Chapter 124: Tai Nan Mountain, Tai Nan Valley, Youth

Guanggui City is located in the southernmost part of Lanzhou. It is a small city with only several hundred thousand residents, about one-fifth the size of Jiayuan City, the largest city in the region. However, it is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has a lake on one, offering beautiful scenery that makes it a popular leisure destination for wealthy families. Additionally, it produces several rare fruit specialties not found elsewhere, giving the small city considerable fame.

Tainan Mountain is situated not far west of Guanggui City. The entire mountain stands over 3,000 meters high and is constantly shrouded in mist, making it the fourth-highest mountain in Lanzhou. At its summit, there is a small temple called Tainan Temple. This temple is renowned for its highly effective fortune-telling and divination. Consequently, every year, many high-ranking officials and noble figures travel tirelessly to offer incense and make wishes, donating large sums to the temple. This continuous patronage has ensured the temple's enduring popularity and widespread reputation.

At this moment, in a forest at the foot of Tainan Mountain, a person sat cross-legged under a dense, towering tree. The person held a shimmering red object in their hands, rolling it continuously against their lower abdomen.

Suddenly, the person's body trembled, and they let out a muffled groan. The red glow from the object in their hands significantly diminished, revealing its true form: a piece of exquisite blue jade. This beautiful jade was not only pure and flawless, but faint streaks of red light subtly seeped from its depths, making it clear at a glance that it was a priceless and extraordinary item.

The person slowly moved the blue jade away from their abdomen. They then looked up at the sky, revealing the ordinary face of a young man. It was Han Li, who had disappeared from Jiayuan City.

Han Li lowered his head and looked at the object in his hand, a look of delight appearing on his face.

Ever since acquiring this Warm Sun Jade, he had been continuously removing the cold poison from his body. It had taken him a full half-month, enduring significant difficulty, until today to completely eradicate it. The bone-aching itchiness he felt while detoxifying had caused Han Li immense suffering, and even now, the memory sent shivers down his spine.

Nevertheless, the Warm Sun Jade was truly an extraordinary treasure. It could actually store his spiritual energy, making the detoxification process twice as effective and much easier. Without this discovery, he would likely have needed another ten days or so to completely rid himself of the poison.

With this thought, Han Li placed the treasured jade into a wooden box beside him. He then carefully concealed it close to his person.

Afterward, Han Li stood up, stretched his somewhat stiff limbs, and recalled his experiences over the past two months.

The day Han Li had settled everything, he went to the Mo Residence the next day. There, he obtained information about Solitary Tyrant Manor and Ouyang Feitian from Madam Yan. He then rode a prized horse provided by the Mo Residence, traveling day and night without rest. Finally, he reached Solitary Tyrant Manor within ten days.

After several days of continuous reconnaissance and infiltration, Han Li seized an opportune moment when Ouyang Feitian was alone admiring the moon. Taking him by surprise, Han Li unleashed all his magic artifacts and activated a sword talisman, instantly severing Ouyang Feitian's head and taking his life.

The entire process was surprisingly smooth and easy, without a single hitch, almost making Han Li wonder if the person he killed was an impostor. It was only after examining several unique scars and birthmarks on the corpse that he confirmed he hadn't killed the wrong person. Han Li then, with a sigh of relief, carried Ouyang Feitian's head back to Jiayuan City.

Upon returning to the Mo Residence and handing Ouyang Feitian's head to Madam Yan for inspection, Han Li learned from her that Ouyang Feitian had practiced "Overlord's Armor," one of the most formidable body-hardening techniques in the martial arts world. He had trained his entire body to be impervious to blades and spears; even divine weapons that could cut through iron like mud would struggle to harm him in the slightest. Yet, unexpectedly, Han Li had managed to sever his head in one swift strike.

Only then did Han Li realize that Ouyang Feitian had most likely mistaken his sword talisman for some kind of hidden weapon, which was why he hadn't dodged, allowing Han Li to succeed so easily.

The rest was simple. After Madam Yan confirmed the head, she immediately produced the treasured jade and exchanged it with Han Li for the antidote. Once Han Li received the jade, he politely declined Madam Yan's earnest attempts to retain him. Uninterested in further socializing with the Mo Residence's occupants, he promptly left Jiayuan City again and headed towards Tainan Mountain.

Along the way, while detoxifying himself, Han Li pondered how he could meet and befriend the immortal cultivators of Tainan Valley.

Since he didn't know if they were righteous or evil, Han Li had no intention of rashly showing up at their doorstep. If the cultivators there turned out to be wicked heretics, he would essentially be serving himself up on a platter, and it would be strange if they didn't devour him whole!

So, as soon as Han Li arrived at Tainan Mountain, he began inquiring among the residents of nearby villages about strange tales, rumors, and peculiar occurrences on Tainan Mountain. This indeed led him to some valuable clues.

According to the villagers, there was a highly mysterious slope on the northern side of Tainan Mountain. This slope was perpetually shrouded in dense white mist, making it impossible to see one's own hand in front of their face.

While some mountain mist on Tainan Mountain was normal, a place so densely covered in mist year-round was truly astonishing.

Consequently, some braver villagers had ventured into it a few times. Strangely, each time someone entered, they would unknowingly lose their way, only to unconsciously emerge from the mist a short while later, returning to their starting point, which was quite astonishing.

Because the slope was so peculiar and nothing serious happened upon entering, more villagers eagerly tried to solve its mystery. However, it seemed their actions angered the mist on the slope. From that day on, all villagers who entered the strange slope were no longer able to exit the mist immediately. Instead, they would be trapped for two or three days, until they were weak from hunger, before finally being able to emerge.

As a result, very few people dared to venture into the strange slope anymore. Eventually, the villagers grew accustomed to its presence and largely ignored it.

Han Li was overjoyed upon hearing these accounts.

He realized this strange slope was likely the place he was looking for, or at least the abode of other immortal cultivators, even if it wasn't Tainan Valley itself.

What delighted Han Li most was that, judging from the villagers' descriptions, the inhabitants of this place did not seem particularly extremist or malicious. They were likely not the kind of cultivators who would immediately strike to kill upon meeting, which left significant room for interaction.

Even so, Han Li still had no intention of visiting immediately. Instead, he remained in the forest, planning to thoroughly eliminate any hidden dangers from his body. He would then visit in his optimal state, ensuring he had a better chance of escaping if anything went wrong.

With this in mind, Han Li decided to head to the villager's home where he was staying, get some food, rest for the night, and formally explore the strange slope tomorrow.

Thus, Han Li left the forest and walked towards the nearby small village.

As soon as Han Li entered the small village where he was staying, he saw a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy dressed in white, standing at the village entrance, gesturing wildly as he spoke to several villagers.

Han Li paused slightly. Any outsider appearing here at this time was very likely not an ordinary person, so he naturally used his Heavenly Eye Technique to observe the boy.

After a single glance, Han Li was overjoyed. Indeed, a faint spiritual glow enveloped the white-robed boy, its brightness only slightly less than his own. This boy truly was an immortal cultivator as well.

The boy in the distance seemed to sense someone watching him. He turned and looked towards Han Li, and upon seeing him, a look of delight immediately spread across his face. He quickly dashed over.

"Are you also going to Tainan Valley, fellow cultivator? I am Wan Xiaoshan from the Wan family of Dry Cliff Mountain. It's a pleasure to meet you! Shall we go pay our respects together?" The boy, panting heavily, spoke eagerly to Han Li before he even had a chance to catch his breath.

Han Li now clearly saw the boy's appearance. He had delicate features, fair skin, and the pampered look of a young master from a well-to-do family.

"Of course," Han Li replied calmly after hearing the boy's request, "but do you know where Tainan Valley is?"

"Hehe! My family just told me that Tainan Valley is on the north side of Tainan Mountain, and its entrance is perpetually sealed by mist. I don't know its exact location. I asked those villagers, 'Where is Tainan Valley?' but they didn't know either! But surely you know, fellow cultivator?" The boy scratched his head sheepishly, finally gazing at Han Li with hopeful eyes.

"Little brother, is this your first time traveling far from home?" Han Li asked with a suppressed smile upon hearing the boy's words.

"Big brother saw through me! Indeed, it's my first time being this far from home," the boy nodded, a little shyly.

"Alright, come with me then! I'll take you there." Han Li hadn't been entirely certain that the strange slope was the Tainan Valley he sought, but now, after hearing the boy's words, he felt completely confident.

"Great! Now I can finally see it for myself!" The boy couldn't help but cheer excitedly upon hearing Han Li's words.

Seeing the boy's reaction, Han Li smiled faintly. This was a perfect opportunity to extract some information from him and learn more about immortal cultivators.

"What do you wish to see in Tainan Valley?" Han Li asked, slowly leading the boy towards the strange slope's location, a place he had secretly scouted multiple times and knew intimately.

"Oh, there's so much! I want to see the spells and secret arts of other families and sects, and also exchange some items I like with others," the boy rattled off casually.

"Oh," Han Li responded softly. However, a doubt stirred within him. From the boy's tone, it sounded as if many immortal cultivators were gathered at Tainan Valley. Could something major be about to happen?

Han Li began to feel a little uneasy.