The Secret Formation

Late that night, when the world was deep in silence, Han Li slipped out of his room without a word to anyone and flew alone toward the imperial city on his magic tool.

Standing on the Divine Wind Boat, he gazed at the colossal black mass before him—the towering gate of the imperial city—and allowed himself a faint smile before flying straight past it.

As for the so-called ban of the Seven Great Sects, forbidding any disciple from setting foot inside the imperial city, Han Li had never taken it seriously. He only observed rules that benefited him; to let an empty decree tie his hands was utterly absurd.

He had never been one to meekly obey.

As this cold thought crossed his mind, he had already risen to over a hundred zhang above the palace grounds.

Taking advantage of the pitch-black night, Han Li silently scanned the area, his gaze deliberately seeking out remote, inconspicuous spots.

His eyes brightened. He turned and flew toward an imperial garden overgrown with green bamboo.

Reaching the air above the bamboo grove, Han Li cautiously looked around, then restrained his spiritual aura and slowly descended.

He knew well that although the Black Fiend Cult had seized control of the entire palace, they could not possibly station watchers everywhere. And even if they had numerous sentries, his perfected nameless Qi Concealment Art made him confident that no one from the Black Fiend Cult could detect him.

Moreover, he had already extracted from the young prince a thorough understanding of the Black Fiend Cult’s ordinary watch post arrangements. Even if they had made changes, as long as he avoided breaking into heavily guarded key areas, Han Li was at ease.

This place clearly belonged to a corner of the palace that had long been forgotten. Not only was the bamboo grove filled with withered branches and rotting leaves, giving off a faint stench of decay, but the untrimmed foliage had grown thick and tangled.

Han Li looked at the one-mu-sized bamboo grove with satisfaction.

He formed hand seals and released a sound-isolation barrier, enveloping the entire grove. Only then did he solemnly take out a set of array flags and an array plate from his storage pouch—the improved “Reversed Five Elements Formation” that Qi Yunxiao had given him.

“With this Reversed Five Elements Formation, even if the Black Fiend Cult Leader is formidable, I should be able to stand undefeated,” Han Li muttered to himself as he stared at the set of magic tools.

Then he gathered his spirits, stepped forward, and entered the dark bamboo grove.

Two hours later, Han Li walked out slowly, his face showing exhaustion. Because time had been tight, he had only managed to set up a small part of the formation, but that should be enough. He surveyed the surroundings; no one had come here, it seemed. Satisfied, he withdrew the sound-isolation barrier, released the Divine Wind Boat, and flew away.

Han Li’s solo infiltration of the palace and the layout of the great formation had been silent, unnoticed by any Black Fiend Cult member.

Under the Black Fiend Cult Leader’s orders, the Four Blood Servants had indeed been vigilant. But as Han Li had guessed, they only set up dense watch posts around the cold palace where the Cult Leader was in seclusion. The rest of the place was actually more lax than before. This was one of the reasons Han Li had been able to enter and leave so smoothly.

When he returned to the Qin residence, the sky had not yet brightened. Han Li decided not to sleep; instead, he sat cross-legged on his bed, meditating until dawn.

By morning, he walked out of his room as if nothing had happened. He joined the others gathered in a large hall, talking and laughing as usual, discussing the upcoming great battle. He made no mention at all of the “Reversed Five Elements Formation.”

In Han Li’s view, a life-saving trump card like this was better known to as few people as possible.

If they could win a great victory without needing the formation, that would delight him even more. This set of “Reversed Five Elements Formation” could still become his hidden ace.

Liu Jing and the other Yellow Maple Valley disciples naturally had no idea what Han Li was thinking. But when the night’s great battle came up, everyone wore eager expressions, their faces tinged with excitement.

Among them, except for Liu Jing and a couple of others, most had no experience fighting against Foundation Establishment cultivators. This was the main reason Han Li was not optimistic about the upcoming operation.

Han Li had always believed that cultivators who had not been baptized by bloodshed, no matter how high their cultivation, would suffer greatly when facing an experienced opponent. If they lost their lives because of this, it would not be surprising. So as he watched these people talking and laughing, his eyes occasionally showed a strange expression.

After all, every cultivator who managed to reach Foundation Establishment had endured countless hardships to attain their current level. Yet after tonight’s battle, many of these people might well be buried here. When he thought about it, it was truly a pity.

“Junior Han, would you be willing to take a walk with me?” Chen Qiaoqian, who had been chatting with Zhong Weiniang, suddenly extended an invitation as she swept her gaze across Han Li’s face, for some reason.

This remark not only left Han Li stunned but also stunned the other disciples of Chen Qiaoqian, who stared slack-jawed.

They looked with incredulous eyes at Han Li and at the junior sister who had always been cold as ice toward male cultivators.

Seeing Han Li’s somewhat dazed expression, Zhong Weiniang’s eyes flickered as if she had thought of something. She leaned in close to Chen Qiaoqian’s ear and whispered a few words.

Immediately, the “Junior Chen” blushed deeply. She shot her a stern glare, then gracefully walked out of the hall first, clearly expecting Han Li to follow.

“Little junior, what are you standing there for? With a beauty like Junior Chen waiting outside, what are you hesitating about?” Liu Jing walked over with a smile, patted Han Li’s shoulder, and said in a teasing tone.

Han Li rubbed his nose vigorously, trying to force a bitter smile, but somehow he could not laugh. He could only manage a dry chuckle before, under the envious gazes of the male disciples, he followed her outside.

If he hesitated any longer, wouldn’t it make him seem guilty? He did not think there was anything to fear from her.

Walking out of the hall, Chen Qiaoqian stood there with a delicate air, gazing distractedly at the garden. Hearing Han Li’s footsteps, she said coldly without turning her head:

“Accompany me for a walk in the garden. I have a few things I wish to ask you, Junior Han.”

Having said that, she did not wait for Han Li’s reply and walked off on her own, as if certain he would agree.

Han Li looked at her moving back and unconsciously furrowed his brows. After a moment’s thought, he let out a silent laugh and followed.

Taking a walk with a beautiful woman was indeed a pleasing sight.

Standing a few paces behind Chen Qiaoqian, Han Li admired her graceful figure, feeling that coming out here had been well worth it. Moreover, when he thought about the encounter he had shared with this great beauty years ago, a peculiar, indescribable feeling stirred within him.

“I never expected that my brother and I both misjudged you back then. We always thought you just had good luck to come out on top in the Blood Forbidden Trial. I never imagined that Junior Han was an expert at playing the pig to eat the tiger! Not only did you deceive the two of us siblings, but all those experts present at the time were likely in the dark as well.” Just as Han Li was letting his mind wander, Chen Qiaoqian spoke coldly with her back to him.

Han Li had somewhat anticipated this remark and did not show any surprise. Instead, he scratched the back of his head and said with a light laugh:

“Senior Chen is joking. Playing the pig to eat the tiger? I was indeed lucky and barely scraped through!”

When Han Li said this, there was not the slightest change in his expression, as if it were really true.

“Junior Han, are you still trying to deceive me even now?” Chen Qiaoqian seemed angered by his words. Her voice turned icy, and she suddenly spun around, her bright eyes cold.

Seeing this, Han Li wore a look of bewilderment, as if he had no idea why she was angry.

The former “Junior Chen” grew even more furious at his expression.

“Fine, I won’t ask you about the Blood Forbidden Trial anymore. But there is one thing I want you to answer truthfully!” Her tone was even colder, but her face carried a strange expression.

“What is it? Senior Chen, please ask. I will answer you honestly,” Han Li said, vaguely sensing what was coming. His heart grew even more uneasy, but on the surface he maintained an earnest demeanor.

“Seven or eight years ago, did you go to the eastern side of the Taiyue Mountain Range? Did anything happen there?” When Chen Qiaoqian asked this, a faint blush rose on her cheeks, and she seemed slightly shy. Then she waited nervously for Han Li’s reply.

“Seven or eight years ago…” Han Li lowered his head as if in thought.

But in truth, his heart was pounding.

“How many years has it been? Has she still not given up on finding the one who rescued her? And judging by the shy expression on her face, could she really have developed feelings for her savior?” Han Li thought, greatly puzzled.

It was not that Han Li was oblivious to romance, but he had never entertained the idea of forming a dual-cultivation partnership with this woman.

For some reason, although Han Li had normal male-female thoughts about Chen Qiaoqian, whenever it came to emotional matters, he automatically ruled her out. Perhaps the sight of her passionately embracing that “Senior Brother Lu” years ago still made it impossible for him to accept her.