"His Highness has already informed me that reinforcements are on their way, and that they'll arrive in half a month," Elder Qi replied.

"Do you know who it was that my brother sent?" Shi Chuankong asked.

"His Highness never specified, so I'm afraid not," Elder Qi replied with a shake of his head.

Shi Chuankong was a little disappointed to hear this, but a confident look then appeared in his eyes as he said, "Regardless of who it is that my brother sent, I'm sure things will be easier for us from here onward."

Han Li was also feeling slightly more reassured upon hearing this.

"Seeing as it'll take some time for the reinforcements to arrive, let's stay here in the meantime and take care of some of the issues in the city. Fellow Daoist Li, you can take this opportunity to have a rest," Shi Chuankong said.

Han Li nodded in response as he rose to his feet, and Elder Qi called over a young maidservant to take Han Li to his resting quarters.

Han Li knew that Shi Chuankong had some things to discuss with Elder Qi, so he was going to give them some privacy.

"Young Master, is this Fellow Daoist Li truly trustworthy?" Elder Qi asked as soon as Han Li departed.

"Rest assured, Elder Qi, Fellow Daoist Li is a good friend that I first encountered in the Immortal Realm, and during the time that we've been together, he's saved my life on multiple occasions, so he's definitely someone we can trust," Shi Chuankong replied.

Elder Qi's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, but he then said, "That's good to hear, but he's a little too weak at only the early-High Zenith Stage. I'll arrange a few more guards for you to ensure your safety."

"That's even less of a concern, Elder Qi. We have many powerful cultivators under our command, but I can assure you that no one would be a match for him in battle. Fellow Daoist Li and the reinforcements sent by my brother will be enough to keep me safe. Having too many people around me could work to my detriment," Shi Chuankong replied with a smile.

Elder Qi's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but before he had a chance to protest, Shi Chuankong declared, "Alright, that's enough on that, tell me about the spies you mentioned earlier."

Elder Qi could only heave a resigned sigh before delivering his report.

Meanwhile, Han Li was led to a courtyard at the back of the manor. The place wasn't very large, nor was it very opulent, but it was very quaint and peaceful.

"This is where you'll be staying, Senior. Please call upo nme if you need anything, I'll be just outside the courtyard," the maidservant said.

Han Li was very happy with the courtyard, and he suddenly turned to the maidservant with a mesmerizing gleam in his eyes as he asked, "What's your name?"

The maidservant seemed to be transfixed as she looked into Han Li's eyes, and she replied in a slightly dazed voice, "My name is Lian'er."

"What kind of person is Shi Chuankong?" Han Li asked.

"His Highness is someone who has no interest in fighting for power, but he's an avid businessman. He left Night Sun City at a very young age, and he's very good to his servants. He's not arrogant like the other princes, and everyone in Grain Mountain City admires him," the maidservant replied in a slightly jumbled fashion.

Han Li asked her a few more questions before the light in his eyes faded, and the maidservant's expression instantly returned to normal.

"Alright, you can go now," Han Li instructed, and the maidservant promptly departed, none the wiser to the interrogation that she had just been put through.

Han Li watched as the maidservant departed with a contemplative look on his face.

The maidservant's description of Shi Chuankong fit perfectly with how Shi Chuankong normally behaved, so it seemed that he had been overly cautious.

After carefully inspecting the entire courtyard with his spiritual sense, he released a string of array flags throughout the courtyard, quickly conjuring up an azure light barrier.

Only after doing all of that did he enter his bedroom, where he sat down with his legs crossed to cultivate his recompiled version of the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra.

At the same time, he also channeled his spiritual sense to continue cultivating the fifth level of the Spirit Refinement Technique.

There had been multiple close calls during the past few attacks, and he was determined to make full use of what time he had to enhance his own powers.

Around half a month passed by in the blink of an eye, and on this day, Han Li's eyes suddenly sprang open as a hint of elation appeared on his face.

Perhaps he was more able to tap into his own latent potential under such a dangerous and stressful environment, but this past half-month of cultivation had yielded exceptional results.

In particular, following that breakthrough that he had made back in the Baleful Cleansing Ponds, his progress in the Spirit Refinement Technique had become incredibly smooth.

After withdrawing the restrictions in the courtyard, Han Li made his way outside, and the maidservant who was waiting there hurriedly extended a curtsey as she declared, "His Highness would like to see you, Senior."

"Take me to him," Han Li replied with a nod, and before long, the two of them arrived in the same hall from before.

Shi Chuankong and Elder Qi were both there, and there were also three more people in the room, two male and one female, all three of whom were at the High Zenith Stage.

The one at the center of the trio was a dark-skinned elderly man clad in a suit of azure devilish armor, while to his left was an extremely tall and rotund middle-aged man who resembled a mountain of meat.

As for the woman, she appeared to be around thirty years of age, and she would've been quite good-looking had it not been for her huge red dress and the excessively ostentatious red flower on her head, both of which gave her a rather comical appearance.

"Please take a seat, Fellow Daoist Li," Shi Chuankong said with a smile as he rose to his feet.

Han Li gave a slight nod as he sat down onto a chair, and Shi Chuankong introduced, "These three are Fellow Daoist Mo, Fellow Daoist Lu, and Fellow Daoist Hua. All three of them are guest elders of this city and also trusted subordinates of mine."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Li Feiyu," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a salute, and the trio returned the salute in a polite fashion.

Han Li then cast his gaze toward Shi Chuankong, wanting to ask him about the reinforcements sent by Shi Pokong, but he didn't know if it was appropriate with these three guest elders present.

Shi Chuankong could tell what Han Li was thinking, and he assured, "There's no need to be apprehensive of anyone in this room, Fellow Daoist Li. My brother has always been very punctual, and if he says that the reinforcements will arrive in half a month, then they'll definitely be here on time, so they should be here today."

Han Li nodded in response upon hearing this.

"I've invited all of you here today as I want everyone to get to know each other. I'll be relying on all of you from here onward, so let's have a chat over some wine while we wait for reinforcements to arrive," Shi Chuankong said with a smile as he pulled out a red wine jar.

Even with the seal still intact, a delectable aroma was already seeping out of the jar.

"It's our honor to be able to serve you, Your Highness," the dark-skinned elderly man said with a faint smile.

"Indeed. You've always been very kind to us, so it's only right that we return the favor. If you need us to do anything for you, I, for one, am more than happy to make myself useful!" the rotund middle-aged man declared as he patted his own chest.

"It's almost a little hurtful that you're being so formal to us," the woman in the red dress chuckled.

"Thank you, fellow daoists."

Shi Chuankong's mood was lifted significantly by everyone's assurances, and he flipped a hand over to produce a few cups, then personally filled them for everyone.

"Fellow Daiost Li, I know you're quite an expert when it comes to wine, but I'm sure this wine of mine won't disappoint you," Shi Chuankong said to Han Li.

Han Li lifted his cup before taking a sip, and his eyes immediately lit up.

The flavor of this wine was very unique, and it was very different from all of the other immortal wines that he had tasted in the past.

What was even more remarkable was that the wine contained a burst of extremely pure devilish qi that was beneficial for nourishing his Infernal Devilish Eyes.

"This is indeed an exceptional wine. What's it called?" Han Li asked.

"I knew you'd be interested in it. This wine is called Rainbow Mulberry Wine. Here's the recipe," Shi Chuankong said as he pulled out a jade slip before handing it to Han Li.

Han Li accepted the jade slip with gratitude, then injected his spiritual sense into it, upon which he discovered that there were around twenty to thirty ingredients required to brew the wine.

At the moment, he still wasn't very familiar with the ingredients of the Devil Realm, but his intuition told him that the devilish qi in the wine originated from an ingredient by the name of Red Mulberry Fruit.

"Where can I find this Red Mulberry Fruit?" Han Li asked.

"Red Mulberry Fruit is produced in the northernmost region of our Holy Realm. Do you intend to brew this Rainbow Mulberry Wine, Fellow Daoist Li?" Shi Chuankong asked.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"I'm thinking about it. Would it be possible for you to use the power of the Vast Origin House to gather the ingredients required to brew this wine for me? I'll be sure to compensate you for the ingredients," Han Li replied.

"That's not a problem, but Red Mulberry Fruit is a very rare ingredient, so it may take some time to acquire," Shi Chuankong said.

This was no urgent matter for Han Li anyway, and he replied, "In that case, I'll be counting on you, Fellow Daoist Shi."

"You're a wine enthusiast as well, are you, Fellow Daoist Li? In that case, you and I will get along just fine. I don't have any hobbies, but I've always loved fine wine and food. Here's to you, Fellow Daoist Li!" the rotund middle-aged man said in a boisterous voice as he pressed a hand down onto Han Li's shoulder.

Han Li raised his cup with a faint smile, making no attempt to evade the man's hand.

Even though they had only just met, he could tell that the man was very straightforward and wasn't very scheming. If the dark-skinned elderly man had reached out to him, then he definitely wouldn't have let him touch any part of his body.

Only now did Shi Chuankong begin to truly relax, and he began to initiate conversations so everyone could become more familiar with one another.

As the wine began to flow, the atmosphere quickly began to liven up, and before long, everyone began discussing their cultivation insights and experiences.

Everyone present was at the High Zenith Stage, with the exception of Shi Chuankong, but he had also overcome his baleful tribulation, so he had one foot in the door.

The time quickly passed by, and close to an entire day flew by in the blink of an eye, but the reinforcements sent by Shi Pokong still hadn't showed up.