Chapter 654

"Liu Shu, Han Shu!" The four green-robed cultivators, upon seeing the two white-robed women, were startled, then bowed in unison with respectful expressions.

"Never mind the formalities. My sister Liu and I overheard part of your conversation—recount it to us again, in as much detail as possible!" The woman with large eyes and a pale, frail face spoke softly, her voice tinged with a faint smoky quality.

This woman was Han Li's former acquaintance, Han Han Yunzhi. Though her face remained unchanged, her figure was no longer thin and frail, but now full and curvaceous, transformed into a stunningly beautiful female cultivator, her cultivation base having surged forward to the early Core Formation stage.

"Thank you, Han Shu. Your disciple humbly obeys your command." The old man, leader of the four green-robed cultivators, spoke on behalf of the others with utmost reverence.

Han Han Yunzhi smiled and nodded, stepping forward to find a clean spot, then sat cross-legged.

"Your offenses are not light. If you cannot recover the Spirit Infant, even your masters won't be able to plead for you!" The young woman with willow-browed eyes and a languid demeanor chuckled lightly.

She was the very woman who had spoken earlier and startled the Spirit Cultivation Sect disciples.

"We know our crimes are unforgivable, but this time, we truly are innocent. We beg the two Shus to speak well of us to our Ancestor Master." The old man sighed bitterly, his expression pleading.

"Oh? Then tell me both matters together. The one who sealed the Spirit Infant is thousands of miles away—we can't catch him right now, so there's no rush." The woman stretched her graceful, alluring body, her red lips gleaming.

"Yes. It began when Master Ning and we several others were escorting the Spirit Infant past Kunmu Mountain. At the time, Master Ning claimed…" The old man respectfully and in great detail recounted the Spirit Infant's escape, its sealing, and the extermination of the Fu family.

Han Han Yunzhi listened silently, her face expressionless, as if she had already made up her mind.

The other Liu-named woman, however, her gaze flickered restlessly, her face occasionally revealing curiosity, clearly intrigued by the old man's tale.

…

Two days later. Han Li appeared at the border between Yuanwu Country and Yue Country, a green aura flashing past as he entered Yue's territory.

According to the information he had received, Yue Country was now entirely under the control of the Ghost Spirit Sect, whose main headquarters was the former sect base of the Moon Conceal Sect.

The former location of Huang Feng Valley, the Taiyue Mountain Range, had become merely one of the Ghost Spirit Sect's branch bases.

After entering Yue Country, Han Li immediately set his direction toward the Taiyue Mountain Range.

…

"Nothing has changed!" Han Li stood before a massive pile of jagged rocks, his expression lonely and listless.

Back then, to prevent his cave dwelling from being discovered by demonic cultivators, he had deliberately destroyed the entire peak. Now, after many years, the place looked utterly desolate. Naturally, no one would suspect that beneath this vast pile of rubble lay a hidden cultivator's cave dwelling.

Han Li murmured a few words to himself, then raised his hand. White light flickered before him, and several giant ape golems were released.

Under his spiritual sense control, the giant apes swiftly began clearing the pile of rubble.

"Clearing" meant merely that the golems' fingers continuously shot out colored beams of light, shattering the massive boulders blocking the path to uncover the cave dwelling buried deep below.

In mere moments, a straight tunnel was dug through.

Han Li ordered the golems to guard the cave entrance, then transformed into a green rainbow and flew inside.

The interior layout of the cave dwelling was identical to how he had left it in haste—clearly, no one had entered since. This eased Han Li's slight unease.

He hadn't come here for nostalgia—he headed straight for the secret chamber housing the Spirit Spring.

He had come specifically to take the Spirit Spring with him.

Although Han Li already possessed the Spirit Stone transformed into Spirit Jade—the highest form of Spirit Spring essence—the Spirit Spring Tree—he would never turn away from possessing more Spirit Spring relics.

This Spirit Spring was small, but since he had returned to Yue Country, he naturally intended to take it.

The Spirit Spring remained intact in the secret chamber, emitting faint wisps of white spiritual energy.

Han Li gazed at the spring with a complex expression, his mind involuntarily recalling the memories of his early days, when he had just achieved Foundation Establishment and first discovered this spring upon establishing his cave dwelling.

It all felt as if it had happened yesterday, stirring a flood of emotions within him.

After staring silently for a long while, Han Li sighed, then clasped his hands into a seal. Several colored spells shot from his fingers and struck the spring's source.

Instantly, the spring glowed brightly, and the surrounding ground trembled slightly.

Han Li sat cross-legged without changing expression, forming a strange hand seal, his eyes fixed on the spring as he murmured a low incantation.

An unbelievable sight appeared.

The spring's surface began boiling spontaneously, as if an invisible giant hand were constantly stirring the water, causing the surface to swirl upward into a deep, bottomless black vortex.

Then, a startling burst of white misty spiritual energy shot out from the vortex in a flash, piercing through the ceiling and vanishing into the unknown.

Han Li's expression changed slightly—he had not anticipated this outflow of spiritual energy. But after a moment's surprise, he calmed and ignored it, instead accelerating his spellcasting.

At this moment, the ground trembled more violently, and a circle of blinding yellow light appeared around the spring.

The yellow light shrank and deformed, and the spring within the circle shrank correspondingly.

The light surged, fully enveloping the entire spring, dazzlingly bright.

After a moment, Han Li uttered a low command—the light vanished, and a deep-yellow, fist-sized spherical bead floated gently in place.

Beneath it lay a massive pit, utterly empty—the Spirit Spring had vanished.

Han Li smiled faintly, but suddenly his expression changed—he tilted his head, his face darkening.

He clearly sensed that the several giant ape golems he had stationed at the entrance were under attack. Though not yet destroyed, they were clearly losing ground and would collapse imminently.

Without hesitation, Han Li swiftly pulled out a jade box, carefully placed the bead inside, sealed it, then transformed into a green rainbow and retreated along the same path.

As he emerged from the tunnel, he saw several black-robed cultivators relentlessly attacking the giant ape golems. Twenty to thirty zhang away, a gray-clad man in his thirties, with a sinister face, watched the scene with a look of puzzlement.

The moment Han Li's green rainbow emerged, the cultivators were startled. The gray-clad man shouted, "Stop!" and the black-robed cultivators immediately halted their assault, retreating to his side.

The green rainbow halted midair, and Han Li's form suddenly appeared, his eyes cold and emotionless as he stared at them without speaking. Yet his aura slowly expanded, unmistakably revealing his Nascent Soul realm.

"Senior, please don't misunderstand! We mean no harm—we merely happened upon unusual spiritual energy here with a few disciples, and curiosity led us to investigate. I am Yu Hong of the Ghost Spirit Sect; my master is the Soul-Shattering True Person. I have no intention of opposing you." The gray-clad man glanced at Han Li, his heart sank, and he immediately forced a nervous smile.

"Soul-Shattering True Person!" Han Li frowned, finding the name vaguely familiar. After a moment's thought, he recalled the man.

Wasn't he one of the Nascent Soul elders of the Ghost Spirit Sect? He was said to be cruel, ruthless, and fiercely protective of his disciples. The white-haired elder of the Cloud Fall Sect had once mentioned him, warning Han Li to be cautious.

As Han Li pondered, Yu Hong noticed Han Li recognized his master's name, and his anxiety lessened slightly, though he still nervously forced a smile:

"Senior knows my master? Could you be an old acquaintance? Then I've truly been rash. I had no idea you were conducting affairs here—if I had known, I would never have disturbed your peace. If there's anything I can assist with, Senior, please command me. Or, I'll take my leave at once—feel free to proceed as you wish." Though his face was fearsome, Yu Hong was extremely smooth. After cautiously speaking these words, he bowed with utmost respect. Facing a lone, unknown Nascent Soul cultivator alone, he was drenched in cold sweat behind his master's shadow.

Han Li stared coldly at Yu Hong, offering no reply, but extended his spiritual sense across the surrounding hundred li—no other cultivators' presence could be detected.

It seemed this group had truly stumbled upon the disturbance by accident and came alone. If so…

Han Li's killing intent surged.

Whether as a former Huang Feng Valley cultivator or as a current Elder of the Cloud Fall Sect, he had no reason to spare these Ghost Spirit Sect disciples. That Ghost Spirit Sect young master had nearly taken his life—he had long harbored a suppressed grudge.

Moreover, his secret infiltration into Yue Country was not meant to alert the Ghost Spirit Sect elders to the presence of an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator. If those old monsters turned their attention to him, it would be a major problem.

He did not wish to be chased out of Yue Country by multiple Nascent Soul peers.

"Huh! This man is…" Just as Han Li prepared to strike without a word, one of the black-robed cultivators—a veteran—suddenly stared at Han Li, exclaiming softly in astonishment.

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