Chapter 711: Risk

"The Infernal Region is the most conservative and the most brutal out of the Gray Realm's three most major powers. Even beings from other regions in the Gray Realm are strictly barred from entering the region, let alone someone from the Immortal Realm like you. If you enter the Infernal Region and are discovered, your fate will be sealed," Baili Yan explained.

"I've heard of the three major powers of the Gray Realm, but I've never learned what they were. Would you be able to enlighten me, Dao Lord Baili?" Han Li asked.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt. In the Gray Realm, the regions under the command of the Reincarnation Palace Master are considered to be the radical faction, and they're proponents of combining the Gray Realm's forces to attack the Immortal Realm. The conservatives are the regions led by the Infernal Region, and they think that the Reincarnation Region is to blame for the constant invasion of the Gray Realm from the Immortal Realm's forces.

“Hence, they propose uniting the Gray Realm's forces, but they don't wish to attack the Immortal Realm. As for the third faction, that consists of the regions led by the Black Rope Region, and they wish to maintain the status quo, keeping things as they are now," Baili Yan explained.

"I see. Why is it that all of them hold such different views of the Immortal Realm?" Han Li asked.

"That's mostly decided by the makeup of the different factions. The Reincarnation Region consists primarily of Three Corpse Immortals, who hold very strong fixations on the Immortal Real, so they naturally want to return there. The Infernal Region is mostly inhabited by native Gray Immortals who wish to defend their territory and to avoid conflict against the Immortal Realm.

“As for the Black Rope Region, most of its inhabitants are also native Gray Immortals, but they're against the autocratic rule of the Infernal Region, and they don't trust the Three Corpse Immortals of the Reincarnation Region, so they're stuck somewhere in the middle," Baili Yan explained.

"What are these Three Corpse Immortals that you speak of, Dao Lord Baili?" Han Li asked.

"Before a Great Encompassment cultivator becomes a Dao Ancestor in the Immortal Realm, they must sever three corpse souls in order to renounce all of their worldly ties, and the things that are severed are called the three corpses, most of which consist of the most deep-rooted fixations that Great Encompassment cultivators develop during their cultivation journeys.

“Upon being severed, these three corpses become enemies of the cultivators that they were severed from, and due to certain reasons, these three corpses have entered the Gray Realm to become Three Corpse Immortals," Baili Yan explained.

Han Li was still had many more questions about this subject, but right as he was about to raise them, Baili Yan waved a hand as he continued, "The severance of the three corpses is a secret and taboo subject that no Great Encompassment cultivator would be willing to speak about. I'm still far from reaching that level, so I know very little about the subject, and I won't be able to answer any other questions for you."

"So you're saying that the Infernal Region is an option that I definitely shouldn't consider?" Han Li asked with a wry smile.

"In the past, it would've been impossible for you to enter the Infernal Region. Right now, it's possible for you to go there, but your chances of finding the Baleful Cleansing Pond are next to zero, and that's not even mentioning the life-threatening danger associated with entering the pond," Baili Yan replied with a shake of his head.

"Truth be told, my baleful decay is quite special, and I've tried many methods to remedy the problem but to no avail, so perhaps the Baleful Cleansing Pond is my only hope left of reaching the High Zenith Stage. If there's a way to enter the Infernal Region, then please disclose it to me, and I'll be extremely grateful," Han Li said in a solemn fashion as he cupped his fist in a salute.

Baili Yan was silent for a long while upon hearing this, seemingly grappling with an internal conflict.

Han Li didn't try to rush him, and he merely waited patiently for a response.

"So be it. I've already told you many secrets that I shouldn't have disclosed to you, but I'm indebted to you, and I'm certain that you're not affiliated with the Heavenly Court, so I'll tell you what you want to know. I've come to Serene Millet City on this occasion to try and win over the Black Teeth Region on behalf of the Reincarnation Region.

“My objective is to secure their vote for the upcoming Three Region Conference, which will be held in Asura City of the Infernal Region," Baili Yan finally revealed after a long think.

"In that case, would I be able to accompany you to enter the Infernal Region and attend this conference?" Han Li asked as his eyes lit up slightly.

"The Three Region Conference has a very strong bearing on the Gray Realm's overall attitude toward the Immortal Realm, so it's an extremely important event. At the moment, I've been tasked with approaching many more neutral regions under the Black Rope Region, such as this Black Teeth Region, in order to try and secure an advantage for the Reincarnation Region.

“On top of that, you're not a true member of the Reincarnation Palace, so I can't bring you with me," Baili Yan replied with a shake of his head.

"I see. In that case, I think I have another solution. Seeing as you're here to win over Monarch Miao Gao, the Black Teeth Region will definitely be attending the conference, so I could just accompany them to the Infernal Region," Han Li said.

"Do you really want to go to the Infernal Region? This conference does present an opportunity, but at the same time, the tribes of the Infernal Region will be sure to bolster the defenses around the Baleful Cleansing Pond. You are taking an enormous risk here," Baili Yan cautioned in a concerned manner.

"Rest assured, Dao Lord Baili, I've made up my mind," Han Li replied with a smile and a nod.

Baili Yan could tell that there was no dissuading Han Li, so he smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Hu Yan has always had an eye for talent, and he told me that you were destined for great things. Having said that, I never anticipated that we would be reunited under such strange circumstances."

"He's currently living the good life, while we have to toil away just to survive. Thankfully, I learned a lot of wine brewing methods from him, so I still have a decent supply of wine. Would you like to have a drink with me, Dao Lord Baili?" Han Li asked with a smile.

"Gladly!" Baili Yan replied with a wide smile of his own.

The two of them chatted with one another until it was close to daybreak, and only then did they part ways.

Shortly thereafter, Baili Yan left Serene Millet City.

That same afternoon, Miao Xiu visited Mo Guang once again, informing him that she was going to be accompanying her father to Asura City to attend the Three Region Conference.

Under Han Li's instructions, Mo Guang immediately expressed interest in this conference, requesting to accompany Miao Gao to the conference and to travel the Infernal Region along the way.

Miao Xiu didn't immediately agree to the proposal. Instead, she declared that she would inform Miao Gao of the request and leave the decision to him.

Not long after that, she returned to inform Mo Guang that Miao Gao had agreed to his proposal.

Initially, Han Li was a little taken aback, but he then quickly understood the reasoning behind Miao Gao's decision.

The Nirarbuda Region that had attacked during the Tamda Festival was a small region under the Infernal Region, indicating that the relationship between the regions leading up to the conference was a little rocky.

With Han Li's trio accompanying them on their trip to the Infernal Region, they would have an added layer of protection, which was certainly good news.

However, due to the large number of tribes attending the conference, there was still some time left until the scheduled time of assembly, and there was still close to half a year left until they were set to depart for the Infernal Region.

......

Several months later, the date of departure finally arrived.

A massive three-story louchuan was docked on the plaza in front of the monarch's manor, and it was the same one that Han Li and the others had traveled on, but the horse-like beasts drawing the louchuan were far larger than last time, and each of them had three pairs of wings instead of two.

Han Li's trio, Miao Gao, Miao Xiu, and a gray-robed hook-nosed man emerged from the entrance of the manor.

"Fellow daoists, we'll be traveling to Black Teeth City to meet up with the regional monarch, and from there, we'll be setting off to the Infernal Region together," Miao Gao said to Han Li's trio.

"We're just coming along for the trip, so we'll take your lead, Monarch Miao," Mo Guang replied with a smile, while Han Li and Shi Chuankong remained silent, continuing to play the role of obedient servants.

"This conference is an extremely important event that's taken very seriously by all regions. Please accept these guest elder badges so that your identities don't come under question during the conference," Miao Gao said as he flipped a hand over to produce three black badges.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Han Li's trio accepted the badges before expressing their gratitude, following which Mo Guang asked, "Monarch Miao, may I ask how long it'll take for us to get to Black Teeth City?"

"Black Teeth City is located in the heart of the Black Teeth Region. These six-winged Horned Horses will be a lot faster than their four-winged counterparts, but even so, it'll still take us over ten years to reach our destination," Miao Gao replied.

Mo Guang nodded in response, which Han Li's brows furrowed ever so slightly upon hearing this.

He had only been in the Gray Realm for several years, yet his body had already accumulated enough baleful qi to stir up unrest in his immortal acupoints. If he couldn't find a way to resolve this problem, then a journey of over ten years was going to be a real struggle for him.

"Let's all board the ship, everyone," Miao Gao said as he made an inviting hand gesture to Mo Guang, and only after Han Li's trio had boarded the louchuan did he also do the same.

The gray-robed young man made his way over the front of the ship before making a hand seal, and the Horned Horses immediately took flight.

Miao Xiu arranged rooms for Han Li's trio to stay in, and they were still the same rooms that they had stayed in last time.

As soon as Han Li entered his room, he immediately closed the door and set up several layers of restrictions, then swept a sleeve through the air to summon Daoist Xie, following which he instructed, "Please keep a lookout for me, Brother Xie."

Daoist Xie nodded in response, and Han Li conjured up a door of silver light, then stepped through it into the Flower Branch domain.

By staying in the Flower Branch domain, his body wouldn't be in contact with the baleful qi in the outside world, thereby significantly slowing down the accumulation of baleful qi in his body.

After sitting down with his legs crossed in a secret chamber, Han Li flipped a hand over to produce a pile of Baleful Quelling Pill refinement ingredients.

Heh ad collected many of the supplementary ingredients required to refine Baleful Quelling Pills, and now that he had come into possession of Profound Zoysia Crystal and Bitter Ornament Flowers, he could finally begin refining some more Baleful Quelling Pills.

After arranging all of the ingredients, Han Li didn't immediately commence his pill refinement. Instead, he flipped a hand over to produce a map of the Black Teeth Region, and he traced a finger along the route between Serene Millet City and Black Teeth City, following which a faint smile appeared on his face.

After that, he stowed the map away and closed his eyes.