“Hehe! Fellow Daoist Sun arrived quite swiftly, but unfortunately, you’ve got the wrong person. I was merely pursuing a demon beast and inadvertently wandered into your esteemed mountain range. The earlier disturbance caused by the low-level demon beasts was also witnessed by me, and I too was trying to locate the culprit,” the masked cultivator chuckled dryly, his tone laced with wariness.
“Hmph! Pursuing a demon beast? Fellow Daoist Ma, do you take this old woman for a fool? You, a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator renowned for your escape techniques in the Great Jin, would let some demon beast flee into our Tianyue Mountain Range? Moreover, I’ve already scoured the area within several hundred miles and found no other cultivator capable of such a feat besides you,” the old woman retorted, her face glowing faintly purple as she spoke coldly.
“What happened? Did the earlier demon beast disturbance cause losses to Yueyang Palace? I’ve shown you respect as a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, but are you trying to pin this on me? Though I’m no match for you, there are more than a few disciples in my sect who know I entered the Tianyue Mountain Range. Besides, if I were to fight with my life on the line, I wouldn’t be completely defenseless. Unless you’re deliberately trying to reignite the war between the righteous and demonic factions!” The masked cultivator’s eyes flashed with golden light as he suddenly grew more assertive, shedding his earlier fear.
Seeing this, the old woman narrowed her eyes. “So it really wasn’t you?” she asked coldly after a long pause.
“If Fellow Daoist Sun requires it, I can swear on my inner demons! From the beginning until now, I’ve had no idea what happened at your palace,” the masked cultivator replied, his tone easing slightly as he adopted a more conciliatory stance.
“No need for such oaths. It seems it truly wasn’t you. Given your status in your sect, it’s unlikely you’d stoop to such disgraceful acts. Besides, I’ve never heard of Fellow Daoist Ma possessing the ability to summon demon beasts. However, for you to chase a single beast into our Tianyue Mountain Range, it must be quite extraordinary. Would you care to enlighten me?” The old woman’s expression softened, her words growing more polite.
“This demon beast is indeed exceedingly rare, and its importance to me is likely no less than the Sunfire Bird is to your palace. It’s a newly advanced seventh-grade Armored Earth Dragon, which I discovered in the Huangli Mountain of a neighboring prefecture. But the creature is incredibly cunning and adept at earth escape techniques. I pursued it for six days and nights before arriving here, which is why I didn’t have time to notify your palace before intruding,” the masked cultivator explained frankly, knowing full well that withholding information would only deepen her suspicions.
“A seventh-grade Armored Earth Dragon? That’s truly a rare demon beast, and one of such high rank is unheard of. No wonder Fellow Daoist Ma was so eager. Judging by your readiness to leave, have you already captured it? I’ve only heard of this creature in legends—never seen one in person. Would you allow this old woman a glimpse?” The old woman’s surprise gave way to curiosity.
“I’m afraid I must disappoint you, Fellow Daoist Sun. Just as the demon beast disturbance occurred, my tracking technique suddenly failed, and I lost its trail. However…”
“However what?” The old woman’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“However, while searching for the beast, I suddenly saw a streak of green light streaking across the sky. It was incredibly fast and didn’t resemble any cultivator from your palace. I suspect the earlier anomaly in the mountain range might be related to this person. I tried to give chase to see who it was, but their escape technique was too swift. After a brief pursuit, I lost sight of them completely. That’s when you intercepted me, Fellow Daoist Sun,” the masked cultivator said with a bitter smile, his tone resigned.
“Green light? So this person hasn’t been gone long! Which direction did they flee?” The old woman’s expression shifted as she pressed for details.
“Toward the outskirts of the mountain range. With your abilities, you might still catch up to them!” The masked cultivator’s eyes flickered subtly as he spoke.
“Thank you for the tip, Fellow Daoist Ma. I’ll go investigate immediately. Since the Armored Earth Dragon has vanished, you should leave this mountain range as well. Our sects stand on opposite sides of the righteous-demonic divide, and this isn’t your sect’s Divine Wood Cliff. When I return, I’d prefer not to find you lingering here.” Having obtained the lead she sought, the old woman wasted no time in dismissing him. Without another word, she transformed into a golden streak of light and shot toward the outskirts of the mountain range.
“Hmph! That old hag is as difficult as the rumors say. The moment she got what she wanted, she turned hostile. ‘Righteous-demonic divide’—what nonsense! She’s just coveting the Armored Earth Dragon for herself. Hehe, if my senses aren’t mistaken, the dragon’s disappearance must also be linked to that green light. The speed of that escape technique was on par with a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. Catching up won’t be easy. Judging by her furious demeanor earlier, it seems that person dealt Yueyang Palace a heavy blow. A rather satisfying thought,” the masked cultivator muttered mockingly to himself once the golden light had vanished from sight.
His gaze then dropped to a spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a faint glimmer of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
“Though I didn’t secure the Armored Earth Dragon this time, I did capture a Blackblood Spider. At least the trip wasn’t a complete waste. That dragon must’ve fallen into the hands of that other fellow. I wonder what method they used to drive the demon beasts into such a frenzy.” A trace of resentment crossed his face before he fell into thought.
“No, this person’s ability to lure demon beasts is no trivial matter. I must return and inform Senior Brother Mu immediately.” Raising his head abruptly, the masked cultivator muttered under his breath. After a quick glance around, green light enveloped him as he transformed into an emerald streak and vanished into the sky.
Meanwhile, the old woman, surnamed Sun, flew relentlessly for half a day, scanning the surrounding tens of thousands of miles with her spiritual sense. Finding no trace of the suspect, she reluctantly returned to Yueyang Palace and sternly ordered her disciples to keep the incident under wraps. If other major sects learned of it, Yueyang Palace would become the laughingstock of the Great Jin’s cultivation world.
Fortunately, the perpetrator had only taken the Sunfire Bird’s flame plumes without killing the spiritual bird for its core. With the right elixirs, the bird would recover its vitality within a few decades. Swallowing her frustration, the old woman could only seethe in silence. Privately, however, she dispatched a select group of elite disciples to investigate whether any major factions or Nascent Soul-level experts had recently sought materials for crafting treasures, hoping to trace the culprit.
Her motives weren’t solely driven by anger over the spiritual bird—she also coveted the method to attract demon beasts. Mastering such a technique would make hunting demon cores or taming spiritual beasts far easier.
Of course, she wasn’t the only one with such thoughts. Around the same time, the Demon Wood Sect, a rival power to Yueyang Palace, secretly sent out numerous disciples to investigate whether any unfamiliar high-level cultivators had recently appeared in Long Province.
The covert movements of these two major forces unsettled the region’s smaller factions and clans, who began speculating whether the delicate balance of power in Long Province was about to shatter. Fearing an impending war between Yueyang Palace and the Demon Wood Sect, minor powers scrambled to form alliances or consolidate their defenses, plunging the entire province into a tense atmosphere.
Unbeknownst to Han Li, his actions had triggered this chain of events. At that moment, he was secluded within the depths of an unnamed desolate mountain.
Inside a hastily carved stone chamber, he examined his spoils—five ethereal flame plumes—while conversing with the Great Divination Sage.
“That old woman who pursued us at the end must be Yueyang Palace’s late-Nascent Soul grand cultivator. Her cultivation is indeed formidable, but her spiritual sense is rather ordinary. She failed to detect you despite your Qi-concealing technique. Otherwise, you’d have been in serious trouble,” the Great Divination Sage remarked lightheartedly, seemingly in good spirits.
“Heh! At worst, I’d have used Bloodshadow Escape again. I doubt I’d run into another upper realm sacred beast’s avatar by sheer coincidence. But I had no choice—that old woman’s escape technique was slightly faster than mine. Hiding was the only option,” Han Li replied with a chuckle.
“True enough. Still, despite the risks, the rewards were substantial. Not only did you obtain these flame plumes, but you also captured a rare Armored Earth Dragon. If tamed, it could prove invaluable for locating natural treasures,” the Great Divination Sage said approvingly.
“That may be so, but taming an adult demon beast is no easy feat. Success depends on luck,” Han Li replied, though inwardly pleased.
“Don’t worry. Taming adult demon beasts isn’t as difficult as you think. The higher their intelligence, the easier they yield,” the Great Divination Sage said dismissively, as if speaking from experience.
“Oh? Is that so?” Han Li’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“You’ll see for yourself in time. This Armored Earth Dragon seems quite intelligent—it shouldn’t be too hard to tame.”
“Let’s hope so. For now, I’ll let it stew for a while before attempting anything. First, I need to process these flame plumes, then head to the Jin Capital auction. I’m curious to see what the so-called ‘Great Jin’s premier city’ looks like,” Han Li mused.
“I visited Jin Capital once in the past. Though a mortal city, it’s extraordinary in scale and grandeur,” the Great Divination Sage remarked, an unusual note of praise in his voice.
“Your words only deepen my curiosity. Fortunately, we’re not far from Jin Capital. Give me a day to prepare these materials, and we’ll set off. Three months is more than enough time.” Han Li’s tone was calm as he spoke.
With a flash of azure light, all but one of the flame plumes vanished into his storage. He tossed the remaining plume into the air and exhaled a stream of azure infant flame, enveloping it. The plume’s innate crimson flames ignited, creating a dazzling display of intertwined azure and scarlet radiance.
Han Li then closed his eyes, assumed a meditative posture, and began channeling his energy, sinking into deep concentration.
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