“I truly didn’t expect that in just over a century, Lady Yuan has actually reached Core Formation stage. Truly worthy of congratulations!” Just as the black-robed beauty was growing thoroughly irritated by Han Li’s gaze, his smile vanished and he spoke with complete seriousness.
“What Lady Yuan? You’ve mistaken me for someone else. My surname is Ruan.” The flustered anger on the black-robed woman’s face vanished the moment Han Li addressed her as “Lady Yuan,” replaced instead by panic as she immediately denied it.
This reaction was completely unexpected to Han Li, and he couldn’t help but fix his gaze on her beautiful, flickering eyes.
At this moment, the stunning woman’s face had turned somewhat pale. One of her hands rested on the storage pouch at her side, her eyes wide open, radiating unmistakable hostility.
The atmosphere suddenly grew tense! And all of this stemmed from Han Li’s utterly ordinary address of “Lady Yuan” moments ago.
Han Li still wore a slight smile, but inwardly, he was genuinely puzzled.
As for Fairy Violet Spirit, the situation before her was even more unexpected. She didn’t need to think twice; she naturally took half a step closer to Han Li, making her stance perfectly clear. Whether in terms of strength or familiarity, Han Li’s side was her obvious choice.
“It seems there might be some misunderstanding here! Fellow Daoist Yuan probably doesn’t remember me either. After all, we only met once, and that was many years ago,” Han Li said calmly, his expression unchanged. “Over a hundred years ago? A single encounter?”
Hearing this, the black-robed beauty’s expression softened slightly, but her beautiful eyes still held a trace of wariness, followed by a hint of confusion.
The tension in the air eased considerably!
However, after staring intently at Han Li for a while, the black-robed woman still said with full suspicion, “I find your face quite unfamiliar and truly cannot recall where I might have met you, Fellow Daoist. Could it be that you are deliberately deceiving me?” As she finished speaking, a cold glint flickered in her eyes, and a sliver of hostility subtly reappeared.
Han Li found this both irritating and amusing.
“Lady Yuan, over a hundred years ago, did you visit the Heavenly Star City market on Quei Xing Island?” he asked directly, no longer beating around the bush.
“The Heavenly Star market on Quei Xing Island? I did go there a few times. Did you see me there?” The black-robed woman was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, she nodded. Then, her eyes roamed over Han Li’s face, and a thoughtful expression emerged.
It seemed she was beginning to remember something.
“Indeed. At that time, you were with another Fellow Daoist Yan. You happened to run into me and Uncle Qu outside the market.” When mentioning Qu Hun, Han Li glanced almost imperceptibly at Fairy Violet Spirit. She knew Qu Hun was his puppet.
Sure enough, upon hearing Han Li refer to Qu Hun as his uncle, Fairy Violet Spirit’s face showed a faint, amused smile. Although she didn’t know the exact circumstances of that time, she could guess that Han Li had been playing a two-man act. She found it quite amusing inwardly! Of course, she wouldn’t bring it up without reason.
Mentioning Qu Hun also reminded her of something she had long wondered about: why hadn’t Han Li brought this puppet with him? It would have been a significant aid!
“Now that you mention it, you do seem somewhat familiar. Could it be that you were the other person standing at the entrance of Heavenly Star City with Core Formation Senior Qu?” The black-robed woman blinked her beautiful eyes several times before suddenly exclaiming as if a lightbulb had gone off. Then, an expression of utter disbelief spread across her face.
Han Li smiled wryly.
“So Lady Yuan finally remembers. It seems I made quite the ordinary impression on you back then!” Han Li said with a light laugh.
Hearing this, the black-robed woman’s face flushed bright red. But now that she recognized Han Li wasn’t who she had feared, she completely relaxed and said somewhat apologetically, “Please don’t take offense, Fellow Daoist Han! It’s just that back then, you were really…” She trailed off, unable to finish.
But Han Li laughed heartily and picked up where she left off, “Is it that my cultivation and appearance were too ordinary, utterly unworthy of catching the attention of you two ladies?” Han Li said this with perfect composure, not a trace of displeasure on his face.
“Please forgive my rudeness, Fellow Daoist Han!” Seeing Han Li’s attitude, the black-robed woman felt relieved. After all, Han Li’s current abilities were formidable, and she had been somewhat afraid he might still hold a grudge over that incident. Now, with her magic treasure severely damaged, she was even less willing to offend him lightly.
Thinking this, she gave a radiant smile and added, “I must also congratulate you, Fellow Daoist! Likewise, in just over a century, you’ve advanced from Qi Refinement to Core Formation stage! And your magic power is so profound, even eliminating a Ghost King-level specter!”
Hearing her slightly friendly words, Han Li inwardly shook his head. He hadn’t advanced from Qi Refinement to Core Formation; he had already been at Foundation Establishment back then. If it weren’t for cultivating the “Triple Revolving Profound Art,” he probably never would have reached Core Formation.
This woman, however, had genuinely advanced from Qi Refinement to her current level in one go. When he first recognized her identity, it had truly shocked him!
If her aptitude wasn’t far beyond ordinary, she must have encountered some incredible fortune during these hundred-plus years. Otherwise, an average cultivator could never progress so quickly. Han Li couldn’t help but speculate privately.
Although he had scrutinized her earlier, both being early Core Formation cultivators, he couldn’t discern her spiritual root condition; the magic power within her body blocked his probing spiritual sense.
Thinking this, Han Li didn’t bring up her earlier strange reaction. Instead, he glanced at the surrounding ghost mist.
Just as Han Li smiled slightly and was about to say something more, Fairy Violet Spirit, standing nearby, frowned slightly and said, “Fellow Daoists, perhaps we should continue on our way? This is no place to linger. If more powerful ghosts appear, it would be troublesome.”
Hearing this, Han Li chuckled wryly and agreed. The black-robed woman, Yuan Yao, naturally had no objections either. The three immediately determined their direction, parted the ghost mist, and left.
…
This was a garden-like area. Not only were there clusters of exotic, unnamed flowers and plants nearby, but also seven or eight exquisitely carved jade pavilions. Inside these pavilions, twenty or thirty cultivators stood or sat sparsely.
Most of these cultivators either had pale faces or were stained with blood, seemingly having fought hard battles to get here. Yet, unconcealable excitement was evident on all their faces. Some even huddled together, whispering quietly.
Patriarch Ultimate Yin, Wan Tianming, and the other Nascent Soul stage cultivators were also here, though they were separated into two different jade pavilions, meditating with their eyes closed.
The two Star Palace Elders in white, whether intentionally or not, were sitting cross-legged expressionlessly on an empty patch of ground between the two groups, silent and still as stone statues.
About a hundred zhang beyond the garden’s perimeter, rolling black ghost mist surged, tightly encircling this large area, making it feel like a completely different world.
Suddenly, the ghost mist in one area parted on its own, and a male cultivator emerged from within, calm and unhurried.
This cultivator was young, with delicate, handsome features and a green robe draped over his shoulders. Most surprisingly, he showed no signs of injury or distress whatsoever, his demeanor utterly composed, as if he had arrived here without experiencing any conflict at all.
This strange situation immediately drew the astonished attention of the nearby cultivators, their gazes towards him carrying complex emotions.
At that moment, Patriarch Ultimate Yin’s closed eyes snapped open. But after a glance at the young man, a flash of disappointment crossed his face before he shut them again, paying the newcomer no further mind.
However, upon spotting Patriarch Ultimate Yin, an almost imperceptible flicker of deep resentment passed over the young man’s face before he quickly returned to normal and strode inside.
He didn’t enter any pavilion to join the others but instead found a secluded corner to stand with his hands clasped behind his back. His cold eyes swept over the other cultivators. Not seeing Han Li among them, his handsome brows furrowed slightly before his expression became impassive once more.
But just then, unbeknownst to anyone else, a deep, masculine voice suddenly sounded in the young cultivator’s mind.
“What? Your helper isn’t here? Could it be he was devoured by some other fierce ghost? Heh! It seems the person you found isn’t much good after all?” the voice said lazily.
“Shut up! Don’t speak recklessly while inside me! There are plenty of Nascent Soul stage cultivators here. If one or two have exceptionally powerful spiritual sense, they might detect you the moment you speak!” the young cultivator retorted inwardly with sharp, unyielding mental force, thoroughly annoyed.
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