Han Li ignored the man's shock and anger. Instead, he dispersed the blue light wrapped around the Soul-Calling Bell, then reached out and flicked the small bell with a finger, producing a clear "ding."
With a "thud," Qu Hun, who had been about to seize the chance to flee, immediately toppled face-first to the ground.
"Innate dharma artifact! What you're holding is this body's innate dharma artifact!" Qu Hun cried out, his face filled with terror.
"So you know — good. If you don't want to suffer, you'd better tell me everything about where you come from. I'm quite curious how you managed to seize this body. Aren't cultivators unable to perform Body Seizing on mortals?" Han Li said calmly, his voice utterly flat, as though he were simply chatting with an old friend.
But hearing this, Qu Hun couldn't help but shudder. He knew full well that cultivators who practiced Body Seizing were despised by everyone in the cultivation world. While there wasn't exactly a policy of hunting them all down and exterminating them, no one would ever show them a friendly face. And Han Li's strangely composed expression only made his heart sink further, his mind racing for some way to escape.
"Forgive me, Fellow Daoist. I was once a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator as well. My original body was destroyed during a conflict with an enemy, and I had no choice but to take over this one." The man dodged Han Li's question, rising to his feet and forcing a smile as he offered an explanation.
"Is that so!" Han Li replied coolly.
Actually, hearing that the other party had once been a Foundation Establishment cultivator did startle Han Li a little.
But Qu Hun couldn't read Han Li's thoughts. Seeing him sitting there apparently unmoved, he felt a growing unease and quickly added:
"Although my cultivation has fallen to the lower levels of the Qi Condensation stage, I still have some dharma artifacts and spirit stones. As long as you let the matter drop, I'm willing to give them to you!" The man's tone had turned noticeably servile. He clearly understood the principle that when you're under someone else's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head!
But Han Li paid no attention to his attempted bribe. Instead, he pondered for a moment before suddenly asking:
"Are you a cultivator of one of the Seven Sects?"
Han Li asked what seemed like a casual question. From what he knew, cultivators outside the Seven Sects rarely reached the Foundation Establishment stage — though some large cultivation families still produced them, the Yan family being one such example.
"The Seven Sects… oh, yes. I'm a cultivator of the Spirit Beast Mountain. Could it be that you, sir, are also from the Seven Sects?" Qu Hun's expression remained normal as he spoke, but Han Li caught a flash of panic in his eyes, which only deepened his suspicion.
"So you're a fellow cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain! I wonder — how is Miss Han Yunzhi of your mountain these days?" Han Li smiled faintly and asked in an unhurried tone.
"Han Yunzhi… I'm terribly sorry. I've been in seclusion for so many years cultivating that I really don't have much impression of the younger disciples," Qu Hun replied after a brief pause, letting out a few dry laughs. His words sounded rather unconvincing.
"You don't know her? Then which other people do you know? Feel free to name a few disciples for me. I know quite a few cultivators from Spirit Beast Mountain — perhaps I'll know some of them!" Han Li pressed on without betraying any emotion.
"Uh…" Panic crept onto Qu Hun's face, and his eyes began darting around — the picture of dishonesty.
Watching the man hem and haw, Han Li's expression turned cold, his face turning grim.
"You really are a disappointment, Fellow Daoist. It seems you'd rather choose the hard way." Han Li spoke without any courtesy, and then his body flickered forward and back in a flash.
Qu Hun remained frozen in place, but a Soul-Stabilizing Talisman had already been affixed to his chest. The man hadn't had even the slightest chance to react. His face changed dramatically and he shouted in alarm:
"Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this! We can discuss this reasonably…"
The Soul-Stabilizing Talisman could render a mortal completely rigid, even rendering them unable to speak. But against a cultivator with some magical power, its effect was somewhat reduced. While it could still immobilize a cultivator of low cultivation, their speech and facial expressions were completely unaffected.
Han Li paid no attention to his shouting. Instead, he produced an ink-black alms bowl from his storage pouch.
The moment this object appeared, a sinister aura spread outward, causing the temperature of the surrounding air to plummet by several degrees. Then wave after wave of ghostly wailing rose from within the bowl, and eerie black mist swirled around it, making the dharma artifact look all the more ghastly. It was precisely the Soul-Gathering Bowl that Han Li had only recently acquired.
Holding the artifact in one hand, Han Li cast a cold, sinister glance at his captive, then expressionlessly walked over to stand before Qu Hun in a few steps.
The man stared at the strange phenomenon emanating from the bowl, his face first showing shock and suspicion. But then he seemed to remember something, and his expression abruptly turned tense. He said stiffly:
"What are you going to do? Surely you don't intend to use the Soul Refining Technique?"
When the words "Soul Refining Technique" left his lips, his eyes filled with abject fear.