Hearing this, a hint of reluctance flashed in Supreme Divine Venerable's eyes. He and Han Xuanji had felt like old friends from their first meeting, sharing a connection of the Dao Heart. After hundreds of millions of years of loneliness, it was not easy to encounter a Junior who spoke his language and was pleasing to the eye, so he naturally did not wish to part ways just yet.
"Leaving so soon?"
Supreme Divine Venerable sighed softly and tried to persuade him to stay:
"The Spiritual Qi in the Sea of Great Dao Origin is abundant and most suitable for seclusion. Why don't you stay for a while longer?"
"I appreciate Senior's kindness, but I must decline."
Han Xuanji shook his head slightly, his mind made up:
"I need to return as soon as possible to digest what I have gained today. Once my Realm is stable, I will surely return to the Sea of Great Dao Origin to seek Senior's guidance again."
Seeing that his mind was made up, Supreme Divine Venerable no longer pressed him.
"Very well, since your mind is set, I shall not stop you."
He raised his hand and beckoned, and a wisp of the Great Dao's Origin Qi condensed into a simple, unadorned token that slowly floated before Han Xuanji.
"This is a communication device, refined through the dual powers of my Origin Dao Heart and the special rules of the Sea of Great Dao Origin."
Supreme Divine Venerable said solemnly:
"Keep it safe. In the future, within Chaos, whenever you encounter an insurmountable enemy, a situation you cannot control, or... if the day truly comes when you must face the will of chaos head-on, simply channel your Divine Thought into it. No matter where you are in Chaos, I will arrive at your side immediately."
"A word spoken is witnessed by the Great Dao; I shall never break this promise."
Han Xuanji felt a warmth in his heart as he reached out to take the communication token.
The token felt warm and smooth in his hand, faintly resonating with this world. He could clearly feel the profound power contained within it. Their long period of discussing the Dao had indeed brought the two of them a step closer.
"Thank you for your great kindness, Senior!"
Han Xuanji solemnly put away the token and then bowed in farewell.
"No need for such formalities."
Supreme Divine Venerable waved his hand, his eyes filled with expectation.
"You and I are now fellow travelers on the Dao. Remember, be careful in all things and do not rush blindly. The power of the will of chaos is even greater than you imagine."
These words sounded very much like what Han Xuanji would say to his own Disciples.
However, Han Xuanji did not feel uncomfortable hearing them; he naturally would not underestimate the will of chaos.
This was an existence that had caused even the Immortal Ancestor, Supreme Divine Venerable, and other great experts to suffer setbacks.
"I will keep Senior's teachings in mind."
Han Xuanji bowed once more and spoke no further.
His body transformed into a clear streak of light, disappearing into the Sea of Great Dao Origin. Supreme Divine Venerable stood where he was, his silver hair fluttering, his eyes full of gratification.
"Perhaps our long-cherished wish can truly be realized through you."
He sighed softly and turned to submerge himself back into the depths of the Sea of Great Dao Origin. Only this time, within that aura of loneliness, there was now a bit more anticipation and a bit more Battle Intent.
Meanwhile, Han Xuanji's heart was clear and bright.
On this trip to the Sea of Great Dao Origin, he had not only signed in to receive Heaven-Defying rewards but also recruited a top-tier combat power like Supreme Divine Venerable. The harvest was truly bountiful.
With a shift of his body, Han Xuanji returned to Xuantian Hall.
Yun Wuji had already departed. Upon waking, he hadn't found Han Xuanji, but he didn't think much of it, simply returning to his own residence to continue his Cultivation.
A great figure like his Master surely wouldn't need to inform him of his every move.
"I didn't expect a single discussion of the Dao to last a thousand years..."
Han Xuanji felt somewhat emotional.
For a Cultivator at his Realm, time truly passed without any notice.
And this was why Han Xuanji was in a hurry to leave. He knew that before long, the Demon Ancestor would lead a massive force of experts to attack the Immortal Realm.
If he were to engage in a few more Dao discussions, becoming immersed and losing track of time, he might only be able to return in time to collect the corpses of the Immortal Realm.
Fortunately, a thousand years had passed, and no major events had occurred in Chaos. The Xuantian Dao Palace was also doing well, with no crises having arisen.
Han Xuanji did not deliberately hide his aura, so many in the Xuantian Dao Palace became aware of his return.
The sound of wind echoed outside the hall as a steady and respectful figure approached quickly; it was his eldest Disciple, Li Taiqing.
"Disciple Li Taiqing greets Master! Master has been away for a thousand years; all is well in the Immortal Realm."
Han Xuanji nodded slightly, his fingertips tapping the armrest of his seat:
"A thousand years have passed in a flash. Tell me in detail about the events during this time."
He could see that Li Taiqing seemed to have some questions he wanted to ask.
To be honest, Han Xuanji himself knew that after founding the Xuantian Dao Palace and laying the foundation, he had basically handed over all matters to his eldest Disciple, Li Taiqing. Although he was the Palace Master in name, Li Taiqing was the one actually fulfilling the duties.
Thinking of this, Han Xuanji felt a moment of guilt. Li Taiqing had been busy with so many things, which must have cost him a lot of time; he had to find a way to compensate him.
Li Taiqing, however, did not realize that Han Xuanji was already thinking of compensating him. He simply bowed and spoke in an orderly manner:
"Master, since you went into seclusion and departed, the Demon Race did not fight to the death as expected.
Contrary to their usual behavior, the Demon Race offered no resistance. They directly led their core members to retreat, handing over the entire heart of the Demon Territory.
Our Immortal Realm army took the opportunity to recover the lost territory. The war proceeded more smoothly than anyone could have imagined."
Han Xuanji's eyes flickered slightly:
"That smoothly?"
"Yes, Master."
Li Taiqing paused and continued:
"With the Demon Ancestor absent, the Demon Race was leaderless. His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor had Junior Brother Jiang Hao lead the Heavenly Court army to strike directly at the heart of the Demon Territory, killing countless enemies. The survivors dispersed; some fled to the Small Worlds attached to the Immortal Realm, while others hid in dangerous places like the Sea of Darkness and the Reincarnation Forbidden Land, no longer posing a major threat."
"Additionally, the large number of Immortal Realm Cultivators who were secretly abducted by the Demon Race years ago have all been rescued. Among them are many veteran experts who had been missing for tens of thousands of years. The overall foundation of the Immortal Realm has actually seen a recovery."
"Oh?"
Han Xuanji suddenly remembered something from many years ago.
Back then, a member of the Demon Race had even disguised himself as an Ancestral Master of his Lingxu Heavenly Palace to gather intelligence.
That Ancestral Master had actually been abducted by the Demon Race. Being busy with his cultivation, he had forgotten about the matter.
Han Xuanji performed a brief divination and found that the person had already safely returned to the Lingxu Heavenly Palace; they were quite lucky.
However, he didn't mention this to Li Taiqing, but instead pondered for a moment and said:
"This Demon Ancestor... is indeed patient. But do not be careless; the Demon Ancestor's move is not for temporary gain."
He wasn't too surprised. The Demon Ancestor was a cunning fellow who knew that temporary gains or losses didn't matter.
If given the chance, he could turn everything around in a single stroke.
At this point, Li Taiqing's voice paused, and his expression became a bit more solemn:
"There is one more matter that requires Master's decision. Some members of the Demon Race have come forward voluntarily, wanting to join our Xuantian Dao Palace."
Han Xuanji raised his eyes:
"Oh? Demons defecting to the Immortals is quite rare. Who is the leader?"
Li Taiqing said without hesitation:
"It is one of the Demon Ancestor's confidants, the Four Heavenly Demons.
In the wake of the Demon Race's collapse, he led a group of remnants who no longer wished to fight to surrender in earnest. He stated they are willing to serve the Xuantian Dao Palace for generations and follow Master's orders, seeking only a place to settle down."
Speaking of this, Li Taiqing also felt somewhat helpless. This fellow was truly unafraid of death. One must know that the Demon Race had always been mortal enemies with the Cultivators of the Immortal Realm, yet he dared to risk such great danger to surrender.
However, this fellow was no ordinary demon. He immediately began to flatter Han Xuanji, saying that Xuantian Dao Venerable Teaches All Without Discrimination and should not discriminate against their Demon Race.
Li Taiqing was not the type to kill every demon he saw. On one hand, over the years, he had no deep blood feuds with the Demon Race, and he had indeed never seen this Four Heavenly Demons directly participate in the wars against the Immortals. On the other hand, since the other party was so sincerely flattering his Master, he likely wasn't a bad person.