If others weren’t mentioned, Han Li immediately spotted Xuan Gu Shang Ren, who had parted ways with him not long ago. Sitting alone in a corner of the hall, the man was staring coldly at Han Li, a trace of unconcealed surprise in his eyes.
On another jade pillar stood a man and a woman. The female cultivator, with delicate features, was also staring at Han Li in astonishment, her face full of shock. It was actually Miao Yin Sect’s Violet Spirit. Beside her stood a composed and elegant man in a blue robe.
Noticing Violet Spirit’s odd expression, the man couldn’t help but glance at Han Li a few times. Seeing that Han Li appeared quite young, a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he asked Violet Spirit something.
In response, Violet Spirit pursed her lips into a light smile and whispered a few words to the man, seemingly explaining Han Li’s identity.
Frowning, Han Li ignored the pair and instead turned his gaze coldly toward another direction. The look coming from that area was clearly hostile, which puzzled him.
There, he saw an elderly man glaring at him with visible anger. Han Li was taken aback for a moment before recognizing the man. He inwardly sighed, realizing trouble had found him—it was Elder Miao of Six United Palaces.
Back then, due to the Infant Li Beast incident, Elder Miao and an Elder Gu had attempted to silence Han Li. Unexpectedly, Han Li had turned the tables, taking advantage of their weakened state and the restrictions of the formation to eliminate them instead. So many years had passed, yet Elder Miao still remembered him. It seemed the bond between him and the slain Elder Gu ran deep.
Although Han Li muttered a few complaints inwardly, he didn’t dwell on it. He turned his attention to the other cultivators present but found no one else he recognized.
After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped through the blue light and entered the hall. He found an unoccupied jade pillar, flew to its top, and sat cross-legged like the others, then began observing the unfamiliar cultivators.
Since spiritual sense was also restricted within the hall, Han Li couldn’t discern the cultivation levels of the others. However, he guessed that most were likely at the Core Formation stage or above, with Foundation Establishment cultivators being a rare minority. There might even be quite a few Nascent Soul stage old monsters present.
With this in mind, Han Li remained seated but carefully scrutinized the other cultivators one by one.
After a while, he noticed something unusual and identified two individuals who were almost certainly at the Nascent Soul stage.
One was an elderly scholar dressed in a yellow robe, with white eyebrows and a thin face. He held a tattered bamboo scroll in one hand, reading with great interest while occasionally shaking his head, appearing every bit the bookworm.
The other was a middle-aged beauty in pristine white robes. Though her features were exquisite, she exuded an icy, bone-piercing chill that warned others to keep their distance.
At that moment, the frosty beauty was expressionlessly polishing a sheathed black sword. From the moment Han Li appeared outside the hall to when he entered, she hadn’t so much as glanced his way, appearing exceedingly aloof.
Although there were other cultivators who seemed calm and detached, their composure seemed somewhat feigned compared to these two.
Moreover, most of the cultivators here regarded these two with a trace of awe—something not extended to the others. This alone convinced Han Li that these two were undoubtedly Nascent Soul stage experts.
Of course, Han Li was aware that among the other cultivators, there were likely special individuals who shouldn’t be underestimated either. The most obvious example was Xuan Gu Shang Ren.
Although the old demon seemed to be only at the late Core Formation stage in terms of cultivation, in actual combat, late Core Formation cultivators were far from his match. He could almost be considered second only to Nascent Soul stage experts.
Who knew how many other wolves in sheep’s clothing might be hiding among the rest?
Han Li inwardly grumbled, seemingly forgetting that he himself could eliminate cultivators of the same level without much effort.
Regardless, after some consideration, Han Li grew even more cautious. He repeatedly pondered the true purpose of this gathering. Surely it wasn’t for some tedious cultivator conference?
After all, both the brocade map fragment and this floating Void Sky Hall were shrouded in mystery, even attracting Nascent Soul stage experts. This indicated that something extraordinary was bound to happen here.
Unfortunately, he knew nothing about it. Otherwise, he could have planned his next moves in advance to avoid finding himself in a disadvantageous position should any dangers or unexpected events arise.
For now, he could only play it by ear.
As Han Li was lost in thought, Xuan Gu Shang Ren’s voice suddenly echoed in his ear: “Brat, I didn’t expect you to have a Void Sky Map fragment too. How about we cooperate in retrieving the treasure this time?”
“Treasure retrieval?” Upon hearing these words, Han Li felt a surge of joy, knowing he had come to the right place. However, he maintained his calm expression and replied evenly, “How does Senior propose we cooperate? You can explain first.”
The youth transformed by Xuan Gu Shang Ren was pleased that Han Li didn’t outright refuse. Just as he was about to continue the discussion via voice transmission, footsteps echoed from the hall’s entrance, and two people swaggered in.
When Han Li and Xuan Gu Shang Ren saw the two, their expressions changed dramatically.
Han Li paled slightly, while Xuan Gu Shang Ren’s face twisted, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty madness. Fortunately, he was cunning enough—the expression vanished as quickly as it appeared, and he quickly regained his composure.
The two newcomers didn’t notice Xuan Gu Shang Ren’s odd behavior. However, Han Li inwardly groaned at the sight of them. One of them was actually Young Island Master Wu Chou of Extreme Yin Island.
The other was a stranger to Han Li—a pale-faced, narrow-eyed middle-aged cultivator. But Han Li had a vague guess about his identity and couldn’t help but regret coming here.
The middle-aged cultivator entered the hall with Wu Chou, coldly scanning the room. His gaze paused on the face of a sallow-skinned cultivator, and he let out a few cold laughs.
The yellow-faced cultivator turned ashen and trembled slightly, but then, as if remembering something, he straightened up again.
“Good, very good!” The middle-aged man sneered a few times, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, before turning his attention to Han Li.
The moment the man’s gaze fell on him, Han Li felt as if a venomous snake had locked onto him, his hair standing on end. Though he appeared calm on the surface, he was extremely uneasy inside.
But soon, Han Li was taken aback. When the middle-aged man saw his face clearly, an unmistakable look of pleasant surprise flashed across his features. Although it disappeared quickly, Han Li had caught it clearly. This left him bewildered and even more suspicious.
Xuan Gu Shang Ren also noticed this scene and was similarly stunned. He then lowered his head in thought, his eyes darting around.
By then, the middle-aged man had spotted the elderly scholar and the middle-aged beauty. After a slight pause, he retracted the cold gleam in his eyes and greeted them with a spring-like smile, cupping his hands: “I didn’t expect Brother Qing of South Goose Island and Madam Wen of White Jade Mountain to be here as well. I, Wu, am truly remiss!”
“What remiss? I, Qing, can’t compare to Brother Wu’s Extreme Yin Island with its vast resources. I can only come here to try my luck. After all, this opportunity only comes once every three hundred years. Moreover, I heard that Barbarian Beard also obtained a Void Sky Map fragment offered by someone. I’m afraid he’ll be here soon. When that happens, us old fogies can truly gather again.” The elderly scholar set down his bamboo scroll, a faint, insincere smile on his face.
“Barbarian Beard is coming too?” The middle-aged man’s expression changed, as if he was extremely wary of this person.
“Yes! I heard his lifespan is nearly exhausted. This time, he wants to find some Longevity Fruit in the Void Sky Hall to refine a few Longevity Pills, hoping to extend his life by fifty or sixty years.” The elderly scholar spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
The icy beauty, however, continued polishing her sword without even looking up, completely ignoring their conversation.
After hearing their exchange, Han Li couldn’t help but take a deep, cold breath. Though brief, their words had provided him with much useful information.
The middle-aged man was indeed the Extreme Yin Ancestor who had once possessed Wu Chou. From their conversation, it seemed another Nascent Soul stage expert would be arriving.
The fact that there were spirit medicines in the Void Sky Hall that could extend one’s lifespan was truly unbelievable! No wonder even Nascent Soul stage experts had eagerly come here.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage