Chapter 679: Vows and Choices

Han Li tilted his head and glanced coldly at the two Core Formation cultivators, immediately scaring the words that the person hadn't fully spoken back into his stomach. (Web)

They were two unfamiliar middle-aged cultivators, and Han Li didn't recognize them. He didn't know which sect they belonged to either.

At this time, the shopkeeper and two assistants in front of Han Li had already been pressed to the ground by the huge spiritual pressure at close range, unable to move a single bit.

They were full of terror, and upon hearing that Han Li was actually a Nascent Soul cultivator, they were even more scared out of their wits, hurriedly opening their mouths to beg for mercy. But the three of them felt as if Mount Tai was pressing down on them, and they couldn't even breathe, let alone speak a single word.

The surrounding cultivators also turned pale, and some timid cultivators who were afraid of being implicated had long since quietly retreated.

Sun Huo, who was standing behind Han Li, didn't have any unusual reaction because of Han Li's special care, except for being forced back a few steps as well.

However, after recognizing Han Li, his face changed, and he immediately stepped forward to pay his respects, saying respectfully:

"Disciple Sun Huo, greets Grandmaster Han."

Han Li no longer paid attention to the three people in front of him, turned around, swept his gaze at the residual talisman paper pinched in Sun Huo's hand, and then nodded and said:

"It seems that without me saying much, you already know my current identity."

"Disciple didn't know Senior's true identity that day and had many arrogant words. I hope Senior will forgive me!" Sun Huo remembered the situation of being disrespectful to Han Li at the Holy Land and felt very uneasy in his heart, first honestly apologizing to himself.

"I wasn't an elder of this sect that day, so naturally I wouldn't blame you for anything. However, you have this residual talisman in your hand, which seems to have a bit of a connection with me." Han Li stared at Sun Huo and said slowly.

"Residual talisman, could it be that Senior is..." Sun Huo was stunned, and wanted to say something else with joy, but a silver rainbow flew from the low sky in the distance.

"We'll talk about this later." Han Li waved his hand, stopping Sun Huo's following words. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the escape light in the distance.

Cultivators who could fly in Tiantian City without being affected were naturally only the law enforcement envoys of the Nine Nations Alliance.

They were specifically responsible for the order before and after the exchange meeting in the entire Tiantian City.

Sun Huo naturally didn't dare to continue speaking and stood there honestly.

But he couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart, and the hand holding the talisman paper was even more careful by three points.

At this time, the rainbow light converged in front of Han Li, revealing an old man with yellow hair, who looked like he had a mid-stage Core Formation cultivation base. On his chest was embroidered a golden small sword pattern. It was the sign of the law enforcement envoy.

The old man flew from afar, naturally sensing the astonishing aura Han Li had just released.

But duty-bound, even though he knew there was a Nascent Soul cultivator showing off his power here, he could only bite the bullet and come over.

However, upon seeing Han Li standing motionless in the middle of the street, he cupped his hands and said:

"Junior is Wu Fei, a law enforcement envoy of Tiantian City. I don't know why Senior is angry, and if there is anything Junior can do for you." This law enforcement envoy naturally treated a Nascent Soul cultivator with extraordinary courtesy.

"Nothing. Just passing by here. I heard this shopkeeper in your city have some complaints about our Falling Cloud Sect, so I wanted to let this fellow Daoist say it again in front of me." Han Li said coldly with his hands behind his back.

"Ah! This must be the shopkeeper talking nonsense. How would the three of them dare to offend Senior? You three, why don't you go over and apologize quickly." The old man felt a headache upon hearing what Han Li said. Matters involving the reputation of a sect could be big or small, and it was truly difficult to explain clearly. Therefore, he first persuaded them and then immediately pulled a long face and reprimanded the three shopkeepers.

Han Li had already retracted his spiritual pressure, so the three of them were finally able to climb up from the ground tremblingly. Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's face was bloodless, and he immediately said:

"Senior, Junior was just a slip of the tongue just now, and I truly had no intention of being disrespectful to your sect. The Fire Cloud Talisman damaged by this fellow Daoist just now, Junior is willing to waive the compensation. Just consider it an apology to Senior."

Han Li frowned upon hearing this, his expression not only didn't soften but became even gloomier.

"Why, do you think that by standing here, I want to take advantage of you? Let me see if the Fire Cloud Talisman in your box is truly a talisman made by a master first. If it is true, I will naturally compensate you for the spirit stones on behalf of this disciple in the sect. But if not, hehe!" Han Li sneered with ill intent.

"No need for Senior to look, this Fire Cloud Talisman of mine is just an ordinary talisman. Junior is willing to accept the punishment." The shopkeeper was quite clever and didn't wait for Han Li to truly take the wooden box to look, immediately exposing his own shortcomings and saying repeatedly.

Hearing this, Han Li didn't say anything else, just glanced at the law enforcement envoy on the side.

Upon seeing this, the old man knew what to do. He bowed slightly and said:

"Senior, please rest assured. This shopkeeper is so unruly. Junior will punish him severely. I will definitely give Senior an explanation."

"Since you've said so, handle it yourself. I don't have the leisure to truly manage such trivial matters. Sun Huo, follow me!" Han Li said indifferently, and after finishing his words, his figure flashed and suddenly appeared beside Sun Huo, and then yellow light flashed dazzlingly. The figures of the two disappeared from the ground out of thin air.

The surrounding cultivators were astonished; they naturally hadn't seen many people use such miraculous earth-escape techniques.

Upon seeing this, the old man finally felt relieved. However, he looked back at the three shopkeepers who were also relieved and reprimanded them with an icy face:

"You three, come with me. Tell me honestly what happened just now. This matter cannot be left like this."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's heart lifted again, and his face immediately turned into a mournful look.

Behind a quiet and deserted stone house, the figures of Han Li and Sun Huo appeared in the yellow light.

"Let's do it here. Take out that half of the talisman paper and let me see." Han Li glanced at Sun Huo with deep meaning before saying.

"Yes, Grandmaster!" Sun Huo didn't hesitate at all and immediately offered the talisman paper with both hands.

Han Li took the talisman paper with one hand, swept his gaze slightly, and then flipped his other palm, actually taking out another half of the talisman paper. Then, in Sun Huo's unblinking gaze, Han Li put the two pieces of talisman paper together, and the torn parts matched perfectly without a single gap.

The last trace of worry in Sun Huo's heart also disappeared without a trace, and he bowed to Han Li again without hesitation.

"Sun Huo greets Master."

Han Li's expression didn't change, and after nodding, red light rose on his hand. The two pieces of talisman paper turned into ashes and disappeared without a trace.

Sun Huo was startled, but immediately calmed down.

Seeing this, Han Li was quite satisfied with his composure.

"It seems you are truly a descendant of Sun Ergou. However, don't be in a hurry to call me Master. Tell me, which generation of grandson are you?" Han Li asked calmly.

"Junior is the seventh-generation great-grandson of the ancestor." Sun Huo replied without thinking.

"Sun Ergou swore back then that the Sun family, starting from him, would serve me as Master for generations. But because of some special reasons back then, I wasn't in Tiannan. So your Sun family has never truly been my servants, and I haven't provided any protection to your Sun family either. Now that you, as a descendant of the Sun family, have also entered the cultivation world, the vow from back then might not necessarily count. But for the sake of the little favor from your ancestor back then, I can give you two choices."

"One is that I will give you some benefits directly, such as some spirit pills or magic artifacts. But from now on, we have nothing to do with each other. Don't expect me to take care of you in the future. The other path is that you are still willing to inherit your ancestor's vow and continue to serve me as Master. But I will plant a restriction on you to ensure you won't betray me. At the same time, I will also give you some things to do, which might be somewhat dangerous. But as compensation, I will try my best to improve your cultivation base, provide guidance for your cultivation, and provide some benefits you can't imagine. It is estimated that as long as your aptitude is not too bad, there is hope for Core Formation." Han Li curled his lips and said calmly.

Hearing these words, Sun Huo's face turned cloudy and sunny, and there was a look of confusion in his eyes. Clearly, these words were far beyond his expectations, making him not know what to do for a moment.

After a long while, a look of determination flashed across Sun Huo's face.

"Grandmaster, I..."

"No need to rush to answer me. To prevent regret, wait until the exchange meeting ends and return to the sect to give me an answer. During this period, think about the pros and cons, and after truly thinking it over, come to my cave dwelling to find me." Han Li interrupted Sun Huo's following words unexpectedly and said calmly.

"Disciple obeys, thank you Grandmaster for your understanding!" Sun Huo thought for a while and felt that doing so was more appropriate, so he hurriedly agreed.

"Alright. I have other important matters to attend to. Take care of yourself!" Han Li nodded with a softened expression, and his figure disappeared again in the yellow light.

Sun Huo didn't leave immediately but lowered his head and pondered for a long time before sighing and walking away slowly.

And at this time, Han Li had already appeared in front of the pavilion where he lived, looked up at the night sky that had completely darkened, and a strange look flashed across his face.

(Web) ===== CHAPTER 680 =====