Chapter 258

Yet, after his astonishment, Han Li felt a pang of confusion.

Han Li, though not proficient in the "Mystic" soul-binding art, had some basic knowledge of it. WM website

The "Heavenly Eye Technique," mastered by every cultivator, was in fact one of the most fundamental "Mystic" soul-binding spells. If two cultivators differed greatly in spiritual power, gazing into each other's eyes with the Heavenly Eye Technique could shatter the weaker one's mental defenses, leaving them at a disadvantage in battle.

Even other types of "Mystic" soul-binding arts relied primarily on vast disparities in spiritual power to forcibly dominate the opponent's mind.

Dong Dong Xuaner was at the early Foundation Establishment realm, while the dashing man was at the mid-Foundation Establishment realm. Logically, such a slight gap could never result in the absurd scenario of one glance instantly subduing the other. Unless the man were a Golden Core cultivator specializing in "Mystic" soul-binding arts, there might be a slight chance.

Yet the dashing man's expression, and the venomous look he gave as he left, clearly did not suggest that at all! It was impossible for any Golden Core cultivator to disguise himself as a Foundation Establishment cultivator just to mock them.

As Han Li thought this, he finally felt a little more at ease. After all, he had not forgotten the venomous expression the dashing man had worn when leaving.

When he raised his head from his thoughts, he saw Dong Dong Xuaner again, playfully flirting with the two men—her earlier pitiful demeanor had vanished completely.

Seeing this, Han Li sighed inwardly, rose, and turned to return to his room.

But as Han Li placed his palm on the wooden door, just before pushing it open, a loud male voice suddenly rang out from outside the inn.

"All guests inside the inn, listen: tomorrow's Treasure Hunt Gathering will be held in two groups. Our nation's cultivators will gather on the western peak of Yan Ling Castle; foreign cultivators will gather on the eastern peak. Be punctual tomorrow morning. Those who fail to arrive on time will be deemed to have forfeited their participation."

The voice repeated this three times outside the inn before the speaker finally departed.

Han Li paused upon hearing this, but then shrugged and pushed open the door, returning to his room.

Separating the cultivators of the two nations for competition surprised Han Li slightly, but he saw nothing amiss.

After all, if the Seven Sects' cultivators competed alongside foreign cultivators, countless conflicts would surely erupt. This xenophobic mindset was universal—evident even in the confrontation at the teahouse that day.

As he pondered this, Han Li sat cross-legged on his bed, preparing to meditate and refine his Qi for the night, to prepare for tomorrow's Treasure Hunt Gathering.

…

In a residence within Yan Ling Castle, the dashing, eerie man sat on a wooden chair, while several men and women stood before him, respectfully reporting something. He listened without expression, his eyes occasionally flashing with sharp light, and he suddenly let out a cold laugh for no apparent reason.

…

Meanwhile, on the western peak of Yan Ling Castle, over a dozen green-robed Ghost Spirit Sect disciples were busy at the summit, burying various objects into the ground. The Ghost Spirit Sect's young master and two Golden Core cultivators hovered in midair, watching everything below with cold eyes.

"How is it? Has the temporary Yin Fire Array weakened so much that it's still effective?" the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master suddenly asked.

"Rest assured, Young Master! No problem at all. Though it's only a temporary array, with my brother and I managing it, its ability to trap enemies will still function to some degree. Of course, if there are late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators inside, or those wielding exceptionally powerful magic treasures, we can't be certain—but the vast majority of cultivators won't be able to escape." The elder of the Li brothers coughed a few times, his voice trembling.

"Good. Then I'm at ease! The Twelve Ghost Spirit Guards I brought aren't idle—they're more than enough to deal with a few stragglers!" the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master said without a hint of concern.

Hearing this, the Li brothers saw no issue and fell silent.

In truth, had they not needed to preserve the souls and primordial spirits intact, the two brothers could have simply eliminated several Foundation Establishment cultivators with ease—why go through such trouble? The Li brothers thought with pride.

…

In a secret chamber deep within the Huang Feng Valley of the Taiyue Mountains, seven or eight Golden Core cultivators gathered, listening intently to an elderly man with snow-white hair and a yellow robe. Each face shifted with the old man's words, tense and uncertain.

Han Li's master, Li Li Huayuan, Red Sleeve Immortal, and the fat Lei Lei Wanhe were all present, their expressions equally uneasy.

Soon after the cultivators in the chamber exited, the entire Huang Feng Valley erupted in chaos.

In the high sky, countless transmission talismans flew wildly; lower down, waves of cultivators flew through the air on their magical artifacts. Soon after, hastily assembled squads departed from Huang Feng Valley under cover of night, scattering toward unknown destinations.

Similar scenes unfolded across the other six sects, and messengers shuttled ceaselessly between them. Overnight, the entire Yue Kingdom's cultivation world had become thick with menace.

In the following days, every major and minor family in Yue Kingdom received a joint summons, signed by the seven sect masters, ordering them to send their most outstanding disciples to stand by—any who resisted would be exterminated by a punitive force of seven sect cultivators.

Of course, the summons that reached the Yan family three days later was ignored—by then, the Yan family had already fled, leaving their estate empty.

…

Han Li and the seven sect cultivators in Yan Ling Castle, far from their sects, naturally knew nothing of this.

So when dawn first broke the next day, some cultivators arrived early at the western small peak, where a massive array had already been constructed. Within the array, two middle-aged men dressed in Yan family attire sat in meditation, eyes closed.

Behind the array stood a low earthen platform, where over a dozen Yan family members—actually Ghost Spirit Sect disciples—were partially veiled in mist, discussing something, apparently waiting for all cultivators to arrive before beginning the gathering.

Han Li had also reached the peak. He had not come with Dong Dong Xuaner, but as usual, walked ahead alone. On the peak, he met the middle-aged man from the Giant Sword Sect, Ba, and the two exchanged idle small talk.

"Brother Ba, do you know what this array is for?" Han Li, having studied the massive array several times and feeling uneasy about it, finally asked after a while.

"I'm ashamed—I know little about arrays! But I suspect it's some kind of protective barrier or restriction. After all, if we Foundation Establishment cultivators truly fought, we'd need to be confined to a limited area; otherwise, this small peak couldn't withstand our battles!" The Ba cultivator stroked his chin, unconcerned.

"Oh, that's very likely!" Han Li said aloud, yet he still sensed an unsettling aura emanating from the array—unrelated to spiritual power depth, purely an intuitive feeling.

Han Li frowned and glanced around. Over thirty cultivators had arrived: the Daoist pair from Qingxu Sect, the Fang woman from Tianque Castle, and others he knew had all come, gathering in small groups, chatting.

"Brother Han, let's go greet them! Look, Wu Fa Zi and the others are all over there!" The Ba cultivator smiled, nodding toward the clustered group.

"Brother Ba, go ahead. I have some matters to consider—I won't disturb you." Han Li shook his head slightly, unwilling to join the crowd—it drew too much attention.

The Giant Sword Sect cultivator shrugged, puzzled but still walked over alone. After all, opportunities to bond with so many cultivators from his own sect were rare—he wouldn't let this one slip away.

Seeing the Ba cultivator leave, Han Li did not remain where he was. Instead, as usual, he moved to a secluded corner, farthest from the array, and watched the other cultivators with cold eyes.

Half an hour later, Dong Dong Xuaner and her senior brother finally arrived. Upon arrival, they joined a group entirely composed of Huang Feng Valley cultivators and quickly became lively among the male disciples. The Yan Yu who had previously never left her side was nowhere to be seen—this surprised Han Li.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so men in Yan family attire—actually Ghost Spirit Sect disciples—on the earthen platform were counting the attendees.

"Young Master, two cultivators are still missing. The time is already late—should we wait a little longer?" One Ghost Spirit Sect disciple reported after the count.

"No need to wait. Immediately instruct the Two Elders to activate the array. If we delay too long, clever cultivators may sense something's wrong—that would be worse. As for the two who didn't show, send No. 8 and No. 12 of the Twelve Guards to hunt them down. Regardless of why they're absent, they must not leave Yan Ling Castle alive!" The Ghost Spirit Sect's young master gave his order without hesitation, his killing intent radiating.

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