Yellow Court Daoist

"I've hit the jackpot!"

In Han Ling City, Han Ling'er dispelled her Dharma Body and suddenly stood up, her delicate face beaming with joy. Despite being a True Immortal, she couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking without any concern for decorum.

Her heart was racing with excitement.

So much so, Han Ling'er even pushed the thought of the roaming Lord of Star Absorption to the back of her mind, wishing she could rush back to the Spirit Domain this instant to manage the various affairs of the Mingqing Spirit Water and its sales channels.

"No hurry."

"No hurry."

"If the Star Absorbing Demon Spirit is let loose, it could cause no small disaster; even the Mountain and Water Realm could be reduced to ruins."

Han Ling'er suppressed her impulses.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Star sect was founded on the strength of Arrays, and they have been in the business of Array Plates and Array Flags for a long time. With her status as Han Immortal, it was not really difficult to combine her own business with selling Mingqing Spirit Water.

She didn't even have to do it herself; her disciples could handle it quite easily.

With that thought in mind,

Han Ling'er calmed the wild horses in her heart, once again sat cross-legged, her small face wrinkled in thought, pondering a fast solution for dealing with the Lord of Star Absorption.

"The Lord of Star Absorption is slow and his attack power is average, his offensive techniques are even quite limited."

"But his physical body alone is formidable, able to withstand the full force of the 'Ziwei Beidou Judge Fate Array' and come and go inside it as he pleases."

Han Ling'er's brows knitted slightly.

The Great Array in Han Ling City, though set up by her mentor, was one she was most proficient in, renowned for being 'ever-changing like the Heavenly Mechanism, inscrutable to humans and startling to gods.' With it, she was able to stand her ground against even old True Immortals of the Sensing Realm and demons without falling short.

Even this Great Array could not take care of the Lord of Star Absorption, so even if Han Ling'er personally took action alongside the entire battle array of Han Ling City, the effect of surrounding and killing the Lord of Star Absorption would not be much better.

"The 'Star-Picking Warrior' is just Fourth Rank at its peak, and limited in number, not significant enough to make an impact."

"The Star Destroying Crossbow has immense destructive power, but cannot break through the Lord of Star Absorption's defense."

"The Ziwei Beidou Judge Fate Array can neither trap nor kill the Lord of Star Absorption."

At her wit's end!

For a moment, Han Ling'er was utterly out of strategies.

"The defense of the Lord of Star Absorption might be on par with a Peak True Immortal who has transcended the Nine layers Wind and Fire Tribulation and forged an Immortal body."

"It might even rival a True Miao Realm True Immortal!"

To eradicate such a formidable being by herself, "unless my Han Ling City somehow comes up with a Fifth-Order Daoist Soldier spiritual building, or we get help from another Mahayana True Immortal, or we further enhance the power of the 'Ziwei Beidou Judge Fate Array.'"

But that was just wishful thinking.

Fifth Order Daoist Soldiers were comparable to True Immortals, and a single one of them was worth a fortune, let alone a spiritual building capable of nurturing a Fifth Order Daoist Soldier, which was even more priceless. On its own, it was worth as much as a rudimentary battle city.

Take Yuan Gui City, for example.

"Yuan Gui City."

"Xuanwu Tower—"

The light in Han Ling'er's eyes flickered and then died, and she muttered to herself with a pout, "I have no clue about the background of this young Taoist, and he won't be easy to fool. Getting the Xuanwu Tower from him would probably be harder than reaching the heavens."

There was no immediate prospect for the Fifth Order Daoist Soldier.

As for a Mahayana True Immortal,

"If Meng Ba were here, with the physical strength and power of his Black Armor Clan, as long as he could just hold back, grapple, and tussle with the Lord of Star Absorption for a while, perhaps it would be possible to slay it."

Sadly, Meng Ba was still recovering from serious injuries and would need at least two or three hundred years.

That plan wouldn't work either.

With both plans failing, other potential solutions like enhancing the power of the Great Array or acquiring more powerful weapons of war were beyond Han Ling'er's current financial capabilities.

"Well then."

"We'll just play the waiting game for now. With the profits from the Mingqing Spirit Water, as long as I have enough time, I'll be able to arm Han Ling City to the teeth. Then, we'll add three to five Fifth Order Daoist Soldier Spirit Buildings, and fully equip with War City Divine Weapons like the 'Sun-shooting Bow,' 'Destruction God Eye,' 'Controlling Void God King Venerate Statue.'"

"Even the top-tier Lord of Star Absorption will be blasted to smithereens!"

Han Ling'er clenched her fists, her eyes ablaze with fighting spirit.

As she mulled over her options,

Outside in the Void, a Black-faced Daoist strode forward, landing before Han Ling City and loudly proclaimed, "Zhou You Mountain Xun Zhenbei has come to visit Han Immortal."

...

"So, it's the esteemed Zhou You Mountain Xun Zhenbei who graces us with his presence. I am remiss in not welcoming you from afar, please forgive me."

Upon seeing the visitor, Han Ling'er greeted him with a bow and a smile.

"The Immortal is too kind."

Xun Zhenbei replied with repeated modest disclaimers.

This Han Immortal was no ordinary person; not only had she been accepted early under the mentorship of a Grandmaster at the One-Line Sky Passage, but she also ascended to True Immortal status within five thousand years of cultivation. Her command of the 'Ziwei Beidou Judge Fate Array,' having fully grasped the True Inheritance of Ancestor Qin Feng, allowed her to match two True Immortal Demon Kings without falling short.

She was no ordinary True Immortal.

Even Xun Zhenbei, with strong backing, did not dare to take her lightly, especially since his visit was born out of a request for her help.

"May I know the purpose of Fellow Daoist's visit?"

Han Ling'er played dumb with sophistication, pretending ignorance as she looked towards Xun Zhenbei.

"Embarrassing to say."

Xun Zhenbei laughed bitterly, "In this Mountain and Water Realm, there's a sect called 'Green Wood Valley.' It originated from one alchemical lineage of our Six Skill Pavilion. However, several hundred years ago, it was overrun by Demon Cultivators from the Lower Realm, their lineage coming to an abrupt end. The Ancestor of our Pavilion decreed that this Demon must be captured and punished. But the Demon is cunning and elusive."

His face showed a mix of apology and frustration at the difficult task at hand.

It's a helpless situation.

Around seven hundred years after the destruction of Green Wood Valley, Xun Zhenbei had employed many strategies—

such as sending an avatar to the Lower Realm.

Or seeking the 'Burning God Book' within the Seven Extremes Mountain.

But all efforts were in vain, and even the Burning God Book backfired, killing all the Primordial Spirits of Green Wood Valley and directly leading to its demise. Although it was a sect of the Lower Realm, it was, after all, a lineage of Daoist heritage. Coupled with the many secrets that Lu Qingfeng possessed, Xun Zhenbei was far from willing to give up.

Over the years, he never ceased his pursuit.

This time, when the Demon Spirit caused havoc, Han Ling'er was ordered to deploy War City to guard the Mountain and Water Realm, Xun Zhenbei knew the time was ripe. The barrier between the two worlds made divination difficult, and Lu Qingfeng's whereabouts were obscured. But with War City in place, the array blanketed an entire realm; searching over and over, through decades, centuries, even if the heavenly fates were hidden, they could still find clues and trace them out.

To deal with Lu Qingfeng, Xun Zhenbei had long prepared a Fourth-Rank Daoist Soldier. Once they located his position, they would swarm him, ensuring he'd have no chance to escape.

They just awaited War City's positioning.

Originally waiting quietly in Zhouyou Mountain, as soon as he heard of Han Ling'er leading War City to the Mountain and Water Realm, Xun Zhenbei hastened over.

"Mr. Xun's visit here is precisely to request Han Immortal to utilize War City's Great Array to track the devil's whereabouts, so as to help Mr. Xun legally bind this demon!"

Having stated his purpose, Xun Zhenbei turned to Han Ling'er, silently awaiting her response.

But he saw—

The Han Immortal wore an expression of difficulty.

Xun Zhenbei's heart furrowed with worry, and with hesitation, he asked, "Immortal, is there something troubling you?"

"Alas!"

Han Ling'er sighed deeply and shook her head, "Had this been a few months earlier, all would've been easy. But in the past few months, the very devil Fellow Daoist mentioned prevented the Star Absorbing Demon Spirit disaster from spreading throughout the Mountain and Water Realm, saving countless Life Spirits, earning significant Merit. With my master's renowned benevolence known unto all under heaven, how could he allow me to commit such acts?"

Upon hearing this, Xun Zhenbei's heart sank abruptly, "I am well aware of Grandmaster Qin's reputation for benevolence, but merit is merit and fault is fault. Surely Grandmaster Qin wouldn't confuse the two. I implore the Immortal to open a path of convenience."

As Xun Zhenbei spoke, he bowed deeply to Han Ling'er, with earnest sincerity.

"Fellow Daoist, why do this?"

Han Ling'er hastily sidestepped, yet remained adamant and shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I am powerless in this matter. Once the Trouble of the Star Absorbing Demon Spirit is resolved, Fellow Daoist is free to ask any War City Lord in the Six Skill Pavilion to come forward. But I dare not violate my master's teachings."

...

Thirty minutes later.

Xun Zhenbei stepped out of Han Ling City, his face growing darker, "That Han Immortal, to fob me off with Qin Feng's reputation!"

With his experience and wisdom, of course, he could see Han Ling'er's intention to evade.

Hence, he did not linger, and soon left Han Ling City.

Yet, Xun Zhenbei genuinely couldn't comprehend—

"Why is Han Ling'er so protective over that demon?"

"Could it be—"

Xun Zhenbei's eyes narrowed, as he turned to look back at Han Ling City, his expression shifting, "This matter must be reported promptly; only my Master's personal intervention will suffice."

Urgency surged through Xun Zhenbei's heart.

His Daoist robe billowing, he lingered no longer, and disappeared into the dark depths of the Void.

In Han Ling City.

Han Ling'er, remaining inside the city, watched Xun Zhenbei's departure, her face revealing a mocking smile, "All for a mere ten Immortal Crystals, you want this Immortal to capture that little Daoist for you; how can you underestimate people so?"

Putting aside the issue of Green Wood Valley's collapse being a question of merit or fault.

Just as Han Ling'er said, simply due to Lu Qingfeng dealing with the Star Absorbing Demon Spirit disaster tied to the Three Mountains and Nine Waters, she had enough reason to stand aside. Moreover, now Lu Qingfeng could bring her profits beyond Xun Zhenbei's wildest dreams, Han Ling'er was even more inclined to protect him.

"War City is rare."

"And an idle War City is even rarer."

"Even in the Six Skill Pavilion, before a War City is crafted, its ownership is decided, its deployment's timing and direction are fixed. It's not done at a whim. For Xun Zhenbei to confront that little Daoist, he would need to catch War City at its initial forging, be close with the lord of War City, and have it vacant for decades before its deployment."

"How could meeting all these conditions be easy?"

Han Ling'er couldn't help but laugh.

Looking at it this way, she was also quite fortunate. The trouble of the Star Absorbing Demon Spirit in the Mountain and Water Realm was first discovered by the Heavenly Star Sect, and thus they were tasked with dealing with it.

Had another sect come across such a hugely profitable discovery, she would have missed out.

"However,"

"Xun Zhenbei will surely not let the matter rest."

"It seems I need to prolong my stand-off with the Lord of Star Absorption, wait until I've earned enough Immortal Crystals."

A crafty smile crossed Han Ling'er's face.

The Void is vast.

Finding a world rich in Life Spirit is no easy task. Around the Three Mountains and Nine Waters, there was but this single place. If the Lord of Star Absorption did not wish to give up, he would have to linger nearby, at most haunting some dilapidated stars or desolate, uninhabited worlds.

No harm to the life or limb of any Life Spirit.

No significant harm done.

"This little Daoist owes this Immortal another favor!"

Han Ling'er beamed brilliantly and dispatched the Star-Picking Warrior to scout the Void for the whereabouts of the Star Absorbing Demon Spirit.

Unable to resolve the issue for now but needing to keep an eye on its movements, lest the Lord of Star Absorption elude them unknowingly, and jeopardize the grand scheme.

...