Just as the Core Formation cultivators of the Ghost Spirit Sect were completely wiped out, the door of the secluded chamber in the former Moon Veil Sect’s territory opened once more. The dark-robed cultivator emerged with a face as cold as water.
Several of his most capable disciples had perished simultaneously, forcing this Nascent Soul demon to abandon his pretense of ignorance and end his seclusion. Without a word, he released several message talismans, sending orders to all Ghost Spirit Sect branches in Yue Country to immediately investigate the deaths of his disciples. He intended to take matters into his own hands and find out who dared to commit such atrocities against his Soul Shattering Sect.
However, his actions were evidently too late. Before the demonic cultivators of the Ghost Spirit Sect could launch a large-scale search, Han Li had already flown out of Yue Country and begun crossing Yuan Wu.
In the end, this Soul Shattering True Monarch found nothing, only learning that his disciples had been killed by an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator who had already left Yue Country. Despite his fury, there was nothing he could do.
Over ten days later, Han Yunzhi returned to the Qiling Mountains in Tian Luo Country with a heart full of unease. Kneeling before the pitch-black stone chamber, she recounted the events and personally sought forgiveness from the elder inside.
“You were discovered hundreds of miles away, and everyone else, including the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators, was annihilated—yet you alone escaped unscathed?” The elder’s voice carried a strange tone.
“Yes, Uncle-Master. Yunzhi and Junior Sister Liu fled separately, and I was the only one who managed to escape. The others’ whereabouts are unknown, and perhaps they haven’t been harmed yet.” For some reason, Han Yunzhi concealed the fact that the unknown Nascent Soul cultivator had recognized her and let her go, vaguely stating only that she had escaped.
“If that person could suppress the Wood Spirit Infant, they were undoubtedly a Nascent Soul cultivator. But detecting your presence from hundreds of miles away is terrifying. To my knowledge, there are only a handful of late-Nascent Soul cultivators in the entire South Heaven. Could it truly be one of those old monsters?” The elder’s voice grew low, tinged with deep apprehension.
“This junior does not know. Their spiritual sense was overwhelmingly powerful, so I dared not follow closely. I could only sense from afar that they left Yue Country, crossed Yuan Wu, and headed north. Beyond that lay the territories of the Righteous Path and the Heavenly Dao Alliance, so I dared not pursue further. Thus, I never learned their identity and had to return to the sect. Please forgive me, Uncle-Master.”
“You’ve done nothing wrong. If that person truly was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, even I would have been powerless. Your survival alone is no small feat. This was my oversight—I assumed that with your and Liu Yu’s sensing techniques, you could uncover their identity. I never imagined they might be a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. Now that they’ve fled so far, even your most exquisite techniques cannot locate the Spirit Infant. Let this matter rest for now. Go and rest. Also, I heard your Uncle Han has emerged from seclusion. You should go see him.” The elder sighed softly inside the chamber.
“Thank you for your magnanimity, Uncle-Master. This junior will take her leave.” Han Yunzhi bowed deeply, relieved, and respectfully withdrew.
Watching her figure fade into the distance, the elder remained silent for a moment before inexplicably speaking again to the empty air.
“Do you think your junior sister’s account is true? Was it really a late-Nascent Soul old monster who took the Spirit Infant? Someone of that level would never let a girl like Yunzhi escape by chance.” The elder’s voice was devoid of emotion, as if he had become a different person.
“Uncle-Master, I used a secret technique to sense Junior Sister Han’s emotions just now. While not entirely normal, she was mostly calm. Only when speaking of her escape did her mind grow chaotic. I suspect the part she concealed is related to that.” As the elder spoke, a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and large eyes emerged from the shadows of the stone chamber, bowing respectfully.
“Hmph! I thought as much. If not for her being Junior Han’s descendant, I wouldn’t have let her leave so easily. I might have even used soul-searching techniques to uncover her secrets. But out of respect for Junior Han, I refrained. After all, she’s his only descendant, and he dotes on her endlessly—even exhausting his vitality to perform a heaven-defying technique to cleanse her meridians and help her reach Core Formation. Since what she hid isn’t critical, I’ll let it go. But the Wood Spirit Infant falling into the hands of those old monsters is truly troublesome. Fortunately, it was only the Wood Spirit Infant that was lost; the other two remain intact. And I recall we have a spare Wood Spirit Infant, albeit slightly inferior. We’ll cultivate it for now. Who knows if we’ll ever gather all five Spirit Infants?” The elder exhaled heavily, frustration evident in his voice.
“The Five Elements Spirit Infant technique is a long-lost great divine ability of our sect. If not for Uncle-Master accidentally refining the Earth Spirit Infant years ago, we wouldn’t even have come this far. Once all five are ready, we can fuse them with our disciples using the secret technique. Soon, our Spirit Beast Sect will gain five Nascent Soul cultivators out of thin air, enough to challenge the Harmony Sect for supremacy among the demonic path. Though these cultivators will possess Nascent Soul abilities, they won’t have the lifespan of true Nascent Soul cultivators—a pity. As for the lost Wood Spirit Infant, it was the earliest refined and most ferocious of the five, even rumored to have devoured a Nascent Soul cultivator’s infant before. It was exceptionally violent and difficult to tame. Attempting fusion with it would have been risky, so its loss might be a blessing.” The middle-aged man spoke steadily.
“Of course I know that. Over a thousand years ago, the Wood Spirit Infant somehow developed sentience on its own and sneaked into our sect’s scripture pavilion, stealing several secret techniques to enhance its powers and break free from its restraints. If not for a late-Nascent Soul elder present at the time, who suppressed it with great divine abilities, disaster would have struck. But precisely because of this, I believe fusing with it could grant the disciple mid-Nascent Soul abilities—something I was reluctant to give up. Ironically, before fusion, we must weaken the Spirit Infants’ cultivation to ensure the disciples’ souls aren’t devoured during the process. Otherwise, why would I risk sending the Wood Spirit Infant to the Golden Wind Valley in Yuan Wu to endure the golden wind tempering?” The elder spoke calmly, though his regret was palpable.
The middle-aged man opened his mouth to say more but hesitated and remained silent.
Over a month later, Han Li finally arrived in Xi Country and returned to his cave abode. Relieved, he placed the unconscious Liu Yu in a quiet chamber before checking on Mu Peiling at the subsidiary peak.
Finding her still in seclusion, he was greatly satisfied. He then visited the two elders of the Falling Cloud Sect to inform them of his return.
The silver-haired elder and his companion were delighted to see Han Li and inquired briefly about his journey. Han Li downplayed the details, mentioning only that he had eliminated a few Core Formation disciples from the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Demon Flame Sect. To his surprise, the two elders praised him instead of expressing concern, clearly still resentful of the previous schemes by the Righteous and Demonic paths. The silver-haired elder, in particular, had suffered severe vitality damage from a life-saving technique and hadn’t fully recovered. Han Li’s actions had avenged them somewhat.
Reassured, Han Li chatted for half a day before returning to his cave abode. Along the way, he pondered how to deal with the beautiful woman in white.
Liu Yu awoke groggily, her bright eyes fluttering open to find a face inches from hers. Startled, she bolted upright and scrambled back against a stone wall.
She then realized the face belonged to a charming woman in her twenties, who smiled sweetly at her. The room was a sealed chamber with nothing but a round meditation cushion.
“You’re awake. If you’re unharmed, come with me to meet the master,” the woman said cheerfully.
“Master? Who is he? Where is this?” Liu Yu, still disoriented, asked hesitantly.
“Come with me, and you’ll find out. As for this place—it’s the Yunmeng Mountains in Xi Country. Surely you know where you are now?” The woman, Yin Yue, eyed Liu Yu’s tall figure leisurely.
“Xi Country? Yunmeng Mountains? You’re from the Heavenly Dao Alliance!” After a moment’s thought, Liu Yu paled as realization dawned.
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