“Although I have no fear of your Heavenly Lan Sacred Hall, I truly have no desire to make such a formidable enemy. However, the matter of planting the Sacred Beast’s Mark or joining your Sacred Hall is out of the question. How can I be sure there isn’t something sinister about this so-called Sacred Beast’s Mark? As long as your Heavenly Lan Sacred Hall ceases to trouble Han, that will suffice. Of course, if you insist on being unreasonable and continue to harass me, don’t blame Han for being ruthless.” Han Li stared calmly at the Nascent Soul of the Xu youth as he spoke.
“Naturally. With your current abilities, our Heavenly Lan Sacred Hall would never dare to break our word. Might you release our Sacred Maiden first?” The Xu youth, hearing this, was overjoyed and spoke hastily.
“Don’t rush. I haven’t finished stating my conditions yet,” Han Li snorted, his tone unamused.
“What other conditions does Brother Han have? Please speak freely,” the Xu youth asked, startled, his heart tightening.
“I will return the Sacred Beast’s avatar to you, but not immediately. It will take some years. Rest assured, I promise not to harm its life.” A strange smile flickered across Han Li’s face.
“Not returning the Sacred Beast’s avatar immediately? That… that’s not ideal,” the Xu youth hesitated.
“That’s just the first condition. The second is to ensure you don’t renege afterward. I will place restrictions on both your Nascent Soul and the Sacred Maiden’s. Don’t worry, it’s not a Soul Shackling Art. At our level of cultivation, such techniques are useless. However, I happen to have obtained an ancient secret technique—the ‘Soul-Shattering Thunder.’ All you need to do is let your Nascent Soul swallow a pellet containing a strand of my divine sense.” Han Li spoke leisurely, ignoring the Xu youth’s expression.
“‘Soul-Shattering Thunder’? Absolutely not!” The Xu youth’s heart lurched, and he shouted without thinking.
“If you refuse, I will erase both of you from this world, then take a trip to the Heavenly Grasslands and eliminate the three Great Immortals one by one when they’re alone. Afterward, I’ll return to the South and inform the Mulan people. I’m sure they’d be delighted to reclaim the grasslands. At that point, forget the Heavenly Lan Sacred Hall—whether the Utsuha Clan even survives would be uncertain.” Han Li spoke slowly and deliberately.
“You wouldn’t dare!” The Xu youth’s Nascent Soul trembled with fear and fury.
“Why wouldn’t I? Your earlier proposal to join the Sacred Hall and plant the Sacred Beast’s Mark was merely an attempt to bind my hands. There are more than one or two ways to circumvent such a mark and deal with me. Moreover, I have never tolerated being controlled by others. My fate is mine alone. If you refuse the Soul-Shattering Thunder, I cannot let this opportunity slip. You will vanish from this world. Very well, I’ll give you one last chance. When I count to five, if you haven’t agreed, I’ll take it as refusal and act immediately. One!” Han Li raised a hand, curling his thumb, his voice icy.
“How do I know you won’t use the Soul-Shattering Thunder against us afterward?” the Xu youth protested, still unwilling to yield.
“If I wanted to kill you now, why bother with such theatrics?” Han Li sneered, then uttered, “Two,” curling another finger.
“But—” The Nascent Soul stood atop the peacock’s head, muttering while its eyes darted about, as if searching for an escape.
Unnoticed, Gui Ling had already positioned herself on the other side of the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, glaring at the Nascent Soul with hostility.
The Xu youth’s heart sank. With all three locking onto him, escape was impossible in his Nascent Soul form.
“Four.”
In the blink of an eye, Han Li curled his fourth finger, leaving only his pinky extended.
Almost simultaneously, Gui Ling and the humanoid puppet unleashed their overwhelming auras, pressing down on the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock.
Gui Ling summoned her silver axe, while the humanoid puppet’s Thunderfire Bow glowed crimson, its Golden Lightning Bamboo arrow shimmering with emerald light, aimed squarely at the distant peacock.
As for Han Li, his expression remained impassive as he flipped his other hand, summoning the Three Flames Fan. With a slight wave, talismans surged across its surface, radiating tri-colored light and emitting a clear phoenix cry.
The Xu youth, hidden within the five-colored light, paled instantly, yet his lips remained tightly sealed.
Han Li’s gaze was as sharp as a blade. His lips parted to utter, “Five—”
“Fine! I’ll let you place the restriction on my Nascent Soul!” The Xu youth, recognizing the resolve in Han Li’s murderous expression, finally gritted his teeth in agreement.
Han Li nodded, forming a hand seal and chanting an ancient incantation. Moments later, his face whitened as a pea-sized white orb, seemingly containing something, emerged from his brow and floated toward the Xu youth’s Nascent Soul.
Yet, the Three Flames Fan in his other hand continued to hum, its power undiminished—a clear precaution against any treachery.
Gui Ling and the humanoid puppet remained vigilant, their auras intensifying, locking onto the Nascent Soul with no room for escape.
The Xu youth sighed inwardly, eyeing the white orb warily. It shimmered faintly with five-colored light—exactly as the legendary Soul-Shattering Thunder was described.
The orb reached the five-colored barrier and paused. Under Han Li’s icy stare, the Xu youth reluctantly allowed it through.
In a flash, the orb vanished into his Nascent Soul.
Panicked, the Xu youth scanned his Nascent Soul with divine sense but found nothing amiss. The Soul-Shattering Thunder had dissolved without a trace.
This only deepened his dread. Legends spoke of the Soul-Shattering Thunder as a coalescence of divine sense, formless and untraceable—and now he knew it was true. How could he ever remove it?
Han Li spoke coolly, “Don’t entertain thoughts of forcibly expelling it. This ancient technique cannot be undone by brute force alone. As long as you behave, I won’t activate it. But if it ever triggers, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The Xu youth’s expression darkened further.
Han Li then turned to the unconscious Sacred Maiden. After a moment’s hesitation, he repeated the process, implanting another Soul-Shattering Thunder into her Nascent Soul.
The poor woman, still unconscious, was now bound without even realizing it.
“You spare us only to manipulate us with these restrictions?” the Xu youth spat bitterly after another fruitless search.
“Manipulate you? Call it what you will. But rest assured, if you cooperate within Kunwu Mountain, I’ll release you afterward. You’ll remain the Sacred Hall’s elder and maiden, and I’ll return to the South to cultivate in peace. As for the Soul-Shattering Thunder, it will dissipate in three to four hundred years.”
“Three to four hundred years!” The Xu youth was speechless.
“Enough delay. It’s time to move.” Han Li glanced at the still-unconscious Lin Yinping and flicked his sleeve, sending a wave of azure light over her.
Under its glow, her eyelids fluttered open. Spotting Han Li, she recoiled instantly, darting back and summoning a silver flying sword.
“Fellow Daoist Lin, wait!” The Xu youth’s Nascent Soul urgently stopped her, whispering a rapid explanation.
Han Li stood impassively, hands behind his back. Gui Ling returned to his side, while the humanoid puppet vanished once more under his command.
Before Han Li could speak further, a deafening explosion rocked the space. A colossal sword Qi tore through the barrier they’d been trapped in, carving a ten-foot hole. Two streaks of light shot out, landing nearby and revealing two figures—one robed in black, the other scholarly.
“Brother Qimiao!” Lin Yinping cried out in surprise and relief at the sight of the black-robed scholar.
“Oh? Fellow Daoist, what brings the Sacred Maiden here?” The hook-nosed scholar, Qimiao Zhenren of the Heavenly Demon Sect, looked equally startled.
Beside him stood the white-haired, red-faced Elder Xuan Qingzi of the Taiyi Sect, who greeted Lin Yinping warmly before eyeing Han Li and the others with growing curiosity.
“Fellow Daoist Lin, who are these two? Where is Fellow Daoist Xu? His spirit beast is here, but he is not.” The elder’s smile faded into suspicion.
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