Han Li watched the two men expressionlessly, not uttering a word, but he knew very well that these two were almost certainly connected to the destruction of Qi Xiaoyao’s residence.
Sure enough, before Han Li could speak, the young man couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Who are you? What’s your relationship with that kid surnamed Qi?”
Hearing this, Han Li merely cast a cold glance at him before ignoring him completely, instead turning his attention to the old man. Clearly, in terms of cultivation, the one truly in charge here was this elder.
The young man, infuriated by Han Li’s contempt, knew that Han Li was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, his family was one of the most prominent clans in the Yuan Wu Kingdom—when had he ever been treated like this? Moreover, his anger over the matter with Qi Xiaoyao was already boiling. Gritting his teeth, he was about to release the magic tool in his hand when the old man suddenly grabbed his arm.
“Hold on! We don’t know this person’s background. Even if we’re going to take action, we should first clarify things,” the old man said calmly.
After speaking, he glanced suspiciously at Qu Hun behind Han Li. He couldn’t sense any living aura from him, yet there were fluctuations of spiritual power, which puzzled him greatly.
Hearing this, Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly. This old man, like him, was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. His words indicated he sensed Han Li was not to be trifled with and had grown cautious.
“Did you destroy this place?” Han Li asked unhurriedly.
“What is your relationship with Qi Xiaoyao? Are you from the Qi family?” the old man countered instead of answering.
Han Li frowned slightly. It seemed the other party wouldn’t answer straightforwardly. He would have to try a different approach.
“It seems neither of us wants to answer the other’s questions. How about this: for every question you answer, I’ll answer one of yours? That way, we won’t waste time,” Han Li suggested, raising an eyebrow.
The old man was taken aback but quickly agreed after a moment of thought.
“Since I proposed this method, why don’t you ask first?” Han Li said indifferently.
“Are you from the Qi family?” the old man asked without hesitation.
“No!” Han Li replied firmly.
Hearing his resolute tone, both the old man and the young man were startled, their eyes filled with doubt.
“Is Qi Xiaoyao alive or dead?” Han Li asked casually.
“He’s still alive!” the old man replied after a moment of hesitation.
The words “still alive” eased Han Li’s worries.
“What is your relationship with Qi Xiaoyao?” the old man pressed cautiously.
“We have some transactional dealings,” Han Li replied coldly.
“Transactional?” The old man’s eyes flickered with surprise.
“Where is Qi Xiaoyao now?” Han Li asked, feigning casualness though he was deeply concerned.
“I cannot tell you that!” the old man refused without hesitation.
“Then let me ask another question: why did you attack Qi Xiaoyao?” Han Li asked again, unperturbed.
“He killed members of our Fu family. Doesn’t he deserve to die?” the young man interjected coldly.
The old man frowned, displeased, but said nothing.
“The Fu family!” Han Li’s mind immediately flashed to those Qi Refinement cultivators he had killed to save Xin Ruyin. A surge of killing intent rose within him.
“I see. But there are only two of you here. What if the Qi family sends someone powerful? How will you handle them?” Han Li asked casually, masking his true intentions.
“Why would the Qi family oppose our Fu family over an outer disciple? Are the two of us not enough?” the young man said arrogantly.
“So, there are only the two of you here?” Han Li’s voice suddenly turned low and dangerous.
“What do you mean by that?” the young man demanded angrily, but the old man, sensing something amiss, quickly cut him off.
It was too late. With a swift motion, Han Li sent two streaks of black light shooting toward the young man. At the same time, he slapped his storage pouch, releasing over a dozen white beams that transformed into puppet beasts and soldiers. The puppets immediately unleashed a barrage of light beams and arrows.
Terrified, the old man flashed in front of the young man and summoned a coin-shaped magic treasure, which expanded to the size of a tabletop, shielding them. A series of explosions erupted against the coin, forcing the old man and his magic tool backward.
Just then, a scream came from behind. The old man turned in panic, but before he could fully look, he felt a chill on his neck and everything went black.
As the old man’s headless body collapsed, Han Li materialized from the air behind him, a nearly invisible thread glinting on his ring finger—the transparent thread magic tool.
While the Black Dragon Claws and puppets had drawn the old man’s attention, Han Li had used the Smokecloud Steps to cover over twenty zhang in mere breaths, arriving behind them. The thread had cleanly severed their heads.
To Han Li, it had been effortless, almost too easy.
It was almost laughable. In battles between Foundation Establishment cultivators, low-level elemental barriers were useless against top-tier magic tools, while high-level barriers took too long to cast, and instant-activation talismans were either unavailable or exorbitantly priced. Thus, most relied on defensive magic tools rather than full-body barriers, considering the latter impractical.
This oversight gave Han Li ample opportunities. Many of the demonic cultivators he had killed at the border had met similar fates.
His method resembled that of the Black Fiend Cult’s Blood Servants and Fiend Demons—swift and lethal. Unfortunately, this tactic only worked when enemies were on the ground. Otherwise, Han Li would have little to fear among Foundation Establishment cultivators.
With a slight shake of his head, Han Li sighed inwardly at the missed potential.
He walked over to the headless bodies, retrieved their storage pouches, and scanned them with his spiritual sense. Disappointment flickered within him. Though there were two or three top-tier magic tools, they were ordinary and of little use to him. However, the coin-shaped defensive tool seemed rare and intriguing.
Pleased, Han Li summoned the restored coin tool to his hand. After admiring it briefly, he tossed two small fireballs to incinerate the bodies. Then, with Qu Hun in tow, he circled the area briefly before flying away.
This time, he headed straight for the small mountain where Xin Ruyin resided, hoping her hideout was well-hidden and untouched.
After two or three hours, Han Li arrived at the unnamed mountain where Xin Ruyin lived. Seeing the mist still shrouding the mountain, completely undisturbed, he felt a wave of relief.
Hesitating to descend recklessly, he halted mid-slope and retrieved a message talisman. After murmuring a few words into it, he tossed it downward.
The talisman transformed into a flickering flame before vanishing. Simultaneously, thick mist surged upward, engulfing Han Li completely.
In a blur, Han Li found himself surrounded by towering trees over a hundred zhang high, as if he were an ant in a giant forest. Though startled, he remained motionless. He knew Xin Ruyin would soon guide him in after receiving the message talisman.
Sure enough, moments later, the giant trees dissolved back into mist, and a passage about a zhang high opened in the rolling fog ahead. Without hesitation, Han Li urged the Divine Wind Boat forward, entering with Qu Hun.
The passage was long, stretching sixty to seventy zhang before Han Li glimpsed the exit. His spirits lifted.
But just as he was about six or seven zhang from the exit, a hoarse woman’s voice called out, “Senior Han, who is that person behind you? You shouldn’t have brought a stranger here.”
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