It seemed the Moulan clearly understood that if they were to stay in the Heavenly South for long, they couldn’t afford to offend their high-grade cultivators. As such, the ancient treasures were returned to him so that there would be no grudges between them. Since Han Li had shown immense power at his young age, even the Moulan Divine Sages viewed him with dread.
With the ancient treasures returned, Han Li promptly gave the Purple Cloudlace back to Silvermoon. Although she only made use of the treasure while she was in her demon fox body, she had used it to great effect. Since Han Li wasn’t the ungrateful sort, he gave the Purple Cloudlace over to her as a reward.
When news spread out that the Heavenly South cultivators and the Moulan had joined hands, the Soaring Tribes grew hesitant for a time. Although they stationed a large number of cultivators at the border of the Moulan Plains, they didn’t immediately launch an attack. They merely observed the actions of the Heavenly South and the Moulan, deciding to only observe in the near future.
However, the Soaring Tribe’s actions only caused for greater concern to Master Sunreach and the other leading figures of the Heavenly South. The deliberation of their enemies only displayed a greater intent to invade the Heavenly South Continent.
Seeing that there would be quite some time before further confrontation, the various powers of the Heavenly South took turns guarding the border as they did before. Each sect would send a few of their elite disciples and garrison them near the two countries given to the Moulan.
If the Soaring Tribes did attack, the Moulan would be hard pressed and the stationed disciples would be able to provide immediate assistance. As for the other cultivators, they were allowed to return to their sects.
As a Drifting Cloud Sect Elder, Han Li had much to do with Senior Martial Brother Lu. After confirming that most of the sect disciples had survived, he was free to return to the sect. Lu Luo had a few other matters to deal with and had to stay behind for a few days. As such, Han Li returned first.
On the way, Han Li used the Wind Riding Chariot to hasten his journey, allowing him to cut down on the time it took to travel back. But when he entered the State of Xi, Han Li put the chariot away to avoid any unnecessary attention.
The remaining hundred kilometers were traveled in nearly the blink of an eye. When he saw the Dreamcloud Mountains in the distance, he couldn’t help but smile as he thought of Nangong Wan’s beautiful appearance.
Soon, Han Li found himself inside a secret room, glaring at a silver-haired old man, his Senior Martial Brother Cheng. With a face filled with fury and malevolence, Han Li uttered, “What’s going on?”
When he had returned to the Drifting Cloud Sect, he didn’t immediately return to his cave residence. Rather, he was stopped halfway and was brought to a secret room brimming with glacial energy. It was there that Han Li saw an astonishing sight.
Nangong Wan had transformed into a seven-year-old child, sealed inside a slab of ice. Her eyes were shut as if completely oblivious to her surroundings, much to the fury and alarm of Han Li.
Senior Martial Brother Cheng bitterly smiled and sighed. “If Junior Martial Brother Han had returned two weeks earlier, he might’ve been able to prevent this from happening. There is no danger to her life for now, but she is forced to use this method to delay the activation of the Soul Seal Curse.”
“The Soul Seal Curse? How did this Yin curse take effect? Wasn’t this curse lost long ago in the Heavenly South? Could it be...” Han Li paused to a moment when something soon came to mind.
Seeing that Han Li recalled something, Senior Martial Brother Cheng gave Han Li a detailed explanation of what happened to her.
Half a month ago, Nangong Wan emerged from her cave residence in the morning to absorb the frost of a nearby mountain for the use of her incarnation arts, but she didn’t expect to encounter a black-robed man on her outing.
As soon as this man saw Nangong Wan, he immediately attacked her with a ferocious Devil Dao technique, breaking through several of her protective treasures. When Nangong Wan saw this, she hastily called for help and attempted to escape in the direction of her cave residence. By the time Senior Martial Brother Cheng and other Drifting Cloud Sect disciples went to assist her, she had already fallen into the black-robed man’s grasp. He simply pressed his finger against her forehead and soon released her.
In his alarm, Senior Martial Brother Cheng immediately ordered his disciples to jointly attack the black-robed man, but when the black-robed man saw so many Drifting Cloud Sect disciples present, he didn’t make an attempt to fight them. With a cold smile, he left a jade slip behind and flew away at the speed of lightning.
Unable to do anything to him, Senior Martial Brother Cheng brought Nangong Wan back to the sect in an attempt to heal her, only to discover that she had suffered from the Soul Seal Curse — a secret restriction that was long lost to the Heavenly South Devil Dao.
When the restriction is forcefully placed on a person, their intellect and spirit are slowly sealed. Then depending on the target’s cultivation, their soul is slowly destroyed after an unknown amount of time, turning the target into a living corpse. It was once an extremely malicious method to deal with an enemy.
The old man was extremely frightened by the sight of this curse and was at a complete loss of what to do. But at that moment, Nangong Wan had managed to awaken on her own. After learning that she suffered from the Soul Seal Curse, she paled and immediately thought of a method to save her own life.
She decided to use an ability of her Greater Incarnation Arts and temporarily seal herself using glacial Qi. As a result, not only would this completely seal Nangong Wan’s body, but it would also slow down the effects of the curse to a vast degree. The result is how you see her currently.” Once that was said, he handed over an azure and a red jade slip over to Han Li.
Senior Martial Brother Cheng sighed and said, “One of the jade slips was left behind for Junior Martial Sister Nangong by the black-robed man. As for the other piece, it was something he had left behind for Junior Martial Brother Han in particular. Please take a look at them.”
Han Li sullenly received the two jade slips and examined them before deciding to first read through the jade slip meant for Nangong Wan. After immersing his spiritual sense into the jade slip, he wore a strange expression. Although he appeared somewhat worried, he appeared to be grateful as well.
This had stunned Senior Martial Brother Cheng. The jade slip was left behind by Nangong Wan for Han Li. The old man hadn’t read through this jade slip as there had been a small trick placed on it, allowing others to know if someone else had read through it first. Since it was easily seen through, the old man wouldn’t rashly make such a mistake. Due to Han Li’s recent rise in reputation and display of might, he couldn’t afford to treat him lightly.
After Han Li finished reading through the azure jade slip, Han Li sighed and moved to the crimson jade slip.
Once he read through it, Han Li’s expression sank and he twisted his hands in fury, immolating the jade slips in purple flames.
The old man was astonished by the sight. Although these jade slips weren’t meticulously refined, it was rather difficult to burn them without leaving even ash behind. Since Han Li was able to do this without much effort, it only validated many of the rumors of Han Li that claimed his own power was greater than that of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. He had found a rather formidable character on behalf of the Drifting Cloud Sect.
As the old man thoughts appeared in his head, Han Li muttered to himself and asked, “Senior Martial Brother Cheng, did you catch the face of the person who ambushed Nangong Wan? Was he tall? And what was his cultivation? Perhaps he is someone that I know.”
The old man promptly replied, “I did manage to catch sight of him and he was quite tall. He was a youth with an ordinary face. He seemed to be using some sort of concealment technique to hide. My abilities were too poor to see through them. However, he should be at mid-Nascent Soul stage at the very least as
he was able to easily defeat Fellow Daoist Nangong.”
“A youth?” Han Li’s expression flickered. He felt it surprising.
“That’s right! However, with his cultivation, he is certain to be like Junior Martial Brother. He must’ve taken some sort of medicine pill or cultivated some technique to halt his appearance. However, his age is also certain to be larger than your own. There are sparsely few cultivators in this world that are able to condense a Nascent Soul at your age. But Junior Martial Brother, from what I saw of the jade slip that the black-robed man left behind, he wishes for Junior Martial Brother to bring your magic treasure refined from Golden Lightning Bamboo to the Profound Heaven Mountains. Could it be this person is truly a Devil Dao cultivator from the Jin Empire? Do you truly possess a precious treasure refined from Golden Lightning Bamboo?” The old man was unable to hold his questions back.
“I can’t be certain whether or not it is that person, but regardless, he has a relationship with me. He should be a devil cultivator from the Jin Empire’s Yin Sifting Sect. I originally believed that they wished to take vengeance on me for killing one of their sect members, but I didn’t expect for them to desire my Golden Lightning Bamboo treasure. It seemed they wished to pay me a visit even if I didn’t kill their sect member. As a result, Wan’er was involved. It is true that I possess a treasure refined from Golden Lightning Bamboo.” Once that was said, the anger from his face slipped away, only to be replaced with a harsh coldness.
“This comes as no surprise. Golden Lightning Bamboo is legendary for its ability to restrain devilish arts. And since they’re from the Jin Empire, they don’t have to show any restraint in dealing with cultivators from the Heavenly South. How about this? I’ll invite some of my close friends to join together and find that man.”
Chapter 785: Sword Refinement
Han Li shook his head and slowly said, “There is no need. If I’ve guessed correctly, his cultivation will be profound, and he’ll be a character on par with the Moulan Divine Sages. If common cultivators encountered him, they wouldn’t be able to deal with him and they would only bring about their own deaths. Besides, he possesses the Soul Seal Curse’s removal method. I don’t want to scare him off.”
Senior Martial Brother Cheng shouted in alarm, “On par with a Moulan Divine Sage! Could he be a late Nascent Soul-stage cultivator? If that’s the case, Junior Martial Brother definitely can’t take him on alone. It will be too dangerous, so let’s request some help from Long Han and Feng Bing.”
With a deep sigh, Han Li calmly said, “Although they will be able to deal with this person, they will need at least four months to arrive; it will be too late. The black-robed man is only giving two months of time past the assault. It seems he’s calculated when I would return, but he didn’t anticipate that I could travel so quickly. This will give me some time to consider how to properly deal with him!”
Most importantly, I will need to find out how to acquire the method to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse.”
Senior Martial Brother Cheng could only nod in agreement. “Alright, if Junior Martial Brother needs any assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask. The sect’s disciples are at your disposal.”
“Many thanks, Senior Martial Brother. According to the jade slip Wan’er left behind, she is able to postpone the activation of the Soul Seal Curse for nearly a hundred years, but in truth, this had never been tested before, so I can’t help but worry!” Han Li glanced at the girl in the wall of ice with worry.
After a moment of thought, the old man consoled, “There is no need for Junior Martial Brother to be so anxious. From what I see, she should be able to survive and pass this trial. How about this? In the next few days, I’ll go and look through a few ancient records and see if there are any methods of dissolving the curse, resolving any need to go seek out the black-robed man.”
Han Li forced a smile and said, “Thank you for the trouble, Senior Martial Brother. If you have no objections, I wish to be alone here for a while. I hope you don’t take offense.”
“Of course, of course. I’ll be heading to the records library now. Please keep your wife company.” Senior Martial Brother Cheng responded with a tone of empathy and he promptly left, leaving Han Li alone in the room.
Han Li then turned his attention to the ice wall, his face wearing a lonely expression as he let out a long sigh.
After an entire day, Han Li had yet to leave the room.
When Senior Martial Brother Cheng returned from the records library and saw that Han Li still remained inside, he couldn’t help but worry. After half a day more, he felt the need to check up on him. But just as he thought to enter, Han Li suddenly emerged from the room.
“Junior Martial Brother Han, has anything happened?” The old man asked with bewilderment.
Han Li’s heart warmed, seeing the old man was waiting for him outside the door. He apologetically said, “It’s nothing. I was only thinking of my plans on how I should deal with the enemy. Sorry for making you worry. There is still a month left before the deadline. I must prepare to enter seclusion. You won’t need to bother me if there isn’t anything important.”
“You’re going to enter seclusion? What can you do in such a short amount of time?” Senior Martial Brother Cheng appeared baffled.
Han Li vaguely replied, “I’ve acquired a bit of Auric Essence since I’ve been gone. I was prepared to further temper my magic treasures, but in such a short amount of time, I’ll only be able to strengthen them somewhat.”
The old man suddenly came to an understanding and said, “So it was like that. Please go ahead Junior Martial Brother. I’ll make sure none of the sect disciples will bother you.”
Han Li solemnly added on. “There is still something else. Since the ice wall is formed here, I cannot stray too far. Otherwise, something could happen to it. However, I can place several more spell formations to surround it and better protect Wan’er. I will have to trouble Senior Martial Brother to attend to it.”
“Please don’t worry, Junior Martial Brother. Fellow Daoist Nangong was attacked while within the domain of our Drifting Cloud Sect, and as such, I bear the responsibility. I’ve already had this place classified as a forbidden area. There will be no disciples wandering over here. There will be no problem with your wife’s safety.” The silver-haired old man replied instantly as if having already considered the problem.
A bright glint flashed through Han Li’s eyes. “Since that’s the case, I am relieved. With no time to lose, I’ll first place down the spell formations before entering seclusion.”
Leaving the old man behind, he returned to his cave residence, surprised to see that Mu Peiling was waiting for him there. A trace of astonishment flickered from his eyes but he still welcomed her inside.
Once Mu Peiling entered the hall, she worriedly asked, “Is Big Sister Nanlong alright? I heard that she was wounded, but I didn’t receive any precise information. I’ve been worried.”
Han Li took a seat and calmly asked, “Huh? You have a good relationship with Wan’er?”
Mu Peiling promptly replied, “We get along well. Big Sister Nanlong’s temperament is quite good. While my Lord was away, she gave me much guidance with my cultivation. I am indebted to her.”
After a moment of silence, he wore a bitter smile. “I should be happy from what you said. However, Wan’er has suffered from the Soul Seal Curse and has sealed herself, so I can take joy in what you said. But in the several months I haven’t seen you, your cultivation has clearly risen. I am pleased that you haven’t been slacking in your cultivation. As for me, I will have to spend the next month in seclusion, making preparations to dissolve Wan’er’s curse.”
Mu Peiling couldn’t help but ask, “Soul Seal Curse? That Devil Dao curse will be troublesome. My Lord, do you have a way to solve it?”
A harsh expression suddenly appearing on his face, Han Li gloomily said, “Solve it? I can only defeat the person who placed down the curse and acquire the method to dissolve it fro
m his felled body.”
When Mu Peiling heard this, she could only frown.
At that moment, the disciple who Han Li had picked up out of convenience, Liu Yu, came to visit him. In addition to sending her regards to her master, she also came to ask about Nangong Wan. As a clever person, she had befriended Nangong Wan, her master’s wife.
When she arrived, Han Li gave her a short summary of what had happened, including to mention the Soul Seal Curse. This had worried Liu Yu, but given her lacking experience and cultivation, there was nothing she could do.
With no intention of continuing to chat with the two women, Han Li escorted them out. Naturally, the two didn’t raise any objections and obediently left.
But just as the two left the cave residence, Liu Yu eyes flickered and she smiled at Mu Peiling. “Fellow Daoist Mu, while you are the Master’s concubine, it seems that you are still a maiden and are treated only as a guest. Could it be that your beauty doesn’t move him? Or is there some other reason? With Lady Nangong’s beauty being above yours, you had better shape up.”
“You mean...” Mu Peiling blushed as soon as she realized what Liu Yu meant. Then with a smile, Liu Yu shot into the sky in a streak of light. After blankly standing in place for a moment, she immediately flew off on her magic tool.
When Han Li saw the two women depart, he checked the medicine garden and the insect room to see they were all doing fine. Then after bringing a few tool refinement materials into a sealed room, he began to use Nascent flame to temper the Auric Essence into his thirty-six flying swords.
In addition to the pieces of Auric Essence he had acquired from Master Sunreach and the Moulan, he was given another piece of Auric Essence from Long Han on behalf of the Heavenly Dao alliance. As a result, he had more than enough Auric Essence to fully temper his thirty-six flying swords.
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