Chapter 684: Yuan Ying Gathering

"This is the place. Fellow Daoists, please come in," the Fire Dragon Child said with a smile to the two, then swaggered forward.

As Han Li approached the pavilion's entrance, he casually glanced inside and was momentarily stunned.

Inside, it resembled an ordinary tavern, with numerous guests eating and drinking. Several waiters, carrying trays of dishes, weaved through the tables, serving various fine wines and delicacies. The clinking of cups and the murmur of conversation continuously emanated from within.

On one side of the pavilion's entrance, a wooden sign about a foot long hung, displaying the conspicuous black characters: "This building is reserved. Outsiders forbidden."

"That old ghost Tianjing, playing these illusion tricks again, seriously!" the Fire Dragon Child muttered to himself, completely ignoring it all, and strode inside.

Hearing this, Han Li's heart stirred. He subtly swept his spiritual sense inside, and a strange expression appeared on his face. Without a moment's hesitation, he followed them in.

The moment the three stepped through the entrance, the light immediately dimmed. The figures of the guests and waiters inside the pavilion vanished like bubbles, and the noisy chatter abruptly ceased.

Han Li casually looked around; the place was empty, surrounded by faint grey mist. In the center stood an old wooden table with a bronze oil lamp on it. Behind the lamp sat a kind-faced Taoist in a grey robe, seemingly in his fifties or sixties, smiling as he looked at the three. "Brother Lan, I didn't expect you to come yourself, and you even brought Fellow Daoist Lu. And this Fellow Daoist in green robes! This old man's eyes are poor; I don't seem to have met you before. Are you a newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator?" After a smile, the grey-robed Taoist greeted them warmly, making all three feel welcome and subtly fostering a good impression.

"Brother Tianjing, I've brought two unexpected guests. You wouldn't refuse them entry, would you?" The Fire Dragon Child's small face showed a seemingly innocent smile, yet he spoke with an air of aged wisdom.

"How could I? Everyone is welcome here. Besides, Fellow Daoist Lu and I are old acquaintances. Only this one..." The old Taoist chuckled, his gaze lingering on Han Li for a moment longer.

"I am Han Li of the Fallen Cloud Sect, a newly advanced cultivator. I hope True Immortal Tianjing will offer guidance in the future," Han Li said, stepping forward half a pace and cupping his fist.

"So you are Fellow Daoist Lu's sectmate! Tsk, tsk, you seem quite young, Fellow Daoist. Your future is surely boundless," True Immortal Tianjing praised kindly, a beaming smile on his face.

"Alright, old friend. Most of the others should have arrived by now. The three of us will go up and have a look," the Fire Dragon Child said without reservation, clearly having a deep friendship with True Immortal Tianjing.

"Cough! Brother Lan, you're still so impatient. About seventy to eighty percent of the people are here. I estimate some of the more eager ones might have already started exchanging upstairs. These two Black Spirit Masks. Fellow Daoists, please take them. Brother Lan, do you still need one?" True Immortal Tianjing specifically asked the Fire Dragon Child, then with a flip of his hands, two flashes of white light appeared, revealing two dark wooden masks. Their surfaces shimmered with faint runes, indicating they were no ordinary items.

"Hmph! You know very well everyone recognizes my figure. If I were to rely on illusions to change my shape, who would I be fooling?" The Fire Dragon Child huffed, his cheeks puffing out, looking quite displeased.

"That's true. Please go ahead, Fellow Daoists. This old man will follow shortly." True Immortal Tianjing smiled nonchalantly, then tossed the masks to Han Li and the other cultivator. At the same time, a white magic spell appeared within the mist behind him.

The mist immediately receded, revealing a glowing stone staircase leading to what appeared to be the second floor.

The Fire Dragon Child wasted no time, bypassing the table without a word and heading straight up.

Lu Luo and Han Li bowed before following.

Han Li now saw that the two masks were identical; he couldn't discern any difference between the one in his hand and Lu Luo's. Without further hesitation, the moment he stepped onto the staircase, he put the mask on.

The mask felt slightly cool against his skin. It was soft and surprisingly light, almost weightless, which made Han Li feel comfortable. This came as a bit of a surprise to him.

He turned to glance at Lu Luo.

A cold, wooden mask face met his gaze. Lu Luo had also put on his mask.

Han Li smiled faintly.

In just a few moments, the three had ascended the stairs and reached the second floor of the pavilion.

Inside, it was brightly lit. The ceiling and surrounding walls were embedded with hundreds of fist-sized moonlight stones, illuminating the area as if it were broad daylight.

To Han Li's astonishment, this second floor appeared to be several times larger than the first. It was the exact opposite of the narrow-top, wide-bottom structure he had observed from the outside.

This was truly beyond Han Li's expectations.

Naturally, the second floor was no longer empty. Along the walls were tables and chairs, many of which were occupied by cultivators of varying attire. From their clothes and hair, it was clear there were men and women of different ages.

The moment the Fire Dragon Child and the two others ascended, countless cold gazes simultaneously swept over them.

However, it was clear that many people recognized the Fire Dragon Child, whose face was completely uncovered. Their gazes immediately shifted to various expressions: goodwill, hostility, indifference. A few even carried faint, cold killing intent. It was unclear what deep enmity they harbored towards the Fire Dragon Child, as they couldn't control their murderous impulses.

The Fire Dragon Child paid no attention to this, leading Han Li and Lu Luo to an empty spot where the three sat down closely together.

Only then did Han Li, looking through his mask, carefully survey the other occupants of the floor.

Because of the masks, even Han Li, with his powerful spiritual sense, couldn't discern their faces in the slightest. However, the spiritual energy fluctuations they emanated clearly indicated that all were Nascent Soul cultivators. Among them, two even possessed mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, yet these two sat isolated, one to the south and one to the north, with no other cultivators daring to sit near them.

The simultaneous gathering of over twenty Nascent Soul cultivators in such a small pavilion was truly astonishing.

Han Li had never before seen so many Nascent Soul experts assembled at once.

It seemed that one could only encounter cultivators of a certain caliber once they reached a corresponding cultivation level.

Han Li's gaze flickered, then paused in one corner of the pavilion.

Just as True Immortal Tianjing had mentioned, a few impatient cultivators had already gathered around a table there.

They were communicating via subtle lip movements, and from their storage pouches, they occasionally took out jade boxes and small bottles, having already begun small-scale exchanges.

However, apart from these few, all the other cultivators were sitting in their chairs, eyes closed in meditation, evidently waiting for everyone to arrive before starting the exchange. It was likely that the items these few cultivators were trading now were not truly valuable.

Perhaps to avoid being recognized by acquaintances, all the cultivators in their chairs remained silent, with any communication occurring through private telepathic messages.

The second floor of the pavilion remained eerily silent, appearing quite strange and oppressive.

The Fire Dragon Child, not wearing a wooden mask, naturally stood out on this second floor. However, he wasn't the only cultivator present who showed his true face.

Directly opposite Han Li and the others sat an incredibly corpulent man, also without a mask. His waist was three or four times the size of a normal person's, and where he sat, the wooden chair beneath him visibly warped and bent. Yet, the man seemed entirely unconcerned. Noticing Han Li's gaze, he even grinned back at him, though the sheer amount of flesh on his face made it hard to appreciate his good intentions.

Next to the fat man sat a voluptuous female cultivator. Although her face was obscured by a mask, her pair of watery, alluring eyes, constantly shifting in her masked gaze, were highly captivating.

However, every cultivator present was an old fox, and they all deliberately ignored the woman's allure, as if they hadn't noticed it at all.

Just as Han Li observed this, Lu Luo's telepathic message reached his ear.

"Junior Brother Han, be careful. That fat man may look harmless, but he and the woman beside him are the notorious 'Fat and Voluptuous Dual Devils' of the Demonic Sect's Joyful Union School. Together, using their dual cultivation secret art, they can even contend with mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. They are extremely troublesome. Don't provoke them!"

Han Li's heart tightened upon hearing this. He immediately added the two to his list of people to be wary of. He no longer looked towards them, instead imitating the others by sitting still with his eyes gently closed.

After a considerable period, several more Nascent Soul cultivators gradually ascended, all wearing masks.

When True Immortal Tianjing, the last one, finally walked up, all the seated cultivators simultaneously opened their eyes and looked over.

True Immortal Tianjing walked directly to the center of the second floor, then raised his hand and beckoned to one side. A wooden table, enveloped in white light, was drawn towards him. Only then did he speak with a smile:

"The time is almost up. All the fellow Daoists who were meant to come have arrived. If none of you have any objections, let the exchange begin."