The Unspoken Invitation

After carefully storing the several items, Han Li looked up at the glow of the sky, then leaped toward a corner of the bamboo grove.

Moments later, he pulled a cyan formation flag from the base of a thick bamboo stalk.

Instantly, the glow of the restrictive formation vanished without a trace.

Han Li smiled faintly, turned, and headed for the other corners.

In a short while, all the formation flags and plates had been removed from the bamboo grove, and he stored them away in his storage pouch with exceptional care.

Having witnessed the power of this newly improved "Reversed Five Elements Formation," Han Li treasured it immensely.

When Han Li calmly returned to his starting point, intending to fly away on his tool, he spotted something on the ground—the corpse of the Yue Emperor, lying there like a pile of mud. It seemed that once the glow dissipated, it had fallen from the sky.

Han Li frowned slightly and let out a soft sigh. With a flick of his finger, a fist-sized fireball shot forth, reducing the Yue Emperor's body to ashes.

This man had been a remarkable figure in his own right, but in death, he was nothing more than a pile of ash. Han Li could not help but feel a pang of lament.

Then, he tapped his storage pouch. A beam of golden light shot out, striking the open ground beside him and blasting a large pit.

With a light sweep of his sleeve, a gentle breeze swept the pile of ash neatly into the pit.

Suddenly, a flash of white light caught his eye. He halted his burial motion.

With a startled expression, he summoned a piece of white, glowing silk with a single hand gesture. It floated lightly out of the pit and landed in his hand.

"This is..." Han Li's eyes swept over it, revealing a trace of doubt.

The silk was slightly yellowed, clearly an object of great age. Its material was unknown, but it emitted a faint, lustrous glow. What puzzled Han Li most was that it bore an indistinctly embroidered map.

His curiosity piqued, he examined the map closely. After turning it over and inspecting it several times, however, he lost interest.

Upon careful inspection, he was certain that this was not a map of Yue. It depicted an unfamiliar location. Moreover, the map was clearly incomplete—whether half or just a fraction of the full map was impossible to tell.

Still, the map had only been discovered from the ashes. It seemed the Yue Emperor had hidden it in his body using some secret technique, otherwise the beast puppet would have found it earlier.

This suggested the map was of some significance.

Lost in thought, Han Li stored the incomplete map in the jade box containing the Five Elements Pill.

This was not the time for puzzles. He needed to find the others.

After all, now that the Yue Emperor was dead, the cleanup was going to be a hassle.

When Han Li found Chen Qiaojian and the others in front of the Cold Palace, another unpleasant piece of news awaited him.

In the Black Fiend Cult leader's secret chamber within the Cold Palace, they had discovered the corpse of "Wu Xuan." He had died not long ago, his essence blood drained dry in a blood sacrifice.

Han Li was taken aback at first, then smiled bitterly, saying nothing.

Now, because of the Black Fiend Cult incident, so many of the sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators had fallen. After returning, Li Huayuan would certainly not be pleased with him. After all, this whole affair had been triggered by him.

Feeling deeply exasperated, Han Li simply handed the cleanup to Chen Qiaojian and Zhong Weiniang, making an excuse to return to the Qin residence first.

But he never expected that, as soon as he returned to his lodgings, an unexpected person appeared before him.

...

"Greetings, Martial Uncle Han!" The middle-aged man in brocade robes bowed respectfully.

"Nephew Ma! What important matter brings you here so late?" Han Li's eyes flickered with surprise.

He had just returned from the imperial city, only to find that this sect disciple, who was in charge of communications in Yuejing, had been waiting for him in the courtyard.

And from the look of things, he had been waiting for quite a while.

"Martial Uncle, I have just received word. There is an order from above. All disciples above Foundation Establishment must immediately report to the border camp. The enemy has issued a declaration of war. In two months, the six demonic sects will face us in a decisive battle. The order requires a full concentration of all personnel. Also, accompanying this is a jade slip from Grandmaster Li!" the brocade-clad man said gravely.

With that, he produced a written order and a jade slip, handing them to Han Li.

Han Li was slightly startled but took the two items calmly, examining them carefully.

The content of the written order matched what the man had said. It required all Foundation Establishment disciples on outside missions to report to the border camp within one month of receiving the order. The date for the decisive battle with the demonic path had been set. The spirit mark at the end of the order was genuine.

Having verified the order, Han Li extended his spiritual sense into the jade slip.

Inside, he found a projection of Li Huayuan. His words were exceptionally brief. He merely instructed that the Qin residence no longer needed protection, as intelligence had been received that the demonic path's plan to stir up trouble in Yue's mortal world had been cancelled for reasons unknown. Han Li and the other disciples could return to the border with peace of mind.

Listening to Li Huayuan's few words, Han Li felt a surge of frustration so intense he could almost vomit blood.

He forcibly suppressed his chagrin and withdrew his consciousness.

"I understand. Leave the order and the jade slip with me. I will notify the others," Han Li said, glancing at the items in his hand before speaking after some thought.

"Then I'll trouble you, Martial Uncle!" The middle-aged man hesitated briefly before answering respectfully.

Then, he took his leave.

Han Li offered a faint "no need to see me out" and watched the man fly away. Then, he let out a light breath and slowly pushed open the door to his room.

...

The next morning, Han Li, Song Meng, and several others sat in the living room, discussing their departure from Yuejing.

"Before joining the battle, I need to return to my clan first. Then I'll head to the camp. So I won't be traveling with you all," Chen Qiaojian said, lightly biting her red lip after reading the order.

"I will return Senior Brother Liu's belongings to his clan," Zhong Weiniang said, her face somewhat haggard, her eyes slightly red.

Though she didn't say it outright, her intention to travel alone was clear.

"I don't have anything pressing. Junior Brother Han, let's go back together," Song Meng said with a broad smile, clapping Han Li on the shoulder.

"No, Fourth Senior Brother. I have some personal matters to attend to," Han Li replied with a faint smile. He had already made other plans.

"Ah, that's a pity," Song Meng said, looking disappointed.

"How about I accompany Junior Brother Song back?" The only surviving senior brother of Chen Qiaojian suddenly spoke, smiling at Song Meng.

Song Meng was overjoyed. With company, he would have someone to spar with along the way.

Seeing this, Han Li smiled wryly to himself. It seemed that even after this bloody battle, his fourth senior brother remained utterly unchanged.

And so, it was agreed that everyone would go their separate ways tomorrow morning.

That afternoon, Han Li went to inform Qin Yan of their safety. Amidst the man's great joy, Han Li announced his departure the next day.

Qin Yan immediately tried to persuade him to stay, but Han Li declined with a faint smile. Seeing this, the man had no choice but to let the matter go.

After leaving Qin Yan's residence, Han Li headed back.

Unexpectedly, as he passed through the small garden he had to cross, he found Chen Qiaojian standing there, her back to him, dressed in a white skirt.

She seemed to be admiring the grass, and her presence happened to block his path.

Seeing this, Han Li was slightly taken aback. Naturally, he could not simply pass by without a word.

"Senior Sister Chen, what a coincidence!" Han Li greeted her with a calm expression, intending to walk past her.

But Chen Qiaojian suddenly turned her slender waist, her body pivoting lightly, and a face of exquisite beauty turned to face him.

"It's no coincidence. I was waiting for you," Chen Qiaojian said, her delicate lips parting slightly.

Her autumn-water eyes gazed directly at Han Li, a complex expression on her face.

"Waiting for me..." Han Li allowed a hint of surprise to show on his face.

Yet, in his heart, for reasons he couldn't quite name, he felt both a touch of bitterness and a trace of pleasure.

"I heard that Mount White Chrysanthemum on the outskirts of Yuejing is extraordinarily beautiful, a major scenic wonder of the area. Would you accompany me to see it, Junior Brother Han?" Chen Qiaojian said, after a moment of silence, uttering words that caught Han Li completely off guard.

"Alright." Whether it was a moment of folly, Han Li, who had intended to refuse, found himself agreeing without thinking, upon meeting the hint of sorrow in her eyes.

"Wonderful, Junior Brother Han! Let's go now. Once the sun sets, there will be nothing to see." Hearing Han Li's agreement, a blush rose on Chen Qiaojian's face, and a bright joy appeared in her eyes, making her look even more radiantly beautiful.