Stirring the Seas Beyond—Yuan Yao and the Azure Sun Sect

Chapter 571: Stirring the Seas Beyond—Yuan Yao and the Azure Sun Sect

The cultivators present—the skull-faced pair, the lean man, and the old man—did not seem to know each other originally, and as a result, no one had bothered to ask about Han Li’s background either. The lean man, upon seeing that the group had numbered five, wasted no more time. He clasped his fist and addressed Han Li and the others.

“I am Ke Yu, ordered to relay the mission and guide the three seniors. This is my identity token. Please, seniors, examine it.”

Having spoken respectfully, the lean man pulled a black token from his waist and handed it to Han Li. It was clear he had taken the three men for a group, and since Han Li had the highest cultivation, he naturally took the lead.

Han Li kept his lips pressed together. He reached out, took the token, glanced at it, and then tossed it carelessly to the skull-faced man beside him.

The skull-faced man also gave it a look before throwing it back to the lean man with a lazy tone.

“What’s there to see in a token? If it weren’t for the teleportation formation on the other end, how would a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you even be qualified to teleport here? Our identities don’t need checking either. Anyone gathered here at this time, besides us Enforcement Envoys who received orders, couldn’t possibly be an outsider. Just say what the mission is, directly.”

The skull-faced man seemed very familiar with this protocol. After speaking his piece with a grand air, a look of impatience crept onto his face.

Ke Yu, the lean man, hesitated at these words. Then, with an awkward laugh, he dropped the matter of verifying their identities entirely. He cleared his throat and introduced the old man beside him.

“This Senior Ding is a Protector of the Azure Sun Sect. The task is actually for the three seniors to assist Senior Ding in capturing a wanted criminal of the Azure Sun Sect. Please discuss the details among yourselves. This junior is only here to make the introduction.”

Having finished his introduction, Ke Yu took a step back, leaving the old man to deal directly with Han Li and the others.

“The Azure Sun Sect? You wouldn’t mean that Azure Sun Sect of the Three Yang Old Devil, would you?” the skull-faced man asked, his eyes flashing with blue light, a flicker of surprise showing.

Upon hearing this, the burly man and Han Li both changed expression slightly.

“Heh, it seems I don’t need to explain further. All three of you know our patriarch’s reputation. This time, our sect’s patriarch personally requested assistance from the Six Paths Alliance Leader of your alliance. The wanted criminal is not only a Core Formation cultivator but also possesses several Azure Sun Sect ultimate treasures and has evaded pursuit for years. We only recently learned of her whereabouts by chance. If the patriarch were to act personally, he would naturally catch her with ease. But unfortunately, he has other important matters and simply cannot spare the effort. That is why we have invited you, Fellow Daoists, to lend a hand. With the four of us Core Formation cultivators striking together, we should surely be able to capture the demoness alive.”

The Azure Sun Sect old man, whose surname was Ding, smiled faintly and clasped his hands in a bow. However, as he spoke the final sentence, an expression of cold cruelty appeared on his face.

“A female cultivator?” the burly man asked, a note of suspicion in his voice upon hearing the word “demoness.”

Han Li furrowed his brow, a vague memory stirring.

“Indeed. The demoness is named Yuan Yao. She was originally meant to be a concubine taken in by our young sect master. But none of us expected that this she-demon was vicious and merciless. Relying on her exceptional beauty and charming techniques, she conspired with another woman to assassinate the young sect master, making off with all the treasures and rare pills on his person. Then, using these resources, she formed her Golden Core. The Three Yang Patriarch has only this one successor, so naturally, he bears a deep, gnawing hatred for this woman. If all of you can help old Ding capture her alive, our sect will certainly provide an additional generous reward. We will not have you all working for nothing.”

As the old man spoke of the target, his voice carried a tone of grinding hatred. But he seemed reluctant to discuss it further and, after a brief introduction, changed the subject.

The skull-faced man and the burly man exchanged a glance, their expressions unconcerned. Han Li rubbed his nose, feeling a silent, wry resignation.

So it really was Yuan Yao, he thought.

This mysterious, seductive woman had such an origin. It was quite unexpected.

He had been puzzled as to how she had formed her Golden Core so quickly, and why she had always acted so secretive during their encounters. It turned out she had looted some young sect master clean and was being hunted by the Azure Sun Sect.

That young sect master must have been carrying quite a stash of rare pills. All of it had fallen into Yuan Yao’s lap.

Now that she was about to be caught, Han Li hesitated. Should he intervene and disrupt the situation?

He was not exactly on familiar terms with the woman, but he could be considered an acquaintance, at the very least.

At that moment, the skull-faced man beside him began to speak.

“Since it’s an order from above, my brothers and I will naturally do our utmost, even without discussing a reward. Where is this woman now? Since we were told to gather here, I assume she cannot be too far away.”

Despite his fearsome appearance, the skull-faced man was quite meticulous.

“You are correct, Fellow Daoist. The demoness is hiding on a desolate island north of Imperial Bright Island. If one of our disciples hadn’t accidentally recognized her while she was out buying supplies and tailed her back to her lair, we would still have no news of her to this day. This woman is extremely cunning. The treasures she carries are abnormally powerful, even including our sect’s secret treasure, the Azure Sun Thunder. I urge all fellow Daoists to be extra cautious.”

The old man gave his warning, then specifically clasped his hand toward Han Li.

Given Han Li’s late Core Formation cultivation, the old man naturally regarded him highly.

What this man could never have imagined was that Han Li, though nodding expressionlessly, was mentally weighing the possibility of wiping out the entire group himself.

However, when he heard that Yuan Yao was nearby, his mind stirred. He quickly made a decision. He would go meet this woman, save her, and then use the opportunity to demand a crucial item in return.

At this point, Ke Yu, having seen the discussion concluded, respectfully asked for their leave and led the way out of the cave.

Inside a stone room on another island, a cultivator with disheveled hair stared at the teleportation formation at his feet, a wave of confusion washing over him.

When he had first entered the room, the formation had been flashing with spiritual light, completely normal.

But just as he was about to teleport, the formation had mysteriously failed.

He scratched his head, silently lamenting his rotten luck.

After passing through a short section of mountain belly and several layers of guarded restrictions, Han Li and the others emerged onto a steep cliff.

Gazing at a faintly visible town in the distance, the group took to the sky.

With the Azure Sun Sect old man guiding them, they left the island and flew north.

The journey was uneventful; they all traveled with their heads down.

Given Han Li’s highest cultivation and his cold, forbidding demeanor, no one was tactless enough to try and strike up a conversation.

After most of the day, the five of them spotted a small island, only a few tens of li in circumference.

“This is the place. The demoness is hiding in one of those small mountains!” the old man said coldly, his eyes flashing with a cold light as he stopped his flight.

Han Li and the others stopped in mid-air with him, gazing at the island from a distance.

Aside from a sparse patch of trees and grass, the island had only a few small rocky hills. The spiritual energy was also extremely thin.

“Fellow Daoist Ding, have you found the right place? A Core Formation cultivator, hiding in a place like this?” the ugly-faced burly man asked, unable to hold back his suspicion after a moment’s observation.

“Rest assured. This is definitely the place,” the old man replied with absolute confidence.

Then, he made a hand seal and tossed a dazzling yellow light high into the air.

A moment later, another beam of yellow light rose from the other side of the island.

The old man’s face lit up with joy. He quickly turned to Han Li and the others.

“Let’s go. Disciples of our sect have been watching the demoness’s movements over there. It seems she hasn’t left the island.”

Having said this, the old man did not move, evidently waiting.

After a short while, a red light flew over from the direction of the second yellow beam. In the blink of an eye, it arrived before them. The light faded to reveal a gray-robed man of about forty, at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. On his sleeve, the same green flame emblem was embroidered, only smaller than the old man’s.

“Disciple pays respects to Uncle-Master Ding and the other seniors!” The man immediately recognized the old man and hurried forward to pay his respects.

With a dismissive wave, the old man asked in a deep voice, “Is the demoness still on the island? She hasn’t left, has she?”

“Absolutely not. Since this disciple followed her back to this island, she has not left her cave once,” the middle-aged man said with certainty.

“Good. You’ve done well on this matter. Once this affair is concluded, you’ll be promoted to an inner disciple. Now, lead the way.”

The old man gave a nod of approval, his tone turning stern.

“Thank you for your patronage, Uncle-Master! This disciple will lead the way immediately!”

A look of ecstasy spread across the man’s face, and he turned to lead the group toward the island.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived above the island. The middle-aged man pointed to one of the rocky hills and addressed them respectfully.

“The last time the demoness returned, my cultivation was too low to dare get close enough to follow. I only saw her vanish from sight as soon as she neared this hill. I suspect her cave is inside this mountain.”

The skull-faced man’s eyes glowed with strange light as he examined the hill. After a moment, he nodded slowly.

“Not bad. The surface of this hill is covered by a high-level restriction. We only noticed it because we looked closely from a distance. If we had just flown past in the sky, we would never have detected anything unusual. No wonder this woman has managed to hide here undetected for years.”