The old man stood with his hands clasped behind his back in the rear hall.
Seeing Han Li and the dozens of cultivators enter, he spoke without changing his expression:
"I've just assessed all of you. Either your aptitude is excellent, or the techniques you cultivate are special. Therefore, you will be the seeds for our sect's rise again. You have half a day to pack your belongings. Martial Nephew Huang will lead you out immediately."
Hearing this, everyone was stunned. Some even asked with alarm:
"Patriarch, won't the Demonic Path need two more days to breach the front lines? Why the rush?"
"Hmph! Breaking through the front lines will indeed take two more days, but do you think they'll watch our remaining people slip away? They've already sent forces around the lines to strike at our sects directly. Their mission isn't to eliminate our sects, but to prevent our orderly retreat. So we must sacrifice those left behind to buy time for your escape. But if any of you dare leak this to those outside while packing, causing chaos during the withdrawal, I will personally deal with you." The old man's voice was chillingly cold, making every cultivator's heart turn cold.
"Yes..."
Han Li and the others naturally dared not object, all responding respectfully before leaving to pack.
On the way back, Han Li parted from the little old man halfway. Both were lost in thought.
Since Han Li's cave dwelling was too far, he immediately flew the Spirit Wind Boat at full speed after parting, hoping to reach his dwelling early.
At this moment, Han Li's heart was incredibly complex.
If he followed Patriarch Linghu's orders to retreat to another kingdom, his life would naturally be safe, and he would be highly valued due to the shortage of cultivators.
But similarly, in the future, to rebuild Yellow Maple Valley and establish a foothold in a new country, as one of the few Foundation Establishment stage cultivators remaining, he would surely be bogged down with trivial matters and have little time for cultivation.
By the time everything settled and the Six Sects had re-established themselves, he would have long missed his opportunity to advance to Core Formation stage. This was something Han Li absolutely could not bear.
But if he fled now, Han Li didn't know if he was still under the old monster's spiritual sense surveillance. Perhaps any slight irregular movement would be detected. As a deserter, he would surely die without a burial place!
Regret surged in Han Li's heart. If he had known things would deteriorate so badly, he should have fled to another country immediately instead of coming back!
Helplessly, Han Li returned to his cave dwelling.
Upon entering, he first took out the storage pouches containing talismans from under his bed and stuffed them into his pockets. Then he went to the storage room and collected the remaining rare medicinal herbs.
Finally, he went to the secret chamber with the Spirit Eye Spring, destroyed the entire chamber, and concealed the spring.
Since he couldn't move this spiritual treasure now, Han Li didn't want the Demonic Path to discover and use it.
After completing everything, Han Li made another round through his dwelling, finding nothing left behind before stepping outside. He carefully extracted the formation flags and discs of the first "Inverted Five Elements Grand Formation" set, storing them safely in his storage pouch.
Seeing the cave dwelling entrance reappear as the formation vanished, Han Li raised his eyebrows and released two beams of dark light. It took him about the time to eat a meal to demolish the entire small mountain peak, burying the cave dwelling completely under the collapsed rocks.
After circling the area once from the air, Han Li flew off.
When he returned to the great hall of discussion, most of the others had already arrived. But to his surprise, besides the dozens of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators like himself, there were actually several hundred Qi Condensation stage disciples also in the hall.
"Are these people being evacuated too?" Han Li wondered.
His eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the little old man standing with Xiao Cuier, speaking quietly to each other. Both looked extremely serious.
Seeing this, Han Li walked over without hesitation.
"Martial Uncle Han!" Xiao Cuier called respectfully when she saw Han Li approach.
Han Li nodded with a smile, then turned to the little old man:
"What's going on? Are these Qi Condensation stage disciples leaving with us?"
Keeping his voice low to avoid attracting attention.
"Yes! The ones who could be easily abandoned. My disciple is among those with excellent aptitude!" The little old man said casually. But when mentioning Xiao Cuier, he showed a hint of pride. Han Li found this somewhat amusing.
After another period of time, Patriarch Linghu and a sharp-eyed middle-aged man finally appeared.
"Word just came that Demonic Path cultivators have been spotted. You must leave immediately. All further arrangements will be handled later! I'll have the remaining people in the valley attract the incoming enemy." Patriarch Linghu said with a grave expression.
Hearing Patriarch Linghu's words, Han Li and the others were shocked. The Demonic Path had arrived so quickly!
The middle-aged man beside Patriarch Linghu then said coldly:
"Time is tight, so I'll be brief. With so many people evacuating under my lead, I have only one requirement: you must obey my every command. Those who disobey will be dealt with as traitors to the sect. Now, depart immediately!"
This man was truly decisive. After a few brief words, he bowed deeply to the old man beside him and strode out of the great hall first.
After a moment's hesitation, everyone swarmed after him.
Thus, the enormous group of several hundred rose into the air from before the stone hall and flew rapidly toward the northeast.
...
After more than half a day, the entire group had left the Taiyue Mountains, then increased their speed even further.
Han Li stood on the Spirit Wind Boat, flying near the front of the formation. When the little old man saw that Han Li's Spirit Wind Boat could carry passengers, he shamelessly pulled Xiao Cuier to stand aboard as well. Han Li could only laugh awkwardly, not wanting to say anything.
But the group had only flown a hundred li from the Taiyue Mountains when a dazzling white light suddenly shot toward them from behind. In the blink of an eye, it passed over the many cultivators' heads and landed in the hands of Martial Uncle Huang at the front of the group. It was a small sword gleaming with white light, with a jade slip attached to it.
The middle-aged man's face darkened, and he immediately waved his hand to halt the entire formation.
He then removed the jade slip, casually tossed the small sword into the air, and it immediately transformed back into white light, flying back the way it had come.
This Martial Uncle Huang extended his spiritual sense into the jade slip to examine it, but after a moment, his face turned ugly as he withdrew. He immediately lowered his head in deep thought, evidently encountering a difficult situation.
"All Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, step forward. The situation has changed. I need to rearrange assignments." The middle-aged man said suddenly, turning back with a grim expression.
These words stunned Han Li and the others, but after exchanging glances, they obediently flew forward on their magic tools. Xiao Cuier quickly and obediently jumped off the Spirit Wind Boat.
"Martial Uncle, what's happened?" More than one person had seen the flying sword messenger arrive.
"Patriarch sent word that the Demonic Path arrived right after we left. And they seem to know about our evacuation plans. They've split into two forces: one is besieging Yellow Maple Valley, while the other is chasing us. Therefore, to ensure the main group's escape, I need a team from among you to lure them away. Those I name will go with me to intercept the enemy. The rest will continue flying out of the Kingdom of Yue under the leadership of the person I designate." Martial Uncle Huang said coldly.
Hearing the middle-aged man's words, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.
They weren't stupid. This interception mission was clearly a suicide task!
Although most people averted their gaze, Martial Uncle Huang mercilessly began pointing, naming over twenty Foundation Establishment stage cultivators in one breath.
Unfortunately, Han Li was among them, while the little old man had escaped this fate!
The chosen ones turned pale, but no one dared to refuse.
With a wave of Martial Uncle Huang's arm, the others continued speeding away, leaving only Han Li and his group, looking solitary.
"Alright, time is tight! I know most of you don't favor this interception mission! But I'm not asking you to fight the pursuing enemies head-on. I just need you to ambush them, draw their attention, and provide some cover for the front group." The middle-aged man said with a slightly softened tone, then produced over twenty green jade slips from his body.
"Memorize the maps in these jade slips, then destroy them! If you get separated later, you can regroup at the locations marked on the maps." After saying this, Martial Uncle Huang raised his hand, and over twenty green lights shot out, each hovering before one person.
Hearing Martial Uncle Huang's words, everyone's expressions improved somewhat. Since it wasn't a direct confrontation with the Demonic Path, their chances of survival were much better. So everyone grabbed their jade slips and began diligently memorizing the maps within.
Though Han Li had also grabbed a jade slip, he only gave it a cursory glance, not bothering to commit it to memory.
Because this time being left behind to intercept the enemy was actually a rare chance for Han Li to slip away. For his future advancement to Core Formation, he wasn't willing to follow Yellow Maple Valley's path to the end!