Winds Rising Overseas

Before long, even Mei Ning heard it: footsteps, uneven in weight, approaching slowly through the mist.

Her delicate face showed a flicker of unease as she glanced at Han Li.

What she saw was Han Li, expression unchanged, motionless in his original spot. But as if sensing her gaze, he turned and offered a mild smile.

Mei Ning blushed involuntarily and quickly looked away, yet a quiet sense of reassurance settled in her heart.

The footsteps grew clearer. Even the faint sound of labored breathing reached both of them distinctly.

To Han Li’s slight surprise, it sounded like not one person, but two—one following the other.

His brow furrowed. A trace of murderous intent surfaced on his face.

Then the thick mist parted abruptly, and a young man in a tall crown stepped out.

His features were refined. A jade belt coiled around his waist, faint white light shimmering along its surface.

But the moment he saw Han Li before him, his face changed, and he let out a startled cry.

“You?”

It was Wen Tianren, the Six Paths Sect heir. His face was full of shock.

“Yes, it’s me. You can rest easy now.” Han Li’s expression was flat as he spoke. At the same time, his right hand lifted. A flash of azure light—a small sword—shot forth with a whoosh and struck Wen Tianren squarely in the chest.

Clang.

The small blade met resistance like iron armor, rebounding easily and falling to the ground. Through the torn fabric of his robe, a faint green glow was visible beneath.

“Inner armor?”

The first strike had failed. Han Li was slightly surprised, but after a cold snort, he raised his other hand. Another azure streak shot out.

This time, the target was Wen Tianren’s exposed throat.

But by now, Wen Tianren had recovered his wits. With alarm and anger, he had no intention of waiting to die. His body blurred sideways, dodging the incoming azure light, and with a push of his feet, he shot backward into the dense mist with surprising agility.

Han Li’s second attack missed. He watched Wen Tianren’s retreating form with cold eyes, not moving his feet. A faint trace of mockery tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Wen Tianren cast a hurried glance back. The moment he saw that expression on Han Li’s face, a sense of danger struck him. He twisted his body midair, trying to change his trajectory—but it was too late.

A sharp gust of cold wind swept at the back of his head. In the next instant, a chill pierced his neck. A small sword had punched through from behind, its hilt wrapped in a taut, near-transparent strand of spirit beast sinew.

Wen Tianren’s corpse hit the ground with a heavy thud, trailing a streak of blood.

His eyes were wide open, as if he could not believe he had died so easily.

Han Li’s right hand gave a slight flick. The taut sinew, still wrapped around his finger, jerked and snapped back. The obedient little sword rebounded into his palm.

Now Han Li narrowed his eyes and refocused on the mist.

A slender figure stirred. The second person stepped slowly out of the fog—a breathtakingly beautiful young woman in white robes.

She smiled radiantly at Han Li and spoke in a light, captivating voice:

“Brother Han! I never expected we’d meet again.”

“Fairy Zi Ling.” Han Li nodded, his expression unchanged. With a flick of his sleeve, the two small swords vanished.

Back when he was trapped within the golden flames, he had overheard Wen Tianren and Zi Ling’s conversation. Naturally, he had recognized this dramatically transformed Zi Ling. He had to admit—now that she revealed her true face, she fully earned the legendary reputation that had spread across the entire Chaotic Star Sea. In terms of pure beauty alone, even the enchanting Yuan Yao seemed slightly inferior.

The elegant, unworldly young woman glanced at the corpse on the ground and let out a soft sigh.

“I never imagined that the renowned ‘Number One Core Formation Cultivator’ would die like this at your hands, Fellow Daoist. If others learned of this, most would refuse to believe it.”

“He simply shouldn’t have shown up here at this time. Since we ran into each other, I naturally wasn’t going to let him go.” Han Li’s voice was calm. He stepped over to the corpse and, without ceremony, snatched the storage pouch from its waist. Then his gaze fell curiously on the jade belt.

“That’s the Four Symbols Pan Dragon Belt. It’s inlaid with four rare pearls: Wind-Avoiding, Flame-Repelling, Water-Shedding, and Dust-Warding. It also has the effect of calming the spirit and settling the soul. Quite a valuable treasure. He relied entirely on that belt to climb all the way here without incident.” Zi Ling explained with a light chuckle.

“The Four Symbols Belt. It’s indeed suitable for this place.” Han Li hesitated for a moment, then bent down and took the belt as well.

Without any particular caution, he finished searching the corpse, retrieving a green inner armor and several other treasures.

“Brother Han, who might this young lady be…?” Zi Ling’s bright eyes shifted, landing on Mei Ning, who stood behind Han Li.

“This is Miss Mei. A Fellow Daoist who was teleported here with me.” Han Li’s voice was level.

“So you are Miss Mei.”

“Mei Ning greets Fellow Daoist Zi Ling.”

Mei Ning looked a bit flustered, but she still studied the stunning young woman with curiosity. Zi Ling’s legendary beauty was well known to her. For a moment, she was simply awed by such an extraordinary face. Now, seeing that Han Li seemed to know her, Mei Ning couldn’t help silently wondering about their relationship.

Zi Ling smiled kindly at Mei Ning, then turned to Han Li with a faintly apologetic expression.

“I hope you won’t hold it against me for not lending a hand back then against Wen Tianren. I was actually…” The young woman seemed about to explain.

“There’s no need to say more, Fairy Zi Ling. I don’t know why you were traveling with the Six Paths heir, but I could see you weren’t doing it willingly. Besides, when he ordered you to attack my companions in the valley, you never actually made a move. I’ve kept that in mind.” Han Li waved a hand, cutting her off mildly.

“Since Brother Han understands my predicament, I won’t say more. Might I ask whether I can travel with you and Fellow Daoist Mei from here onward?” Seeing that Han Li truly bore no grudge, Zi Ling relaxed slightly and asked with a cheerful smile.

“Of course. We’ve only covered a small part of the mist. The road ahead won’t be easy. Let’s set out now and not waste time.” After a moment’s thought, Han Li agreed calmly.

“Since Fellow Daoist Zi Ling is also here, let’s go together. We’re still not far into the fog. Do either of you have any objections?”

“Thank you, Brother Han.” Zi Ling smiled brilliantly. For a moment, her bright eyes were like water, her beauty matchless.

Soon, the three of them vanished into the thick mist, leaving behind only Wen Tianren’s cold corpse.

Almost at the same moment, inside a stone cave in the Netherworld Domain, a very peculiar scene was unfolding.

A stunning woman sat cross-legged on the ground. Opposite her sat a delicate ghostly silhouette wreathed in black mist, also cross-legged. Though indistinct, it was clearly the form of another young woman.

“Junior Sister, have you truly decided to cultivate the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Art with me? This is hardly a wise choice.” A somewhat unfamiliar female voice advised, tinged with melancholy.

“Senior Sister Yan, you know the situation. Because I performed the Soul Reunion Art, my original Golden Core was shattered. That almost completely severed my path of cultivation. I originally thought that paying such a price would allow you to return to life. But I never expected to run into this ghost mist. The Soul Reunion Art was only half-complete when it was interrupted. In the end, your soul condensed a fair amount, but regaining a physical body is now hopeless. Still, every cloud has a silver lining. This place is filled with such dense Netherworld force—it will greatly benefit your ghost-path cultivation. And this Yin-Yang Reincarnation Art is a rare dual cultivation technique for a living human and a ghost. With the abundant Netherworld force here, not only can you advance quickly, but I might also be able to return to Core Formation. Even forming a Nascent Soul is not beyond reach.” The beautiful woman was none other than Yuan Yao, who had also been drawn into this place. Her voice was eerily calm.

“Since that’s the case, I won’t try to dissuade you further. But I must remind you, Junior Sister, this technique is a human-ghost dual cultivation art. While it progresses rapidly here thanks to the Netherworld force, once it reaches a certain level, the backlash will be severe. And you will also lose the chance to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation. I urge you to think it over once more. The Qingyang Sect possessed this technique for so long, yet no one ever cultivated it.” The ghostly figure in the black mist seemed somewhat resigned and offered one last warning.

“Senior Sister, there’s no need to say more. My mind is made up. I won’t regret it.” Yuan Yao’s expression was solemn and resolute.

“Very well. Since you, Junior Sister, are not afraid of the harm, then I, your Senior Sister, care even less. Let us cultivate the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Art together.” A long, faint sigh emerged from the black mist. Then the ghostly form of Yan Li reached out two hands wrapped in black energy.

Without hesitation, Yuan Yao extended her own hands and gently pressed them against Yan Li’s. Then she closed her eyes and began the path of cultivation.