Chapter 763: Old Monsters Gather

A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"That person was an old acquaintance from many years ago. I haven't seen him in a long time. I was just surprised to suddenly see him." Dong Xuan'er's expression was a little strange, but she replied calmly.

"An old acquaintance? That person is an early Nascent Soul cultivator and was able to attend today's gathering. He looks so young, so he must be the recently renowned elder of the Fallen Cloud Sect. Speaking of which, his surname is also Han, and his name is exactly the same as the person you mentioned before. Could it be him?" Old Demon Yun Lu didn't get angry at Dong Xuan'er's curt reply; instead, he asked nonchalantly, as if his relationship with Dong Xuan'er was unusual.

Dong Xuan'er's face paled upon hearing the old demon's words, but she remained silent.

A cold glint flashed in Old Demon Yun Lu's eyes. He snorted and stopped pressing the matter, though a hint of gloom flickered between his brows.

When the old demon led Dong Xuan'er to the entrance of the hall, the rotating Core Formation cultivators were all trembling. After asking only one or two questions, they quickly let them pass. Of course, Dong Xuan'er was unable to enter and was led by a cultivator to a side hall to rest for the time being.

After Han Li entered the hall, he soon saw the entrance to the main hall and immediately quickened his pace to go inside.

The hall was very simply arranged. Aside from enormous stone pillars, there was an empty space in the middle, where sixteen or seventeen exquisitely crafted wooden chairs were placed a few feet apart.

Seven or eight cultivators, each with a different demeanor, were sparsely seated on these chairs.

When they saw Han Li enter, some gave him a cold glance, some ignored him, and others closed their eyes in meditation. All were preoccupied with their own affairs, as if no one else was present.

However, one of them smiled kindly when he saw Han Li enter and beckoned to him, saying,

"Fellow Daoist Han, you've come out of seclusion. If you don't mind, please sit next to me, Long."

This person was none other than the leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, Long Han of the Phoenix Cry Sect.

"Thank you, Brother Long!"

Han Li didn't refuse and sat down on a chair next to him. After briefly surveying the few people present, he sat still and remained silent.

A moment later, Old Demon Yun Lu's figure also appeared at the entrance.

Upon seeing the people in the hall, he chuckled and walked to an empty chair, sitting down casually.

Not far from where he sat, there was a blue-robed old man. This man held a small emerald green pot in one hand and a white jade wine cup in the other, pouring and drinking to himself, oblivious to others.

As soon as Old Demon Yun Lu sat near him, a scent of perfume wafted over, causing the old man to glare at the demon in annoyance, feeling deeply unlucky.

The old demon paid no mind to the old man's displeasure. Instead, his eyes flickered a few times before settling on Han Li, who was diagonally opposite him, once again observing him with great interest.

At this point, it was Han Li's turn to feel uneasy.

He frowned, then simply closed his eyes gently, his face expressionless. In his mind, however, he pondered the relationship between the old demon and Dong Xuan'er.

After Dong Xuan'er was abducted by the young master of the Joyful Union Sect, she joined the Demonic Sect. Although the old demon had a notorious reputation, he shouldn't have harmed his own sect members. There must be some other connection between them.

Otherwise, the old demon wouldn't have brought Dong Xuan'er with him to this gathering.

As Han Li felt somewhat puzzled, people continuously entered the hall from outside.

These people were naturally all mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. Some knew those who had arrived earlier, while others harbored significant animosity towards them. As a result, greetings and sarcastic remarks occasionally echoed through the hall.

At this moment, Old Demon Yun Lu had shifted his gaze away from Han Li.

But Han Li still remained motionless, his eyelids not even fluttering. He felt that among the mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, he knew very few of them, so there was no need to greet anyone.

"Fellow Daoist Sui Hun! I didn't expect you to be here. I heard your Nine Soul Secret Art has reached perfection. This is truly cause for celebration."

"Sui Hun!" This greeting caused Han Li's heart to stir. He couldn't help but open his eyes.

At the entrance to the hall, a thin, gaunt old man in a dark robe walked in. A black-robed cultivator in the hall was enthusiastically greeting him.

The old man in the dark robe was momentarily startled, then immediately walked over with a smile on his face.

"What? Has Fellow Daoist Han met True Man Sui Hun before?" Long Han, who was beside him, noticed Han Li's unusual reaction and asked with a smile.

"No. I only heard Senior Brother Cheng mention this person. I heard he has great divine abilities," Han Li said, his expression unchanged, without mentioning how he had killed a number of Sui Hun disciples during his trip to Yue State that day.

"Heh heh, that's understandable. I remember Elder Cheng once fought him and suffered a minor setback. Naturally, he made a deep impression. However, with Fellow Daoist Han's current reputation, you no longer need to be wary. But among mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, there's one person Fellow Daoist Han had best not provoke. Even the three great cultivators of Tiannan find him a headache," Long Han said with a slight smile, his tone instructive.

"Someone who can give the three great cultivators a headache? Such a person exists?" Han Li's eyebrows twitched, a little surprised.

"Of course. This person once fought Fellow Daoist Zhi Yang, one of the three great cultivators. Although he was nearly fatally wounded, he also lightly injured Fellow Daoist Zhi Yang and managed to escape. So this person is almost universally recognized as being second only to the three great cultivators. It's just that this person has always been accustomed to solitary travel, so whether he'll even come for a major event like the invasion by the Spellcasters is still up in the air. Otherwise, he would be a great help," Long Han explained in detail.

"Able to gravely injure a late Nascent Soul cultivator! This person is truly remarkable. I wonder who this esteemed figure is; he must be quite famous," Han Li pursed his lips and asked curiously.

"Fellow Daoist must have heard of this person. You should be very familiar with the name Old Monster Tian Hen," Long Han said with a smile.

"Old Monster Tian Hen! It's him. I have indeed heard of him for a long time," Han Li said with a wry smile, murmuring to himself. His mind immediately recalled the events that transpired in the Sacred Tree Forbidden Land when he had disguised himself as a low-level cultivator.

At that time, both the righteous and demonic factions were clearly wary of Old Monster Tian Hen.

"However, among Nascent Soul cultivators, shouldn't Brother Long and your esteemed wife be second only to the three great cultivators?" Han Li blinked his eyes, saying playfully.

But Long Han shook his head upon hearing this.

"Although my wife, Feng Bing, and I possess some divine abilities, I alone am almost certainly not his match in a one-on-one fight. Of course, if the two of us were to join forces, that would be another matter," Long Han said seriously.

Han Li smiled upon hearing this. Just as he was about to say something more, he suddenly felt someone staring at him, their gaze icy and heavy, seemingly with ill intent.

Han Li's vigilance heightened, but his expression remained unchanged. He subtly turned his head and met the person's gaze.

It was an utterly unfamiliar old man with a long beard, dressed in a verdant green robe.

When the old man saw Han Li looking at him, the cold glint in his eyes receded, and he expressionlessly shifted his gaze, acting as if nothing had happened.

But Han Li did not relax because of this. Instead, his eyes flickered as he stared at the person for quite a while.

"What? Fellow Daoist Han doesn't recognize him?" Long Han naturally noticed this and chuckled.

"From what Brother Long implies, it seems I should know him," Han Li felt somewhat puzzled.

"This person is Dongmen Tu, the Great Elder of the Spirit Control Sect, and he holds great power within the sect. Although I haven't dealt with him, I heard that he and Gu Shuangpu are very close, almost like brothers. And you eliminated Gu Shuangpu, believing him to be a spy for the Mulan people. Because the evidence was sufficient, this person said nothing, but he definitely harbors resentment towards you. Fellow Daoist, you should be more careful," Long Han admonished meaningfully.

Han Li rubbed his nose upon hearing this, a wry smile on his face, but he repeatedly expressed his thanks.

In just a short quarter of an hour, most of the chairs in the hall were filled with cultivators.

It was rather amusing, whether intentional or not, that almost all the demonic cultivators sat on the right side of the main hall, while the righteous alliance cultivators occupied most of the chairs on the left side.

Only the cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Nine Nations Alliance seemed indifferent, sitting casually on either side.

Among these cultivators, another familiar face Han Li recognized was present: the cultivator surnamed Kuang from the Ni Hang Sect. He happened to be sitting on the demonic side and smiled at Han Li when he saw him looking over.

Han Li naturally nodded in acknowledgment.

At this moment, Long Han, who was beside him, secretly pointed out two more cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Alliance to Han Li: an ordinary-looking woman in plain attire and a grim-faced old man.

Han Li took an extra look at these two, committing their appearances to memory.

At this point, perhaps because of the crowd, the expressions of those present became solemn. No one was chatting; everyone was coldly observing the others.

Each of these individuals was a top-tier existence capable of dominating a region of Tiannan, and now they were all gathered here. Whether they knew each other or not, various thoughts and intentions naturally arose.

Among these individuals, Han Li was a truly unique presence.

With the powerful spiritual sense of these old monsters, when their gaze swept over Han Li without him intentionally concealing himself, they almost immediately perceived the shallowness of his cultivation. Naturally, they also knew who Han Li was.

After all, Han Li's reputation had been illustrious for the past half-year. It was impossible for these old monsters not to have heard a thing or two about him.

Han Li, meanwhile, sat there with his eyelids lowered, ignoring everyone, adopting a demeanor of unchanging calm in response to all changes.

Just as the hall began to grow exceptionally quiet, even somewhat solemn, three figures finally emerged one after another from a side door of the main hall.

The old monsters, who had been silently observing each other, suddenly directed their gazes towards them.

A burly man in black robes, an old man with green hair, and a Daoist priest with a sword on his back.

Han Li's expression remained as usual, but his heart pounded. These three were the three great cultivators, the only three late Nascent Soul cultivators in all of Tiannan for over a thousand years. The others had various expressions, but most were like Han Li, silently watching the three, waiting for them to speak.