Chapter 713

The Sunset Hall was a residence reserved solely for the Cultivators of the Moon Conceal Sect who held the position of Grand Elder. It was invariably built atop a spiritual vein, and within its walls, layers of prohibitions guarded it; no one, except for a handful of Elders, could approach the hall without the Grand Elder's permission.

At that moment, a red light, about a foot long, shot from afar, circled several times outside the Sunset Hall's prohibitions, then emitted a soft "slish" and slipped through without resistance into the hall.

After piercing through several layers of faint, elusive prohibitions, turning several corners, the red light flew into a side chamber.

Inside sat a beautiful woman, eyes closed, seated cross-legged on a mat. Her skin was pale and cold, her age around twenty, and a faint aura of chilling yin energy emanated from her.

The red light instantly flew before her. The woman, as if aware, slowly opened her eyes, frowned slightly, then gestured with her hand.

Instantly, the red light condensed into a fist-sized fireball and landed directly in her palm.

The cold woman stared at the flame, expressionless, silent. Suddenly, she flipped her hand—the fireball vanished instantly.

"What's this girl up to? She's actively requesting to see me? Well, since she's softened her tone, I might as well go take a look!" the woman muttered to herself.

Clearly a woman of decisive action, she immediately transformed into a white rainbow and shot out, exiting the Sunset Hall moments later, heading straight for a certain direction.

Not long after, she arrived before Nangong Wan's cave dwelling, her light dimming as she landed.

She briefly scanned the surroundings—everything appeared normal. The protective array outside the cave remained incomplete, with no signs of anomaly.

Satisfied, she walked straight to the cave entrance, raised her hand, and fired a white spell-seal into the stone door. The door opened automatically.

The pale woman showed no courtesy. She entered calmly and unhurriedly.

"Greetings, Grand Ancestor?" A figure had already been waiting behind the stone door. Upon seeing her enter, the figure immediately bowed deeply—it was the yellow-robed girl.

"Your cultivation seems to have advanced since our last meeting. I see you've taken the pills I gave you." The cold woman glanced at the yellow-robed girl briefly, then walked slowly deeper into the cave.

"Thank you, Grand Ancestor, for the pills! Without them, how could I have advanced so swiftly?" The yellow-robed girl lowered her head slightly and replied respectfully.

"You know well! Is Nangong Sister still stable within the dwelling? Has she done anything strange?" the woman asked.

"No. Aside from meeting one disciple today, Nangong Ancestor has taken no other actions." The girl replied precisely.

"I've already heard of this from your Blue Master's voice-charm. That disciple apparently delivered some gift. Has he left already?"

"The disciple was merely a low-ranking official of the sect, departed half a day ago. But after Nangong Ancestor received the gift, she seemed unusually displeased." The girl continued respectfully.

"Oh? What gift could make even your Master displeased?" The woman's expression shifted slightly as she asked.

"Nothing much—just a silver sword artifact. But when Nangong Ancestor saw it, she became visibly unsettled." The yellow-robed girl lowered her head even further, yet spoke clearly and precisely.

"Probably a wandering cultivator Nangong Sister befriended during her travels. That's normal." The cold woman paused, then showed a flicker of surprise.

"Grand Ancestor is right! Nangong Ancestor received the silver sword, pondered alone for a while, then suddenly sent the voice-charm requesting to meet you."

"To make my Nangong Sister change her mind—that's truly unexpected!" Nangong Wan's elder sister seemed genuinely curious now.

"Keep watching Nangong Sister's every move. The high-grade spirit talisman I gave you—given her suppressed cultivation—she won't detect your surveillance. If you handle this well, I'll reward you generously." The Grand Elder of the Moon Conceal Sect gave the order casually.

But as she spoke, the two had nearly reached the outer edge of the main hall.

"Yes, Grand Ancestor! Nangong Ancestor is waiting for you inside the hall!" The yellow-robed girl whispered softly, then led the woman to the entrance of the hall.

The cold woman had intended, as per her usual caution, to carefully scan the surroundings before entering the hall.

But the moment she appeared at the hall's entrance, Nangong Wan's voice came from within.

"Sister! Come in. I've thought over what you asked me. For the sect's sake, I'll reluctantly agree—but there's one condition. You must promise me first."

Nangong Wan's voice was casual, eerily calm.

Yet upon hearing this, her sister's face lit up with surprise. Without hesitation, she strode forward, her voice filled with relief:

"Nangong Sister! You've finally come to your senses! That's wonderful! Whatever your condition, if you'll marry Elder Wei of the Hua Yi Sect, I'll agree to it. With Wei Wei Wuyan's aid, the prosperity of our Moon Conceal Sect is within reach!"

As she finished speaking, she peered inside—and everything in the hall came into view.

Nangong Wan sat on a wicker chair, holding a crudely forged silver greatsword across her lap, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on it, as if the previous words had never come from her lips.

Seeing this, the cold woman naturally froze, slowing her steps—but still stepped into the hall.

A flicker of suspicion passed through her eyes. Just as she opened her mouth to ask something, her expression changed abruptly—her arm shot backward in a lightning grab, without warning.

Five sharp fingertips unleashed sword rays several inches long, razor-sharp.

The target was precisely where the yellow-robed girl had stood.

Facing the attack, the girl suddenly raised her head with a strange smile, then crouched low—yellow light flashed, and her entire body vanished into the blue stone floor, leaving only a torn yellow robe behind.

The girl was gone—completely vanished.

Seeing this extraordinary earth-dodging technique, the cold woman didn't hesitate. A flash of light—she shot backward instantly, aiming to flee the hall.

But the moment she began to move, a massive green greatsword, several zhang long, roared in from outside the door and slashed down with full force, aiming to cleave her in two.

The woman's face paled. Her ten fingers snapped sharply—ten foot-long icy rays shot out, striking the greatsword directly.

With a thunderous "boom," green light and white rays interwove—the greatsword and the woman both flew backward.

The cold woman halted after retreating several zhang.

The green greatsword's light scattered, suddenly splitting into dozens of flying swords, swirling chaotically. In the center of the sword array appeared a plain-looking young man.

The man smiled calmly, watching the woman without haste.

"What's going on? Nangong Sister—who is this man, and who was the woman pretending to be Yu?" The woman's gaze narrowed as she recognized Han Li's cultivation level, her voice icy.

She then reached to her waist, pulling out a red token.

"Prohibition Token!" Han Li's eyes shifted to the token, his voice low.

"Hmph! Nangong Sister has told you everything, then. I don't know who you are, but this is an internal matter of the Moon Conceal Sect. Friend, you'd best withdraw now. Otherwise, you'll face pursuit from all six sects." The woman hissed a threat.

"Sister, why exaggerate? Nangong Sister has more than a few close friends among the six sects. If they learned how you treat your own sect members, wouldn't they turn against you? As for your token—it can trigger the prohibition on me. But do you think I'll give you time to activate it and cast the Mind Binding Spell?" Nangong Wan had already tucked away the silver sword. She stood gracefully, calm.

Then Nangong Wan opened her lips—and a crimson circular ring shot out, her core treasure: the Vermilion Bird Ring.

Hearing this, the cold woman's gaze turned sinister. Seeing Han Li showed no sign of retreat, her face twisted with stubborn resolve. She sharply shook her sleeve.

One white, one black sword flew out in succession, then spun once—each grew to over a zhang in length.

The white sword gleamed like snow, radiating bone-chilling yin cold. The black sword burned fiercely, flickering with black flames—indeed, a rare Yin-Yang Ice-Fire Sword pair.

The woman sneered, then gently shook the red token in her jade hand, murmuring softly with lowered head.

Instantly, the token glowed with spirit light—a strange crimson aura slowly surfaced upon it.

But Han Li, who had been watching her every move, wouldn't let her activate the prohibition so easily. Without hesitation, he flung out a silver bell—it transformed into a silver light, circling above his head.

He chanted a spell—the bell's mouth turned sideways, emitting a resonant, deep chime.

A pale silver sound wave emerged, directly enveloping the woman opposite.

Almost simultaneously, Han Li rubbed his hands together, then flung them left and right—two spell-seals, red and green, struck two nearby hall pillars.

The array and prohibitions hidden within the hall trembled and activated.

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