Chapter 753

"That person is an old acquaintance I haven't seen in years. I was merely startled to see him just now." Dong Dong Xuaner's expression was odd, yet her voice remained calm.

"An old acquaintance? That man is a Nascent Soul cultivator at the early stage—how could he attend today's gathering? And he looks so young. He must be the newly risen elder of the Luoyun Sect. By the way, he also bears the surname Han, and his name is identical to the one you mentioned before. Could it really be him?" Yunlu the Old Devil, unperturbed by Dong Dong Xuaner's stiff reply, asked calmly, as if their relationship was unusual.

Upon hearing the Old Devil's words, Dong Dong Xuaner's face paled slightly, but she remained silent.

Yunlu the Old Devil's eyes flashed with cold light; he let out a cold snort and ceased pressing the matter, though a shadow of unease flickered across his brow.

When the Old Devil arrived at the hall's entrance with Dong Dong Xuaner, the Foundation Establishment cultivators on duty trembled with fear; after asking just a few brief questions, they immediately let them pass. Of course, Dong Dong Xuaner could not enter the hall itself and was led by a cultivator to a side chamber to wait.

After Han Li entered the hall, he soon spotted the entrance to the main chamber and quickened his steps to enter.

The interior of the hall was sparsely arranged: apart from towering stone pillars, a large open space lay in the center, with sixteen or seventeen exquisitely crafted wooden chairs placed at intervals of several zhang.

On these chairs sat seven or eight cultivators, each with a different demeanor.

Upon seeing Han Li enter, some cast him a cold glance, others ignored him entirely, and still others sat with closed eyes, absorbed in meditation—all acting as if he were invisible.

Yet one man, upon seeing Han Li, smiled warmly and waved him over.

"Brother Han. You've emerged from your seclusion. If you don't mind, take a seat beside me, Long."

The man was Long Han, the chief steward of the Tian Dao Alliance and elder of the Luanming Sect.

"Thank you, Brother Long."

Han Li did not refuse and sat on the chair beside him, then briefly surveyed the others before settling into silence.

Moments later, Yunlu the Old Devil appeared at the entrance.

Seeing the occupants inside, he chuckled, walked to an empty chair, and sat down with casual arrogance.

Not far from him sat a blue-robed elder, holding a small emerald-green flask in one hand and a white jade wine cup in the other, sipping alone as if no one else existed.

The moment Yunlu the Old Devil sat down nearby, a wave of perfume wafted over, causing the elder to glare at him and silently curse his ill fortune.

The Old Devil paid no mind to the elder's displeasure; instead, his gaze flickered several times before settling on Han Li across from him, studying him with renewed interest.

This time, it was Han Li who grew uneasy.

Frowning, he simply closed his eyes, his face expressionless, while internally pondering the relationship between the Old Devil and Dong Dong Xuaner.

After Dong Dong Xuaner was abducted by the Hehuan Sect's young master, she joined the demonic sects. Though the Old Devil was infamous, he shouldn't have targeted his own sect's disciples—there must be some other connection between them.

Otherwise, why would he come here to attend this gathering—and bring Dong Dong Xuaner along?

As Han Li grew puzzled, more and more people entered the hall.

These newcomers were all Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators; some knew those already present, others bore deep grudges. Thus, greetings and sarcastic remarks echoed intermittently through the hall.

At this moment, Yunlu the Old Devil had shifted his gaze away from Han Li.

Yet Han Li still kept his eyes shut, motionless. He felt he barely knew anyone among the Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators, so there was no need to greet anyone.

"Brother Master Suihun! I didn't expect you to come. I heard your Nine Soul Secret Art has reached perfection. Congratulations."

"Master Suihun!" The greeting stirred Han Li's thoughts; he opened his eyes.

At the hall's entrance walked a thin, gaunt elder in black robes. In the hall, a black-robed cultivator warmly greeted him.

After a moment's surprise, the black-robed elder beamed and walked over.

"So, Brother Han, have you met Master Suihun True Person before?" Long Han noticed Han Li's reaction and asked with a smile.

"No. I've only heard of him from Master Cheng. I'm told he possesses formidable abilities." Han Li's expression remained unchanged, saying nothing of his past killing of Master Suihun Sect disciples during his journey in Yue.

"Heh. That's understandable. I recall Master Cheng once clashed with him and suffered a minor setback—naturally, he remembers him vividly. But given your current reputation, you needn't fear him. Still, among Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators, there is one you must avoid provoking: even the Three Great Masters of Tiannan find him a headache." Long Han smiled and spoke with a tone of counsel.

"A headache for the Three Great Masters? Such a person exists?" Han Li's brows lifted slightly in surprise.

"Of course. He once fought the Great Master Brother Zhiyang. Though nearly killed, he managed to lightly wound Brother Zhiyang and escape. Thus, he is widely regarded as the strongest beneath the Three Great Masters. But he's always been solitary—even regarding the Fa Shi invasion, it's uncertain whether he'll come. Otherwise, he'd be a tremendous asset." Long Han explained carefully.

"He wounded a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator? Truly remarkable. Who is he? Surely he's well-known." Han Li pursed his lips, curious.

"You've surely heard of him. The name 'Friend Tianhen the Old Devil' should be familiar to you, Brother Han." Long Han smiled.

"Friend Tianhen the Old Devil! So it's him—he's long been a household name." Han Li let out a bitter laugh, murmuring as memories of his disguise as a low-level cultivator in the Sacred Tree's forbidden zone flashed through his mind.

At that time, both demonic and orthodox spies had shown extreme fear of Friend Tianhen the Old Devil.

"Yet among Nascent Soul cultivators, shouldn't you and Lady Fengbing be second only to the Three Great Masters?" Han Li blinked and joked.

But Long Han shook his head.

"Though Fengbing and I possess some abilities, individually we'd likely lose nine times out of ten against him. But if we fight together, that's another matter." Long Han spoke seriously.

Han Li smiled, about to say more, when he suddenly felt someone watching him—with cold, sinister intent.

His vigilance rose instantly; his face remained calm, but he turned his head slightly, meeting the observer's gaze.

It was a complete stranger—a long-bearded elder dressed in emerald-green robes.

The elder, upon meeting Han Li's stare, quickly dimmed his cold gaze, turned away, and acted as if nothing had happened.

Yet Han Li did not relax; instead, his eyes flickered as he studied the man for a long while.

"So, Brother Han, don't you recognize this man?" Long Han noticed the exchange and chuckled.

"From your tone, I suppose I should know him." Han Li felt puzzled.

"This is Dong Mengtu, Grand Elder of the Ling Yuling Sect, who holds its real power. I've never dealt with him, but I've heard he's close to Gu Gu Shuangpu—nearly like brothers. You exterminated Gu Gu Shuangpu, accusing him of being a Mulan spy. Though he had no grounds to protest due to sufficient evidence, he certainly resents you. Be cautious." Long Han gave a meaningful warning.

Han Li rubbed his nose, grimaced, yet thanked him profusely.

In just a short quarter-hour, nearly all the chairs in the hall were filled.

Ironically, whether by design or accident, demonic cultivators occupied the right side of the hall, while orthodox alliance cultivators took up most of the left.

Only the Tian Dao Alliance and the Nine Kingdoms Alliance cultivators seemed indifferent, sitting wherever they pleased.

Among them, Han Li recognized another acquaintance: the Kuang cultivator from Nihangzhai. He sat on the demonic side and, seeing Han Li's gaze, smiled at him.

Han Li nodded slightly in return.

At that moment, Long Han quietly pointed out two other Tian Dao Alliance cultivators to Han Li: a plain-faced woman in modest attire, and an old man with a perpetually gloomy expression.

Han Li glanced at them again, committing their appearances to memory.

Now, perhaps due to the growing number of attendees, the atmosphere grew heavier; no one chatted anymore. All sat coldly observing one another.

Each of these cultivators was a top-tier force in Tiannan—now gathered here. Whether known or unknown, every mind held its own thoughts.

Among them, Han Li was exceptionally unusual.

With their powerful spiritual senses, these Old Devils could instantly perceive Han Li's shallow cultivation base—unless he deliberately concealed it. Thus, they knew who he was.

After all, Han Li's name had become widely known over the past half-year. These Old Devils could not have missed hearing of him.

Han Li sat with lowered eyelids, ignoring everyone, appearing utterly unmoved.

As the hall grew eerily silent, even oppressive, three figures finally emerged from a side door.

The Old Devils, who had been quietly observing others, instantly turned their gazes toward them.

A black-robed giant, a green-haired elder, and a sword-carrying Daoist.

Han Li's expression remained calm, but his heart leapt—these three were the Three Great Masters, the only Nascent Soul late-stage cultivators in Tiannan in over a thousand years.

Others displayed varied expressions, but most, like Han Li, remained expressionless, watching silently, waiting for them to speak.

Net