However, Han Li was also somewhat puzzled while marveling. Although he was not proficient in soul enchantment techniques, he had some basic knowledge about them.
The “Heaven’s Eye Technique,” which every cultivator mastered, could be considered the most fundamental soul enchantment spell. If there was a vast difference in cultivation levels between two practitioners, using the Heaven’s Eye Technique to gaze into the other’s eyes could destabilize their mind, putting them at a disadvantage during combat.
Other types of soul enchantment spells also primarily relied on a significant gap in cultivation levels to forcibly control the target’s mind.
Dong Xuan’er was at the early Foundation Establishment stage, while the flamboyant man was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Under normal circumstances, such a small gap should never have resulted in him being instantly subdued just by making eye contact. Unless the other party was a Core Formation expert specializing in soul enchantment techniques, that might have been somewhat plausible.
But judging by the flamboyant man’s expression and the resentful look he gave when leaving, it didn’t seem like that at all! It was highly unlikely that a Core Formation expert would pretend to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator just to toy with them.
Thinking this, Han Li felt somewhat reassured. After all, he was very concerned about the resentful expression the flamboyant man had when leaving.
When he lifted his head from his thoughts, he happened to see Dong Xuan’er flirting with the two men again. Her previously pitiful appearance had long vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, Han Li sighed inwardly, stood up, and prepared to return to his room.
But just as he placed his hand on the wooden door, before pushing it open, he suddenly heard a loud male voice outside the inn.
“Listen up, guests of the inn! Tomorrow’s Treasure Hunt Competition will be divided into two groups. Cultivators from this country will compete on the western peak of Yanling Castle, while foreign cultivators will compete on the eastern peak. Please arrive on time tomorrow morning. Those who fail to show up will be considered to have voluntarily forfeited the competition.”
The voice repeated this three times outside the inn before the speaker seemed to leave.
Hearing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned but then paid it no mind and pushed the door open to return to his room.
Although he was somewhat surprised by the decision to separate the cultivators of the two countries, he didn’t find anything particularly inappropriate about it.
After all, if the Seven Sects’ cultivators and foreign cultivators were to compete together, it would undoubtedly cause many conflicts. The psychology of exclusionism was the same everywhere, as evidenced by the confrontation in the teahouse that day.
As he pondered this, Han Li sat cross-legged on his bed, preparing to meditate and refine his Qi overnight to get ready for the next day’s Treasure Hunt Competition.
…
In a certain civilian residence within Yanling Castle, the flamboyant and eerie man sat on a wooden chair. Before him, several men and women were respectfully reporting something. The man listened expressionlessly, his eyes occasionally flickering with sharp light, and he let out a cold laugh for some unknown reason.
…
Meanwhile, on the western peak of Yanling Castle, more than ten green-robed disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect were busily working on the mountaintop, occasionally burying something underground. The young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect and two Core Formation experts hovered mid-air, coldly observing everything below.
“How is it? This weakened temporary Yin Fire Array—can it still work?” the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect suddenly asked.
“Young Master, rest assured! There’s absolutely no problem. Although it’s only a temporary formation, with us brothers presiding, it can still exert some trapping effects. Of course, if there are late Foundation Establishment cultivators inside the formation or if they possess exceptionally powerful magical tools, that’s another matter! But the vast majority of cultivators will definitely have no means of escape.” The elder of the Li brothers coughed lightly and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Good, that puts me at ease! The twelve Ghost Spirit Guards I brought with me aren’t here for nothing. Their strength is more than enough to deal with a few escapees!” the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect said without worry.
Hearing this, the Li brothers also felt there were no issues and fell silent.
In truth, if it weren’t for the need to preserve the souls and spirits of these cultivators intact, the two brothers could easily eliminate a few Foundation Establishment cultivators themselves. Why would they need to go through all this trouble? The Li brothers thought arrogantly.
…
Tens of thousands of miles away, in a secret room within the Yellow Maple Valley of the Taiyue Mountains, seven or eight Core Formation experts had gathered. They listened nervously to an elderly man with pure white hair and beard, their expressions shifting unpredictably as the elder spoke.
Han Li’s master, Li Huayuan, the Red Dust Fairy, and the fat Lei Wanhe were among them, all looking equally uneasy.
Before long, after the experts emerged from the secret room, the entire Yellow Maple Valley erupted into chaos.
High in the sky, various message talismans flew about wildly. At lower altitudes, waves of cultivators bustled about noisily. After some time, hastily assembled teams of cultivators set out from Yellow Maple Valley overnight, heading toward unknown destinations.
Similar scenes unfolded in the other six sects, with messengers frequently shuttling between them. It seemed as though, overnight, the entire Yue Kingdom’s cultivation world had become filled with killing intent.
Within the next few days, all the major and minor families of the Yue Kingdom received a conscription order jointly signed by the leaders of the seven major sects. The order demanded that each family send their outstanding disciples to await further instructions. Those who resisted would face extermination by enforcement teams composed of cultivators from the seven sects.
Naturally, when the conscription order reached the Yan family three days later, there was no one to receive it. By then, the Yan family had already vanished without a trace.
…
Han Li and the other Seven Sects’ cultivators in Yanling Castle, being too far from their sects, were naturally unaware of these events.
Thus, when the sky began to brighten the next day, some cultivators arrived early at the western peak. A massive formation had already been set up there, with two middle-aged men dressed in Yan family attire meditating inside.
Behind the formation was a low earthen platform where more than a dozen Yan family members, faintly shrouded in mist, stood discussing something. It seemed they were waiting for all the cultivators to arrive before starting the competition.
Han Li had also arrived at the peak. He hadn’t come out with Dong Xuan’er, habitually walking ahead alone. On the peak, he happened to run into the middle-aged man from the Giant Sword Sect, surnamed Ba, and the two engaged in idle chatter.
“Brother Ba, do you know what this formation is for?” Han Li asked after examining the massive formation several times, feeling somewhat uneasy about it.
“I’m ashamed to say I don’t know much about formations! But I suppose it’s likely a protective barrier or restriction. After all, if we Foundation Establishment cultivators were to truly spar, we’d need to be confined to a certain area. Otherwise, this small mountain wouldn’t withstand our clashes!” the Ba surnamed cultivator said casually, stroking his chin.
“Oh! That does seem likely!” Han Li replied, though he still felt an inexplicable sense of unease from the formation. It had nothing to do with his cultivation level—it was purely an intuitive feeling.
Frowning, Han Li glanced around. By now, more than thirty cultivators had arrived. Familiar faces, such as the Taoist duo from the Clear Void Sect and the woman surnamed Fang from the Sky Fortress, had also gathered, forming small groups and chatting.
“Brother Han, let’s go greet them! Look, Wu Zi and the others are over there!” the Ba surnamed cultivator suggested, smiling as he glanced toward the other groups.
“Brother Ba, please go ahead! I have some matters to ponder and won’t disturb the others,” Han Li gently declined, not wanting to draw attention by joining a large group.
The Giant Sword Sect cultivator shrugged, though somewhat puzzled, and walked over alone. After all, opportunities to befriend cultivators from other sects were rare, and he didn’t want to miss this chance.
Seeing the Ba surnamed cultivator leave, Han Li didn’t stay where he was. Instead, he habitually moved to a remote corner farthest from the formation and coldly observed the movements of the other cultivators.
Half an hour later, Dong Xuan’er and the senior brother Feng finally arrived. As soon as they did, they joined a group of Yellow Maple Valley disciples, where Dong Xuan’er quickly became the center of attention, charming the male disciples. Surprisingly, Yan Yu, who had previously stuck to her like glue, was nowhere to be seen, which Han Li found somewhat unexpected.
At that moment, the more than ten people on the earthen platform, dressed in Yan family attire but actually members of the Ghost Spirit Sect, were counting the number of cultivators present.
“Young Master, two people are still missing. It’s already quite late. Should we wait a little longer?” a Ghost Spirit Sect disciple reported to the young master after finishing the headcount.
“No need to wait. Immediately notify the two elders to activate the formation. If we delay any longer, some sharp-witted cultivators might notice something wrong, which would be even worse! As for the two missing cultivators, send Guards Eight and Twelve of the Twelve Guards to hunt them down. Regardless of why they didn’t show up, they must not be allowed to leave Yanling Castle alive!” the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect ordered without hesitation, his words dripping with killing intent.
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