“Uncle Liu, Uncle Han!” The four green-robed cultivators were startled upon seeing the two women in white, then immediately bowed in unison with respectful expressions.
“Enough, no need for formalities. We overheard some of your conversation earlier. Repeat it for us in detail—the more detailed, the better!” said one of the women softly, her voice carrying a hint of weariness. She had large eyes and a pale, gaunt face.
This woman was none other than Han Yunzhi, whom Han Li had encountered several times in the past. Though her face remained unchanged, her once frail figure had filled out, transforming her into a strikingly beautiful female cultivator. Her cultivation had also advanced rapidly, now reaching the early Core Formation stage.
“Thank you, Uncle Han. We will comply with your instructions,” said the elder, the leader of the four green-robed cultivators, speaking deferentially on behalf of the group.
Han Yunzhi nodded with a faint smile, stepped forward, and casually seated herself cross-legged on a clean patch of ground.
“Your offenses are no small matter. If you truly can’t recover the Spirit Infant, I doubt even your master will be able to plead for leniency,” chimed in the other woman, a youthful beauty with arched eyebrows and phoenix eyes, her demeanor slightly languid. She was the one who had initially startled the Spirit Beast Sect disciples.
“We know our punishment is unavoidable, but this time, we truly were wronged. We beg both uncles to put in a good word for us with the Ancestor,” the elder said with a bitter smile, his tone pleading.
“Oh? Then let’s hear both matters at once. The one who restrained the Spirit Infant is already thousands of miles away. We won’t catch up anytime soon, so there’s no need to rush,” the woman replied, stretching her alluring figure, her lips glistening.
“Yes. It all began when Uncle Ning and our group were passing through Kunmu Mountain with the Spirit Infant. Uncle Ning made an excuse…” The elder recounted in detail the escape of the Spirit Infant, its subsequent restraint, and the extermination of the Fu family.
Han Yunzhi listened quietly, her expression unreadable, as if she had already made up her mind. In contrast, the other woman, surnamed Liu, flickered with curiosity, clearly intrigued by the elder’s tale.
…
At the border between Wu Country and Yue Country, a streak of azure light flashed past, entering Yue Country.
According to the intelligence Han Li had gathered, Yue Country was now entirely under the control of the Ghost Spirit Sect. Their main stronghold was located where the Moon Mask Sect’s headquarters once stood, while the Taiyue Mountain Range, formerly home to the Yellow Maple Valley, had been reduced to a mere branch of the Ghost Spirit Sect.
Upon entering Yue Country, Han Li immediately set his course for the Taiyue Mountains.
“Nothing has changed,” Han Li murmured, standing before a massive pile of rubble, his expression tinged with melancholy.
Back then, fearing his cave abode might be discovered by demonic cultivators, he had deliberately demolished the entire mountain. Now, years later, the area had become desolate, and no one would suspect that beneath the rubble lay a hidden cultivator’s dwelling.
Muttering to himself, Han Li raised a hand, and several giant ape puppets materialized in a flash of white light. Under his divine sense, the puppets swiftly began clearing the rubble, blasting obstructing boulders apart with beams of light to carve a path to the buried cave.
Within moments, a straight passage was cleared. Han Li stationed the puppets at the entrance and transformed into an azure streak, darting inside.
The cave’s interior was exactly as he had left it in his hurried departure, showing no signs of intrusion. This eased Han Li’s mind somewhat.
He hadn’t come here for nostalgia. Heading straight for the chamber housing the Spirit Spring, his goal was to take it with him. Though he already possessed the Spirit Eye Stone—transformed into spirit jade—and the supreme Spirit Eye Tree, one could never have too many spirit eye treasures. Though small, this Spirit Spring was worth retrieving now that he was back in Yue Country.
The spring remained intact in the chamber, wisps of white spiritual energy rising from it. Han Li gazed at it with a complex expression, memories flooding back—his early days after Foundation Establishment, discovering the spring while first establishing his cave. It all felt like yesterday, stirring a mix of emotions within him.
After a long, silent moment, he sighed and formed a series of hand seals, casting multicolored spells into the spring. Instantly, the spring radiated brilliant light, and the ground trembled faintly.
Han Li sat cross-legged, forming an intricate hand seal, his eyes fixed on the spring as he chanted low incantations. An incredible sight unfolded: the spring’s surface began boiling as if stirred by an invisible hand, swirling and rising into a fathomless black vortex. A surge of astonishing spiritual energy shot out, piercing through the ceiling and vanishing into the distance.
Han Li’s expression flickered briefly at this unexpected phenomenon, but he quickly resumed his spellcasting with renewed intensity.
The tremors intensified, and a ring of blinding yellow light encircled the spring, shrinking and distorting as the spring itself diminished. The light swelled, enveloping the entire spring in a dazzling glow.
With a low shout from Han Li, the light contracted into a fist-sized, deep-yellow orb hovering in the air. Below it, a gaping pit remained—the Spirit Spring was gone.
Han Li smiled faintly, but his expression suddenly darkened as he sensed his ape puppets under attack at the entrance. Though not yet destroyed, they were clearly outmatched.
Without hesitation, he retrieved a jade box, carefully placed the orb inside, and transformed into an azure streak, darting back the way he came.
Emerging from the passage, he saw several black-robed cultivators fiercely attacking his puppets. A stern-faced man in gray, standing a short distance away, watched the scene with a puzzled expression.
The appearance of Han Li’s azure streak startled the group. “Halt!” the gray-clad man barked, and the black-robed cultivators immediately ceased their assault, retreating to his side.
Han Li halted mid-air, his gaze icy as he silently assessed them, his aura steadily expanding to reveal his Nascent Soul-stage cultivation.
“Senior, please don’t misunderstand! We mean no harm! My disciples and I merely noticed unusual spiritual energy here and came to investigate. I am Yu Hong of the Ghost Spirit Sect, disciple of Soul Shatterer. We have no intention of opposing you,” the gray-clad man said hastily, his face paling as he recognized Han Li’s power.
“Soul Shatterer?” Han Li frowned, the name ringing a bell. After a moment’s thought, he recalled—this was one of the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Nascent Soul elders, notorious for his ruthlessness and protectiveness. The white-haired elder of Falling Cloud Sect had even warned Han Li about him.
Seeing Han Li’s recognition, Yu Hong relaxed slightly but remained uneasy. “Does Senior know my master? If so, this humble one has been even more presumptuous. We had no idea you were conducting business here. If there’s anything we can assist with, please command us. Otherwise, we shall take our leave immediately.”
Despite his intimidating appearance, Yu Hong was shrewd. Facing a lone Nascent Soul cultivator of unknown origin had him sweating bullets.
Han Li stared impassively, not deigning to reply. Extending his divine sense, he confirmed no other cultivators lurked within a hundred miles. It seemed this group had indeed stumbled upon the site by chance.
A cold killing intent rose in Han Li’s heart.
Given his past affiliation with Yellow Maple Valley and current status as a Falling Cloud Sect elder, he had no reason to spare these Ghost Spirit Sect members. Moreover, the sect’s young master had nearly cost him his life once, leaving a lingering grudge.
More pressingly, his covert return to Yue Country couldn’t risk exposure. If these men reported a mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator’s presence, the Ghost Spirit Sect’s elders might pursue him—a complication he couldn’t afford.
Just as Han Li prepared to strike without warning, one of the black-robed cultivators—an elder—suddenly gasped, staring at Han Li in shock. “Eh? This person is…”
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