The woman in purple stared blankly at Han Li, as if she had been completely intoxicated by the sight of him.

At the same time, the purple mist around her faded to reveal a set of peerlessly gorgeous features.

Her face was slightly pale, but there was no mistaking it; she was none other than Han Li's soulmate from the human world, Violet Spirit.

However, her aura had changed drastically, and not only was she cultivating devilish arts, she had reached the late-Spatial Tempering Stage.

Han Li now realized that the familiar figure that he had seen in Blue Waterfall City had been none other than Violet Spirit, but he had simply convinced himself that it wasn't her due to the massive change in her aura.

After spending several romantic months with Han Li all those years ago, she had completely disappeared, and aside from Nangong Wan, she was definitely the woman that Han Li thought the most about.

Now that he was unexpectedly meeting her in the Elder Devil Realm, his heart was naturally filled with elation.

"I didn't think that I would ever get to see you again after entering our holy realm, Brother Han. Even now, I'm wondering to myself whether I'm daydreaming again because I miss you so much," Violet Spirit said in a gentle voice, and Han Li's heart throbbed slightly with pain upon hearing this.

A wry smile appeared on his face as he said, "I've also been keeping an eye out for you ever since I ascended, but I didn't manage to find any news about you; never did I think that you would be in the Elder Devil Realm!"

However, as they were speaking, he suddenly took a glance at Lan Ying and the devilish woman as a cold look flashed through his eyes.

The devilish woman's expression darkened slightly upon seeing this, and she stepped forward to position herself in front of Lan Ying.

Lan Ying immediately realized what was happening, and she waved a hand toward the woman with a faint smile as she said, "So this is the man you've been thinking day and night about, Sister Violet. I had thought that he'd be extremely handsome to make you enamored by him. If it weren't for my divination, you wouldn't have turned up today, and the two of you wouldn't have been reunited; are you planning to kill the matchmaker now that the match has been made?"

"Stop spouting nonsense, you silly girl! Your divination only worked due to sheer dumb luck; it doesn't count! Brother Han, there's no need to worry about silencing them; Ying'er is an extremely close friend of mine, and there's no way she'll leak your identity. On top of that, the Vast Origin House isn't a power that's local to the Elder Devil Realm. Instead, it has branches spread over several realms, and there are over 10 stand-in house masters like her in each realm; they even have branches in the human world. Otherwise, the Vast Origin House wouldn't have been able to stand for so many years under the scrutiny of so many Sacred Ancestors," Violet Spirit explained.

Han Li drew a sharp breath upon hearing this, and an incredulous look appeared on his face. "They have branches across several realms? Why have I never heard of the Vast Origin House in the human world?"

"We are known as the Vast Origin House here, but we're naturally going to use different names in different realms. Otherwise, someone traveling across multiple realms would easily be able to draw the connection," Lan Ying said with a hint of a smile on her face.

"I see, forgive me for being presumptuous," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in an apologetic salute.

Lan Ying opened her mouth to say something further, but Violet Spirit suddenly interjected, "Don't blame Brother Han for being overly cautious, Ying'er; he doesn't know about our relationship, so it's no surprise that he's treating the situation with caution."

"Never did I think the day would come when Sister Violet would value love over friendship; you've only just reunited with your old lover and you're already speaking for his sake," Lan Ying said with an amused smile.

In the presence of Violet Spirit, her calm and steadfast facade had been completely discarded, and she was now more like an impish little girl.

"What nonsense are you spouting now!" Violet Spirit glared at Lan Ying as a blush appeared on her face.

Lan Ying merely smiled in response and suddenly changed the subject. "I'm sure there are many things you two would like to discuss, so Aunt Zhu and I are going to rest on the fifth floor for now; we'll come back down after you two finish catching up. You're very familiar with the restrictions Vast Origin House, so I'd suggest you activate the restrictions first before discussing anything else. Here is the restriction badge for this level."

Lan Ying rose to her feet as she spoke, then swept a sleeve through the air to release a badge that was enveloped in a ball of white light.

"You have my thanks, Ying'er," Violet Spirit said as she caught the badge in an elated manner.

"I'll be taking my leave then," Lan Ying extended a slight curtsey before making her way upstairs with the devilish woman.

The two of them arrived in a room with antiquated decor on the fifth floor, and Lan Ying sat down on a chair with a contemplative look in her eyes, while the devilish woman stood beside her.

"What do you think of this Fellow Daoist Han, Aunt Zhu?" Lan Ying suddenly asked.

"Which area are you referring to?" the woman asked in a befuddled manner.

"Let's talk about his powers first. Do you think he's the human Body Integration Stage cultivator who's been wreaking havoc all over our holy realm with that Faux Immortal Puppet?" Lan Ying asked.

"He's a human cultivator, and his surname is Han, so they're most likely one and the same. As for his powers, I can sense that his aura is extremely complex, and he definitely isn't a normal Body Integration cultivator. On top of that, I can sense that he's very dangerous and has definitely killed a lot of people," the woman replied.

"In that case, even if we discount that Faux Immortal Puppet, it would be very much worth trying to recruit him," Lan Ying mused.

"That would indeed be fantastic for us. Seeing as he's a good friend of Young Mistress Violet, I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to recruit him," the woman said with a smile.

"I don't think so," Lan Ying said with a shake of her head.

"Why is that?" the woman asked.

"Sister Violet and I are indeed extremely close, but that doesn't mean that man also sees us as close friends. I haven't interacted with him much, but I can tell that he possesses immense mental fortitude and definitely won't be easily swayed by things like relationships and emotions. If we want to befriend him, we'll have to offer him some practical benefits," Lan Ying analyzed in a very level-headed manner.

"Back when the old house master was around, she would always praise your unmatched intellect; I'm sure you're making the right judgment here. However, our Vast Origin House is currently situated in a tough period, so it would be difficult for us to offer anything that would catch the eye of a late-Body Integration cultivator like him," the woman said with furrowed brows.

"Have you forgotten our line of business, Aunt Zhu? We may not be able to offer him any valuable treasures, but we just so happen to have a massive favor that we can redeem, isn't that right?" Lan Ying replied with a smile.

An enlightened look appeared on the woman's face upon hearing this. "You don't mean..."

Meanwhile, Violet Spirit was chanting an incantation while waving her badge through the air, and the entire fourth floor of the pavilion was enshrouded within a colorful light barrier,

Violet Spirit then stowed the badge up her sleeve, following which Han Li asked, "I recall you weren't cultivating any devilish arts back in the human world, Violet Spirit; how did you ascend to the Elder Devil Realm and cultivate this devilish art to such an extent in such a short time?"

"That's a long story. In comparison, I'm more interested to know if you're the human cultivator who's been tipping our holy realm onto its head recently, Brother Han," Violet Spirit said with an amused smile.

"As long as there isn't another human cultivator who's entered the Elder Devil Realm and creating a massive spectacle, then that does appear to be me," Han Li replied with a wry smile.

"So it really is you! I've heard that not only are you at the pinnacle late-Body Integration Stage, you also possess a giant crab puppet that's more powerful than even most Sacred Ancestors; is that true?" Violet Spirit asked in an elated manner.

"The rumors are slightly exaggerated, but they're mostly grounded in truth. The giant crab puppet is currently accompanying me on my journey, but I'm not its master, and I'm unable to directly control it," Han Li replied with a smile.

"To think that you've reached the cusp of the Grand Ascension Stage in such a short time; I'm sure you've endured a lot of hardships and perils since we last met, right?" Violet Spirit sighed.

"I did, but I managed to weather the storm and cultivate to this point, so those hardships weren't endured for nothing, at least. I can sense that the devilish Qi within your body is extremely pure; you're not far away from making a breakthrough to the Body Integration Stage, right?" Han Li asked in a concerned manner.

"At the very latest, I'll be attempting a breakthrough to the Body Integration Stage in 100 years, but I can't even begin to compare with you; ever since I arrived in the Elder Devil Realm, I've been given all of the resources I could ever need for my cultivation, and even the pills required to make the Body Integration Stage breakthrough have been prepared for me well in advance. Otherwise, there's no way I would've been able to progress to this point with my aptitude," Violet Spirit replied.

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before immediately asking, "Who would provide you with all these resources for no reason? They must have some ulterior motive!"

"I'm sure you've heard of Sacred Ancestor Liu Ji by now, right?" Violet Spirit sighed.

"Of course, she's one of the three devilish patriarchs! Having said that, I've never met her in person. Is she the one supporting your cultivation?" Han Li asked as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"That's right, I'm currently her seventh and youngest disciple. I'm referred to as her disciple, but in reality, I'm most likely just a backup clone," Violet Spirit replied.

Han Li's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and a furious look appeared in his eyes. "Backup clone? Did she place a restriction on your body?"