Several months later, early morning.

The morning sun had not yet risen above the city walls, but Jiu Yuan City was already bustling with activity, the streets teeming with pedestrians.

Unlike the usual shoulder-to-shoulder rush, the city's pedestrians today all seemed leisurely, gathering in groups of three or five to chat, or scattered along the roadside.

These people all wore expectant expressions, occasionally looking up at the sky, as if waiting for something.

Among the crowd, a handsome young man in white robes weaved through the throng, walking slowly towards the city center, his ears picking up the conversations around him.

He was none other than Han Li, who had altered his appearance and aura with the black mask of the Reincarnation Temple.

"I heard that the celestial envoy from the Central Earth Immortal Territory is extremely arrogant, not only surrounded by countless attendants, but even the Lord of the Golden Source Immortal Palace is accompanying him. He's certainly made quite a spectacle along the way," said a brown-robed old man.

"After all, he's a messenger from the Heavenly Court, his status is extraordinary. Otherwise, why would the Lord of Jiu Yuan Temple, Chun Jun Zhenren, personally welcome him? Besides, he's here to deliver the 'Bodhi Token' this time. That's a treasure that countless Grand Luo cultivators covet. Who wouldn't treasure it? Who wouldn't treat him like their own ancestor?" replied a middle-aged man in ornate clothing.

"That's the certificate to attend the Bodhi Feast, who wouldn't want it?" another person said enviously.

Han Li simply listened, without speaking or stopping, and walked towards the end of the street.

"Oh… here he comes!" Just then, an exclamation rang out.

The street was immediately stirred, and everyone stopped talking, looking up at the sky.

The white-robed young man also stopped, standing at the street corner, looking up at the sky above the city walls.

There, it seemed as if the sun was rising, or the sky was suddenly illuminated, with a dazzling golden light shining.

The light spread out like Buddhist treasure light, surrounded by a circle of colorful rainbows, and even higher in the sky, countless rays of light gathered to form a vast expanse of multicolored clouds.

After waiting for a while, everyone's necks were stiff and their eyes were sore, but no one appeared.

Just as someone was about to complain, a burst of celestial music and Sanskrit sounds suddenly rang out from the sky, followed by a layer of colorful light spreading from outside the city, directly crossing the city walls and extending into the city.

The city's defensive formations actively opened a channel hundreds of feet wide, allowing the light to project through.

Han Li's eyes narrowed, and he saw that the colorful light had formed a great avenue, upon which floated illusory images of five-colored lotus flowers, exuding a fragrant aroma that almost enveloped the entire city.

"Rumble..."

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, eight golden-armored Kirin galloped along the flowery, multicolored avenue in the sky, their bodies shining with golden light, their hooves sounding like thunder.

Behind them trailed an extravagantly decorated, enormous palanquin, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, inlaid with pearls and jade, looking like an extremely ornate golden pavilion.

Behind the palanquin followed a long procession of people, including ranks of golden-armored cavalry and celestial cultivators wielding various magical treasures. The number was not as exaggerated as the rumors had suggested, but it was still considerable.

In front of the palanquin was a white jade railing, and behind the railing stood a tall man wearing a golden crown and celestial official robes, his face square, his eyes long and narrow, his nose high and straight, his lips thin, his face full of pride.

Han Li glanced at him and found the man's expression displeasing. He was about to turn away when his gaze fell upon the two people behind the man, and his expression changed slightly.

One of the men was of medium height, with ordinary features and a peaceful expression, looking unremarkable. If he were not in that position and wearing the attire of the Immortal Palace, it would be difficult to associate him with Lu Chuanfeng, the Lord of the Great Golden Source Immortal Territory's Immortal Palace.

The woman in the red dress standing next to him was much more dazzling. Not only was she exquisitely beautiful, but her figure was also graceful and alluring, instantly attracting the attention of most of the people in the city.

"Chi Meng, why is it her?" Han Li frowned slightly, surprised.

As he was marveling, lights also appeared in the sky above the city, and more than a dozen figures, enveloped in rays of light, landed on the multicolored flower-shadow avenue.

Compared to the celestial envoy's grand display, these people seemed much more ordinary, but their appearance almost caused the entire Jiu Yuan City to erupt in cheers.

Han Li focused his gaze and saw that the leader was wearing a dark green Taoist robe, a lotus crown, and had a proper, square face. His features were not outstanding, but his face was radiant, and he looked tall and dignified.

Therefore, without much guessing, Han Li knew that this person was most likely Chun Jun Zhenren, the Lord of Jiu Yuan Temple.

Closely following him were two Taoists, one lean and gaunt, with high cheekbones, a goatee beard, and a pair of extremely bright eyes. He wore a very old, gray-white Taoist robe, and he possessed an indescribable and special aura, looking like a hermit.

The other looked to be around forty years old, tall and burly, wearing an extremely ornate purple Taoist robe. His hair was simply tied into a bun, without any Taoist crown. His face was angular, and his expression was stern, looking like a celestial king statue.

These two were able to follow behind Chun Jun Zhenren, so their identities were not difficult to guess. They were likely the two vice-lords of Jiu Yuan Temple.

Han Li did not know much about the two of them, except that the old man in the gray-white Taoist robe was known as Yang Junzi, and the middle-aged man in the purple Taoist robe was called Lei Jun Zhenren.

Behind these two stood more than a dozen people, all with respectful expressions.

Among those people, Han Li immediately saw another familiar face, the Myriad Dharma Immortal Venerable who had once hunted him down.

At this moment, Myriad Dharma's attention had already moved past the celestial envoy and landed directly on Chi Meng, who was not to be outdone and glared back. At the point where their gazes collided, sparks seemed to fly.

Clearly, because of the last pursuit of Han Li, the feud between the two women was completely settled.

"Immortal Envoy Feng Tian has graced us with his presence. Jiu Yuan Temple has failed to welcome you properly," Chun Jun Zhenren said loudly.

"Zhenren Chun Jun is too kind."

…

Seeing that the two sides had begun exchanging pleasantries, Han Li lost interest in watching and squeezed through the crowd in the midst of the cheers, returning to the inn.

As a result, just as he reached his courtyard, Han Li saw a tall young man and a young woman in white martial attire and a bamboo hat standing at the entrance of the small courtyard, seemingly waiting for him.

Seeing the two, Han Li frowned slightly, looked at them, and said nothing.

"Fellow cultivator Long Wu, won't you invite us in for a cup of tea?" The woman in the bamboo hat suddenly smiled charmingly and said.

"Are you fellow cultivator Jiao San?" Han Li asked tentatively.

"The Heavenly Court envoy has arrived, and it's time for me to tell you the details of this mission," the woman in the bamboo hat said.

"Please come in."

Han Li no longer hesitated, stepped forward, waved his hand, opened the courtyard's restrictions, and welcomed the two in.

The three entered the house and sat down around the table.

Han Li noticed that the tall young man had been staring at him ever since he entered the courtyard, scrutinizing him from head to toe without any pretense.

"Fellow cultivator Jiao San, may I ask who this is?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"He is fellow cultivator Wu Yang, one of the vice-lords of our Reincarnation Temple," Jiao San explained.

Upon hearing this name, Han Li's expression changed slightly.

"It seems you really know me," the young man, who had been silent all along, said.

"I saw your portrait in the remains of the Mantra Gate back then, and I also heard fellow cultivator Rhefire mention you," Han Li said.

"Rhefire... is that rascal's disciple?" Wu Yang asked, pondering for a moment, a hint of anger suddenly appearing on his face.

"Fellow cultivator, don't be agitated. Fellow cultivator Rhefire didn't follow Qi Mozi in the rebellion back then, and he has already fallen in the Gray Realm," Han Li said immediately.

"I heard Jiu Zhen say that Qi Mozi almost died at your hands?" Hearing this, Wu Yang's expression changed and he said.

Han Li hadn't heard the name Gan Jiu Zhen for a long time. For a moment he could not remember who Jiao San was, and hesitated a moment before he replied, nodding his head and saying, "I was lucky enough to defeat him, but unfortunately I couldn't kill him."

"So, the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art is really on you?" Wu Yang suddenly asked.

As soon as this question was asked, the air in the room became somewhat tense.

"You want it? I can give it to you." Han Li first frowned, and then was silent for a long time before he opened his mouth and said.

Wu Yang's expression changed slightly when he heard this, obviously not expecting Han Li to be so straightforward, and he became a little unbelievable.

"This cultivation art originally belongs to the Mantra Gate. I can only be regarded as half a disciple of Ancestor Mi Luo. You are the orthodox successor of the Mantra Gate. Passing it on to you can be regarded as repaying the ancestor's favor of passing on the art," Han Li said frankly.

When Wu Yang heard this, a trace of guilt flashed in his eyes, and he was speechless for a long time before he finally said, "You should keep this Great Five Elements Illusory World Art safe, lest it really be lost."

"Why is this?" Han Li asked doubtfully.

"In addition to the traitors, the rest of the fellow disciples all died as martyrs, and only I survived in humiliation. I can be considered as betraying the sect. Moreover, over the years, I have been letting that beast Qi Mozi be at ease, and I have not been able to clean up the sect, so what qualifications do I have to inherit this Great Five Elements Illusory World Art?" Wu Yang said with a wry smile.

Han Li wanted to persuade him again, but Wu Yang waved his hand directly and said, "I have made up my mind, you don't need to say more."

"Since that's the case, I'll keep the cultivation art here for now, and I'll return it to you if you ever want to rebuild the Mantra Gate," Han Li said, giving up.