The Impermanence Failsafe

After Han Li’s words, the old man, though still full of doubts, had no choice but to return.

Not long after, the second brother returned, his face dark. As expected, he had not caught up with the “Fifth Sister.” But fortunately, Han Li had already spoken beforehand, so these few did not have to worry about Senior Han’s anger.

Meanwhile, in a secluded, nearly forgotten alley in the heart of Yuejing City, a slender figure was stumbling frantically southward. Under the faint moonlight, a closer look revealed her to be the panicked young woman, “Fifth Sister.”

As she ran, she kept glancing back over her shoulder, as if afraid someone might suddenly appear.

Although most of her magic power had been sealed by Han Li, her cultivator’s divine sense remained. After confirming that no one was behind her, she finally relaxed a little.

This was all thanks to the Concealment Talisman the young man had slipped her when he let her go. It was the only reason she had made it this far.

Shortly after escaping, she had spotted the tall, thin man’s figure streaking across the sky above. Fortunately, she had been quick-witted enough to activate the talisman in time, managing to evade him.

By now, her second brother had either chased off in another direction or returned to the Qin residence. Only then did she dare to sprint wildly through the alley.

Her destination was a secret safe house of the Black Fiend Sect in the southern district. She believed that reporting Han Li’s location and detailed intelligence to her superiors would earn her considerable merit. This would bring her one step closer to the dream of Foundation Establishment.

Years ago, when she and several other promising outer disciples of the Black Fiend Sect had witnessed the mysterious教主’s divine methods—methods that could grant Qi Condensation cultivators Foundation Establishment—they had sworn absolute loyalty to the sect. Their only hope was to one day accumulate enough merit to receive the教主的 blessing and break through to Foundation Establishment.

As far as she knew, most of the outer disciples who willingly served the Black Fiend Sect harbored the same goal. She never believed her choice was wrong.

Given her natural aptitude, her cultivation had essentially reached its peak. To advance further, even to Foundation Establishment, there was no other path.

As for her sworn brothers and sisters, it was a pity, but since she had chosen this road, she had to sever all bonds. Whether they were captured and used as blood sacrifices or re-enslaved was up to the higher-ups. She had no intention of pleading for them again. From now on, she would live only for herself.

With this cold resolve hardening in her heart, the young woman’s steps grew lighter, buoyed by dreams of Foundation Establishment.

In the distance, she caught sight of the southern district’s street entrance. A wave of joy washed over her, and she was about to quicken her pace when she suddenly felt something damp beneath her nose. Puzzled, she reached up and wiped her hand across it. She glanced down at her fingers—and froze, her face filling with shock and terror.

On her five pale fingers were thick, sticky streaks of black-red liquid.

“What is this?”

Panicked, the Fifth Sister frantically wiped at the black blood beneath her nose with her sleeve. But the nosebleed now gushed like a sluice gate that had been thrown open. In an instant, black blood began to trickle from her eyes and ears as well.

The young woman felt her strength drain away. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed straight to the ground.

Her entire body was freezing cold. There was not a trace of warmth in her heart. She tried to scream for help, but her throat was dry and raw; she could not produce a single sound.

Then, her divine sense began to blur. Soon, she sank into an eternal darkness.

The next morning, passersby would notice a strange dark stain of blood in the alleyway, forcing them to detour around it. It attracted no small amount of gossip.

The moment the young woman died, Han Li was in his own room, inspecting all his magic tools and talismans, preparing for departure.

After finishing his preparations, he gazed at the curved crescent moon outside the window. A trace of loneliness flickered across his face, and he murmured softly to himself:

“It should be about time. The poison should be taking effect now.”

With a light sigh, he left the room and headed toward the Hall of Clear Sounds.

Han Li’s suspicion of the Fifth Sister had first arisen when he was detoxifying the Meng Mountain Five Friends. Although she carried the same poison as the others, the toxicity was far milder—so mild that even if it did trigger, it would likely not be fatal.

In contrast, the Blood Curse on her had required a great deal of effort to remove. This meant she had been under the Blood Curse for a considerable time, long enough for it to leave a deep mark on her divine sense.

Out of caution, when Han Li removed the Blood Curse from the young woman, he deliberately placed a small, hidden restriction within her—a failsafe.

The restriction was simple: it would temporarily gather the residual medicinal power of the two bottles of antidote she had consumed, storing it in a specific part of her body. When Han Li willed it, it would transform into a lethal poison. These two medicines were called the “Impermanence Pills” (Wu Chang Dan). They could serve as a universal antidote, but with a specific activation technique, they could also be turned into poison. It was one of Han Li’s spoils.

That night, when Han Li had secretly summoned the Meng Mountain Five and let them witness her betrayal, he had captured her. As he did, he casually touched several acupoints on her body with his spiritual power.

Those touches had two purposes: to seal most of her magic power and to activate the dormant restriction. If Han Li did not release it within a short time, the young woman would die silently, leaving no trace behind—exactly as she had.

Han Li had been ambivalent about whether to kill her, partly out of consideration for the Meng Mountain Five’s feelings. But his bottom line was clear: she could not be allowed to leak their connection to the Qin residence.

Activating the restriction at that moment was merely a defensive precaution on Han Li’s part. He had not expected it to actually be necessary.

That was why, when the dark-faced old man reported her escape, Han Li was so calm and composed.

In truth, if the young woman had remained in the Qin residence as a prisoner, Han Li would have suppressed the restriction for her.

But she had chosen to flee. Whether the Meng Mountain Five had released her willingly or not, it no longer mattered. She had vanished from this world, taking no intelligence to the Black Fiend Sect. Moreover, Han Li had done the Meng Mountain Five a considerable favor, which should help greatly in winning their loyalty.

By the time he reached the Hall of Clear Sounds, the dark-faced old man and the others had finished their preparations. Though their spirits were low, they were waiting quietly for Han Li’s arrival.

“Let’s move,” Han Li said crisply as soon as he entered the room.

...

Under the cover of night, the Xin Prince’s Mansion loomed like a colossal beast, deterring any petty thieves who might think of targeting it.

But tonight, Han Li and his companions, using concealment techniques, had slipped inside undetected.

The mansion had been in an uproar all day over the mysterious disappearance of the Old Immortal Wu. But at this late hour, aside from a few guards and sentries, everyone else had long since retired. They were deep in their slumber.

Once inside, Han Li immediately found a night guard, used the Soul Control Technique to extract the locations of the Steward Wang and the Young Prince, then knocked the man unconscious with a single blow.

He then turned to the other four.

“Between these two, the Young Prince has the lowest cultivation. We’ll go after him first, then deal with Steward Wang after.”

The Meng Mountain Four Friends were already shocked that the Black Fiend Sect’s members were actually part of the Xin Prince’s Mansion. They had no objections to Han Li’s plan and nodded in agreement. To them, the Young Prince might be a member of the imperial family, but his status as a core disciple of the Black Fiend Sect made him even more dangerous.

Soon, they were silently approaching the Young Prince’s residence—a three-story building.

There were several guards nearby. Wanting to avoid any interference during the fight, the Meng Mountain Four acted before Han Li could, quickly subduing the men.

Han Li watched their practiced movements and gave a slight nod of approval. It seemed having subordinates was not so bad after all.

From the guards’ information, the Young Prince was on the highest floor, the third. Han Li ordered the others not to go up but to take positions around the building.

If the Young Prince proved slippery and slipped through Han Li’s grasp, they would intercept him, buying Han Li time.

Of course, to avoid alerting Steward Wang, who was in another wing of the mansion, Han Li spared no effort in casting a large-scale soundproofing barrier. It covered an area several dozen zhang in radius, centering on the building.

Only then did Han Li float lightly up to the third floor and, with a flicker, enter the attic.

While the Meng Mountain Four watched the third floor with bated breath, scarcely blinking, a figure darted out from within.

Startled, they realized it was Han Li. A wave of relief washed over them, but they were also confused.

Had Senior Han dealt with the Young Prince so quickly? But they hadn’t seen the Young Prince himself.

Han Li landed from above with a grim expression. When the four gathered around, he frowned.

“No one is up there. It’s just a decoy created with an illusory technique. It seems he must have gone out on business.”

This announcement left the others staring at each other, momentarily at a loss.