Chapter 406 311: Return (2)

If neither he nor Han Yuan were present, and that so-called Immortal Sect Organization made another move, Changming Province City would likely be plunged into a state of utter devastation.

"Agreed." Han Yuan had no desire to wait around, either.

The two of them quickly left Shunping County Town, found their Dragon Blood Horses, and headed directly back to Changming Province City.

...

Two days later, Han Yuan and Tong Fengyang returned to Changming Province City.

The scenario Tong Fengyang had feared did not come to pass. Changming Province City was still quite peaceful.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Supervisor Han, I must return to the Celestial Net Department to report the situation in Shunping County Town. I'll take my leave now."

Tong Fengyang said, cupping his fist.

"Alright. If there's any news on Wooden Snake, please have someone inform me, Director Tong."

Han Yuan said softly.

"No problem."

Tong Fengyang nodded and left quickly with the two Dragon Blood Horses.

Han Yuan, for his part, returned to the Great Demon's Headquarters.

The moment he returned, he went straight into his private chamber. Even Tan Yong wasn't able to see him.

After swallowing a few Elixir Pills, Han Yuan began circulating his energy to heal his wounds.

During this process, he began to recall his battle with Wooden Snake.

In truth, there wasn't much to analyze. After all, he had been utterly crushed.

The only surprise was Xie Zhang's appearance.

At the time, Han Yuan had been about to use the Sword Talisman that Li Baozhou had left him.

But then Xie Zhang suddenly appeared, allowing him to save a Sword Talisman.

'Wooden Snake... You'd better not get yourself killed by Xie Zhang.'

'I'm coming for you.'

Han Yuan muttered to himself.

Calming his Heart Spirit, Han Yuan circulated the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Skill and began to repair his injuries.

「Three days later.」

Han Yuan only emerged from his seclusion after his injuries had completely healed.

Outside the private chamber, a disciple of the Great Demon Palace had been waiting for him.

Seeing Han Yuan emerge, the Great Demon Palace disciple stepped forward and reported, "Supervisor Han, Director Tong of the Celestial Net Department sent someone with a letter for you."

Han Yuan took the letter and asked casually, "When did this arrive?"

"Just yesterday."

"Vice Supervisor Tan told me to stand guard at the chamber door and give you the letter as soon as you came out of seclusion."

After listening, Han Yuan nodded. "You may go."

The disciple respectfully withdrew.

Han Yuan opened the letter.

The letter's contents described some follow-up developments.

First was the matter of Wooden Snake. Xie Zhang had pursued him for three days, but Wooden Snake still managed to escape.

Currently, all the powers within the Great Li Dynasty were hunting for Wooden Snake.

Note: *all* the powers.

It wasn't just the Celestial Net Department; the Sect World of the Great Li Dynasty was also hunting Wooden Snake.

The implications of Wooden Snake's appearance were simply too significant.

This was especially true of the Immortal Sect Organization behind him, which wanted to reopen the Immortal Gate that had been the source of countless disasters.

This was something that none of the powers would ever allow.

However, as of the time this letter was sent, there had been no news regarding Wooden Snake.

'The Immortal Sect... What on earth are those guys planning...'

Han Yuan's eyes narrowed.

However, these were matters that he was not yet able to get involved in.

For now, he could only wait for further news.

However, judging from Tong Fengyang's letter, finding Wooden Snake would be incredibly difficult.

It was likely that the only way to find even a single trace of him was through the unique methods of the Abnormal People.

'I'll worry about that later... Improving my own strength is the only thing that matters.'

Han Yuan took a deep breath.

He summoned Tan Yong, gave him some instructions, and once again entered a state of secluded cultivation.

...

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, more than four months had passed.

During this time, Han Yuan had been holed up in his private chamber, obsessively grinding the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Skill.

He had only gone out twice.

Both times were because a Spiritual Land had appeared in the Changming Province City region.

Han Yuan, naturally, wasn't going to miss such an opportunity.

Those two were Low-class Spiritual Lands, which allowed Han Yuan's Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Skill to advance by leaps and bounds.

But Han Yuan once again faced a new problem: he had run out of the subsequent levels of the Cultivation Technique.

With no other choice, Han Yuan could only make a trip back to the Great Demon Palace.

'I've only cultivated the first three layers of the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Skill so far,' Han Yuan thought. 'For Situ Hui, it shouldn't be time to reveal his true intentions yet.'

'He's just doing this to control the pace of my cultivation.'

'So this trip shouldn't be dangerous.'

「Demon Cave Ridge.」

Han Yuan once again stood before the main gate of the Great Demon Palace.

And as it happened, the person guarding the main gate today was an old acquaintance: Elder Song Chen.

"Elder Song, do they have you personally standing guard at the gate now?"

Han Yuan said, somewhat surprised.

"What choice do I have? Everyone thinks I'm in league with a guy like you."

"Countless eyes are on me from morning till night, just waiting for me to make a mistake."

"Do you think I'd dare not stand guard here myself?"

Song Chen said with a heavy sigh.

Then, he pulled Han Yuan into a nearby corner.

"Weren't you doing just fine staying in Changming Province City, kid?"

"Why'd you suddenly come back?"

Song Chen asked in a low voice.

"I had to come back."

"But don't worry. If things go smoothly, I'll be leaving right after."

Han Yuan said.

He had no intention of staying long in the Great Demon Palace.

To be honest, he despised the environment of the Great Demon Palace.

It was sunless and bleak, without a single ray of light.

Narrow, cramped, and gloomy...

Anyone who stayed in such an environment for too long would probably go mad.

"Mm... that's good, then."

Song Chen didn't ask what Han Yuan had returned to do.

Knowing too much was, more often than not, a bad thing.

"I'm heading in, then."

In truth, Han Yuan didn't have much to say to Song Chen either.

After entering the Great Demon Palace, Han Yuan could instantly feel many eyes falling upon him.

He paid them no mind and walked directly toward the True Demon Hall.

His appearance was destined to stir up an undercurrent of turmoil within the Great Demon Palace.

Dong Sen and Zheng Xi both received news of Han Yuan's return at the earliest possible moment.

However, neither of them made any rash moves, choosing instead to observe.

After all, from their perspective, Han Yuan's sudden return from Changming Province City was very likely because Situ Hui had summoned him.

When Situ Hui saw Han Yuan in the True Demon Hall, he was also surprised.

"What's a kid like you doing back here?"

Situ Hui said with a smile.

"I came to see how you were doing, old man."

"You don't seem to be in the best of shape."

Han Yuan was also smiling.

He wasn't wrong.

More than half a year had passed, and Situ Hui looked as if he had aged several more years. The age spots on his skin were more pronounced, and the aura of death around him had grown thicker.

"Heh heh, don't you worry. I can still live for several more decades, no problem."

Situ Hui's eyes narrowed.

"That's a relief."

"If you were to suddenly pass away one day, I imagine my two senior brothers would make a move against me immediately."

Han Yuan said with a smirk.

In front of Situ Hui, he wasn't the least bit reserved, saying whatever came to his mind.

"Alright, enough of your nonsense."

"What do you really want, coming back this time?"

Situ Hui didn't want to waste any more time with Han Yuan.

Hearing this, Han Yuan got straight to the point. "Naturally, I want the subsequent levels of the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Skill."

Situ Hui was taken aback. "It's only been half a year, and you've already finished all three layers?!"

He recalled that when he had cultivated the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Power, it had taken him ten years to complete a single layer.

And that was a cultivation speed achieved only with the help of all sorts of Spiritual Elixirs and multiple trips into Spiritual Lands.

But to finish three layers in just over half a year?!

"Of course. I'm a genius."

Han Yuan said confidently.

"Is that so..."

Situ Hui's gaze flickered for a moment.

But in the end, he smiled. "Since that's the case, I'll impart the cultivation technique for the fourth to sixth layers to you."

But Han Yuan wasn't satisfied. "That's too little. Just give me all the way up to the tenth layer. It'll save me the time and trouble of running back and forth."

"The tenth layer..."

Situ Hui didn't immediately refuse Han Yuan, but instead fell into thought.

Seeing Situ Hui's expression, Han Yuan knew there was hope.

It wasn't long before...

Situ Hui said softly, "I can impart to you the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Skill from the third to the tenth layer."

"But the old rule still applies: you cannot reveal the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Skill to anyone."

Han Yuan agreed immediately.

Of course, the fact that Situ Hui had agreed so readily also raised Han Yuan's guard.