A Name that Shakes a Region, the Old Freaks Gather

Chapter 766: A Name that Shakes a Region, the Old Freaks Gather

"That person is an old acquaintance I haven't seen in years. I was simply surprised to see him suddenly," Dong Xuan'er said, her expression somewhat peculiar, but her tone was calm and collected.

"An old acquaintance? That man is an early Nascent Soul cultivator who managed to attend today's gathering, and he looks so young. He should be that newly famous Elder of the Falling Cloud Sect. As it happens, his surname is also Han, and his name is exactly the same as the one you mentioned before. Could it be him?" The Clouddew Old Demon did not seem angered by Dong Xuan'er's stiff reply; instead, he asked in an unhurried manner, as if their relationship was far from ordinary.

Hearing the Old Demon's words, Dong Xuan'er's face paled slightly, but she remained silent.

A cold light flashed in the Old Demon's eyes. After letting out a cold snort, he did not press the matter further, though a trace of gloom flickered across his brow.

When the Old Demon led Dong Xuan'er to the palace gates, the Core Formation cultivators on duty were all trembling with fear. They only asked a brief question or two before hastily letting him pass. Of course, Dong Xuan'er was not allowed to enter the main hall. She was led by a cultivator to a side hall to wait.

Meanwhile, Han Li walked through the palace gates. Shortly after, he saw the entrance to the main hall and quickened his pace, stepping inside.

The layout of the main hall was extremely simple. Besides the massive stone pillars, there was a large open space in the middle. On it, exquisitely crafted wooden chairs were placed every few zhang, numbering about sixteen or seventeen in total.

Scattered among these chairs sat seven or eight cultivators of varying appearances.

The moment Han Li entered, some cast a cold glance at him, others ignored him entirely, and a few simply sat with their eyes closed in meditation. Each was absorbed in their own affairs, acting as if no one else was present.

However, one person showed a friendly smile upon seeing Han Li and waved him over, saying, "Fellow Daoist Han, you've come out of seclusion. If you don't mind, have a seat next to me, Long."

This person was Long Han, a key figure of the Heavenly Dao Alliance from the Luan Ming Sect.

"Thank you, Brother Long."

Han Li did not refuse. He took a seat on the chair next to Long Han, then briefly surveyed the few people present before sitting upright in silence.

A moment later, the Clouddew Old Demon’s figure appeared at the entrance.

Glancing at the assembled cultivators, he let out a sharp chuckle, walked to an empty chair, and sat down with a grand and imposing air.

Not far from where he sat was an old man in a blue robe. Holding a small, verdant pot in one hand and a white jade wine cup in the other, the old man was drinking alone, utterly indifferent to the presence of others.

As soon as the Clouddew Old Demon sat nearby, a wave of rouge and powder scent drifted over, causing the old man to glare at him after catching the smell, inwardly cursing his bad luck.

The Old Demon paid no attention to the old man's displeasure. Instead, his gaze flickered a few times before landing on Han Li, who was sitting diagonally across from him. He began to scrutinize Han Li with renewed interest.

This time, it was Han Li’s turn to feel uneasy.

Frowning slightly, he simply closed his eyes, his face expressionless. Inwardly, however, he was pondering the relationship between the Old Demon and Dong Xuan'er.

Back then, Dong Xuan'er had been abducted by the Young Master of the Blissful Union Sect and subsequently joined the demonic sect. Although the Old Demon had a notorious reputation, it would not make sense for him to target a disciple of his own sect. There had to be some other connection between them.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for the Old Demon to bring Dong Xuan'er to a gathering like this.

Just as Han Li was feeling perplexed, cultivators began filing into the hall one after another.

These were naturally all mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. Some knew each other, while others harbored considerable grudges. As a result, voices calling out greetings and exchanging barbs of sarcasm would occasionally rise within the hall.

By this time, the Clouddew Old Demon had shifted his gaze away from Han Li.

But Han Li still did not move, keeping his eyes closed. He felt that among the mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, he barely knew a few, so there was naturally no need for him to greet anyone.

"Soul Fragment Fellow Daoist! I didn't expect you to come. I heard that you’ve already cultivated the 'Nine Souls Secret Art' to perfection. Truly a cause for celebration."

"Soul Fragment!" The sound of this greeting stirred something within Han Li, and he couldn't help but open his eyes.

Standing at the entrance of the hall was a gaunt, haggard-looking old man in a black robe. Inside the hall, a cultivator dressed in black robes was enthusiastically greeting him.

Pausing for a moment, the black-robed old man immediately broke into a wide smile and walked over.

"What's the matter? Fellow Daoist Han, have you met the Soul Fragment True Man before?" Long Han, who was sitting beside him, noticed Han Li’s reaction and asked with a smile.

"No. I've only heard Brother Cheng mention him before, saying his abilities are quite formidable." Han Li replied with an unchanged expression, not mentioning a single word about his trip to Yue Country back then, during which he had killed a group of Soul Fragment's disciples.

"Ah, that's not surprising. I recall that Elder Cheng once exchanged blows with this man and suffered a slight loss. Naturally, he would have a deep impression of him. But with your current reputation, Fellow Daoist Han, there's no need for you to be concerned anymore. However, among the mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, there is one person you'd best avoid provoking. Even if the Three Great Heavenly South Cultivators ran into him, they'd find him a massive headache." Long Han smiled faintly and spoke in a tone that was both advisory and familiar.

"Someone who could give the Three Great Cultivators a headache? Such a person exists?" Han Li raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Of course. This man once crossed hands with Elder Zhi Yang of the Three Great Cultivators. Although he was nearly fatally wounded, he still managed to lightly injure Elder Zhi Yang and escape. So, he's almost universally acknowledged as the strongest below the Three Great Cultivators. However, that man is used to operating alone. Whether he will even show up for a major event like the Dharma Warrior invasion is another matter. If he did, he would be a significant asset." Long Han explained in detail.

"To be able to wound a late-Nascent Soul cultivator! This man is truly remarkable. I wonder which eminent figure this is; his reputation must be considerable." Han Li pursed his lips, his curiosity piqued.

"You've definitely heard of this person. The name 'Heaven-Hating Old Freak' should be quite familiar to you, Fellow Daoist Han." Long Han said with a smile.

"The Heaven-Hating Old Freak! So it's him. I've indeed heard the name like thunder in my ears." Han Li let out a wry laugh and muttered to himself, the events that took place in the Spirit Tree’s Forbidden Land when he was disguised as a low-level cultivator flashing through his mind.

At that time, both the righteous and demonic spies were exceptionally wary of the Heaven-Hating Old Freak.

"But among the Nascent Soul cultivators, it seems that you and your wife, Brother Long, should be the ones second only to the Three Great Cultivators!" Han Li blinked and said jokingly.

Long Han, however, shook his head at this.

"Although Feng Bing and I have some abilities, I'm afraid there's a ninety percent chance I'd lose to that man in a one-on-one fight. But if the two of us were to join forces, that would be a different story." Long Han said seriously.

Han Li smiled upon hearing this and was just about to say something more when he suddenly felt someone staring at him. The gaze was cold and gloomy, as if it bore ill intentions.

Alarmed, Han Li's face remained impassive. He slightly turned his head and met the eyes of that person.

It was an elderly man he had never seen before, with lush green robes and a long beard.

When the old man saw Han Li looking back, he immediately suppressed the cold light in his eyes, shifted his gaze away expressionlessly, and pretended nothing had happened.

But Han Li did not relax because of this. Instead, his eyes flickered as he stared at the man for a good long while.

"What's the matter? Fellow Daoist Han, don't you recognize him?" Long Han naturally noticed this scene and chuckled lightly.

"From the way you put it, Brother Long, it sounds like I should know him." Han Li felt a bit puzzled.

"This man is the Grand Elder of the Imperial Spirit Sect, Dong Men Tu, who holds the reins of power in the sect. Although I've never dealt with him personally, I've heard that he has an extremely close relationship with Gu Shuang Pu, practically like brothers. And since you eliminated Gu Shuang Pu for being a Moulan spy, even if the evidence was solid and he had nothing to say, he certainly holds a grudge against you. Fellow Daoist, you should be cautious." Long Han warned him with a meaningful tone.

Han Li rubbed his nose upon hearing this, a wry smile on his face, but he repeatedly expressed his thanks.

In just a quarter of an hour, most of the chairs in the hall had been filled by cultivators.

It was somewhat amusing to note, whether intentional or not, that the demonic path cultivators had nearly all taken seats on the right side of the hall, while the righteous path cultivators occupied most of the chairs on the left. Only the cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Nine Nations Alliance seemed indifferent, sitting down on either side at will.

Among these cultivators, another acquaintance of Han Li's was also present—that cultivator from the Ni Hang Zhai with the surname Kuang. He happened to be sitting on the demonic path side, and when he saw Han Li looking over, he gave Han Li a smile.

Han Li naturally nodded in acknowledgment.

At that moment, Long Han next to him used voice transmission to point out two other cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Alliance: a plainly dressed woman with light makeup, and an old man with a perpetually worried expression.

Han Li took a closer look at these two, committing their features to memory.

Perhaps because the hall had grown crowded, the expressions of those seated became more solemn. No one engaged in idle chatter anymore; instead, they all coolly sized each other up.

Every single person present was, in the outside world, a top-tier existence that could dominate an entire region. Now, they were all gathered in one place. Whether they knew each other or not, they each harbored their own thoughts and schemes.

Among these people, Han Li was a rather special existence.

With the powerful divine senses of these old monsters, unless Han Li was deliberately concealing himself, the moment their gazes swept over Han Li, they could discern his level of cultivation. Naturally, they all immediately knew who he was.

After all, Han Li's reputation had become extremely prominent over the past half a year. These old monsters could not have failed to hear something about him.

Han Li, however, sat there with his eyes lowered, not bothering to acknowledge anyone, projecting an air of calm indifference.

Just as the hall began to grow deathly still, filled with a heavy atmosphere, three figures finally walked out from a side door of the main hall in succession.

The various old monsters, who had been silently observing each other, all turned their gazes toward the newcomers in unison.

A burly man in a black robe, an old man with green hair, and a Taoist priest carrying a sword on his back.

Han Li’s expression remained calm, but his heart skipped a beat. These three were the Great Heavenly South Cultivators. They were the only three late-Nascent Soul cultivators in the entire Heavenly South region for over a thousand years.

The others’ expressions varied, but most of them, like Han Li, quietly watched these three, waiting for them to speak.