The giant silver ship was noticed by the guards on the city wall once it reached within 50 kilometers of the city, and a group of demonic cultivators immediately rose up into the air before flying toward the ship.

"We pay our respects to our patriarch!"

These demonic beings wore suits of armor of different colors, and most of them were at the Core Formation Stage or Nascent Soul Stage. After flying to around 500 meters away from the ship, all of them stopped before falling to their knees in a fervent manner.

"No need for formalities. I'm going back to my cave abode, so you can continue with what you've been doing," Patriarch Ao Xiao instructed in an implacable voice from inside the ship.

"Yes, Patriarch!"

Patriarch Ao Xiao had ruled over the demon race for tens of thousands of years and was worshipped as a god by normal demonic beings, so the guards naturally didn't offer any objections.

All of them immediately parted to open up a path, and the flying ship continued to fly toward Cottonwood City as a ball of silver light.

All of the restrictions up ahead also parted on their own, thereby granting the ship passage straight into the top level of the city, where it slowly descended onto a heavily guarded plaza.

Almost at the exact same moment, a white-haired elderly man emerged from a teleportation formation on the corner of the plaza amid a flash of spiritual light, then immediately made his way over to the ship with a faint smile on his face.

The elderly man had a very benevolent appearance with a pair of remarkably long earlobes that almost trailed down to his shoulders. With each step he took he covered a distance of over 100 feet, and after just a few flashes, he had arrived beside the silver ship.

All of the guards on the plaza immediately extended deep bows, seemingly filled with respect and admiration for the elderly man.

"Hehe, you finally came back, Ao Xiao. You've been away for a very long time; if you had been away for much longer, I would've been worried that you may have been killed by the devilish army," the white-haired elderly man chortled in a boisterous voice.

"Hmph, those devilish brats aren't enough to pose a threat to me. Having said that, it sounds like you were genuinely worried about me," Patriarch Ao Xiao harrumphed coldly in response from within the ship.

Immediately thereafter, the ship began to rapidly shrink amid a flash of silver light, and once the light faded, the ship also disappeared, only for several humanoid figures to take its place.

These were none other than Han Li, Silvermoon, and Patriarch Ao Xiao, as well as his entourage.

The white-haired elderly man smiled as he cast his gaze toward Ao Xiao, and said, "Brother Ao Xiao, our human and demon races have always been close allies; if you had gone missing under these circumstances, I would struggle to hold down the fort on my own."

"That is indeed true, but rest assured, I may not have much time left, but I won't be dying anytime soon. At the very least, I have to last through this devilish tribulation. By the way, this is Fellow Daoist Mo; I'm sure you've heard of him, Fellow Daoist Han," Patriarch Ao Xiao said as he motioned toward Han Li.

"Junior Han Li pays his respects to Senior Mo Jianli!" Han Li immediately stepped forward before extending a respectful bow toward the white-haired elderly man.

Even though Patriarch Ao Xiao hadn't mentioned the elderly man's name, his Mo surname and Grand Ascension Stage cultivation base, as well as the fact that he was a human, were sufficient factors for Han Li to deduce his identity.

Mo Jianli faltered slightly upon hearing this before an elated look quickly appeared on his face. "Han Li? Are you the cultivator from our human race who only took less than 1,000 years to reach the Body Integration Stage? I heard that you entered the Elder Devil Realm with that Long brat and the others; did you just return from the Elder Devil Realm?"

It was clear that he had also been keeping tabs on Han Li.

Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this, but he immediately replied, "Indeed, Senior Mo. I only returned from the Elder Devil Realm not long ago, and I just so happened to run into Senior Ao Xiao in the Wood Tribe territory."

"Haha, it's extremely impressive that you were able to survive in the Elder Devil Realm for so many years; you really are an incredible talent!" Mo Jianli praised.

"Hold on, Old Man Mo; take a look at who this is," Patriarch Ao Xiao suddenly interjected.

Mo Jianli turned toward Daoist Xie upon hearing this, and a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes. "Hmm? This aura seems to be really familiar somehow."

"Hehe, take a closer look Old Man Mo," Patriarch Ao Xiao chuckled.

Mo Jianli was even more curious upon hearing this, and golden light flashed through his eyes, upon which his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "You're not a living being! Could it be that you're that golden crab from the Elder Devil Realm?"

"I remember you. Tens of thousands of years ago, you tried to enter the Bitter Spirit Island with some other Spirit Realm beings, but you were severely wounded by the sea of lightning and forced into retreat," Daoist Xie said in an expressionless manner.

A slightly awkward look flashed through Mo Jianli's eye, and he asked, "So it really is you! Why did you take on a human form and leave the Devilish Origin Sea? And why has your cultivation base plummeted to the Body Integration Stage?"

"Hehe, Brother Xie has taken a liking to Fellow Daoist Han, and they made an agreement for Brother Xie to stay with Fellow Daoist Han for some time," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied.

"Is that true, Han... Fellow Daoist Han?" Mo Jianli was ecstatic to hear this, and he was even referring to Han Li as an equal.

"There were some other circumstances involved, but that's the gist of the matter. As for the fall in Brother Xie's cultivation base, this is a result of a special ability that he used a while ago, and his powers will recover soon," Han Li replied with a smile.

"That's great to hear! Fellow Daoist Xie has remained in the Elder Devil Realm for countless years, and many powerful beings from a whole host of different realms have tried to recruit him as an ally. There have even been Grand Ascension Stage beings among them but all of them have failed, who would've thought that you would succeed? Looks like I have an exceptional successor!" Mo Jianli said with glowing eyes.

"There's another piece of good news I have to tell you, but if I reveal it to you here, you'll most likely make an absolute fool out of yourself, so let's head to your abode first," Patriarch Ao Xiao said.

"There's more good news? I'm very much looking forward to hearing it. Come, I have two flagons of Immortal Leaf Wine offered to me by the people of the Wood Tribe in my cave abode; let's sample the wine together as we talk," Mo Jianli said in an excited manner.

Han Li and the others naturally had no objections to this, and they all left the plaza using the teleportation formation.

Around an hour later, everyone arrived in a hall constructed entirely from purple spirit wood. Mo Jian occupied the main seat, and Patriarch Ao Xiao, Han Li, and Daoist Xie were also sitting in chairs, while Silvermoon and Zhu Guo'er were standing behind them.

Silvermoon's expression was completely aloof and indifferent, while Zhu Guo'er was virtually brimming with excitement.

Han Li was currently downing a cup of viscous nectar-like spirit wine, and as soon as the wine slid down his throat, it immediately transformed into a burst of pure energy that spread through his entire body, striking him with a sense of comfort and warmth.

"This is exceptional wine!" Han Li couldn't help but praise with a hint of surprise on his face.

"This Immortal Leaf Wine is brewed from the sap that flows from the holy tree of the Wood Tribe, and the entire Wood Tribe can only produce around 100 flagons of this wine per century. If it weren't for Fellow Daoist Han and Brother Xie's arrival, I wouldn't have been willing to bring out something so precious," Mo Jianli said with a smile.

"It's a pity that the holy tree had to be moved during the invasion of the devilish army, and the tree was harmed quite substantially during the process," Patriarch Ao Xiao sighed in a forlorn manner.

"Not only that, but the grand elder of the Wood Tribe is currently also resting in the holy tree, hoping to draw upon the tree's spiritual Qi to recover to his former Grand Ascension Stage powers, but if you ask me, even if he manages to recover, it'll take many years, and he most likely won't be able to play a further role in this devilish tribulation," Mo Jianli also sighed in response.

"The Wood Tribe is currently sorely lacking in top-tier powerful beings as a result of its battles against the devilish army. It's only with the assistance of our races that it's just barely able to maintain its current situation, so we never expected much from them in the first place," Patriarch Ao Xiao said with a cold smile.

"In the Wood Tribe's current state, it's hard to say whether it's even going to be able to continue to maintain its independence in the Spirit Realm, but that has nothing to do with us. Now then, can you tell me this good news that you were referring to earlier, Fellow Daoist Ao Xiao?" Mo Jianli sighed before changing the subject.

"Hehe, the good news is that Fellow Daoist Han managed to enter the Spirit Cleansing Pond and consume the Clean Spirit Lotus in the Elder Devil Realm, something that even we were unable to do," Patriarch Ao Xiao chuckled in response.

Mo Jianli's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he immediately rose to his feet as he exclaimed, "What?! Is that true?!"