A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu’s Rebirth as the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor - Chapter 96

Chapter 95: I should thank my martial uncle.

Lei Wanhe’s words were like a wake-up call for Hong Fu and Li Huayuan.

Indeed.

The current peace of Huangfeng Valley was entirely due to Patriarch Linghu.

Once Patriarch Linghu encountered problems, Huangfeng Valley would inevitably collapse. It would be divided among various factions, reduced to an appendage, and would have no chance of recovery.

Countless sects throughout history have fallen into such a state.

Huangfeng Valley would not be the only one, nor would it be the last.

“I’m also worried about this, which is why I’m unsure how to deal with the Yan family,”

Hong Fu nodded.

She knew very well that with her current state and progress, even if Patriarch Linghu gave her the Spirit Eye Stone, her chances of forming her Nascent Soul were less than 20%.

Her foundation was simply too shallow.

Unless she had a heaven-defying opportunity to solidify her foundation and save her decades of arduous cultivation, giving her enough time to prepare and reorganize herself,

she feared she wouldn’t even be able to pass the first hurdle of breaking through to the Core Formation stage.

Old Monster Qiong couldn’t overcome the subsequent inner demons, but she wasn’t even confident about the first hurdle.

“Han Li, what do you think?”

Suddenly, Master Hong Fu looked at her prized disciple.

This excellent situation was entirely due to this disciple’s unexpected invitation beforehand; this kid was practically a lucky star for the three of them, and even for their Yellow Maple Valley.

“Master, you’re asking me?”

Han Li, who was silently counting the supplies in Wang Chan’s storage bag, stopped and slowly looked up. He looked at the three Core Formation experts, pointed to himself, and looked astonished.

Why ask a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him about such a thing?

Was it something he could decide?

“Tell me, maybe your insights have some merit,”

Li Huayuan encouraged.

Lei Wanhe also nodded:

“Just say whatever you think.”

He was growing increasingly fond of this junior disciple.

This young man, in the process of pursuing the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect, ignored the other party’s sincere attempts to recruit him via telepathy, and instead directly used deadly force to “prove his innocence.” His decisiveness at that moment surprised and greatly pleased him.

That resolute refusal was as if he were facing an irreconcilable enemy!

This shows his loyalty to his sect!

No wonder he’s a disciple trained by Senior Sister Hong Fu.

Looking at it this way, a slightly inferior spiritual root aptitude is nothing; character is the most important thing. After all, not every Foundation Establishment cultivator can resist the temptation of “Nascent Soul disciples.”

Hong Fu and Li Huayuan had also heard about this from Lei Wanhe. At this moment, they were both gratified and appreciative: What a good child!

Han Li, of course, was unaware of the three’s thoughts.

After pondering for a moment, he truly offered his opinion. He only needed to speak; whether the three listened or not was their business.

“Master, in my opinion, no matter how we deal with the Yan family, our Yellow Maple Valley will get the lion’s share; it’s all a profit.”

The three nodded in agreement. “

That’s right.

Continue.

‘However, to maximize profits, preserve the Yan family, and even get most of the core members of the Yan family to join my Huangfeng Valley, that would be best.’

This point aligns with Lei Wanhe’s view.

However, Han Li’s tone then changed:

‘Master, my two senior uncles, aren’t you curious how the people from the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Hehuan Sect crossed over to the Jiang and Cheqi Kingdoms to appear here?’

The three raised their eyebrows in unison, sensing something amiss.

Their expressions turned serious.

‘This disciple suspects that something major has happened in the Jiang and Cheqi Kingdoms. The young sect leader of the Ghost Spirit Sect also told this disciple that the cultivation worlds of the Jiang and Cheqi Kingdoms have been conquered by the Six Demonic Sects, and the Demonic Sect will soon advance westward and launch a major attack on my Yue Kingdom. Regardless of the truth of this news, preserving the Yan family now is equivalent to uniting all forces that can be united.’

Of course, it could also easily sow the seeds of future troubles.

It all depends on the methods of the Seven Great Sects. “

“If things really deteriorate to the point the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect said, and the Nascent Soul cultivators don’t intervene, the Yan family can still be considered a considerable force.”

Even without the Nascent Soul cultivators, the Yan family patriarch carrying the Qiankun Tower is one of the top combat forces among the Core Formation stage.

Even if they are not as strong as Old Monster Qiong, they won’t be far behind.

They can definitely rival powerful late-stage Core Formation cultivators.

Furthermore, the numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators within the Yan family are also a force to be reckoned with.

“The major sects of Jiang Kingdom and Cheqi Kingdom have been destroyed? How is that possible? You must know that the combined strength of the cultivation worlds of those two countries is not weaker than that of my Yue Kingdom.”

Li Huayuan was greatly surprised.

Hong Fu looked at Han Li and Wang Chan, wanting to wake the unconscious Wang Chan to ask what had happened.

Lei Wanhe nodded in confirmation:

“I heard that too, that kid from the Ghost Spirit Sect did say that.”

Han Li and Lei Wanhe’s words, coupled with the strange appearance of the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Hehuan Sect, immediately made Hong Fu and Li Huayuan fall into deep thought.

The Yan family probably knew this, which is why they chose to side with the Ghost Spirit Sect earlier, right?

“Master, the Yan family has been powerful for hundreds of years, and their ancestors were also a Nascent Soul family. We have no idea whether they have multiple burrows or left behind any outstanding branches. If we destroy the Yan family now, especially since it was Huangfeng Valley that facilitated it, that hidden branch will definitely seek revenge on Huangfeng Valley if it grows up in the future.”

Han Li also had his own selfish motives, subtly guiding the conversation with his words:

“But if we recruit the Yan family and protect them, that branch will eventually become an asset to Huangfeng Valley.”

He knew about Yan Ruyan’s cousin’s information, even if others didn’t.

Even considering the butterfly effect, it couldn’t be denied that he was the Yan family’s genius before Yan Ruyan.

There’s a very high probability he’ll reach the Nascent Soul stage in the future.

He might even become a Nascent Soul cultivator many years earlier than Yan Ruyan.

If Huangfeng Valley can recruit this person, even if he becomes too powerful to control later, Huangfeng Valley’s lineage can still continue stably after the passing of Ancestor Linghu. The only cost is changing from one of the three core families to four, with the Yan family taking the lead.

Compared to the preservation of the lineage, this cost is insignificant.

“Furthermore, befriending the Yan family is tantamount to befriending the current Hidden Moon Sect. Don’t be fooled by our evidence; if we destroy the Yan family and that Yan family woman with the Heavenly Spirit Root, it’s uncertain whether the Hidden Moon Sect will hold a grudge against us. After all, we were the ones who forced the Yan family woman to her death, even if the fault lies with the Yan family.”

Human nature is truly unpredictable.

So don’t try to fathom it.

“Finally, we’ve wasted so much time. I suspect the Yan family patriarch has already sent core members of the clan to flee with most of the clan’s valuables. Even if we destroy the Yan family, after taking a share, the benefits we’ll gain probably won’t be much.”

“Conversely, if we preserve the Yan family, that wealth will return on its own.”

“I imagine the Yan family patriarch won’t be stingy.”

“By the way, if Master and Uncle-Master are still worried about the Yan family, they could have the Yan family woman with the Heavenly Spirit Root do something to the Ghost Spirit Sect’s young master to completely sever ties.”

Han Li spoke eloquently, offering his insights.

The three Core Formation stage elders fell into deep thought for a long time.

Did it make sense?

Of course it did.

He saw even more good and bad than Lei Wanhe.

This young man had a good grasp of both the big picture and the small details.

“Good, you’re right. We’ll discuss it further. Go ahead and do your work,”

Lei Wanhe said with a smile.

He didn’t even touch Wang Chan’s storage bag.

He knew very well that even if he didn’t intervene, Wang Chan, whose vital energy was severely depleted, couldn’t escape from his unassuming junior nephew.

If he intercepted the storage bag, he wouldn’t be able to explain it to Hong Fu.

It would also be disgraceful for a Core Formation stage elder.

Therefore, Han Li had obtained all of Wang Chan’s belongings.

“What a fat sheep! The wealth inside this storage bag is probably more valuable than the two Uncle Lis?”

The more Han Li counted the young sect master’s storage bag, the brighter his eyes became.

Various rare treasures were on full display.

Various cultivation resources left him speechless.

There were many spirit stones, more than 2,600 colorful mid-grade spirit stones and more than 10,000 low-grade spirit stones.

Two blood-stained magic treasures, these two alone are easily worth over 200,000 spirit stones. There are also

three small pieces of magic treasure five-elemental metal, over ten kinds of pill formulas, countless other spiritual materials and miscellaneous items such as thousand-year-old ironwood, many of which are treasures of Core Formation cultivators. The total value is no less than 400,000 to 500,000 spirit stones.

There is also a copy of the *Blood Spirit Great Art*.

Three mid-to-high-grade talismans, two defensive and one supportive, but lacking in great power. They were probably all used up on the battlefield in Jiang Kingdom. Because of the busy work of turning the Yan family against Yan, they rushed to Yanling Fortress in Yue Kingdom to demand Yan Ruyan before they could replenish their supplies.

Over thirty bottles of Foundation Establishment pills were also found.

However, most were ordinary, seven or eight were of high quality, and a small portion were extremely rare treasure pills.

[Ordinary] Foundation Establishment pills can accelerate the cultivation speed of cultivators with three spiritual roots three times. The acceleration effect allows cultivators with three spiritual roots to surpass the cultivation speed of those with two spiritual roots and most special physiques, but it falls short of the daily meditation and ascetic cultivation progress of cultivators with heteromorphic or celestial spiritual roots.

In other words, this type of pill not only offers no help to those with superior spiritual roots and special physiques, but also easily leads to drug resistance. It

‘s more harmful than beneficial.

[Fine] pills can allow cultivators with three spiritual roots to slightly surpass the progress achieved through normal ascetic cultivation by those with heteromorphic or celestial spiritual roots. The spiritual herbs from the Hidden Moon Sect and the Qi-Harmony Pill given to him by his master, Hong Fu, were fine-quality pills. Those

with two spiritual roots and many special physiques can use them; combined with a spiritual vein and a treasure land, they can accelerate their cultivation progress by several times.   However,

those with heteromorphic or celestial spiritual roots rarely take them. The acceleration effect is too limited, making it somewhat counterproductive.   As for [Rare] pills?   They can allow cultivators with three spiritual roots to surpass the cultivation speed of those with heteromorphic or even celestial spiritual roots by several times or more.   The ancient pills he refined from the spiritual herbs he obtained from the Crimson Forbidden Land were all rare treasures.   That’s why his cultivation progressed so rapidly.   A single bottle was equivalent to two or three bottles of high-quality pills, or even more.   ”Wang Chan kept this small half-bottle; it seems he’s using it to break through a bottleneck.”   The normal cultivation speed of a different spiritual root is comparable to that of a heavenly spiritual root, but there are still bottlenecks   in cultivation levels. From the mid-Foundation Establishment stage to the late-Foundation Establishment stage, even a small bottleneck is still a bottleneck.   Even if the small bottleneck of a different spiritual root isn’t as difficult as that of a four-element pseudo-spiritual root, it’s still a bottleneck.   Faced with such a small hurdle, the second-generation cultivator also chose to take pills, using their power to break through.   ”I don’t need ordinary Foundation Establishment pills; I’ll sell them for two or three hundred spirit stones each.”   One bottle is worth two or three thousand spirit stones.   ”I don’t seem to need the premium ones anymore. After all, I mostly use ancient rare pills made from forbidden herbs now, and I have several kinds, which is enough.” It’s truly easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. “I could give a few more bottles to Senior Sister Xuan’er.”   ”This half-bottle of rare pills…”   ”Never mind, give it to Senior Sister Xuan’er too, to help her break through her bottleneck. It’s much more effective than premium pills.”   A single premium pill costs three or four thousand spirit stones!   ”Right, there are also those storage bags from the Twelve Ghost Spirit Guards.”   A thought flashed through Han Li’s mind.   The young sect leader Wang Chan’s storage bag contained such a rich collection; those carefully cultivated elite assassins must also be quite wealthy.   Thinking of this,   he ignored the private discussion of the three Core Formation stage elders and left the soundproof barrier to go to the Tianque Fortress team to ask Ma Yunlong for the storage bags from the Twelve Ghost Spirit Guards.   …   Tianque Fortress.   ”Senior Brother Ma, where are my and my master’s spoils?”   Han Li asked, rubbing his hands together without any politeness.   His intention to claim them was obvious.   Standing behind a Core Formation cultivator, Ma Yunlong smiled and tossed over five storage bags:   ”Junior Brother Han, nothing is missing. I even added an extra six thousand spirit stones as a token of my gratitude.”   This man not only showed no greed but also generously gave an extra sum of spirit stones; he was quite kind.   Han Li took them, counted them carefully, and was extremely satisfied.

Five storage bags, totaling nearly 30,000 spirit stones. The other supplies were also quite valuable; magic weapons, spirit herbs, and pills were worth at least 100,000 spirit stones each, especially ordinary Foundation Establishment pills and high-quality pills, each worth 30,000 to 40,000 spirit stones, averaging two or three bottles per person—likely a reward from Wang Chan. There were also 30 to 50 aged spirit herbs per person.

Scanning the bag, he also noticed many items were from the Jiang Kingdom’s cultivation world, like spoils of war. There were many high-quality top-tier magic weapons, three or four per person. More than ten ordinary top-tier magic weapons were kept as spares. Dozens of bloodstained high-tier magic weapons per person were gathering dust in the corners of the storage bags.

He wondered if these members of the Ghost Spirit Twelve Guards had previously slaughtered many in the Jiang Kingdom and made a fortune?

Otherwise, how could they be so incredibly wealthy?

In short, each person was a millionaire.

And they were all like the protectors of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, like Huang Long, who were only 20,000 to 30,000 spirit stones each.

“Not bad, not bad,”

Han Li initially thought, quite satisfied.

While the storage bags of the Twelve Ghost Guards weren’t as rich as Wang Chan’s, they were still quite valuable.

The five of them combined could fetch over ten thousand.

These were most likely spoils of war from the Six Demonic Sects’ raid on the Jiang Kingdom,

which annihilated its cultivation world.

After the Jiang Kingdom and several major sects of the Cheqi Kingdom were conquered by the Six Demonic Sects, most of the profits undoubtedly went to the sect leaders. Although Wang Chan’s cultivation was insufficient, he was the son of Wang Tiansheng, the Nascent Soul Sect Master of the Ghost Spirit Sect.

And the only one at that.

With such status and position, how could he be short of money?

Therefore,

Han Li didn’t intend to let the Twelve Ghost Guards’ storage bags go.

The dogs around a wealthy tycoon, in theory, should be rolling in fat.

Asking Ma Yunlong for them, as expected, yielded the expected sum.

But then, he wiped the smile off his face and looked at the man from Tianque Fortress with a puzzled expression:

“Senior Brother Ma, something’s not right, isn’t it a bit short? I remember, besides the young sect leader, there are twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Ghost Spirit Sect. Even if each person has one storage bag, there should be twelve. Why are there only five storage bags here?”

Ma Yunlong smiled without saying a word, but turned to look at the three or four late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators from the other families with a smile.

The meaning was self-evident.

Han Li’s eyes narrowed slightly when he saw this. He nodded and didn’t say anything more, but went straight to the door.

One of them was from Huadaowu:

“Senior Brother, you found the storage bags that my master and I left here, right?”

The late-stage Foundation Establishment man from Huadaowu, who was being questioned, forced a smile, sighed inwardly, and took out two storage bags from the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators.

Han Li took them, thinking to himself that they were at least sensible.

However, after checking the contents, he found that many were missing.

For example, all the pills suitable for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators were gone.

And for example, only ordinary top-tier magic artifacts remained; the few exquisite ones were missing.

So, he stopped in his tracks, about to leave.

After thinking for a moment, he simply returned the two storage bags the man had just handed him:

“Senior brother, these two storage bags are either not my master’s spoils of war, or they’re missing many items. Do you think there’s a mistake?”

Han Li pointed deliberately to the five storage bags Ma Yunlong had given him.

His intention was clear.

The man, however, wouldn’t have it:

“Junior brother of Huangfeng Valley, don’t deliberately make things difficult. This is all the stuff I received.”

With his Core Formation stage master backing him up, he wanted to take advantage. Well, not just a small advantage, but a huge one.

A huge one was too tempting for him.

And he was absolutely certain that the dignified Red Dust Fairy of Huangfeng Valley wouldn’t stoop to asking for a few Foundation Establishment cultivators’ storage bags in front of so many Core Formation stage elders from various sects. Those who found the storage bags could openly pocket some of their “hardship fee,” happily reaping a fortune of twenty or thirty thousand spirit stones for nothing.

He had already discussed it with several other fellow cultivators who had also found storage bags: as long as everyone agreed on the same story, insisting that each storage bag contained roughly the same amount, the careless person from Huangfeng Valley might not care about the slight discount or the small amount less taken.

After all, the one from Huangfeng Valley hadn’t checked the storage bags of the Twelve Ghost Guards beforehand, so how would he know what was inside?

And indeed, as he predicted, Hong Fu didn’t come forward to ask for them.

This Core Formation expert didn’t seem to care about the dozen or so Foundation Establishment stage storage bags at all.

Everything unfolded as he had foreseen.

But he never expected that the other party’s disciples would come to ask for them.

Even more unexpected was that Ma Yunlong from Tianque Fort didn’t hoard a single item; in fact, he added a large sum of spirit stones.

What was that guy Ma thinking?

Whatever, he’d try to fool them if he could. If he couldn’t, he could always take some out as an apology later.

In short, it was a sure profit.

When it came to profit, these cultivators were more shrewd than market vendors.

But…

they underestimated Han Li.

At this moment, Han Li didn’t say anything more, showing no intention of arguing, and didn’t even go to the others to ask for them. After returning the two storage bags to the other party, he went straight back to the Yellow Maple Valley group. Then, in front of all the cultivators present, he opened the five storage bags that Ma Yunlong had given him earlier.

During this time, he deliberately used the afterimage of Luo Yan’s Wind-Riding Step combined with lightning-fast theft techniques to touch the storage bag of the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect at his waist. While opening the other five storage bags, he mixed some items from the young master’s storage bag into the five piles of supplies poured out from the Ghost Spirit Twelve Guards’ storage bags.

The extra supplies were mainly Foundation Establishment stage pills and mid-grade spirit stones, small in quantity and easy to handle.

This move was quite subtle and could easily fool the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

As for whether it could fool the Core Formation stage experts?

He never even considered fooling them.

He did this clearly to show the Core Formation stage experts present.

It was a contest of who was more shameless.

The key was that his shamelessness was without shame or guilt.

He was going to give him a taste of his own medicine!

Then,

Ma Yunlong’s pupils widened, and he was completely stunned!

He almost swore!

It was because Han Li had poured out far more supplies than he could possibly imagine, making him swallow hard.

The original five storage bags contained roughly four to five thousand spirit stones each (one of which contained over ten thousand spirit stones—the one Ma Yunlong had added an extra six thousand spirit stones to), plus various supplies worth ten to twenty thousand spirit stones.

But now,

each storage bag contained over thirty thousand spirit stones, and the value of the various supplies also exceeded thirty thousand.

In other words, each storage bag’s initial value of over twenty thousand spirit stones had become a staggering sixty thousand!

“Ah, this…”

Ma Yunlong suddenly looked up at Han Li, his eyes filled with a fascinating expression.

But this wasn’t the end of it.

Han Li bowed respectfully to Hong Fu:

“Master, this is the contents of the storage bags of those Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect. Each one contains over 30,000 spirit stones, as well as materials and supplies worth over 30,000 spirit stones. The remaining seven storage bags should contain roughly the same amount of spirit stones and supplies.”

“Master, my cultivation is low. I even lost my essence and blood and damaged my cultivation while chasing the Ghost Spirit Sect’s young master. I’m sure some of my fellow disciples from other sects look down on me. But I only want to reclaim what rightfully belongs to you, Master, and my own storage bag.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Please, Master, help me reclaim the spoils of war that are rightfully mine.”

As he spoke, his face paled, amplifying the slight aftereffects of using the Blood Escape Technique in front of the many Core Formation cultivators.

This act of playing the victim brought many of the Foundation Establishment cultivators who were watching the spectacle back to their senses.

It made the hearts of those who were thinking of embezzling a little money skip a beat.

Han Li not only sought help from his master, but also bowed to all the Core Formation stage cultivators present:

“Esteemed senior uncles and masters, after discovering the Ghost Spirit Sect’s conspiracy, I didn’t think of escaping. Instead, I risked my life to come to this mountain and immediately informed Senior Brother Ma of Tianque Fortress. My intention was to do my utmost to rescue my fellow disciples, out of a sense of shared destiny. I have a clear conscience and believe I have not let down any of you outstanding disciples.”

Ma Yunlong, having been called out and the focus of so many eyes, and given the truth of the matter, could only nod reluctantly.

Seeing this, Han Li felt even more confident and bowed again to the many Core Formation cultivators:

“Here, I humbly request that all my senior uncles and masters uphold justice for this junior.”

“This junior truly cannot understand how this act of risking one’s life to save others from suffering could be exploited?”

“Where is the logic? Where is the justice?”

“If this is truly how things should operate, then others’ deserved fates should be respected…” As he said this, he glanced at all the Foundation Establishment cultivators present with utter contempt: “Then I beg you to turn back time…”

What could turn back time do?

Naturally, it would mean standing idly by.

This was a veiled insult to those he had saved, calling them heartless and ungrateful.

Look, apart from Ma Yunlong daring to utter a sound, the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, clearly witnesses, didn’t even stand up to say a word of justice; they all pretended to be deaf and dumb. The trash he had saved out of consideration for the greater good had not only been utterly useless but had also caused him distress. Since that’s the case, it would be better to wait for the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators to wipe out this group before he, Master Hongfu, and Uncle Lei come out to loot their spoils.

Damn it, what a loss.

A bunch of lambs who were almost wiped out, instead of thanking the Red Tassel Mountain lineage, they took their spoils—it’s truly shameless.

Master Hongfu, out of respect for her elder status, couldn’t speak up in front of so many Core Formation cultivators, but he was shameless enough to do so.

And these Core Formation cultivators, what a waste of their knowledge! What kind of deformed lads have they produced? Their Foundation Establishment disciples dare to steal even these storage bags? They dare to take such petty advantages? Aren’t they afraid Master Hongfu won’t retaliate against these lowly Foundation Establishment cultivators, and instead target the Core Formation cultivators with sacks and clubs to make amends?

Hong Fu Lei Wanhe Li Huayuan blinked: “…”

The dozen or so Core Formation stage cultivators present raised their eyebrows: “…”

The Yan family patriarch had a strange expression: “…”

Ma Yunlong twitched his lips, his mind churning: “…”

Several who were thinking of taking advantage of others had their eyelids twitching wildly, pointing at Han Li, their lips trembling as they stammered: “…”

The rest of the Foundation Establishment stage disciples all gasped: “…”

As for Han Li?

He remained completely calm.

He wasn’t someone to be bullied, especially since those trying to bully him were merely Foundation Establishment cultivators.

His Hongying Mountain lineage wasn’t easy to bully either; his master, Hong Fu, was the second most powerful Core Formation cultivator present.

Crucially, he was in the right.

He had the moral high ground of being saved. And he also

had the upper hand.

So why should he humble himself?

At this moment, he absolutely couldn’t back down even a little, couldn’t be magnanimous in the slightest. Magnanimity was tantamount to weakness and vulnerability.

Rather than making things difficult for his master

, he would charge into battle. And those who dared to interfere would have to be prepared to pay a much higher price.

As for whether such a high-profile display would bring trouble?

His performance had certainly been seen by the Core Formation experts and Foundation Establishment cultivators of various sects; trying to remain low-key was pure self-deception. He couldn’t play the submissive anymore; of course, he had to act like the boss. Damn it, come and bite him in Huangfeng Valley if you dare!

Besides, having spent so much time screwing in screws in a factory in his past life, was he destined to live a life   of mediocrity in this one?

He had to be humble

, but he also had to fight for what he needed. Where would he get cultivation resources if he didn’t fight?

Now, anyone who dared to block his path would be crushed.

Even if he couldn’t crush them now, he could make up for it later. “I like this kid from Yellow Maple Valley!”   Old Monster Qiong suddenly spoke, breaking the brief, eerie silence:   ”And you actually have my Invisible Needle Talisman Treasure? Good lad, good lad, just my type…”   ”Right, I remember now, you were one of the participants in the Blood Trial eight years ago, right? You brought out more than forty forbidden spiritual herbs that time!”   Eight years ago, the Blood Trial?   Did that mean this junior brother was just a Qi Refining stage junior eight years ago?   But that doesn’t make sense; how could he have cultivated to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage in eight years?!   To cultivate so quickly, didn’t that mean that Fairy Hong Fu gave him a large number of exceptionally precious pills?   The Foundation Establishment stage cultivators looked on in astonishment.   The expressions of the dozen or so Core Formation cultivators shifted uncertainly.   While carefully scrutinizing Han Li, they boldly speculated about his “true” identity.   Because if he were merely an ordinary disciple of the Red Dust Sect, he could never receive such favoritism.   ”Greetings, Senior Qiong,”   Han Li bowed to Old Monster Qiong, then pleaded,   ”Senior, you are a wise and principled elder. Now, someone has broken the rules, disregarding the unity of the seven sects and causing internal strife. This junior has no choice but to seek help from you and my master.” ”   Those scoundrels who don’t remember the life-saving grace but instead swindle and cheat their benefactor, this junior is ashamed to associate with them,”   several late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, their faces flushed with shame, said.   Seeing that the surrounding Core Formation cultivators showed no intention of blaming Han Li, their hearts pounded wildly.   Seeing the expressionless silence of their elders, their hearts sank even lower.   They were doomed.   This time, they had completely messed up.   They’d encountered someone who was jumping around and being unreasonable.   Moreover, they simply couldn’t understand why Ma Yunlong would put so many things into five storage bags. Did he have no humanity?   (The wronged Ma Yunlong: Heh…)   Clearly, these people were inferior in skill; they hadn’t even understood how Han Li would use his own methods against them. They deserved this loss, deserved that a Core Formation cultivator would remain silent. They’d lost all face and dignity.   ”Take out all the storage bags, don’t let Fellow Daoist Yan continue to laugh at us,”   a Core Formation cultivator said. The late   -stage Foundation Establishment man from Huadaowu and the two from the other two sects wanted to play dumb, but then they heard several cold snorts from Core Formation experts simultaneously. The three were so frightened that their breath caught in their throats, and they almost collapsed to the ground.   They exchanged glances, their faces full of despair.   They handed over seven storage bags in total.   However, even if the three of them replenished the contents of the seven storage bags, the amount was still vastly different from the five Han Li had taken out.   ”I told you to take everything out, don’t you understand?”   The Core Formation cultivator’s voice was deep, his gaze towards the three growing increasingly cold.   The Core Formation cultivator from Huadaowu sighed softly:   ”Give away your own storage bags as well.”   ”What?! Master, why?”   A late-Foundation Establishment man from Huadaowu exclaimed in shock.   ”So noisy.”   Another Core Formation expert from Huadaowu slapped the late-Foundation Establishment man, causing him to cough up blood and fly away.   He landed on the empty central platform, covered in dust and looking utterly pathetic:   ”Disgraceful wretch.”   So stupid.   Didn’t they understand that as long as they handed over all their storage bags, this matter would be over?   As long as they handed over their storage bags and showed an attitude of remorse, no matter how much was inside, Huangfeng Valley wouldn’t pursue it. Hong Fu would still give them that much face.   Why can’t they all see the bigger picture? Why are they dragging these Core   Formation stage cultivators down with them and making them lose face too? Then again, Hong Fu saved their lives. If she had been even a little more ruthless back then, waiting until all the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from various sects were dead before making her move, what could the others say later, even if they knew the shady dealings?   Each of you was just lucky to escape with your lives, yet you still wanted to take advantage of Hong Fu? Do you even deserve it?   Truly ungrateful.   Sects shouldn’t cultivate this kind of mentality, this kind of trash and scum; they should just die sooner rather than later, to avoid being an eyesore.   Besides, would Hong Fu really swallow her anger?   If it were them, they definitely wouldn’t tolerate it at all.   Even if it’s not convenient to seek revenge on the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators to avoid being labeled as bullying the weak, they might very well seek revenge on these people, perhaps even more.   Their disciples caused trouble, and they, as masters, have to take the blame and pay the price? Ha, what a fine disciple they are.   The other two members of the opposing faction shuddered at the sight. They immediately and swiftly retrieved their storage bags from their waists and handed over everything without missing a single item. They now utterly hated the person who had suggested taking advantage of them.   They hated the man from Huadaowu.

What kind of clever tricks were they playing?

A complete disaster.

Now look what happened… they tried to steal a chicken but lost their rice instead.

All their possessions!

The key is, their reputation is ruined, and they’ve left a very bad impression on their elders. And that’s extremely damaging.

Taking the three extra storage bags, Han Li curled his lip. He should have waited until Master Hong Fu and Master Lei were all dead before coming to the rescue. Then, the storage bags of sixty or seventy Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Six Sects would have been enough to make him rich. Now, saving these guys has only brought him trouble.

It seems he’ll have to keep his distance from the Six Sects on the battlefield from now on.

He’ll have to pretend he didn’t see them in trouble, learn to protect himself by not helping those in distress, and learn to respect the fate of others.

It would be best to loot their bags openly after they die.

He could even gain a good reputation for helping an ally avenge their grievances.

He’d decided to do it that way from now on.

The shift in mindset was sudden yet natural.

…

The matter of the storage bag was quietly dropped.

The many Core Formation cultivators continued discussing how to deal with the Yan family.

Han Li requested to enter Yanling Fortress to bring Dong Xuan’er and her group out.

After learning the details, the Yan family patriarch did not stop him, but instead gave him a pass token.

With this token, he could freely enter and leave Yanling Fortress.

However, to be on the safe side, Han Li looked at Lei Wanhe and winked.

“What, do you want me to go in with you? I’m afraid this Yan family patriarch won’t agree.”

Lei Wanhe transmitted his voice.

“Then, patriarch, tell the Yan family patriarch that there might be some Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Hehuan Sect lurking inside Yanling Fortress. Tell him to think about it, the Ghost Spirit Sect always has Core Formation cultivators leading teams with more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators accompanying them. It’s hard to say that the Hehuan Sect isn’t the same. And the Yan family patriarch probably has similar concerns.”

Han Li appeared very casual,

but in reality, he was very cautious.

He wasn’t sure if Young Master Tian possessed any powerful weapons.

Just because Wang Chan didn’t have it doesn’t mean Tian Buque didn’t either.

After all, even he had powerful consumables like the Invisible Needle Talisman Treasure. He didn’t know the specifics of that spoiled brat Tian Ershao’s situation, but he absolutely couldn’t be careless.

Taking a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator along would greatly reduce the risk.

Even if a portion of the profits had to be shared in the end, he would still get a large share, right?

Besides, the gains this time were already quite substantial.

Adding the profits from the forbidden area last time, theoretically, it would be enough for him to gather enough cultivation resources for the second or even third stage.

It’s just that if he wanted to cultivate an external avatar, he would have to plan some other things.

“Alright, I’ll ask.”

After completing the transmission, Lei Wanhe looked at the Yan family patriarch and explained his guess.

Just then, Old Monster Qiong tossed Han Li a token:

“Take this, take this. Go to a mortal courtyard in that small town outside the mountain. There’s a bead inside, a magical artifact bead that the Core Formation cultivator from the Joyful Union Sect I captured didn’t have time to crush. Take that bead and wander around Yanling Fortress; you should be able to find the person you’re looking for.”

Old Monster Qiong’s disheveled expression was playful.

I wonder if he overheard his conversation with Uncle Lei.

No.

It shouldn’t be Uncle Lei’s message being intercepted, but rather his telepathic communication.

Sigh, Foundation Establishment cultivators really don’t have many secrets from Core Formation cultivators, especially from old monsters in the Pseudo-Nascent Soul stage.

“Senior, what is that bead?”

“A Purple Light Sensing Bead…”

Old Monster Qiong explained with a smile,

“The Purple Light Sensing Bead is a secret magical artifact of the Hehuan Sect. Most of them, though only high-grade, always exist in pairs. Holding the main bead allows you to sense the secondary bead within a thousand miles. Of course, the one I left in that courtyard and the other in the city have no primary or secondary distinction; they can sense each other. They are a specially crafted top-grade magical artifact pair…”

“Little fellow, if you can find someone in the Hehuan Sect wearing the other Purple Light Sensing Bead, I’ll give you an extra reward…”

Old Monster Qiong tempted him telepathically, his ulterior motives unknown.

(End of Chapter)