Among the cultivators present, the two with skeletal faces, the refined man, and the old man seemed to have no prior acquaintance, and consequently, no one inquired about Han Li’s background. The refined man, upon seeing that the group numbered five, wasted no time in cupping his fists toward Han Li and the others, saying respectfully, “I am Ke Yu, sent here to relay a mission and guide the three seniors. This is my token—please inspect it.” With that, he retrieved a black token from his waist and handed it to Han Li. Clearly, he assumed the three were a group, with Han Li, the highest in cultivation, naturally taking the lead.
Han Li silently reached out, took the token, glanced at it, and then casually tossed it to the skeletal-faced man beside him.
The skeletal-faced man similarly gave it a brief look before tossing it back to Ke Yu, lazily remarking, “What’s the point of checking the token? If the teleportation array hadn’t permitted it, a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you wouldn’t have been able to come here. As for our identities, there’s no need to verify them. At this gathering, aside from us enforcers who received orders, there wouldn’t be any outsiders. Just get straight to the mission.”
The skeletal-faced man seemed very familiar with such formalities. After speaking with an air of authority, he revealed impatience.
Ke Yu hesitated for a moment upon hearing this but then awkwardly chuckled, dropping the matter of verifying Han Li’s group’s identities. Instead, he cleared his throat and introduced the old man beside him.
“This Senior Ding is a protector of the Qingyang Sect. The mission is for the three seniors to assist Senior Ding in capturing a fugitive from the sect. The specifics can be discussed among yourselves—I’m merely here to make introductions.” After finishing, Ke Yu tactfully stepped back, allowing the old man to engage directly with Han Li and the others.
“The Qingyang Sect? The one under the Three Yang Sage?” The skeletal-faced man’s eyes flashed with blue light, revealing surprise.
The brutish man and Han Li also showed slight changes in expression upon hearing this.
“Haha! It seems I need not explain further—the three of you are already familiar with our sect’s founder. This time, our founder personally requested assistance from your alliance’s Six Paths Sovereign. The fugitive is not only a Core Formation cultivator but also possesses several of our sect’s treasures, having evaded capture for years. Only recently did we accidentally discover their whereabouts. Normally, our founder would handle this personally, but he is currently occupied with other urgent matters and cannot spare the time. Hence, we sought your assistance. With four Core Formation cultivators working together, we should be able to capture the witch alive.” The old man from the Qingyang Sect, surnamed Ding, smiled faintly and cupped his fists toward the three. However, his expression darkened slightly when he mentioned the last part.
“A female cultivator?” The brutish man asked suspiciously upon hearing the term “witch.”
Han Li, meanwhile, frowned slightly, as if recalling something.
“Indeed. The witch is named Yuan Yao. Originally, she was to become a concubine for our young master. But this vile woman, relying on her beauty and seductive arts, conspired with another woman to murder the young master, stealing his treasures and rare elixirs before using them to form her Golden Core. The Three Yang Sage had only this one heir, so his hatred for this woman runs deep. If the three of you can help me capture her alive, our sect will surely reward you handsomely—you won’t leave empty-handed.” The old man gritted his teeth as he spoke of the target but seemed reluctant to dwell on the matter, quickly diverting the topic.
The skeletal-faced man and the brutish man exchanged glances, showing indifference, while Han Li rubbed his nose, inwardly speechless.
So it was Yuan Yao after all! This enigmatic and alluring woman had such a background—quite unexpected for Han Li.
He had previously wondered how she had formed her Golden Core so quickly and why she had always acted so mysteriously when they later crossed paths. Now it made sense: she had robbed the young master of the Qingyang Sect and was being pursued. Clearly, the young master must have possessed many rare elixirs, all of which had fallen into Yuan Yao’s hands. But now that she was about to face misfortune, should he intervene? Han Li hesitated. Though they weren’t exactly friends, they were at least acquaintances.
At that moment, the skeletal-faced man spoke up: “Since it’s an order from above, we’ll assist regardless of rewards. Where is this woman now? Since we were summoned here, she can’t be too far away.” Despite his intimidating appearance, the man was quite sharp.
“You’re right. The witch is hiding on a desolate island north of Huangming Island. If not for one of our disciples recognizing her while she was shopping and tailing her back to her lair, we’d still have no leads. She’s extremely cunning and possesses powerful treasures, including our sect’s secret treasure, the Qingyang Thunder. Please be cautious.” The old man warned, specifically cupping his fists toward Han Li. Given Han Li’s late Core Formation cultivation, the old man naturally held him in high regard.
Little did the old man know, Han Li, though nodding expressionlessly, was contemplating whether to eliminate all of them. However, upon hearing that Yuan Yao was nearby, Han Li’s mind stirred, and he quickly decided to meet her, rescue her, and then seize the opportunity to request something important from her.
Seeing that the group had finished discussing, Ke Yu respectfully asked if they were ready before leading the way out of the cave.
A disheveled cultivator stared at the teleportation array beneath his feet, utterly perplexed. When he had first entered the room, the array had been functioning normally, glowing with spiritual light. But just as he was about to teleport, it had inexplicably malfunctioned. Scratching his head, he sighed in frustration.
After passing through the guarded restriction, Han Li and the others emerged at the edge of a cliff. Glancing at the faintly visible village in the distance, they took to the skies one after another. Guided by the old man from the Qingyang Sect, they flew northward, leaving the island behind.
The journey was uneventful, with everyone focused on traveling.
Han Li, being the highest in cultivation and exuding an icy, unapproachable aura, was left undisturbed. By late afternoon, the five of them spotted a small island spanning only a few dozen miles.
“This is the place. The witch is hiding in one of those small hills!” The old man’s eyes gleamed coldly as he halted his flight and spoke.
Han Li and the others stopped mid-air, gazing at the island from a distance. Aside from sparse vegetation, the island had only a few small rocky hills, with extremely faint spiritual energy.
“Brother Ding, are you sure this is the right place? Why would a Core Formation cultivator choose such a barren spot to cultivate?” The brutish man, unable to contain his skepticism, asked with a frown.
“Rest assured, this is definitely the place,” the old man surnamed Ding replied confidently. He then formed a hand seal and flicked his wrist, sending a brilliant yellow light soaring into the sky.
Moments later, an identical yellow light rose from the opposite side of the island.
The old man’s face lit up with joy, and he turned to Han Li and the others. “Let’s go. Our sect’s disciples have been monitoring her movements. It seems she hasn’t left the island.”
Despite his words, the old man made no move to depart. Shortly after, a red streak of light shot toward them from the direction of the yellow light, stopping before the group. The light faded, revealing a middle-aged man in gray robes, around forty years old, at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. His sleeves bore the same green flame emblem as the old man’s, though smaller.
“Disciple greets Senior Ding and the other seniors!” The man recognized the old man immediately and bowed respectfully.
The old man waved dismissively and asked sternly, “Is the witch still on the island? Has she left?”
“No! Since I followed her back here, she hasn’t left her cave,” the middle-aged man confirmed.
“Good. You’ve done well. Once this matter is settled, you’ll be promoted to an inner disciple. Now, lead the way.” The old man praised him before speaking solemnly.
“Thank you, Senior Uncle! I’ll guide you at once.” The man’s face lit up with joy, and he turned to lead the group toward the island.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived above the island. The middle-aged man pointed at one of the rocky hills and said respectfully, “When the witch returned last time, I didn’t dare follow too closely due to my low cultivation. But I saw her vanish near this hill. Her cave must be here.”
The skeletal-faced man’s eyes flickered as he examined the hill, nodding slowly. “Indeed, there’s a high-level restriction on the surface. Only by approaching like this can we detect it—passing by from afar, we’d never notice. No wonder she’s remained hidden here for so long.”
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