Chapter 790: South Palace Crisis

Subscription:A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Han Li glanced at the storage pouch at his waist. After he had returned the ancient lamp, though he hadn't mentioned anything, the Mulan spellcasters had sent back the two ancient treasures they had taken—the Purple Scale Mantle and the flower basket—along with the other materials.

It seemed the Mulan people understood clearly that if they wished to remain in Tiannan long-term, their high-level cultivators could not afford to offend many. Returning these ancient treasures was likely also meant to ensure he harbored no resentment. After all, a cultivator so young yet so powerful would make even the Mulan Divine Masters somewhat wary.

As soon as he retrieved the ancient treasures, Han Li gave the Purple Scale Mantle to Silver Moon. Although she could only use this treasure in her demonic fox form, she had recently performed numerous meritorious deeds. Han Li was not a stingy person, so he naturally felt he should show his appreciation. The Purple Scale Mantle was very convenient for her to use, making it an ideal reward.

Perhaps due to the spread of news regarding their alliance with the Mulan people, the Tuttu people suddenly hesitated. Although they had dispatched a large number of cultivators to the edge of the grassland, they did not immediately launch an attack. Instead, they silently observed the actions of Tiannan and the Mulan people, seeming unlikely to cause trouble in the near future.

Yet, the more the Tuttu people behaved in this manner, the heavier the hearts of Reverend Ziyang, Long Han, and the others became. The enemy's grave demeanor suggested significant ambitions. They likely truly intended to conquer Tiannan.

Realizing that this standoff might be prolonged and that the various Tiannan sects couldn't stay there indefinitely, they immediately discussed and implemented a rotational system, similar to the one used by the Nine Nations Alliance. All sects sent some elites to rotate their garrisons in the areas bordering the Mulan territories. Should the Tuttu people attack and the Mulan people face difficulties, these forces could naturally provide support. The remaining cultivators were then free to return to their respective sects.

As an elder of the Falling Cloud Sect, Han Li naturally had many duties alongside Senior Brother Lu. It was only after most others had departed that he finally managed to extricate himself and return to the Falling Cloud Sect. Lu Luo, however, still had matters to attend to and would be delayed for a few more days. Han Li naturally set off on his return journey first.

Along the way, Han Li didn't delay, traveling directly by Wind-Riding Chariot. This cut his journey by nearly half. However, once he entered Xi State, Han Li put the chariot away to avoid drawing too much attention. Now, a distance of over a hundred miles could be covered almost instantly by Han Li. When Han Li saw the silhouette of Yunmeng Mountain in the distance, Nanggong Wan's beautiful face immediately came to mind, and a joyful expression lit up his features.

"What is going on?" Han Li uttered each word distinctly, staring at the silver-haired elder in a rarely known secret chamber of the Falling Cloud Sect. His face was contorted with a formidable aura, a sign of impending fury. He had just returned to the Falling Cloud Sect and hadn't even reached his cave dwelling when the silver-haired elder intercepted him and brought him to this secret chamber, which was filled with a chilling energy. There, Han Li was greatly astonished to see Nanggong Wan.

Yet, Nanggong Wan now appeared as a seven or eight-year-old girl, sealed within an ice wall that emitted wisps of cold air. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she was completely unconscious. How could Han Li not be utterly shocked and enraged by this sight?

"Ah, Junior Brother, if only you had returned half a month earlier. Sister Nanggong's incident occurred just half a month ago. Had you been here, perhaps you could have prevented it. However, she is not in mortal danger in the short term. She's been afflicted by a Demonic Soul Sealing Curse. We are merely using this method to delay its onset." The silver-haired elder explained slowly, a wry smile on his face.

"Demonic Soul Sealing Curse? How could Wan'er have been afflicted by such a curse? Wasn't this secret art lost in Tiannan ages ago? Could it be..." Han Li froze for a moment upon hearing the elder's words, but then, as if recalling something, an expression of shock and suspicion appeared on his face.

Noticing Han Li seemed to have guessed something, the silver-haired elder didn't press for details. Instead, he recounted Nanggong Wan's ordeal to Han Li in meticulous detail.

It turned out that one morning half a month ago, Nanggong Wan had gone, as usual, to a small mountain near her cave dwelling to collect Heaven and Earth Dew for her Samsara Art. But unexpectedly, a black-robed man suddenly appeared the moment she arrived. Without a word, the man immediately launched a powerful and unusual demonic attack upon seeing Nanggong Wan, shattering several of her protective treasures. Seeing this, Nanggong Wan cried out in alarm for help and desperately fled towards her cave dwelling. By the time the silver-haired elder and the Falling Cloud Sect cultivators arrived upon hearing the news, Nanggong Wan had been unable to evade. The assailant lightly tapped her between the eyebrows, and she immediately fell over.

In his horror, the silver-haired elder immediately led everyone in a combined attack against the black-robed man. Seeing so many Falling Cloud Sect cultivators appear, the man had no intention of fighting head-on. After a cold laugh, he threw a jade slip onto the ground and fled like lightning, leaving no one able to catch him.

The silver-haired elder disregarded everything else, hastily rescuing Nanggong Wan and bringing her back to the sect for immediate treatment. But it was only then that they discovered Nanggong Wan had been afflicted by the rumored Demonic Soul Sealing Curse, a forbidden secret technique of the demonic path that had been lost in Tiannan for many years. Once this restriction was forcibly implanted, a person's three souls and seven spirits would slowly be sealed. Then, depending on the victim's cultivation level, their souls and spirits would gradually dissipate over a period of time under the seal's influence, turning the person into a mere walking corpse. This was originally a unique, exceptionally malicious method used by the demonic path to deal with enemies.

Upon recognizing this restriction, the elder was naturally horrified. Yet, for a moment, he was at a complete loss, unable to find a solution. But just then, Nanggong Wan spontaneously awoke. Despite her extreme paleness after learning she had been afflicted by the Demonic Soul Sealing Curse, she immediately devised a temporary emergency solution. She decided to use a certain divine ability from the Samsara Art to temporarily seal herself with cold energy. This seal not only placed Nanggong Wan's body in a completely restricted state but also significantly delayed the onset of the Demonic Soul Sealing Curse. Thus, Nanggong Wan appeared before Han Li in this state.

After finishing his explanation, the elder produced two jade slips, one greenish and one reddish, from his robes and handed them to Han Li. "One was left by the black-robed man who attacked Junior Sister-in-law. The other was left specifically for you, Junior Brother, by Junior Sister-in-law before she sealed herself. Please take a look first!" Senior Brother Cheng said with a sigh.

Han Li solemnly took the two jade slips. After a brief glance, he first examined the one Nanggong Wan had left for him. Moments later, Han Li, his consciousness immersed in the jade slip, revealed a strange expression. He appeared both worried and somewhat relieved. This made the silver-haired elder, who was observing Han Li, momentarily startled.

This jade slip was specifically designated by Nanggong Wan for Han Li, so the elder had not secretly examined it. After all, it was easy to leave subtle traces on a jade slip, allowing one to detect if it had been privately read. The elder would not commit such an unwise act over a minor detail like this. As Han Li's divine abilities became apparent and his reputation grew, his standing in the elder's eyes was naturally incomparable to before.

After finishing Nanggong Wan's jade slip, Han Li took a deep breath, then lowered his head to examine the other blood-red jade slip. But after only a short while, Han Li's face grew incredibly grim. Finally, in extreme anger, he suddenly rubbed his hands together, and a ball of purple fire erupted in his grasp. The jade slip instantly turned into a wisp of green smoke and vanished without a trace in the flames.

The silver-haired elder was somewhat horrified to witness this scene. Although these jade slips were not meticulously refined, to casually disintegrate one like that—he knew he could never achieve such an effortless feat. It seemed that most of the rumors about Junior Brother Han were true; he possessed divine abilities even greater than a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. He had truly recruited an extraordinary individual for the Falling Cloud Sect.

Just as the elder was secretly contemplating this, Han Li pondered for a moment before speaking: "Senior Brother Cheng, you also encountered the assailant. What does he look like? What's his cultivation level? I want to see if he's the same person I'm thinking of."

"I did see his appearance. He looked quite decent—a young man with regular features. As for his cultivation, he seemed to have used some spell to conceal it; my divine abilities are too low to discern it. However, he must be at least at the mid-stage Nascent Soul level or higher, otherwise he wouldn't have defeated Fellow Daoist Nanggong so easily," the elder replied without hesitation.

"A young man?" Han Li's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise.

"Indeed! But for him to have such cultivation, he must also have consumed some spiritual elixir or possessed a miraculous age-reversing effect, just like you, Junior Brother. However, he's very likely older than you; after all, it's exceedingly rare in this world for someone as young as you to form a Nascent Soul. Anyway, Junior Brother, I also saw the jade slip he left. He actually wants you to bring your Golden Thunder Bamboo treasure to meet him at Xuantian Peak. Is this person truly a demonic cultivator from Jin State? And do you really possess a supreme treasure refined from Golden Thunder Bamboo?" The elder couldn't help but ask.

"I can't be entirely certain if it's that specific person. But even if it's not, it must be someone connected to him. This individual is indeed a demonic cultivator from the Luo Sect in Jin State. I initially thought they were seeking revenge for their fellow disciples I killed in the border war, but I didn't expect them to be after my Golden Thunder Bamboo treasure. It seems that even if I hadn't eliminated their comrades, they would have come for me anyway. This time, I have implicated Wan'er. As for the Golden Thunder Bamboo treasure, Junior Brother, I do indeed possess one." Han Li finished speaking calmly, the anger fading from his face, replaced by an even sharper glint of coldness in his eyes.

"That explains it. With a treasure like the Golden Thunder Bamboo, which specifically counters demonic cultivation, it's no wonder they were tempted. Moreover, since they are not cultivators from our Tiannan, they act even more recklessly. How about this: I'll invite other friendly cultivators to help search for this person. I refuse to believe these Jin State demonic cultivators can truly act without restraint within the sphere of influence of our Falling Cloud Sect."