The West Peak of Pool Mountain was larger than Han Li had imagined.
Atop the peak stood not only an ancient temple but also over a dozen stone pavilions of various sizes. Cultivators were already gathered in small groups inside them, engaged in lengthy conversations.
Of course, outside the pavilions and the temple, a few cultivators were also milling about.
It seemed that for this gathering at White Pool Mountain, some impatient early birds had already arrived.
Han Li observed the peak from the air for a moment before circling once and landing in a secluded corner.
Then, with Qu Hun in tow, he headed casually toward several nearby stone pavilions.
With Han Li's powerful spiritual sense, it didn't take long for him to clearly overhear the conversations of the cultivators within the pavilions.
One pavilion, where four cultivators were engaged in animated discussion, caught Han Li's attention.
After listening briefly, he realized they were discussing the war between the Seven Sects of the Kingdom of Yue and the Demonic Path. His spirit perked up, and without further hesitation, he walked over.
"This disastrous defeat against the Demonic Path has not only forced the six sects of the Kingdom of Yue to flee their homeland, but our own Kingdom of Yuanwu and the Kingdom of Zijin will also face great calamities soon. Now, we can only wait and see whether the Demonic Path strikes at us in Yuanwu or attacks Zijin first," sighed the pale-faced middle-aged man among the four.
"Indeed, the last great war not only devastated the six sects' strength, but the cultivators from our two kingdoms who went to aid them also perished—fifty to sixty percent of them! The Celestial Star Sect and the other major sects must be in a terrible mess now!" a young man in his twenties chimed in with a tone of schadenfreude.
Hearing the young man's words, the other two elders among the three remained expressionless. But the middle-aged man who had spoken first couldn't help but smile bitterly several times, opening his mouth as if to say something more.
But just then, a voice came from the side.
"I'm afraid that even if the Celestial Star Sect and the other major sects are in disarray, the days of us loose cultivators and cultivation families will only grow harder. Those on the Demonic Path live by the law of the jungle. When that time comes, we won't be as carefree as we are today." Han Li walked over slowly, voicing the very sentiment the middle-aged man had been implying.
The four cultivators, startled to find someone nearby, immediately fell silent.
But upon discovering they couldn't discern Han Li's cultivation level, they all showed a trace of unease and hurriedly stood to bow respectfully. The middle-aged man, in particular, hastily tried to defend the young man:
"Senior, Junior Nephew Yu was just speaking casually. He meant no disrespect to any sect. Please don't take offense!"
These four had mistaken Han Li for a high-ranking cultivator from some sect in the Kingdom of Yuanwu.
The young man's expression also turned nervous.
"No need to misunderstand. I'm just a loose cultivator as well. I merely interjected with a casual remark," Han Li explained with a gentle smile.
Only then did the four relax somewhat. Though they weren't sure if Han Li's claimed identity was true, it was clear he didn't intend to pursue the young man's earlier impertinence.
At their respectful invitation, Han Li took a seat at the stone table inside the pavilion.
"It's an honor for us juniors to have a senior here. But with your cultivation level, why would you attend such a low-level gathering?" asked the red-faced elder, who had the deepest cultivation among the four, looking somewhat restrained.
It was no wonder he was surprised. A local, small-scale gathering like the one at White Pool Mountain rarely attracted Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. If high-level cultivators wished to exchange information, there would naturally be other, more elevated gatherings.
"I've been cultivating in a desolate mountain not far from here recently. Only recently did I hear about the defeat of our kingdom's cultivators in the Kingdom of Yue. Sensing that great changes were coming to the cultivation world, I came out to gather information. Do any of you have the latest news about the Demonic Path and the Kingdom of Yue?" Han Li said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, the four exchanged glances. Then, almost simultaneously, the three of them looked toward the thin, elderly man.
"When it comes to having the latest information, of course we have to defer to Elder Ding. After all, the Ding family has many mundane businesses right in the Kingdom of Yue!" the red-faced elder said with a dry laugh, deftly passing the question along.
The other two nodded in agreement, which piqued Han Li's interest.
Elder Ding, looking somewhat embarrassed, had no choice but to say helplessly:
"Our Ding family's members in the Kingdom of Yue have indeed recently sent back some of the latest developments. Originally, the family didn't want these tidings to spread, but since all of you are my close friends and the senior here is also interested, I suppose I'll share a little! But please, don't spread this lightly."
At his words, the other three perked up considerably, nodding repeatedly in agreement.
The elder cleared his throat and began slowly:
"The news I received just a few days ago says the Kingdom of Yue is in chaos. Although the Demonic Path defeated the six sects' allied forces, many of the sects' fleeing cultivators haven't left the kingdom. Relying on the terrain, they continue to launch raids on the Demonic Path. I've heard that even some Core Formation stage cultivators haven't evacuated, keeping the Demonic Path quite busy. After all, Core Formation cultivators aren't easy to deal with. Moreover, with the six sects having been rooted in the Kingdom of Yue for so long, their latent influence remains considerable, making it quite troublesome for the Demonic Path to take over the cultivation world there."
"As for the cultivation families in the Kingdom of Yue, they've now split into three camps. One camp, seeing the six sects' defeat, immediately switched allegiance and voluntarily submitted to the six Demonic sects. Another camp, having been too closely tied to the six sects, feared the Demonic Path would settle old scores, so they also fled the kingdom just like the sects. The third camp is still in a wait-and-see mode, preparing to observe the situation before making a move."
"As for the major strongholds the seven sects had occupied for years, I've heard that aside from the Masked Moon Sect and the Giant Sword Sect, which haven't yet been breached by the six Demonic sects, the other four have all been completely captured. But the spoils were reportedly very meager, as most of the rare treasures had already been carried away by the departing disciples."
"In my opinion, as long as the Demonic Path cannot stabilize the Kingdom of Yue, they won't attack our kingdom or Zijin. No matter how many troops they have, seizing two small kingdoms and one medium-sized kingdom all at once might be too much for them to handle. That's why they haven't been able to deal with those pesky six sects' cultivators who keep causing trouble."
The elder spoke these words slowly, even sharing some of his own insights.
"Elder Ding, how long do you think the Demonic Path will give us to catch our breath? Can our kingdom's various sects still withstand their attacks?" the red-faced elder couldn't help but interject.
"That's hard to say. After all, what I know is just surface-level news. The real situation? I'm afraid only the higher-ups in each sect truly know." Elder Ding shook his head and stole a glance at Han Li.
He clearly still believed Han Li was a cultivator from one of their own kingdom's sects, which made him somewhat guarded in what he said.
Then, as if unwilling to continue discussing related topics, Elder Ding suddenly smiled and mentioned something that surprised Han Li.
"This time, when the six sects of the Kingdom of Yue withdrew in such a hurry, they all adopted the gecko's strategy of shedding its tail. They only took the elite disciples with better aptitude from their sects, leaving many others in the dark and sacrificing them. The cruelest of all, they say, were the higher-ups of Yellow Maple Valley. To ensure their truly trusted elites could escape the Kingdom of Yue safely, they actually sacrificed two batches of disciples. That was almost all the cultivators of Yellow Maple Valley aside from those who evacuated. Tsk tsk, quite the ruthless tactic!"
Though the elder spoke casually, Han Li's heart sank suddenly, and his expression shifted subtly.
Fortunately, no one dared stare at Han Li too closely, so no one noticed his altered look.
"Elder Ding, what do you mean Yellow Maple Valley sacrificed two batches of disciples? I'm quite interested in hearing more!" Han Li asked, suppressing his shock and maintaining his composure.
"Heh heh, since the senior asks, of course I'll speak the truth. It's like this: I heard that once the higher-ups of the Kingdom of Yue received word of the front's collapse, they immediately devised a plan to shed their skin like a golden cicada. They first sent one batch of disciples to retreat ahead of time, while secretly leaking information to the Demonic Path's spies that these were Yellow Maple Valley's elites, carrying large quantities of spirit stones, raw materials, and other treasures. This completely diverted the Demonic Path's pursuers. At the same time, they left another batch of disciples behind in the dark, letting them use the grand formation to face off against the remaining Demonic cultivators. With these two batches drawing all the enemy's attention, the Yellow Maple Valley higher-ups then had their truly trusted elites, carrying the sect's thousand-year accumulation, retreat in the opposite direction."
"I hear that although Yellow Maple Valley evacuated with the fewest people, they had the easiest retreat among the six sects. The other five sects, despite pooling their forces, were still caught up by pursuers and engaged in numerous battles. Quite a bit of treasure fell into the Demonic Path's hands. Because the Demonic Path was outwitted, this story has already spread throughout the Kingdom of Yue's cultivation world." The elder recounted the tale without omitting any details.
"Oh! So that's how it is. Those abandoned Yellow Maple Valley disciples were truly foolish!" Han Li remarked calmly, speaking in a leisurely tone.