"I don't want anyone from Spirit Beast Mountain to know about what happened tonight. Keep your mouths shut!" Han Li suddenly looked up and said coldly to the Sect Leader of the Five Colors Gate.
The old man's heart trembled, but he quickly put on a humble expression, repeatedly saying he wouldn't dare.
Han Li stared silently at the Sect Leader of the Five Colors Gate for a while, only smiling when the man's face was covered in cold sweat. Then his body flickered and vanished without a trace.
Just as the old man was reeling in shock, he felt a hand lightly pat his shoulder. His body instantly stiffened, and he slowly turned his head.
Indeed, Han Li was standing behind him with a calm expression.
"Does the Immortal Master have any other orders? This old man will certainly comply." The Sect Leader of the Five Colors Gate forced a smile, his voice betraying his unease.
"No, just wanted to say hello." Han Li said as if nothing were wrong.
"Say hello?"
The old man was stunned, not quite understanding Han Li's intent. But then he remembered something and quickly checked his body with a change of expression, finding nothing unusual, so he relaxed.
At this moment, Han Li summoned the Divine Wind Boat without another word, then flickered onto the magic treasure.
After giving the old man and the young man a deep look, Han Li sneered, transformed into a beam of white light, and flew away into the sky.
He left behind the bewildered father and son, and the complex-looking Mo Yuzhu.
...
Han Li stood on his magic treasure, facing the wind, a hint of mockery playing at the corner of his mouth.
Although the Sect Leader of the Five Colors Gate had repeatedly said he wouldn't let anyone from Spirit Beast Mountain know about his visit, Han Li had detected a flash of insincerity in his expression.
Since that was the case, Han Li naturally wouldn't leave such a cunning schemer harboring resentment in the shadows, even if the man was just a mortal.
Therefore, he had just slipped behind him and secretly planted a "Heart-Boring Worm" with that pat on the shoulder.
This worm was extremely peculiar—its body was as thin as a hair, almost invisible to the naked eye, and could only be detected with spiritual sense. Once it entered a person's body through the skin, it would cling to the blood vessels and slowly inch its way toward the heart.
After one or two years, the victim would gradually experience heart pain and insomnia, symptoms that would worsen over time. After several more months, the person would die from a heart attack, appearing no different from a normal cardiac arrest. Even if an advanced cultivator who was unaware of the situation came to investigate, they would find nothing unusual.
Since so much time had passed, they naturally wouldn't connect his death to Han Li's pat tonight, allowing Han Li to distance himself easily.
This insidious worm was something Han Li had obtained from a demonic path disciple he had killed. Initially, he didn't know what it was, but after having it appraised, he learned of its origin and uses. Now it was being put to good use on the Sect Leader of the Five Colors Gate.
This way, he didn't have to play the villain in front of Mo Yuzhu, and it could be seen as fulfilling his promise to Mo Fengwu. Han Li thought to himself with a hint of satisfaction.
And before this, even if the man truly did tell Spirit Beast Mountain about tonight's events, Han Li wouldn't care.
After all, he hadn't harmed the father and son in the slightest tonight, so Spirit Beast Mountain likely wouldn't bother him over such a trivial matter. As for the remaining son of the Sect Leader of the Five Colors Gate, he seemed like a decent person. Han Li hoped Mo Yuzhu and he would be happy together.
Thinking this, Han Li rode the Divine Wind Boat toward the west of Jiayuan City.
He still needed to resolve the anomaly with Qu Hun. Although he didn't know what exactly had happened to Qu Hun, he couldn't simply leave it unattended.
Over a hundred li west of Jiayuan City lay a vast range of densely forested mountains. It was said that venomous snakes and fierce beasts roamed the area, so few people ventured in. This was likely why the anomalous Qu Hun had fled here.
Han Li stood high in the air, calmly gazing down at the dark mountain range below, silent.
After a long while, he reached into his storage pouch and produced the Soul-Summoning Bell.
Han Li held it flat on his palm and slowly channeled spiritual energy into it. After a short while, the Soul-Summoning Bell emitted a faint white glow and hovered in midair.
"Go!"
Han Li formed a hand seal with his other hand, flicked it quickly into the small bell, and softly uttered the command.
The Soul-Summoning Bell trembled, let out a clear chime, and darted off in a specific direction.
Han Li's face lit up with a faint smile as he followed closely behind on his Divine Wind Boat.
Thanks to the drop of Qu Hun's vital blood that had been mixed in during the bell's creation, he could easily use it to track Qu Hun's hiding place.
The bell couldn't be too far from Qu Hun—over a thousand li, and it would be useless. But judging from its reaction now, Qu Hun was indeed nearby, which naturally delighted Han Li.
The small bell flew straight for twenty or thirty li before suddenly descending at an angle. Seeing this, Han Li knew he had found his target. He immediately accelerated, caught the bell in his hand, and then enveloped it in a layer of green light, completely masking its white glow.
From Sun Ergou's words, Han Li already knew that the anomalous Qu Hun could sense the Soul-Summoning Bell's presence. Naturally, he had to conceal its aura to avoid scaring the target away.
Landing silently on the small hilltop, Han Li began scanning his surroundings.
Though the night was dark, as a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, Han Li could still make out some details. He headed straight for the spot where the bell had originally descended—a large pile of rocks on the mountain peak.
Han Li moved without a sound, as silent and eerie as a ghost. Thus, when he finally spotted Qu Hun, the latter remained completely unaware, sitting cross-legged on a large boulder, eyes closed in meditation, appearing to be cultivating.
Hiding behind a rock and secretly observing Qu Hun, Han Li was greatly surprised.
He could sense the presence of spiritual energy in Qu Hun—fluctuations that clearly indicated the fifth or sixth layer of the Qi Refining stage. How could this not astonish Han Li?
He remembered clearly that Zhang Tie had been completely unable to cultivate the Evergreen Technique. He should have lacked spiritual roots.
"Wait! Being unable to cultivate the Evergreen Technique doesn't mean Zhang Tie had no spiritual roots—it just meant he lacked wood-attribute spiritual roots. Could it be that Qu Hun actually possesses spiritual roots of another attribute?" Han Li recalled with sudden realization.
"If that's the case, what an incredible coincidence! Two people with spiritual roots—a rarity among ten thousand mortals—were both taken in by that Mo Juren at the same time."
Han Li found it hard to believe, but then he thought further:
"If that's so, it's truly a pity. Just because of the different attributes of their spiritual roots, he and Zhang Tie ended up with completely different fates. If the attribute he lacked had happened to be wood, perhaps his fate would have been..." Han Li shuddered at the thought, a few threads of fear running through him.
"But Qu Hun..."
Han Li seemed to think of something, lightly furrowing his brow. A hint of cold light flashed in his eyes, but he made no move to reveal himself, merely watching the cultivating Qu Hun coldly in silence.
After the time it takes to eat a meal, Qu Hun opened his eyes, then slowly rose to his feet and stretched his limbs.
His gaze was sharp and alert, appearing truly to have gained sentience.
But seeing this, Han Li showed no hint of happiness. Instead, his face was grim, his expression carrying a faint murderous intent.
"Today's progress is excellent! In another three or four months, I won't need to fear that mortal who holds the treasure that suppresses this body." Qu Hun seemed quite pleased, murmuring to himself as he gazed up at the sky.
Just as "Qu Hun" was showing a look of delight, a cold voice came from one side.
"It seems you're quite satisfied with this body!"
"Who's there?"
Qu Hun's expression changed drastically as he hurriedly looked toward the source of the voice, his face filled with wariness.
At this moment, Han Li stepped out from behind the rock with a blank expression, his face cold.
"Who are you?"
"Huh, you're a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator!"
Upon seeing Han Li, Qu Hun first demanded an answer, but then realized he couldn't gauge Han Li's cultivation level, and his face couldn't help but show fear.
"That's exactly what I want to ask you. Who are you exactly, and why have you usurped this body? This body belongs to my friend, and I personally handed it to my subordinate for safekeeping. You've occupied it for so many years without a word—shouldn't you give me an explanation?" Han Li said calmly.
"This body is yours?" Qu Hun showed a skeptical expression, his eyes darting about, clearly plotting something.
Seeing this, Han Li gave a cold laugh, suddenly raised his hand, and revealed the Soul-Summoning Bell wrapped in green light.
"What are you doing?" Upon seeing Han Li's actions, Qu Hun leaped back several zhang like a startled rabbit, his face full of vigilance.
Though he had sensed the Soul-Summoning Bell's presence before, he didn't know its exact appearance, nor did he know it was the treasure specifically designed to suppress this body. He simply assumed instinctively that Han Li was about to attack.