Chapter 497: Reverse Star Alliance

"What major event? I just came out of seclusion a few days ago. Tell me about it!" Han Li said indifferently.

"Since senior asks, we juniors will naturally tell the truth. However, may I ask for senior's honorable name?" The old man asked carefully with his hands hanging down.

Hearing this question, Han Li was a bit surprised. But after tilting his head and thinking for a moment, he said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile:

"It seems you are quite cautious. I am a guest elder of the Miaoyin Sect, surnamed Han. Have you heard of me?"

"So it is Elder Han of the Miaoyin Sect; that is not an outsider. The Snow Flute Fairy of our sect and the Sect Master Zhao Ziling Fairy of your sect are close friends! Our two sects have always been on good terms." Upon hearing Han Li's self-reported identity, the old man breathed a long sigh of relief, then said with a full face of smiles.

Seeing the other party reveal this "we are all on the same side" expression, Han Li was stunned, then couldn't help but laugh.

His laugh made the old man's expression freeze, and he became somewhat uneasy.

"Did I say something wrong?" The old man thought suspiciously.

"I have never concerned myself with the sect's affairs. Nor do I care whether what you say is true or false. As long as you answer my questions properly, I won't make things difficult for you for no reason. Now, tell me what major event has happened recently?" Han Li said, his smile fading.

"I wouldn't dare to deceive senior; what I said earlier is true. The matter is like this." The old man accompanied him with a smiling face, almost wanting to swear an oath. But under Han Li's cold gaze, he immediately began to recount the story.

"A while ago, a rumor suddenly spread in the Chaotic Star Sea that the Heaven Star Dual Sages' Magneto-Divine Light had reached completion and they were about to break out of seclusion. The Star Palace intended to take this opportunity to clear out some forces that were disobedient or uncontrollable. Originally, most people thought this was just another rumor. But unexpectedly, a few days after this rumor spread, the Star Palace really issued a 'Heaven Star Order' to all large and small forces, ordering all sect leaders and island masters to go to Heaven Star City to pay respects to the Heaven Star Dual Sages upon receiving the Heaven Star Order, otherwise they would be exterminated in the name of disrespect to the Star Palace." The old man recounted in detail.

"Let all forces pay respects to the Heaven Star Dual Sages? That can't be right! Would the Star Palace issue such an obviously provocative order?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, somewhat disbelieving.

"Yes. When this Heaven Star Order was sent to all forces, most people were dumbfounded! If the Star Palace were at the peak of its power, issuing such an order would be nothing. But now, the righteous and demonic forces are not below it, so this is puzzling." The old man revealed a bitter smile as he spoke.

"Then the cultivators I met along the way are all going to pay respects to the Heaven Star Dual Sages?" Han Li sized up this team of people again, his brows furrowing as he asked.

"That's hard to say!" The old man revealed a hesitant expression, speaking somewhat vaguely.

"Hard to say? What do you mean!" A strange expression flashed across Han Li's face as he asked curiously.

"Senior, there are still some things I haven't finished saying. Not long after the Star Palace issued the Heaven Star Order, the righteous and demonic paths suddenly announced their alliance to form an organization called the 'Reverse Star Alliance,' claiming they want to break the Star Palace's hegemony over the Chaotic Star Sea and completely end the Star Palace's rule. Wan Sangu, the General Protector of the righteous path's Wanfa Sect, and the current number one person of the demonic path, the 'Six-Dao Extreme Saint,' have simultaneously assumed the roles of the two leaders of the Reverse Star Alliance. Once the Reverse Star Alliance was established, many sects and organizations belonging to the righteous and demonic paths joined it one after another. Many other forces also responded, and over a dozen Nascent Soul stage rogue cultivators also merged into it, serving as elders. And this Reverse Star Alliance actually learned from the Star Palace, also issuing a kind of ghost token called the 'Reverse Star Order' to other forces. They claimed that any force going to pay respects to the Heaven Star Dual Sages would automatically become an enemy of the Reverse Star Alliance and would not be spared. Moreover, they declared that they would attack the Star City in the near future, and other forces are free to go and watch to indicate their stance." The old man revealed a helpless appearance.

Hearing this, Han Li remained calm on the surface, but his heart was in a state of chaos.

Such a major event happening in the short period he was trapped in the Heaven Void Palace was truly beyond his expectations!

For a time, Han Li felt somewhat distraught.

Suddenly, his heart moved. Staring at the old man, he asked calmly:

"What does the Reverse Star Order look like, and do you have such a token on you?"

"Our sect did receive one such token. But it is with the Sect Master. However, I did copy the appearance of the token into a jade slip. Would senior like to see it?" The old man was stunned, but then said flatteringly.

"Hmm! Let me see!" Han Li nodded coldly.

The old man didn't dare to be slow, immediately flipping through his storage bag and taking out a yellow jade slip, which he respectfully offered to Han Li with both hands.

Han Li didn't stand on ceremony, took it, and quickly probed his spiritual sense into it to scan it. His expression changed slightly!

Sure enough, the pattern of the ghost-face token was exactly the same as the one the Six-Connections Palace elder showed Wu Chou that day. Although the appearance had changed, it was absolutely from the same source.

It seemed the righteous and demonic paths had long secretly colluded and meticulously infiltrated other forces many years ago.

Han Li was shocked in his heart, but remained expressionless as he returned the jade slip to the old man.

"So, you are going to the vicinity of Heaven Star City to watch the upcoming battle between the Star Palace and the Reverse Star Alliance, and then decide which side to take." Han Li asked casually.

Hearing Han Li's words, the old man revealed a hint of embarrassment.

"Yes, senior. We are indeed acting under the orders of our Sect Master to go and see the situation. After all, our Three Immortals Sect is not a large sect, so we can only adapt to circumstances. However, during this period, the Reverse Star Alliance has already launched attacks on the outer star islands of Heaven Star City, and they have gained the upper hand. Several islands have even directly announced their defection to the Reverse Star Alliance. Next, it should be the turn of the inner star islands to be snatched. And some people with ulterior motives have also taken this opportunity to stir up trouble. Many rogue cultivators and small sects have met with misfortune. Either they were left dead in the wilderness, or their entire sects were exterminated." The old man pointed out with worry why the cultivators on the road were all acting cautiously.

"So that's how it is. Alright, since the matter is clear. You may go." Han Li was very satisfied with the old man's answer and said indifferently with a wave of his hand.

"Then we will take our leave." Hearing Han Li's words, the old man was overjoyed, hurriedly bowed, and took his leave.

Although he saw that Han Li didn't look like a vicious person, being with an unfamiliar Core Formation stage cultivator still made him somewhat terrified, and he didn't delay at all as he led his people to fly away from this place.

Han Li stood in place, lost in thought.

The outbreak of war between the Star Palace and the righteous and demonic sides was a piece of news that was half-good and half-bad for him.

On the good side, the war would definitely occupy most of the energy of those old monsters.

They all belonged to the righteous and demonic sides and couldn't possibly not participate in this matter. In this way, they couldn't focus entirely on tracking down the Heaven Void Cauldron and him, which made him much safer.

On the bad side, the outbreak of war would bring him great trouble in returning to Heaven Star City now.

At the very least, the inspection of cultivators entering the city would definitely be much stricter, especially for Core Formation stage cultivators like them.

And if the war broke out before he returned to Heaven Star City, his plan to enter the city would be completely ruined.

The Star Palace couldn't possibly allow other cultivators to enter the city at such a moment.

Thinking of this, Han Li sighed secretly.

In the following days, he intercepted several more waves of low-tier cultivators, and the answers he got were all much the same.

This completely confirmed the authenticity of the news for Han Li and also left him in a dilemma.

Now Han Li was floating on a sea surface, gazing blankly into the distance, his face full of hesitation.

He raised his head to look at the azure sky, and suddenly his palm flipped, and a small cyan bottle appeared in his hand.

It was the bottle containing the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Milk.

Looking at the small bottle, Han Li's face revealed a hint of helplessness.

Using this item so quickly was truly a waste of a heavenly treasure!

But if he didn't do so, he feared that before he reached Heaven Star City, the Reverse Star Alliance would have already launched its offensive. Then he wouldn't be able to enter Heaven Star City, let alone escape to the Outer Star Sea through that teleportation array.

After pondering for a long time, Han Li finally gritted his teeth, opened the bottle cap, carefully poured out a few drops of transparent, viscous liquid, and dripped them into his mouth.

Then he put the small bottle away, draped the blood-colored cloak over himself, and instantly transformed into a ball of blood light, darting away and disappearing from the spot without a trace.

In the following half-month, Han Li would drip some spirit milk whenever his magic power was consumed, and then continue his journey using the blood-colored cloak ancient treasure without stopping. In this way, Han Li naturally greatly shortened his original journey, almost reaching the same speed as an ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

As a result, on the way, some Core Formation stage cultivators he encountered by chance mistook Han Li, who was in the blood light, for some senior expert at the Nascent Soul stage, and they all avoided him, not daring to block his path for a moment.

Even fewer cultivators dared to have any evil intentions toward this "Nascent Soul stage expert."

===== CHAPTER 498 =====