A Seat at the War Table

When Patriarch Linghu saw Han Li, his expression remained as calm as ever, betraying not a single trace of recognition. It was impossible to tell whether he had truly forgotten a mere Qi Condensation disciple from decades past, or whether his heart was simply deep enough to conceal joy and anger alike.

Han Li’s gaze swept the hall.

Besides these individuals, an old man with a purple-hued face and a stately, richly dressed woman sat at the very center of the main hall.

Han Li probed the two with his divine sense for a moment, and a chill ran through his heart.

Both were mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. They should be the ones overseeing the Nine Nations Alliance.

Even as Han Li surveyed the cultivators in the hall, they too were sizing up the young man who had just entered.

Most seemed mildly surprised by his youthful appearance. After all, techniques that could preserve a male cultivator’s youthful looks were not exactly common.

“Junior Han, you’ve finally arrived. Please, take a seat. We were just discussing the matter of the Moulan men with Sect Leader Wu and the others.” The cultivator surnamed Lü spoke with a welcoming smile.

The Fire Dragon Boy beside him also showed a faint smile and nodded amiably.

Han Li smiled calmly, offered a slight cupped-fist salute to the others in the hall, and sat down in the wooden chair beside Cultivator Lü.

“You must be Fellow Daoist Han of the Falling Cloud Sect, am I right? I am Wu Peng of the Beiye Sect. We have heard from Brother Lü that you broke through to the Nascent Soul stage in just over two hundred years—truly a rare talent among the Heavenly South’s cultivators. Perhaps you really do have a chance at the Great Dao!” the purple-faced man said, addressing Han Li with a smile once he had settled.

Although Han Li’s cultivation was currently a notch lower than his own, the old man dared not underestimate his potential.

“Sect Leader Wu flatters me. I merely entered the Nascent Soul stage by luck. I would not dare speak of achieving the Great Dao.” Han Li responded modestly. The Beiye Sect was, after all, one of the two great sects of the Nine Nations Alliance, alongside the Manifest Intent Sect. He could not afford to be presumptuous.

Even as he spoke, Han Li’s gaze briefly flickered over the middle-aged beauty beside the old man.

Since the purple-faced elder was the Beiye Sect Leader, this woman was most likely a cultivator from the Manifest Intent Sect.

His guess was confirmed almost immediately. Wu Peng cleared his throat and continued:

“This is Lady Qi of the Manifest Intent Sect. For the time being, she and I are jointly managing the Nine Nations Alliance’s affairs. As for the other fellow daoists…”

The old man proceeded to introduce every cultivator in the hall one by one. When he reached Patriarch Linghu of the Yellow Maple Valley, the old patriarch responded with a completely neutral expression, offering no special indication.

Han Li’s heart stirred slightly, but he likewise kept his face calm and merely nodded.

After finishing the introductions, Wu Peng’s expression turned serious:

“Fellow Daoist Han has arrived at just the right time. We were discussing the fact that the Dharma Warriors are far more powerful than we had anticipated. I have heard that Elder Yu and the others have suffered yet another major defeat. Even the restrictive formations at two key locations were forcibly broken by the giant beasts the enemy deployed. We have lost quite a few cultivators. Fellow Daoist Huan of the Shadow Sect even fell in that battle. He is the second Nascent Soul-stage comrade we have lost since the war with the Dharma Warriors began. It seems the Moulan men are truly coming in force. The Alliance urgently needs the support of all you fellow daoists.”

At these grave words from the Beiye Sect Leader, every trace of a smile vanished from the cultivators’ faces, and a subtle air of tension settled over the hall.

“Sect Leader Wu, we have received some news of this as well. After all, our various sects do have disciples rotating through the Alliance’s front lines. But the exact circumstances of Fellow Daoist Feng’s death are still unclear to us. Could you elaborate? Losing even Nascent Soul cultivators in such quick succession is frankly hard to believe. Have the enemy’s high-rank Dharma Warriors already been dispatched in such numbers?” a green-robed, vulture-faced old man asked in a gloomy, somewhat hoarse voice.

Hearing this, Han Li took a closer look at the man. He remembered from Wu Peng’s introductions that this was an elder of the Spirit Beast Sect from the demonic path. He wondered what relationship this man had with Liu Yu and Han Yunzhi.

“Whether the enemy’s high-rank Dharma Warriors have been fully mobilized, I have not received word of that. However, Fellow Daoist Feng, as well as the previously fallen Fellow Daoist Zinc, both fell in one-on-one duels with the enemy. Neither was surrounded.” Wu Peng’s expression turned somewhat odd as he said this.

“Impossible. Even if they were up against a mid-Nascent Soul Dharma Warrior, they should have been able to escape. Are you saying the one who acted was a Moulan Divine Teacher?” the green-robed elder said, alarmed.

“No. It was just two early-Nascent Soul Dharma Warriors. But these two were… unusual. Not only was their Spiritual Art terrifyingly powerful, far surpassing others of the same rank, but they also used a bizarre type of treasure. After our two fellow daoists were defeated, as soon as their Nascent Souls fled their bodies, the enemy trapped them with this treasure. They could not even use their teleportation abilities and were lost.” Wu Peng sighed, as if he had anticipated the question.

“A treasure that prevents a Nascent Soul from teleporting? What kind of artifact is that? An ancient treasure? A magic treasure?” someone asked, drawing a sharp breath, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Everyone in the hall, including Han Li, changed expression at this.

The reason Nascent Soul cultivators were so hard to kill was that once their souls escaped the body, they could use teleportation to flee. Now that a treasure capable of countering that power had appeared, how could they not be alarmed?

“As for the exact nature of the treasure, the Alliance disciples who witnessed the battle are not clear either. All they reported was that the two Dharma Warriors raised their hands, and a black-red light shot out. It came and went without a trace, making it impossible to guard against. Moreover…” Wu Peng hesitated, his expression uncertain.

“Sect Leader Wu, now is hardly the time for secrecy. What more is there to say?” the green-robed elder said, frowning.

“My brother Wu is not trying to be secretive. He simply finds it somewhat hard to believe himself, which is why he was hesitating. Let me explain this part.” Lady Qi of the Manifest Intent Sect smiled gently, stepping in to help Wu Peng out of his bind.

Both sects belonged to the Nine Nations Alliance, so it was natural for her to lend a hand.

Hearing this, Han Li’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

The rest of the hall felt much the same, all of them perking up to listen to Lady Qi’s next words.

“It is like this. Some of the disciples who witnessed the battle noticed that the two Nascent Soul-stage Dharma Warriors had extremely unusual appearances. They also seemed to be directly devouring the souls of the fallen—both Dharma Warriors and cultivators alike. That is why Sect Leader Wu suspects they may not be human at all, but some kind of alien creature in human form. Yet, these two gave off no obvious demonic or ghostly aura, so the disciples could not make a firm judgment. But speaking of it, the sudden appearance of several unusually ferocious barbarian giant beasts among the Dharma Warriors is probably also linked to these unfamiliar ones. That is why we suspect the Moulan people may have allied with some other force, which is why they have been able to mount such a large-scale invasion of the Heavenly South.” Lady Qi explained with a light sigh.

“Alien creatures? Are you referring to demon beasts that have taken human form?” Patriarch Linghu, his expression grave, asked in a deep voice at this.

“That would be our guess. But even if they are not demon beasts, they must be heretical cultivators who practice demonic or ghostly arts. If that is the case, I would honestly rather they were demon beasts. It would be far less troublesome.” Wu Peng said darkly.

“When did you receive this information, Sect Leader Wu?” Han Li, who had remained silent until now, asked slowly, his expression shifting.

“This information came along with the last battle report. Why do you ask, Fellow Daoist Han?” Wu Peng was taken aback. He stroked his long beard, a puzzled look on his face.

“It is nothing. I was just thinking—whether those unfamiliar Dharma Warriors are human or demon, since they are bold enough to act so openly and so early, and do not seem to care whether we see through their identities, it suggests the Moulan people will not fight a protracted war like before. They are far more likely to go for a single, decisive blow—to seek out our main force and settle the matter in one battle. Something major must have happened on the Moulan plains.” Han Li rested his chin in his hand, speaking as if lost in thought.

At this analysis, Wu Peng and Lady Qi’s faces changed drastically. They exchanged a shocked glance.

The other cultivators felt a weight settle in their hearts as well. The meaning behind Han Li’s words was clear to these old monsters.

In previous invasions, the Moulan people had always fought protracted wars. The shortest lasted a year or two, the longest dragged on for more than a decade.

Both the Nine Nations Alliance cultivators and the Moulan Dharma Warriors had always tried to avoid a single, decisive, all-out confrontation.

Because if they did, either one side would be completely wiped out, or both would suffer grievous losses. And the latter outcome was far more common.

Neither the Heavenly South cultivators nor the Moulan Dharma Warriors could afford such a heavy drain on their resources.

Moreover, the Moulan people were made up of many tribes, and the Heavenly South cultivators were an alliance of numerous sects, large and small. Neither side could truly act with one mind.

But looking at the Moulan people’s current, ferocious momentum, it was indeed a stark departure from previous invasions.

And with the sudden appearance of the barbarian giant beasts and those bizarre Dharma Warriors, everything pointed to a major change on the Moulan side.

“Fellow Daoist Han makes a valid point. It does seem the Moulan people are acting strangely. We cannot afford to be careless. All the sects of the Heavenly South must be mobilized. We need to send in a second wave of reinforcements immediately. Otherwise, if the Moulan people manage to defeat us piece by piece, we will be in a terrible spot. I hope you fellow daoists will convey this to your respective sects and act quickly. Our Alliance alone cannot hold out for long.” After a long silence, Wu Peng smiled bitterly and spoke in a heavy tone.