Winds Stir Beyond the Seas: A Cold Reckoning

“Hmph! So what if they found us? Together, we could just dive back into the Ghost Mist. We may not be a match for Nascent Soul cultivators in a straight fight, but when it comes to fleeing, whose techniques are more miraculous than our ghost path’s?” an arguing, deep male voice said.

“What do you know? At least three or four Nascent Soul cultivators here possess treasures and special abilities that counter our ghost arts. If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you. Otherwise, don’t blame me for breaking our pact and destroying you right now.” It was the young cultivator, the Profound Bone Saint himself, speaking. His voice had turned icy cold as he berated the other.

“Brother Profound Bone, why get so angry? I’ll keep quiet. But you can’t go back on your promise to find me a suitable body! Otherwise, why would I have entrusted a sliver of my soul essence to you and willingly followed you out of the Ghost Mist?” The speaker seemed somewhat wary of Profound Bone’s anger, but couldn’t help reminding him of the matter he cared about most.

“Rest assured. Since I need your help to deal with that rebellious disciple Extreme Yin, it will naturally be more convenient to act with a physical body. Besides, you and I are in the same boat, both having taken a detour into the ghost path. I will naturally keep my word.” Profound Bone said coldly.

“Hehe! With those words, this one feels at ease.” With that, the deep voice vanished from Profound Bone’s mind.

This allowed Profound Bone to breathe a slight sigh of relief. He then sat down with his back against a small tree, entering a light doze.

Time passed slowly. More and more cultivators emerged from the Ghost Mist, each looking more disheveled than the last. Some seemed to have suffered severe damage to their origin energy, likely requiring years of secluded cultivation to restore their original cultivation levels.

Even so, the faces of these people still held barely concealed joy.

After all, having passed the Ghost Mist trial, they could at least obtain some rare medicinal herbs rarely seen in the outside world.

As the number of cultivators who appeared reached sixty or seventy, the trickle of new arrivals slowed dramatically.

After half a day had passed, only a handful of people emerged from the mist.

Among them was the young male cultivator who had initially accompanied Fairy Zi Ling.

His clothes were disheveled, his face ashen, looking as if he had suffered a great loss.

As soon as he entered the area, the young man anxiously scanned his surroundings. Not finding any trace of Fairy Zi Ling, his face showed signs of worry, and he seemed completely unsettled.

Meanwhile, Extreme Yin and Profound Bone were also growing anxious at the absence of Han Li’s trace.

Profound Bone was slightly better; although he was somewhat impatient, he could still maintain a calm demeanor.

Extreme Yin, however, could barely contain himself. He would occasionally open his eyes, darkly sweeping his gaze across the surrounding Ghost Mist, before closing them again with reluctance.

Given this man's naturally sinister temperament, he would not normally behave so poorly. But Han Li carried something that was absolutely crucial to his mission of obtaining treasures here, which was causing him to lose some of his composure.

Most people didn't notice this behavior, but the old man in the Confucian robe, who was sitting cross-legged nearby, did. He cleared his throat and slowly asked:

“Brother Wu, your mind seems unsettled. Is there someone among those who have yet to arrive that you are concerned about?”

As he spoke, the old man stared intently at Extreme Yin, a look of suspicion on his face.

“It’s nothing worth worrying about. Just an interesting junior I met once before.” Extreme Yin immediately composed himself and spoke calmly as he heard this.

“An interesting junior? Then you must introduce him to me. I myself have always enjoyed guiding promising talents.” A strange light flickered in the Confucian-robed elder's eyes as he spoke with a plastic smile.

This sly old fox! His suspicions are really deep! Extreme Yin cursed inwardly.

But aloud, he could only reluctantly agree.

Han Li’s failure to appear yet was extremely troublesome for him. He simply closed his eyes again and forcibly entered a meditative state.

At the same time, in a certain corner of the area, the deep voice spoke again in Profound Bone’s mind.

“Profound Bone, your helper hasn’t arrived yet? Could he have been devoured by a malevolent spirit? What use is a helper that weak? He’s too pathetic.” There was a hint of schadenfreude in the speaker’s tone.

Profound Bone sighed, knowing that given this person's nature, it was impossible to keep him quiet.

He couldn't really destroy him, after all, this person was still of great use to him.

So far, no one had cast any strange looks his way. It seemed a short conversation wouldn't draw any attention.

With that thought, Profound Bone had to reply with displeasure:

“This person is quite mysterious! Though he’s young and only at the early Core Formation stage, he definitely won't be killed by some mere malevolent spirit. Even if you met him, you’d likely end up either with your soul destroyed or fleeing in panic. Don’t underestimate him.”

“Early Core Formation? Profound Bone, you’re underestimating me. With a cultivator like that, one bite from me is enough to suck him dry of his essence blood.” The deep voice was clearly unconvinced.

“Didn’t you also suffer from my Golden Lightning Bamboo Demon-Exterminating Arrow? Do you have a way to deal with a flying sword made from the same material?” Profound Bone said with a cold laugh.

“A Golden Lightning Bamboo flying sword? Are you joking? Wasn’t the only piece of Golden Lightning Bamboo used to forge that Demon-Exterminating Arrow? How could there be another Golden Lightning Bamboo magic treasure?” The deep voice fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, but then asked with full suspicion.

“Hehe! Whether it’s true or false, you’ll find out in due time. But don’t say I didn’t warn you! Besides the Golden Lightning Bamboo magic treasure, this person has some other very troublesome methods. Otherwise, why would someone with my reputation, Profound Bone, bother to ally with an ordinary Core Formation cultivator?” Having said this, Profound Bone ignored the other, closing his eyes to rest.

The deep voice knew better than to ask further, remaining silent as it perhaps pondered the truth of Profound Bone’s words.

They waited for several more hours. Just as Profound Bone was beginning to show impatience, suspecting that Han Li might have truly met with misfortune, the Ghost Mist on one side began to churn. Then, a large patch of mist parted to the left and right, and three figures walked out side by side.

It was Han Li, along with the two women, Fairy Zi Ling.

The stunning woman, Yuan Yao, was still covered by a black robe, concealing her beautiful face.

Seeing so many people present, Han Li was momentarily taken aback. But after a quick scan, he unhesitatingly walked toward an empty spot.

Fairy Zi Ling and Yuan Yao exchanged a knowing glance, and without a second thought, began to follow.

But at that moment, a figure flashed.

A handsome young man in a blue robe rushed up to Fairy Zi Ling, asking with intense concern:

“Excellent! Zi Ling, you’re safe. I’ve been worried about you!” As he spoke, he hurriedly stepped closer, trying to get a better look at her to see if she was injured, his expression full of concern.

“Brother Li, I’m fine.” Seeing this person, Fairy Zi Ling couldn't help but stop. She forced a smile, a complex expression flickering across her face.

Yuan Yao cast a meaningful glance at the two of them before her robes fluttered as she followed Han Li alone.

Han Li had just found a spot and stopped. When he turned around and saw the woman named Yuan Yao following him, he was somewhat surprised.

He immediately frowned and said:

“Miss Yuan, we’ve already left the Ghost Mist. Is there anything else you need?”

Although Han Li was quite struck by this woman’s beauty and felt a slight flutter of attraction, he had no intention of traveling with strangers here. He immediately spoke words of rejection.

His bluntness didn’t seem to anger Yuan Yao. She let out a soft sigh and said:

“Brother Han, please don’t take offense. Following you is a helpless move on my part. You should know that my magic treasure was heavily damaged during my battle with the Ghost King and is no longer usable. And this Void Heaven Palace is filled with danger at every turn. I only know you here, so I have no other choice. You wouldn’t stand by and watch me die here, would you?”

As she spoke, the corners of her eyes reddened, as if she were on the verge of tears. Han Li’s frown only deepened.

“Miss Yuan! Since you’ve said as much, I must first clarify a few things. I am not some righteous gentleman with a soft heart. I have no desire to be used without knowing the full story.” Facing her sorrowful gaze, Han Li remained unmoved as he calmly asked his questions.

“Brother Han, please ask whatever you wish. As long as it doesn’t involve any private matters, Yuan Yao will be happy to satisfy your curiosity!” Seeing that Han Li had no intention of showing her any mercy, she felt a little annoyed. But she had to obtain something on this expedition, so, after a moment of hesitation, she nodded and gave a soft reply.

“My questions are simple. Do you have a specific goal for this trip, Miss Yuan? How many trials do you plan to pass? Also, explain the look of panic you showed when we first met. Is there some hidden trouble following you? I have no desire to get dragged into any messy affairs.” Han Li clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the woman, asking slowly without so much as a blink.