Chapter 1076: Reunion of Old Acquaintances

"That's the Heavenly Fox Bloodform Saber! Who are you? Why is that saber in your possession?" the middle-aged interrogated in a cold voice.

A faint smile appeared on the black-robed young man's face, and all of a sudden, he transformed into a silver-haired young man amid a flash of crimson light.

To Han Li's surprise, the young man was none other than Fox 3.

Han Li didn't know if Fox 3 had also managed to identify him, given that he had adopted a disguise of his own.

"Ninth generation disciple of the Heavenly Fox Tribe, Liu San, pays his respects to his senior!" Fox 3 greeted with a respectful bow.

The middle-aged man's expression eased slightly at the sight of Fox 3's true appearance, but his voice remained rather cold as he remarked, "I didn't think that I would meet my brethren here. In that case, was that man the one who gave you the Heavenly Fox Bloodform Saber?"

"Yes, but also no," Fox 3 replied in a respectful manner.

"I have no interest in playing word games with you here! If you've already chosen to side with him, then why did you come here? Were you thinking that I wouldn't kill you just because we're both from the same tribe, or are you of the opinion that you can oppose me thanks to the Heavenly Fox Bloodform Saber?" the azure-robed man asked as a hint of killing intent flashed through his eyes.

"I wouldn't dare to think that, Senior. Your mastery of the laws of illusions is far beyond anything I can fathom. Even with a few more Heavenly Fox Bloodform Sabers at my disposal, I'd definitely be no match for you. I've come here because our tribe has been swept up in some unrest recently, and I'm hoping that you can return with me to help our tribe overcome this crisis," Fox 3 replied in an earnest fashion.

"Back when I departed, I already made it clear that I was cutting all ties with the Heavenly Fox Tribe. I can see that you're a bright, young talent, so I'm going to spare you. Leave this place right now!" the azure-robed man said in a cold voice, following which he snapped his fingers, and Lekima immediately disengaged itself from its battle against the black-robed woman before flying back to the man's side.

"The laws of reincarnation really are just as formidable as the rumors suggest. It's a pity that we can't fight to our hearts' content here. Let's continue our battle some other time!" Lekima said with fierce battle intent still burning in its eyes.

Instead of pursuing Lekima, the black-robed woman calmly made a hand seal, and the dark red wheel behind her disintegrated into over a hundred dark red law threads that vanished into her body, following which she flew over to Fox 3's side.

The azure-robed man took a glance at the black-robed woman, but didn't say anything as he drifted down onto Lekima's back and prepared to depart.

"Senior, our tribe is facing a great crisis right now! Are you just going to stand by and watch?" Fox 3 asked as an urgent look appeared on his face.

The azure-robed man's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing this, but he then replied in a cold voice, "I've already told you that I've cut all ties with the Heavenly Fox Tribe, so don't come bothering me again."

A frantic look appeared on Fox 3's face upon hearing this, but he didn't know what else he could say.

"Hold on a second!"

Right at this moment, a projection of Shi Qinghou emerged from the Heavenly Fox Bloodform Saber amid a flash of crimson light.

A hint of contempt appeared in the azure-robed man's eyes at the sight of Shi Qinghou, and he harrumphed coldly, "You're still alive? No wonder the powers of the Heavenly Fox Bloodform Saber haven't declined at all. That means you must've also allied yourself with that man!"

"Our master may not be dead," Shi Qinghou declared, seemingly completely out of the blue.

The azure-robed man immediately swung around to glower intently at Shi Qinghou upon hearing this.

"Master is still alive? No, there's no way that's possible! I saw him perish with my own two eyes!"

"Our master wouldn't perish so easily. What you and I saw back then was most likely not a reflection of reality. I only recently discovered some leads that tipped me off to the possibility that our master could still be alive. Otherwise, there's no way I would've been willing to submit to that man," Shi Qinghou replied in a proud manner.

"I see, so this is why you've come to find me," the azure-robed man mused with a slow nod.

"That's right, I've come here to request your help," Shi Qinghou confirmed.

The azure-robed man's attitude had taken a drastic turn, and he immediately replied, "I'm more than happy to help you if it means helping our master, but right now, I'm imprisoned in this pagoda, and my bonded soul tablet is still on the seventh level, so I'm afraid I can't leave with you."

A hint of elation flashed through Shi Qinghou's eyes upon hearing this, and he immediately promised, "Rest assured, we've come prepared. I'll be sure to retrieve your bonded soul tablet for you."

"In that case, I'll be counting on you. The spatial door leading to the sixth level is just up ahead, but I don't know who's being held captive there. However, what I do know is that the higher you go, the more powerful the fugitives are, so make sure to be on your guard," the azure-robed man said.

"Rest assured, no one will be able to stand up to our combined powers. Wouldn't you agree, Fellow Daoist Han?" Shi Qinghou chuckled as he turned to look at Han Li, who raised an eyebrow in response.

"What? You're Fellow Daoist Han?" Fox 3 exclaimed with a stunned expression, while the black-robed woman's expression remained unchanged, seemingly indicating that she was already aware of Han Li's identity.

"Oh? So you're all acquainted with one another? Looks like the Heavenly Fox Tribe has at least made some strides in gaining some powerful allies since I left," the azure-robed man remarked.

"Both of them are friends of Fox 3, they have nothing to do with those stubborn old farts of the Heavenly Fox Tribe," Shi Qinghou corrected, and the azure-robed man turned a surprised gaze to Fox 3 upon hearing this.

Han Li flew over to the black-robed duo as he cupped his fist in a salute.

"Long time no see, Senior Shi, Fellow Daoist Fox 3, Fellow Daoist Wyrm 3."

"I knew our disguises wouldn't be able to fool you," the black-robed woman replied with a smile as she reverted back to her true appearance, and sure enough, it was none other than Wyrm 3.

"Are you really Fellow Daoist Han?" Fox 3 asked with a hint of suspicion in his eyes, and it was no wonder that he was suspicious.

After all, back when they parted ways in the Gray Realm, Han Li had only been at the pinnacle of the Golden Immortal Stage, yet in the short span of just one thousand years, he had reached the pinnacle of the High Zenith Stage, displaying a downright astonishing rate of progress.

"Looks like all of you have already learned my true name. Please forgive me for giving a false name last time. I had to adopt an alias in order to avoid capture from the Heavenly Court," Han Li said with an apologetic smile as he also reverted back to his original appearance.

"You really are Fellow Daoist Han! I can't believe you've been able to progress so rapidly in your cultivation base! I was really worried when you and Shi Chuankong were taken away in the Gray Realm, thank heavens you're safe and well! How is Brother Shi right now?" Fox 3 exclaimed in an elated manner.

"A powerful cultivator from the Devil Realm had teleported the two of us out of the Gray Realm back then. Rest assured, Brother Shi is also doing well," Han Li replied with a smile.

"That's good to hear," Fox 3 said with a relieved expression.

"Let's catch up later once we've left the Eon Pagoda. Right now, we have more pressing matters to take care of," Shi Qinghou interjected.

"You're right, Senior Shi," Fox 3 immediately replied in a respectful manner.

"Fellow Daoist Han, it seems like fate has brought us together again. How about we join forces from here onward?" Shi Qinghou invited.

"Truth be told, I only stumbled into this immortal manor completely by chance, so I know next to nothing about this place. It sounds like you're far more familiar with this place than I am, so would you be able to enlighten me, Senior Shi?" Han Li asked, choosing to dodge Shi Qinghou's question for now.

"Of course. This Tai Sui Immortal Manor is a cave abode left behind by a Great Encompassment cultivator by the name of Immortal Lord Tai Sui. He cultivated the laws of time, just like you, and he was once the chief warden of the Heavenly Court's Immortal Prison, but for some reason, he went on to betray the Heavenly Court.

“As he fled the Heavenly Court, he took quite a few fugitives and powerful treasures with him, the most renowned of which is the Eon Divine Lamp, which is said to be an unfathomably powerful time-attribute treasure. Right now, the lamp is most likely on the seventh level of the pagoda.

“The Heavenly Court has been hunting him for countless years, but I bet no one could've anticipated that Immortal Lord Tai Sui had gone into hiding in the Golden Origin Immortal Region, which is very close to the Middle Earth Immortal Region," Shi Qinghou explained.

Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing mention of the Eon Divine Lamp.

Ever since he entered the Eon Pagoda, he had detected a burst of formidable time law powers within it, and that had served as his source of motivation for progressing up the Eon Pagoda. It seemed that this Eon Divine Lamp was most likely the source of the time law powers that he had detected.

"How did you know that this immortal manor was here? It was very well concealed, and I only managed to stumble upon it by a complete stroke of luck," Han Li said.

"You'll have to ask Fellow Daoist Wyrm 3 about that. Fox 3 and I followed her here," Shi Qinghou replied.

Han Li turned to Wyrm 3 with a surprised expression upon hearing this.

"This matter concerns the secrets of the Reincarnation Palace. You may be a Reincarnation Disciple, but I'm afraid that this is still not information that I can make available to you," Wyrm 3 said with a shake of her head.

Han Li didn't try to force the matter, and he fell silent with a contemplative look on his face.