resource to the city, so I wouldn't want to see a battle between you two, either. Having said that, I don't think spirit stones alone will be enough as compensation; I suggest Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon offer Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix some additional treasures or materials that she requires as well," Fairy Silver Light suggested, and it was quite clear that she was taking Han Li's side.
"Hmph, so all three of you are convinced that I'm in the wrong here," Master Azure Dragon harrumphed coldly.
"I'm sure you know better than anyone else whether you're at fault, Fellow Daoist! Are you going to make us find evidence against you? If so, we have some right here." Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's expression also darkened slightly as he turned toward Xiao Hong's group in a calm manner.
Xiao Hong and the others all lowered their heads upon hearing this and didn't dare to respond.
Finally, Han Li turned to the Ice Phoenix, and asked, "What do you think, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix?"
"With so many seniors present, it's not in my place to say anything; I'll let you make the decision, Brother Han," Ice Phoenix replied.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he contemplated the manner for the moment before continuing, "In that case, setting aside the aforementioned spirit stones and treasures, I have another condition. If he agrees, then I'll let things slide for now."
"What's your condition, Fellow Daoist Han?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue asked.
"It's very simple; I can't say that I'm rolling in wealth, but I'm certainly not missing spirit stones and treasures. My condition is for Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon to take three attacks of mine without evading. After that, I'll let things slide," Han Li said as a cold look flashed through his eyes.
"What? You still want a fight, Brother Han?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue was rather alarmed to hear this.
"It's not a fight; I'm only asking him to take three attacks from me. I think it would be more apt to refer to it as a sparring match," Han Li countered in an indifferent manner.
After discussing this with Fairy Silver Light and Elder Gu for a short while, Buddhist Monk Jin Yue turned to Master Azure Dragon. "What do you think of this, Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon?"
Master Azure Dragon hesitated momentarily before asking in a cautious manner, "Is the usage of treasures permitted?"
"Cultivators like you and me rely heavily on our treasures, so their usage is naturally permitted. What's the problem? We're both of the same cultivation base; are you so unconfident in your own abilities that you don't even dare to take three attacks from me?" Han Li asked with a hint of mockery in his voice.
Master Azure Dragon hesitated momentarily before finally giving a cold harrumph. "Hmph, there's no need to goad me; I agree to your condition."
Just as Han Li had said, if he didn't even dare to take three attacks from another cultivator of the same cultivation base, then his reputation in Deep Heaven City would be swept to the ground.
"Good. Seeing as you have no objections, either, let's find a place and settle this matter as quickly as possible. I don't want to waste any more time than is necessary on something like this," Han Li said with a cold look in his eyes.
"Sure, you pick the place!" Master Azure Dragon replied without any hesitation.
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