Chapter 1309: Parting Ways

Jin Tong silently stood up in the pond, and only after standing still on the spot for a moment did she emerge from the pond, following which a burst of golden light flashed over her body to instantly evaporate the water in her clothes.

To Han Li's astonishment, he discovered that she had reached the mid-Great Encompassment Stage, albeit, judging from her aura, her cultivation base was still a little unstable.

Furthermore, what was even more alarming to him was the immense killing intent that had crept into her aura.

"It looks like you've seen how your past incarnation met her demise," the Reincarnation Palace Master remarked.

Jin Tong instantly turned to him upon hearing this, and her eyes were like a pair of daggers as she asked, "You know about my past?"

Her voice had become far lower and more mature than before.

"How do you feel right now, Jin Tong?" Han Li asked.

"My name is Qu Lin!" she snapped as she turned a cold gaze to Han Li.

Her expression then softened a little as she sighed, "At least, that was once my name."

"Dao Ancestor Qu Lin was once the ruler of all arthropods across the True Immortal Realm, but she was slain by the Earth Dao Ancestor, Xuanyuan Jie, for her refusal to submit to the Heavenly Court. Right before she passed, she split her own body into countless Gold Devouring Beetles, which were scattered across all of the realms," the Reincarnation Palace recounted.

Everyone was very much taken aback to hear about this chapter in Jin Tong's past.

"Xuanyuan Jie is one of the Seven Heavenly Dao Lords, right?" Shi Chuankong asked.

"That's right. He is Gu Huojin's most loyal subordinate, and after slaying Dao Ancestor Qu Lin, he instructed his forces to hunt down all of the arthropods in the True Immortal Realm. The nine arthropod monarchs under Dao Ancestor Qu Lin were all killed by him, and in the wake of his campaign, what little remained of the arthropods were forced to flee to the lower realms. Since then, countless eons have passed by, and they've already "

"Xuanyuan Jie, you'll pay for what you've done!" Jin Tong spat through gritted teeth as she clenched her fists tightly.

She then heaved a slightly deflated sigh as she said, "Forget it, just call me Jin Tong or now. Even though I've recovered my memories, I'm still not used to the name Qu Lin. I'll reclaim my name once I've slain Xuanyuan Jie."

Right at this moment, Shi Chuankong suddenly asked, "Why is it that Jin Tong has already reached the mid-Great Encompassment Stage, but she didn't have to sever a corpse soul to get there?"

Only then did everyone else come to realize that this was indeed the case, and they turned to the Reincarnation Palace Master for an explanation.

"She's different from the average cultivator in that she's a spirit insect that was nurtured by heaven and earth. On top of that, she was born with mastery over the laws of devouring, which allows her to elevate her cultivation base by devouring her brethren.

“Additionally, she's a part of a Dao Ancestor to begin with, so she doesn't need to sever any corpse souls. Once all of the Gold Devouring Beetles in existence come together again, she'll be able to regain her power as a Dao Ancestor," the Reincarnation Palace Master explained.

"What are your plans from here onward?" Han Li asked.

"I'm going to hunt down the rest of my brethren, then seek out vengeance against Xuanyuan Jie," Jin Tong replied without any hesitation, and Han Li nodded in approval of this plan.

He could see that Jin Tong no longer had the heart of a child that she once did.

Jin Tong hesitated momentarily, then continued, "This is where we part ways. I'll try to repay you for everything you've done for me if the opportunity arises."

Han Li knew that this separation was going to be different from their previous separations, and with that in mind, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow.

Even so, he still nodded as he said, "I have my own path to walk as well, we are already very fortunate to have been able to accompany one another for so long. Make sure to look after yourself now that you're on your own."

Jin Tong nodded in response, then departed without another word.

Han Li watched her leave until she was out of sight, yet right as he was about to turn his gaze back to Weeping Soul and the others, Jin Tong's voice suddenly rang out from afar.

"I'll come back to you once I've recovered my powers and exacted my revenge, Uncle!"

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this.

"A mid-Great Encompassment Stage Gold Devouring Immortal is a powerful ally. You're not going to try to convince her to stay?" the Reincarnation Palace Master asked.

"Why would I do that? She'll come back when she's ready," Han Li replied.

The Reincarnation Palace Master nodded in response, then said, "Now that all of you who wished to use the Six Paths Reincarnation Plate have had a chance to do so, it's time for you to leave."

Han Li did as they were told, and as they emerged from the underground palace, they discovered that the crimson clouds in the sky and the ever-present Six Paths Gale winds had all vanished.

"Let's go," Han Li said, and Violet Spirit and Shi Chuankong nodded in response before preparing to depart with him, but Weeping Soul remained where she was.

"Master, I want to stay in the underworld for a while," Weeping Soul said.

"Why is that?" Han Li asked.

"During my time with you, I've witnessed so many powerful cultivators, and the more I see, the more I come to realize just how inept I am. If I continue to remain by your side, eventually, you'll leave me far behind, and I'll become nothing more than a hindrance to you. The underworld is a place that's more suited to my cultivation, so I want to stay here and enhance my own powers before I return to your side," Weeping Soul replied.

"Don't think of yourself as a hindrance, you've been an incredible help to me ever since our reunion in the Gray Realm. Having said that, I agree that the underworld is better for your cultivation than the True Immortal Realm, so I'll allow you to stay here. I just hope that the day of our reunion won't be too far away," Han Li said with a smile.

"Thank you, Master," Weeping Soul said with an earnest bow.

Han Li strode over to Weeping Soul, then gently pressed a hand against her forehead as he said through voice transmission, "I'll leave a wisp of my spiritual sense with you. If you encounter any danger, activate that wisp of spiritual sense, and I'll be sure to come to your aid as quickly as I can."

"I can't constantly remain under your protection, Master," Weeping Soul protested. "Only by fending for myself can I..."

"Don't be so stubborn," Han Li interjected. "This is a matter of life and death, so there must be a safety net put in place."

Weeping Soul faltered slightly upon hearing this, then nodded firmly in response.

With that, Han Li's trio and Weeping Soul went their separate ways.

......

Several months flew by in a flash.

It was a serene and peaceful morning in the Black Wind Sea, but the entire area was enshrouded in a layer of white mist, giving everything an indistinct appearance.

No more than ten thousand feet away from this area of the Black Wind Sea was an entirely different scene.

There, the sky was filled with dark clouds, and enormous gusts of black yin wind were sweeping through heaven and earth, with the smallest ones only the size of houses, while the largest ones were hundreds of thousands of feet in size.

The sound of crashing waves and ghostly howls could be heard ringing out incessantly, and right at this moment, a spirit boat that was encompassed within a golden spirit domain slowly emerged from a vast tornado of black yin wind.

The passengers of the spirit boat were none other than Han Li, Violet Spirit, and Shi Chuankong, who had just returned from the underworld.

At the moment, all three of them were silent and lost in their own thoughts.

Right at this moment, Han Li raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

Violet Spirit immediately noticed this and asked through voice transmission, "What's wrong, Brother Han?"

"We've been surrounded by enemy cultivators, and their leader is at least at the late-Great Encompassment Stage," Han Li replied.

Both Violet Spirit and Shi Chuankong maintained calm and oblivious facades as the latter asked, "What should we do?"

"There's no need to do anything, let's just keep going for now. When it comes time to make a move, I'll give a signal, and you two can take to the sky to see if you can break through the surrounding restrictions. If you can, then leave. If not, then do your best to get as far away from me as possible," Han Li replied.

"Alright," Shi Chuankong immediately replied.

"Make sure to be careful," Violet Spirit cautioned.

In the blink of an eye, the spirit boat had already flown several thousand more kilometers, at which point Han Li suddenly yelled, "Go!"

Shi Chuankong and Violet Spirit immediately abandoned the spirit boat as they sprang up into the air.

In the next instant, enormous waves suddenly began sweeping over the surface of the sea, which had been quite tranquil just a moment ago, and a dark shadow that was over a hundred thousand feet in size rose up from the depths like a mountain.

The shadow had been lurking in the sea for quite some time, and now that it had emerged, it immediately parted the sea to create an enormous trench.

Han Li's spirit boat was without a pilot, and it was situated directly above the trench, so it immediately fell inside.

"What a big fish..." Han Li remarked to himself as he looked down at the giant shadow below.

As it turned out, the shadow that had emerged from the depths was a gargantuan whale with black scales over its entire body. Its mouth was filled with sharp fangs, and deep within its oral cavity was a huge, black vortex that was giving off a foul stench.

There was also a corkscrew-shaped, black horn growing out of the whale's head, and it was giving off a metallic sheen.

A thin man in a suit of white armor was standing atop the whale's back, holding onto its horn with one hand and a blue spear in the other as he looked up at Han Li with a faint smile on his face.