Han Li’s gaze wasn’t fixed on the bat but rather on the cultivator standing atop the giant bat. Though still some distance away, the blue flicker in his pupils allowed him to clearly discern the appearance of these individuals, and he couldn’t help but feel a jolt of surprise.
The group consisted of eight people—four men and four women. The men wore embroidered robes with jade belts, their attire ornate, while the women were clad in white robes with bare feet and golden sashes around their waists—clearly not the attire of the Tianlan people. However, what reassured him was that, apart from the two leaders who were at the Core Formation stage, the rest were merely Foundation Establishment cultivators. It seemed they weren’t here for him.
As Han Li’s thoughts raced, the giant bat, spanning fifty to sixty feet, had already flown over the caravan. With a few powerful flaps of its wings, it came to an abrupt halt.
A fierce gale swept toward the caravan, instantly overturning several carts directly in its path. Leather bags, chests, and other items were flung from the carts, shattering upon impact, scattering ores, herbs, and similar goods across the ground. As for the ordinary people knocked over by the wind, there were many.
At this, the Tianlan cultivators, who had initially shown slight changes in expression, now paled in terror, exchanging uneasy glances.
“Who among you is the leader? Step forward and speak,” a man in his forties atop the giant bat said coldly in the Tianlan language, scanning the caravan below. He was one of the two Core Formation cultivators, the other being a woman in her twenties dressed in white. Though somewhat attractive, her expression was frosty.
Hearing this, Ying Lu’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stepped forward from the crowd, bending at the waist as if to bow and speak.
“I wasn’t referring to mortals, but to you cultivators,” the man said impatiently, his expression darkening. With a single flap of the giant bat’s wing beneath him, another gust of wind sent Ying Lu stumbling backward, nearly falling onto his backside.
The other Tianlan cultivators grew even more fearful at this—it seemed these newcomers bore ill intentions.
In the next moment, all eyes turned to Han Li. After all, in the world of cultivation, the highest-ranked cultivator naturally assumed leadership, and this seemed only reasonable.
Seeing this, Han Li felt a surge of frustration. However, he also noticed something peculiar: even now, Feng Yue and another Tianlan cultivator had yet to emerge from their carts.
Feng Yue’s absence was somewhat understandable—with his impending death, he seemed resigned to his fate, unafraid of offending higher-ranked cultivators. But the other person was the Tianlan cultivator who had piqued Han Li’s curiosity earlier. Despite being only at the Foundation Establishment stage, he too had the audacity to remain hidden. This was highly suspicious!
“Could these people be here for him?” Han Li wondered.
“Esteemed seniors and fellow cultivators, may I ask the purpose of your visit? Are you searching for someone or something, or do you have other orders? We juniors will do our utmost to cooperate,” Han Li said calmly, stepping forward despite his reluctance.
Hearing this measured response, the middle-aged man’s eyes flashed coldly as they swept over Han Li’s hooded figure. Suddenly, his expression turned impassive as he said, “If you wish to speak to me, remove your hood first. I want to see your face.”
Han Li felt another wave of frustration at this demand. However, recalling that he had never revealed his true appearance during previous encounters with Tianlan cultivators, he saw no harm in complying. Without further ado, he removed his hood, revealing his utterly ordinary face.
The men and women atop the giant bat all fixed their gazes on Han Li’s face. He even sensed a faint spiritual ripple emanating from the man’s eyes—he was using some secret technique to scrutinize him.
“It’s his real face, not the traitor,” the man said after a moment, withdrawing the cold glint from his eyes as he turned to the Core Formation woman beside him. She nodded in agreement, her gaze sweeping over the remaining Tianlan cultivators before shaking her head as well.
Only then did the man turn back to Han Li and say indifferently, “Call out all your companions. We’re searching for someone who we suspect is hiding among your caravan. Once we find them, we’ll leave without causing you any trouble.”
Despite his words, the man immediately waved his hand after a brief whispered exchange. The six Foundation Establishment cultivators atop the giant bat shot forth, hovering above the carts where Feng Yue and the other concealed Tianlan cultivator were, clearly having identified their targets.
Yet, the two carts remained eerily silent. The others present didn’t dare even breathe loudly, while the tribal leader who had hired the other cultivator and the burly man surnamed Ba turned deathly pale.
Han Li frowned but said nothing.
Seeing no movement from the carts, the man on the giant bat sneered. With a flip of his palm, several fist-sized fireballs materialized. With a casual flick, they shot toward one of the carts.
At that moment, a bitter laugh finally emerged from the targeted cart: “Commander Gu! I’ve fled all the way to the Tianlan Grasslands, putting such distance between us. Must you truly pursue me to the death? Is there no alternative?” Before the words faded, the entire cart exploded, and a wave of white, frigid mist surged forth to meet the fireballs, extinguishing them instantly in a flash.
A robust young man in his late twenties appeared in the aftermath, clutching a crystalline, snow-white pearl, his expression shifting between dark and light.
The cultivators on the giant bat broke into smiles at the sight.
“Jiang Jianying, the Snow Crystal Pearl is indeed in your hands!” the man said, his earlier delight replaced by a vicious sneer. “The Palace Master entrusted you with this pearl to invite Elder Beixuan of North Cold Mountain, yet you dared to abscond with it. What do you have to say for yourself? If you know what’s good for you, come quietly with us. Perhaps we’ll spare what remains of your soul.”
Simultaneously, the six Foundation Establishment cultivators shifted positions, blocking the young man’s flanks and escape routes.
“Invite Elder Xuanbing? You mean to use me as a blood sacrifice!” the young man retorted with furious laughter. “Don’t think I’m ignorant. The only reason I was assigned this mission was because of my ice spiritual root—perfect for refining this pearl for that North Xuan demon! If I hadn’t fled, I’d be truly dead without a trace!”
“Even if that’s the case, so what?” the Core Formation woman interjected icily. “Have you forgotten? Every bit of your cultivation and progress was built on the palace’s elixirs and resources. Decades ago, you were nothing but a beggar—without us, you’d have long turned to bones. How could you have become a cultivator? Moreover, the palace even arranged a wife and children for you, ensuring your lineage. Isn’t it only right for you to repay the palace with your life?”
“Nonsense!” the young man scoffed. “If not for my ice spiritual root, would the palace have taken me in? With my rare spiritual root, even without the palace, I’d have eventually joined a major sect. As for the wife and children—such petty favors in exchange for my life? The palace’s calculations are truly shameless!” With that, he raised the snow-white pearl, releasing a billowing white mist that enveloped him in a twenty-foot radius.
“Your rebellious intentions were clear long ago—no wonder you abandoned even your wife and child. In that case, we’ll simply take you back for the palace to deal with. Do you truly believe that pearl alone can stand against us? How delusional,” the woman said impassively. With a wave of her hand, the six Foundation Establishment cultivators each raised a crimson flag, which then shot forth, merging into a massive fire cloud spanning an acre. It slowly descended upon the frigid mist.
From the moment the young man appeared, the group had been conversing in the Jin language, leaving the Tianlan people utterly bewildered. Han Li, however, had studied the Jin language and listened in stunned silence.
What palace? What commander? None of this sounded like a typical cultivation sect. Instead, it resembled the chaotic factions of the Scattered Star Seas. Could it be that the Jin Empire’s cultivation world was similarly turbulent and complex?
Though the Tianlan people couldn’t understand the conversation, they sensed the gravity of the situation. The mortals had already stealthily retreated to safety, while the Tianlan cultivators, wary of provoking misunderstandings, dared not flee. They could only reinforce their protective barriers to avoid collateral damage.
The fire cloud clashed with the frigid mist below, their opposing energies intertwining into waves of scalding steam that surged outward, a spectacle both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
Though the Snow Crystal Pearl was extraordinary, the young man, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, lacked the ability to refine it, let alone wield it freely. From the first clash, the frigid mist was at a severe disadvantage. Realizing his peril, the young man desperately tried to break free, but the six cultivators working in unison kept him trapped within the fire cloud.
Before long, the mist shrank steadily. Despite pouring his spiritual energy into the pearl, the young man couldn’t withstand the fire cloud’s relentless erosion. Within the time it took to eat a meal, the mist had dwindled to a mere few feet.
“Commander Gu, intervene. He still has uses—we need him alive,” the Core Formation woman said abruptly, turning to the man.
“Rest assured, leave it to me,” the man replied coldly. Transforming into a streak of white light, he shot into the frigid mist.
The six Foundation Establishment cultivators withdrew the fire cloud simultaneously.
The mist churned violently before a loud bang and a muffled groan echoed from within. As the mist dissipated, the scene inside was revealed: the man stood triumphantly, one hand gripping the unconscious youth and the other clutching the Snow Crystal Pearl. With the young man’s energy depleted, the Core Formation cultivator had subdued him effortlessly.
The woman nodded in satisfaction.
“Secure him. This trip wasn’t in vain,” the man said, tossing the youth to a subordinate before turning his gaze to Han Li and the others, his expression contemplative.
“Don’t stir unnecessary trouble. This is the Tianlan Grasslands, not our Nine Immortals Palace. Though we’ve notified the Tianlan Holy Hall, it’s best not to provoke them—the Tianlan people are fiercely protective of their own,” the woman cautioned, frowning.
“Understood. Let’s go— Hm? What’s this?” The man nodded, preparing to leap back onto the giant bat when his gaze inadvertently fell on an object among the scattered items on the ground. A surprised gasp escaped him.
Han Li followed his line of sight to a translucent, egg-shaped stone lying there.
The stone was peculiar—its exterior crystalline and transparent, but within, a flame-like golden light swirled ceaselessly, emitting an unusual glow. Most of its surface had been grimy, rendering it inconspicuous earlier, but the recent steam had cleansed part of it, revealing its true nature.
“Golden Flame Stone! It’s actually a Golden Flame Stone! Han boy, your luck is truly extraordinary,” Great Divination’s astonished voice echoed in Han Li’s mind just as he felt a flicker of recognition. He then remembered—this was the most crucial material required to forge the imitation Sevenflame Fan! In the Tiannan region, it had been extinct for centuries. Even in the Jin Empire, Great Divination hadn’t been entirely confident of finding it.
The man seemed to recognize the stone’s significance as well, his eyes blazing with excitement as he flashed to its side. Bending down, he reached for it with trembling hands.
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