After spending the night in the woods, Han Li stowed away the Sky Demon Corpse the following morning and headed straight for Wanling Mountain.
The day before, before he had found Zi Ling and the others, he had not spotted any Traceless Gate disciples in the city. So even though he held the token gifted by a Traceless Gate Elder, he had no immediate way to use it, much less locate Marquis Nanlong.
It seemed that either the Traceless Gate cultivators had their own lodgings elsewhere, or this particular sect's people had simply not arrived yet.
Han Li was in no hurry. He planned to find a spot near Wanling Mountain to settle in temporarily while refining some Foundation Establishment-stage puppets.
With the Two Modes Ring in his possession, even if he didn't go looking, Marquis Nanlong would most likely come find him on his own.
By now, Han Li vaguely understood that the "Polar Nether Origin Light" the other man had spoken of was certainly not at the outer valley's entrance — it most likely appeared along the passage into the inner valley.
Otherwise, even with abilities beyond the heavens, the Ghost Spirit Sect would never have been able to escort several hundred cultivators past the Polar Nether Origin Light and into the valley all at once.
As he mulled this over, Han Li transformed into a streak of azure light and proceeded at an unhurried pace.
At his speed of escape, it took only moments before Yehua City behind him vanished from sight entirely, and he had already flown several dozen li away.
At his current pace, reaching the vicinity of Wanling Mountain would require only a little more than half a day.
He had heard that the several marketplaces near Wanling Mountain had long since opened their doors in anticipation. Han Li could visit these markets first to purchase materials for puppet crafting.
During the boundary war's wager, Han Li had won — along with that ancestral lamp of the Mulan people — rare materials worth nearly the entire treasury of a mid-tier sect. Valued at close to ten million spirit stones, those materials were more than sufficient for Han Li to craft a formidable number of high-level puppets.
So what he needed to buy at the markets was actually nothing more than common materials routinely used in puppet refinement.
As for the ancient Nascent Soul-level puppet he was so eager to craft — although he had managed to find two or three missing materials at the Thousand Bamboo Sect in the Extreme West — he still hadn't gathered them all. One material called "Blood Phoenix Wood" in particular had remained elusive.
This material was a rare, top-grade smithing resource. While not quite as difficult to obtain as Starlight Essence, it was still something money couldn't readily buy. When he would manage to collect it was simply a matter of luck.
Fortunately, Han Li had long since instructed the disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect to keep an eye out. The moment any news of this material surfaced, they were to secure it immediately or notify him straightaway. Collecting it was only a matter of time. However, before entering the Devilfall Valley, there was simply no way to get it done.
Suddenly, Han Li's expression shifted, and his streak of light flickered as his speed dropped sharply.
Up ahead, not far away, spiritual energy was surging violently, and flashes of light flickered — several cultivators were locked in a fierce battle.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, but he paid it little mind.
At a time like this, when all manner of people were milling about with no one to keep order, it was entirely normal for enemies to cross paths and exchange blows.
With Han Li's cultivation, he approached to within several hundred zhang of them in the blink of an eye, and the cultivators still hadn't noticed his presence, absorbed as they were in their desperate fight.
Four men and one woman, split into two opposing factions.
A single sweep of Han Li's gaze told him they were all Core Formation cultivators, most at the early to mid Core Formation stage. Yet the grudge between them seemed deep — not only were their treasures dancing through the air, but they were hurling all manner of talismans at each other, detonating them in rapid succession.
However, the side with two men and one woman had been pushed entirely onto the defensive by the other pair. This was not because the opposing cultivators possessed superior magical power, but because the tall and short cultivators had summoned several hundred enormous moths that had surrounded the trio in a tight ring.
These palm-sized, horrifying creatures beat their wings and sprayed clouds of brilliantly colored poisonous powder in all directions. The three on the receiving end were forced to spend the greater part of their effort maintaining defensive barriers against the onslaught. Combined with the offensive treasures wielded by the two male cultivators, the trio was hard pressed and clearly losing ground.
Still, from Han Li's vantage point, although the three were at a disadvantage, a decisive outcome would not be reached any time soon.
Moreover, given these people's cultivation levels, apart from the poisonous moths and the silver giant brush and golden scroll treasures wielded by a brocade-robed scholar — which caught Han Li's interest enough for him to linger on them with a second look — the techniques employed by the rest were hardly worth his attention.
Han Li didn't know what sect these cultivators belonged to, but he had no interest in meddling. He was about to flash past without a word when his gaze happened to sweep across the scholar's sleeve, where he caught sight of a yellow maple leaf insignia embroidered there.
"Yellow Maple Valley?" Han Li paused, somewhat surprised. He studied the scholar's face for a moment longer, and his expression shifted.
But in that brief interval, the two cultivators who had been dominating the fight finally noticed Han Li's streak of light, which had already closed to within a hundred zhang.
The two cultivators commanding the poisonous moths were startled. They hurriedly swept out with their spiritual sense, and their faces drained of color simultaneously.
"We humbly ask which senior has graced this place. This junior is a disciple of the Spirit Command Sect and pays respects to the senior." The tall and short cultivators hastily recalled their treasures, leaving only the swarms of moths to continue harassing the three opponents, while they flew off to the side and cupped their fists toward Han Li from a distance.
"The Spirit Command Sect! You two are demonic cultivators?" At these words, Han Li flew directly overhead and stopped his light of escape, revealing his figure.