“I fear this man truly possesses some divine abilities. Otherwise, how could a newly advanced late-stage cultivator remain so composed in my presence?” Wen Qing said slowly.
“If that’s the case, then this is indeed quite troublesome. Since we cannot easily eliminate him, our only option is to try and win him over. But with his cultivation level, once he joins Star Palace, how could Yuling possibly suppress him? Once we pass away, he might reverse the roles and take control of the entire Star Palace!” The man’s voice turned icy, revealing a chilling intent to kill.
“Are you suggesting we still eliminate him? But what if he proves unexpectedly formidable? If we fail in a single strike, we would have irrevocably made a mortal enemy for Yuling, and the consequences would be unimaginable!” Wen Qing hesitated.
“Hmph, this man has already emerged abruptly in the Chaotic Star Sea. If we don’t find a way to deal with him, he will disrupt the order here. Since we have no hope of advancing further on the Great Dao, we cannot let the legacy of Star Palace be destroyed by our hands. If he cannot be of use to us, he must be eliminated. Even if it involves some risk, we must try!” The man snorted coldly, speaking without hesitation.
“Though your words make sense, this matter is of grave importance. I still believe we should deliberate carefully!” Wen Qing shook her head, clearly disagreeing with her partner.
“What? Are you truly so intimidated? I refuse to believe that, with our combined strength and the use of the Magnetic Mountain, he could escape us!” the man declared arrogantly.
“If we join forces and employ the Magnetic Mountain, we would have a seventy to eighty percent chance of killing him. But this man is exceedingly cautious—he likely won’t come to the summit of our sacred mountain willingly. While the Magnetic Mountain is unparalleled for defense, it is rather cumbersome when used offensively to pursue enemies. The only way to catch him off guard would be to trap him the moment he returns from the outer sea via teleportation, enveloping the entire Star Hall with the Magnetic Mountain to leave him no escape. Otherwise, if he evades direct confrontation, killing him would be extremely difficult,” the woman murmured.
“I’m well aware of that. I heard you gave him one of our guest elder tokens. That was a wise move. If he uses it, we can track his whereabouts and estimate his return time. This way, setting an ambush in the Star Hall isn’t impossible,” the man said darkly.
Wen Qing frowned slightly but did not respond. Instead, she abruptly changed the subject, saying something that left the man stunned.
“Throughout the generations, the rulers of Star Palace have always been a married couple. Yuling has already reached the early Nascent Soul stage, yet she hasn’t chosen a cultivation partner. Only by practicing our palace’s unique dual cultivation technique can her chances of advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage increase significantly. As long as one of the couple reaches the late stage, it’s enough to deter any challengers. That’s how we secured our position as rulers of Star Palace. But among the current Nascent Soul cultivators in the palace, there are only two around Yuling’s age, and neither seems to have caught her eye. This is quite troublesome! What do you think of that Han fellow? If he agrees to marry Yuling, we could simply hand Star Palace over to him. Whether Yuling holds actual power wouldn’t matter then. Given his astonishing cultivation speed, he might even have a chance to reach the Deity Transformation stage. Under his protection, Yuling might also achieve the Great Dao.” Wen Qing voiced a plan she had long contemplated.
“Have him marry Yuling? That’s a win-win solution. But given how young he is and already a late-stage cultivator, he likely already has a cultivation partner—perhaps even multiple concubines,” the man hesitated, his expression softening slightly.
“Even if he does, so what? None could compare to Yuling. We’d be offering Star Palace as her dowry—he should understand the weight of that choice. At worst, he could demote his current partner to concubine. Such things aren’t unheard of in our cultivation world,” Wen Qing replied with a faint smile.
“Very well, let’s proceed this way! You can test this approach first. If he refuses, we’ll eliminate him together,” the man nodded solemnly.
“Even if he refuses, we need not resort to force. I have another plan to ensnare him, ensuring he has no time to meddle in Star Palace’s affairs and gradually destroys himself,” Wen Qing said with a cold smile, her eyes glinting strangely.
“Such a method exists? Be careful not to overcomplicate things. A late-stage cultivator won’t be easily deceived,” the man said skeptically.
Wen Qing chuckled softly and began transmitting her words via voice transmission instead of speaking aloud.
“To do that? No, I absolutely disagree—” After just a few words, the man’s expression darkened in shock.
Unfazed, Wen Qing continued her transmission. After a few more sentences, the man’s anger faded, replaced by contemplation.
When the transmission finally ended, the man narrowed his eyes, deep in thought, while Wen Qing smiled silently.
After a long pause, the man’s eyebrows rose, and his face hardened with resolve.
“We’ll proceed as you say! If it fails, we’ll use other means. Before we pass, we must eliminate him, along with Six Paths, Wan Sangu, and the others. We cannot leave such threats for Yuling to handle when she takes over the Chaotic Star Sea!”
“Naturally! We still have over a century of lifespan left—plenty of time to handle this without rushing. Heh, as long as he’s fixated on breaking through to the Deity Transformation stage, he’ll inevitably fall into this trap!” Wen Qing declared with absolute confidence.
—
While the Twin Saints of Star Palace were finalizing their plans in the sacred mountain’s cavern, Han Li sat quietly in a secluded wooden hut on Silver Shark Island, gripping the wrist of a frail young girl as a strand of spiritual energy probed her body.
The girl was none other than Wen Siyue’s beloved daughter, Tian Qin’er.
Seated cross-legged on a wooden bed, her face slightly flushed, she held out her half-bare arm while Han Li sat expressionlessly at the bedside.
Further back, Wen Siyue and her scholarly husband stood nervously, barely daring to breathe, their eyes fixed anxiously on the girl. Outside, four Foundation Establishment disciples stood guard to prevent any disturbances.
“This is indeed troublesome. The poison seems alive, ceaselessly devouring her spiritual energy and coursing through her meridians. No wonder you two were helpless. You’ve fed her many elixirs, haven’t you? Without them, she wouldn’t have lasted this long. But this is like quenching thirst with poison—the more spiritual energy the poison consumes, the stronger it grows. At this rate, if the poison isn’t removed within three months, her vitality will be severed,” Han Li finally released her wrist and spoke.
At these words, Wen Siyue and her husband paled. The scholarly man trembled as he asked, “Senior Han, does even your divine power fail to expel this poison?”
“I said it’s troublesome, not that it’s impossible,” Han Li shot him a cold glance.
“My apologies for my presumption, Senior!” The man broke into a cold sweat, remembering he was addressing a Great Cultivator.
Han Li said nothing more, turning instead to study the girl on the bed, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
From the moment he entered, she had remained silent, displaying remarkable composure—far beyond that of an ordinary person, or even most cultivators facing death.
Even more intriguing was the inexplicable sense of familiarity he felt from her—subtle yet undeniable. Had he not recently advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage, sharpening his spiritual senses, he might not have noticed it at all. As for the poison afflicting her, it was a trivial matter to him.
Lost in thought, Han Li stared at the girl’s unremarkable face, puzzling over this strange sensation.
Wen Siyue and her husband exchanged glances but dared not interrupt.
Suddenly, Han Li stiffened, as if recalling something, and scrutinized Tian Qin’er with an odd intensity.
“Do you understand formation techniques?” he asked abruptly, a question entirely unrelated to the poison.
The girl’s eyes widened in shock, as did her parents’.
“Senior Han, how did you know my daughter studies formations?” Wen Siyue ventured cautiously.
“No reason. An old acquaintance of mine was skilled in formations. Your daughter reminds me of her, so I asked,” Han Li replied calmly, though his mind flashed to the resolute figure of Xin Ruyin from his early cultivation days.
Their appearances were nothing alike, yet their auras and the feeling they evoked were eerily similar.
A coincidence? Yet some instinct told him it was more.
His gaze sharpened. Suddenly, he seized the girl’s other hand, flipping it to reveal her palm—where a crimson mole, the size of a bean, blazed like blood at its center.
“Impossible!” Han Li exclaimed, his face contorting in shock.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage