This woman was not stunningly beautiful, but the smile she had just given was unexpectedly charming, brimming with coquettish allure.
This took Han Li quite by surprise!
If not for the fact that the Great Development Technique circulating within his body showed no reaction, Han Li would have almost suspected her of employing some advanced charm art.
If that were the case, then his earlier lapse in composure would have been rather strange indeed.
Han Li muttered to himself for a moment, then couldn't help but glance back toward Fairy Ziling.
But she had already returned to the demure bearing of a gentle young lady — that soul-stealing, breathtaking beauty from moments ago had vanished without a trace.
Just as Han Li was quietly puzzling over this, the gray-robed elder walked over toward him.
"I am Ge Li of Tiantai Island. Might I ask how you two fellow Daoists address yourselves?" The elder greeted them with an exceptionally courteous cupped-fist salute.
Han Li set aside the thread of suspicion in his mind for the time being and returned the courtesy with a smile: "I am Han Li. This is Fairy Ziling of the Myriad Sound Gate."
When the elder heard Han Li's name, his expression remained unchanged, but upon hearing the names Myriad Sound Gate and Ziling, he couldn't help but show a trace of surprise.
"Fairy Ziling of the Myriad Sound Gate — this old man has long heard of her great reputation. To think I might actually behold her true countenance today — what a stroke of extraordinary fortune!" Though the elder spoke these words, the look of doubt in his eyes was quite pronounced.
Clearly, Fairy Ziling's appearance did not quite live up to the magnificent reputation that preceded her. This had caught the elder somewhat off guard.
Fairy Ziling naturally caught the polite fiction in his words, but she simply pressed her lips into a smile and said nothing.
However, the elder was no ordinary person either. In the blink of an eye, he had restored his composure and addressed Han Li with a warm smile: "Since several of us have been transported to the same place, it must be some great fate. Why don't we join forces and pass through this trial together? After all, this Land of Ghostly Grievance before us is no easy crossing. I've heard that quite a few Core Formation cultivators were devoured by the hordes of ghosts when attempting to pass this trial, their bodies utterly annihilated."
As Ge Li spoke these last words, his expression unconsciously grew solemn — he seemed to know a considerable amount about this Void Heaven Palace.
When Han Li heard the elder mention the Land of Ghostly Grievance, his gaze drifted toward the distance.
Beyond a dozen zhang from their small hillock, everything was shrouded in a vast expanse of gray. Endless banks of ashen-white mist drifted in every direction, and bursts of yin wind swept back and forth through the fog. Faint sounds of ghostly wailing and sharp shrieks filtered through, sending a chill straight through one's heart.
These ghostly mists were held at bay around the hillock by a faint, almost imperceptible barrier of white light, unable to advance a single inch further. Otherwise, Han Li and the others would have had no chance to calmly discuss their strategy here — roaming spirits and lonely ghosts would have latched onto them long ago.
Seeing this, Han Li involuntarily raised his head to look upward.
Above was equally choked with mist, revealing nothing — it hardly seemed like they were inside a grand hall. If someone told him they were in the middle of some desolate wilderness, Han Li might have been more inclined to believe it.
At this moment, Fairy Ziling, having listened to the elder's words from the side, interjected with an anxious expression: "I've heard about this as well. This first trial — the Land of Ghostly Grievance — was originally not difficult to cross. But ever since more and more cultivators became trapped in the ghostly mist, it grew far more dangerous. The resentment of those fallen cultivators is immensely powerful. After death, they transform into fierce specters of no small magical strength, and they harbor a deep hatred toward all of us cultivators who venture into the palace. The moment they encounter someone, they fight to the death without respite. This has caused even more cultivators to perish during these trials in recent openings of the Void Heaven Palace. Moreover, I hear that during the last opening, an entire team of cultivators encountered a Ghost King — a specter that had fully awakened its intellect — within this very Land of Ghostly Grievance. The entire team was annihilated, with only a single person escaping alive."
"A Ghost King?" Han Li rubbed his chin, a hint of surprise crossing his face.
Though he was not entirely clear on how ghostly beings ranked in terms of cultivation, he knew that a Ghost King-class specter was roughly equivalent to a late-stage Core Formation cultivator. And when such creatures possessed intelligence on par with ordinary humans, dealing with them was naturally extraordinarily troublesome.
When Ge Li noticed the contemplative look on Han Li's face, he quickly added: "I know the chances of encountering a Ghost King are slim, but it would be safer if we traveled together. Though this old man is advanced in years, I have no desire to perish in the ghostly mist and become one of these wretched specters."
This elder was rather candid indeed!
Fairy Ziling listened to these words but offered no further comment.
Being exceptionally perceptive, she understood perfectly well that the elder's proposal to join forces was naturally not aimed at her — a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. He was directing it at Han Li.
And so, after her one brief interjection, she stood obediently by Han Li's side without speaking further.
When Han Li heard the elder's words, he chuckled.
He did not give a direct answer. Instead, he glanced over at the black-robed figure on the other side before speaking in an unhurried manner: "Has Brother Ge already asked that gentleman over there whether he would be willing to cooperate?"