“Then we’ll do as Brother Wei says.” The two Core Formation cultivators nodded their heads. The old man surnamed Yu appeared particularly obedient.
As for Han Li and company, they each sat around the stone tree under the instructions of the Core Formation cultivators, and began to cultivate.
Old Man Wei then lowered his body and grabbed onto the jade bottle by the Spirit Well Tree, casually tossing it into his sleeve.The faint light barrier then suddenly released a blinding light and prevented anyone from clearly seeing what was happening within.
Han Li frowned, seeing that the others were indifferent to the scene, and began to speak with Silvermoon.
Silvermoon slowly said, “Brother Han, why have you called for me?”
Han Li insipidly responded, “Your earth movement techniques are superb. Would you be able to secretly enter the light barrier? I only need to you acquire the root of the Spirit Well Tree and take it back to me.”
“Brother Han, please wait a moment. I will make an attempt in my tool spirit form.” Once that was said, Silvermoon materialized as a fist-sized wolf and secretly bore into the earth underneath Han Li.
Han Li closed his eyes with an unchanged expression and sunk into a meditative state.
Han Li then suddenly raised his brows and narrowly opened his eyes as his gaze dropped onto Du Dong.
Sitting at the corner to the group, he motionlessly drooped his head down with his hands forming a incantation gesture, appearing as if he was in cultivation.
When Han Li saw this, he smirked and inwardly scoffed at him.
Chapter 632: A Plot Unfolds
The others didn’t perceive Du Dong’s small movements, but Han Li did. He had spread out his spiritual sense earlier to observe his surroundings in case of any contingencies.
Although Du Dong appeared to be meditating, his lips trembled. He was clearly speaking through voice transmission to a conspirator in the room.
Fearing that he would alarm Dong Du, Han Li didn’t forcefully eavesdrop. Instead, he swept his spiritual sense for any hidden cultivators and ended up finding nothing out of the ordinary.
Han Li’s mind quickly stirred and his gaze swept past several people. For a while, he was unable to determine who the suspect was. But Han Li then heard Silvermoon’s voice in his mind.
“Brother Han, the Spirit Well Tree’s light barrier reaches underground as well. Although I have a way for forcing through it, I cannot guarantee that it won’t disturb the Core Formation cultivator within the barrier. Should I break through?” Silvermoon softly said.
Han Li replied without a moment of thought, “Don’t rashly take action! Force will only be used as a last resort. I reckon that in the chaos soon to come, there will be an opportunity to take action. Come back for now.”
Silvermoon obeyed and silently returned into Han Li’s body. He then closed his eyes and did nothing else apart from taking note of Du Dong’s actions.
After an unknown amount time had passed, Du Dong ceased speaking and he raised his hand while glancing around with a strange expression.
Han Li’s heart trembled. Just as he wondered whether or not he was about to take action, Du Dong unexpectedly lowered his head once more. Nothing seemed to have occurred, leaving Han Li baffled.
At that moment, a huge quake violently reverberated throughout the cave. All the meditating cultivators suddenly opened their eyes in alarm and they glanced at each other in astonishment.
The grey-clothed old man and the other two Core Formation cultivators revealed a trace of astonishment, but the yellow-clothed cultivator frowned and hastily walked towards the stone gate. However, before he even arrived the door opened to reveal the long-faced cultivator Hu walking in with a sullen expression.
“Senior Hu, what happened?” The yellow-clothed cultivator hastily asked.
The long-faced old man replied with a blood-thirsty tone, “This place was attacked! A group of concealed cultivators attacked the spell formation outside the valley. Not only are they all Core Formation cultivators, but there also seems to be a Nascent Soul eccentric among them. It seems they aren’t from the Righteous Dao Alliance, but the Six Devil Dao Sects. The other powers wouldn’t take such bold, heavy actions. Senior Lan has already left to take charge of the spell formation, you must follow me and support the defense. Leave behind Senior Martial Brother Wei. As for these disciples, postpone the matter of the Brightsight water for now. Fellow Daoist Yue, bring these disciples to a safe room. Senior Martial Brother Wei, if anyone dares to enter the cave during this time, kill them without hesitation.”
Old Man Wei calmly replied, “I understand. Brother Hu, go ahead and take them. I’ll stand guard here.”
When the long-faced old man heard this, he nodded his head with a relaxed expression and immediately brought the grey-clothed old man and the middle-aged man out.
The yellow-clothed cultivator ran to Han Li and the disciples, ordering, “You heard him. The eye cleansing is postponed. I will lead you to a safe room.” He then turned around and left the cave in large strides.
The young cultivators didn’t dare to delay and hastily followed after him.
Han Li calmly followed after them and inwardly sneered upon seeing Du Dong sincerely follow them out of the cave without taking any action.
Du Dong had acted calmly until now and didn’t reveal the slightest worry. Han Li found this particularly suspicious. This had all occurred at far too perfect a time for Du Dong to be uninvolved.
A short moment later, the ten disciples followed the yellow-robed cultivator west and entered a large stone room. After giving them several orders, he departed, clearly heading towards the battle above.
At that moment, a large eruption occurred in the distance, causing the ground to violently tremble. It seemed to be a result of the bitter fighting outside.
Seeing that the yellow-clothed cultivator had departed, the disciples began to gather together into their own sects and whisper.
Han Li, Du Dong, Mu Peiling, and Sun Huo stood together.
Sun Huo sighed and vented, “I truly didn’t expect that the Ancient Sword Sect’s Martial Uncle Bai was a Righteous Dao spy. I previously felt quite a bit of respect from him, thinking that he was a vagrant cultivator that managed to reach Core Formation!”
Mu Peiling coldly glanced at the youth and emotionlessly said, “Junior Martial Brother Sun, did you truly believe that a vagrant cultivator would be able to form a core so easily? Without the support from a large backer, how could someone possibly acquire the ability to enter Core Formation? However, Junior Martial Brother Sun is a genuine vagrant cultivator that has already been scouted by many clans. Would it not be better for Junior Martial Brother Sun to join one of them for greater assistance in the future?”
The determined youth wryly laughed and said, “I am still unconvinced that I must join a cultivation clan to form a core. I still feel it beneath my dignity to join one.”
His gaze then unconsciously wandered onto the woman’s beautiful face and revealed a trace of passion. However, Mu Peiling seemed unaware of this and didn’t continue speaking.
Du Dong then suddenly said, “However, Martial Uncle Bai does seem to be a pitiful individual.”
Mu Peiling’s bright eyes glanced at the large man in surprise. Sun Huo was also surprised by his words and wore an expression of doubt, asking, “Pitiful? Martial Nephew Du, what do you mean?”
Du Dong smiled in his ordinary, simple manner and paid them no heed. His gaze then turned to Han Li and he mysteriously said, “Junior Martial Brother Han, do you think my words make sense?”
Han Li didn’t reveal the slightest surprise that Du Dong turned the conversation towards him and indifferently replied, “No, I don’t know much about Martial Uncle Bai. I’m afraid I can’t say!”
“Is that so? However, I feel that...”
Just as Du Dong thought to say something further, Sun Huo angrily rebuked him for ignoring him, “Martial Nephew Du, you are far too
impudent. Did you not hear my words?”
A cold glint flickered through Du Dong’s eyes as he glanced at the youth. With a sinister expression he said, “Why are you speaking so loudly? I heard you, but I have no interest in replying to such rubbish.”
“What?! You...”
Mu Peiling discovered something was amiss and her face grew sullen. With her hand on her storage pouch she icily asked, “Just who are you?”
The other disciples noticed that something was odd and couldn’t help but look at them with astonishment.
A man’s voice suddenly echoed from outside the room. “Hehe! He’s a direct bloodline disciple of the Devil Dao’s Thousand Illusions Sect. I hope that answer is to your satisfaction!”
Bang! The doors to the room suddenly shattered.
The sect disciples were greatly shocked and hastily took out their magic tools with vigilance. However, a familiar man had emerged beyond the shattered door.
“Martial Uncle Bai!” An Ancient Sword Sect disciple couldn’t help but shout out upon seeing him. His expression soon changed while his face was filled with disbelief.
When the other disciples saw this azure-robed cultivator appear before them, they were at a loss. They had clearly seen him restrained not long ago, yet he still appeared here. And from his lively spirits, it appeared as if his magic power wasn’t restricted in the slightest.
Du Dong didn't appear surprised by Cultivator Bai’s appearance in the least and coldly asked him, “Why did you arrive so late? Any longer and we would’ve taken action first.”
Cultivator Bai bluntly replied, “Humph! You don’t know how fearsome that old eccentric’s sword thread is. Although I had prepared for it, it still restrained me at the time. If it weren’t for your continuous guarantees that he wouldn’t have dared to take my life, do you think I would’ve cooperated with your side?”
“Hehe! We didn’t expect that the old eccentric would personally come. However, it had gone mostly as expected. Martial Uncle Feng and Senior Qin should’ve bought us enough time.”
After hearing their conversation, the other disciples knew that things were far from good. One of the Ancient Sword Sect disciples was particularly quick to react and immediately flew off on his magic tool towards the door in an attempt to escape.
But as soon as this disciple flew by Cultivator Bai’s side, a sinister expression appeared on his face and a dazzling white light flashed.
With a miserable scream, the disciple and the sword were split into two. With a clang, the corpse fell onto the ground.
Chapter 633: The Greater Sifting Mirage Technique vs the Fox Enrapturing Arts
In the instant the disciple was slain, the other cultivator’s faces grew deathly pale. They began to release their defensive magic tools as they stared at Cultivator Bai. For a moment, no one dared to move.
Mu Peiling’s expression greatly changed and she stepped away from Du Dong, releasing her own ribbon magic tool around her. As for Sun Huo, he had recoiled at the sight of this incisive strike and grimaced while his gaze flickered between Cultivator Bai and Du Dong.
Han Li silently slipped into a corner of the room and his gaze continuously swept around. It was unknown what was going through his mind.
At that moment, an imposing aura suddenly swelled from Du Dong. With lines of black talisman characters appearing on his neck, black light suddenly surged from his body as he underwent a sudden transformation. He grew to two meters in height, his appearance became malevolent, and his cultivation surged to mid-Core Formation stage.
When Cultivator Bai saw Du Dong’s astonishing transformation, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Very nice! If the Thousand Illusions Sect were to say they were ranked second in concealment techniques in the Heavenly South, no one would dare to proclaim themselves as first. The Greater Sifting Mirage Technique is truly worthy of being your sect’s signature technique.”
“Humph!” The transformed Du Dong merely snorted. He then gloomily swept past the crowd and his eyes stopped on Han Li. A malicious expression appeared on his face.
Woosh. The cultivators in the room only caught sight of the Du Dong disappearing in a blur before reappearing beside Han Li. With a wave his hand, Han Li’s light barrier was shattered in an instant and his hand pierced into Han Li’s chest like a bolt of lightning. He then withdrew his hand with a bloody heart in his grasp.
Han Li’s corpse fell onto the floor.
“Ah!” When the other disciples saw this bloody scene, they shouted out in alarm, believing that they would be the next to fall. Their hearts were all struck with terror.
“Huh?” The transformed Du Dong revealed a strange expression as if in disbelief that Han Li had died so easily. He frowned for a moment and glanced at his hand. From the warm and bloody heart in his grasp, it appeared he had truly killed him.
The scholarly man grew alarmed at Du Dong’s sudden attack, and he furiously shouted, “What are you doing!? You can’t kill these disciples; a few of them have influence. One of them is even a close descendant of Eccentric Heavenvenge. Don’t attack them as you please!”
Du Dong indifferently snorted,“If you can kill one, then so can I. Besides, given how odd that youngster was, it was better to take the initiative to deal with him. Also, this person definitely wasn’t Eccentric Heavenvenge’s descendant. He entered the sect at the same time I did.” Soon after, he tossed the heart onto the ground.
The scholar’s expression relaxed and he gravely said, “So long as you realize this, that’s fine! Although I don’t know whether or not Eccentric Heavenvenge’s descendant is male or female, nor what sect they entered, the sects should’ve given consideration to Eccentric Heavenvenge’s might and allowed them to enter the top ten disciples so that they may use the Brightsight Water. It would be a great inconvenience if they actually died. As for the person I killed, I was well aware of his background, and he definitely wasn’t the eccentric’s descendant.”
“Fine, I’ll refrain from killing the others as I wish. However, we can’t have them casually stir up trouble. I’ll have to properly knock them out for the time being!” With that said, Du Dong began to twirl in place and black radiance suddenly enveloped the entire room.
The other cultivators felt somewhat relieved by their words, but the black radiance instantly rendered them unconscious as soon as it reached them.
The scholarly man nodded his head with satisfaction, “Let’s go. We can’t delay here for too long.”
“Alright.”
With those curt words, they immediately walked out of the room with large strides.
But when Du Dong walked out, he felt somewhat uneasy and unconsciously glanced down at the heartless corpse. Han Li was lying in a pool of his own blood, dead as could be.
Du Dong couldn’t help but scoff, feeling that he was overly suspicious, and he followed after the scholarly man with peace of mind. Once the two departed, the room grew deathly quiet.
A short moment later, a young woman’s voice filled the room.
“Brother Han, my Fox Enrapturing Arts must surely be above that of the Greater Sifting Mirage Technique! That man’s cultivation wasn’t weak, but he couldn’t tell whether or not he had truly killed someone. Truly laughable!”
Shortly after that was said, Han Li’s bloody corpse began to shine with faint white light. Eventually, that light turned silver and transformed into a foot-long, snow-white fox.
Han Li’s voice began to slowly speak from a meter behind the white fox, “It truly is impressive. I find it odd how a wolf like you can be so proficient in fox techniques. However, this might also have to do with them having comparatively weaker cultivation. Were they late Core Formation cultivators, it might’ve been difficult to fool them. As for the Greater Sifting Mirage Technique, I must admit it is outstanding. Even I was incapable of telling his true cultivation while he concealed himself.” In a flash of yellow light, he walked out from the stone wall with a wolf-headed jade scepter in his hand.
At
an unknown time, Han Li had stealthily entered the wall and had Silvermoon stand in for Han Li through an illusion technique. Although she couldn’t maintain the transformed body for long, it was more than enough to fool the two Core Formation cultivators.
Silvermoon was unconvinced as she curled her lips, “Is that technique truly that amazing? Wasn’t Brother Han simply mistaken?”
Han Li casually replied, “With the Great Development Technique, my spiritual sense is on par with that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Yet, I was still unable to discover anything amiss about him. It could very well be the top concealment technique in the entire world, let alone the Heavenly South.”
Silvermoon tilted her small head, but she didn’t refute him.
Han Li walked towards the center of the room and gazed at those lying on the ground, noticing that they were all unconscious. His eyes then fell onto the black-robed youth, Meng Di. Silvermoon seemed to guessed what Han Li intended and she jumped onto the youth while she snatched the storage pouch from his waist. She then obediently jumped back to Han Li’s side and delivered it to him.
Han Li accepted it with a faint smile and swept his spiritual sense into it. After taking the jade box containing the Spirit Tempering Pill, he carelessly tossed the pouch back onto the youth’s body.
Since this item held little use towards a youth at this cultivation, Han Li happily accepted it.
After putting away the jade box, he rubbed his chin and said, “Let’s go. Those two should’ve already arrived at the Spirit Well Tree’s cave. Let’s go and take a look.” After Silvermoon jumped into his sleeve, he flew out of the room in a streak of azure light.
At that moment, there were continuous explosions occurring on the outside. When Han Li heard them, a trace of doubt momentarily appeared on his face, but he soon ignored the sounds.
When Han Li arrived at the cave, the stone gate was wide open and void of restrictions. There were also shouts of furious alarm faintly coming from within.
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