Chapter 956: Han Elder

He stood in the room for a full day and night. Though the Daoist temple master belonged to the Daoist sect, he knew a few things about immortal cultivation and vaguely guessed Han Li’s identity. Thus, he did not allow anyone to disturb Han Li during this time.

When Han Li finally opened his eyes in the room, a hint of disappointment appeared on his face.

“The cold energy in the Cold Marrow can’t be fused with the Purple Luan Extreme Fire at all,” Han Li muttered, a hint of helplessness in his voice. “It seems this item can only be used as a material for now, perhaps to re-refine the Snow Crystal Orb.” He promptly opened his mouth, and with a soft *puff*, a crystalline orb shot out, hovering a few feet in front of him.

Gazing at the orb, Han Li raised a hand, and the small vial containing the Cold Marrow appeared in his palm.

He brushed a finger over the vial, and the lid flew open. With his other hand, he tapped the bottom of the vial, and a drop of silver liquid shot out, instantly disappearing into the Snow Crystal Orb.

Without further ado, Han Li formed hand seals and opened his mouth again. Another wisp of azure flame erupted, instantly enveloping the orb and swiftly burning.

Han Li calmly watched the fiery orb, then closed his eyes again. Re-refining this orb would not take much time; it would be finished well before the grand auction began.

With this thought in mind, he used his divine sense to manipulate the wisp of Nascent Soul fire, gradually condensing the treasure before him.

***

Just as Han Li was refining his magic tool, in a corner of the Imperial City north of Jinjing, within a magnificent mansion, a young man in a thin green robe stood in a stone pavilion. His hands clasped behind his back, he admired the exotic flowers and plants outside the pavilion, a look of contentment on his face.

Suddenly, his expression shifted. He turned around abruptly, revealing his true face. His features bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Han Li’s. The only difference was his pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

Just then, footsteps sounded from the garden entrance not far away. An old man in a black hat and brocade robe appeared. His gaze met the young man’s piercing eyes, and he couldn’t help but shiver, startled.

Fortunately, the young man’s eyes dimmed, immediately becoming ordinary. He spoke indifferently, “Who do we have here? So it’s Fellow Daoist Yunyi. Have you come to see me?”

“Elder Han,” the black-hatted old man chuckled dryly as he approached, “our spies in several market cities recently sent back some news that Elder Han might find interesting.”

“News?” the young man said coolly, turning his head back to gaze at a patch of flowering trees in front of the stone pavilion. “You know I’m always disinterested in external affairs and don’t handle any specific matters. If you need me to take action, just have Elder Ye inform me.”

“Heh heh, for other matters, I, Yun, naturally wouldn’t disturb your cultivation retreat, Brother Han,” the old man said with a profound look, completely unbothered by the other party’s aloofness. “But this news concerns you.”

“Concerns me? Have you found that person?” the young man said, momentarily startled, his eyes narrowing and his expression turning cold.

“Indeed, we do have news of that person. It is said that some cultivators from the Yin Luo Sect suddenly and discreetly began searching for this person in several market cities in the capital,” the black-hatted old man said, raising a hand. A white jade slip shot out from his sleeve. “This is the portrait of the person they’re looking for. It should be the same person Elder Han mentioned. However, Elder Han still needs to see it with his own eyes.”

The green-robed young man grimly reached out, drawing the jade slip into his hand. His divine sense immediately immersed itself, carefully scanning its contents.

“Yes, it’s him, no doubt,” the green-robed young man’s facial muscles twitched. He quickly withdrew his divine sense and asked calmly, “Is there any news on why the Yin Luo Sect is looking for him?”

“There’s no news on that yet. However, all the Nascent Soul level elders from the Yin Luo Sect in the capital have suddenly gathered. We don’t know if it’s related to this person,” the old man replied. “Elder Han, you said this cultivator, who shares your name, is a great enemy of yours, and you asked our clan to help you find him. Therefore, Second Elder has decided that this person will be handed over to you, Brother Han, to deal with. Regardless of the methods Elder Han chooses to employ against this person, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the smooth operation of the grand auction, it’s acceptable. After all, the Ye family has several items that must be acquired at this auction. Elder Ye doesn’t wish for any unforeseen incidents.” The old man spoke nonchalantly.

“Hmph, as long as I have accurate information about this person, I will make him disappear from this world,” Elder Han snorted coldly. “However, I wonder how many demonic artifacts the clan has managed to collect for me. My condition for joining the imperial family and serving your Ye family was stipulated beforehand.”

“Brother Han, rest assured, we are already tracking the whereabouts of demonic artifacts in various regions,” the black-hatted old man explained, his expression unchanging. “Didn’t we already help you find one? As for obtaining the remaining demonic artifacts, it’s a bit troublesome and will take some more time.”

“I don’t care how you find the demonic artifacts for me. I will serve you for twenty years, but after twenty years, I must see those promised demonic artifacts in my hands,” Elder Han said, pressing his lips together, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“That’s only natural. Since our Ye family has promised Elder Han, we will certainly not break our word. Elder Han, please rest well. As soon as we have accurate news about that person, I will immediately inform you,” the black-hatted old man said, offering a forced smile as he cupped his fist, finally taking his leave.

The young man watched the old man’s figure disappear through the garden gate, then sneered. Suddenly recalling something, he lightly flicked his sleeve, and a gleaming golden miniature sword abruptly appeared in his hand.

The sword was entirely bound by several black threads, yet it still pulsed with life, constantly bouncing, as if trying to break free. These black threads, whose origin was unknown, remained firmly stuck to the sword, tightly binding it, no matter how much the golden sword struggled.

The young man frowned, then suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black blood, splattering it all over the golden sword.

The golden sword immediately hummed, its spiritual light quickly dimming, but it continued to emit a low, defiant murmur.

“Such a hassle. A human realm flying sword is still so difficult to erase its spirituality. If I hadn’t set my sights on this sword because it’s made of Golden Thunder Bamboo, why would I expend so much effort?” the young man murmured, a hint of impatience on his face.

“However, since you’ve also arrived in Jinjing, this is a rare opportunity. As long as I eliminate him, not only can I avenge the destruction of my main soul, which prevents me from fully recovering my cultivation, but the flying sword will also immediately become ownerless, making it easy to subdue.” As the young man spoke, a malevolent glint flashed across his face. Deep within his pupils, black and purple light subtly shimmered, and he suddenly seemed demonic and eerie.

***

Meanwhile, in a secluded corner pavilion elsewhere in the mansion, two men and a woman sat around a round table, discussing something.

One of them was the black-hatted old man who had just returned from the young man’s side. The other man was a middle-aged individual with a majestic face and a jade belt around his waist. The woman was none other than the beautiful lady who had previously appeared at the Imperial Daoist Temple. At this moment, her expression was solemn, and she was listening to the black-hatted old man recount his conversation with the young man.

“So, Elder Han agreed immediately?” the square-faced middle-aged man said, lost in thought after hearing the old man’s words.

“Indeed. And as soon as Elder Han heard the news about this person with the same name, although he didn’t appear overly agitated, the killing intent in his eyes was absolutely real. It seems his claim of a deep feud with that person should be true,” the black-hatted old man replied.

“But these two not only share the same name but also have such similar appearances. And that ‘Han Li’ recently infiltrated our Imperial Purity Temple, where our imperial family cultivators reside. I wonder what his objective was, or if he’s targeting our Ye family? Now, he’s also being so carefully and secretly tracked by Yin Luo Sect cultivators. I always have a feeling of unease,” the beautiful woman said, raising her delicate eyebrows.

“Of course, there are things we don’t know, but why should we concern ourselves with so much? As long as Elder Han isn’t an undercover agent sent by Buddhist, Daoist, or other sects, and can fully assist the Ye family in completing our great task, we needn’t distract ourselves by delving into every single detail,” the square-faced old man said, patting the armrest of his chair and speaking in a deep voice. “This Elder Han not only has formidable cultivation but also knows much about ancient secrets and hidden matters. He is an indispensable asset for our expedition planned for several years from now. Before then, we must make every effort to win him over. Furthermore, keep a close eye on the person with the same name as Elder Han. Someone important enough for the Yin Luo Sect to track so diligently must be extraordinary. Since we cannot confirm if this person is targeting our Ye family, if the opportunity arises, it would be best to send people to assist Elder Han in eliminating this person as quickly as possible.”

“Second Elder, your words are reasonable. However, this Elder Han is also somewhat peculiar,” the black-hatted old man suddenly interjected. “I suspect he is concealing his true strength from us, and he’s asking us to collect demonic artifacts—magic tools that harm both the user and others. It’s truly difficult to understand his true intentions. I believe we must also be highly vigilant regarding this person.”

“Brother Yunyi, I naturally understand this,” the square-faced old man replied. “Aside from our core Ye family elders, I will not trust any outsider. Nor will I disclose our true plans to them. Rest assured, Brother Yunyi. The key now is that we absolutely must acquire the items we need from this auction without other factions realizing that we are the ones bidding for them. Otherwise, they will either deliberately try to disrupt us, or they might deduce one or two aspects of our plan from these materials. Such a thing absolutely cannot happen. Therefore, this time, you must arrange everything properly and ensure there are no mistakes whatsoever. If we miss this auction and fail to gather all the materials needed to refine those few magic tools, our treasure retrieval mission several years from now will not proceed smoothly.”