The three of them slowly walked to the center of the grand hall and stopped side by side. The black-robed, somewhat ferocious-looking man standing in the middle spoke coldly: “Who we are, I suppose, needs no further introduction. Even if there are those among you who don’t recognize us, you should know us by now. This gathering is presided over by the three of us. Does anyone have any objections?”
His voice was icy, and as soon as he spoke, an overwhelming aura erupted from his body. A tremendous spiritual pressure descended upon the entire hall. The cultivators present, sensing the unfathomable fluctuations of spiritual energy, all subtly changed expressions.
While Han Li was inwardly shocked by the man’s formidable power, he also felt a wave of surprise. Judging by the man’s sinister demonic aura, he must be the infamous “Huanhuan Old Devil” of the demonic path. Yet, this “Old Devil” looked nothing like what Han Li had imagined. Though he was the grand elder of the Huanhuan Sect, his cultivation technique seemed more akin to the demonic arts of the Ghost Spirit Sect!
Han Li didn’t know that successive grand elders of the Huanhuan Sect were all referred to as the “Huanhuan Old Devil.” Although the black-robed man’s cultivation technique was actually a demonic art unrelated to the Huanhuan Sect, he still had to bear the title of “Huanhuan Old Devil.”
At this moment, the others, sensing the man’s terrifying presence, though inwardly uncomfortable, were not foolish enough to openly challenge the authority of the three great cultivators. For a time, the hall fell into silence, tacitly accepting the Huanhuan Old Devil’s words.
“Good. Since there are no objections, let’s not waste time with idle talk. In fact, we don’t have time for it. Just this morning, the Mulan people sent an envoy with a letter of challenge, stating that if we don’t agree to their terms, they will engage in a decisive battle at the border in seven days,” the black-robed man said expressionlessly.
“A letter of challenge?” “Seven days?” “What terms?” The cultivators murmured in agitation.
“Brother Yi’s words are true. This is the opponent’s challenge. Fellow Daoists, please review it first, and then we can discuss our strategy. Though the battle comes earlier than we anticipated, with the abilities of those present, do we truly have anything to fear from the Mulan people?” The sword-carrying Taoist chuckled lightly, speaking with calm assurance. Though his voice was not loud, it carried a soothing effect, like a cool breeze, instantly calming the restless hearts of those present.
The other cultivators were startled, and the murmurs quickly subsided. However, someone muttered under their breath, “The Tranquil Heart Technique of the Taizhen Sect is indeed impressive.”
Hearing this seemingly resentful remark, the middle-aged Taoist acted as if he hadn’t heard it. Instead, he retrieved a blood-red jade slip from his robe and casually tossed it to a gray-robed elder opposite him, smiling as he said, “This is the Mulan’s challenge. Fellow Daoist, please take a look first.”
The elder, momentarily stunned, silently took the jade slip and scanned its contents with his spiritual sense. His expression darkened abruptly, and with a cold face, he passed the slip to the person beside him. That person, curious, also examined it with his spiritual sense, and his face likewise turned grim.
As the challenge letter circulated among the cultivators, Han Li took the opportunity to study the Taoist and the green-robed elder. The Taoist appeared to be in his forties, with fair, translucent skin and refined, scholarly features that naturally inspired goodwill. He was likely the “Supreme Yang Sage” of the Taizhen Sect from the Righteous Path Alliance.
As for the green-robed elder, his appearance was utterly unremarkable—neither his attire nor his demeanor stood out in the slightest. The only thing that caught Han Li’s attention was the man’s unusually long fingernails, which were sharp, purplish-black, and faintly glowing, making them quite conspicuous. This man was undoubtedly the grand elder of the Nine Nations Alliance, Wei Wuyan.
Wei Wuyan seemed to sense Han Li’s gaze and turned slightly to glance at him. Their eyes met, and a flicker of surprise crossed Wei Wuyan’s face before he smiled faintly at Han Li. Han Li awkwardly returned the smile but couldn’t help thinking inwardly: If this man knew about his relationship with Nangong Wan, would he still be smiling?
As Han Li pondered, Long Han beside him finished reading the jade slip that had been passed to him and, with a grim expression, handed it to Han Li. Seeing the reactions of those before him, Han Li grew curious and calmly immersed his spiritual sense into the slip. After a while, he withdrew his consciousness with a furrowed brow and silently passed the slip to another cultivator.
Before long, the entire jade slip had been reviewed by everyone, and each person’s expression had darkened. One or two even snorted in barely suppressed anger after reading it.
“Fellow Daoists, having read the challenge, what are your thoughts?” the Supreme Yang Sage of the Taizhen Sect asked with a faint smile.
“What arrogance! They want us to cede half of Tiannan to them? Do they think they’ve already won?” a sinister-looking man in brocade robes said coldly.
“Exactly. What nonsense about ‘ceding a little land to turn swords into plowshares.’ Do they think we don’t know the Mulan are nothing but stray dogs now? Even without a decisive battle, we could slowly wear them down to death,” a portly, sly-looking elder added.
“Fellow Daoist Lu, what do you mean by that? Is it because your Thousand Illusions Sect is deep in Tiannan that you disregard the survival of our sects? A war of attrition suits you just fine, but what about the foundations of our sects?” a swarthy man beside the fat elder retorted with a dark expression.
“I’m only thinking of everyone’s welfare. Sects can be rebuilt, but lives lost cannot be restored,” the fat elder replied indifferently, casting a sidelong glance at the swarthy man.
“Hmph! Easy for you to say. If our nations are abandoned, why should we cultivators risk our lives to hold back the Mulan’s spellcaster army for your demonic path? We might as well relocate our entire sects to your Tianluo Country—then no one would die,” another person sneered.
“You—”
“Enough! The matter of a war of attrition was settled long ago and needs no further discussion. What we must focus on now is how to deal with the Mulan’s spellcaster army, not your internal squabbles,” the black-robed man interjected sternly, silencing the argument.
Though the three men were inwardly resentful, they obediently fell silent at the Huanhuan Old Devil’s words. After all, in the world of cultivation, strength spoke loudest.
“In truth, your dispute is unnecessary. We’ve already deduced that, given the Mulan’s all-out offensive, a war of attrition is impossible. Without concentrating most of Tiannan’s forces, we cannot hope to withstand their assault. Any single sect or nation would collapse upon contact. In the end, it would be our own strength that’s depleted. This battle must be fought, and we must cripple the Mulan—there’s no room for complacency,” the Supreme Yang Sage said gravely.
Hearing this, the other cultivators whispered among themselves before quieting down again.
“But what trick are the Mulan playing? If they want to fight, why propose this wager first, and with such high stakes? The sheer quantity of rare materials they’ve wagered is beyond what even a major sect could muster. I thought the Mulan grasslands were resource-poor?” Dongmen Tu of the Beast Taming Sect asked, his eyes glinting.
“I can answer that. The Mulan grasslands are indeed resource-poor, but only relatively. While their spiritual stone mines and common material deposits are scarce compared to their vast numbers of spellcasters, they do possess many rare materials—some even more abundant than in Tiannan. It’s not surprising they can offer so much,” another cultivator, seemingly knowledgeable about the Mulan, explained.
“I see. But are they so confident they’ll win this wager? Apart from late-Nascent Soul cultivators, anyone can participate—ten matches, each a fight to the death. Do they think our cultivators are made of clay?” Dongmen Tu mused, his expression thoughtful.
Every person present was a shrewd schemer, and they all suspected the Mulan had some ulterior motive or hidden trick behind this wager. Each began pondering the potential pitfalls.
Han Li, too, was puzzled. The challenge letter had been clear: the wager battles would take place before both armies, with no room for underhanded tactics. The participating cultivators would carry the wagered materials into battle, and the victor would directly claim the opponent’s storage pouch.
The only oddity was the stipulation that all ten matches must occur simultaneously, and defeated cultivators could not flee—they had to fight to the death. To enforce this, the battles would take place within a sealed spatial barrier jointly set up and monitored by both sides to prevent foul play.
“Still, whatever trick the Mulan are playing, this could be an opportunity for us. If we can eliminate a few high-ranking spellcasters before the main battle, it would surely work to our advantage.”
“Hmph, I suspect the Mulan are thinking the same about us,” one cultivator retorted sarcastically to another’s tentative suggestion.
“What’s there to ponder? If the Mulan want a wager battle, we need not oblige. We should stick to our original plan in seven days and ignore their challenge—that way, whatever scheme they’ve concocted will come to nothing,” said the elderly Kuang of the Nihangzhai Sect disdainfully.
“Unfortunately, Fellow Daoist Kuang, though your words make sense, we must participate in this wager—and we must win,” the Supreme Yang Sage sighed, sounding resigned.
“What? What do you mean, Sage? We can’t let the Mulan dictate terms!” Kuang frowned, displeased.
Several other elders nodded in agreement.
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