This woman was none other than the number one female cultivator among the younger generation in the State of Yue. She had also successfully reached the Nascent Soul Stage.
"Thank you for your kind words, Fellow Daoist Han. I've only recently reached the Nascent Soul Stage, yet you're already the number one cultivator in the Heavenly South Region; how can I possibly compare to you? I've come here with a request for your help, Brother Han." Yan Yan'er examined Han Li carefully as a complex expression appeared on her beautiful features.
Han Li smiled, yet gave no reply. He cast his gaze toward the other two Ghost Spirit Sect elders, and his eyes rested on the face of the elderly man in the end.
"This fellow Daoist is Elder Zhong, right? I recall seeing you once from afar in the Devilfall Valley."
"I didn't think that Brother Han would still remember someone like me. I'm very flattered." The elderly man gave a slightly awkward chuckle upon hearing this.
"The Ghost Spirit Sect seems to be in a very perilous situation at the moment. All three of you are important figures in the sect, so why have you come all this way to meet me rather than remain in the State of Yue to protect the sect?" Han Li cut straight to the chase.
Upon seeing Han Li's no-nonsense approach, Yan Yan'er and the others looked at one another with hesitant expressions, as if they were unsure of how to proceed.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as a hint of displeasure appeared on his face.
Han Li's attention naturally didn't escape the notice of the trio, and the hearts of the two men jolted as they turned toward Yan Yan'er in unison.
Yan Yan'er hesitated momentarily before breaking the tense silence.
"Fellow Daoist Han, we've come here to request assistance from your sect, no, from yourself. We hope that you can assist our Ghost Spirit Sect during this time of crisis. Otherwise, our sect will most likely cease to exist in the near future."
"You want me to lend you my assistance?" Han Li raised his eyebrows as a hint of a deriding sneer appeared on his face.
"I know that our sect has wronged you in the past, Brother Han, but Sect Leader Wang was the one who was solely responsible for that incident, and he passed away in the Devilfall Valley long ago. The Ghost Spirit Sect is not being ruled over by the Wang Family anymore," the yellow-robed man hurriedly explained.
"Is that so? I seem to have heard that Wang Chan is still thriving at your sect, is that correct?" Han Li asked expressionlessly.
The expressions of both the elderly man and Yan Yan'er changed slightly upon seeing this. The yellow-robed man was also quite surprised that Han Li was aware of this detail, but he still maintained his smile as he replied, "Rest assured, Brother Han; Martial Nephew Wang Chan made a huge mistake a while ago, so he's been stripped of his role as an enforcement elder, and he's currently been held in our sect's repentance cave to repent over his mistakes. He won't be released from there for at least another 100 years."
"Repenting over his mistakes? I don't think I've seen you before, but you seem to bear a resemblance to Fairy Yan; may I ask for your name, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li was slightly surprised to hear this, but he cast his gaze toward Yan Yan'er, then back at the yellow-robed man, and a thought seemed to have occurred to him as a faint smile appeared on his face.
The yellow-robed man hesitated momentarily before replying truthfully, "You really do have a good eye, Brother Han. I'm also from the Yan Family; I'm one of Yan'er's uncles."
Yan Yan'er also nodded to confirm this notion.
Han Li stroked his chin, and asked in a meaningful voice, "Oh, so the Yan Family has two Nascent Soul cultivators now. In that case, the Yan Family must be ruling over the Ghost Spirit Sect at present, right?"
The yellow-robed man glanced at Elder Zhong before replying hesitantly, "Hehe, it's not incorrect to say that, but that duty has only fallen to our Yan Family upon Senior Martial Brother Zhong's insistence."
"Senior Martial Brother Wang and the others were clearly unfit to rule over the sect, so it's only natural that the Yan Familly should rise to the occasion," the elderly man said with a wry smile.
"Oh, is that so?" Han Li said in an absentminded manner before he fell silent, and his eyes narrowed in contemplation.
The three cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect didn't dare to rush Han Li, so they could only sit in silence. Yan Yan'er seemed to be contemplating something as well, while the two men were feeling extremely uneasy.
Han Li was currently the number one cultivator in the Heavenly South Region, and he had once had a vendetta against their Ghost Spirit Sect. The circumstances had changed since then, so it was very unlikely that Han Li would seek revenge against them, but they would definitely be lying if they said they weren't concerned in the slightest about being in Han Li's presence. If it weren't for the fact that the Ghost Spirit Sect had truly reached the end of the road, they wouldn't have mustered up the courage to visit the Drifting Cloud Sect.
The only person in the entire Heavenly South Region capable of saving them was Han Li. Their enemies were wary of the other great cultivators as well, but there was certainly no one more powerful and intimidating than Han Li in the Heavenly South Region.
"Even if those past events had never taken place, what makes you think that I'll help your Ghost Spirit Sect?" Han Li asked in a slightly cold voice.
Yan Yan'er immediately turned to Han Li upon hearing this, while the two men with her were ecstatic.
The three of them could all hear a hint of possibility in Han Li's voice.
The yellow-robed man took a deep breath before replying, "Brother Han, if you're willing to help our sect, our Ghost Spirit Sect will vacate the State of Yue and leave it to the other sects. All we want now is to ensure the survival of our sect. In return for your assistance, we've brought along a few presents. We hope that they would be of interest to you, Brother Han."
He then patted the storage pouch hanging from his waist, and a burst of white light radiated from within. Spiritual light swept toward the table before him, and three items appeared on the tabletop.
Han Li examined the three items with an indifferent expression to find that they were a crimson bracelet, a porcelain vial, and a green wooden box.
Han Li raised his hand and feigned a grabbing motion, upon which the three items flew through the air and landed in his grasp.
At this moment, Yan Yan'er's pleasant voice suddenly sounded.
"The porcelain vial contains the sacred medicine of our sect, the Blood Limb Pill. The pill has no other effect aside from its incredible ability to replace lost limbs. Even if a limb is completely dismembered, an identical one can be regrown after taking these pills. Due to the fact that the medicinal ingredients for these pills are very difficult to find, our sect only has around a dozen of these pills, and three of them are in that vial. The red bracelet is a lesser-known devilish treasure and was something that was carried by all the past sect leaders. However, the treasure was withdrawn by Elder Zhong after Sect Leader Wang perished in the Devilfall Valley. This devilish treasure is quite unique in that it's unable to directly attack the enemy, but you can nurture things like Yin spirits and blood ghosts within the bracelet. Those beings can become more powerful at a rapid rate through the help of the blood Qi absorbed by this bracelet, then be released to assist you in battle. As for the item in this wooden box, it's the most precious among the three treasures here." At this point, Yan Yan'er paused and looked at Han Li with a peculiar gleam in her eyes.
However, Han Li's expression remained completely unchanged, seemingly entirely disinterested in the two treasures placed before him.
Yan Yan'er heaved a faint internal sigh, but she maintained a calm expression as she continued, "I heard that you're using a wood-attribute cultivation art, Brother Han; the item in this box is a legendary Wood Spirit Bead, one of the five-elemental Spirit Gathering Beads!"
Han Li's expressionless facade immediately crumbled as he exclaimed, "Spirit Gathering Bead? You're referring to the treasu
res that absorb a certain type of five-elemental spiritual Qi while also repelling other types of spiritual Qi?"
"That's right. The Spirit Gathering Bead has a very similar name to the basic spirit gathering formation, and both of them serve a similar purpose. However, I trust that Brother Han is aware of the differences in their efficacy, so I won't elaborate on that subject. As for how this item compares with spirit well objects, as long as the cultivation art you're using is of the same attribute as this Spirit Gathering Bead, normal spirit well objects won't even be able to hold a candle to this bead," Yan Yan'er said in a slow voice.
Han Li's lingered on the green wooden box for a while longer, but there was a yellow restriction talisman plastered over it, so he wasn't able to glean its contents.
All of a sudden, he opened his mouth and gently exhaled toward the wooden box.
A burst of azure light immediately swept over the surface of the box, and the restriction talisman was detached. At the same time, his hand shot forth like lightning, pointing a finger directly at the lid of the box.
The wooden lid flew off of its own accord.
Chapter 1199: Sinister Ploy
The faint fragrance of grass and wood immediately wafted toward Han Li. The interior of the wooden box was filled with shimmering green light, and there was a thumb-sized green bead that was sitting in the box amid the light.
Han Li swept his spiritual sense toward it to find that the bead wasn't made of stone nor wood, and he couldn't identify what kind of material this was.
As soon as the bead was revealed, rich wood-attribute spiritual Qi immediately filled the surrounding area. After taking a deep breath, Han Li felt as if he had been completely reinvigorated.
Han Li picked up the bead between his fingers and stared at it for a while before turning to Yan Yan'er with a calm expression. "This is indeed a Spirit Gathering Bead! Some of these beads appeared during ancient times and it's unknown whether they were naturally-forming treasures or artificially-refined. It's been a long time since one of these has appeared in the cultivation world; I didn't think your sect would have one. Fairy Yan, is your Ghost Spirit Sect really willing to give me such a valuable treasure? If a cultivator using a wood-attribute cultivation art were to carry this bead during their cultivation, they would be able to cultivate more than twice as fast as a normal cultivator."
"This bead is indeed an extremely rare treasure in the human world, but our sect is still more important to us in comparison. Furthermore, as I'm sure you're aware already, Brother Han, our Ghost Spirit Sect barely has any wood-attribute cultivation arts, so this treasure is not very useful to our sect. As such, it's much wiser for us to offer it up in exchange for a chance at survival," Yan Yan'er replied with a serious expression.
"This Spirit Gathering Bead is indeed very useful to me. However, if you want me to step in and protect your sect, the Ghost Spirit Sect has to do something else for me as well. Otherwise..." Han Li shook his head as his voice trailed off.
The yellow-robed man's eyes lit up as he asked urgently, "What is it? As long as it's within the capabilities of our sect, we'll be sure to do our best."
Han Li turned to the yellow-robed man, and elaborated, "I don't care about anyone else from the Wang Family, but I don't want to see Wang Chan ever again. I have no interest in stepping in to save an enemy of mine. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Elder Zhong's expression changed upon hearing this, and Yan Yan'er's features paled in response. The yellow-robed man had also fallen silent, but he didn't appear to be very surprised by this demand.
"I understand what you mean, Brother Han. This is not an issue; what do you think, Senior Martial Brother Zhong?" The yellow-robed man turned to the elderly man.
A conflicted look appeared on the elderly man's face, and he only heaved a faint sigh after a period of contemplation as he replied, "If Brother Han insists, then I'm sure Martial Nephew Wang Chan will be willing to give his all for the sake of the sect."
"Seeing as Senior Martial Brother Zhong doesn't have any objections, then I'll agree to this request on behalf of the sect." The yellow-robed man nodded without any hesitation.
Throughout this entire process, he didn't ask for Yan Yan'er opinion, nor even take so much as a single glance at her.
Yan Yan'er face was quite pale, but she didn't state any objections.
"Alright, I'll accept your presents, and I'll write a few letters in person to the Controlling Spirit Sect and the other sects." Han Li nodded in response.
The yellow-robed man was ecstatic upon hearing this. The trio from the Ghost Spirit Sect had achieved the objective for their trip, so they didn't wish to remain in the Drifting Cloud Sect any longer, and they rose to their feet before bidding farewell to Han Li.
Han Li made no effort to keep them, and merely looked on as the three of them departed. Yan Yan'er was the last one to exit the hall, and her footsteps suddenly faltered as she reached the entrance of the hall. She turned to look at Han Li with a complex expression and opened her mouth, but didn't say anything in the end. A resigned sigh escaped her lips and she turned away again before exiting the hall.
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, and he also fell silent as he turned his gaze toward the three treasures on the table.
After the three Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators left the Drifting Cloud Sect, they immediately rose into the air as streaks of light.
Not long after they had departed from the Dreamcloud Mountains, Elder Zhong heaved a faint sigh and turned to the yellow-robed man beside him as he asked, "Junior Martial Brother Yan, do we really have to kill Martial Nephew Wang?"
"Senior Martial Brother Zhong, I don't want to have to do this, either, but Han Li is specifically requesting for his death, and we can't afford to hesitate here. Besides, he's not asking for us to eradicate the entire Wang Family, and Senior Martial Brother Wang has more than one son, so the Wang Family won't fall here. This is already a very lenient condition. After all, the Wang Family has wronged him greatly in the past, and I heard that Wang Chan had almost killed him back when he was yet to reach the Nascent Soul Stage. In that case, it really is no surprise that he's asking for Wang Chan to be killed. In my opinion, we should also banish all of our sect disciples from the Wang Family as a gesture to demonstrate our sincerity. Even though Han Li has promised to help us, it would be disastrous if he were to change his mind," the yellow-robed man replied.
A hesitant expression appeared on the elderly man's face upon hearing this.
The yellow-robed man then turned to Yan Yan'er, who had remained silent this whole time, and said in an apologetic manner, "Yan'er, I'm sorry that this has to happen, but I'm sure you had already anticipated this back when you were engaged to Wang Chan. Thankfully, you've reached the Nascent Soul Stage now while Wang Chan has failed to do so, so he doesn't deserve you anyway. Furthermore, the Wang Family suddenly attacked our Yan Family back then, and all of the high-grade cultivators from our family, including you, had restrictions placed upon them. I was fortunate to have been exempt from this as I was cultivating in a secret area, but that doesn't change the fact that the Wang Family has betrayed our trust. Seeing as that's the case, there's no need for you to pay any heed to whether Wang Chan lives or dies."
"I understand all that, Uncle, but he's still my Dao Companion; how could I bring myself to express approval toward this arrangement? I'm going into seclusion for a century after we return to the sect; there's no need for you to inform me of what becomes of Wang Chan and the Wang Family during that time," Yan Yan'er said in an indifferent voice before she accelerated through the air, leaving the yellow-robed man and the elderly man behind.
The yellow-robed man could only heave a resigned sigh upon seeing this, while the elderly man continued to remain silent. After a while, Elder Zhong finally conceded, "If this arrangement is beneficial to our sect, then I'll let you do as you please with the Wang Family, Junior Martial Brother Yan."
"Rest assured, Senior
Martial Brother Zhong, I'll be sure to handle the situation appropriately." The yellow-robed man was ecstatic.
The elderly man merely shook his head without giving a reply, and he seemed to be in a rather dejected mood.
The yellow-robed man didn't pay any heed to this. He knew that Elder Zhong had known Wang Chan and his father for far longer than he had, so it was only natural for him to display such a reaction.
Following his initial rush of excitement, a wistful look appeared on the yellow-robed man's face as he murmured, "I still think it's quite a pity that we gave him the Spirit Gathering Bead, though."
In response, Elder Zhong chuckled coldly and said something that came as quite a surprise to the yellow-robed man. "Do you really think that Spirit Gathering Bead is something that belonged to our sect?"
A bewildered look appeared on the yellow-robed man's face as he asked, "What do you mean, Senior Martial Brother Zhong? Didn't you personally bring out this treasure from our sect's treasure vault?"
"Hehe, I'm not sure if this treasure initially belonged to our sect, but what I can tell you is that Old Devil Concord was the one who gave it to me," Elder Zhong chuckled.
"Old Devil Concord?" The yellow-robed man was even more bewildered upon hearing this.
"That's right. Not long ago, Old Devil Concord suddenly came to me and presented me with this bead, telling me that it was something that our sect had once lent to the Harmonious Bond Sect. He also implied to me that Grand Elder Han of the Drifting Cloud Sect was the only one who could save our sect, and that this would be the best present we could offer to him. Are you finding this difficult to believe, Junior Martial Brother Yan?" the elderly man asked with a meaningful look. The yellow-robed man's expression immediately changed as he speculated, "Even if this bead really did belong to our sect, there's no way Old Devil Concord would be generous enough to return it to us. Could it be that there's something wrong with that Spirit Gathering Bead?"
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 660