"So Fellow Daoist Han actually hails from Tiannan. Cultivators from your region are a rare sight in our Great Jin. But regardless of the reason — since you killed an elder of the Yin Luo Sect and took his Ghost Luo Banner, this grudge won't be easy to settle." Tian Qi said with a look of surprise, standing near the stone pavilion.
He had just finished listening to Elder Fu's brief account and was genuinely shaken.
The others stirred as well, casting odd glances at Han Li. Tiannan was rather remote from their perspective. In the eyes of Great Jin's cultivation world, it was practically a nonentity. That this person before them actually hailed from there — and had managed to offend the Yin Luo Sect, no less — how could that not spark their curiosity?
"I was merely defending myself. If that Yin Luo Sect elder hadn't come looking for trouble, I would never have ended up in this situation." Han Li's expression was indifferent.
"Enough! In any case, you three Fellow Daoists have been here for some time, so you must know what this mountain actually is." That burly Nascent Soul cultivator seemed to have no interest whatsoever in the matter between Han Li and Old Devil Qian, and instead asked with some urgency.
"I do know something about it. This place is the legendary Kunwu Immortal Mountain of your Great Jin!" Han Li replied evenly after a brief flicker in his gaze.
"Kunwu Mountain!" Those Nascent Soul cultivators were first stunned, then overjoyed. When Old Devil Qian heard this, he was equally startled.
The four elders of the Poison Saint Sect, however, had already known this. They merely exchanged a glance.
"In that case, someone has already gotten ahead of us. I don't know how many cultivators there are or which faction they belong to. But anyone who can break open such a massive seal must be formidable. Brother Qian, whatever grudge you have with Fellow Daoist Han and the others — now is not the time to fight. Why don't we all join forces to drive those people out of this mountain, then each seek our own fortune dividing the treasures of Kunwu? As for your grievances with Fellow Daoist Han, we can settle that after we leave." Tian Qi stroked his chin, swept his gaze over several white silhouettes, and spoke.
"Join forces?" Old Devil Qian fell silent upon hearing this.
Perfected Sisan — Zheng Wei — and the burly man, along with the rest of their group of five, were struck by the idea and began discussing through voice-transmissions, their lips barely moving.
Seeing this, Elder Fu and Bai Yaoyi breathed a sigh of relief. Though they were confident that working together they could hold their own against Old Devil Qian, it was obviously best to avoid such a pointless hard fight.
No one noticed Han Li's brow furrow ever so slightly. He let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
With fighting now out of the question, his plan to obtain the incantation for breaking the Soul Sealing Curse would have to wait for another opportunity.
With that thought, Han Li raised his head and looked toward the spot on the light barrier where Tian Qi and the others had emerged, then asked:
"Fellow Daoist, after the illusion array self-destructed, how badly was the sealed exit damaged? Is it still possible to pass through?"
"How badly? Brother Han, why not go see for yourself? I can't speak for the long term, but at the very least this passage won't be usable for some time." Tian Qi sighed and replied without concealing anything.
Han Li pressed his lips together, hesitated briefly, then flew straight toward the light barrier without standing on ceremony.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the silver glow.
This concerned them directly, so Elder Fu and Bai Yaoyi couldn't help but look over as well.
After only a brief moment, Han Li flew back out of the silver light with a dark expression. Meeting the gazes of Elder Fu and Bai Yaoyi, he shook his head.
"It's indeed impassable. But from the looks of it, it shouldn't take too long to return to normal. In the meantime, let's explore this mountain first." Han Li said matter-of-factly.
What followed was simple enough.
Though Old Devil Qian was extraordinarily arrogant, upon learning that this was the famed Kunwu Mountain, he finally abandoned any notion of making a move. Given the chance to enter such a legendary treasure paradise, he had no intention of leaving empty-handed, and reluctantly agreed to set aside his grievances with Han Li for the time being.
The other five who had formed the temporary alliance also agreed without hesitation after a brief discussion.
"With our combined strength, even if those people are cultivators from one of the Ten Great Sects, we can take them on. Let's move — we can't let them grab the treasures first." The moment everyone agreed to the alliance, Tian Qi let out a great shout, then led the remaining Poison Saint Sect elders flying up the stone steps toward the mountain peak.
Old Devil Qian let out a cold snort. His five white figures flickered with grey light, their escape auras merging into one as they gave chase.
Han Li and the others silently took to the air and followed.