The harbor of Kui Xing Island was as bustling as ever. On the ground, numerous large and small sea vessels came and went, shuttling back and forth ceaselessly. In the sky, flashes of various colored lights flickered from time to time as cultivators flew in and out. The mortals on the ground had seen it all and were completely accustomed to it!
However, today a streak of white light flew in from outside the island, swift as lightning. It paused for just a moment above the harbor before shooting straight toward the depths of the island.
If anyone had gotten close enough to the white light, they would have clearly seen two faint figures flickering within. It was none other than Han Li, who had completed one revolution of the "Three Revolutions True Essence Art" and advanced his cultivation to the peak of Foundation Establishment, and his clone "Qu Hun," whose cultivation level had risen to match Han Li's through the accumulation of large quantities of pills.
Speaking of which, over twenty years of compressing his true essence for cultivation had not only made Han Li's techniques far more pure and profound than cultivators of the same level, but the fact that Qu Hun had caught up to his cultivation level during this period had brought Han Li immense joy.
If not for the fact that Qu Hun still needed several special auxiliary items to condense his Yin Spirit Pill, and that Han Li himself needed to prepare for his own attempt at pill condensation, he would not have left his cave dwelling on Little Huan Mountain.
But this time he had made up his mind. Aside from buying supplies and collecting the spirit stones that Shopkeeper Gu had promised him years ago, he would head straight back to the mountain without going anywhere else.
After all, this was a critical period in his cultivation, and he really couldn't afford to be distracted.
With this thought, the Divine Wind Boat carried Han Li and Qu Hun straight toward "Kui Xing City" at the center of the island.
He still had plenty of spirit stones on him, so there was no rush to visit the Gu family first. It would be more convenient to buy his supplies first before heading there.
Several hours later, Han Li faintly saw the massive city enclosed by towering walls.
Although Han Li had never been to "Kui Xing City," based on the markings on the map and the city's imposing grandeur, this was definitely the place.
As he was thinking this, Han Li suddenly felt the Divine Wind Boat beneath his feet sink slightly, becoming heavier by a thousand jin.
Han Li was slightly startled, but immediately understood that he had been caught by a restrictive barrier.
This city truly deserved its reputation as Kui Xing Island's largest city, having set up such a large-scale flight restriction at such a great distance.
Actually, with Han Li's current peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, he could completely ignore this restriction and continue flying forward, at most expending a bit more spiritual energy.
But Han Li didn't want to attract attention, so he stepped on the front of the Divine Wind Boat, and the artifact slowly descended.
Han Li and Qu Hun walked down from the Divine Wind Boat unhurriedly and stood on the ground.
After shrinking the Divine Wind Boat and storing it in his storage pouch, Han Li looked at the massive city in the distance and walked slowly toward it with Qu Hun, a casual smile on his face.
"Kui Xing City" was at least three or four times larger than the other "East Stone City" he had visited!
Walking along a street in Kui Xing City, Han Li gazed at the road wide enough for several beast-drawn carriages to travel abreast, feeling somewhat emotional.
After casually asking a mortal for directions to "Tiandu Street," Han Li and Qu Hun headed without hesitation toward the northern part of the city.
"So this is the so-called 'Tiandu Street'?"
Han Li looked at everything before him with some surprise, his face full of unexpected expressions.
He saw a massive white misty barrier covering the entire northern district of Kui Xing City. This was hardly just one street—there were easily over a hundred streets at least. This was completely different from the single isolated street Han Li had imagined.
But what surprised Han Li the most was that in the middle of this urban area, there was a massive pavilion floating in the sky over thirty zhang above the ground.
The entire pavilion was a dripping emerald green, emitting a faint fluorescent glow, like some enormous piece of jade, truly eye-catching.
Staring at the pavilion that shimmered in the sunlight, Han Li was stunned for a long while.
Although he didn't know how this pavilion could float in the air without falling, Han Li found it truly fascinating.
But just then, Han Li's expression shifted. He immediately gathered his spiritual energy, maintaining his externally revealed power at the level of the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refinement.
Afterward, the sound of footsteps came from behind Han Li, followed by a clear, melodious female voice.
"This senior and fellow Daoist, is this your first time visiting Tiandu Street? Every cultivator who sees the Cloud Dream Pavilion for the first time is always shocked for a long time!"
The woman's voice was as pleasant as an oriole's song, making Han Li turn his head to look.
About a dozen paces behind him stood five cultivators—three men and two women.
Setting the men aside for the moment, the two women were both charming and beautiful, dressed in an extremely daring fashion.
With their simple attire, they not only exposed their fair arms and smooth calves but also wore no shoes or socks at all, their bare feet drawing even more attention. What was more striking were the three exquisite glowing golden rings—one large and two small—worn on their delicate wrists and foreheads, adding a distinctive fiery charm to their appearance.
The three men looked much plainer in comparison. One of them even had a face full of pockmarks, appearing somewhat ugly.
All five were cultivators around the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, and they seemed to be planning to enter the barrier as well.
"Fellow Daoists, who might you be?" Han Li asked, somewhat puzzled, after glancing a few more times at the two women who were quite startling in their appearance.
"This humble one is Yan Li, and this is my friend Yuan Yao. We are loose cultivators from nearby islands. We heard that a batch of rare materials from other major islands had arrived at Tiandu Street today, so we came here with these three fellow Daoists we met along the way to take a look!"
The speaker was a petite, sweet-faced woman with round features. She looked curiously at Han Li and Qu Hun, then smiled beautifully. Her voice matched the one that had spoken earlier.
The other young woman beside her was even more stunningly beautiful, with skin fairer than snow and so delicate it seemed it might break at a breath. Her slender figure was perfectly outlined by her form-fitting attire, making any man who saw her instinctively swallow. She truly had the kind of beauty that could bring ruin to kingdoms.
However, this woman wasn't looking at Han Li. Her bright, beautiful eyes were fixed on "Qu Hun," and a hint of surprise showed on her lovely face.
Seeing this, Han Li secretly frowned.
Although Han Li himself had concealed his true cultivation level using concealment techniques, Qu Hun's late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation was completely revealed.
In Han Li's thinking, having Qu Hun—a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator—accompanying him would not only help avoid many troubles but also prevent other cultivators from harboring any malicious intentions.
But now it seemed that while Qu Hun's presence as a high-level cultivator was certainly intimidating, it was perhaps too conspicuous.
With this thought, Han Li said calmly:
"I must apologize for amusing you fellow Daoists! I am Han Li, and this is my martial uncle Qu Hun. My martial uncle and I are indeed visiting Tiandu Street for the first time."
"I knew it! If Senior Qu and Fellow Han hadn't seen the Cloud Dream Pavilion before, why would you have stopped to stare? Why don't we go in together? My senior sister and I can introduce you to the various shops on Tiandu Street. You should know, even though we're not from Kui Xing Island, we've been to Tiandu Street many times and know everything about it like the back of our hand!" The petite Yan Li said with a giggle upon hearing Han Li's words.
"That's right! If Senior Qu doesn't mind, my sister and I could be your guides for Tiandu Street. We could save you time and help you find what you're looking for," said Yuan Yao, the stunningly beautiful woman, her bright eyes flowing. Her charming, light laughter made it truly impossible for any man to refuse.
Hearing these words, the three male cultivators who had come with the two women couldn't help but look displeased.
But glancing at Qu Hun, this "senior" at the Foundation Establishment stage, they could only remain silent and fume inwardly.
Han Li was secretly startled!
Having beautiful women offer to accompany him was indeed something he had encountered for the first time.
But judging from the two women's gazes, what truly interested them seemed to be "Qu Hun," the senior with profound cultivation, while he was merely an afterthought.
Although he didn't know what the two women were thinking, Han Li had no intention of getting involved with these two beautiful women.
So under Han Li's direction, "Qu Hun," who had remained silent at his side all along, spoke in a hoarse voice:
"No need! I've never liked crowds. Nephew Han, let's go!" With that, Qu Hun grabbed Han Li, who wore a slightly apologetic expression, and strode into the barrier without the slightest intention of continuing the conversation with the two women.
Qu Hun's curt behavior caused the expressions of the two women to shift slightly, filled with disappointment. But the three male cultivators perked up visibly, secretly showing their delight.
"Forget it, you two ladies! This Senior Qu is obviously an eccentric person. Let's just go in by ourselves!" The pockmarked male cultivator said, trying to ingratiate himself as he stepped forward to address the two women.
Hearing these words, the two women nodded their heads gracefully and entered the barrier.
At this point, the figures of Han Li and Qu Hun had long since disappeared among the numerous streets.
Seeing this, the two women showed expressions of resignation and could only randomly choose a shop to enter.