A Gift of Poison

The instant Nan Longhou finished speaking, his hand brushed across his chest. A soft, white light flickered.

The indentation on his torso restored itself in the blink of an eye.

Wang Tiangu and the others’ expressions shifted subtly. But the cloud-robed elder remained impassive as he said, “There is no need for concern,诸位. He has merely used a secret technique to temporarily suppress the injury. It is not a true recovery. But why waste words with that Han fellow? Send one man to occupy him; the rest of us will finish Nan Longhou first.”

Having spoken this coldly, the old man unhurriedly pointed a finger at the silver wheel floating before him.

The treasure instantly transformed into a streak of silver light, flying to hover above his head before releasing a cascade of silvery radiance that enveloped his entire body. Within the silver glow, the elder’s form grew indistinct, flickering in and out of visibility.

Clearly, this man knew full well that Nan Longhou harbored a bone-deep hatred for him. His strategy, therefore, was not to seek merit but to avoid error.

Wang Tiangu’s brow furrowed slightly, as if he found the reasoning sound. He turned his head and said to the cultivator named You beside him, “Brother You, this young fellow is yours to handle for now. There is no need to fight him to the death; just occupy him for a short while. Once Nan Longhou is dealt with, his time of death will have arrived.”

Wang Tiangu no longer bothered to conceal his killing intent toward Han Li. After shooting Han Li a cold glance, black light suddenly flared several feet high from his body, and his entire form was swallowed by the darkness, making him appear eerie and uncanny.

Seeing this, the old woman and the dark-faced man also spat out their magical treasures and slowly began to close in.

“Very well. I will take care of this Fellow Daoist Han!” You cultivator said with a chuckle. A milky-white jade ruyi silently slipped from his sleeve. He took a few steps forward and stood facing Han Li, a faint smile playing on his lips.

To him, occupying a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator was a trivial matter. It was far safer than directly facing Nan Longhou, a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

Han Li stared at You, standing motionless. But the moment the old woman left the stairway entrance, his heartbeat suddenly pounded faster. One hand, hidden within his sleeve, firmly clamped down on an ancient treasure.

Right then, Nan Longhou suddenly swept a hand behind him. A golden haze shot out, simultaneously wrapping around the three jade cases resting on the jade bed behind him before flying back into his grasp.

“Catch!” With not a hint of hesitation, Nan Longhou flicked his wrist, sending one of the jade cases shooting straight toward Han Li.

This move caught everyone completely off guard. Naturally, no one had time to stop it.

Han Li caught the jade case with ease. He blinked, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes.

“Since you, Fellow Daoist, have chosen not to collude with them, I gift this jade case to you. If it truly holds the secret to the Fallen Devil Valley, and you are fortunate enough to escape this place alive with it, then consider it your fate and fortune.” Having said this, Nan Longhou clasped his hands behind his back, his words carrying a pointed meaning.

Wang Tiangu, the cloud-robed elder, and the others all changed expression dramatically upon hearing this.

Han Li lowered his head to glance at the jade case in his hand. He licked his dry lips, and a mad desire to laugh surged within him. But with his extraordinary self-control, he suppressed it.

Here was an object every cultivator in this pavilion was trying to seize, and it had been delivered to him without his asking. The irony was almost unbearable.

Of course, Nan Longhou’s act was not born of good will.

Given the relentless determination Wang Tiangu’s group had shown toward obtaining these jade cases, tossing one to him now was a textbook case of diverting trouble. It was a ploy to split Wang Tiangu’s attention, thereby reducing the pressure on himself and allowing him to escape.

Still, this man knew how to let go. To part with a treasure already in his grasp and give it to someone else—he truly possessed the spirit of a ruthless hegemon.

And since the treasure had landed in his hands… Heh.

After letting out a cold laugh, Han Li flipped his palm without the slightest hesitation. The jade case vanished, stored away in his storage pouch.

“Chan’er. The two of you assist Brother You. Do not let that brat Han slip away through trickery. The struggle here is for us old-timers to handle.” Wang Tiangu’s expression darkened as he issued the order without any further deliberation.

He was remarkably calm. He had not let the sight of the jade case cloud his judgment. He had only dispatched the weakest members—Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan—to watch Han Li, refusing to divert any more manpower to deal with him.

The others exchanged glances but said nothing.

As tempting as the treasure was, once Nan Longhou was eliminated, handling a mere early-Nascent Soul cultivator like Han Li would be a simple matter.

“As you command, Second Uncle. I have been wanting to test this ‘Senior Han’ myself!” A fierce gleam flashed in Wang Chan’s eyes as he agreed with a sinister smile.

He then waved Yan Ruyan over and began walking toward Han Li.

A flicker of complex emotion passed over Yan Ruyan’s beautiful face, but it vanished in an instant. She followed in silence.

Han Li watched the two approach, his expression utterly unreadable.

Strangely enough, despite the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere in the pavilion, neither Wang Tiangu’s group nor Nan Longhou made the first move.

This was not out of any lingering courtesy. Everyone knew that Nan Longhou, cornered like a trapped beast, would unleash a devastating blow the moment he acted. In his desperation, he might very well drag one or two opponents down with him.

The desperate counterattack of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator was a terrifying prospect. These old monsters understood this all too well. Naturally, no one was willing to be the first to strike and bear the brunt of a fatal blow.

Besides, they were not afraid of a delay. As long as Nan Longhou had no time to sit in meditation and recover, his injuries would only worsen with time, which was to their advantage.

Curiously, Nan Longhou remained standing in place, as if completely unconcerned about his injury. But the flush on his cheeks had grown even more vivid, now as bright as dripping blood.

This only made Wang Tiangu and the others more cautious. They feared he had already activated some extremely lethal, life-burning secret technique. Each of them stared at Nan Longhou with icy eyes, not daring to blink.

As for You cultivator off to the side, he harbored similar thoughts regarding Han Li. Since he only needed to occupy him, he had no intention of striking first either.

Wang Chan, though eager to kill Han Li, was well aware of his own cultivation limitations and dared not act recklessly.

And so, despite the pervasive killing intent filling the pavilion, a strange silence fell over the hall.

After a few moments, Han Li, who had appeared deep in thought, suddenly let out a soft sigh. Though it was not loud, it was conspicuous in the dead quiet.

But the Nascent Soul old monsters in the pavilion were all seasoned veterans. Aside from You cultivator directly facing him, no one else even lifted an eyelid or spared him a glance.

Wang Chan smirked from the side, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

In their minds, Han Li would naturally wait for Nan Longhou to make the first move before acting himself. Only by seizing the chaos could he hope for the slimmest chance of survival.

But no one expected that, after that sigh, Han Li actually moved.

Expression unchanged, Han Li raised his hand. A pitch-black object materialized in his palm.

You cultivator narrowed his eyes. Before he could even make out what it was, Han Li unceremoniously tossed it into the air. The object spun in mid-air, expanding rapidly until it was a full seven or eight zhang in size, standing like a massive wall between the two of them, completely separating the sides.

It was only then that You cultivator could clearly see what it was—a jet-black miniature mountain, its entire surface shimmering with an obsidian luster. He had no idea what kind of treasure it was.

After a brief moment of surprise, however, he did not panic. Instead, he pointed a finger at the jade ruyi treasure floating before him.

The ruyi instantly buzzed with a loud hum. White light blazed forth, and from within the layers of radiance, a huge white tiger began to take shape.

Though the tiger appeared somewhat indistinct, the moment it materialized, it opened its massive bloody maw and spat out a thick beam of scorching white light. The beam flashed and vanished, slamming directly into the black mountain.

A thunderous roar echoed through the hall. White light instantly engulfed most of the miniature mountain.

Wang Chan, on the other side, reacted as well. Without hesitation, he formed hand seals. A thick, blood-red mist suddenly erupted from his body, swallowing his figure. At the same time, a nauseating stench of blood filled the entire pavilion.

Yan Ruyan, her face expressionless, also formed hand seals. A similar blood-red mist emerged around her body. However, her mist carried no stench of blood. Instead, it was filled with a strange, cloying sweetness. One whiff and the mind grew groggy, consciousness immediately turning hazy.

Seeing this, You cultivator grew even more confident. While controlling the white tiger from the ruyi to spew another beam of light, he slapped his storage pouch. A light-blue gourd, only an inch in size, materialized in his hand.

Just as he was about to offer the gourd for sacrifice, he suddenly heard a faint, rumbling sound from across the wall. Startled, his vigilance spiked. Without a second thought, he formed a hand seal, and a thick, white protective barrier materialized around his body.

Almost at that very moment, a flash of silver lightning arced beside him, and Han Li’s figure, wings sprouting from his back, appeared almost flush against his protective barrier.

“Ah, you—!”

You cultivator’s face was a mask of shock, but his extensive combat experience kicked in. He hurriedly raised the blue gourd in his hand, and a bolt of blue lightning shot out from its mouth, dazzlingly bright.

But the instant the blue lightning was released, Han Li showed no intention of dodging. Instead, he simply, almost numbly, opened his mouth and gently exhaled.

A wisp of blue flame, as fine as a strand of silk, streamed from his lips, piercing the white barrier without any resistance at all, and shot straight toward You cultivator’s body.