Han Li looked at the order in his hand—the official writ signed by the sect leaders, allowing for the conscription of disciples currently traveling—and felt utterly depressed!
The conscription order was undoubtedly genuine, as the spiritual seal representing a sect leader could not be faked in the slightest. Yet he truly didn't want to simply obey it!
From the other party's words, Han Li had learned of the invasion by the six Devilfall Sects, and knew that a great catastrophe for the Yue Kingdom's cultivation world was inevitable.
Whether the seven great sects of the Yue Kingdom could weather this storm remained to be seen, but the cultivators who would fall were sure to number in the thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators would likely see many suffer shattered dantians and perish.
As soon as he heard this shocking news, what Han Li wanted most was to immediately return to his cave dwelling, enter seclusion for several decades, and only emerge after that.
However, he knew this was merely a pipe dream. As a disciple of one of the seven sects, it was never so easy to extricate oneself from such a massive conflict.
Just as Han Li was thinking this, the male cultivator from the Masked Moon Sect who had announced his conscription was smiling broadly and saying: "Junior Brother, have you had a good look? Could you now report your name and cultivation level? We'll be working together a lot from now on!"
Han Li steadied himself, looked at the man, then glanced at the thirty-odd cultivators behind him. Only three among them had reached Foundation Establishment; the rest were merely Qi Condensation stage disciples. This made Han Li feel slightly relieved—at the very least, it didn't seem like they were being assigned a high-difficulty mission.
Thinking this, Han Li cupped his fists and said: "Han Li from Yellow Maple Valley, early Foundation Establishment!"
Although they were both Foundation Establishment cultivators and each other's cultivation levels were generally discernible at a glance, for the sake of politeness, Han Li still honestly stated his level. After all, this man was at late Foundation Establishment, his cultivation significantly higher than Han Li's, and Han Li didn't want to offend him lightly.
But then, Han Li asked with some confusion: "How can you be certain my identity is without issue, that you stopped me directly and showed me the conscription order? Surely it wasn't just based on this Yellow Maple Valley robe?"
Han Li had originally seen this group of cultivators from the Blade Transformation Dock and the Masked Moon Sect and had intended to bypass them and flee in the opposite direction. He hadn't expected this sharp-eyed individual to flash over with a few movements and block his path on the side, immediately announcing his conscription.
"Heh heh! During the earlier Blood Trial, I did catch a glimpse of you, Junior Brother! Who would have thought that after several years, Junior Brother Han has successfully established his Foundation. This is truly something to celebrate!" The man from the Masked Moon Sect, who appeared to be in his thirties, smiled faintly and said something that greatly surprised Han Li.
"You are...?"
Hearing the other party speak this way, Han Li finally felt the man did look somewhat familiar, as if he had indeed seen him during the Blood Trial!
"I am Xuan Le, one of the Masked Moon Sect's external stewards. Last time, when I escorted Senior Aunt Ni Chang and led a team, I personally witnessed Junior Brother Han's shocking display on the spot!" The man chuckled lightly, speaking with deep meaning.
Only then did Han Li suddenly realize in enlightenment. This man had been one of the four Foundation Establishment leaders for the Masked Moon Sect back then, but Han Li hadn't paid much attention to him at the time, so his impression was somewhat vague. However, upon further thought, Han Li felt a trace of shock. They had only met briefly years ago, yet this person could recognize him from such a distance—it was almost incredible.
"I know, Junior Brother Han, that you are traveling in such a hurry and must have other urgent matters. However, the task I am to execute is severely short-handed, so I must ask for Junior Brother's assistance." Xuan Le said very politely.
Hearing this, Han Li's mouth twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but think with a bitter smile: "You, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, have already produced the conscription order. Even if I wanted to refuse, could I? I'm afraid if I said that, a charge of disobeying orders would be slapped on me!"
Thinking this, Han Li glanced at the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators standing behind Xuan Le, and had no choice but to harden his scalp and reply: "Since Senior Brother Xuan puts it this way, this Junior will naturally obey! However, I have an important matter I must report to my own sect's leader. I hope Senior Brother Xuan will arrange for someone to deliver the message!"
Then Han Li recounted everything that had happened at Yanling Fortress in full detail, though he glossed over how he himself had escaped.