Chapter 707

"Mr. Qian, that's an exaggeration. Although this Senior Han cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm in a short time, striking at the Soul Transformation realm is utterly out of reach—how could it be so easy? Even reaching the late Nascent Soul realm would be enough for his sect to dominate a region. That much is at least plausible." Nie Ying thought for a moment, then smiled sweetly.

"Hah! I suppose I've overthought it. But barring any unforeseen mishaps, this Senior Han will become a major figure shaping the entire Tiannan landscape within the next thousand years. And he has such deep ties to your valley. If we could draw him into the Six Sects, perhaps we won't need long before we can return to Yueguo." The man named Qian's eyes flashed with keen light as he spoke slowly.

"Ties? You saw just now—Senior Han was indeed born in our Huang Feng Valley, but now he's an Elder of the Luoyun Sect under the Tian Dao Alliance. In status and sect power, what do we have to offer him? Besides, you all saw—he has no intention of returning at all." Lei Lei Wanhe fell silent for a moment, then sighed.

Hearing this, the others were likewise left speechless.

"Why does this Senior Han treat your valley so coldly? He was born there—surely there's still some chance of reconciliation?" The giant from the Ju Brother Jianmen said, skeptical.

"I can't reveal the full details, but I doubt the prospects are good. However, I noticed he seems quite close to Senior Nangong of the Yan Yue Sect—perhaps Senior Nangong could try to persuade him. Even if he won't rejoin our Six Sects, at least we could cultivate goodwill." Lei Lei Wanhe shook his head first, then turned to the middle-aged Yan Yue Sect cultivator.

"That… perhaps. I'll need to return to the sect and ask Senior Nangong directly about the nature of their relationship." Tang Minghua spoke uncertainly.

"Forget it. Deciding how to court a Nascent Soul cultivator isn't within our authority. Let the Elders handle it. This Senior Han should appear at the grand ceremony in three months. Let's return to the Alliance quickly—this isn't a safe place." Lei Lei Wanhe glanced around suddenly, frowning.

The others were startled and lost all interest in further discussion; the five immediately transformed into five streaks of light and flew away.

Though Lei Lei Wanhe spoke lightly, he secretly grew increasingly troubled on the journey.

How could he possibly explain this matter to the Ancestor Linghu Ancestor back at the sect?

Should he just say that a disciple he once abandoned had now become an equal to him—and held deep resentment toward Huang Feng Valley because of what happened back then?

Wouldn't that be a direct accusation against his own senior brother?

Helplessly sighing again, Lei Lei Wanhe said nothing and pressed forward in silence.

…

Because the Wind-riding Chariot was far too conspicuous!

After flying a distance with the chariot and losing sight of Lei Lei Wanhe and the others, Han Li calmly retrieved it and continued forward with ordinary light-speed travel.

Now that he had just received news of Nangong Wan—and the worst kind—he needed to calm down and think carefully.

Back then, his encounter with Nangong Wan had been but a single night of passion; their two meetings had been devoid of tenderness, separated by vast differences in cultivation and status, like strangers.

Yet, without his awareness, Han Li had long since come to regard Nangong Wan as his own woman.

Especially after forming his Golden Core and then his Nascent Soul, when he believed himself worthy of her, his certainty grew absolute.

So when he first heard she was to become another's cultivation partner, he nearly lost control of his spirit.

To pretend ignorance and watch Nangong Wan marry another man—Han Li would never, under any circumstance, allow it.

The only man in this lifetime who could marry her was Han Li himself.

Moreover, he believed that as the man who had taken her true Yin, she could not possibly feel nothing for him.

The grand ceremony in three months must not proceed unimpeded.

His current dilemma: should he go directly to Yan Yue Sect, ignoring all else, and secretly take Nangong Wan away? Or wait until the day of the ceremony and confront them openly?

Both methods had clear advantages and drawbacks.

The first was easier to execute, but he could not guarantee she would leave without hesitation. After all, she had spent so many years in Yan Yue Sect and was now an Elder—she wouldn't depart lightly without concern.

The second—appearing openly at the ceremony to propose—would bring immense pressure from Yan Yue Sect, the Six Sects, and even the Nine States Alliance. Yet if he could resolve each obstacle, he could be with Nangong Wan openly, with no lingering worries.

Of course, there was a simpler method: silently eliminate Wei Wei Lichen, the man who intended to marry Nangong Wan.

Then everything would vanish—no obstacles left.

But this method was also the most dangerous.

Because the Hua Yi Sect was no ordinary small sect—it was one of the two largest sects in the Nine States Alliance, boasting four or five Nascent Soul Elders alone. Its strength far surpassed that of Luoyun Sect and others.

If Wei Wei Lichen stayed within his sect and never ventured out, Han Li, no matter how powerful, could never kill him without detection.

Even if he succeeded in killing him, once his identity was exposed—even as a Luoyun Sect Elder—he would surely face dire consequences.

As Han Li moved slowly forward, he weighed his options repeatedly in his mind.

In the end, for safety's sake, he decided to combine all these approaches.

First, he would go to Yan Yue Sect and meet Nangong Wan face-to-face, to learn her true feelings. If she was hesitant or had some hidden reason preventing her from leaving with him,

then he would visit Hua Yi Sect before the ceremony, seeking an opportunity to secretly eliminate Wei Wei Lichen and remove the threat permanently.

If no suitable chance arose, he would appear openly at the ceremony and formally propose to Nangong Wan.

No matter the outcome—whether she agreed or not—he would forcibly take her away.

He had rarely truly fallen in love in his life, and reason had always outweighed emotion. But this time, deep within his heart, he would never yield Nangong Wan to another.

With his current power, unless a late Nascent Soul cultivator intervened, no one could stop him.

Having settled his plan, Han Li's spirit lifted. He confirmed the direction, then accelerated his light-speed travel, instantly piercing the sky.

…

After the Six Sects of Yueguo were defeated and forced to retreat into the Nine States Alliance, they reestablished their base in Beiliang State—the one with the fewest cultivation sects in the Alliance.

Beiliang State had so few sects because its cultivation resources ranked among the lowest in the Nine States Alliance.

As newcomers, the Six Sects had no choice.

Even so, they spent over a century in covert and open struggles with local sects before finally securing a foothold through sheer strength.

Of course, the spirit veins, spirit mountains, raw spirit minerals, and influence they gained in Beiliang State were nothing compared to their former dominance in Yueguo.

But after years of painstaking effort, the Six Sects had finally regained some vitality and significantly increased their influence within the Nine States Alliance.

As the strongest among the Six Sects, Yan Yue Sect naturally occupied a spirit vein with decent spiritual energy.

On the westernmost edge of Beiliang State, at Linglong Mountain, Yan Yue Sect's cultivators had constructed countless pavilions and halls around the spirit mountain, deploying numerous forbidden arrays.

This was now Yan Yue Sect's new mountain gate.

Linglong Mountain was roughly divided into three levels.

The lowest level, at the mountain's base, was where low-grade disciples lived and cultivated. From the base to the mid-slope, only Foundation Establishment cultivators were permitted entry.

Above the mid-slope, at the highest level, only Core Formation cultivators could reside.

Though Foundation Establishment cultivators were negligible in the eyes of Core Formation elders, to new disciples still stuck in Qi Refining, they were the pillars of the sect—figures to be looked up to.

And all the various managers within Yan Yue Sect were naturally appointed from among those who had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment.

But Yuan Kun, the manager specifically responsible for procuring mundane goods, was an exception.

He was the only manager in Yan Yue Sect who remained at the Qi Refining stage.

The reason: the Yuan family, a mid-tier native family of Beiliang State, was the first to welcome the Six Sects' arrival in Beiliang, offering substantial aid—especially to Yan Yue Sect—in establishing themselves.

As reward and compensation, Yan Yue Sect promised to pass this minor managerial post down through generations of Yuan family members.

Unfortunately, Yuan Kun happened to be the nephew of the current Yuan family patriarch—and had no cultivation potential whatsoever. At the patriarch's personal plea, Yan Yue Sect's higher-ups reluctantly appointed him as manager.

Fortunately, though his cultivation was poor, Yuan Kun excelled in mundane affairs, handling everything efficiently and without error, gradually solidifying his position.

Yet in the cultivation world, strength alone dictated respect—so Yan Yue Sect's low-grade disciples naturally held little reverence for him.

Other Foundation Establishment managers openly scorned him.

But Yuan the Manager paid no mind—he knew when to bully with borrowed authority and when to bow and smile, and thus lived comfortably within Yan Yue Sect.

One day, Yuan Kun appeared in a nearby mundane town closest to Linglong Mountain, accompanied by two disciples of lower cultivation than himself, as usual, visiting several shops to procure daily necessities.

He did not notice that after visiting only two or three shops, a faint yet powerful spiritual sense emerged from a nearby tavern, circled several times over his Yan Yue Sect manager's robe, then quietly clung to him, fixing its gaze on this mere Qi Refining cultivator.

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