Though Han Li marveled at what he had witnessed, he also felt somewhat puzzled!
Although Han Li was not well-versed in the soul-entrancing arts, he knew a thing or two about them.
The Celestial Eye technique, which every cultivator mastered, could actually be considered the most basic soul-entrancing spell. If there was a vast disparity in magical power between two cultivators, using the Celestial Eye technique to gaze into the other's eyes could cause them to lose their mental composure, rendering them passive during a battle of Dao Arts.
Even other types of soul-entrancing arts primarily relied on an enormous gap in magical power to forcibly seize control of another's mind.
Dong Xuan'er was at the Foundation Establishment early stage, while the bewitching man was at the Foundation Establishment mid stage. By common reasoning, such a small gap should never lead to the absurd situation where a single exchange of glances would immediately leave one completely subdued. Unless the opponent was a Core Formation stage cultivator who specialized in soul-entrancing arts, there might be some plausibility to it.
Yet judging by the bewitching man's expression, and the venomous look he wore when he departed, that did not seem to be the case at all! It was absolutely impossible that some Core Formation stage cultivator was merely posing as a Foundation Establishment cultivator to toy with them.
Han Li thought this over, and only then did he truly feel somewhat reassured. After all, he had taken that venomous expression on the bewitching man's face quite seriously.
When he raised his head from his deep contemplation, he happened to see Dong Xuan'er flirting and bantering with those two men once more. The pitiful, delicate look she had worn moments ago had vanished without a trace.
Seeing this scene, Han Li sighed inwardly, rose to his feet, and was about to return to his own room.
But just as Han Li placed his palm on the wooden door, before he could push it open, he suddenly heard a man's booming voice from outside the inn.
"Attention all guests in the inn! The Treasure Seizing Assembly to be held tomorrow will be divided into two groups. Cultivators of this state will compete on the western peak of Yanling Fortress, while cultivators from other states will compete on the eastern peak. All participants are requested to arrive promptly tomorrow morning. Those who fail to appear on time will be considered to have forfeited the competition."
This announcement was repeated three times outside the inn before the person seemed to depart.
Han Li was momentarily startled upon hearing this, but then he paid it no further mind and pushed the door open, returning to his own room.
Separating cultivators from the two states into different groups was somewhat unexpected for Han Li, but he did not notice anything particularly amiss about it.
After all, if cultivators from the Seven Sects and those from other states competed together, it would inevitably cause all sorts of trouble. This kind of xenophilic mentality was the same everywhere. The confrontation in the teahouse earlier that day was proof enough of that.
While pondering this, Han Li sat cross-legged on his bed, preparing to meditate and refine Qi for the night, so as to make some preparations for tomorrow's Treasure Seizing Assembly.
...
In a certain residence within Yanling Fortress, the bewitching and eerie man sat in a wooden chair. Before him, several men and women stood respectfully, reporting something to him. The man listened with a blank expression, a glint of sharp light flickering in his eyes from time to time. For some unknown reason, he let out a cold laugh.
...
At the same time, on the western peak of Yanling Fortress, over a dozen Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators in green robes were bustling about on the mountaintop, periodically burying certain objects in the ground. The Ghost Spirit Sect's young master and two Core Formation stage cultivators hovered in midair, observing everything below with cold eyes.
"How is it? With the Grand Yin Fire Formation so greatly weakened in this temporary setup, will it still be effective?" the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master suddenly asked.
"Rest assured, Young Sect Master! It will be absolutely no problem. Although it is only a temporary formation, with us brothers presiding over it, its ability to trap enemies can still be brought to bear to some degree. Of course, if there happens to be a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator within the formation, or someone wielding a magical artifact of exceptionally formidable power, that would be harder to say! But the vast majority of cultivators will certainly have no ability to escape," the elder of the Li brothers said with a light cough, his voice somewhat trembling.
"Mm, that puts my mind at ease! The Twelve Ghost Spirit Guards I brought along are not sitting idle. With their strength, dealing with a few stragglers will be more than sufficient!" the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master said without a shred of worry.
The Li brothers, upon hearing this, felt there was no issue and said no more.
In truth, if it were not for the requirement to keep the cultivators' souls and primordial spirits intact, the two brothers could have simply taken action themselves and eliminated a few Foundation Establishment cultivators — that would have been a trivial matter. Why go to all this trouble! the Li brothers thought with an air of pride.
...
In a secret chamber deep within Yellow Maple Valley, thousands of miles away in the Taiyue Mountain Range, seven or eight Core Formation stage cultivators were gathered together. With tense expressions, they listened intently to a white-haired old man in a yellow robe who was speaking, each face shifting between shadow and light in accordance with his words.
Han Li's master Li Huayuan, Red FlyWhisk Fairy, and the rotund Lei Wanhe were all among them, their expressions equally filled with unease.
Before long, after the cultivators in the secret chamber emerged, the entirety of Yellow Maple Valley erupted into a ferment.
High above, various flying swords streaked across the sky in every direction. At lower altitudes, waves upon waves of cultivators gathered in commotion. After another stretch of time, hastily assembled groups of cultivators departed from Yellow Maple Valley in the night, heading off in various directions toward unknown destinations.
This same scene was repeated in the remaining six sects, and messengers between the various sects shuttled back and forth without cease. It seemed that overnight, the entire cultivator world of the State of Yue had become bristling with killing intent.
And the various clans and families, great and small, of the State of Yue all received, one after another over the following days, a conscription order co-signed by the leaders of all Seven Sects. It called for the conscription of outstanding disciples from each clan to be placed on standby, and those who defied the order would face the enforcement squad composed of cultivators from the Seven Sects, who would ruthlessly exterminate the offending clan.
Of course, the conscription order that arrived at the Yan clan three days later found empty rooms...
Han Li and the cultivators of the Seven Sects within Yanling Fortress, being so far removed from their respective sects, naturally knew nothing of this.
Thus, when dawn began to break the following day, some cultivators arrived early at the small western peak. There, a massive formation array had already been erected, and within the formation, two middle-aged men dressed in Yan clan attire sat with their eyes closed in meditation.
Behind the formation stood a low earthen platform, upon which another dozen or so figures shrouded in a faint mist — all members of the Yan clan — stood discussing something among themselves. It appeared they would wait until all cultivators had arrived before commencing the assembly.
Han Li had also arrived at the peak. He had not come with Dong Xuan'er but had habitually set out ahead alone. At the peak, he happened to encounter the middle-aged man surnamed Ba from the Giant Sword Sect, who had likewise arrived early. The two naturally fell into idle conversation.
"Brother Ba, do you know what this formation array is for?" After studying the massive formation several times, Han Li felt it was somewhat unsettling. After chatting for a while, he could not help but ask the other.
"I'm ashamed to say I don't know much about formations myself! But I'd wager it's some sort of protective barrier or restriction. After all, when Foundation Establishment cultivators truly compete, they will certainly need to be confined within a limited area. Otherwise, this little peak wouldn't survive our exchanges!" the cultivator surnamed Ba said, stroking his chin casually.
"Oh! That does seem very likely!" Han Li said aloud, yet he still sensed a faint aura of unease emanating from the formation. This had nothing to do with the depth of magical power whatsoever — it was entirely a matter of his intuition.
Han Li furrowed his brow and looked around. By now, over thirty cultivators had arrived at the scene. The Daoist priests from the Pure Void Sect and the woman surnamed Fang from Sky Citadel — all people he recognized — had arrived one after another, gathering in small groups of three or five to chat.
"Brother Han, let us go over and pay our respects as well! See, Wuzi and the others are all over there!" The cultivator surnamed Ba glanced toward where the others had gathered and suggested to Han Li with a smile.
"Brother Ba, please go ahead. I still have a few things to consider, so I won't trouble the others!" Han Li shook his head lightly, unwilling to join so many people in one gathering — it was simply too conspicuous.
The cultivator from the Giant Sword Sect shrugged. Though somewhat puzzled, he still walked over on his own. After all, an opportunity to befriend cultivators from so many other sects at once did not come often. He was not about to let it slip away easily.
Seeing that the cultivator surnamed Ba had departed, Han Li did not remain in place either. He habitually made his way to a secluded corner far from the formation array. From there, he coldly observed the movements of every other cultivator.
Half an hour later, Dong Xuan'er and Senior Brother Feng finally arrived as well. The moment they appeared, they joined a group composed entirely of Yellow Maple Valley cultivators. Before long, Dong Xuan'er was flirting effortlessly with several of the male disciples. Yet Yan Yu, who had been inseparable from her side, was nowhere to be seen. This struck Han Li as somewhat unexpected.
At that moment, the dozen or so cultivators standing on the earthen platform — dressed in Yan clan attire but in truth members of the Ghost Spirit Sect — were counting the number of attendees.
"Young Master, two people are still missing. And it is already quite late. Shall we wait a little longer?" After finishing the count, one Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator reported to the young master.
"There is no need to wait any longer. Immediately inform the two elders to open the great formation. Otherwise, the longer we wait, the more likely it is that some clever cultivator will sense something is wrong, and that would be worse! As for the two who have not arrived, send Number Eight and Number Twelve from the Twelve Guards to hunt them down. Regardless of why they failed to appear, none of them shall be allowed to leave Yanling Fortress alive!" the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master gave the order without a moment's hesitation, his killing intent overflowing.