Upon hearing Lü Luo’s words, Han Li finally felt a weight lift from his heart.
It seemed things were as he had anticipated—even without the method to lift the seal that he had personally retrieved, Nangong Wan would be fine. However, since the curse-breaking technique was already in his possession, it would be a waste not to use it. It would be best to perform the ritual for Nangong Wan once more, just to ensure no hidden complications remained.
In a flash, Han Li made up his mind.
As they chatted, the three of them arrived before the protective formation of the Falling Cloud Sect.
Since Lü Luo had sent a message talisman along the way, the moment they approached, the dense mist of the formation began to churn before gradually dissipating and vanishing.
The entire mountain-guarding formation was being dismantled.
Han Li was startled by this, but before he could say anything, hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators, led by over a dozen Core Formation cultivators, flew out from the sect’s entrance. They quickly arranged themselves in two orderly rows in the air before shouting in unison:
“Disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect welcome Elder Han’s triumphant return after achieving Nascent Soul perfection!”
After the declaration, the cultivators bowed deeply to Han Li, their faces alight with excitement. Clearly, Lü Luo had already informed the sect’s disciples in his message talisman that Han Li had become a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
That was why they had prepared such a grand welcome for Elder Han.
After all, the disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect were well aware of what it meant for their sect to produce a great cultivator. Not only would the sect immediately rise to become one of the superpowers of the South Sky, but the cultivation resources they could claim would far surpass anything they had before. As members of the Falling Cloud Sect, they were naturally overjoyed.
Han Li, however, gave Lü Luo a wry smile.
“Brother Lü, I’m hardly an outsider. Was such a grand display really necessary?”
“Haha, what are you saying, Junior Brother Han? Now that you’ve advanced to become a great cultivator, it’s only natural for the sect’s disciples to welcome you with due ceremony. In fact, in a few months, the sect will hold a grand celebration to mark this occasion and invite elders from other sects to witness it. Otherwise, how could we properly honor your current status?” Lü Luo replied with a hearty laugh.
“Do as you see fit, Senior Brother. But I won’t involve myself in any of the arrangements—at most, I’ll make an appearance when the time comes,” Han Li said helplessly.
According to the customs of the South Sky, when a cultivator advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage, an exceptionally grand ceremony was indeed held to announce it to the entire region. This allowed other sects to acknowledge the fact and solidify the superpower status of the great cultivator’s sect.
Han Li had no grounds to oppose it.
Thus, surrounded by so many disciples, Han Li entered the Falling Cloud Sect and was led directly to one of its grand halls.
Han Li took the central seat in the hall, while Lü Luo sat slightly to the side, symbolizing that Han Li was now the sect’s foremost figure.
Han Li said nothing about this.
If a sect with a late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator did not defer to him, it would only invite trouble. At the very least, the disciples would grow restless, not to mention the suspicions of other sects. Chaos would inevitably follow.
Thus, Han Li did not refuse and silently accepted the arrangement. However, he remained silent in his central seat.
After all, he had been away from the sect for so many years and had never involved himself in its affairs before. It was best to leave everything to Senior Brother Lü.
True to form, though Lü Luo’s cultivation was unremarkable among Nascent Soul cultivators, he handled sect affairs with meticulous order. First, he had the newly advanced Core Formation disciples pay their respects to Han Li one by one. Then, he formally announced Han Li’s ascension to the late Nascent Soul stage. Finally, under the excited gazes of the disciples, he assigned tasks to begin preparations for the grand celebration.
Han Li sat quietly in his chair, his gaze casually sweeping over the assembled disciples.
Most of those present were Core Formation cultivators, with a few Foundation Establishment disciples mixed in—important stewards responsible for mundane affairs.
Wherever his gaze landed, the disciples bowed their heads in deference, not daring to meet his eyes.
But after a few glances, Han Li suddenly realized that neither his nominal disciple Liu Yu nor the Song-clan woman from White Phoenix Peak were among them.
Puzzled, he waited until Lü Luo finished giving orders and the disciples respectfully withdrew to begin preparations.
“Senior Brother Lü, I didn’t see Junior Nephew Bai. Has she gone out on some important business?” Han Li asked casually.
Lü Luo chuckled in response.
“Ah, Junior Brother Han, you may not know this, but Junior Nephew Bai has gone to the Devilfall Valley. It seems she needs a rare spiritual herb to refine a certain pill—one that’s already extinct in the outside world. But someone once brought it out from the valley.”
“Entering the Devilfall Valley?” Han Li’s expression shifted.
“Don’t worry, Junior Brother. That herb can be found in the valley’s outer regions. For some reason, ever since your group ventured inside, the inner valley remains perilous, but the restrictions in the outer valley have weakened year by year. Most of the spatial rifts have disappeared. Aside from a few dangerous zones and hidden demonic beasts, there’s little risk. Many cultivators have reaped great rewards from the outer valley in recent decades. Oh, and your disciple Liu Yu and your concubine went with her. All three are Core Formation cultivators and brought some fine treasures. They should be safe,” Lü Luo quickly explained.
“The Devilfall Valley has changed so much? And Liu Yu and Mu Peiling went as well?” Han Li was surprised.
“Indeed. I don’t know what elixirs you left behind, but your concubine advanced to mid-Core Formation in just a century. Her cultivation speed is astonishing—she might even reach Nascent Soul one day,” Lü Luo remarked admiringly.
“The pills I left were secondary. Peiling’s innate aptitude was always good,” Han Li said, stroking his chin.
But inwardly, he mused that he had originally expected to return from the Great Jin within a decade or so and hadn’t left many cultivation-boosting pills behind. Otherwise, with continuous elixir support, she might well have reached late Core Formation by now.
However, now that he had broken through to late Nascent Soul on his own, the Phoenix Rebirth Art—which only worked on Nascent Soul cultivators—was no longer necessary. He would have to carefully consider how to handle her situation.
After all, everyone knew she was his concubine. Even if he released her now, no male cultivator would dare risk offending a great cultivator by getting involved with her.
Lost in thought, Han Li chatted with Lü Luo a while longer before suddenly rising to take his leave, saying he wished to check on Nangong Wan first.
Lü Luo naturally didn’t object.
Thus, Han Li left Tian Qin’er in the hall and headed straight for the sect’s forbidden grounds.
Soon, he stood before the stone chamber, his heart stirring as he dispelled the door’s restrictions and gently pushed it open.
The chamber was immaculate, exactly as he had left it. The crystalline ice wall still stood opposite the entrance.
The only difference was that the girl-like figure of Nangong Wan within the ice had regained her original, peerless beauty. Yet her eyes remained closed, as if she were still in deep slumber.
With a faint shimmer, Han Li appeared directly before the ice wall.
He stared at the woman within, his expression complex.
Then, the long lashes of the beauty in the ice fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened, meeting Han Li’s gaze.
For a long moment, they simply looked at each other in silence.
“You’re back. This time… you’ve truly worked hard,” she finally said with a soft smile.
—
Deep within the Devilfall Valley, halfway up an unnamed mountain, a deafening explosion suddenly resounded.
A thick plume of black smoke billowed from a hidden cave before churning violently, spreading hundreds of feet in an instant and blotting out half the sky like the descent of a demonic god.
“Heh, by borrowing the residual demonic energy of that ancient demon, I advanced to mid-Nascent Soul in just over a century, and even mastered the final layers of the Profound Yin Demonic Qi. Taking this risk to enter the Devilfall Valley was the right choice. Next, I’ll search for a few suitable treasures here. Then, even if that man comes for me, I won’t have to fear him. After that, I’ll infiltrate the Abyssal Demon Depths and use its endless demonic energy to temper this demonic corpse body. Breaking through to late Nascent Soul won’t be impossible. Hah! Other demonic cultivators fear demonic energy backlash, but this body is already a demonic corpse—what do I have to fear? Once I reach late-stage perfection, killing him and devouring his soul will be child’s play. Then I’ll be him, and he’ll be me. After all, there can only be one Han Li in this world…”
A hoarse voice boomed from within the black smoke before breaking into maniacal laughter. Then, the smoke surged violently and sped off in a certain direction, vanishing without a trace.
—
On the outskirts of the Devilfall Valley, within a bamboo forest, a streak of red light shot into the sky before darting away at breakneck speed.
But with a sharp cry, three sword beams of different colors streaked out from the forest at even greater speed, quickly overtaking the red light.
With a single coordinated strike, a strange, croaking shriek came from the red light as a monstrous bird over ten feet long plummeted from the flames.
A white streak shot from the bamboo forest, reaching the falling bird in an instant and revealing a beautiful woman in white robes.
With a casual grab, a purple spiritual herb flew from the bird’s corpse into her hand.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage