Half a year later, the Inkyspirit Holy Ark arrived at Deep Heaven City, and the humans and demons in the city immediately erupted into a frenzy.

Not only did all of the elders in the city rush out to greet Han Li, they immediately notified Mo Jianli, who just so happened to be cultivating in seclusion near the city.

After greeting the elders and allowing the human cultivators on the ark to choose to stay or leave, he remained on the ark alongside the cultivators of the Small Spirit Sky who had chosen to stay, awaiting Mo Jianli's arrival.

A day later, Han Li was chatting with Nangong Wan in the cabin of the ark when he suddenly rose to his feet with a smile, and said, "Brother Mo is here. Come and meet him with me, Wan'er."

Nangong Wan had already heard of Mo Jianli from Han Li, and she smiled as she replied, "I'd be happy to meet Fellow Daoist Mo Jianli."

Thus, Han Li released a burst of azure light out of sleeve to sweep up both himself and Nangong Wan, then shot out of ark's cabin as a ball of azure light.

Moments later, Han Li and Nangong Wan appeared on the deck before casting their eyes toward the distance, where a streak of white light was approaching them at an incredible speed.

After just a few flashes, the streak of light arrived above the ark, then faded to reveal Mo Jianli, who looked down at Han Li with a smile as he said, "It's been a while since we last met, Brother Han; how have you been?"

"Thank you for keeping me on your mind, Brother Mo. Thankfully, I was able to complete the objective of my trip and was reunited with my dao companion from the human world. Wan'er, come and greet Brother Mo," Han Li replied with a smile.

"Oh? Is this your dao companion, Brother Han?" Mo Jianli asked with a smile.

"Nangong Wan pays her respects to Senior Mo Jianli. I was trapped in the Small Spirit Sky until recently, but I've heard many things about you from my dao companion. I truly admire the work you've done as the supporting pillar of the human race," Nangong Wan said as she extended a respectful curtsey.

"You're far too kind, Fairy Nangong. Please, there's no need for formalities. Fellow Daoist Han and I are very close friends, so you can refer to me as an equal from now on. If you don't mind, you can call me Brother Mo," Mo Jianli said with a wide smile.

Nangong Wan was aware that Mo Jianli and Han Li did indeed share a close bond, so she complied with this request to refer to him as Brother Mo.

Mo Jianli's smile widened even further upon hearing this, and he pulled out a silver jade box before offering it to Nangong Wan. "This is our first meeting, so I can't just let you go away empty-handed. I just so happen to have a set of 108 Yin Maiden Needles in my possession; they're quite a rare top-grade treasure, and they'll be a perfect gift for you."

Nangong Wan could tell that these Yin Maiden Needles were indeed a very precious treasure, and she immediately offered her gratitude, then accepted the silver box before opening the lid to reveal 108 thin black needles, each of which was several inches in length.

The needles were very thin and frail in appearance, but they were releasing wisps of glacial Qi, and one would immediately be struck by a bone-chilling sensation upon appraising the needles with their spiritual sense.

Nangong Wan instantly realized that this set of treasures was far more precious than she had anticipated, and she offered Mo Jianli her gratitude again before carefully stowing the jade box away.

Meanwhile, Han Li looked on with a smile and didn't ask Nangong Wan to refuse Mo Jianli's present.

"Brother Mo, let's talk in the cabin of the ark. During this trip, I went to the Blood Sky Continent and learned many things. On top of that, I have two pieces of news, one good and one bad, to tell you," Han Li said as a serious look appeared on his face.

Mo Jianli's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, and he nodded in response.

Thus, Han Li made an inviting hand gesture, and the trio made their way into the ark's cabin.

As soon as the three of them took a seat, Mo Jianli asked, "Can you disclose the two pieces of news you have for me now, Brother Han?"

"Of course. Which one would you like to listen to first?" Han Li asked with a smile.

"I'll go with the good news first so my mood isn't soured right away. No matter how terrible the bad news is, at least I can be happy about the good news before hearing the bad news," Mo Jianli replied with a wry smile.

"Alright, the good news is that aside from rescuing Wan'er from the Small Spirit Sky, the other objective of my trip was to save a human fellow daoist who had been trapped on the Blood Sky Continent for many years. Not only has she been freed, she had also become a Grand Ascension Stage being," Han Li said with a smile.

Mo Jianli immediately rose to his feet with an ecstatic expression upon hearing this. "What? So that means our human race has another Grand Ascension cultivator? You're not playing a joke on me, are you?"

"Hehe, I wouldn't lie to you about something like this, Brother Mo. However, due to some reasons, including a need to consolidate her cultivation base, she'll be staying on the Blood Sky Continent for a few more years before returning to our human race," Han Li replied.

"Haha, our human race can certainly afford to wait a few more years for another Grand Ascension Stage being. May I ask the name of this fellow daoist? Is it someone I'm familiar with?" Mo Jianli asked.

"Back when this fellow daoist left our human race, she was already at the Body Integration Stage. Her name is Ice Soul; I'm sure you would've heard of her," Han Li replied.

"Ah, Fairy Ice Soul, I do indeed have some recollection of her. I recall that she's also an ascended cultivator, and Fellow Daoist Ao and I once discussed her back when she reached the Body Integration Stage. I didn't think that she would've also progressed to the Grand Ascension Stage," Mo Jianli said as a reminiscent look flashed through his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Ice Soul shares some ties with me, and I was also quite surprised that she had reached the Grand Ascension Stage. In any case, this is fantastic news for our human race," Han Li said with a smile.

"Indeed, our human race has never had more than two Grand Ascension cultivators among its ranks at once. On top of that, you're one of the most powerful Grand Ascension Stage beings in existence, and you can easily take on several other Grand Ascension cultivators on your own. It looks like it's about time our human race expanded its territory," Mo Jianli said with an elated expression.

"I'm afraid this isn't a good time for territorial expansion," Han Li said as a grim look appeared on his face.

Mo Jianli's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. "Oh? Why is that? With our current power, the nearby foreign races are no match for us; what concerns do you have, Brother Han?"

"This ties in with the piece of bad news I have," Han Li replied.

Mo Jianli's heart jolted slightly upon hearing this. "Ah, I was too happy about the good news and forgot about the bad news. Is it something very serious?"

"Serious is an understatement; this is something that could easily result in our entire human race being erased," Han Li replied with a wry smile.

Mo jIanli's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. "What? It's that severe? What's going on?"

"I didn't witness this myself, but I was informed of everything by the He Lian Trade Guild, and back when I was leaving the Blood Sky Continent, the entire continent had been in a state of panic and chaos over this matter. Recently, what appears to be a true immortal arrived in our realm..." Due to the severity of this matter, Han Li made no effort to conceal any details and gave Mo Jianli a comprehensive recount.

After a while, Han Li finally concluded his story. "For now, I agreed to Ming Zun's proposal to form an alliance. If there really is a chance that we can defeat that true immortal, then I'll most likely have to get involved. Otherwise, if he seeks out our human race, our entire race will be in grave peril. Do you have any other ideas about this situation, Brother Mo?"

Mo Jianli was already rooted to his seat, and only after a brief stunned silence did he reply, "It's incredible to think that a true immortal has appeared in our Spirit Realm. This is an extremely serious matter, so please afford me some time to think before I give you a response, Brother Han."

"Of course, take your time, Brother Mo. Wan'er, get someone to brew some spirit tea for us," Han Li said.

"I'll brew some special tea from our Small Spirit Sky myself for Brother Mo," Nangong Wan replied in a gentle voice as she rose to her feet.

Han Li nodded in response, and thus, Nangong Wan extended a slight curtsey toward Mo Jianli before departing in an elegant manner.

Shortly thereafter, a flagon of elixir-like spirit tea was carried into the hall on a pristine white jade platter.

Nangong Wan poured a cup of tea each for Han Li and Mo Jianli, then returned to her seat with a smile.

At this moment, a thought finally seemed to have occurred to Mo Jianli, and he said, "Brother Han, I've identified an area of ambiguity, and I was wondering if the He Lian Trade Guild mentioned this to you."

"What is it, Brother Mo?" Han Li prompted.