The Trap

Chapter 344: The Trap

“Even so, to cover for the Spirit Beast Mountain Sect, it’s one thing to sacrifice ordinary cultivators, but two Core Formation cultivators died in that self-staged attack. That’s simply indefensible, no matter how you spin it!” Han Li said, his brow slightly furrowed. He was unwilling to accept this so easily.

“Without the deaths of Core Formation cultivators, how could the other six sects have believed it so readily? Besides, do you really think those who died were genuinely Core Formation cultivators?” ‘Qu Hun’ said with a cold sneer.

“What do you mean by that…” Han Li looked at ‘Qu Hun’ with some surprise.

“As far as I know, the Six Devil Dao Sects possess two or three secret arts capable of forcibly stimulating a Foundation Establishment cultivator to a cultivation level roughly equivalent to Core Formation. Of course, every one of these methods has severe drawbacks. A cultivator who uses one is destined to have their meridians snap and shatter, inevitably dying. Furthermore, the heightened cultivation state lasts a pitifully short time. However, that brief period should have been enough to fool the eyes and ears of your other six sects. After all, a surprise attack doesn’t require a very long performance.”

Hearing this, Han Li fell silent. He was now about seventy percent convinced.

He could imagine the scene: when the allied army of the Seven Sects and the cultivators from the other two countries deployed their grand formation to confront the Six Devil Dao Sects, the Devil Dao, having already foreseen every arrangement of the alliance, would use the Spirit Beast Mountain Sect’s sudden betrayal to easily tear apart the Seven Sects’ formation. Without the protection of the grand formation, the allied army of the Seven Sects would be no match for the Six Devil Dao Sects.

“Even if what you say is true, the decisive battle hasn’t started yet. If I go to deliver this news now, it should be possible to turn the tide of defeat. So why should I run away?” Han Li said, his tone somewhat reluctant after a moment of deep thought.

“Do you truly believe our Devil Dao sects will launch the decisive battle according to the agreed-upon time? According to the original plan, there was always a provision for a feint to confuse the enemy, striking at an unexpected time. I don’t know the exact time, but I estimate that within a few days, our Devil Dao forces will suddenly attack your main camp. After all, that is when you will be at your most relaxed, just before a major battle, and your numbers will still be far from complete. Fellow Daoist, do you believe you have enough time left to deliver this message to the battlefield and to make your higher-ups believe your story?” The man sneered, his tone clearly laced with schadenfreude.

Hearing this, Han Li’s expression finally shifted, a flicker of concern rising in his heart.

If the Seven Sects were truly routed, his own life would become very difficult. He would either be hunted by the Devil Dao within Yue Country, be forced to flee to another country, or he could only repair the teleportation formation and start his cultivation anew in a strange land.

“You seem to know the Devil Dao’s plans inside and out. It seems your status within the sect is quite high. Don’t worry, I have no interest in asking for your specific identity. I only want to ask one more thing: you’ve said a lot, but do you have any proof? You don’t expect me to believe everything you’ve said just based on your word, do you?” Han Li asked solemnly after a moment’s thought.

Hearing this, the Yuling Sect cultivator was taken aback, then broke into a wry smile.

“In my moment of crisis, I lost my original body. Fellow Daoist, do you think I could have managed to preserve any evidence? Actually, if you have a little patience, just waiting a few days should be enough for you to hear some wind of the great battle.” The man said this with an air of authority.

Han Li, however, let out a cold laugh.

“You lost your body but your primordial spirit managed to escape. Since you weren’t killed on the spot back then, I refuse to believe you didn’t have the foresight to store away important items like magical artifacts separately,” Han Li said coldly, his words hitting the mark with unerring precision. The wry smile on ‘Qu Hun’s’ face froze.

“Heh! It seems I really can’t hide anything from you, Fellow Daoist. You’re right. I do have a jade slip of letters between our sect and Spirit Beast Mountain hidden away. In fact, I was sent to Yue Country several years ago specifically to deliver this information. But I never expected…” Exposed by Han Li, the man spoke with a hint of embarrassment.

Hearing him finally admit it, Han Li gave a silent sigh. This man, whose true age he had no idea of, was truly incredibly cunning and treacherous. He would need to be even more cautious.

“Where is it?”

Han Li asked bluntly, his gaze sweeping over the man’s body.

“I didn’t bring the storage pouch with the jade slip on me. I’ve hidden it in a nearby cave. I can take you there to get it.” ‘Qu Hun’ was now acting very cooperatively.

“You didn’t bring it with you?” Han Li’s eyes flickered, his expression one of disbelief.

“As you know, my current body is a zombie. Although it is far tougher than a normal person’s, I have also lost most of my sense of touch. I was afraid that if I kept the storage pouch on me, I might lose it without even noticing. So, I generally leave the pouch at my residence.” The man offered a reason that Han Li found somewhat awkward.

But Han Li said nothing. Instead, he carefully searched the man’s body. Finding nothing, he asked coldly, “Where is this cave? I’ll go get the things myself!”

Seeing Han Li act with such caution and wariness, ‘Qu Hun’ could only sullenly tell him the location.

Han Li nodded, seeming about to leave. But then he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask another question.

“How did you enter this body? Although this body originally had no soul or primordial spirit, saving you the trouble of a possession, it’s still not a cultivator’s shell.”

Han Li was genuinely curious about this.

“I don’t know!”

The other’s reply made Han Li’s expression darken. But before he could say anything more, the man quickly explained:

“I truly don’t know how it happened! At the time, I dragged my heavily wounded body to Jia Yuan City, but I was finished. In desperation, I let my primordial spirit leave my body and desperately searched for a cultivator to possess. But I searched everywhere nearby and didn’t find a single cultivator. Right when I was in utter despair, I discovered this soulless zombie shell. I was like a dead horse being treated as a live horse to ride; I just tried entering this body on a whim. But I never expected to enter without a problem. Even I found it astonishing.”

When he said this, the Yuling Sect cultivator himself looked utterly baffled.

Han Li fell silent. He stared at the man for a moment, then suddenly walked back over to him and stuck two more ‘Spirit-Fixing Talismans’ onto ‘Qu Hun’s’ body before disappearing into the darkness.

‘Qu Hun,’ standing still where he was, had a face full of bitterness. But shortly after Han Li left, a strange, devious glint flashed in his eyes.

…

Following the location the other had given him, Han Li accurately found the cave. The entrance didn’t seem very large.

With a wave of his hand, a Moonlight Stone flew out of his storage pouch and floated above his head, illuminating the surroundings.

Then, looking at the pitch-black cave entrance, he thought for a moment before releasing his White Phosphorus Shield and Tortoise Shell magical tool to float in front of him. Only then did he cautiously enter the cave.

As Han Li had expected, the cave was not very wide. After walking only about seven or eight zhang, he could faintly see a stone wall blocking his path ahead. It seemed he had reached the end of the cave.

Han Li’s sharp eyes swept the area but found nothing unusual. Only then did he lower his head to look at the ground.

According to what the other had said, the storage pouch was hidden under a large green stone. It should be very easy to find.

Sure enough, about two zhang to the side, there was a dark, several-foot-tall object that seemed to be a large stone.

Without overthinking, Han Li walked over and, aided by the soft white light of the Moonlight Stone, looked closely.

“Hiss!” Han Li sharply sucked in a breath of cold air.

This was no stone at all. It was a towering pile of white bones, with some indistinct bloody flesh still clinging to them, emitting a faint, almost imperceptible stench of blood.

Startled, Han Li focused his mind and immediately recognized the bones as belonging to ferocious beasts like tigers and leopards. The bones were covered in gnaw marks, as if they had been chewed on by something.

Seeing this, a thought flashed through Han Li’s mind. He silently cursed, realizing he was in trouble, and hastily tried to back out.

But it was already too late.

A black shadow flashed and shot out from somewhere, slamming heavily into Han Li’s White Phosphorus Shield.

Caught off guard by an immense, violent force, Han Li—shield and all—was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the cave wall behind him. The impact nearly knocked him unconscious from the pain.

“What kind of monster is this?” Han Li thought, both shocked and enraged amidst the searing pain.

But before he could even slide down from the wall, the black shadow leaped into the air again and charged straight at him.

His face contorted in alarm, Han Li instinctively summoned both of his defensive magical tools to block in front of him without a second thought.

There was a clear ‘clang’ sound that surprised him.

This time, there was no immense force transmitted. However, the White Phosphorus Shield, which was in front, had a clean, straight crack down its middle with a ‘crash’ as it fell to the ground in two pieces.

Seeing this, Han Li was so shocked he nearly bit his own tongue.

This was utterly unbelievable! The ‘White Phosphorus Shield’ had been sliced cleanly in half by that monster.