Han Xuanji thought for a moment, then asked the little white tiger:
"Do you know who the strongest cultivator in Eastern Cang Province is?"
"No."
The little white tiger shook his head and asked curiously:
"Who is it?"
"I don't know either."
Han Xuanji said mildly:
"So if you ran into an expert like that, would you be able to recognize them?"
"What if that Demon King were someone else's demon pet? Even if you won the fight, what would happen in the end?"
"If you really want to go out, fine. Just don't mention my name if you stir up trouble."
Hearing this, the little white tiger immediately recalled what had happened to the people from the Demon Taming Sect and hastily abandoned his plan to go out and have fun.
"I was wrong, Master."
"Mm."
"Focus on cultivating. Once you become the strongest Demon King in the Great Void Spirit Realm, I won't stop you from going out to explore."
Han Xuanji dangled a tempting promise at just the right time.
This time, though, the Demon King's emergence had also drawn in Nangong Wenjian, a genius sword cultivator, and had indeed sparked widespread discussion.
After all, a Void Return Realm Demon King was a frightening prospect.
Han Xuanji himself felt little about it. The Demon Race was no weak force in this world and had once stood on equal footing with the Human Race. Later, however, human prodigies emerged in succession, and the Human Race gradually gained dominance over the continent, while large numbers of the Demon Race were driven to Ten Thousand Demons Province.
Even so, powerful Demon Kings still appeared in various parts of the continent.
These Demon Kings generally did not dare launch large-scale attacks and could only occupy a place and make themselves kings of the mountain. If they truly dared slaughter the Human Race on a large scale, high-level human cultivators would naturally step in.
Life in the sect was occasionally dull, but the feeling of growing stronger at every moment made it immensely fulfilling.
It was far more interesting than going out and fighting and killing.
Time lost its meaning in the mountains; when the cold passed, one no longer knew what year it was.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
On this day.
Han Xuanji slowly opened his eyes:
"I've finally reached Void Return Realm Perfection."
A smile appeared on his face.
"Cultivation really does slow down at the later stages. I didn't expect it to take me more than ten years to reach perfection in the Void Return Realm."
Han Xuanji sighed softly, somewhat wistful.
At this moment, the spiritual power within Han Xuanji was like rivers and seas, while his Qi and Blood had reached a peak.
Cultivators who reached this realm had already transcended the ordinary; a mere gesture could destroy a great city.
"Now that I've reached perfection, I can consider breaking through."
"Where would be a good place to undergo my tribulation this time?"
Han Xuanji pondered.
The Body Integration Great Tribulation was even more powerful, so he could not afford to be careless.
He still planned to use the Heavenly Divination Technique to find a good place, then rest and recuperate for a while to bring himself into peak condition before proceeding.
He only hoped there would not be so many upheavals this time.
He only wanted to break through safely.
Just then, the little white tiger came running over excitedly and said:
"Master, I picked up something good."
"What is it?"
"This token. It feels like a treasure."
As he spoke, the little white tiger produced a token from who knew where.
Han Xuanji looked closely and found it very familiar.
"Isn't this an Azure Dragon Abode Token?"
He then remembered that he had one too, but the token had never shown any reaction, and he had gradually all but forgotten about it.
It was said that the Azure Dragon Immortal Abode would only open once all those fated to receive tokens had obtained them.
When the time came, many people blessed with great fortune would gather at the immortal abode to compete for the inheritance.
"Keep it safe for now. It'll be very useful when the time comes."
Han Xuanji said no more about it.
The little white tiger nodded and began chatting about some gossip he had heard.
"I heard that the Demon King in Yong Province has ties to the Heavenly Devil Cult and is planning to target the cities under the Divine Profound Sect's protection."
"Where did you hear that?"
Han Xuanji frowned and asked.
"Uh, Master, don't you have a friend called Lu Fan?"
"Apparently, he was the one who spread the news. Lots of people in the sect are discussing it now."
"But I heard that the Demon King said he'd stop if the Divine Profound Sect was willing to hand over two disciples."
"Which two?"
Han Xuanji asked in puzzlement.
"One of them is Lu Fan. The other is someone called Lin Potian."
The little white tiger answered without hesitation.
"Huh?"
Han Xuanji's heart stirred.
He had not expected there to be a connection between those two.
He did not dwell on it, however, and instead asked:
"The sect couldn't possibly agree, could it?"
"Of course not. If it agreed, where would the Divine Profound Sect put its face?"
After spending more than ten years in the human world, the little white tiger had picked up some Human Race ways of thinking.
"A Void Return Demon King shouldn't have the nerve to provoke the Divine Profound Sect. It seems this fellow has something to rely on."
Han Xuanji spoke mildly.
"Is the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty just standing by and doing nothing?"
"Master, there's something you don't know. The Great Xia Imperial Dynasty can barely take care of itself right now and has no mind to interfere in the affairs of the cultivation world."
The little white tiger spoke mysteriously:
"The current Ming Emperor is a man of great talent and vision, and he's in his prime. From the moment he ascended the throne, he issued many policies and established a Brocade Guard to keep watch over officials throughout the land. In just a hundred years, the nation's strength has caught up with Great Xia's. Now the entire imperial dynasty is united as one, like an iron bucket, and naturally intends to expand. Great Xia's southern region is first in its path."
Han Xuanji looked thoughtful.
On the Nine Provinces Continent, many nations stood side by side, and Eastern Cang Province was no different. Great Xia was the strongest among them, occupying the land where Spiritual Qi was most abundant, while the Great Ming Imperial Dynasty lay south of Great Xia, along the sea.
Han Xuanji had also heard that Great Ming's rapid rise was inseparable from the Bright Moon Divine Cult.
"Truly a season of troubles."
Han Xuanji sighed softly, but his gaze had already returned to the stillness of an ancient well.
The conflicts of the outside world and the rise and fall of dynasties were, to him, no more than drifting clouds passing over the road to longevity.
For now, the most important thing was to step into the Body Integration Realm.
His mind grew still, and he began calculating the most suitable place to break through to the Body Integration Realm.
Countless invisible threads of cause and effect, spiritual hubs of the earth veins, and the Qi of heaven and earth flashed rapidly through his consciousness as he ruled out regions beset by ominous Baleful Intent, unstable Qi, or the possibility of attracting the attention of powerful enemies.
A moment later, the light of the vertical eye settled, pointing southwest.
"Yong Province, the Devil-Trapping Mountain Range?"
Han Xuanji thought silently.
Legend had it that a peerless devil had been suppressed there. Over long years, his Devil Qi had seeped into the earth veins, tainting some of the Demon Beasts there with a devilish nature. Exceptionally vicious, they often formed beast tides that threatened Human Race cities.
Ordinary cultivators could not avoid the place quickly enough, though disciples of some righteous sects occasionally ventured inside to slay demons and exterminate devils.
Ever since a Demon King had taken up residence there, the place had become a forbidden zone in the eyes of many.
But he had already reached Void Return Perfection, so naturally he would not care about such a minor threat.
The Heavenly Divination Technique was his innate Divine Ability, so naturally it would not harm him.
"Little White."
Han Xuanji looked at the little white tiger.
"Master?"
The little white tiger immediately pricked up his ears.
"Get ready. We're going to the Devil-Trapping Mountain Range."
"The Devil-Trapping Mountain Range?!"
The little white tiger's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly:
"Are we going to wipe out that Demon King and then take over the mountain as its kings?"
Perhaps it was an instinct in his bloodline, but the little fellow was extremely keen on taking over a mountain and ruling it as king.
"I'm going to undergo my tribulation. You'll guard me. If any blind fools show up, you can deal with them."
Han Xuanji's tone was calm.
The little white tiger did not think much of it when he heard that, and hurriedly said:
"Yes, Master! Leave it to me!"