Han Liâs Return
The nearest city to Chang Province was a large city called Yehua.
The city was over 10,000 kilometers away from the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range, but there were still many cultivators who were unwilling to sleep in the wilderness. As for the small cultivation sects that had secretly occupied the city, they were so frightened that they withdrew to their sect bases and pretended to be deaf and mute.
Although there were many cultivators gathered in the city, there were many inns in the city, so it wasnât a problem to accommodate these few cultivators.
One of the inns was called the Great Fortune Inn. It was an ordinary inn.
There were two groups of cultivators staying inside, and they each reserved two separate rooms with courtyards at the back of the inn.
In one of the rooms, there were three people gathered around a wooden table, discussing something.
These three were all young and beautiful female cultivators. They were Violet Spirit and Mei Ning, who had parted ways with Han Li in Tianyi City. The last one was naturally the woman surnamed Song who was on good terms with them.
At this moment, Violet Spirit appeared dignified and beautiful, but she had clearly used a secret technique to conceal her incomparably charming appearance. From the looks of it, she was just an ordinary female cultivator with somewhat good looks.
The three women were currently whispering something with solemn expressions.
The walls around the room faintly flickered with white light. It appeared that a restriction had been set up to prevent others from eavesdropping on their conversation.
Violet Spirit frowned and asked with a worried expression, âSister Song, havenât you heard from Brother Han yet? Thereâs not much time left before the miasma dissipates. If Brother Han doesnât appear soon, weâll miss the best opportunity to enter Devilfall Valley.â
The person she was asking was naturally the white-robed woman surnamed Song.
Cultivator Song smiled and calmly said, âSister Violet Spirit, it isnât that you donât know. Two years ago, our sectâs Martial Uncle Cheng announced to the outside world that Martial Uncle Han had entered seclusion to recuperate, but in truth, I somehow learned that Martial Uncle Han had gone to the Far West. Although I donât know why Martial Uncle Han had gone to that place, it would take over a year for him to travel back and forth. There is no rush. Furthermore, isnât there still several months left? Iâve already left a precise contact address in the sect. So long as Martial Uncle returns, he will immediately be able to find us. So long as Martial Uncle wishes to return on time, there is no cultivator in the Far West that can keep Martial Uncle Han here.â
âItâs hard to say. Even if Fellow Daoist Hanâs cultivation is extraordinary, there are some things that canât be resolved with a high cultivation base.â Violet Spirit sighed and couldnât help but recall what had happened in the Umbra Realm.
âSister Song, youâre calling him âMartial Uncle Hanâ as if youâve suddenly become extremely respectful towards Brother Han. In the past, you didnât speak of this Martial Uncle Han with such an expression.â
As Violet Spirit spoke, a faint smile appeared on her face.
Cultivator Songâs face reddened slightly, but her expression remained calm.
âIf Sister Violet Spirit could also kill a peak mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, I would also treat her with the same respect. Martial Uncle Han is now an existence second only to the three great cultivators in the Heavenly South Region. As a junior, whatâs so strange about me being more respectful?â
Violet Spirit chuckled and said, âHehe! Of course not. Even I was shocked when I heard of Fellow Daoist Hanâs accomplishments. Ten years ago, Brother Han was still a Core Formation cultivator like me, but now, he actually possesses such astonishing abilities that we have to look up to him. Itâs truly unbelievable. If I had known this would happen, I wouldâve forcefully married Sister Mei to him as a concubine. Then, Sister Mei Ningâs future cultivation path wouldâve definitely been smooth.â
When Mei Ning heard this, her cheeks flushed, but she didnât say anything. There was only a hint of melancholy in the depths of her eyes.
Back then, Han Li had asked her to choose. Unfortunately, she had missed this opportunity due to a moment of hesitation.
Now that Han Li had such a great reputation, she naturally could not easily mention this matter.
âSister Mei Ning almost became Martial Uncle Hanâs concubine! This is the first time Iâve heard of this. Iâve always thought that Martial Uncle and Sister Violet Spirit were related. After all, with Sisterâs peerless beauty, I believe that there are no men in this world who wouldnât be tempted.â The woman surnamed Song was initially shocked, but she soon chuckled and teased Violet Spirit.
Violet Spirit pursed her lips and said with a faint smile, âHmph! I didnât know that Fellow Daoist Han was so powerful back then. If I had known, I mightâve given myself to you a long time ago. If I were Fellow Daoist Hanâs dual cultivation partner, Iâd definitely be much stronger than I am now.â
This caused the reserved woman surnamed Song to be dumbstruck, and she didnât know whether to laugh or cry.
After a moment of hesitation, Violet Spirit slowly said, âHowever, Brother Hanâs abilities have become so powerful. If he agrees to help, thereâs a high chance that weâll be able to obtain the Spirit Kindle Fruit. Sister Song, have you really decided not to enter Devilfall Valley? You should know that Sister Mei Ning isnât willing to go because the number of cultivators entering the valley has suddenly increased. Itâs too dangerous for her to enter with her cultivation.â
After a moment of thought, the woman surnamed Song replied, âIâve thought about it many times. Iâm different from the two of you. Although Iâm only at the early-Core Formation Stage, Iâm already close to the peak of the early-Core Formation Stage. I only need twenty to thirty years of hard work to reach this stage. Itâs not worth the risk. As for the other treasures in the valley, Iâll have to trade my life for them. I still have some self-awareness.â
Violet Spirit bitterly smiled and dejectedly said, âSince Little Sister Song has already made up her mind, I wonât try to persuade you. In truth, if Fellow Daoist Han doesnât arrive, I wouldnât dare to enter the valley alone. After all, with the increase in the number of high-grade cultivators entering the valley, the dangers will greatly increase. There will definitely be many cases of robbery and killing. If I, an early Core Formation cultivator, were to enter alone, wouldnât I be walking into a tigerâs den? I wouldnât be so foolish.â
Mei Ning and the woman surnamed Song were stunned by her words.
âNo one expected the Ghost Spirit Sect to suddenly leak this information. In the beginning, I even thought that Sister Violet Spirit had deliberately leaked this information so that you could take advantage of the situation,â Song Yu muttered to herself as a strange look flashed across her face.
âTake advantage of the situation? Whatâs there to take advantage of? Of course, the fewer cultivators that enter the valley, the better. Only then will we be able to snatch the Spirit Kindle Fruit before the Ghost Spirit Sect does.â Violet Spirit coquettishly pouted, looking displeased.
âOh! Didnât Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit release the news? It seems that someone else did it.â A familiar male voice suddenly sounded from outside the room.
âMartial Uncle Han!â
âBrother Han!â
The woman surnamed Song and Violet Spirit were shocked at first, but they immediately called out Han Liâs name. Both of their faces revealed pleasant surprise.
Violet Spirit opened her hand and struck the door with a spell seal.
In a flash of white light, the wooden door slowly opened.
A young man in his twenties wearing an old azure robe stood there with his hands behind his back. He looked at the three beauties in the room with a smile on his face.
This man was Han Li, who had returned from the Far West after two years.
There was also a foot-long yellow bamboo tube on his back. It was unknown what was inside, but he was carrying it diagonally on his back and had no intention of putting it into his storage pouch.
If one took a closer look, they would discover that Han Li himself was slightly different from before. Regardless of whether it was his spirit or temperament, he had changed quite a bit. He appeared more calm and steady, giving off an unfathomable feeling.
âGreetings, Martial Uncle Han!â The woman surnamed Song didnât have much time to think about it and hurriedly took a few steps forward to pay her respects.
âBrother Han, youâve finally arrived. I thought youâd been delayed by something and couldnât make it in time!â A faint blush appeared on Violet Spiritâs face and she nervously stood up to greet him.
This woman did not know how long Han Li had been here. Could it be that he had heard what she said just now?
Violet Spirit was usually talkative and quick-witted, but when she thought of how she was willing to âgive her body to himâ, her face revealed a trace of embarrassment.
âSince Iâve promised you, I will naturally arrive on time.â Han Li faintly smiled and gave the woman a meaningful glance before calmly entering the room.
Mei Ning also bit her red lips and bowed to Han Li.
Han Li waved his hand and gestured for them to sit down. Then, he walked to an empty wooden chair and asked everyone to sit down.
Violet Spiritâs expression quickly returned to normal, and she immediately sat down in a calm manner. As for the woman surnamed Song, she hesitated for a moment before sitting down in her chair as well.
âBrother Han, when did you return to the Heavenly South? Your journey to the Far West was quite smooth, right?â Violet Spirit did not immediately mention Devilfall Valley. Instead, she asked about Han Li with a smile and sized him up again with a strange gaze.
âI encountered a small problem in the Far West. Although it was successfully resolved, it took some time. Otherwise, I wouldâve returned half a year ago,â Han Li said with a smile.
Violet Spirit and Song couldnât help but look at each other with curiosity.
To be able to make the current Han Li say that it was a small problem, it was definitely not an ordinary matter. However, seeing that Han Li had no intention of talking about this, the two women were extremely smart and naturally did not ask further.
âI just heard you say that only Violet Spirit is willing to go to Devilfall Valley. Martial Nephew Song and Miss Mei Ning have changed their minds. Is this true?â Han Li and the other two women glanced at each other and he asked with calm expressions.
âSince Martial Uncle already knows, Martial Nephew naturally doesnât dare to hide anything. After a careful discussion with Fellow Daoist Mei Ning, I still feel that this trip is too dangerous, so itâs better to let it go. I donât want to take such an unnecessary risk just for a mere twenty to thirty years of bitter cultivation. Not long ago, Fellow Daoist Mei Ning obtained a bottle of spirit pills that are very beneficial to Core Formation cultivators, so I donât want to take this risk. After all, the reputation of Devilfall Valley as the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South Region isnât a joke. That Spirit Kindle Fruit is located in the depths of the valley, so the danger is even greater.â