Chapter 704: Unprecedented Honor

Here in the Gray Realm, Han Li made sure to be extremely cautious in everything that he did for fear of attracting attention, so he hadn't spread his spiritual sense very far up to this point.

However, following the Shadow Snake Tribe incident, he had developed a grasp on the power levels of the tribes on the Six Moon Grassland, and he knew that he could avoid detection as long as no unforeseen circumstances arose.

As he walked along, he inspected all of the wares laid out on the stalls that he passed by, and he quickly found a type of ore that also existed in the Immortal Realm.

However, this ore was also quite expensive in the Gray Realm, so there wasn't much resale value.

Right as he was about to continue his search, he suddenly raised an eyebrow as he cast his gaze forward, where he spotted two tall and imposing cloaked figures walking toward him.

Both of them were wearing some type of mask that could keep out spiritual sense, and even though their auras were being concealed, Han Li was immediately able to see through the concealment thanks to his tremendous spiritual sense, and he could tell that both of them wer Golden Immortals.

A pair of Golden Immortals posed no threat to the current Han Li, but Golden Immortals were quite rare in this setting, so they had to have at least been tribal chiefs.

The two figures seemed to have noticed Han Li's gaze, and they immediately lowered their heads and quickened their pace, vanishing into the crowd shortly thereafter.

Their sneaky demeanor only aroused more suspicion in Han Li, but he had no intention of investigating any further, and he continued onward.

In the end, he wasn't able to find much aside from the Bitter Ornament Herbs.

There were many things with price disparities between the two realms, but none as large as the price disparity for Bitter Ornament Herbs, so there wasn't much profit to be made unless such items were resold in bulk.

Han Li wasn't very surprised by this. After all, the two realms differed drastically, and it naturally wasn't going to be easy to find things that could be found in both realms and varied drastically in price.

Instead of continuing his search, he returned to the Gray Lizard Tribe's designated area, where he discovered that Shi Chuankong still wasn't back yet.

He returned to the tent, then summoned all of the scriptures that he had purchased earlier before reading through them one by one.

His top priority at the moment was to find a way to return to the True Immortal Realm.

Close to half a day passed by in the blink of an eye.

All of a sudden, Shi Chuankong emerged from the ground under the tent, and there was a faint smile on his face.

"You look like you're in a good mood, Fellow Daoist Shi. Have you found a way back to the Immortal Realm?" Han Li asked.

"I saw that there were many cheap materials here that could be sold for large profits in the True Immortal Realm, so I got caught up purchasing materials and forgot about finding ways to return to the True Immortal Realm. My apologies," Shi Chuankong replied in a slightly awkward manner.

"It's fine, we still have time. If we can't find a way back in this Six Moon Grassland, then we can try our luck elsewhere. By the way, I didn't think that you would be so interested in the business of buying and selling," Han Li said with a faint smile.

"It's not every day that I get to come to a new realm, and if I can make use of this opportunity, then I could make an absolute killing! As one's cultivation base improves, the amount of resources they'll need to support their cultivation will increase exponentially.

“There are many powerful immortals who end up stuck at a certain cultivation base for countless years, not because of any bottlenecks, but simply due to lack of resources," Shi Chuankong said with an excited look in his eyes.

"If a pathway can be established between the two realms, then that would indeed be an incredible business opportunity. However, all of that can only come into fruition if we can find a way to return to the True Immortal Realm," Han Li replied with a nod.

"You're right, Fellow Daoist Li. Our top priority is still to find a way back. Only then can we think about what's to follow," Shi Chuankong agreed.

......

Over a month later.

It was nearing nighttime, and the three suns hadn't completely set yet, but the six moons had already risen.

Light was rippling over the surface of the nearby Wave Edge Lake, and dozens of huge bonfires had already been set up along the bank of the lake, filled with large quantities of flammable materials.

All of the tribes that had come to attend the Tamda Festival had temporarily set aside all of their other affairs, and they were gathered around the bonfires.

Han Li and Shi Chuankong had also accompanied the Gray Lizard Tribe to the lake.

Chief Xi Yan was walking along at the very front, having changed into a clean light gray robe that draped over his broad frame. There was also a round Gray Lizard Tribe pendant hanging in front of his chest, and he was holding a torch that was lit with a white flame.

As for Han Li and Shi Chuankong, both were wearing gray cloaks, and they were trailing along behind Xi Yan with their faces concealed within their hoods.

Up to this point, they hadn't been able to find any useful information on how to get back to the Immortal Realm, so they had taken their time to continue learning more about the culture of this place while also hoping that useful discoveries could be made once the festival commenced.

Upon arriving at a bonfire, Xi Yan turned to Han Li's duo with a look of veneration and gratitude in his eyes as he said, "During past editions of the Tamda Festival, our Gray Lizard Tribe was never granted the right to light one of these bonfires. It's only thanks to your presence that we've been given this privilege. If you were willing to show yourselves, I'm certain you would be granted front-row seats to the Saya Festival."

"It's fine. We're not from your Black Teeth Region, so it would be best for us to keep a low profile," Han Li replied.

If he weren't mistaken, the young woman by the name of Miao Xiu was most likely the one who had arranged this.

Han Li cast his gaze toward a giant black stone platform that was situated a little further away from the lake. The area surrounding the platform was brightly lit, and there were all types of Gray Realm beings dressed in different attire gathered around it.

Just like Tamda, Saya was another word from the dialect of the Black Teeth Region, and it roughly translated to "fight between courageous warriors". As the name suggested, the Saya Festival was the occasion where the sparring matches between tribes took place.

As a wandering tribe with no set territory, the Gray Lizard Tribe naturally had no right to participate in the event.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Some time later, the three suns in the sky completely set, and the sound of a horn rang out from the black stone platform.

Chief Xi Yan immediately threw up his torch into the bonfire, igniting all of the flammable materials to create a huge white flame that was crackling and popping incessantly.

All of the dozens of bonfires were lit in rapid succession, releasing flurries of white sparks into the sky, resembling a swarm of fireflies. Due to the pervasive dark clouds in the sky, Han Li had never seen any stars in the Gray Realm, but all of a sudden, he felt as if he were witnessing a starry night sky again.

Right as Han Li was looking up at the sky with a slightly dazed expression, the collective voices of the tribes gathered began to ring out around him. They were all speaking slightly different Black Teeth Region dialects, and it seemed that they were singing some type of ancient war song.

After the singing subsided, a chorus of loud cheers rang out from the bonfires, and all of the tribes began to gather around the black stone platform.

Han Li's duo arrived at the stone platform with the Gray Lizard Tribe, and they looked up to find that there was a large tent set up to the north of the platform.

The tent was opened to reveal three elders of the San Miao Tribe sitting inside, alongside the chiefs of several of the Black Teeth Region's most prominent tribes.

Sitting at the very center of the tent was none other than Miao Xiu.

Her gaze roamed over the people gathered around the platform, and it lingered momentarily on the Gray Lizard Tribe before moving on again.

"Are you still looking for the powerful cultivator concealed within the Gray Lizard Tribe, Young Mistress?" Miao Kui asked in a low voice.

Miao Xiu shook her head in response.

"What an arrogant fellow he is! To think that he refused to show himself even after you visited him in person. Once the festival comes to an end, I'll be sure to capture him and bring him to you to apologize," Miao Kui said in a disgruntled voice.

"Don't talk about him like that, Cousin. He must have his reasons for not wanting to see me. As long as he doesn't harbor any sinister intentions, we should leave him alone and respect his decision," Miao Xiu said with slightly furrowed brows.

Despite this, internally, she was also a little irked by Han Li's refusal to meet her. At the same time, she couldn't help but wonder exactly what this mysterious powerful figure was like.

"You're right, Young Mistress, please forgive me," Miao Kui hurriedly apologized.

"It's about time. You can announce the commencement of the Saya Festival now," Miao Xiu instructed.

Miao Kui gave an affirmative response, then departed from the tent.

Upon arriving at the platform, he strode over to a black war drum and beat it thrice. The commotion below the platform gradually subsided, and only then did he declare, "I hereby declare the commencement of the Saya Festival. Which tribe would like to set their warriors up first to be challenged?"

As soon as his voice trailed off, two inky-black figures landed on the platform one after another.

"I am Wu Heli of the Bone Spike Tribe."

The first figure was a humanoid creature with their entire body covered in black scales, and there was a white bone spike protruding out of their face, elbows, and knees, presenting a fearsome sight to behold.

As soon as his voice trailed off, a chorus of loud cheers instantly rang out from below the stone platform, particularly from the Bone Spike Tribe, as if getting to step on the platform first was a huge honor for them.

"I am Mu Ze of the Water Tiger Tribe."

The second figure was a man with a human body and the head of a tiger, but there were gills on either side of his face.

The gills on his face were constantly moving, and there was a hint of excitement on his face. Compared with the chorus of cheers for Wu Heli, he seemed to be a far less popular figure.

"Would you like to fight to the death or until an outcome arises?" Miao Kui asked.