Aside from Ming Zun, there were three men and two women in the hall.

One of the three men was an imposing black-armored man with a menacing appearance, while another was a wizened elderly man holding a cane with the grip carved into the shape of an ornate dragon's head.

As for the final man, this was a refined and elegant scholar who appeared to be around 20 years of age with a peculiar-looking azure bamboo tube strapped to his back.

As for the two women, one of them was a yellow-robed daoist nun who appeared to be around 30 years of age with a round face, while the other woman wore a green palatial dress with a slightly dark complexion and a pair of bright and intelligent eyes.

"You're late, Yin Gangzi. If I recall correctly, you're always raring for a good battle, so I thought you'd arrive before everyone else," the black-armored man chortled.

Yin Gangzi seemed to be quite familiar with the black-armored man, and he replied, "Hehe, I encountered some slight trouble on the way here, so I was delayed for a few days. Otherwise, I would've definitely arrived before you, Fellow Daoist Hua Ying."

"I've heard much about your Fortune Physique, Brother Yin, but I never got a chance to see it during our previous encounters; surely you'll be displaying it against a true immortal," the woman in the palatial dress said with a smile.

Yin Gangzi seemed to be rather wary of this woman, and he put on a slightly forced smile as he replied, "My Fortune Physique is nothing compared to your bonded ability, Mistress Wu."

As for the other three people in the room, none of them said anything, but it was clear from their expressions that they were quite familiar with Yin Gangzi as well.

It was no wonder that this was the case. After all, all of them were vastly renowned Grand Ascension Stage beings who had lived for countless years, so they would've all encountered one another at some point.

As such, they were naturally rather intrigued by the unfamiliar face that was Han Li.

"Who's this fellow daoist, Brother Ming? I don't think I've ever seen him before," the daoist nun asked with a smile.

"This is Fellow Daoist Han Li of the human race. He only progressed to the Grand Ascension Stage not long ago, but I'm sure you've all heard of him," Ming Zun replied with a smile.

A hint of surprise flashed through the daoist nun's eyes upon hearing this. "Han Li? The human Grand Ascension Stage being who slew the Stemborer Queen in the Elder Devil Realm?"

"I can't take anywhere near full credit for slaying the Stemborer; the rumors about me are far too exaggerated," Han Li replied with a smile.

Everyone else in the room was also rather surprised to hear this; it was clear that all of them were at least somewhat aware of just how fearsome the Stemborer Queen had been.

"In any case, that Stemborer Queen was something that even true immortals were unable to tame. With your inclusion, our chances of success will be greatly elevated," the black-armored man said.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you only recently reached the Grand Ascension Stage, so I'm sure you haven't had a chance to meet these fellow daoists; allow me to introduce them to you. This is Fellow Daoist Hua Ying of the Giant Hand Race; he's particularly adept in concealment arts. This is Mistress Wu of the Ancient Dawn Race, who’s renowned for her bonded Zhu Rong Divine Flames, which are capable of melting mountains and boiling oceans..." Ming Zun took the initiative to introduce everyone to Han Li, and even though none of these people were particularly renowned among normal cultivators, it was clear that they were the ones who stood at the pinnacle of the entire Spirit Realm.

"Brother Ming, we're taking on a true immortal here; surely there are more people than this," Yin Gangzi said as he took a seat with Han Li.

"Of course. Aside from the fellow daoists gathered here, Fellow Daoist Leng of the Golden Stone Race, Fellow Daoist Yun Dan and Fellow Daoist Yue Shu of the Heavenly Cicada Race, as well as Xuan Jiuling, will also be arriving soon," Ming Zun replied.

Aside from Han Li, everyone's expressions changed slightly upon hearing this, and it was clear that these four were all very formidable beings.

"I didn't think that Yun Dan and Yue Shu would agree to join this alliance; how did you manage to convince those two, Brother Ming?" the young scholar asked with a wary look on his face.

"Hmph, so that Xuan Baling has changed his name to Xuan Jiuling; looks like he must've slain another true spirit. That madman has become an obsessive cultivation freak, but I have to admit, his powers are becoming more and more unfathomable. I'm also very curious about how you were able to convince him to participate," Yin Gangzi said with a dark expression. [1]

"It's very simple: for Yun Dan and Yue Shu, I promised them that our trade guild will do three things for them after the event, and they just so happen to have an important matter that requires the assistance of our trade guild. As for Fellow Daoist Xuan Jiuling, I didn't even have to persuade him; he immediately agreed upon hearing that the opponent was a true immortal. Hehe, for someone like him, the opportunity to face a true immortal is the best possible compensation," Ming Zun explained.

"Considering how crazy he is, that actually makes a lot of sense," Yin Gangzi chuckled.

As for the young scholar, his expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he didn't say anything further in the end.

"I had invited some other fellow daoists as well, but they either couldn't make it in time or had other important matters to attend to, so they won't be joining us. Otherwise, our chances of success would've been even higher," Ming Zun said in a slightly forlorn manner.

"Is that true immortal really that fearsome? Even with all of us participating in this ploy, it sounds like you're still not fully confident that we'll succeed. According to the ancient tomes I reference, all true immortals who had descended into our Spirit Realm had been severely debilitated by the power of this realm; surely there's no way he'll be powerful enough to contend with all of us," the elderly man holding the golden cane said.

"I'm well aware of this myself. If this were a normal immortal, we would naturally be able to crush him with ease. However, this is no ordinary immortal," Ming Zun replied with a wry smile.

"What do you mean?" The elderly man faltered slightly upon hearing this, and everyone else was also rather befuddled.

"Judging from the feats of this true immortal on the other continents, I can tell you that he's definitely no ordinary immortal. Instead, the comparison between him and the average immortal would be similar to that between one of us and the average Grand Ascension Stage being. On the Blood Sky Continent, he slew 16 Grand Ascension Stage beings in a single day, including three fellow daoists who were no less powerful than myself, so we definitely can't afford to be complacent," Ming Zun explained in a cautious manner.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Bi Ying had perished by his hands, and I also heard some rumors about him facing three true spirit beings on the Thunder Continent. The latest news I received was that he had gotten himself a servant who is also quite powerful; have you managed to find out who this servant is, Fellow Daoist Ming?" Mistress Wu Ling asked.

"You have some impressive sources of information, Mistress Wu. Indeed, the true immortal has recruited a new servant, and according to the results of our trade guild's investigation, we've ascertained this servant to be Yang Deer, one of the three true spirits summoned by the Jiao Chi Race," Ming Zun replied with slightly furrowed brows.

"What? Yang Deer was tamed rather than slain by the true immortal?" Everyone was astonished to hear this, and a contemplative look also appeared on Han Li's face.

"That's right, I'm sure you all understand why I'm being so cautious now. Aside from all of the fellow daoists I've recruited, I'll also be summoning the four powerful true spirits worshipped by our trade guild. On top of that, we'll be setting up the Bipolar Annihilation Formation using a pair of Profound Heavenly Treasures to ensure that he won't be able to escape."

"Your trade guild really is going all-in here!" Yin Gangzi said as he drew a sharp breath, and everyone else was also stunned to hear this.

"The duty of our trade guild's existence is to maintain peace in the Spirit Realm, and we won't allow even a true immortal to place that into jeopardy. Of course, considering the significant contribution our trade guild is making, if we manage to successfully defeat that true immortal, our trade guild will be taking a third of his treasures while the rest will be split among all of you; I'm sure no one will have any objections to that," Ming Zun said.

Everyone began to exchange hesitant glances upon hearing this, while Ming Zun merely waited patiently for a response.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this, and he said, "I have no objection to your trade guild taking a third of the treasures, but I have a condition: if you find any immortal secret techniques or cultivation arts in that true immortal's possession, I hope each of us can receive a replica free of charge."

"That's a great suggestion from Fellow Daoist Han; I fully agree."

"I also support this proposal..."

Everyone's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this, and they all offered their support.

Ming Zun's expression changed slightly in response, but after some brief contemplation, he decided to agree.

Thus, everyone was very pleased, and their first impression of Han Li had also improved.

After that, they discussed some matters surrounding the plan to target the true immortal, and the meeting concluded several hours later.

Everyone settled into some of the buildings in Sky's Beyond, and Han Li flew over to a massive rock that was slightly further away before taking residence in a relatively intact pavilion.

1. In Chinese, 八(ba) is eight, while 九(jiu) is nine, so the number in Xuan Baling's name increased to Xuan Jiuling. This clearly has something to do with the number of true spirits that he had slain in the past.