Storms Abroad, Conflicts Rekindled

Chapter 511: Storms Abroad, Conflicts Rekindled

“What is it? Is something wrong with this man, or is his identity forged?” The burly man raised an eyebrow upon seeing the old man’s expression.

“There should be no problem with his identity. Our men planted within the Sublime Sound Sect long ago copied the portraits of their two Elders. This man matches the image recorded in this jade slip perfectly. He is indeed that Elder Han—there is no mistake. Even if some secret technique were used to alter his appearance, it could never escape the discerning eye of Elder Wang back at the harbor.” The green-robed elder stroked his beard, then raised a hand to reveal a pale green jade slip. He gave it a light shake before the burly man’s eyes, then tucked it away again.

“If there’s nothing wrong, then why that look on your face?” The burly man snorted, a note of displeasure in his voice.

“This Elder Han of the Sublime Sound Sect is no ordinary man. If you and I were to face him one-on-one, I suspect neither of us would be a match for him.” After a moment’s deliberation, the green-robed elder spoke words that left the burly man momentarily stunned.

“What do you mean by that? Isn’t he just a Core Formation First Layer cultivator like us? And a rogue cultivator at that—how could he compare to us, who receive the blessings of guidance from the Sainted Ancestor?” The burly man shook his head emphatically, refusing to believe it.

Hearing this, the old man was not at all angered. Instead, he calmly offered an explanation:

“Brother Liu, you should be aware that the ‘Seven Evils Art’ I cultivate, while hardly a supreme technique, grants me an exceptionally keen sensitivity to the density of killing intent on a person. And the killing intent on that man… in all my years among Core Formation cultivators, this is the first time I have encountered such an oppressive weight. No small number of cultivators have fallen by his hand.”

“And what of it? If I were to kill enough low-level cultivators myself, I could easily achieve the same,” the burly man said dismissively.

“That’s different. Your method would indeed accumulate a thin layer of killing intent, but after a short while, it would dissipate on its own. The killing intent on this man, however, is not only dense and abundant but also razor-sharp and bitterly cold. This can only be formed by slaying too many cultivators of the same rank or higher. Unless certain esoteric Buddhist arts are employed to eliminate it, this kind of killing intent is permanent.”

“Furthermore, this man seems to know some profound aura-concealment technique. The killing intent he reveals is probably less than a tenth of its full strength. And yet, even what is exposed is truly astonishing! When an ordinary cultivator faces him, not only would illusion and mind-control spells be significantly weakened, but if caught off guard by this aura head-on, their very will could be momentarily seized. At most, they would be able to bring out seventy to eighty percent of their full strength. If this man were to cultivate my ‘Seven Evils Art,’ his progress would be nothing short of remarkable.” The old man’s gaze turned cold as he spoke with grim intensity.

He naturally had no idea that although Han Li had slain very few Core Formation cultivators, the number of Grade Five demon beasts—equivalent to Core Formation first layer—he had killed numbered in the hundreds. The density of his killing intent was far greater than the old man could even imagine.

“Brother Cang, spare me the talk of his killing intent. You’re not thinking of taking him as a disciple, are you? Don’t forget, he’s a Core Formation cultivator too—he won’t be kneeling at your door,” the burly man said after a pause, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“Take him as a disciple? Of course not. I’m merely curious about the method by which he formed such a powerful killing intent. There must be some trick to it,” the old man replied calmly.

Hearing this, the burly man lost all interest.

After all, cultivation arts that used killing intent to advance one’s cultivation were likely limited to a few obscure techniques in the entire Chaotic Star Sea. The art he cultivated was not one of them, so naturally, he had no reason to care.

Still, as if suddenly remembering something, he casually asked:

“You mentioned the Young Master has an interest in the Sublime Sound Sect’s Zi Ling the Fairy. I’ve never heard of that. Did the Young Master give you some private instructions?” The burly man showed a trace of confusion.

“Heh! Does something like this need the Young Master’s explicit command? Do you not know what cultivation art the Young Master practices? And Zi Ling the Fairy is the most famous beauty in the entire Chaotic Star Sea. If we can bring this matter to a successful conclusion and present her to him, the rewards will naturally be plentiful. Remember, the Young Master has already reached the Core Formation Ninth Layer. With the Sainted Ancestor’s guidance and protection, I believe he may form his Nascent Soul within a century!” The old man said with a sinister smile.

The burly man’s eyes lit up in sudden understanding, and he began nodding enthusiastically, growing excited.

“When do we make our move? The Young Master seems about to emerge from seclusion again.” The burly man rubbed his hands together with a vicious grin.

“No need to rush. It’s best to wait until after this major battle to handle this matter. Only after the Sublime Sound Sect understands the overwhelming force of our Rebel Star Alliance will they be easier to deal with. If they still refuse to submit… well, I hear the Sublime Sound Sect has moved its headquarters to Heaven Star City for a while. We can easily find some excuse about colluding with the Star Palace and see if that girl still dares to resist.” The old man spoke calmly, his tone unhurried.

“Good. That’s decided. With only two Core Formation First Layer Elders, do they think they can stop an avalanche with a mantis’s arms? Truly, Brother Cang, your schemes are deep!” The burly man laughed heartily in delight.

The old man gave a faint smile, secretly congratulating himself:

With momentum like this, I can use the Alliance’s authority to pressure this Elder Han of the Sublime Sound Sect. When the time comes, I’ll make him hand over the secret to gathering such killing intent willingly. Killing two birds with one stone.

With this thought, the old man narrowed his eyes, a peculiar expression flickering across his face.

…

After Han Li flew past the green-robed elder and his companion, his light of遁术 reached the skies above the harbor in a flash.

He cast a few glances at the busy Rebel Star Alliance cultivators below, then prepared to accelerate away and leave this place.

But just then, a powerful sweep of spiritual sense descended from the heavens without any pretense, enveloping Han Li in an instant.

He started inwardly, yet kept his expression calm, hovering motionless in the air.

As he had long expected, how could the Rebel Star Alliance simply let Core Formation cultivators pass on the strength of a mere token? This was almost certainly one of the Nascent Soul old monsters leading the expedition, personally probing him with his spiritual sense—a precaution to ensure no one had used secret arts to change their appearance and forge an identity.

Han Li’s demeanor was extraordinarily composed, betraying not a hint of panic.

From the very beginning, he had never intended to use a false identity.

Silly tricks of altering one’s appearance—unless one possessed one of the two or three legendary secret arts or several exceptionally rare treasures—could never fool a cultivator with strong spiritual sense.

If he had changed his appearance and used a fake identity, and been seen through, it would have only made him appear more suspicious and guilty, inviting disaster.

Thus, he had chosen to face the risk of being tracked by Extreme Yin and the others, and had used his genuine Elder of the Sublime Sound Sect identity all along.

By the time those old monsters managed to track him down, he would already be in the Outer Star Seas.

By then, even if he were fully exposed, it would hardly matter.

With this in mind, Han Li remained perfectly calm, allowing the Nascent Soul old monster to probe him with his spiritual sense at will.

Sure enough, just as it had arrived, the spiritual sense vanished without a trace not long after, lingering no longer than necessary.

Han Li let out a long, silent sigh of relief, then unhurriedly flew off, heading out of the harbor.

…

The moment he was out of the harbor, Han Li immediately accelerated to full speed.

Although he was no longer using that blood-red cape ancient treasure, he had no intention of deliberately slowing down.

Half a day later, as Han Li was hurrying along while pondering how to enter Heaven Star City, he suddenly furrowed his brow and came to a halt. He cast a wary glance across the surface of the sea below.

His expression darkened. Han Li abruptly lifted his head and gazed into the distance, floating motionless within a faint layer of azure light.

A short while later, a blue and a red streak of light shot over from the distance like lightning, arriving before Han Li in the blink of an eye. The light flashed, revealing two middle-aged cultivators.

Silver robes and gold sashes!

They were clearly orthodox cultivators of the Rebel Star Alliance, both at the Core Formation First Layer.

One had a pale, beardless face, scholarly in appearance. The other was dark-skinned and powerfully built, a robust-looking man.

As soon as they appeared, the two stared coldly at Han Li without a word. Their spiritual sense had clearly locked onto him, as if they were ready to strike at any moment.

Han Li’s expression shifted slightly. Then, in a low voice, he slowly asked:

“Do the two of you have some business with me? I am in a hurry to move on. If you have no particular guidance, I’ll be on my way.”

“You’re not going anywhere. You’ll have to come with us,” the sturdy man said coldly, without expression, his tone carrying an air of command.

Han Li was taken aback for a moment, but a flash of anger flickered in his eyes.

“Have I somehow offended the two of you? Or has the Rebel Star Alliance become so tyrannical that it can simply seize whoever it pleases?” Han Li’s face darkened, a chill emanating from his features.

“Elder Daoist, there’s no need to be angry. My brother and I are merely pursuing remnants of the Star Palace on orders. A Star Palace cultivator was wounded by us earlier and fled in this direction using a strange escape technique. You just happen to appear here at this very moment. As far as we know, the Star Palace has several secret arts for changing one’s appearance. Since we cannot discern whether your features have been altered, we would ask you to cooperate for a while, until we find the true fugitive.” The scholarly middle-aged man’s words were polite enough, but left no room for negotiation. He was clearly not about to let Han Li leave.

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