Chapter 765: Inducement

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"The three of us naturally understand the intricacies involved. However, when the Mulan invaded, they captured many cultivators. Most of them were fellow cultivators from the Nine-Nation Alliance, but many from our various sects and factions who offered support were also taken. According to the envoy, there are as many as a thousand such individuals," Reverend Ziyang said, his expression grim.

"What do you mean by that? Do they dare kill the captives if we don't accept the wager? If that's the case, aren't the Mulan afraid of our retaliation through other means?" the elder surnamed Kuang exclaimed in surprise.

"The envoy didn't explicitly mention killing the captives, but he repeatedly stated that they would give us a chance to rescue these cultivators. In ten duels, besides wagering those materials, they would also add over a hundred captured cultivators to each match. As long as we win, these people will be released," Reverend Ziyang continued.

Upon hearing this, the old eccentrics present exchanged glances.

At first glance, these thousand-plus cultivators might not seem like many, and most are low-level cultivators with limited cultivation, implying they shouldn't necessarily be held hostage by the enemy. However, if anyone were to genuinely propose not rescuing them, they would immediately become a target of public criticism. One must understand that while these cultivators themselves might not be of paramount importance, the families and sects, both large and small, they represent are incredibly numerous. Many of these cultivators, in particular, were captured by the Mulan while trying to delay the advance of the spellcasters. If they aren't rescued, the army's morale might suffer a severe blow even before the war begins, and low-level cultivators would feel deeply disheartened. Many would no longer fight with their full might. "To think these prairie barbarians could devise such a cunning scheme. In previous invasions, they rarely seemed to employ tactics, but this time, their move is truly venomous. Even though we know it's a trap, we have no choice but to step into it," Long Han sighed, agreeing.

How could the others not understand Long Han's words? They, too, felt utterly helpless and secretly cursed the Mulan's cunning.

"It seems everyone understands now. We have no choice but to accept this wager. Regardless of their true intentions, we must decisively defeat the enemy spellcasters in these duels, otherwise, the blow to our morale would be immense. Moreover, looking at the proposed method of dueling, it doesn't seem like they intend to cheat during the battles; they likely have other motives. Therefore, fellow cultivators who participate need not worry about suffering any hidden losses. If there are any improprieties, we will directly intervene to stop the battles. Of course, since these are life-or-death duels, participation is entirely voluntary for all fellow cultivators. We three will not force anyone," Reverend Ziyang said gravely after sweeping his gaze across everyone in the hall.

"Voluntary?" As these words reached the ears of the old eccentrics, everyone sneered inwardly, then remained silent, their eyes flickering.

No one was foolish! Even if there weren't suspicious circumstances surrounding this wager, no one would willingly engage in a life-or-death battle. After all, having reached their current cultivation level, every one of them had endured hundreds of years of arduous cultivation to stand out. Why would they easily risk their lives? Han Li's expression was equally indifferent; he had no intention of stepping forward. While he didn't mind contributing to this great war, it had to be under circumstances that didn't endanger his life. The last time, during the Battle of Huanglong Mountain, he almost lost his life. He certainly didn't want to go through that again.

Seeing the expressions of everyone in the hall, Old Devil Hehuan's face darkened, and he let out a cold snort. The snort was chilling to the bone, causing the cultivators present to subtly change their expressions, yet everyone remained seated, no one rising to speak.

Seeing this, Reverend Ziyang shook his head, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face. Meanwhile, Wei Wuya's eyes narrowed, and he remained silent, lost in thought.

Reverend Ziyang didn't allow the awkward silence to persist, and he spoke again:

"Before coming here, the two other fellow cultivators and I discussed this. This wager is indeed quite dangerous. Therefore, if a participating cultivator wins, all the rare materials won from the wager will become their personal property, serving as compensation for the risks taken. What do you all think, fellow cultivators? Furthermore, as far as I know, several fellow cultivators here seem to be lacking certain rare materials that they've been unable to find anywhere. The three of us do have some collections, which might be able to satisfy the needs of these few fellow cultivators."

As soon as Reverend Ziyang finished speaking, his gaze swept across the faces of a few individuals. Han Li was among them.

Han Li's heart tensed, and he felt a stir of suspicion.

The other individuals were not ordinary cultivators either; expressions of surprise and doubt also flickered across their faces. Although the Reverend had offered enticing conditions, most people's expressions showed they were moved. However, for a moment, no one stepped forward to propose joining the wager.

But just then, Wei Wuya, who had remained silent all along, suddenly looked up at True Person Suihun beside him, his lips moving slightly as he transmitted a message.

True Person Suihun, who had originally been looking down, changed his expression; his face first showed surprise, then a mix of surprise and delight.

After listening to a few more sentences, True Person Suihun's mouth silently opened and closed, as he began to converse with Wei Wuya.

A moment later, True Person Suihun looked hesitant, his expression shifting between clear and clouded.

At the same time, the black-robed giant also transmitted a message to Old Devil Hehuan.

Old Devil Hehuan had maintained a nonchalant expression since entering the hall, but upon hearing the message from his sect's grand elder, his brows immediately furrowed, and his face somewhat darkened. It was unclear what the giant had told him.

"Alright, as long as the Reverend keeps his promise, what harm is there in this True Person taking a risk?" True Person Suihun pondered for a moment before unexpectedly saying this.

Hearing this, the other old eccentrics were stunned.

But just then, Old Devil Yunlu also spoke:

"Since fellow cultivator Suihun has decided to participate, then I, too, shall make the trip. It would be a pity to let so many rare materials go to waste." The old devil said with a cold laugh. However, a hint of displeasure was evident between his brows, as if he was deeply unhappy.

The other cultivators exchanged glances; though they said nothing, they were secretly astonished.

Regardless of why the two of them had been persuaded, their decisions left the remaining individuals feeling uneasy.

Sure enough, the three grand cultivators then, one after another, privately transmitted detailed messages to several other individuals. After hearing this, most of them agreed to participate in the wager, some with joy, others with apprehension. Only two individuals, with cold expressions, shook their heads and flatly refused.

Han Li watched this scene, various thoughts racing through his mind. But just then, Reverend Ziyang's voice reached his ears.

"Fellow cultivator Han, I heard you are currently searching for a large quantity of Geng Gold. Is this true?"

Han Li had vaguely anticipated this. However, upon hearing these words, his heart still skipped two beats. His request for the Heavenly Dao Alliance to help him gather Geng Gold was not a secret, so it was not surprising that the other party knew about it.

"Indeed, Han does require some Geng Gold to refine a magic treasure. Does fellow cultivator Ziyang possess a large quantity of this material?" Han Li calmed his mind and asked without changing his expression.

"Haha! Fellow cultivator Han, your guess is correct. Fellow cultivator Wei and I each possess a significant piece of Geng Gold, the quantity of which should be sufficient for your needs. Would fellow cultivator Han be interested in taking a look?" Reverend Ziyang said with a smile.

"I will first need to inspect the Geng Gold to see if it meets my requirements. Only then will I consider participating in the battles," Han Li mused for a moment, replying in a way that didn't commit him.

Reverend Ziyang chuckled lightly and readily agreed.

Thus, in a short span of time, five individuals successively agreed to participate, and a few others, like Han Li, needed to consider it before giving a definitive answer. However, this was already satisfactory to Reverend Ziyang and the others.

They immediately stopped transmitting messages to others and began to arrange the specific details of how to deal with the spellcaster army.

Sitting in the hall, Han Li listened to the old eccentrics discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the spellcaster army, as well as how to use formation flags and other array-laying tools, and other intricate issues such as countering the spellcasters' extremely tricky spiritual arrays. However, Han Li's mind had already drifted far away, thinking about the Geng Gold.

Truth be told, Han Li was not very satisfied with the power of his Natal Magic Treasure, the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. This wasn't to say that this set of flying swords was weaker than other cultivators' Natal Magic Treasures. It was because the enemies he encountered were either extremely weak or extremely strong. For extremely weak opponents, he didn't need to use the flying swords at all; he could kill them with just the Azure Essence Sword Qi. As for extremely strong enemies, whose cultivation was generally deeper than his, the flying swords felt somewhat useless.

However, only when he saw the last divine ability recorded in the book, the "Grand Geng Sword Formation" from the Azure Essence Sword Art, did Han Li truly understand the formidable power of the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords when combined with the Azure Essence Sword Art. Even if he could only unleash a small portion of this sword formation's power, it would be enough to contend with cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage.

As for the Void Sky Cauldron, although Silvermoon had praised it to the heavens, Han Li still harbored three-tenths of doubt about its actual power until he could see it with his own eyes.

Therefore, this Grand Geng Sword Formation would absolutely be a major divine ability for him to establish himself in the cultivation world in the future.

Thus, he absolutely had to acquire a large quantity of Geng Gold. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to refine the sword formation.

But whether he should truly participate in the wager for this purpose, Han Li was still undecided for a moment. After thinking for a while, he decided to first see the quantity of Geng Gold the other party could provide. If the provided Geng Gold was sufficient enough to give him significant hope of refining the Grand Geng Sword Formation, then participating in this wager might not be out of the question.

As long as his opponents were not those Mulan Divine Masters, he naturally wouldn't fear anyone. Even if the Mulan were to play some tricks in the duels, with the power of his Wind-Lightning Wings and Violet Sky-burning Flames, could a mere barrier truly trap him?

Han Li made up his mind. His mind settled again, and he began to listen carefully to the cultivators' discussions.

The gathering lasted for nearly an hour. Among the three grand cultivators, Reverend Ziyang was clearly the leader, while Old Devil Hehuan occasionally added supplemental remarks. Wei Wuya, on the other hand, was quiet and spoke only a few words in total.

However, during the discussion, both Reverend Ziyang and Old Devil Hehuan clearly held Long Han in high regard. Whenever matters related to the Heavenly Dao Alliance arose, they would seek his opinion. It seemed that the claim of the Long Han couple being able to contend with one of the three grand cultivators was indeed genuine.

Finally, the discussions largely concluded, and most of the cultivators who did not participate in the wager were also assigned relatively specific responsibilities.

Then, with Reverend Ziyang's words for all fellow cultivators to return and prepare, everyone bid farewell and departed. However, three cultivators were held back separately, and Han Li was one of them.

The other two were Old Devil Yunlu and a beautiful woman with a bloodless complexion. This woman, like Han Li, had remained silent throughout the preceding discussion.