The Conspiracy in the Courtyard

The two of them stopped talking, their faces dark, and sped up their flying tools, rushing straight down the mountain.

Han Li did not follow them closely; that would have been too conspicuous. Instead, he quietly wrapped a strand of his spiritual sense around the lean man, then watched them coldly from a distance. Only after they had flown some way off did he unhurriedly reveal himself and trail them from afar.

Compared to Han Li, their flying speed was truly slow.

It took them a full hour or more before they reached the fourth layer of the Sacred Mountain and walked side by side into an utterly ordinary-looking residence.

A moment later, Han Li’s figure appeared in the air above the courtyard.

The environment here seemed relatively quiet. Besides a few courtyards of similar design in the distance, there was also a small grove of green bamboo, lending a touch of elegance.

Han Li stared at the courtyard, a gleam of sharp light flashing in his eyes.

This residence might look unremarkable, but it had a small “Flowing Water Formation” set up outside. While it would be useless against a true intruder, it could still provide a modicum of early warning.

But this formation was utterly insignificant against someone like Han Li; even an ordinary Core Formation cultivator with a bit of formation knowledge could bypass it effortlessly. Han Li was fully confident he could infiltrate it without alarming the external restrictions.

And that was exactly what he did.

He formed a hand seal with both hands, his figure blurred, and then vanished without a trace amidst a flash of azure light.

…

Before long, Han Li’s concealed form appeared silently inside the courtyard.

He had now completely suppressed the flow of his magic power. At this level, not even a Foundation Establishment cultivator, nor even a Core Formation cultivator, would be able to detect him.

Han Li did this out of caution, afraid that a Core Formation cultivator might actually be present here. Otherwise, an ordinary concealment technique would have sufficed.

Han Li stood motionless in the center of the yard, his spiritual sense slowly spreading outwards from him, enveloping the entire courtyard within it.

A flicker of surprise crossed his face, and he turned his head to fix his gaze on a side room to his left.

He clearly sensed that all the other rooms were empty. Only this small side room contained seven cultivators gathered together.

The lean man and the dark-faced middle-aged man were among them.

Among the seven were two women: one was a fairly attractive middle-aged woman, and the other was a young woman of ordinary appearance.

However, the highest cultivation level among them belonged to a tall, robust man in brocade clothing with an aquiline nose and sharp, glinting eyes. Apart from his unsettling nose, his features were otherwise regular and dignified. He possessed late Foundation Establishment cultivation, having already reached the Half-Foundation stage, and could begin preparing for Core Formation at any time.

The rest were mostly at the early or mid Foundation Establishment level.

This was to be expected—it was the minimum requirement for venturing into the Outer Star Seas.

It seemed they had been discussing some matter. Everyone wore grim, silent expressions, and the room was utterly quiet, with no one speaking.

Han Li was in no hurry. He stood there quietly, waiting.

He was confident that their subsequent conversation would provide him with useful information, which would then determine his next move.

As expected, after about the time it took a pot of tea to brew, the middle-aged woman could no longer hold back.

“Brother Yi, Fellow Daoist Huang has already brought back word. They want five thousand spirit stones per person to let us through to the Outer Star Seas. Should we complete the Star Palace’s mission and be transferred openly, or should we truly pay the private fee and sneak through the teleportation? Brother Yi, you need to make a decision. Once the great battle begins, even if they wanted to let us go, it might be too late.” The woman’s voice carried a note of irritation.

“Madam Liu, from the sound of it, you seem quite willing to pay the spirit stones. But have you considered that you might be wealthy enough not to care about such a sum? My wife and I, for example, couldn’t scrape together that many stones even if we sold everything we own. Surely you don’t intend to go alone?” A white-faced cultivator sitting next to a young woman spoke, his expression darkening and his tone turning unfriendly.

Hearing this, the middle-aged woman’s face showed displeasure, and she retorted with equal dissatisfaction.

“When did I ever say I was going alone? I was simply asking Brother Yi for his opinion. Brother Yi is experienced and has the highest cultivation among us; surely he can analyze the pros and cons for us.”

“Alright, you two, say no more. Fellow Daoist Liu will not be teleporting away alone. The Outer Star Seas are not a place a Foundation Establishment cultivator can wander on their own. Only if we all act together can we hope to survive there. If we’re lucky, we can kill some spirit beasts and refine some pills to greatly advance our cultivation. So we must go to the Outer Star Seas. But we don’t need to complete any missions or kill any cultivators of the same rank. In a great war, even Core Formation cultivators can’t guarantee their own lives, let alone we low-level cultivators. Besides, I’m worried that the Star Palace’s upper echelons might go back on their word.” The robust man in brocade finally spoke coldly.

“That can’t be! The Star Palace hasn’t broken its word before, has it? Brother Yi, are you overthinking this?” The speaker was a robust-looking youth. Though young, he gave off a very mature impression.

“It’s unlikely, but not impossible. This is no longer the era of Star Palace’s sole dominance. If they truly find this war dangerous, there’s nothing they won’t do. Going back on their word would be nothing surprising. Hmph, these great powers…” The robust man’s face twitched, and he let out a disdainful snort, as if he knew these powers very well.

His words plunged the room into another wave of silence. Everyone sank into their own thoughts.

“So the safest course, I think, is to just pay the spirit stones to save our lives. If we actually participate in the battle, it’s very likely we’ll all be wiped out. And even if someone were to survive by luck, they’d be alone in the Outer Star Seas with no way to protect themselves. That would also be a dead end.” The man spoke slowly again.

“But that’s so many spirit stones…”

“If you lose your life, what use are spirit stones? Besides, killing a few high-grade demon beasts in the Outer Star Seas will easily make up for our losses. The most important thing now is to get teleported over first.”

The dark-faced middle-aged man looked pained and tried to say more, but the robust man’s expression turned icy as he cut him off.

The dark-faced cultivator seemed very afraid of him; after being rebuked, he muttered a few words and fell silent.

“As for the rest of you who don’t have enough spirit stones, just contribute what you can. Let’s see if they can be a bit more flexible with the amount. If not, those among us who have surplus stones can lend some out. Once we’re teleported to the Outer Star Seas, we’ll pay it back with interest.” The robust man’s authority among this group was evidently absolute. With a few simple sentences, he made the decision on his own.

The other six exchanged glances. Though not all were fully convinced, they reluctantly accepted.

Seeing their expressions, a hint of satisfaction appeared on the elder’s face. He then turned to the lean man and said sternly:

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, I’ll trouble you to make another trip tomorrow. See if we can get the spirit stone price lowered. If not, then agree to their terms. But we must leave the day after tomorrow without any further delay. We have to leave before the great battle begins.”

The lean man repeatedly agreed.

After that, the people in the room began discussing the details.

Outside, Han Li had heard everything clearly.

A mysterious smile touched the corner of his lips. With a flash of azure light, his figure vanished from the courtyard without a trace.

The next day, when the lean man set out from the residence toward the Starry Sky Hall once more, he had no idea that someone was following him from the high sky.

Han Li trailed him expressionlessly to the vicinity of the Starry Sky Hall, watching as the man cautiously slipped in through a side entrance.

Han Li rubbed his nose and waited calmly outside.

A full half hour later, the lean man emerged again, furtively, a faint hint of excitement on his face.

Han Li then tailed him back to the same residence.

But then, a scene occurred that made Han Li raise an eyebrow.

Before entering the residence, the excitement on the lean man’s face instantly faded. After glancing around, he put on a completely different expression—one of deep worry and dejection—before knocking and entering the yard.

Seeing this, Han Li furrowed his brow, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Could there be something more to this…” He fell into contemplation, his hand stroking his chin.

(Sincerely sorry—I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather, so this chapter came out a little late. Please forgive me!)