Shocked

Chapter 343: Shocked

“I am…”

“Spare me the ‘rogue cultivator’ story. You wouldn’t expect me to believe that anyway.” Han Li’s face was expressionless as he cut off the man’s words.

Hearing this, “Qu Hun” gave a bitter smile. It seemed he had indeed been about to try that excuse.

Then, after a brief hesitation, he said in a defeated tone, “As you suspect, Fellow Daoist, my identity is somewhat unusual. I am not a cultivator of Yue.”

“Not from Yue?” Han Li’s expression shifted slightly, his heart jolting with surprise.

“I am actually a cultivator of the Yu Ling Sect from Tiandu Country. I came to Yue to travel,” Qu Hun said slowly.

“The Yu Ling Sect—of the Demonic Path!”

Han Li’s eyes narrowed, a blade-like glint shooting from them.

“Yes. I came to your lands several years ago, but unfortunately, my physical body was destroyed by a powerful cultivator from your country, leaving me in this state.” Qu Hun looked helpless as he spoke of his body’s destruction.

After a moment’s thought, Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked, “Your body was destroyed about five or six years ago?”

His voice was utterly calm. Qu Hun, unable to discern Han Li’s intent, answered honestly, “Yes.”

“And in all the years you’ve occupied this body, you never thought of going back?” Han Li asked impassively.

“Of course I did, but you know too little of our Demonic Path, Fellow Daoist.” Qu Hun’s face was full of resignation.

“What do you mean? I know a little of the Demonic Path’s affairs, but only scattered rumors,” Han Li admitted without evasion.

“Our Demonic Path operates on the principle of the strong devouring the weak, of might making right. Whatever power you have determines what rights you enjoy. In my prime, I held a not-lowly position in the Yu Ling Sect, had a beautiful Dao companion and disciples to serve me. But now my cultivation has plummeted. If I go back, do you think those things would still be mine? Ten to one, some senior or junior brother who has long coveted my position would do me in.” Qu Hun explained with a cold laugh.

Han Li frowned but said nothing.

Qu Hun continued, “It was because of the Possession that my cultivation fell to this level. I am confident that if I hide and cultivate for thirty to forty years, I can fully recover, and then I can return openly. Otherwise, do you think I would willingly hole up in this godforsaken place?” His words were full of resentment.

“So you’ve been hiding near Jiayuan City all this time, without encountering any other cultivators?” Han Li’s expression was indifferent, unmoved.

“No. You are the first Yue cultivator I’ve seen since the Possession.” His expression turned sour.

“Why didn’t you say so from the start? Why pretend to be a cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain?” Han Li pressed on relentlessly.

“Did I not think you might be from one of the Seven Sects, meaning to do me harm?” He said a little sheepishly.

Hearing this, Han Li suddenly smiled.

“Is that your real story?” Han Li’s tone was friendly, but the look on his face sent a chill down “Qu Hun’s” spine.

“Yes… Does Fellow Daoist have any objections?” He asked cautiously, a hint of unease in his expression.

“I once heard that the easiest lies to tell are those that are seventy percent truth and thirty percent false. I wonder how much of what you just said was true?” Han Li fixed his gaze on the other man’s eyes and enunciated each word.

“Ha! Fellow Daoist is too suspicious. I was telling the truth just now.” Qu Hun knew it was wrong, but thinking of the consequences of telling the truth, he had to bluff it out.

“In that case, let me tell you some news. Your Six Demonic Sects have already invaded our Yue. That means we are now enemies. So I’m too lazy to torture any secrets out of you. I’ll just extract your Primordial Soul and destroy it now, to save time.” Han Li’s face sank, and he spoke with a dark, sinister tone.

The moment these words were uttered, the man, who had just tasted pain, turned ashen.

“Invade your Yue? How can that be? The time hasn’t come yet!” The words slipped out in his panic, and then his face went white with regret.

Han Li was inwardly startled.

“So you do know about it. It seems I underestimated you. But even if your status in the Yu Ling Sect was high, you are now only a Qi Condensation cultivator. Don’t blame me for being ruthless.” Han Li’s brows slowly slanted upward, a murderous aura appearing on his face.

Then Han Li turned his palm, and the “Soul-Gathering Bowl” appeared once more. The chilling, gloomy air descended again.

But what surprised Han Li was that Qu Hun did not show any fear. Instead, he stared at the bowl with a strange expression on his face.

Seeing this, Han Li became a little uneasy.

He did not know any “Soul Refinement Technique”; he was only bluffing. If the man really would rather die than talk, Han Li would have to destroy both Qu Hun’s body and the man together. But within the Blood Sacrifice techniques he had newly obtained, there were some methods for extracting souls, but unfortunately he hadn’t had a chance to practice them yet.

Just as Han Li was thinking this, Qu Hun let out a long, low sigh and suddenly said, “I do have some secrets, and they concern the life and death of your Seven Sects. But how can you guarantee that after I speak, you will let me go? Most likely, I will still die by Soul Refinement.” The moment he said “Soul Refinement,” his face twitched involuntarily.

Han Li rubbed his nose at the man’s grave tone, then waved his hand and put the bowl away again.

“What kind of guarantee do you want? If it’s reasonable, I might consider agreeing.” Han Li spoke calmly, as if he didn’t take the man’s big talk seriously.

“Hmph! I won’t trust ordinary oaths. But I know that the ‘Soul Refinement Technique’ is most averse to swearing by a soul artifact. If you break the oath, you will most likely be devoured and die a miserable death. I want you to swear by your soul artifact that after I tell you the truth, if you still make a move on me, your soul artifact will shatter and you will suffer the torment of Soul Refinement.” Qu Hun said without hesitation.

“Fine, I agree.” Han Li responded without the slightest hesitation, sneering coldly in his heart.

Then Han Li took out the Soul-Gathering Bowl and made a vicious oath according to the man’s words.

Seeing Han Li swear so cleanly, Qu Hun felt a twinge of doubt, vaguely sensing something was off.

“I’ve already sworn. You’re not going to bring up other conditions, are you?” Han Li said, deliberately showing a hint of displeasure to prevent the man from dwelling on the strangeness.

“Of course not. I know the consequences of greed. But before I reveal the secret, I need to know the current situation between our Demonic Path and your Seven Sects. I can’t be sure whether my information is outdated.” Qu Hun was indeed distracted, forcing a smile.

A trace of hesitation flashed across Han Li’s face, but he still slowly introduced the current situation between the Seven Sects and the Demonic Path.

Qu Hun listened carefully, and when he heard that the great battle would begin in just over a month, a hint of sarcasm appeared on his face. Han Li, who had been watching the man’s expression closely, saw it clearly.

After listening, Qu Hun pondered for a moment and then began to speak.

But his first words made Han Li pause in surprise.

“If you will take my advice, Fellow Daoist, there is no need to rush to the Seven Sects’ camp now. Because by now, the combined forces of the Seven Sects and the other two countries’ cultivators have most likely already suffered a major defeat. You would only be going to your death.” He spoke with a strange expression.

Han Li’s expression remained unchanged. He simply stared coldly at the man, waiting for him to explain.

Seeing how composed Han Li was, the Yu Ling Sect cultivator couldn’t help but feel a measure of respect, but it also made him more wary. He continued, “You probably don’t know this, but from its very founding, Spirit Beast Mountain has never stopped having secret contact with our Yu Ling Sect. That recent false defection—if I’m not mistaken—was a smokescreen deliberately released by our Six Sects to wait for the cultivators from the other two countries to arrive, so that we could wipe out all three countries’ cultivators in one fell swoop. After this battle, our Six Demonic Sects should be able to dominate several countries.” The man slowly revealed a secret that sent a chill down Han Li’s spine.

“A smokescreen? That seems excessive. Spirit Beast Mountain voluntarily revealed its relationship with your Yu Ling Sect. Wouldn’t it have been better if it hadn’t?” Han Li said, his expression somewhat grim as shock set in.

“Do you really think the other Six Sects didn’t know Spirit Beast Mountain’s origins? You should know that among your Seven Sects, besides Spirit Beast Mountain being a branch of our Yu Ling Sect, the most powerful Moon-Masking Sect also has deep ties with our Six Sects’ Harmony Sect. The only difference is that Moon-Masking Sect truly severed ties with Harmony Sect hundreds of years ago and has ambitious plans to stand on its own.” This Yu Ling Sect cultivator revealed yet another shocking piece of information.