The cultivator beside the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master relayed a voice transmission to the Li brothers, who were disguised within the formation. However, his expression turned serious, and he turned back to the young master for further instructions.
"Young Sect Master, the two elders say there are three cultivators too far from the formation. Once it's activated, they won't be able to confine those three within the array. They're asking the young master to find a way to lure those three closer."
The Ghost Spirit Sect's young master's eyes flickered with surprise, and he furrowed his brow imperceptibly.
This situation was somewhat outside his expectations. Logically, the Yin Fire Grand Formation they had set up temporarily should already cover an impressively large area, yet there were still people outside it. That was peculiar.
Thinking of this, the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master, Wang Chan, raised his head and looked ahead. Sure enough, beyond the formation's range of control, he spotted three people who had not been drawn in.
Two of them were a male and female cultivator from the Masked Moon Sect, whispering intimately under a large tree at the northeastern corner outside the formation. They looked like a pair trying to sneak away from the crowd for some private time, their affection clearly in full bloom. Meanwhile, to the far west, more than ten zhang away from the boundary line near some boulders, stood a young man in a yellow robe with a plain face, calmly observing everything on the peak. It was none other than Han Li, who always put caution first.
"So it's these three!" Wang Chan muttered to himself, lost in thought.
After a brief pause, he leaned close and whispered a few words to the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator beside him. The subordinate nodded repeatedly in acknowledgment.
Then, dressed in the Yan family's attire, this Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator walked off the earthen platform and through the mist. He stopped not far from the formation and began shouting at the top of his lungs: "All guests who've come for the tournament, please come draw lots and register! Once we've got a headcount, the treasure hunt officially begins…"
His cry immediately caught the attention of the other cultivators, who instinctively began moving closer to the formation. Even that pair of Masked Moon Sect disciples walked over reluctantly, stepping into the formation's area of restriction.
Seeing this scene, the corners of Wang Chan's mouth beneath his mask curved upward ever so slightly. But when his gaze shifted west to where Han Li stood, the trace of mockery that had just appeared on his lips froze.
Because Han Li, as he could see, hadn't moved a muscle. He showed absolutely no intention of coming forward to draw lots. He even stood with his arms crossed, watching the gathering cultivators with apparent amusement.
"Which sect does that man belong to?" Wang Chan asked coldly after a long moment.
"Judging by his robes, he should be a cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley!" the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator beside him replied cautiously, apparently sensing the young master's displeasure.
"Tell the two elders to proceed. This Yellow Maple Valley disciple looks rather interesting—handing him over to me so I can limber up a bit won't be bad either." Wang Chan said evenly, but a bloody light was faintly flowing in his eyes, as though a faint scent of blood were emanating from him.
"Yes, young master!" The several Ghost Spirit Guards behind him shuddered involuntarily at his words and answered respectfully.
…
From a distance, Han Li appeared to be standing by the side of the boulders, watching the cultivators register with a smile on his face. But if anyone had drawn close enough to look carefully, they would have noticed how stiff and forced that smile was, and how beads of fine sweat were forming on his forehead.
"Those Yan family people are Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators!" This was the discovery Han Li had made moments ago, one that struck him like a bolt from the blue.
When the Ghost Spirit Sect members had first appeared disguised as the Yan family, Han Li had harbored not a shred of suspicion. He had even intended to go over after hearing their call for registration.
But at the moment when that person waved his hand behind his back to summon the cultivators, Han Li was shocked to discover that this Yan family member had half an inch of dark green fingernails—exactly the same as those of the yellow-haired freak from the Ghost Spirit Sect that day!
Stunned, Han Li felt a chill rush through him as though ice water had been dumped over his head.
"People don't normally keep nails like these. Could this person be…"
After making this incredible and terrifying deduction in his mind, Han Li naturally refused to take another step forward.
While straining to keep the smile on his face, his eyes darted around, scanning his surroundings. But everything seemed normal, with no signs of an ambush. Could those fingernails really just be a coincidence?
The moment this thought of coincidence surfaced, Han Li immediately dismissed it himself! How many coincidences could there really be in this world? And even if it truly was one, he had no intention of taking that kind of risk—especially since that formation looked so suspicious!
With this thought, Han Li no longer hesitated. He reached out, and the Divine Wind Boat immediately appeared in his hand. But before he could throw it, a lazy voice suddenly drifted down from directly above his head.