"Brother Qian, you're exaggerating a bit. Although Senior Han reached the Nascent Soul stage in a remarkably short time, breaking through to Deity Transformation is still an utterly distant prospect — it's nowhere near as easy as all that. In truth, merely reaching the late stage of Nascent Soul would be enough to let a sect dominate an entire region. That much is actually within the realm of possibility." Nie Ying thought for a moment, then smiled brightly.
"Heh heh! I was getting ahead of myself. But barring any accidents, Senior Han will surely become a major figure capable of influencing the entire Tian Nan region within the next thousand years. And he has such deep ties to your valley. If you could bring him back into the Six Sects, perhaps before long we could return to the Yue Kingdom." A sharp gleam flashed through the eyes of the cultivator surnamed Qian as he spoke slowly.
"Ties? You saw it for yourself just now. Although Senior Han once came from our Yellow Maple Valley, he is now an Elder of the Falling Cloud Sect under the Heavenly Way Alliance. In terms of both status and sect strength, what could our valley possibly offer to lure him back? Besides, as you all saw, he has absolutely no intention of returning." Lei Wanhe fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
The others fell speechless upon hearing this.
"Why would Senior Han treat your valley this way? He did come from there originally — is there truly no room for reconciliation?" The big man from the Giant Sword Gate asked, clearly skeptical.
"I can't really go into the details. But I'm afraid there isn't much hope. What I did notice, though, is that he seems to have a rather close relationship with Senior Nangong of the Yan Yue Sect. Perhaps Senior Nangong could try to persuade him. Even if she can't get him to rejoin our Six Sects, at least maintaining a friendly rapport should be possible." Lei Wanhe shook his head at first, then turned his attention to the middle-aged cultivator from the Yan Yue Sect.
"That's... possible, I suppose. I'll need to go back and ask around about the exact nature of Senior Han's relationship with Martial Uncle Nangong." Tang Minghua said, not entirely confident.
"Forget it. Matters of recruiting Nascent Soul cultivators aren't something we can decide on our own. Let's leave it to the Elders. Senior Han will most likely appear at the grand ceremony in three months. We should hurry back to the alliance — this isn't exactly a safe place." Lei Wanhe suddenly glanced around, his brow furrowing.
The others were startled and lost interest in continuing the discussion. The five of them immediately transformed into streaks of light and flew away.
Though Lei Wanhe had spoken lightly, he was quietly fretting the entire way back.
How was he going to explain this to Patriarch Linghu?
Could he simply tell him that a disciple he had once abandoned had now become a being no weaker than himself? And that this person harbored deep resentment toward Yellow Maple Valley over what had happened all those years ago?
Wouldn't that amount to directly accusing his elder of wrongdoing?
He sighed helplessly several more times, but could only bury his thoughts and press on in silence.
...
Because the Wind-Riding Chariot was far too conspicuous!
After flying a distance and putting Lei Wanhe and the others completely out of sight, Han Li calmly stowed the chariot and continued on using nothing but an ordinary streak of flight-light.
He had just received shocking news about Nangong Wan — and it was the worst kind. He needed to calm down and think this through carefully.
Back then, his encounter with Nangong Wan had been nothing more than a single night of passion. Their two brief meetings afterward had been devoid of any tenderness, as if they were complete strangers — the vast gulf in their cultivation levels and social standing leaving no room for softness.
Yet at some point, almost without realizing it, Han Li had come to regard Nangong Wan as his woman.
This was especially true after he had formed his Golden Core and then his Nascent Soul, believing himself finally worthy of her. At that point, he had harbored absolutely no doubts about it.
So the moment he heard that Nangong Wan was about to become someone else's dual cultivation partner, he had very nearly lost his composure.
To stand by pretending not to know, watching helplessly as Nangong Wan married another man — that was something Han Li would never tolerate. Not in a million years.
In this lifetime, the only man who could take her as his wife was Han Li himself.
Moreover, he was certain that as the man who had taken Nangong Wan's True Yin, she could not feel absolutely nothing toward him.
The ceremony three months from now — Han Li was determined not to let it proceed.
What he was weighing now was this: should he rush straight to the Yan Yue Sect, disregarding everything else, and spirit Nangong Wan away in secret? Or should he wait calmly for the day of the ceremony and then show up in person?
Both options had their obvious advantages and disadvantages.
The first was easier to pull off, but he could hardly guarantee that Nangong Wan would agree to leave without a second thought. After all, she had spent many years in the Yan Yue Sect and now held the position of Elder — she couldn't simply vanish without misgivings.
The second — appearing on the day of the ceremony and formally proposing to Nangong Wan — would mean facing enormous pressure from the Yan Yue Sect, the Six Sects, and perhaps even the Nine Nations Alliance. The obstacles would be immense. But if he could overcome them one by one, he would be able to be with Nangong Wan openly, without any lingering concerns.
Of course, there was also a simpler method: silently eliminate Wei Lichen, the man who intended to marry Nangong Wan, without anyone ever knowing.
That would put an end to everything. No more obstacles.
But this method was also the most dangerous.
The Hua Yi Gate was no ordinary minor sect. It was one of the two largest sects in the Nine Nations Alliance, boasting no fewer than four or five Nascent Soul Elders — its strength far surpassing that of the Falling Cloud Sect and its likes.
If Wei Lichen stayed inside the gate and never ventured out, then even with all the power in the world, Han Li would be unable to assassinate him without anyone finding out.
And even if the killing succeeded, once his identity was exposed, he would be in serious trouble — Elder of the Falling Cloud Sect or not.