Chapter 310: The Imperial Family

Han Li, with his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, could activate the talisman treasure many times faster than during his Qi Refining days.

A moment later, the cyan talisman in his hand emitted a clear chime and transformed into a small, exquisite cyan jade ruler several inches long, shimmering with a soft glow.

By then, the Mengshan Four Friends had reached their limit. Under the ferocious claw strike of the demonized man, the White Scale Shield was sent flying as if struck by a heavy hammer. The four immediately slumped, their faces turning ashen.

“Senior, hurry!” The dark-faced elder had already noticed the extraordinary phenomenon of Han Li’s talisman treasure and couldn’t help but urge anxiously.

Han Li had no time to respond to the elder. Seeing the demonized man forced back by the light pillar, he immediately channeled all his spiritual power into the jade ruler.

In an instant, the small ruler floating in his hand emitted a dazzling cyan light. It split from one into two, then into four, and then into eight… In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into hundreds of identical small rulers, each emitting a buzzing hum as they trembled and hovered around Han Li.

This astonishing scene left the Mengshan Four Friends gaping in disbelief, almost thinking they were under an illusion.

Without any delay, Han Li pointed solemnly at the demonized man. Instantly, the dense swarm of small rulers surged forward like a breached flood, rushing relentlessly toward their target.

Although the bald man seemed to have lost some clarity of mind after demonization, he appeared to sense the danger of Han Li’s talisman treasure attack. A look of fear crossed his face, and suddenly, a red light flashed around him. He shot backward like a meteor, his speed no less than that of the Divine Wind Boat.

Seeing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned. After a brief hesitation, the man had already fled hundreds of feet away, leaving only a distant fleeing figure in sight.

Sighing, Han Li chose not to pursue. Instead, he pointed his hand, recalling the jade ruler talisman treasure, which converged back into a cyan talisman and floated into his palm.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to eliminate the threat and achieve complete success, but the remaining power of the jade ruler talisman treasure was limited. If he were to engage in a prolonged chase, he wasn’t sure he could sustain it. Since they already had captives, it was wiser to play it safe.

Seeing that the formidable enemy had been driven off by Han Li, the Mengshan Four Friends relaxed and helped each other stand up.

Noting their pale complexions, Han Li thought for a moment before taking out a small medicine bottle from his storage bag and tossing it to them.

“Take one pill each. It will greatly benefit your injuries,” Han Li said with a faint smile.

After all, these individuals had assisted in the battle, and he felt it necessary to show his appreciation, ensuring they knew he was not an ungenerous person.

True to his expectations, the Mengshan Four Friends looked grateful. The dark-faced elder respectfully took the bottle, gently poured out four pill-sized, fiery-red pills, and held them in his hand. The pills emitted a rich medicinal aroma that invigorated anyone who caught a whiff.

The elder, experienced as he was, immediately recognized the extreme value of the medicine. After repeatedly thanking Han Li, he and the others swallowed the pills.

The moment the pills entered their stomachs, they dissolved into streams of warmth that spread throughout their bodies. The group immediately felt their injuries significantly alleviated, filling them with immense joy.

“Let’s go. This is no place to linger. If the Black Evil Cult sends reinforcements, we’ll be in trouble,” Han Li said, glancing at the captured young prince and Steward Wang with a solemn expression.

The Mengshan Four Friends naturally had no objections. They tossed the two captives into the Divine Wind Boat, and Han Li swiftly piloted the vessel away.

The sky above the ruined temple returned to tranquility, with no signs of the intense battle that had taken place there.

…

Han Li and the others returned to the Qin residence without incident, descending directly from the sky into their living quarters.

Fearing complications, Han Li took only a brief rest before beginning the interrogation of the young prince and Steward Wang that very night.

Han Li intended to question only the young prince himself, leaving Steward Wang to the Mengshan Four Friends. He trusted that the dark-faced elder’s shrewdness would yield satisfactory results.

Getting a cultivator to tell the truth might be troublesome for others, but for Han Li, who had some knowledge of soul-confusion techniques and was well-versed in medicines, it was no issue at all. This was especially true given the vast difference in their cultivation levels.

Although the young prince initially adopted an uncooperative stance, Han Li merely repeated his questions calmly. When the prince continued to refuse, Han Li unceremoniously forced a bottle of medicine down his throat. The potion left the prince dazed and trapped in a hallucinatory state.

Han Li then employed a common soul-confusion technique called “Illusory Gaze” and easily took control of the prince’s mind. From then on, the young prince obediently answered every question like a puppet.

As Han Li listened to the prince’s account, his expression shifted from solemn and cold to surprised and stunned, finally settling into one of confusion and frustration.

After confirming that the young prince had revealed all his hidden secrets, Han Li pondered for a moment before taking out a prepared black pill from his robe. Expressionlessly, he shoved it into the prince’s mouth and left the room without a backward glance, heading toward the Clear Tone Courtyard where the Mengshan Four Friends were staying.

This “Soul-Severing Pill” would ensure the prince’s silent and untraceable death.

Although Han Li felt somewhat uneasy about poisoning a defenseless person, given that the young prince had used over a dozen cultivators as blood sacrifices for his demonic cultivation, his death was not unjust.

When he arrived at the Clear Tone Courtyard, the Mengshan Four Friends were gathered with grave expressions, discussing the information obtained from their interrogation. Seeing Han Li, they quickly rose and invited him to take the seat of honor.

Without declining, Han Li sat down and asked, “Well, what did Steward Wang reveal?”

The Mengshan Four Friends exchanged glances, and the dark-faced elder, as their leader, stood up to reply. “Senior, you may already know this, but if what we’ve learned from our captive is true, the situation is rather complicated.”

After saying this, the elder stole a glance at Han Li, but Han Li’s expression remained unchanged, giving nothing away.

The elder hesitated for a moment before steeling himself and continuing, “From Steward Wang, I learned much information related to the Black Evil Cult. Most of it is insignificant, but one thing is crucial and particularly棘手. The leader of the Black Evil Cult is actually hiding within the imperial palace. Moreover, the current mortal emperor of Yue Kingdom has already been manipulated by him and reduced to a puppet. The imperial palace is now the cult’s stronghold. The leader of the Black Evil Cult is the chief eunuch of the palace, named Li Poyun. Rumor has it that he is currently in seclusion for cultivation.”

As he spoke, the dark-faced elder frowned, feeling that the situation was truly troublesome. After all, even though cultivators looked down on mortals, they still held some apprehension toward the highest ruler of the mortal world.

Hearing this, Han Li’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he sighed deeply.

It wasn’t that he feared the emperor, but he knew full well that the current royal family of Yue Kingdom was actually supported by the seven major sects.

Because of this, there was an unwritten rule among the sects: disciples of the seven sects were strictly forbidden from setting foot in the imperial city. This was to prevent any one sect from leveraging the royal family to gain an advantage over the others.

For hundreds of years, not a single disciple of the seven sects had been seen within the imperial city. As long as the emperor of Yue Kingdom did not commit any major disrespect toward the seven sects, they left him entirely to his own devices. It was likely this very policy that had given the Black Evil Cult an opportunity to exploit.

After learning the truth from the young prince, Han Li had pondered this matter repeatedly but still couldn’t decide on the best course of action.

This rule had been in place for so long that even if he exposed the true identity of the Black Evil Cult’s leader, who knew if entering the imperial city would be considered a meritorious deed or a punishable offense? It was possible that instead of being rewarded, he would face severe punishment.

In large sects like the seven major ones, such unjust and frustrating situations were not unheard of. Sometimes, the authority of certain rules far outweighed the right or wrong of a situation, making them utterly unassailable. This was a source of great apprehension for Han Li.

He had no desire to be someone who did the work only to face ingratitude.

That said, uncovering the true identity of the Black Evil Cult’s leader so easily was beyond Han Li’s expectations!

However, this was also a fortunate coincidence. From the young prince, he learned that even the Foundation Establishment altar leaders of the Black Evil Cult had never seen the cult leader’s face, let alone knew his origins.

The fact that he and Steward Wang were among the few who knew the cult leader’s true identity was due to their extraordinary relationship with him.

Steward Wang was the cult leader’s cousin and had once saved his life. The young prince was his only registered disciple, deeply trusted and favored. It was only because of such intimate connections that they were privy to his true identity.

Otherwise, in a city as large as Yuejing, two mere Qi Refining cult members would never have been put in charge of the cult’s affairs there.