"Is that so? This is the first time I've heard that," Han Li replied as his expression changed slightly.
"It's no surprise that you're unaware of something like this; aside from the old monsters on the holy island, there are definitely less than 20 people who are aware of this. These include the three sovereigns, the Long Family patriarch, and myself," the woman replied with a smile.
"Why are you telling me this?" Han Li asked with a curious look in his eyes.
The woman paused momentarily before replying, "Seeing as you've appeared here, I'm sure you already know that the three devilish patriarchs are going to descend into our Spirit Realm. Have you thought about how you're going to protect your disciples and descendants if our two races were to be defeated by the devilish army?"
"Hehe, I only have a few disciples, and I haven't set up any sect or power, nor do I have descendants to worry about," Han Li chuckled in response.
"Oh? Then why is it that I've heard that your disciples have taken many disciples for themselves?" the woman asked in a slightly surprised manner.
"That's just a sect founded by my disciples; I've never had any direct connection to it. Whether the sect survives or falls will be decided by their fortune," Han Li replied with a smile.
The woman faltered momentarily upon hearing this before a smile returned to her face. "In that case, it seems that I was too nosy."
"Are you really that pessimistic about our chances against the devilish army? The devilish patriarchs are indeed extremely fearsome, but if the Grand Ascension Stage beings of our races were to join forces, we would certainly stand a chance. Besides, the three devilish patriarchs have resounding reputations, but who's actually seen them in action? Perhaps their abilities have been greatly exaggerated," Han Li said.
"I don't think that our races have no chance at all, but the three devilish patriarchs are definitely far more fearsome than the average Sacred Ancestor," the woman replied as a concerned look appeared on her face.
Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but his heart stirred slightly as he said, "Oh? It sounds like you know something about them, Fairy Ye."
The woman paused momentarily before asking, "Come to think of you, you've saved my granddaughter's life in the past and have some ties with our Ye Family, so I'll disclose this to you. How much do you know about the ancestors of our Ye Family, Brother Han?"
"I've only heard that your Ye Family is a true spirit family with a history that stretches back to ancient times; I don't know much more aside from that," Han Li replied.
"There have been several ancestors of our Ye Family who have managed to reach the Grand Ascension Stage, and through a stroke of immense fortune, one of them was able to stimulate her true spirit bloodline to its maximum potential. As a result, she attained incredible powers and snuck into the Elder Devil Realm on several occasions."
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation upon hearing this, but he merely continued to listen in silence.
The woman paused momentarily before continuing, "It's said that this ancestor of ours fought many times in secret with Grand Ascension Stage beings of foreign races, but was never defeated once. However, in order to take that final step, she had to venture into the Elder Devil Realm to search for a few types of precious spirit medicines. The first few trips went very smoothly, but she never returned from her last trip, so she most likely perished in there. However, prior to making that final trip, he left a journal in our Ye Family, and it contained many stories about the Elder Devil Realm. One of those stories was about the time when she had witnessed one of the three devilish patriarchs battling a true spirit in the Elder Devil Realm.
"According to her own assessment, she definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand more than seven or eight attacks from that devilish patriarch, and if she had been discovered at the time, her chance of escaping alive would've been less than 50%. Senior Ao Xiao and Senior Mo Jianli both possess unfathomable powers, but they definitely wouldn't be much more powerful than that ancestor of our Ye Family. If they were to face the devilish patriarchs..."
The woman's voice trailed off there, but it was very clear what she was implying.
Han Li's expression also darkened upon hearing this, but he replied, "Even if the devilish patriarchs really are that powerful, we won't need to directly face them in battle. As beings of a foreign realm, they would definitely be debilitated by the power of our Spirit Realm, and on top of that, I'm sure the holy island and the two Grand Ascension Stage seniors would've devised countermeasures against them. Otherwise, what would be the point of even fighting this battle? As soon as they received news that the devilish patriarchs were going to descend into this realm, they would've evacuated the entire human race."
"That's also my thought process. Otherwise, I would've evacuated our Ye Family long ago. However, if some of our Ye Family could receive protection from the holy island, our heritage wouldn't be completely severed even if our two races were to be defeated," the woman said.
"In that case, why haven't you sought out someone from the holy island to discuss this? Why are you telling me all of this?" Han Li was truly perplexed now.
"Hehe, it seems that you're still now aware of your own worth, Fellow Daoist Han," the woman chuckled.
"What do you mean by that?" Han Li asked.
"Even without this devilish tribulation, how much longer do you think Senior Mo Jianli and Senior Ao Xiao would be able to protect our two races? One of them most likely won't be able to transcend their next major heavenly tribulation, while the other has also been at the Grand Ascension Stage for a very long time and won't be able to transcend many more tribulations, either. Aside from those two seniors, there is no third Grand Ascension Stage being among our two races. Among the Body Integration cultivators, who has the greatest chance of progressing to the Grand Ascension Stage? I haven't heard of any Body Integration Stage beings in the demon race with particularly outstanding talent, and both the Holy Sovereign and the Tyrant Sovereign have a sliver of a chance, but they can't even hold a candle to your freakish aptitude.
"If I'm not mistaken, if it becomes apparent that our two races are going to lose the battle against the devilish army, the first thing that the holy island will do will be to invite you onto the island. Even if we were to lose our current territory, as long as another Grand Ascension cultivator could arise among us in the future, we'll be able to make a resurgence elsewhere," the woman said.
Han Li pondered this for a moment before replying, "I think you're exaggerating, Fellow Daoist, but even if all that is true, what are you trying to say?"
"I have a few descendants who have inherited the purest heavenly phoenix bloodline; I would like you to accept them as your disciples and send them to the holy island along with your other disciple before the final battle commences. If you're willing to do that, I'll be sure to follow your lead during our upcoming journey to the Elder Devil Realm," the woman said in a serious voice.
"You want me to accept them as my disciple? Surely you jest, Fairy Ye!" Han Li exclaimed as he shook his head emphatically.
"I wouldn't make jokes about something like this. I can assure you that all of them are exceptional talents, and you'll only need to provide them with basic instruction, so they definitely won't hold you back," the woman insisted.
"But I have no intention of accepting more disciples. Besides, you don't have to do this if all you want is for some of your descendants to be able to seek refuge on the holy island. If you really think that the holy island will take my opinion into account, then I can write a letter to the elders of the holy island relaying your request to them, but I can't guarantee that it'll work. As for following my lead in the upcoming journey, there's no need for that; I'm sure you'll be able to make wise decisions on your own as demanded by the situation," Han Li said with a meaningful smile.
"In that case, we'll do as you say. It seems that those descendants of mine simply are fortunate enough to be chosen as your disciples. Having said that, I promised to follow your lead, and I intend to see through that promise, so you can rest assured. Truth be told, even without raising this request, I had still planned to follow your lead during this journey," the woman said with a slightly sly smile.
"Oh? You seem to have a lot of trust in me, Fellow Daoist. Isn't the leader of our group supposed to be Fellow Daoist Long?" Han Li asked as he stroked his own chin.
"Hmph, the Long Family has plotted against our Ye Family on countless occasions; I'm not going to place my trust in him. I'm doing this for the sake of my descendants, but also for my own sake. I hope we can forge an alliance to ensure our survival in the Elder Devil Realm. Who knows if Fellow Daoist Long and those Spirit beings will have other plans once we enter the Elder Devil Realm? I have no interest in becoming cannon fodder for anyone," the woman harrumphed coldly.
"I see. Alright, I'll enclose a message in a jade slip, and I'm sure you'll have a way to get the jade slip to your descendants. Just tell them to deliver the jade slip and an item that I can be identified by to Deep Heaven City and seek out my disciples. Our trip into the Elder Devil Realm could take up to several decades, so we'll most likely miss the final battle against the devilish army," Han Li said as he flipped a hand over to produce a jade slip.
The woman was ecstatic to hear this. "You have my thanks, Brother Han."
Han Li merely smiled and injected his spiritual sense into the jade slip to store a message into it.