Han Li ignored the man's look of shock and anger. Instead, he extended a finger toward the green light enveloping the Soul-Drawing Bell and lightly tapped the small bell, producing a "ding" sound.
With a "thud," Qu Hun, who had been about to seize the chance to escape, immediately flipped over and collapsed to the ground.
"Natal dharma treasure! What you're holding is this body's natal dharma treasure!" Qu Hun cried out, his face filled with terror.
"Now you know! If you don't want to suffer, then explain your origins properly. I'm quite curious—how were you able to seize this body? Aren't cultivators unable to possess mortals?" Han Li said calmly, his voice flat, as if he were chatting with an old friend.
But upon hearing this, Qu Hun couldn't help but shudder. He knew that cultivators who practiced body possession were despised throughout the cultivation world. While it hadn't reached the point of exterminating all such individuals, they were certainly never treated kindly. Han Li's very abnormal composure made him even more anxious, and he couldn't help but frantically brainstorm ways to escape.
"Forgive me, fellow Daoist. In the past, I was also a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, but after my physical body was destroyed in a battle with an enemy, I had no choice but to take over this body." This person didn't answer Han Li's question. Instead, he stood up and explained with a forced smile.
"Is that so?" Han Li replied noncommittally.
Actually, hearing that the other party was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator had slightly surprised Han Li.
But Qu Hun couldn't tell what Han Li was thinking. Seeing his unmoved expression, he couldn't help but feel a bit alarmed. He quickly added:
"Although my cultivation has fallen to the early Qi Condensation stage, I still have some dharma treasures and spirit stones. As long as you don't pursue this matter, I'm willing to gift them to you!" This was said in a somewhat submissive tone. He clearly understood the principle that when under someone else's roof, one must bow their head!
But Han Li ignored his words of temptation. Instead, after a moment of thought, he suddenly asked:
"Are you a cultivator from one of the Seven Sects?"
Han Li asked this seemingly casually. As far as he knew, cultivators outside the Seven Sects were rarely at the Foundation Establishment stage. Of course, some large cultivation families still had many, like the Yan family.
"The Seven Sects... Oh, yes, I'm a cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain. Might you also be a cultivator from one of the Seven Sects?" Qu Hun's expression remained normal when saying this. But Han Li caught a hint of panic in his eyes, which made him suspect even more.
"So you're a fellow Daoist from Spirit Beast Mountain! I wonder, how is Miss Han Yunzhi of your mountain?" Han Li asked with a light smile, speaking slowly.
"Han Yunzhi... I'm truly sorry. Because I've been in seclusion cultivating for many years, I really don't have much impression of some of the younger disciples." Qu Hun was first stunned by Han Li's question. Then he gave a few dry laughs and said somewhat insincerely.
"You don't know her? Then which fellow Daoists do you know? Feel free to name a few disciples for me to hear. I know many fellow Daoists from Spirit Beast Mountain—perhaps I might know them!" Han Li continued to press, his expression unchanged.
"This..." Qu Hun's face showed some panic. And his eyes started darting around again, looking very dishonest.
Watching this person stammer and evade, Han Li's face turned cold. His expression became grim.
"Fellow Daoist, you've truly disappointed me. It seems you prefer the hard way over the easy way," Han Li said unkindly. Then his body swayed forward. In the next instant, he had already returned.
Qu Hun remained motionless in place, but a Mind-Stabilizing Talisman had been placed on his chest. The man hadn't even had a chance to react. This made his face change dramatically as he hurriedly shouted:
"Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this? We can discuss this properly..."
This Mind-Stabilizing Talisman, when used against mortals, naturally rendered their bodies completely stiff, to the point where they couldn't even speak. But when used against cultivators with some magical power, its effect was somewhat weaker. Although it could still immobilize cultivators of lower cultivation, speaking and various facial expressions were completely unaffected.
Han Li paid no attention to this person's shouts. Instead, he took out a bowl as black as ink from his storage pouch.
As soon as this object appeared, an aura of gloominess spread out, causing the temperature of the surrounding air to drop several degrees. Then, waves of ghostly wailing sounded from within the bowl, and strange black mist circled around it, making this dharma treasure appear even more eerie and ghostly. This was precisely the "Soul-Gathering Bowl" that Han Li had only recently acquired.
Holding this dharma treasure in one hand, Han Li cast a gloomy glance at his opponent. Then, with an expressionless face, he took several steps forward to approach Qu Hun.
This person stared at the strange phenomena emanating from the bowl, and a look of suspicion appeared on his face. But immediately, he seemed to remember something, and his expression suddenly became tense. He said somewhat unnaturally:
"What are you going to do? Are you going to use the Soul Refining Technique?"
When the words "Soul Refining Technique" left his lips, his eyes revealed an extremely fearful expression.
The notorious "Soul Refining Technique" was feared and avoided by everyone in the cultivation world. Even among cultivators, this technique was sometimes invoked when making oaths.
Generally, every sect and major family had specialized practitioners who learned this technique. It was the most severe punishment and deterrent against traitors and those who betrayed their clans, renowned for its cruelty in the cultivation world.
It was said that practitioners of this technique could extract a person's primordial spirit and soul, then use specialized methods to torment them. It was rumored that the direct stimulation of the soul's pain was so excruciating that even the most strong-willed person couldn't endure it for even a moment. Moreover, the stronger a cultivator's primordial spirit, the more intense the pain they suffered—a prospect that truly made all cultivators blanch at the mere mention.
Rumors about the Soul Refining Technique were widespread throughout the cultivation world. The most commonly circulating one was that cultivators who practiced the Soul Refining Technique would inevitably cultivate a "soul weapon" closely connected to their own primordial spirit. Only with this dharma treasure could they execute the Soul Refining Technique, making the victim's soul wish for death rather than life.
The appearance of this soul weapon was something few people in the outside world had ever seen with their own eyes. Naturally, most cultivators spread rumors that it appeared eerie and filled with ghostly mist—which happened to closely resemble the image of the "Soul-Gathering Bowl" containing the souls of over a hundred cultivators.
Therefore, when this bowl was taken out and displayed its strange phenomena, combined with Han Li's earlier threatening words, Qu Hun mistakenly believed that Han Li actually knew that terrifying "Soul Refining Technique."
It was no wonder he thought this way. Anyone, when thinking of tormenting someone's primordial spirit and soul, would immediately think of this technique. How could this not make his soul flee in terror?
Hearing Qu Hun's words, Han Li's face showed no expression, but he felt somewhat surprised internally.
To be honest, when he took out this dharma treasure, he hadn't even considered using the "Soul Refining Technique" to frighten his opponent. He had only intended to use the bowl's gloomy chill to give his opponent's primordial spirit a good amount of suffering. But now that this person actually believed he knew the Soul Refining Technique and was extremely fearful of it, this gave him an idea, and he decided to play along.
"I'll ask you one more time—what exactly are your origins, and why are you pretending to be a cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain?" Han Li didn't answer whether he would use the Soul Refining Technique. Instead, he asked coldly again.
Han Li's practice of avoiding the question made this person even more convinced. His face turned pale, but after his lips moved a few times, he still showed no intention of speaking.
Seeing this situation, Han Li stopped wasting words. Instead, he murmured a few incantations whose meaning he himself didn't understand, and then unceremoniously held the "Soul-Gathering Bowl" up to the man's face.
Remembering back when the gloomy chill from the bowl had made even Han Li, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, shiver upon contact—now that his cultivation had fallen to the Qi Condensation stage, Qu Hun naturally couldn't withstand it at all.
Therefore, as soon as the bowl was placed before him, this person felt an extreme chill pervading his entire body, as if his primordial spirit was about to freeze solid, as if tens of thousands of steel needles were simultaneously piercing into the depths of his soul.
After just a moment, this person could no longer endure the pain. After a miserable cry, the muscles on his face twisted out of shape.
"Don't rush—I haven't even formally cast the technique yet. When I do, the pain will be over a hundred times worse than this!" Han Li's ethereal voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Over a hundred times!" Upon hearing Han Li's words, this person was so terrified he nearly fainted.
He couldn't endure even this current level of pain for more than a moment. If it were over a hundred times worse, his primordial spirit would surely dissipate on the spot from the agony. This was absolutely the legendary "Soul Refining Technique."
Having tasted the suffering, Qu Hun no longer had any doubts. Therefore, when he saw Han Li making hand seals again, he didn't dare to hold out any longer and hurriedly changed his tune:
"Fellow Daoist, show mercy! I'll talk. Can you please put away the soul weapon first? Please don't use the Soul Refining Technique anymore!"
Because of the bowl's gloomy chill seeping into him, he was so cold that even his voice had changed. If not for the fact that he still had some spiritual power protecting his body, and that Qu Hun's physical body was far stronger than an ordinary person's, he would have long since been frozen stiff.
"If you had been this sensible earlier, wouldn't you have avoided this suffering?" Han Li put on a look that said "you brought this on yourself," then seemingly casually put away the bowl.
Actually, he had also secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
Because even if this person hadn't said those words, Han Li would have soon put away the "Soul-Gathering Bowl." The bowl's gloomy chill, which Han Li was touching directly, was also becoming increasingly unbearable for him, making it impossible to continue holding it.
Seeing that Han Li had truly put away what he believed to be the soul weapon, Qu Hun let out a long breath.
"It's best not to think about getting through this with lies. I can naturally use relevant techniques to test the truth of what you say. I don't imagine you're foolish enough to let your primordial spirit scatter and forfeit any chance of reincarnation just to keep some secret," Han Li's voice was incredibly cold.
This sentence made Qu Hun, who recalled the pain he had just endured, tremble all over, his expression extremely ugly!