Chapter 230: Lei Wanhe

This was the second cultivator Han Li had eliminated whose primordial spirit had left their body.

Most cultivators do not use the technique of allowing their primordial spirit to leave their body as a means to save themselves during combat. This is because the process requires a certain amount of time for the spell to be cast, and the cultivator must remain completely still while performing it.

In a typical battle between cultivators, no one would grant you the time to cast such a spell and escape! You would have been annihilated dozens of times over in the brief moment your primordial spirit even considered leaving your body. Only cultivators who have reached the Nascent Soul stage or higher can utilize their Nascent Soul to instantly detach their primordial spirit.

Senior Martial Brother Lin, in this regard, was as unlucky as Yu Zitong had been.

He had originally intended to pass directly over Han Li’s cave dwelling and return to Huangfeng Valley to seek treatment and reinforcements. However, he inadvertently stumbled into Han Li’s grand formation. The illusions and shifting elements within the formation trapped him, preventing him from moving even a single step. He could only watch helplessly as the poison took its toll, leading to his death. It was solely as a last resort that his primordial spirit left his body.

This turn of events filled Senior Martial Brother Lin with deep resentment towards the formation’s owner. Furthermore, since he desperately needed a body for rebirth, he launched a deadly attack on Han Li the moment he saw him, intent on seizing his body without a second thought.

However, he never imagined Han Li would act so swiftly. Even when caught by surprise, Han Li managed to subdue his primordial spirit, causing it to dissipate into nothingness.

Now that the person was dead, Han Li naturally wouldn't waste any more thought on them. Outside his cave dwelling, he still had a multitude of troubles awaiting his attention.

Although the Thousand Bamboo Sect’s offensive was astonishing, Han Li observed no signs of the grand formation being breached, which brought him great peace of mind.

He also believed these individuals would not dare to linger here for too long.

Although this location was on the remote outskirts of the Taiyue Mountain Range, it still fell within the sphere of influence of Huangfeng Valley. After generating such a massive commotion, Han Li refused to believe they harbored no apprehension whatsoever. He estimated that, having failed to breach the formation, they were now in an awkward position, unable to advance or retreat.

In fact, Han Li had briefly considered handing over Senior Martial Brother Lin’s body to dispatch them.

However, the traces of the primordial spirit having departed the body were too obvious on the corpse. If the opponents only received the body, they might become even more insistent on continuing their pursuit. Therefore, it was better to simply remain hidden within the grand formation like a turtle retreating into its shell. After all, the opponents lacked the ability to breach the Reversal Five Elements Formation.

Speaking of which, Han Li genuinely admired his own foresight. He had taken the initiative to set up this grand formation in advance.

Otherwise, he would surely have been caught off guard and become their prisoner.

Although the grand formation currently appeared secure, Han Li dared not return to his cave dwelling for a deep sleep. Instead, he simply retrieved a bluestone stool from inside his dwelling and sat upon it, closing his eyes to meditate and recuperate.

Perhaps because they were using puppet attacks, their prolonged offensive left Han Li feeling somewhat frustrated.

After more than an hour of relentless bombardment, the grand formation finally showed its first signs of change. The formation, which had previously been as still as water, began to flicker with a faint green light, covering the entire sky above it. As the attacks of light arrows and beams struck the barrier, they now created ripple-like fluctuations.

Upon witnessing this scene, the Thousand Bamboo Sect members grew excited. This change indicated that the formation was not invulnerable and could indeed be breached with more effort. Had it continued to remain as calm as it was initially, Huang Long and the others would have seriously considered retreating.

Just as the Thousand Bamboo Sect members planned to launch an even more powerful attack, and Han Li’s expression subtly shifted, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed from a distant place:

"Where did these little brats come from! How dare you act so brazenly in the Taiyue Mountain Range, even attacking the cave dwelling of a disciple of our sect! If you are tired of living, this old man will send you on your way!"

The sound was so powerful that even Han Li, protected by the formation, felt his ears ringing and his face turn pale. This was especially true for the few Thousand Bamboo Sect members directly facing the sound outside the formation; their bodies swayed, and they almost fell off their bamboo rafts.

"It's a Core Formation cultivator! Let's retreat quickly!"

Although Huang Long had a crude and fierce appearance, he was actually the most cunning among them. Therefore, as soon as he perceived the formidable power in the approaching person’s voice, he panicked and prepared to flee.

However, it was clear that Huang Long had underestimated the flight speed and unfathomable magical prowess of a Core Formation cultivator. Just as they frantically tried to retrieve their puppets and escape, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed in the nearby sky, and a brilliant white light suddenly erupted. Immediately afterward, a streak of silver light shot forth from that spot, arriving before them in the blink of an eye. This terrified them, causing them to abandon their remaining puppets and leap up to flee in different directions.

But the colossal silver light, over ten zhang long, gave Huang Long and the others no such opportunity. It divided, simultaneously transforming into six or seven slightly smaller silver lights, each instantly striking a Thousand Bamboo Sect member who had already flown into mid-air.

"Senior, spare our lives! We are..."

Under extreme shock, Huang Long hastily opened his mouth to speak, but the silver lights showed no hesitation. They simply twisted gently inwards, and after a few faint thunderous sounds, these individuals attempting to escape turned into ashes. Huang Long was not spared.

At this moment, all the silver lights converged again, revealing a very corpulent man, covered in rolls of fat.

This person’s eyes were squeezed into mere slits, and the flesh hanging from his chin was layered upon layer, its thickness unknown. Coupled with a waist as thick as a large barrel, he was undoubtedly the fattest person Han Li had ever seen.

Yet, such a person was actually a Core Formation cultivator, and judging by his methods, he even possessed a thunder-attribute cultivation technique from a rare spiritual root. This greatly astonished Han Li.

Regardless, this person had resolved Han Li’s predicament and was also an elder of Huangfeng Valley. Therefore, as soon as Han Li saw the Thousand Bamboo Sect members eliminated, he opened the grand formation without hesitation and quickly rode his artifact to greet him.

Only when he arrived before the fat man did Han Li stop and respectfully bow, saying:

"Your humble junior, Han Li, greets you, Senior Martial Uncle. I thank you for your timely assistance and rescue! May I ask for your esteemed name?"

Ever since Han Li had flown up, the fat man had been observing him with his narrow eyes. Seeing Han Li’s respectful and courteous demeanor, a hint of a smile appeared on his massive face. His first impression of Han Li seemed quite favorable.

"I am your Senior Martial Uncle Lei Wanhe; you can simply call me Senior Martial Uncle Lei! Why would these Thousand Bamboo Sect members attack your cave dwelling without reason? Did you provoke them?" With a single sentence, the fat man grasped the core of the matter, indicating that Senior Martial Uncle Lei was also a shrewd person not easily deceived.

Han Li’s heart tensed, but he maintained his composure and recounted the events to this Senior Martial Uncle, omitting certain details. Naturally, Han Li would not mention his visit to the Celestial Star Sect’s market or his act of eliminating Senior Martial Brother Lin’s primordial spirit.

Lei Wanhe’s expression remained perfectly calm until he heard that Senior Martial Brother Lin had died from poison within the formation, at which point he showed a slight change in expression and said:

"So it was that fellow from the Thousand Bamboo Sect. I knew taking him into Huangfeng Valley would definitely bring some trouble. But I didn't expect that after all these years, he would still be hunted down and killed. That Grand Sect Master Jin truly has a narrow mind."

Senior Martial Uncle Lei Wanhe showed no signs of grief, merely sighing briefly before continuing:

"Where is Senior Martial Nephew Lin’s body? Take me to see it!"

"As you command, Senior Martial Uncle, please follow me!" Han Li dared not refuse, and he hastily led the other party into his grand formation.

As he walked, he secretly rejoiced inwardly. Fortunately, because he had been preoccupied with the Thousand Bamboo Sect members, he hadn't touched any items on Senior Martial Brother Lin’s corpse, such as his storage pouch. Otherwise, things would have been far more awkward!

"Oh! Your grand formation is quite extraordinary! It seems that even if I hadn't intervened, those scoundrels wouldn't have been able to harm you!" Soon after Lei Wanhe entered the Reversal Five Elements Formation, he noticed its intricacies.

"Haha, this is merely a set of high-grade formation flags that your junior spent a fortune acquiring from the market! How could it possibly impress your discerning eye, Senior Martial Uncle?" Although Han Li was pleased to hear the fat man praise him, he remained very humble verbally.

"No, your formation must have a significant origin," Lei Wanhe said, shaking his head vigorously in disagreement. "Even if I were to forcefully attempt to break through it, it would be difficult without expending considerable effort."

By this time, the two of them had arrived at the location where Senior Martial Brother Lin’s corpse still lay undisturbed and intact.

Upon seeing this, the fat man raised a hand, and the corpse immediately flew into his large, fan-like hands. Lei Wanhe then unceremoniously examined it.

"It seems what you said is true. He died because he was poisoned by the Gu poison of the Gu Poison Sect from the Extreme West."

After the fat man finished his examination, he nodded and spoke, which startled Han Li.

"However, his primordial spirit should have escaped before his body completely decayed. Did you happen to see it, Senior Martial Nephew Han?" The fat man casually tossed the corpse back onto the ground and unhurriedly asked Han Li.