Among the cultivators present, the two with skull-like faces, the lean man, and the elderly fellow appeared not to know each other beforehand, and none of them had bothered to ask about Han Li's background. The lean man, upon seeing that there were exactly five people in attendance, wasted no time. He cupped his fists toward Han Li and the others and spoke: "My name is Ke Yu. I have been ordered to deliver your assignments and serve as your guide. Here is my token — please verify it." After delivering this respectfully, he drew a black token from his waist and handed it to Han Li. He had clearly taken the three of them for a group, and since Han Li's cultivation was the highest, he naturally treated him as the leader.
Han Li pressed his lips together, accepted the token with one hand, gave it a cursory glance, then tossed it carelessly to the skull-faced man beside him.
The skull-faced man looked it over just as briefly before flicking it back to Ke Yu with an air of indifference. He drawled, "What's there to inspect? If the teleportation array on the other end hadn't cleared you, a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you would never have been authorized to teleport here. There's no need to check our identities either. The only people who could possibly gather here at a time like this are enforcers like ourselves who've received orders. There won't be any outsiders. So just tell us what the mission is."
The skull-faced man seemed thoroughly familiar with this sort of procedure. After delivering his speech with great airs, he put on a look of impatience.
Ke Yu, the lean man who had introduced himself, hesitated upon hearing this. But then he gave an awkward laugh, made no further mention of verifying the identities of Han Li and the others, and cleared his throat before introducing the elderly man beside him.
"This is Elder Ding, a Protector of Qingyang Gate. The actual mission this time is to have the three of you assist Elder Ding in capturing a fugitive from Qingyang Gate. As for the specific details, you can discuss them among yourselves. I'm merely responsible for the introduction." Once Ke Yu finished, he tactfully took a step back, leaving the old man to deal directly with Han Li and the others.
"Qingyang Gate? Could that be the Qingyang Gate of Sanyang Shangren?" The skull-faced man's eyes flashed with a blue gleam, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
The fierce-looking man beside him and Han Li both changed expression slightly upon hearing the name.
"Heh heh! It seems there's no need for me to elaborate further. All three of you know our sect founder's reputation. This time, our founder personally submitted a request for assistance to your alliance's Lord of the Six Paths. The reason is that this fugitive is not only a Core Formation cultivator, but also possesses several of Qingyang Gate's most precious treasures. She has evaded pursuit for many years. It was only recently that our sect inadvertently learned of her whereabouts. If our founder could have gone personally, naturally it would have been done in short order. Unfortunately, he has other pressing matters and simply cannot spare himself. That is why we've asked you, fellow Daoists, to come here and assist. With four Core Formation cultivators acting together, I'm certain we can capture that sorceress alive." The elderly man surnamed Ding from Qingyang Gate smiled faintly and cupped his fists toward the three, though his expression turned cold and harsh on the last sentence.
"She's a female cultivator?" The fierce man asked, puzzled, upon hearing the words "sorceress."
Han Li's brow furrowed slightly. Something was stirring in the back of his memory.
"That's right. The sorceress is named Yuan Yao. She was originally meant to become a concubine taken in by our young master. But this vicious woman, relying on her extraordinary beauty and her bewitching seduction techniques, conspired with another woman to secretly murder our young master. She then plundered the treasures and rare pills on his person and used them to form her Golden Core. Patriarch Sanyang has only this one successor. He naturally despises this woman to the bone. If the three of you can help me, Ding, capture her alive, our sect will certainly offer additional rewards. We won't let you, fellow Daoists, go to any trouble for nothing." The old man gritted his teeth somewhat as he spoke of their target, yet seemed unwilling to dwell on the subject, offering only a brief summary before changing the topic.
The skull-faced man and the fierce man exchanged a glance, their expressions indifferent. Han Li rubbed his nose, inwardly at a loss for words.
So it really was Yuan Yao!
That alluring woman with an air of mystery — so this was her background. It was quite beyond what Han Li had expected.
He had been wondering how she had managed to form her Golden Core in so short a time, and why she had been acting so secretive whenever they crossed paths later. It turned out she had ransacked some young sect master and was now being hunted by Qingyang Gate.
It seemed that young master of Qingyang Gate must have carried a considerable number of rare pills, all of which had fallen into Yuan Yao's hands.
But now that this woman was about to meet disaster, should he intervene and disrupt things? Han Li hesitated at the thought.
He and this woman could hardly be called friends, but they were at least acquaintances of a sort.
Just then, the skull-faced man beside him spoke up: "Since it's a direct order from above, we would certainly lend our efforts even without any reward. Where is this woman now? Since we were told to gather here, she can't be too far away, can she?" Despite his frightening appearance, the man was quite sharp.
"Fellow Daoist is correct. The sorceress is hiding on a desolate island north of Huangming Island. If one of our sect's disciples hadn't happened to recognize her during a shopping trip and followed her back to her lair, we still wouldn't have any news of her. This woman is extremely cunning, and the treasures she carries are extraordinarily powerful — they even include our sect's secret weapon, the Qingyang Thunder. I urge all of you, fellow Daoists, to exercise caution." The old man warned them and specifically gave Han Li an extra cup of his fists.
After all, with Han Li's late-stage Core Formation cultivation, the old man naturally held him in high regard.
What the old man could never have imagined was that, although Han Li nodded with an impassive face, he was actually contemplating wiping every one of them out.
However, when Han Li heard that Yuan Yao was nearby, something stirred within him, and in an instant he had made up his decision. He would go meet this woman, rescue her, and then use the opportunity to request something important from her.
At that point, the lean man Ke Yu, seeing that the discussion was concluded, respectfully addressed the group and then led the way out of the cave.
……
In a stone room on another island, a cultivator with disheveled hair stood gazing at the teleportation array beneath his feet, his mind filled with confusion and doubt.